Under the scorching midday sun, Miss Xu Youxuan finished her sentence, and suddenly felt a chill as she looked up at Fu Jichen’s face, noticing his cold and contemplative expression.
For a long mont, Fu Jichen’s lips moved slightly, and he said, word by word, "How do you know she looked for Shen Jianian?"
Xu Youxuan was startled by his dark expression and for a mont didn’t realize what was wrong with him addressing his mother as "she": "I ca to this private restaurant last ti and saw Shen Jianian in the restroom. She seed to be in bad shape. Not long after, I saw Mrs. Fu walking out of a private room. I thought it couldn’t be a coincidence; they must have talked."
Standing behind Fu Jichen, Zheng Yi couldn’t see his boss’s expression, but from his back, it seed like he was quite affected.
Zheng Yi thought, for the current boss, the last thing he wanted to hear were the three words "Shen Jianian."
The man’s back stiffened for a long ti, and the hand in his pants pocket slowly clenched as he heard his own voice repeatedly seek confirmation: "You said she was in bad shape at the ti?"
Xu Youxuan still rembered the events of that day and nodded: "She was leaning over the sink, vomiting badly. Her face was pale, and her eyes were red. I suggested she go to the hospital. She said it was just stomach discomfort, probably sothing she ate. She probably didn’t recognize and left afterward."
Every word Xu Youxuan uttered was like a stab to Fu Jichen’s heart.
Her stomach discomfort, her stomach discomfort...
The phrase echoed repeatedly in Fu Jichen’s mind, and suddenly he rembered Lu Yanzhi’s speculation, feeling as if he had been hit hard, almost unable to stand steadily.
"Mr. Chen..." Zheng Yi stepped forward to support his arm upon seeing this.
Xu Youxuan was frightened by Fu Jichen’s grief-stricken expression, her eyes widening. She assured herself that she was telling the truth, without any exaggeration, but Fu Jichen’s reaction gave her the impression he didn’t want to believe what she said.
Suddenly, the sound of a car horn blared nearby.
A car slowly backed into the parking space next to the Porsche.
Xu Youxuan recognized it as her boyfriend’s vehicle and snapped back to reality, bidding farewell to Fu Jichen: "I’ve said all I needed to say. No matter what you think, my stance won’t change."
The car door opened, and a man erged from the driver’s seat, carrying a car key. He glanced at Fu Jichen in front of Xu Youxuan, pausing as he clearly recognized him.
Xu Youxuan clutched her chain purse with both hands and jogged to her boyfriend’s side: "Let’s go."
The boyfriend naturally grasped her wrist, his gaze moving away from Fu Jichen: "Is that... Mr. Chen from Junshan? What’s he doing here?"
"Ran into him by chance and chatted a bit." Xu Youxuan said, "I told him I wouldn’t get engaged to him."
Talking about the engagent stirred up a storm in Chu Siyuan’s heart, and his grip tightened slightly on her wrist: "What did he say?"
Xu Youxuan moved to the right, walking closely alongside her boyfriend, deliberately lowering her voice, muttering, "I don’t know what’s going on. He seed odd today, not quite like the Fu Jichen I know. He didn’t express anything, but I guess he wasn’t hopeful about the engagent either."
Chu Siyuan said, "I want to take the opportunity to et your parents and grandparents, sit down and talk about our matters, let them respect your wishes, and show them my determination to be with you. If necessary, I can also invite my parents to co to Beicheng, as it should be easier for the elders to communicate."
Xu Youxuan was touched but had to tell him the harsh truth: "It’s no use. No matter how I try to communicate with them, they still insist on their own way, not giving any choice. If worst cos to worse, I’ll just run away. I’ve been so well-behaved before; they surely wouldn’t expect to fail at sothing so significant."
"Don’t do that, Youxuan." Chu Siyuan stopped, placing both hands on her shoulders, lowering his head slightly to et her eyes earnestly, "I don’t want you to fall out with your family because of our relationship. You ntioned your mom loves you dearly. Doing so would break her heart. Things haven’t reached that point yet, and you mustn’t act foolishly."
"I understand."
Xu Youxuan promised not to act recklessly.
During dinner, the two discussed how they could achieve the best of both worlds.
*
At 1:30 PM, Fu Jichen returned to Junshan Group Headquarters, having no ti for lunch as Song Fang brought a stack of docunts that required his review.
