With a plop, Cao Yang dove straight into the pool, holding his breath as he swam three full laps underwater.
Hu Qing had just coaxed Cao Yinuo to sleep. Wearing a silk nightdress, arms folded, she leaned against the pool's edge, quietly watching Cao Yang.
The moment he surfaced and saw her staring, he plunged back down again.
"Keep hiding! If you've got guts, don't come up!"
Just moments ago, she asked him what he planned to do with Yinuo after Bai Xue was released. Cao Yang refused to answer, and Hu Qing was forcing him to.
She'd been lonely ever since coming abroad. She'd finally gotten used to this peaceful life, about to start anew… then Cao Yang suddenly showed up with a toddler in his arms.
Since he came with a child, she never planned to look for another man again. She'd raised Yinuo, loved her, spoiled her—now the child was her whole world. And if Yinuo was taken away, she'd be thrown back into that empty life.She couldn't accept that.
Seeing Cao Yang actually stay underwater, Hu Qing got so furious that she grabbed an ashtray and hurled it at him.
Cao Yang had no choice but to surface.
"She's not out yet. We'll talk when she is. Don't rush."
Cao Yang was stuck between two cliffs. If he could delay, he would.
"No! I want an answer right now!"
Hu Qing refused to back down. Cao Yang quickly changed the subject.
"Sis-in-law… why don't you think about having your own child?"
Hu Qing's face instantly froze.Her infertility was her deepest wound. She never told him formally, but he knew. So why bring it up now?
Realizing she misunderstood, Cao Yang hurriedly explained:
"I didn't mean it like that. I just mean… you and Brother Jie couldn't have kids. But if you try with someone else, maybe it'll work."
Hu Qing sighed. Her issue was ovulation—no doctor could fix it. Switching partners wouldn't magically solve it.
Then suddenly, a thought hit her.She finally realized what he meant.
"So who exactly am I supposed to try with?"Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
Cao Yang rubbed his nose, saying nothing.
"Hmph. You brat—you WANT to sleep with me?"
Cao Yang was speechless. She was the one who suggested before that he be her… substitute partner. He was the one who turned her down.Now he changed his mind and suddenly he was the one desperate to sleep with her?
"Well? Say something! Do you want to sleep with me or not?!"
"It's not that I want to." Cao Yang remained stubborn. "It's just… Yinuo calls you Mom and calls me Dad. If we don't sleep together, she'll get suspicious when she grows up. Sigh… all for the kid. We just have to sacrifice a bit."
"Ha! As if you're so noble!"
"Back then you offered and I refused because of Brother Jie. But Jie-ge is in the past now. And you're young—you can't stay alone forever. And I don't want to watch you find some other man. So… I'll just have to take responsibility."
"You really—"
"Aah—!"
Before she could finish, he grabbed her and pulled her into the pool.
Her silk nightdress floated up, exposing everything beneath the water.
Back in Guancheng, she'd heard women say he was a monster in bed.Tonight she finally understood.He nearly took her life.
"Don't think one exhausting night will get you off the hook," she warned breathlessly afterward. "I won't hand over Yinuo. No one is taking her away!"
Cao Yang pretended not to hear, dressed up, kissed mother and daughter, and headed for the restaurant.
He hummed a tune as he walked, remembering how she was crying for mercy last night. His mood couldn't have been better.
Sis-in-law had always suppressed him. Last night, he finally turned the tables—clearing the knot in his heart once and for all.From now on, she'd be begging every time.
Her taste was truly something—rivaling Bai Xue's.The more he thought, the more excited he felt. He almost wanted to run back for another round.
"Boss Cao."
The restaurant's manager, a thirty-something Fujian woman named Lin, hurried over.
"Here's the profit report for this month."
Cao Yang skimmed it. The restaurant had earned ten thousand dollars.
"Pretty good." He nodded. "Distribute the entire ten thousand as bonuses."
"Boss Cao… that's the entire profit."
"Just give it. Everyone worked hard."
Money wasn't his goal. The restaurant existed to give him a clean identity and to feed the men from Zhongyi Hall—not to make profit.
Soon, Chicken Feather and Tiger arrived with the accounts for Zhongyi Hall.
"What the hell is this?"The report looked like chicken scratches. Totally unreadable.
"Boss, this is purchase cost, this is sales, this is rent, this is labor, and this is profit…" Tiger patiently explained.
They wrote it themselves. Low education—the best they could do.
Cao Yang frowned and pointed to a line."Minus five hundred thousand?"
Chicken Feather and Tiger both nodded.
BANG!Cao Yang slammed the table.
"What the hell?! The restaurant sells food and still earns money—how do you idiots lose money selling drugs?!"
Even they looked baffled.
"Boss, we also think it's unbelievable. Losing money selling drugs—it's absurd!"
"Probably the guys below are skimming off the top," Chicken Feather said. "We'll investigate and handle whoever's stealing."
"You two? Investigate? With your intelligence? You'd get lost reading the numbers."
"Boss is right. Only you can check the accounts and find the cracks."
They tried flattering him, but it only made it worse—Cao Yang couldn't read accounts to save his life.
He awkwardly rubbed his nose and picked up Manager Lin's neatly made report again.
It was clean, clear, even a novice like him could understand instantly.
He called her back.
"You made this?"
Manager Lin smiled and shook her head."No, Xiao Wu did."
"Xiao Wu?"
"He's a student who washes dishes part-time. Since he's in business school, I asked him to help with the accounts. He's quite good."
"Is he here? Call him up."
Soon, a young man in thick glasses entered the office.
"You're Xiao Wu?" Cao Yang scanned him up and down.
"My name is Wu Qian," he replied politely. "Boss, did you need something?"
"Nothing big. Just checking on my employees. Where are you from? Most international students are pretty well-off—why wash dishes?"
"I'm from Henan," Wu Qian said. "Not every student is rich. My family isn't. My mother always told me: a poor child learns responsibility early."
"Henan, huh? I know that place well. I had many Henan friends back in Guangnan."
Cao Yang closed the report and smiled.
"You've got talent for bookkeeping. How about helping me audit some accounts? Later, you can work as my finance guy. Don't worry about salary—I'll treat you well."