Chapter 380: Drinking

Chen Erbao was relishing a bowl of noodles with gravy when he looked up and froze.

Bai Xiaoqing had thrown on the oversized trench coat they had bought at the mall that afternoon. With the coat hiding her body, her exquisite, graceful figure was no longer visible, but her long, slender legs were perfectly displayed.

Feeling a bit more secure now that she was wearing more clothes, Bai Xiaoqing returned to the sofa and focused her attention on the television.

Chen Erbao couldn't understand why she would wear a coat, and asked in puzzlement:

"Are you cold?"

The air conditioning was on in the room; you could probably even go shirtless without a problem. There was no way it was cold!

After a couple more bites of noodles, Chen Erbao even felt a little hot!

Bai Xiaoqing glanced at him, then looked away and replied softly:

"A little."

"..."

Chen Erbao didn't dwell on it. He picked up his bowl and, with a few loud slurps, polished off the rest of the noodles.

After eating a few post-dinner pastries, Chen Erbao finally lay back on the sofa, contentedly patting a stomach that was about eighty percent full.

The room fell silent, with only the sound of dialogue between the male and female leads on the TV. But instead of easing the awkwardness, it only made the atmosphere stranger.

Bai Xiaoqing could sense Chen Erbao's gaze on her again, brazenly sizing her up.

Her expression tense, she pursed her lips and searched for a topic to break the tension.

"The manager in Mianyang City has started, and most of the clerical staff have arrived. The security team is also in place. The workers are being brought in by bus in batches. The factory should be fully operational by the day after tomorrow."

The factory was fully equipped. As soon as the personnel were in place and the raw materials were procured from Medicine King Hall, production could begin shortly after.

Chen Erbao nodded and pondered for a moment.

"When we get back, you'll also need to select some professionals to set up a department responsible for performance reviews at all the factories. This should include not just the workers, but the managers as well. Pay special attention to the finances; we can't let anyone with ulterior motives exploit any loopholes."

When you expand this quickly, the drawbacks become obvious.

First, there could be lapses in quality.

Fortunately, Chen Erbao had already given the managers instructions on this, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

After all, the facial masks weren't technically complex; they just needed to follow the procedure step-by-step.

Second was the issue of money.

If a manager were to deceive those above and below them, trying to skim something off the top, it would be quite easy. Therefore, a supervisory department was essential!

Bai Xiaoqing also understood the importance of this and nodded seriously.

"I know. I've already started preparing for it!"

With Bai Xiaoqing's help, Chen Erbao felt like he was spared a lot of trouble. If he had to do it all himself, he'd probably be worked to death!

Right now, Bai Xiaoqing and Lin Zhiqing were in charge of the facial mask company, Chen Dabao was responsible for the Bailong Mountain Planting Base, and with Jiang Yu, the medical doctor, there shouldn't be any issues.

Security was even easier to handle. Zhao Hai and Zhang Yiyi were absolutely reliable. Once Xie Lei's training was up to par, he could have him become the chief instructor, and then Chen Erbao would have nothing to worry about!

He felt that if he wanted to break through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, he would have to find a quiet place to focus on his cultivation for a while. Constantly being busy was of no benefit to his cultivation.

Chen Erbao leaned back on the sofa, a million thoughts running through his mind as his gaze went distant.

Bai Xiaoqing sat not far away, her eyes on the TV, but her mind was elsewhere.

'Will he... tonight...'

'Last night was already a huge mistake. I absolutely cannot give him another chance tonight. Otherwise, how will I ever face Zhiqing?'

'Bai Xiaoqing, oh, Bai Xiaoqing, you're a highly educated woman. How can you be the other woman...?'

Just as Bai Xiaoqing's thoughts were running wild, her vision suddenly went dark as she was pushed down onto the sofa.

Her face flushed red. She pursed her lips nervously, her feet tensing up.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

Chen Erbao pinned her shoulders with both hands, straddling her. He slowly lowered his head, his lips almost touching Bai Xiaoqing's delicate, pink earlobe.

He breathed hotly,

"Heh heh, what's so interesting about TV? The night is long. Why don't we do something more... interesting?"

Bai Xiaoqing turned her head to the side, feeling Chen Erbao's breath on her neck. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her lips suddenly felt dry.

"Don't you dare do anything..."

Chen Erbao looked at her and asked in a tone of utter surprise:

"Do what? I meant we should have a drink. What were you thinking?"

"Huh?"

Bai Xiaoqing was stunned. A trace of surprise showed in her wide eyes, but when she met Chen Erbao's playful gaze, she immediately understood he was just teasing her!

"You bad man..."

Bai Xiaoqing's face grew even redder with indignation. She glared at Chen Erbao, her lips pursed, not wanting to speak to him.

Chen Erbao chuckled, released her, and stood up. He walked over to the living room's wine cabinet, took out a bottle of red wine, and got two stemmed glasses.

Bai Xiaoqing blankly straightened her clothes. Seeing Chen Erbao's actions, she suddenly felt a pang of disappointment.

'So we're really just drinking...?'

She had thought...

Little did she know, this was just one of Chen Erbao's push-and-pull tactics!

He'd already had his way with her last night. The next step was to properly tame this proud, tsundere queen!

Success would be when he could just slap her on the rear, and she would automatically switch positions!

Seeing the wine glass Chen Erbao was handing her, Bai Xiaoqing silently took it.

CLINK!

The crisp sound of glasses clinking rang out. Bai Xiaoqing gave Chen Erbao a complicated look, then raised her glass and took a sip.

Although the red wine in the living room wasn't top-shelf, it wasn't bad either—just average.

It was slightly bitter at first, but a sweet aftertaste lingered after swallowing.

Compared to the fiery spice of baijiu or the hearty boldness of beer, red wine was more like a lofty, aloof queen. Only by savoring it sip by sip could one discover its hidden charms!

The two of them sat less than a meter apart, drinking and chatting idly. Neither paid any more attention to the TV; their focus was entirely on each other.

Half a glass of wine later, Bai Xiaoqing's face was as red as an apple, and a hazy look appeared in her eyes.

"Pres... President Chen, aren't you tired of this?"

She paused, looked at Chen Erbao, and asked in a complicated tone.

"Why are you suddenly calling me President Chen again?"

Chen Erbao was very curious about her choice of address.

Bai Xiaoqing looked at him, leaning languidly against the sofa.

"What else? Aren't we just a boss and his subordinate?"

Chen Erbao crossed his arms, studying Bai Xiaoqing's face, and chuckled.

"Are you sure about that?"

His gaze made Bai Xiaoqing's heart race, but thankfully, the alcohol had kicked in, making her much bolder than usual.

She looked at Chen Erbao and asked faintly,

"What, are you going to break up with Zhiqing and be with me?"

'This damn man. You can't give me any official status, so do you just want me to be your mistress?'

Bai Xiaoqing's heart was filled with resentment. Looking at Chen Erbao, she felt both love and hate for him at the same time.