The Cinnabar Mole of a Beijing Circle Tycoon

The black Bentley smoothly glided into the traffic. Shen Qingyao rested her chin on her hand, her gaze following the street scene passing by outside the window.

The ginkgo trees along the roadside were covered with golden leaves, the wind swirled the withered leaves, and the air was filled with a crisp coolness.

"In the blink of an eye, it's already late autumn." She tapped her fingertips lightly on the car window, her voice tinged with a barely perceptible melancholy.

Meng Jiangyu's gaze fell upon them, a faint smile playing on his lips, tinged with indulgence: "Starting to wallow in self-pity?"

Shen Qingyao turned her head, her nose brushing against the warm, cozy scent of snow in the car, and sighed softly: "I've been so immersed in the lab lately that I can barely tell the difference between day and night, how could I have time to look at fallen leaves?"

"Then put what you're doing aside." Meng Jiangyu's tone was calm, but carried an undeniable certainty.

"I was planning to take a break anyway." She smiled slightly, a hint of lightness in her eyes. "From now until my defense, I'll just focus on polishing my graduation thesis."

Meng Jiangyu hummed in agreement, then casually remarked, "If Li Jing wants any more projects in the future, you can just put your name on the project; you don't need to get involved in the details."

Shen Qingyao frowned slightly, her fingertips unconsciously curling: "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? Just being a figurehead without doing any work makes me feel like I'm taking advantage of others."

"Cheap?" Meng Jiangyu chuckled, glancing at her sideways, his eyes darkening. "Without you, they wouldn't even be able to get their hands on the project."

He paused, then softened his tone, his voice carrying a comforting consideration: "Besides, the job market is so tight right now. Your fellow students need solid project experience to pave the way for their future."

"This is only beneficial to them, with no drawbacks, and they also get to share in the project funding."

-

On the night the national civil service exam ended, the evening breeze still carried the chill of early winter. Shen Qingyao wore a velvet slip dress with a short black leather jacket over it, and met up with Lu Ying and Xiang Yu at the entrance of Gongti West Road in high heels.

Xu Huihui was already waiting in the booth. When she saw them arrive, she immediately stood up, raised her glass, and cheered, "Finally, I'm free! Tonight, nobody can stop me. I'm going to dance until dawn!"

The deafening electronic music made people's eardrums vibrate, and the laser lights cut out dazzling light and shadow in the dance floor. Lu Ying smiled and pushed a mojito in front of her: "Have something to eat first, so you don't get low blood sugar later when you get too excited."

Shen Qingyao smiled helplessly, hooking her fingertips around the stem of the wine glass as she watched Xu Huihui plunge into the dance floor, wildly swaying her arms to the beat of the drums, her skirt billowing in a beautiful arc with each movement.

Lu Ying leaned close to her ear and whispered, "It seems Huihui has really been suppressing herself for too long."

She nodded, tilted her head back and took a sip of her Long Island Iced Tea. Out of the corner of her eye, the lights and shadows on the dance floor flickered, reflecting on every young face around her, making them radiate a carefree and vibrant energy as if they had shed their burdens.

The deafening drumbeats brought waves of heat as Lu Ying and Xiang Yu grabbed Shen Qingyao's arms on either side and dragged her onto the dance floor without a word.

The laser beams swept wildly through the throng of people, casting their shadows long and short.

Xu Huihui had completely let go, kicking off her high heels and stepping barefoot on the floor. Her skirt swayed wildly with the large twists and turns, her hair clung to her sweaty neck, and the lines of her neck revealed when she tilted her head back were full of unrestrained and relaxed expression.

Lu Ying swayed her shoulders to the beat, reached out and hooked her arm around Shen Qingyao's wrist, leading her to raise her hand and turn around.

Shen Qingyao was initially a little reserved, with a small patch of delicate skin peeking out from the waistline of her velvet camisole, shimmering softly in the changing light and shadow.

Xiang Yu shouted the lyrics along with the DJ, her voice broken and fragmented by the music: "Baby, baby, baby!"

The wind, carrying the scents of alcohol and perfume, swept over, and Shen Qingyao, drawn in by them, gradually let go of her reserve.

She raised her hand to gather her stray hairs, swaying gently to the beat of the drums. Her skirt swept past her ankles, a cool breeze mingling with the heat.

