After Losing My Memory, I Became Sweet - Chapter 9
The lights were off, and Qin Huaichu’s expression couldn’t be seen, but from his voice, he seemed gentle.
Zhu Yun stayed silent for a long time before he heard himself whisper, “Okay.”
QZ’s new jewelry product launches were usually held every spring, which was still three months away. In past years, he would take a short vacation before then and travel around.
Now, he supposed he could also treat this time as a vacation.
Just think of it as—giving himself a delayed honeymoon.
That was his thought before he fell asleep.
But when he woke up, he immediately overturned that fantasy.
How could there possibly be a honeymoon between him and Qin Huaichu?
Just because Qin Huaichu showed a few unusual reactions to his amnesiac self, did he really believe Qin Huaichu had fallen for him?
Zhu Yun woke very early, but by then, Qin Huaichu was already up.
His mind was slow to clear, and it was purely instinct that carried him into the bathroom, where he picked up a cup and brushed his teeth in front of the mirror, movements mechanical.
In this state, it was impossible for him to pretend to be eighteen years old. Luckily, Qin Huaichu was nowhere in sight to witness it.
But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Qin Huaichu appeared in the mirror like a ghost.
Zhu Yun’s eyes widened, and he nearly swallowed a mouthful of toothpaste foam.
That sobered him up completely.
Qin Huaichu’s hair was dripping, and his white shirt was damp.
In a low, husky voice, he said, “Breakfast is on the table. Remember to eat. I’ll go take a shower first.”
After that, he turned to leave.
Zhu Yun quickly rinsed his mouth and called after him, “Brother, where are you going?”
“I’m going to shower,” Qin Huaichu frowned. “I just worked out at the gym. I’m covered in sweat.”
Zhu Yun suddenly understood—it wasn’t water that made him wet, but sweat.
After washing his face, he walked into the dining room, where two plates sat on the table, each covered with a stainless-steel dome lid.
That must be to keep them warm.
He lifted one lid and looked at what appeared to be spaghetti.
Immediately, he wanted to cover it back up.
Just then, footsteps sounded behind him. Zhu Yun hurried to sit down, picked up his chopsticks, and lifted a strand of noodle.
He made a show of eating, then pressed his stomach as Qin Huaichu sat down.
“This pasta is delicious, I ate too quickly,” Zhu Yun said.
“Really?” Qin Huaichu glanced at the plate across from him.
Was it his imagination, or had Zhu Yun’s pasta hardly decreased at all?
Qin Huaichu uncovered the other plate, picked up chopsticks, and tasted it himself.
He didn’t find it particularly good. Though he had followed the recipe software step by step, and thought he had executed it perfectly.
Zhu Yun wanted to keep up the act, but the black pepper in the pasta was overwhelming. If he ate too fast, he would inevitably choke.
When Qin Huaichu wasn’t paying attention, Zhu Yun poured the warm water from his cup into the pasta, stirred it around, and only then dared to eat a few big bites.
For the sake of his health, Zhu Yun finally adjusted his comment, tactfully saying, “I’m not too used to the taste of black pepper. Next time, let’s stick to Chinese breakfast.”
Qin Huaichu raised his brows. In his impression, Zhu Yun was fond of Western food.
Maybe that was because Zhu Yun had gone to grad school in the U.S.
But at eighteen, Zhu Yun had never studied abroad.
Qin Huaichu took a sip of tea, convincing himself with calm ease.
“I’ll switch to another app next time,” he said quietly, “one for Chinese food.”
Zhu Yun’s face lit up with a bright smile. “Okay!”
The lively joy in his eyes made Qin Huaichu’s heart itch.
Qin Huaichu drove Zhu Yun to QZ Group’s headquarters in the city center.
QZ Group had started as Qin Huaichu’s university perfume brand, Chu Yu. Later, he acquired a winery and made a name for himself in both perfume and wine.
Ambitious and sharp in business, he expanded rapidly.
Eventually, he set his sights on fashion.
At that time, Chu Yu and the fashion jewelry company Yun Huo, founded by Zhu Yun, became rivals.
Zhu Yun was just a young college student then. He partnered with his friend Huo Siming to start the company, agreeing early on that he would stay out of management and focus only on design.
And indeed, his designs brought the company its greatest profits.
In college, Zhu Yun was already fascinated by jewelry design. He had even submitted designs to contests, winning several awards.
Meanwhile, Huo Siming worked on networking, spending heavily from the company funds to maintain social ties.
Despite his efforts, Huo Siming was no match for Qin Huaichu in business.
Zhu Yun first heard Qin Huaichu’s name from Huo Siming, and thanks to Huo’s descriptions, his impression of Qin Huaichu wasn’t favorable.
