Time flew. Four years had passed, and in a blink of an eye, Mr. Qin saw his son and daughter went through high school and finally the college entrance examination. Now, Mr. Qin was certainly a qualified and seasoned father.
Qin Group, inside the chairman's office.
Mr. Qin took his gaze back from the document in his hand. He raised his head to look at Chen De, who was standing on the side, and asked: "Have those two been picked up?"
Before Mr. Qin finished his sentence, a girl's clear and mellow voice came from outside. The next second, a slender figure leaped upon him: "Dad!"
After catching his daughter whom he hadn't seen for half a month, a smile flashed through Qin Shao's eyes. But immediately after, he frowned: "How old do you think you are?"
Su Bei: "I miss you."
A helpless smile appeared on Mr. Qin's face. With a slightly curled up lips, he put on a stern look and said to his daughter: "Don't speak nonsense. Get down."
At this time, Su Bei finally noticed that aside from Mr. Qin and Chen De, Lin Shaochi was also in the office. In recent years, Lin Group's relationship with Qin Group had become very close. They ran many cooperative projects together. Under Lin Shaochi's leadership, Lin Group grew stronger and now had become one of the top companies in the industry. Lin Shaochi himself had become more mature and stable in these years. Some industry leaders and media even had speculation: Chairman Lin might become the second Qin Shao.
But these were all external evaluation. From Su Bei's point of view, Lin Shaochi was still a gentle elder brother. This had not changed at all. Su Bei got down from her father and went to greet Lin Shaochi, pretending that nothing happened just now: "Brother Lin."
The girl wore a white knee-length skirt, very suitable for her slender and slightly tall figure. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail and fell freely on her shoulders. Her delicate face was so beautiful that people couldn't put away their gaze, especially with that pair of brown eyes, enticing people in one glance.
Lin Shaochi moved his gaze slightly. After a while, he smiled gently at Su Bei: "Xiaobei, how is your military training?"
"A bit tiring, but in the end, I think it wasn't that bad?" Su Bei replied with a smile.
After the twins finished high school, many people thought that the two heirs of the Qin Group would choose to go abroad for further study. Unexpectedly, they both decided to enter domestic B University.
Using Su Bei's words to Mr. Qin at that time: Anyway, she and Su Xiaobao would eventually go home to inherit hundreds of billions of fortune. It didn't matter which university they chose to study. Therefore, it's better to find a university close to home with hot water in the dormitory and delicious food in the cafeteria. Besides, B University itself was an excellent university, not losing to foreign schools.
As for Su Xiaobao, he didn't forget to anger Mr. Qin in his reasoning: Since he felt that his old Dad would be so pitiful guarding an empty nest alone, he reluctantly chose not to go abroad.
University courses were not as full as high school. After checking the class schedule, Su Bei originally thought they could go home at least three or four nights a week. Unfortunately, military training began as soon as they started the new semester. Moreover, it was a closed military training. Therefore, Su Bei and Su Xiaobao hadn't seen their father for more than half a month now. Since they began to live with Mr. Qin at fourteen, it was the first time they were separated from their father for so long, and the two big babies were feeling a bit unaccustomed.
"Where is Xiaobao?"
"Still behind."
Immediately afterward, Su Xiaobao entered the office with a big bag in his hands. This bag was Su Bei's. In Qin Group's headquarter, except for the spare elevator needed for maintenance service, there was only one special elevator that could directly reach the topmost floor where the chairman's office was located. Right after they arrived at the company, Su Bei ran straight to this special elevator, leaving behind her bag to be brought by her porter brother. Su Xiaobao finally had to take a normal employee elevator up.
The 18-year-old Su Xiaobao had begun to grow taller than Mr. Qin. Some traces of adolescents were still left on his face, but his facial features had become sharper and more mature. Su Xiaobao was very similar to Mr. Qin, whether in appearance or temperament, but compared to Mr. Qin's somewhat reserved aura, today's Xiaobao had a bit more handsomeness.
Looking at the 'giant' whom he hadn't seen in weeks, Mr. Qin suddenly raised his eyebrows—when he sent them out, they were still two pieces of white buns, why did one return as black charcoal?
Seeing Mr. Qin's reaction, Su Bei sighed inwardly. She was also very helpless. Before the military training began, Su Bei prepared more than enough sunscreen. Under his sister's strong nagging, Su Xiaobao barely applied sunscreen for two days. As a result, this stinky boy complained incessantly, saying that the sunscreen felt like cement on his skin and vehemently refused to use it again.
Su Bei majored in computer science, and Su Xiaobao majored in business. These two were not in the same military training group. Therefore, Su Bei didn't pay enough attention and consequently let her brother turned into black charcoal.
What annoyed Su Bei the most was how Su Xiaobao's fans accepted the fact so well. Seeing that their male god had become tanned, they were enamored even more and even started the 'dark handsome' trend.
Qin Shao: "I still have a meeting in the afternoon. You two must be tired. Go back home first."
Su Bei: "It's alright, Su Xiaobao and I can play somewhere nearby."
A father knew his daughter the best. Seeing Su Bei's face, Mr. Qin accurately guessed the little ploy in her mind. He said: "Don't eat those unclean foods outside."