The four of them held hands and formed a circle, laughing and joking, letting the deafening music envelop them in the unbridled joy of youth, turning the fatigue of the national exam and the tedium of the laboratory into a flurry of light and shadow on the dance floor.

In the private rooms on the second floor, huge one-way glass windows isolated most of the noise from the dance floor.

The crystal chandelier cast a warm yellow halo, which fell into the amber-colored whiskey liquid, creating shimmering light.

Meng Jiangyu held a cigarette between his fingers, unlit, his elbow casually resting on the sofa armrest, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the bustling crowd downstairs.

Zhou Yanqiu was talking about the bidding for a plot of land in the south of the city. Xu Mingxuan and Lu Linchuan listened with great interest, occasionally clinking their glasses together, making a crisp sound.

Meng Jiangyu's gaze suddenly stopped when a laser beam suddenly swept across the center of the dance floor.

Downstairs in the crowd, Shen Qingyao was linked arm in arm with Lu Ying and Xiang Yu, her skirt swaying gently to the beat of the drums.

The velvet slip dress accentuated her slender neck, and her long hair, which was usually tied in a low bun, was loose and brushed against her cheeks by the wind, making the curve of her profile incredibly soft.

She was probably a little hot, so she took off her leather jacket and handed it to Xu Huihui next to her, revealing a small patch of fair skin on her shoulder that dazzled in the dim light.

Meng Jiangyu watched her gently sway her arms to the rhythm, a smile playing on her lips, but the light in her eyes was even more mellow than the wine in her glass.

He recalled that evening when the little girl nestled in his arms, her voice soft and sweet: "I'll stay home and watch TV tonight, so you can drink less."

No sooner had I stepped out the door than she came out to let loose.

Meng Jiangyu chuckled softly, his fingertips gently stroking the cigarette.

Zhou Yanqiu followed his gaze downwards and raised an eyebrow: "Oh, your sister-in-law is downstairs."

Meng Jiangyu didn't speak, but simply tossed the unlit cigarette back into the pack, stood up, straightened his shirt collar with his well-defined fingers, and looked at Meng Jiangyu with an indescribable sense of indulgence in his eyes.

The heat of the dance floor swept over Shen Qingyao, who returned to her booth to rest with a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.

She slumped onto the sofa, grabbed a cocktail from the table, tilted her head back, and took two sips. The cool, sweet taste slid down her throat, and she finally felt better.

The phone vibrated, and the moment the screen lit up, Shen Qingyao caught a glimpse of the three words "Meng Jiangyu," and her heart skipped a beat.

I tapped the message; it was in his usual affectionate tone: "Honey, why aren't you home?"

Oops.

Shen Qingyao sat up abruptly, her eyes darting quickly across the noisy surroundings, her fingers flying across the screen: "I'm at Lu Ying's house. I'll go back after we finish chatting."

As she sent it, she nervously pursed her lips, afraid that her lie might contain flaws.

Before she could even catch her breath, her phone vibrated again.

A photo popped up.

In the shot, she is being laughed at by Xiang Yu with his arm around her shoulder. Her velvet slip dress reveals the delicate skin on her shoulders, and the swaying laser lights and noisy crowd in the background all indicate her location.

Below the photo was a caption: "How come I didn't know Lu Ying's family owned a bar?"

Shen Qingyao's pupils contracted sharply, and she almost dropped the wine glass in her hand.

She looked up abruptly, her gaze frantically scanning the vast venue, looking left and right, but she couldn't spot that familiar figure.

His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed a line, turning the tables and taking the initiative: "Did you install a surveillance camera on me? You've gone too far."

The reply popped up the next second after the message was sent: "Look up to the second floor."

Shen Qingyao's heart jumped into her throat, and she looked up sharply following the guidance.

The huge frosted glass wall on the second floor is slowly losing its hazy texture, becoming clear and transparent inch by inch.

Behind the glass wall, Meng Jiangyu stood with one hand in his pocket, holding a glass of amber-colored whiskey. The light fell on his well-defined profile, highlighting his high nose and the faint smile on his lips.

The moment their eyes met, he slightly raised the wine glass in his hand, offering a toast to her from afar.

The music around her was still deafening, and Shen Qingyao's mind was racing.

Before Shen Qingyao could figure out how to explain, a message popped up: "Baby, I didn't expect you to be so good at jumping around. Let's not sleep together tonight, let's jump around slowly."