Even after Huo Siming left the company, Zhu Yun believed their failed business deals were sabotaged by Qin Huaichu.
When Yun Huo neared bankruptcy, Zhu Yun discovered the production chain had long been blocked and finances drained.
The hole was massive—far beyond what an outsider could have caused.
That was when Huo Siming proposed splitting up.
Only then did Zhu Yun realize his old friend had deceived him for three years, leaving Yun Huo an empty shell, burdened with countless debts to cover Huo’s reckless spending.
Afterward, Zhu Yun held up Yun Huo alone. Even in its hardest times, he never laid off a single employee, nor dodged any payment.
The Zhu family’s support kept Yun Huo alive, and Zhu Yun eventually took back full control from Huo Siming, forcing him to bear the consequences.
Still, Zhu Yun always disliked the business world. In quiet nights, he often longed to escape it.
It was at that point Qin Huaichu appeared with a marriage contract.
Even when Huo Siming was still around, Qin Huaichu had tried multiple times to buy Yun Huo. So when he came again, Zhu Yun was sure he wanted to swallow his company.
Although Huo Siming was terrible, Zhu Yun wasn’t ready to trust Qin Huaichu either.
He still remembered Qin Huaichu sitting behind the conference table with rimless glasses and a blank expression—like a villain straight out of a clichéd drama, aside from his handsome features.
So how did they end up married?
Zhu Yun narrowed his eyes, staring at the QZ headquarters building.
Two years ago, he and Qin Huaichu reached an agreement, first an engagement, then a marriage. Soon after, Chu Yu was officially renamed QZ Group.
And its new headquarters was located in this very building.
This building had once been Yun Huo’s office.
It seemed Qin Huaichu had deliberately bought it, renovating and rebranding it as if it were part of Zhu Yun’s dowry.
Thinking back, Qin Huaichu’s so-called marriage proposal was—
“Work with me, and I’ll help you achieve your dream.”
An obvious empty promise.
Zhu Yun never believed he needed Qin Huaichu to fulfill his dream.
He might not have talent for business, and he loathed the world of profits and power, but his designs were irreplaceable.
The only reason Qin Huaichu pushed so hard—even marrying him—was because he wanted those designs.
Later, Qin Huaichu added: “It’s also to achieve my dream.”
And inexplicably, Zhu Yun had agreed.
Nearly two years later, he still couldn’t quite understand his own impulse.
Maybe he was just tired, and Qin Huaichu had given him an excuse to stop.
When Qin Huaichu got out of the car, his assistant Song Xiang was already waiting at the entrance.
He handed over the keys, asking Song Xiang to park the car, then turned to see Zhu Yun staring at the building, looking desolate.
He assumed Zhu Yun was troubled about his memory loss.
Zhu Yun was dressed in a white trench coat over a dark green turtleneck. The wind at the entrance blew harshly, and without a scarf or hat, his pale face looked almost bloodless.
Qin Huaichu strode over, took his hand, and led him inside.
In front of the waiting employees at the elevators, Qin Huaichu took off his own coat and draped it over Zhu Yun’s shoulders.
He even adjusted the collar to shield his slender, pale neck.
Though Zhu Yun was 183 cm tall, in Qin Huaichu’s care, he looked like a delicate beauty of 170 cm.
Not delicate, perhaps, but beautiful—undeniably so.
Standing beside Qin Huaichu, Zhu Yun drew countless curious stares.
While the employees often saw their workaholic CEO, it was almost unheard of to see Zhu Yun, QZ’s other boss.
His design team never worked at headquarters.
He only appeared at diamond launch events, and even then, he stayed behind the scenes, leaving the spotlight to the models wearing his designs.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Qin Huaichu pulled Zhu Yun inside first.
They stood at the back, while the others automatically kept their distance.
But several employees, phones in hand, couldn’t resist typing furiously into their group chats, gossiping like mad.
Everyone knew Qin Huaichu was married. His spouse—QZ’s co-owner Zhu Yun—was a mystery, almost never seen at headquarters.
So for him to openly bring in this beautiful boy? Of course, people assumed this was him.
In the employees’ imaginations, the drama only escalated, outrageous and soap-operatic.
Unaware of the gossip, Qin Huaichu casually pressed a middle floor and, in front of everyone, pulled Zhu Yun out early.
After walking some distance, they entered the CEO’s private elevator on the other side of the hall.
Inside the empty space, Zhu Yun stayed quiet for a while before asking seriously, “Since you have a private elevator, why did we have to take that one just now?”
“I didn’t think about it,” Qin Huaichu said with a straight face. “I only thought you might be cold, so when I saw the elevator, I wanted to get you inside quickly.”
Zhu Yun: “…”
It sounded sweet, but with Qin Huaichu’s expressionless face, it was impossible to feel moved.