MAPF Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Bite, Eat

Xie Shiwei’s mind was filled with those few pieces of fair abdominal muscles from just now, and he wasn’t quite so disappointed anymore, returning a friendly and shy smile.

So what if he was bisexual? Having abs and being generous enough to show them off were the best qualities.

Qiu Chen and Amy, in the women’s restroom just a door away, had heard everything. They exchanged a look, feeling worried that He Qin might really be cuckolded.

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In the afternoon, Xie Shiwei and Qiao Lin were assigned to be cat rescue volunteers at a location in the Technology Port Bay Park.

This was the closest activity location. Although Xie Shiwei was approachable and didn’t have the arrogant airs of a wealthy young master, Qiao Mu didn’t dare trouble the Xie family’s sole heir to run so far.

“You two first put on these stickers, fresh off the press. You can also distribute them to passersby later.”

Xie Shiwei picked up a cartoon cat sticker and looked at it, choosing a calico cat lying down with its tail up, and stuck it on the front right of his T-shirt.

Qiao Lin praised it as cute, without specifying whether he meant the cat or the person.

Xie Shiwei’s heart skipped a beat. He handed the stickers to Qiao Lin, letting him choose one as well.

“Shiwei, can you choose one for me?” Qiao Lin leaned over, getting close to Xie Shiwei, his breath intentionally or unintentionally brushing past Xie Shiwei’s ear.

Xie Shiwei shivered and flinched: “How about this little black cat? It really suits your temperament.”

Qiao Lin flashed his signature smile again, sticking the black cat Xie Shiwei had chosen in the exact same spot on his clothes.

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Xie Shiwei and Qiao Lin rode together to the park.

Xie Shiwei noticed that Qiao Lin’s backpack had many small cat dolls hanging on it, and asked, “Do you like cats?”

“I do, that’s why I joined the pet group. The main job is to develop cat supplies,” Qiao Lin opened his phone album to show Xie Shiwei. “These three are all my cats: a Ragdoll, a tabby shorthair, and a little orange cat I found in the garage.”

Xie Shiwei looked at the yawning kitten in the moving picture and couldn’t help but squeal “So cute!” in a breathy voice. Only after saying it did he feel it was too frivolous, and he glanced at Qiao Lin apologetically.

“It’s okay. Judging from this reaction, Shiwei, you like cats too, right?” Qiao Lin said with a smile. “If you have time, you can come to my apartment to see them. The apartment is very close to here, right at the entrance of Technology Port.”

Xie Shiwei readily agreed.

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Technology Port was very large. In addition to the business park, there were also food and leisure areas.

Bay Park was the first choice for nearby residents and workers to relax. There were many stray cats in the park, making it very suitable for activities.

When the two arrived, staff members were already assembling cat shelters under the blazing sun.

The log-textured two-story cat house could accommodate about ten adult cats. The roof was affixed with the slogan “Xie Shi Group Stray Cat Love Project.” At the opening of the first floor was a feeding machine that had already been unpacked.

Under the shade of the trees, several unafraid milky white cats poked their heads out, seemingly very interested in this behemoth.

Qiao Lin explained to Xie Shiwei how to use the feeding machine. Xie Shiwei squatted down to operate it and quickly learned, sincerely praising that this machine was easier to use than similar products he had seen before.

Qiao Lin wasn’t modest either: “Thank you, Young Master Xie, for your appreciation. Our products are always the most advanced. You can approve more funding for our pet line in the future.”

“Oh right, put on a mask.” Qiao Lin handed Xie Shiwei an unopened white mask.

“There are many people on site, and someone will definitely recognize you and take crazy photos to upload online.”

Xie Shiwei thanked Qiao Lin for his consideration, unsealed the mask and put it on, but his beautiful eyebrows and T-zone were still exposed, coupled with his tall and straight figure, as eye-catching as Qiao Lin beside him.

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At 4:30 in the afternoon, the two of them set up a table under the sunshade and placed dozens of boxes of cat food, pre-packaged by weight, on the table, and erected a display stand. The event officially began.

The activity had been promoted through the group’s various accounts for several days. One of the gimmicks was that the handsome guy who developed the product would be at the site in person, and you could take a photo with the handsome guy if you bought cat food.

As early as a little after four o’clock, many people had gathered around, watching them set up the scene, saying with starry eyes that the guys on site were really handsome, and there was also a buy-one-get-one-free deal, and there was a mysterious handsome guy next to the handsome guy.

Qiao Mu was also quite well-known among the many companies in Technology Port. After someone recognized him, they called their friends, and the scene became even more popular, forming two long queues, noisy and bustling, scaring the stray cats to hide behind the bushes.

Xie Shiwei picked up a megaphone to maintain order, asking everyone to be quiet first. He grabbed a handful of cat food and went behind the tree to lure the kittens, meowing a few times, successfully attracting the family of milky white cats to the cat house. He guided a little girl of about seven or eight years old to put in the cat food.

The big milky white cat sniffed at the food box, bit off a piece, moved its mouth, and after swallowing it, meowed in satisfaction, summoning the whole family to eat around the machine.

A burst of cheers erupted on the scene. Xie Shiwei smiled brightly, and this smiling gaze fell into Qiao Lin’s eyes, stirring up ripples.

During the photo session, the little girl wanted to take a photo with Xie Shiwei, who was still half-covered, and asked her brother if he could take off his mask.

Xie Shiwei hesitated, but considering that the event benefits included taking photos with staff, he generously agreed.

When he was taking off his mask, Qiao Lin stepped forward and put his arm around Xie Shiwei’s shoulders, skillfully using force to push him behind him, and said with a smile to the girl: “This handsome guy has acne, he’s self-conscious. Little sister, how about you take a picture with me?”

