The meal was indeed a celebration of their online relationship finally becoming a reality.
“Arou, what position did Xiao Ge arrange for you at his company?” Xia Qingxue asked her during the meal.
“Technical Director.”
“Then we’ll hand over our company’s security to you as well. I’m a tech scrub whose skills have regressed, so I won’t show off here,” Ren Zhen said with a foxy smile.
To be able to hire such a strong backup at the price of a regular security company was a guaranteed profit. Qin Ningyi’s eyes flickered, and he seemed to have a plan.
They hadn’t booked a private room for this meal. Midway through, a voice interrupted them.
“Sister Huo?” Wang Zhuohao, with a scar on his face and dressed in a suit, walked by and spotted Huo Rou.
“Little Zhuo,” Huo Rou looked up and smiled at him.
Wang Zhuohao seemed to recall something and motioned for his brothers to take their seats. “Sister Huo, I have something to tell you. Can we talk in private?”
Huo Rou calculated the time and seemed to know what he was going to say, so she nodded.
Qin Ningyi instinctively felt uneasy seeing the murderous aura around Wang Zhuohao. “I’ll go with you.”
Huo Rou’s pupils constricted, and she put on a smiling face. “Little Zhuo is an employee of a customer who bought flowers from me before. It’s probably about the flowers. You stay here with An An.”
An An nodded beside him. “Uncle Zhuo often visits with Grandpa Jiang.”
It seemed they knew each other for a long time, and Qin Ningyi’s unease subsided without further interference. However, he saw an unusual emotion in Huo Rou’s eyes.
Walking to a corner, Wang Zhuohao dropped his smile and looked serious, like he was reporting for duty.
“Sister Huo, I handled the matter you entrusted me with while I was out of town.”
“Is he doing well?” Huo Rou’s eyes were completely cold.
“He’s cornered and has nowhere to turn to for help,” Wang Zhuohao said smoothly, a phrase he had reported many times.
“That’s good,” Huo Rou’s eyes gradually lost their madness and returned to their usual gentle and elegant demeanor.
“But Sister Huo, his son is about to start high school and his grades are quite good. We need to…” Wang Zhuohao paused and decided to report this information.
“No need. Let nature take its course,” a flicker of struggle crossed Huo Rou’s eyes. The last trace of darkness was suppressed. “Harm should not extend to one’s children. How he lives is his own fate…”
Huo Rou closed her eyes and mentally completed the latter half of the sentence.
Just like her.
When she opened her eyes again, they were as calm as still water. She patted Wang Zhuohao’s shoulder. “Thank you. And please send my regards to Old Master Jiang.”
“Old Master Jiang is doing well. He’s at home taking care of his grandson and hasn’t had time to travel far. He misses you and hopes you’ll visit,” Wang Zhuohao said with his usual jovial tone.
“By the way, Sister Huo, why are you here? And with the Qin family?” Wang Zhuohao knew the Tai Chuan Qin family very well. Others might not know, but he knew Qin Ningyi’s background.
The Qin family had some friction with their original line of work. Now that Sister Huo was so close to the Qin family, even though they had gone legitimate, they still needed to be cautious. He should send Sister Huo some good things another day.
“Don’t you see it?” When Huo Rou mentioned Qin Ningyi, her eyes completely warmed up. “Don’t you think An An looks like him?”
Wang Zhuohao took a look. The two were sitting so close together, they truly looked identical.
An unbelievable thought occurred to him. “This… Sister Huo, you’re amazing! If you can get him, we can walk sideways in Tai Chuan!”
Huo Rou slapped him on the head. “Aren’t you already walking sideways? You! Go back and read more books. What are you always thinking about!”
After scolding him, Huo Rou returned to her seat.
After the meal, on the way to get the car, Qin Ningyi called Xiao Konglin. “Tomorrow, renew the contract with Yuda Security.”
“Ah?” Xiao Konglin was confused. Hadn’t they already finalized another company?
“But, President Qin, Yuda Security just had an incident. They only have an interim director who was parachuted in, and we don’t know their background,” Xiao Konglin didn’t understand what his president was up to and kindly reminded him.
“Just do as I say. Also, find out more about this Wang Zhuohao,” Qin Ningyi said coldly and hung up.
He had learned the man’s full name from An An. Coupled with the hint of dark satisfaction in Huo Rou’s eyes when she returned, he instinctively felt something was off about this person.
As for renewing the contract, after renewal, he would have more opportunities to see Huo Rou. This deal was worth it.
Meanwhile, Ren Xiangtian was lecturing Ren Zhen, saying this deal was not good.
“Yuda Security is in a mess right now. Although their director resigned taking responsibility, the one who was parachuted in afterwards has an unknown identity and can’t be investigated. Why are you rushing to get involved?”
“Besides, you are enough.” Although Ren Xiangtian’s company had dedicated personnel for information security, he had never outsourced it to any security company. He didn’t trust them, only his son.
“I’m just informing you. I trust her more than you trust me.” If it were before, Ren Zhen might have agreed with Ren Xiangtian, but this was Huo Rou!
“What happened to Yuda Company?” Madam Ren, who had been bedridden for a long time, hadn’t heard much news.
“In the first half of the year, Yuda Security’s products were found to have loopholes, which were exploited. The emergency plan presented by the director was also ineffective, causing a huge impact,” Ren Xiangtian explained in a low voice to Madam Ren.
“What happened afterwards? How was it resolved?” Madam Ren felt it was quite dangerous upon hearing it.
“Later, Xiao Yuda invited a technical consultant from the head office to come forward and resolve the issue, plugging the loopholes in the fastest possible time,” Ren Zhen continued Ren Xiangtian’s explanation, supplementing the rest of the story.
After listening, Madam Ren nudged Ren Xiangtian’s arm. “That was all in the past. With new people, it will surely be a new chapter.”
Her voice was soft. “If your son says someone is good, they must be even more capable than him.”
“Don’t the leaders say that information security is national security? Let’s also respond to the country’s call and pay attention to information security!” As expected of someone who had taught, Madam Ren always spoke from a high standpoint.
Ren Xiangtian, who doted on her, followed her lead. “Your son said he was just informing me, what else can I say? You just spoil him!”
“Since Huo Rou is your friend, let’s use the excuse of discussing cooperation tomorrow to invite her to our home to play. I’d like to meet her too.” Madam Ren’s health had recently improved, and she craved some excitement.
“Okay, I’ll ask her.” Ren Zhen pushed up his glasses and said refinedly, “They came last time, bringing her son to test.”
“You mean the one you mentioned before?” Ren Xiangtian became interested. “Didn’t no one else come that day?”
“She’s An An’s mother,” Ren Zhen explained. “I didn’t know at the time.”
“An An, Wang Qian said he’s a very smart child,” Madam Ren said. When she was seriously ill before, she could only lie in bed, and she relied on Wang Qian to bring her some amusing stories about his students to pass the time.
An An’s name was the one she heard most often recently.
“Yes, he is indeed very smart,” Ren Zhen recalled how An An had looked at his code last time, and he couldn’t help but admire, saying that the boss’s son was naturally a little boss.
“Now I’m even more curious,” Madam Ren touched her hair clip, her eyes full of curiosity.