Qin Shao didn't know when it started, but these two children actually liked eating hot pot and skewers on the roadside. Hot pot was barely okay, but skewers and other street foods were too unhealthy for them.
Su Bei: "..."
Qin Shao: "Go home and ask Uncle Fu to prepare a hot pot for you."
Su Bei: ...
Su Xiaobao: ...
In recent years, Uncle Fu had become addicted to healthy food. Su Bei and Su Xiaobao definitely didn't want to eat the wolfberry and ginseng hot pot he prepared once again.
Suddenly, Lin Shaochi spoke from the side: "Mr. Qin, it just happens that I'm going to take a look at the Fuhua project. I can send them back on the way."
Su Bei didn't answer and turned to look at Mr. Qin instead. Her eyes seemingly were asking: 'Dad, can we?'
Mr. Qin glanced at the twins, then at Lin Shaochi, whom he trusted to be reliable. Anyway, it's better to let the children go home with Lin Shaochi, lest they asked the driver to take a detour to eat skewers or other unclean food.
"Okay."
—
The twins followed Lin Shaochi and hopped into his car. As soon as the car drove out of the Qin Group's headquarter, Lin Shaochi asked, "Where do you want to eat today?"
"Here." Su Bei smiled. She showed the barbecue restaurant recommended by Xu Shiwei in WeChat and told the address to the driver.
"This restaurant is newly opened and has an excellent rating."
"Alright, let's go."
......
Mr. Qin never expected that Lin Shaochi, whom he thought of as a steady and reliable young man, was actually a 'traitor.' Instead of making sure that the twins were back home without taking a detour, he even went to eat with them!
And obviously, this kind of thing has not happened once or twice. In fact, Lin Shaochi had 'betrayed' Qin Shao for a long time.
After the twins entered high school, Mr. Qin learned a lot about teens' health and nutrition balance from their homeroom teacher, who was very knowledgeable in this aspect. Afterward, he became very strict with Su Bei and Su Xiaobao's foods. Things like spicy strips, fried food, junk food, boba milk tea...all were forbidden.
Su Bei couldn't remember when exactly they started to drag Brother Lin as their partner in crime. All in all, Lin Shaochi had helped them for a whole four years. The three went to various places to eat and occasionally also called Xie Minxuan, Xu Shiwei, and their other friends.
Even Lin Shaochi's personal driver had been very familiar with their modus operandi. Before the boss even ordered, the driver already drove into a familiar road, to the ice cream shop Su Bei usually frequented.
—
"Xiaobao, I want a matcha flavor."
"Stay here. I will go to buy it." Before Su Xiaobao got off from the car, Lin Shaochi had taken over his duty and went to buy the ice cream.
"He-hello, sir. What do you need?" The employer taking the order was a new young girl. Facing a handsome man with an expensive suit and leather shoes, she was momentarily dazed.
"Two cups of tea and one matcha-flavored ice cream."
"Don't put ice cream in the cone." Lin Shaochi ordered.
The girl was taken aback: No ice cream, does this handsome guy want an empty cone?
Lin Shaochi: "Add some ground peanuts and fruit first."
"Ah, okay." It turned out to be like this.
"Don't put too much ice cream. Half a scoop is enough." Lin Shaochi said again.
The employee made the order according to Lin Shaochi's instruction and handed it over, but she was a bit puzzled. Their shop mainly sold ice cream, but there were only a few small bites of ice cream in this guy's order.
Su Bei first wanted to try this ice cream shop after reading someone recommend it on the internet. But she rarely could sneak out for eating, and every time she came here, it was always Lin Shaochi who made the order while they waited in the car. Therefore, Su Bei never suspected anything and simply thought that this kind of ice cream was the shop's special feature. She didn't know that the ice cream in her hand had been 'cut corner' severely by Lin Shaochi.
—
Xu family's eldest brother had good taste in food. The restaurant he recommended was absolutely not bad. Although the storefront was small, the interior was very stylish.
Su Bei, Su Xiaobao, and Lin Shaochi group of three walked into the shop, and their eye-catching looks quickly attracted everyone's attention, both the employees and customers alike.
"OMG, those three people are so good looking!"
"The girl in the middle is as beautiful as a goddess."
"I like the guy in the suit."
"No, I still like the dark one."
"So, which of them is that girl's boyfriend?"
"I think it's that darker guy. The one in the business suit looks a bit older, maybe a big brother."
"I don't think so. It must be the older guy in the suit. Look at his eyes looking at the girl. My God, he is so gentle."
...
"They seem a bit familiar. Which stars are they?"
"Is it a street shooting?"
"I don't think so. But they are indeed a bit familiar."
"How handsome. Let's take a photo."
When Su Bei's group came in, they happened to hear the words 'take a photo' and immediately lowered their heads subconsciously.
"Go in quickly." Su Bei urged the two.
Su Bei and Su Xiaobao, as well as Chairman Lin, were not celebrities, but they were definitely part of the public figure. What Su Bei feared the most was that someone took their photo in the restaurant, uploaded it on the internet, and somehow was being seen by Mr. Qin, putting an end to their years-long 'underground operation.'
The girl who took out the mobile phone quickly pressed the shutter, but after the photo was taken, she was disappointed: Only one person was taken in her photo, and the girl's figure was completely blocked by that older guy in the business suit.