After dealing with those, several executives who had not t with Fu Jichen in the morning ca to discuss so decisions proposed at the board eting and the project advancent plans.
One by one, the executives left, and the ti was nearing five o’clock.
Fu Jichen raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, picking up the cold tea on his desk and taking a few sips.
In the hallway, two executives encountered each other in front of the elevator, whispering, "It has to be this one in charge. Though his thods are tough, the results are imdiate. It’s said that during the half-year training in Yicheng, Dongke’s subsidiary profits increased significantly."
"Speaking of Dongke, I rember that Dongke’s business used to be suppressed by the Pei Family." Another executive continued, "Recently, there’s been internal turmoil within the Pei Family, showing signs of decline. Dongke has taken the opportunity to overtake them and seems to be leading in the dical equipnt sector."
The elevator arrived on this floor, and the two executives entered, continuing to chat, "A lean cal is still bigger than a horse. The Pei Family has been standing for six or seven decades and won’t fall so easily. Industry rumors suggest a new executive will take office soon."
"Those old guys in the Pei Family aren’t to be underestimated. How will newcors have any say?"
"That, I don’t know."
The topic circled back to within Junshan Group.
"As for the current few in charge of the Fu Family, the eldest, Fu Zhengjun, is too conservative and unwilling to innovate. The second, Fu Qizhen, is too aggressive without any foresight. The third, Fu Huaxian, after that scandal, lacks the authority in the company and finds it difficult to win confidence. The fourth, Fu Jianfang, is smart but overdoes it, wanting to hold everything in his hands like a disrupter. No wonder Chairman Fu skipped over his children and handed power to his grandson."
"Who would argue with that..."
The conversation faded away as the elevator descended.
All afternoon, Zheng Yi stayed at the company, borrowing a computer from the secretary’s office to repeatedly watch the surveillance video copied from the private restaurant.
Miss Xu’s words had been more than half-believed by Mr. Chen, and letting him watch the surveillance was just the final confirmation.
Seeing the ti reach five o’clock, Mr. Chen’s side should have finished. Zheng Yi unplugged the USB drive, shut off the computer, and stood to head to the president’s office.
The office was empty except for Fu Jichen, sitting behind the desk, his ten fingers loosely clasped on the edge of the table, appearing relaxed and at ease.
But Zheng Yi didn’t think his mood matched that.
eting his gaze, before he could speak, Zheng Yi nodded and said, "Mrs. Fu indeed t Miss Shen at that private restaurant. According to the corridor’s surveillance footage, Mrs. Fu went in the evening and waited for more than half an hour in the private room before Miss Shen entered. The two didn’t talk for long. Afterward, Miss Shen went to the restroom. Our car left before Mrs. Fu departed from the restaurant."
Since there were no caras in the private room, it was impossible to peek into their conversation.
After Zheng Yi finished speaking, silence lingered in the office for a while.
Fu Jichen raised his fingers from the table, placing them under his chin, his gaze turning to the large window outside.
So things were clearly his assumptions. He thought warning Wei Ronghua not to ddle in his affairs would stop her from scheming. He assud that having soone continuously follow Shen Jianian would ensure her safety.
Clearly, Zhou Zhizhen’s previous experience was evident before him. His girlfriend from university, who looked forward to marrying him and living happily after graduation, was suddenly dragged away on her way ho from her internship company.
Zhou Zhizhen called him in the middle of the night, a grown man sobbing and retching over the phone, begging him to save the girl. He said if he went, the Zhou Family would never let her go in the future.
As mories surged, Fu Jichen felt a tightness in his throat. Did he not know how dirty the hands in the mansion were? He clearly knew better than anyone!
Zheng Yi didn’t disturb him, quietly exiting the office.
In fact, he and Mr. Chen both knew very well that Mrs. Fu chose to et Miss Shen alone in such a secluded private restaurant and wouldn’t have said anything pleasant to her.
Therefore, Miss Shen leaving Beicheng overnight could be traced.
Twenty minutes later, Fu Jichen erged from the office, wearing a sleek black suit, neatly pressed, with the collar and cuffs of his white shirt perfectly ironed. As usual, he exuded the accumulated authority of soone in power; his expression was calm yet held a trace of sharpness, betraying no indication of anything amiss.
He said to Zheng Yi, "Let’s return to the old mansion."
Reviews
All reviews (0)