After finishing breakfast, Qin He packed the photos Ming Yuzhu had found for him into her bag and hurried out.
Now over seven months pregnant, she paid extra attention to everything she did while driving.
It took nearly an hour to reach the Joint Department in the western district.
The Joint Department was bustling with activity.
Qin He walked straight inside, and in front of Liu Xing'an's office, she saw Gu Qichen sitting inside through the glass.
The two, one old and one young, were sitting opposite each other, drinking tea and talking about something.
Qin He gently knocked on the glass door.
Liu Xing'an looked up and waved at Qin He.
Only then did Qin He push the door open.
"Master, what were you two talking about?"
"We were discussing the history of mortise and tenon joints."
Liu Xing'an glanced at Gu Qichen with interest.
Qin He frowned slightly, sensing something between them that she didn't know about.
Before she could ponder further, Gu Qichen stood up. "Let's go to my office to discuss matters."
Qin He opened her bag. "Wait a moment."
She took out a thick stack of photos from her bag and handed them to Liu Xing'an.
"What is this?"
"Master, haven't you been looking for a house? These are most of the houses currently for sale in Qingcheng." Qin He recalled what her mother had said, "There might be some omissions, but most of them are here."
Liu Xing'an stared at the thick stack of photos, stunned.
Qin He smiled. "There are some numbers on the back. Master, if you like the exterior and scenery of any of them, just give me the number, and I'll send you the design and interior photos later."
After speaking, she hurried out with Gu Qichen.
Liu Xing'an's office was quiet, and he looked at the thick stack of photos on his desk.
He picked them up and looked through them one by one.
Liu Xing'an's eyes welled up. He truly hadn't accepted this disciple in vain. He had only mentioned looking for a house, and Qin He had taken it so seriously.
Qin He followed Gu Qichen to his office.
Pushing open the door, they walked to the desk and sat down.
Qin He asked with anticipation, "Did Wilson really agree?"
"He agreed, but the contract hasn't been signed yet. Since it's a cooperation between our two families, we'll go to Ronal Manor the day after tomorrow to sign the contract."
Gu Qichen took a stack of documents from the drawer. "As for our cooperation, the profit sharing ratio I've planned is here."
Qin He was still somewhat uneasy. After all, as long as the contract wasn't signed, many things could change.
But for now—she took the profit sharing plan from Gu Qichen.
Upon opening it, she found it surprisingly concise. Qin He's gaze fell on the profit sharing ratio.
Fifty-fifty.
Qin He looked up at Gu Qichen, her eyes containing a hint of scrutiny.
Although she had agreed to the cooperation with Wilson's business,
Gu Qichen was clearly putting in more effort. Before seeing the plan, she had even been prepared to accept a seventy-thirty split.
"Are you giving way to Qin Corporation?" Qin He frowned.
Gu Qichen offered no comment.
"We may have other collaborations in the future. Gu Corporation doesn't look at immediate benefits. Consider this a collaborative gift from Gu Corporation to Qin Corporation."
Qin He closed the plan, her brows furrowed.
What Gu Qichen said made sense, but this collaborative gift was too substantial, almost making her doubt his sincerity.
"The profits can be divided this way, but Qin Corporation will not accept it for free. You've put in more effort in the initial stages of this cooperation. For the later investments, I'll discuss it with my brother and consider it carefully."
Gu Qichen had no objections.
Thus, they agreed to sign the contract at Ronal Castle the day after tomorrow.
After discussing business, the atmosphere in the room became somewhat ambiguous.
Qin He felt a little awkward. Lately, she felt a sense of unease when spending time alone with Gu Qichen.
"Then that's it for now. I'll take the plan back." She put the plan away. "I should leave."
Qin He didn't leave the Joint Department but went to Liu Xing'an's place instead.
Liu Xing'an had already put the thick stack of photos into his small cloth bag, intending to take them home for his wife to choose a house.
Seeing Qin He enter, he called out, "The business is done so quickly?"
"It wasn't much," Qin He said with a smile.
She walked to a corner of the room, picked out a few small pieces of wood from a waist-high barrel,
and then sat down at the table, using a carving knife to slowly try to make a small wardrobe.
Liu Xing'an glanced at Qin He. "Your hands are unsteady today. You shouldn't be doing this."
"My hands are unsteady?" Qin He paused slightly.
"Your mind is unsteady, so your hands are unsteady," Liu Xing'an said.
Qin He's brows furrowed.
When had her mind become unsteady!
After the seminar a while ago, all of Qingcheng was now spreading rumors that she was carrying Gu Qichen's child.
Some even said she and Gu Qichen were already preparing to remarry.
Qin He didn't stubbornly continue her carving.
She sighed and turned to Liu Xing'an. "Master, what do you do when your mind is unsteady while you're working?"
"If your mind is unsteady, don't work. In the words of you young people, it's called 'taking a break'," Liu Xing'an said with a laugh.
Qin He stretched lazily, helpless. "And how long should I take a break?"
"Until your mind is calm. Regardless of what it is, there will always be an outcome."
Qin He pursed her lips. She felt her current life was very good.
Her mother was loving, and her brother doted on her.
Qin He saw through the glass door that the door to Gu Qichen's office not far away had opened.
She stood up and left the Joint Department, carrying her bag.
At eleven o'clock, Qin He drove back to the Qin family home.
The house was quiet. Qin He asked the maid and learned that her mother had gone out for a gathering.
When she and her brother usually went out, they wouldn't return until the afternoon.
Perhaps her mother felt bored and wanted to go out to pass the time.
Qin He returned to her bedroom, her mind in a turmoil. She opened the Qingyan Mansion forum and chatted with three people in the group for a while.
Then she sent several messages to Xu Wanwan but received no reply.
Qin He spent the entire afternoon at home listlessly. At five in the afternoon, her phone vibrated wildly.
Xu Wanwan: [Sob sob sob!]
Qin He: [What's wrong?]
Xu Wanwan: [Your eldest brother confiscated my phone yesterday as punishment for deceiving him!]
Qin He raised her eyebrows slightly and typed: [Where are you guys now?]
Xu Wanwan: [Fenglin Hotel...]
Fenglin Hotel belonged to Qin Corporation. Qin He remembered that her brother had a long-term presidential suite on the top floor there.
She sighed slightly: [Is my brother okay? Can he still stand up straight?]
Xu Wanwan sent several angry and disgusted emojis.
In the evening, Qin He was curled up on the sofa when she received another message from Xu Wanwan.
[He'er, can you tell my family that I'm staying at your place tonight?]
Qin He: [???]