Chapter 26

Mu Nan had assumed that when Qin Huai said they were going to the company, they would take a nap together first and then head out after waking up. He didn't expect Qin Huai to plan for him to nap at the hotel while he went to the company alone and then went to check on the warehouse. Since they had reunited in this life, they had hardly been apart. The thought of waiting for Qin Huai at the hotel made Mu Nan instantly uneasy.

"I'll go with you. It's not that hot outside now, and we'll be in the car with air conditioning. I don't want to stay in the hotel alone."

Qin Huai didn't want Mu Nan to go out in the blazing sun. The intense heat was causing the air to ripple. It seemed better to rest in an air-conditioned room at the hotel than to go out and suffer. But seeing Mu Nan's reluctance to stay alone, Qin Huai relented. "Alright, let's nap first and then head out around two."

Mu Nan brightened up at this and soon asked, "Brother, do you think I'm too clingy?"

Qin Huai chuckled. "You've always been like this. I'm used to it by now."

Mu Nan had many nicknames growing up, like "Little Clinger," "Little Tail," and "Little Shadow," which showed just how clingy he was. When he was in elementary school, a classmate overheard his family calling him "Little Clinger" and started calling him that at school, so he made his family stop using the nickname. But just because he stopped being called that didn't mean he stopped being clingy.

Mu Nan sighed. "It's not great for a grown man to be so clingy."

Qin Huai placed their finished meal containers outside the room and then lay down on the bed next to Mu Nan. "What's wrong with that? You're not clinging to just anyone, so who cares?"

Mu Nan said, "If you get married in the future, I'll be all alone again." By then, he might not be able to cling to Qin Huai like this. Otherwise, what would he be—a "brother's boy"?

Qin Huai turned to look at him. "Do you want me to get married?"

Of course, Mu Nan didn't want that. He couldn't imagine Qin Huai getting married, being kind to someone else, and them ending up as two separate families. So he muttered, "It's not up to me."

Qin Huai asked, "So, do you want to settle down?"

Mu Nan honestly replied, "No."

Hearing his answer, Qin Huai finally smiled, "If you don't want to, then don't. Just you alone is enough for me to worry about. Adding another person, where would I find the time? Alright, no more talking. Close your eyes and sleep."

Mu Nan pouted, turned over to face away from Qin Huai, and thought that settling down wasn't something that could be forced. If the right person didn't come along, there was nothing to be done. But if the right person did come, nothing could stop it. Still, he was quite happy to hear Qin Huai say he didn't want to settle down. If life continued to be chaotic and difficult, it would be better for the two of them to rely on each other. After all, he had a special ability that he wouldn't share with anyone except Qin Huai. If a third person came between them, it would only bring trouble.

After lunch, the food made them drowsy, and with the cool air conditioning blowing, Mu Nan soon fell asleep. Qin Huai, who had originally lain down on the bed next to him, got up after a while, sat on the edge of Mu Nan's bed, and looked at the person sleeping soundly. He couldn't resist gently poking Mu Nan's soft cheek. In this life, apart from Mu Nan, there was no room in his heart for anyone else.

Qin Huai's company was located in an office building in the central business district, where they had rented an entire floor. In the past, the elevators in this building were always busy, and there was usually a line. But now, there were barely any people in the lobby. The nearby mall had also reopened, but there were few customers. While waiting for the elevator, Qin Huai said, "Later, we can go shopping. Since the stores have just reopened, there should be some discounts, and we can buy a few more clothes."

Mu Nan shook his head with a bit of disdain, "It's too expensive, not worth it. Those brand names are just for the label. Some of their clothes aren't even as good in quality as the ones from knock-off brands."

Seeing his expression, Qin Huai chuckled, "We can buy cheap clothes for everyday wear, but for sturdier clothing, some brands are worth it. Let's look around. We do need to spend some of the money we have."

Only then did Mu Nan agree.

Qin Huai's company had already resumed work, though there were clearly fewer people around. It was unclear whether they were out of the office or if the company had laid off staff to save costs. But none of this really concerned Qin Huai. Since he had given prior notice, the Chinese-American second-generation rich man he was working with was already waiting at the company.

Qin Huai settled Mu Nan in the break room, gave him a small ice cream ball from the fridge, and then went to take care of business. The wealthy business partner was named Lucen, a direct translation from English. He didn't have a Chinese name. As soon as he saw Qin Huai, he teased in accented Chinese, "Long time no see. It's great to still be alive to meet you."

Qin Huai smiled, "Let's get straight to business. The documents are ready, right? I'm here to sign."

Lucen brought out several documents. Although the pandemic had just passed and the overall situation was a bit bleak, disasters would eventually end, and things would improve. Moreover, their company's projects were long-term, and from that perspective, selling at this price was a loss for Qin Huai. Seeing him sign without hesitation, Lucen raised an eyebrow and joked, "Are you sure you won't regret it? This project is the result of your hard work over several years. If you need money urgently, I can lend you some privately."

After signing all the documents, Qin Huai closed his pen and said, "Maybe you should congratulate me instead. If possible, I'd like the final payment to be transferred as soon as possible. I really need that money."

Lucen put away the documents with a smile, "Since we've worked together, I'll have my accountant transfer the final payment to you this afternoon. You know, money is the one thing I never lack. By the way, is the boy you brought with you today your brother? He's really cute."

