The man admitted it too directly, leaving Song Qiao momentarily speechless, probably also because the man’s gaze was too blatant, making Song Qiao momentarily not know where to place her hands and feet.

This man’s gaze was just too overwhelming, making Song Qiao feel as if she wasn’t wearing any clothes.

The two young men had already left at some point, leaving only the two of them in the kitchen.

But just when Song Qiao felt at a loss, the man slightly furrowed his brows and spoke in a deep voice, "What’s burned?"

Song Qiao snapped back to reality upon hearing this and quickly ran to the stove nearby, opening one of the pot lids to find the dish inside starting to burn. She quickly poured a bowl of water inside.

The man glanced at Song Qiao’s back, raised his eyebrows, but said nothing, turning directly and walking out.

By the time Song Qiao turned back from finishing the dish, the man’s figure had already disappeared.

Her eyes showed a hint of bewilderment, and Song Qiao couldn’t help but mutter, "Strange man."

...

Song Qiao and Xu Qian had been missing for two days and one night, plus CK Group lost its VIP client data, creating an unusually tense atmosphere permeating across CK Group.

Everyone clearly understood that their boss was in a bad mood, and no one dared to provoke him, cautiously handling their duties to avoid any mistakes, especially since quite a few executives were severely scolded by Lu Jingchen, almost jumping off a cliff.

When Xi Mohan came to CK Group to find Lu Jingchen, one of the high-ranking managers had just been scolded by Lu Jingchen, exiting the office with a face shifting from blue to white, and upon seeing Xi Mohan at the door, he froze initially, then respectfully addressed him, "President Xi."

Xi Mohan glanced lightly at the executive, nodded in acknowledgment, and asked, "Is President Lu inside?"

Though the executive was in a bad mood, he wouldn’t disregard Xi Mohan, especially since Xi Mohan held a significant position in An City too.

After nodding, the executive felt better and promptly reminded, "President Xi, our President is in a bad mood today, given the situation at the company. If he says anything to anger you after you enter, please don’t mind..."

Xi Mohan gave the executive a meaningful look, focusing on the key point, "Did something happen at your company?"

He had been abroad for the past two days, out of An City, and received Lu Jingchen’s call while still on a business trip. Upon learning about the incident with Song Qiao and Xu Qian, the first thought in his mind was Song Qiao’s closest friend, Ning Wan.

Although he barely had any memories of that woman, he knew she was Song Qiao’s closest friend.

Oddly enough, during his business trip, Ning Wan was all he could think about.

Her angry expression, her helpless look, and the way she smiled...

Even while being with his current girlfriend, Fang Qing, he was still thinking about that woman.

But since the day she was taken from his villa, he hadn’t seen her again, not knowing her whereabouts, despite wanting to ask Lu Jingchen but held back.

Upon reflection, Xi Mohan couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

When did he start yearning for a woman, losing sight of himself completely?

The executive initially intended to inform Xi Mohan, but after some thought, he said, "You can ask President Lu about this; I’m just an employee and daren’t speak out."

Xi Mohan furrowed his brows but remained silent.

The executive immediately said, "If there’s nothing else or any directive, President Xi, I’ll return to work."

He now hoped Xi Mohan could calm their company’s boss, as a good mood from the boss meant they’d avoid suffering.

Xi Mohan nodded, then walked towards Lu Jingchen’s office.

Inside the office, facing a mountain of paperwork to handle, Lu Jingchen couldn’t focus, feeling highly agitated. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

His wife and mother had been missing for so long with no news; how could he possibly concentrate on work?

The office door was knocked from outside, making Lu Jingchen slightly furrow his brows, then expressionlessly respond, "Come in."

The office door opened, and Xi Mohan walked in, his gaze landing on a document thrown on the floor, raising his eyebrows, then bending down to pick it up.

Seeing Xi Mohan enter, Lu Jingchen was momentarily stunned, then spoke in surprise, "Why are you here?"

Xi Mohan glanced at the document he picked up, realizing it was a contract worth two billion, then walked to Lu Jingchen’s desk and placed the contract back, saying, "There’s such a big problem here, of course I had to return, couldn’t just sit idly by."

"Didn’t you already lend me people?" Lu Jingchen rubbed his brow with fatigue in his voice, looking at Xi Mohan, saying, "I’m already handling this slowly; meanwhile, I must thank you, Xi Group is sensitive recently, with you overwhelmed yet still caring for me..."

"Don’t forget we’re brothers." Xi Mohan sat across from him, playfully fiddling with a desk ornament, saying, "Though not blood brothers, we’ve known each other for over twenty years, and you’ve helped me a lot before."

Lu Jingchen felt less irritable now, his gaze onto Xi Mohan, meaningfully saying, "Not prioritizing romance over friendship?"

Xi Mohan retorted, "Wasn’t it you who prioritizes romance over friendship?"

Lu Jingchen snorted with laughter, saying no more.

Truthfully, both of them were prone to prioritizing romance over friendship, only for their beloved women.

Take anything concerning Song Qiao; Lu Jingchen would drop everything, while if Xi Mohan recalled Ning Wan, he’d likely forget about his so-called ’good brother.’

So, in fact, they were the same type of people.