The little girl was easy to coax, happily opened her phone, held up a sign that said “Love Cat Food Official” and took a selfie with Qiao Lin.

Xie Shiwei breathed a sigh of relief and said thank you to Qiao Lin.

Qiao Lin smiled and said, “Protecting Young Master Xie is my duty.”

The event was carried out in an orderly manner. The news that there was a nest under an old tree in the park, and that there was food in the nest, spread throughout the cat world. More and more furry little heads lined up to eat, surrounding the feeding machine in a complete circle. The cat house was also occupied by several big cats, but the cat food was being consumed at the speed of light.

As the sun set in the west, there were still dozens of people in line, and there was still half an hour left in the activity time. The spare cat food was completely used up.

Xie Shiwei contacted Qiao Mu, wanting him to send spare food, but Qiao Mu didn’t answer the phone for some reason. Qiao Lin immediately told Xie Shiwei to wait ten minutes, and he would take a taxi back to the company to get it.

The people waiting on the spot were a little resentful. Xie Shiwei tried to ease the atmosphere, telling several stale jokes. The people on the scene laughed a few times sparsely. Xie Shiwei himself was also embarrassed, constantly looking at his watch, hoping that Qiao Lin would come back soon.

In this anxious moment, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in his sight.

The tall man wore a mask, a full sportswear outfit, with the jacket collar turned up to his chin, one hand in his pocket and the other carrying a large bag of cat food, walking against the light, like a boss appearing in an anime.

He Qin put the bag on the table, glanced at Xie Shiwei, and began with a slightly critical accusation: “Is the event preparation so inadequate? Is this the result of your busy week?”

Xie Shiwei felt that He Qin was particularly great at this moment, and didn’t even care about his harsh words, apologizing profusely and saying that he would definitely bring enough next time, quickly grabbing the cat food to continue distributing it.

In early May, the weather was warming up. Xie Shiwei was wearing a thick T-shirt and running around the field, a thin layer of sweat floating on his body, his skin gleaming in the sun.

He Qin stepped forward to help.

Qiao Lin, who had taken a taxi back, saw this scene from afar and stopped.

He recognized He Qin, who was also wearing a mask.

Because the silver-framed glasses He Qin was wearing were the style he had always wanted, the Kexin Triumphant model.

Qiao Lin stopped to observe the two of them.

Xie Shiwei and He Qin had a good understanding, one was responsible for scanning the code and recording, and the other was responsible for distributing and guiding, but they always maintained a small physical distance, without any mutual leaning.

Qiao Lin had heard those rumors. After taking a few glances, he was sure that the relationship between these two was not as close as they showed in front of the media.

A marriage of convenience, putting on an act.

Qiao Lin smiled, stepped forward, carefully not asking who the suddenly appearing man was, but went to take photos with the people waiting to take photos with him.

The last kind-hearted person left satisfied with the photo, and the event also happened to end.

It was dinnertime. The people watching the excitement had seen enough and went to eat. The sun was completely obscured by the western hills, and the sky was tinged with a layer of light pink, the atmosphere was serene.

Someone came up to clean up the scene, the sunshades, tables and chairs, and sweep the garbage. Xie Shiwei finally got to take a breath, took off his mask and took a deep breath of fresh air, stretched tiredly, wanting to ask He Qin how he knew he had run out of cat food, but then saw Qiao Lin still packing up the cardboard boxes on the side, so he called him over to introduce him to the other.

Qiao Lin reached out his hand, revealing a smile: “Hello, President He, I’ve heard so much about you.”

He Qin shook his hand, but took it back in less than a second, coldly scanning the person in front of him, saying nothing.

Qiao Lin didn’t care about He Qin’s neglect, but pretended to look embarrassed at Xie Shiwei, his eyes conveying a signal of seeking comfort.

Xie Shiwei pulled Qiao Lin two steps to the side and whispered, “He’s always been a man of few words, he’s like that to everyone. It’s not early today, you go back to the company first, see you tomorrow.”

Qiao Lin nodded and said goodbye to Xie Shiwei without looking at He Qin again.

.

After the people left, Xie Shiwei asked: “Why are you unhappy again? You were so cold to my colleague.”

“Was I?” He Qin squinted.

“You just ignored him, you scared him. He’s a few years younger than us, he’s timid.”

He Qin gave a wry smile: “I really didn’t see that he was timid.”

“Oh well, it doesn’t matter, but be polite next time,” Xie Shiwei took out the lollipop Qiao Lin had given him from his pocket, tore open the wrapper, put it in his mouth, and said vaguely, “You really are too distant sometimes. We’re all people, you’re a little richer, a little more powerful, but there’s no need to push people away like this, as if you don’t eat earthly food.”

He Qin was secretly angry: “Xie Shiwei, have you forgotten that I brought you cat food and solved your urgent need?”

Xie Shiwei smacked his head, realizing that he had really forgotten about this, seeing a hint of anger in the man’s eyes, quickly running to the nearby ice cream cart to buy a cone, trotting back and handing it to He Qin: “Thank you, President He, for your help. Please eat this rose flavor, it’s thirty yuan a piece, very expensive.”

He Qin took it, but didn’t eat it.

The temperature in May was not high, but the ice cream was melting slowly.

Xie Shiwei urged him: “What are you waiting for? Eat it quickly, it’ll melt if you wait any longer, and then it’ll drip all over your hand… Ow!”

He Qin directly stuffed the ice cream into his mouth.

Xie Shiwei’s crimson lips were dyed even redder.

He was forced to bite a mouthful of ice cream, his upper and lower rows of teeth were frozen and sore. He frantically swallowed it, not understanding what low-level hobby He Qin had, and said helplessly: “Give me the other half, I’ll buy you another one.”

“No need, I’ll eat it.”

“Huh?” Xie Shiwei scratched his head, “But I already bit it.”