Qin Huai glanced at him, "That's not how you use Chinese. You should say, 'He's really handsome.'"

Lucen shrugged, knowing that the remaining process was just legal formalities and financial clearing. Now that he fully owned the company and its future profitable projects, he didn't mind Qin Huai correcting his Chinese. "How about a farewell dinner tonight?"

Qin Huai declined, "No, I have other things to do. After this, we won't be seeing each other again."

Lucen looked at him in surprise, "Is that how you use that phrase? Are you saying you're leaving the industry? Maybe we'll meet again someday. If you ever want to come back, you're always welcome."

Qin Huai smiled and casually asked, "Aren't you returning to your home country?"

Lucen shook his head, "It's too chaotic over there. I'll wait until things settle down before I go back. Your country is much better—very orderly. I like it here."

Qin Huai asked, "Where's Jiang Xuan? I didn't see him."

Lucen gave him a suggestive smile, "As soon as the lockdown ended, he took leave before even returning to the company, said he was going home. I think he went to find you, but it seems you two missed each other."

Qin Huai smiled meaningfully, "Is that so? What a pity." A pity that he couldn't give Jiang Xuan a beating in front of Mu Nan to vent his anger.

After a few brief exchanges, everything was settled. Mu Nan had just finished his ice cream when Qin Huai came over and said, "Let's go. Everything's done."

Mu Nan was surprised, "So fast? Isn't a transfer like this supposed to be complicated? Doesn't it need a lawyer to witness or something?"

Qin Huai smiled, "It's not that complicated. There were no financial disputes between us, just a matter of signing a few documents. The terms of the transfer were agreed upon a long time ago. We've been busy for over a month, and this was just the final step."

Mu Nan nodded and followed Qin Huai out, though he still secretly glanced at the office staff. Qin Huai, knowing what he was looking for, smiled and said, "Jiang Xuan isn't here. He went home. When we get back, he might come to see me."

Mu Nan asked, "If he can explain why he told me he couldn't find you, would you still be friends with him?"

Qin Huai turned to face Mu Nan seriously and said, "No matter what his reasons are, we can never be friends again."

They were lucky that Qin Huai had heard from their class monitor that Mu Nan was looking for him and had set out for home before the provinces were locked down. They had spent the entire smog period together and were safe. If anything had gone wrong, Jiang Xuan's concealment could have led to consequences that Qin Huai couldn't bear. So, regardless of Jiang Xuan's reasons, not taking revenge was already a courtesy for their past friendship.

Hearing this, Mu Nan was delighted, "Exactly! Why would he lie to me? If I had been anxious to find you, I might have gone to his house to ask around. I might have heard that he was working in B City, and then I could've gone to B City to find him. Who knows, something might have happened to me on the way..."

Qin Huai immediately pinched his endlessly chattering mouth, "Can you say something positive?"

Mu Nan giggled. He didn't want to be friends with Jiang Xuan at all. In his previous life, it might have been Jiang Xuan's fault that he couldn't find Qin Huai. That grudge couldn't be erased. So if Qin Huai also disliked Jiang Xuan, that made Mu Nan happy.

After leaving the office building, Qin Huai took Mu Nan straight to the mall. To boost sales, the mall was offering significant promotions, with many clothes and shoes at nearly half price, plus additional discounts for spending a certain amount. It was hot outside, and some stores were selling off-season clothes at even lower prices. They didn't buy much summer clothing since summer is just about staying cool. Instead of spending a lot on fancy clothes, it was better to stock up on cheap T-shirts or sleeveless vests. Some factory outlets were selling these for as little as ten yuan per piece, which was much more cost-effective than the hundreds they'd spend in regular stores.

However, they did buy quite a lot of winter clothing. Down jackets that used to cost over a thousand yuan were now available for just two or three hundred yuan after discounts, and the quality was still good. They also bought down boots, down pants, and some cold-weather gear like thermal sleeping bags that could be useful for winter. Since they purchased so much and the mall was close to their hotel, they arranged for the mall staff to deliver everything directly to their door.

After leaving the mall, Qin Huai took Mu Nan directly to the warehouse.

The warehouse Qin Huai rented was near an industrial park. There were many warehouses in the area, and with the frequent logistics traffic due to the nearby industrial park, storing their purchases here wouldn't attract much attention. Since society was still orderly, people would just think he was trying to profit from scarce goods. Even if they were going out of their way to store items, it was all legitimate trade, not smuggling, so there was nothing to hide.

If things became chaotic later, by the time people started questioning his current stockpiling, the goods might already be gone, and the warehouse might not even be there anymore. Besides, he had used fake documents for everything from the start. Even if someone noticed something suspicious, it would be difficult to trace it back to him before the earthquake, and even more so after it.

The warehouse Qin Huai rented was about the size of a basketball court. Besides the main entrance for trucks, there was a small door with a combination lock at the back, so there was no need to hand over keys—just knowing the code was enough.

Qin Huai and Mu Nan smoothly entered through the small door, and inside, they found shelves packed full of supplies. Mu Nan was amazed. It had only been a few months, and his brother, who had been controlling everything remotely from home, had managed to stockpile so much. Compared to his own three months of hard work, which had only gotten him a few years' worth of food, his brother really was on another level.