"Are you familiar with him?"
"Ah!" Startled by the sudden question from behind, Xia Qingtian flinched. She whipped her head around to see Xia Qingyu standing at the doorway, watching her. "Qingyu darling, you know, scaring people can kill them."
"You still haven't answered me. Why did you give him an apple?" Xia Qingyu asked, her expression unreadable, her gaze drifting back to Xia Qingtian.
Was anyone and everyone allowed to receive an apple from Xia Qingtian?
The apple she had given her back then seemed less red, and not as large as the one given to Mr. Gu tonight...
"Because I saw the apples at the restaurant," Xia Qingtian replied. "After all, he's a partner with Xia's. We couldn't let him leave empty-handed, could we?"
"Really?" Xia Qingyu narrowed her eyes, clearly not believing her. "Just because of that?"
"You look a little strange. Let me see..." Xia Qingtian suddenly made a grasping motion near Xia Qingyu's ear, then flipped her palm upward. A piece of candy appeared in her palm. "Here you go~"
"Candy?" Xia Qingyu blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of candy in Xia Qingtian's hand, her eyes lighting up. "How did you make it appear?"
"Hehehe~ If you reveal the magic trick, it loses its fun." Xia Qingtian pursed her lips and smiled mysteriously. "This is for you~"
Xia Qingyu pursed her lips and chuckled, then seemed to remember something and asked, pouting, "Is this just for me, or did 'that' Xiaoxiao and Mr. Gu get one too?"
"Just you." Xia Qingtian immediately reached for a book titled "Introduction to Magic Tricks" from her bookshelf. "I learned it and the first thing I did was make candy for you. Really."
"It better be." Seeing that Xia Qingtian didn't seem to be lying, Xia Qingyu pursed her lips again and smiled. She reached out and took the candy from Xia Qingtian's palm, then carefully tucked it into her pocket.
"Don't eat it tonight. Eating candy so late will give you cavities." Xia Qingtian reminded her before ushering Xia Qingyu back to bed. "Go to sleep now, goodnight~"
As Xia Qingtian pushed her out of the room, Xia Qingyu clutched her pocket and murmured softly, "How could I possibly bear to eat it..."
What a worrywart her sister was.
Even more worrying was that Mr. Gu.
It seemed... she needed to become economically independent and earn big money quickly.
For her New Year's gift money, she had divided it into three parts: investing in cryptocurrencies, trading US stocks, and a small fund for buying gifts for her sister.
The portion invested in cryptocurrencies had already tripled, and the money for US stocks had nearly sextupled. Tonight, she would consolidate her funds and reallocate them.
According to her projections, in three months, she should have 1.5 million in liquid funds. This capital she would then reinvest in new projects.
Speaking of which...
The new energy vehicle sa-101, developed by the state, seemed like a promising investment...
Yes!
Xia Qingyu nodded to herself and strode back to her room.
Three years, at most three more years, and she would have enough capital to let Xia Qingtian live a completely carefree life of leisure!
By then, she could buy anything Xia Qingtian desired and present it to her.
She would buy her sister beautiful dresses, all the handbags Xia Qingtian liked, and crystal shoes in every style.
And her sister...
All her life, she just needed to stay by her side.
Xia Qingyu returned to her bedroom, opened her laptop, put on her headphones, and watched her account balance grow. A deeper smile spread across her eyes. "I need to sell these two stocks tonight and buy this one. The cryptocurrency is also almost ready to be sold... Hmm... Excellent."
Soon, she would be able to support her sister.
...
Meanwhile, in the study of unit 2701 at Xiaoyao Pavilion小区, Mr. Gu sat before his computer, his fingertips rapidly typing a series of commands.
All information regarding the actions of the CEO of Hua Heng and his three sons over the past three years materialized on the screen in a graphic and textual format.
"It seems... there are no issues..." Mr. Gu frowned. Based on the current information, the CEO and his family at Hua Heng appeared to be behaving normally.
Except for the fact that Hua Heng's eldest son had been regularly visiting a massage parlor in the past two years, and his expenses there were quite substantial...
However, going to a massage parlor to relax after being tired wasn't something to be overly suspicious of. Moreover, many people in this circle had various eccentricities.
Mr. Gu had also casually checked the massage parlor, and it seemed to be legitimate with a good reputation.
Getting a massage at a reputable establishment indeed didn't warrant extra scrutiny.
At the same time, in the VIP lounge on the top floor of that same reputable massage parlor.
Hua Heng's eldest son knelt before a mirror, tears streaming down his face. "I... I killed my brother... I'm a beast... I'm a beast!"
"How can you blame yourself?" Behind the mirror stood a woman with delicate features and fair skin. She was slowly taking off her clothes, finally clad in only a close-fitting white bandeau and a rather uniquely constructed white mini-skirt.
Emerging from behind the mirror, the woman walked around to Hua Heng's eldest son. She wrapped her arms around him gently, allowing him to cry in her embrace.
Then, the woman began humming a rather peculiar little tune.
As the woman hummed, Hua Heng's eldest son's crying gradually subsided.
The woman then gently lifted his head, making him look directly at his reflection in the mirror.
"Eldest Young Master, do you see? The you in the mirror... it's truly heartbreaking..."
"Ying Ya, did I do wrong?" Hua Heng's eldest son murmured, gazing at his reflection.
"No, how could you be wrong? Everything you've done is for Hua Heng... You are right, you can never be wrong..." Ying Ya's arms wrapped around Hua Heng's eldest son like snakes. She lowered her head and whispered into his ear in a soft, seductive voice, "You did nothing wrong."
"I... did nothing wrong..." Hua Heng's eldest son mumbled, repeating Ying Ya's words. The haziness in his eyes gradually firmed. "I did nothing wrong!"
"Yes, you did nothing wrong." Seeing this, Ying Ya's lips curved into a subtle arc. "You are too tired. May I give you a massage?"
"Mhm." Hua Heng's eldest son responded, feeling Ying Ya's hands gliding over him. Wherever her soft, boneless fingers touched him, Hua Heng's eldest son felt an indescribable sense of comfort spread throughout his body.
In the dimly lit room, flickering candlelight, and a room filled with a captivating aroma.
Ying Ya continued to hum the peculiar tune while massaging Hua Heng's eldest son's back.
Watching Hua Heng's eldest son gradually lose consciousness, Ying Ya's lips curved into a subtle arc.
Very good, everything was proceeding according to her plan.