Chapter 103 Old Master Zhu Has Arrived

Shen Shuangmiao concealed it very well, and no one could tell that anything was amiss.

Zhao Mobai finally chuckled softly, stepped back, and resumed his usual lazy and casual demeanor, as if that brief, intense stare had never happened.

"I asked casually."

His tone carried a smug, confident air.

"As for Zhu Jin, he's probably blinded by his losses and has lost sight of reality. Even though he knows the core data has been leaked, he keeps pouring money into it in an attempt to salvage the situation."

Zhao Mobai shook his head, as if commenting on an ignorant gambler.

"It's just a death throes; it will only make him lose even more miserably and die even faster."

Shen Shuangmiao's heart tightened.

Is it a death throes?

What is Zhu Jin thinking? Has he really gone mad? Does he have to wait until he has nothing left before he will stop?

Shen Shuangmiao pursed her lips, somewhat uneasy.

When working, her gaze would unconsciously fall on her bandaged fingers, her thoughts drifting away.

It's time to leave work.

The employees left one after another.

After finishing his work, Fu Xuan went to her office.

"Miaomiao, pack your things, I'll take you home?"

After he finished speaking, he saw Shen Shuangmiao sitting in a chair, her eyes vacant, clearly preoccupied.

"Still thinking about the Zhu family project?"

Shen Shuangmiao snapped out of her daze, rubbed her temples, and sighed.

"Um."

“Fu Xuan, you said he knew there was a mole and that the chances of winning were slim, so why did he continue to invest? This is completely out of character for him.”

Fu Xuan paused for a moment, then analyzed, "Perhaps... it's because they're unwilling to give up. They've invested so much, and they're taking a gamble, even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, or perhaps..."

He paused, then didn't continue.

But Shen Shuangmiao understood the meaning behind his words.

Or perhaps, it's because of her.

Shen Shuang Miao felt a sense of suffocation.

She didn't want to bear the burden of Zhu Jin's suicidal deep affection, nor could she afford the price of others ruining themselves because of her.

From beginning to end, she never needed Zhu Jin to prove his sincerity or to demonstrate his true feelings.

Shen Shuangmiao felt increasingly awkward.

She and Fu Xuan walked out of the Zhao Group building together.

Shen Shuangmiao walked to the roadside to get her car.

A Bentley slowly pulled up in front of them.

The car window rolled down, and Mr. Zhu looked over.

Shen Shuangmiao and Fu Xuan stopped in their tracks at the same time.

"Miss Shen," Old Master Zhu's voice carried a barely perceptible plea, "Could I take a moment of your time to talk?"

He stared intently at Shen Shuangmiao, his gaze no longer scrutinizing as before, but carrying a sense of utter despair, as if he had reached a dead end.

Fu Xuan subconsciously took half a step forward, shielding Shen Shuangmiao behind him, his eyes filled with vigilance.

What do you want to do?

Grandpa Zhu wasn't angry that he was so wary of him; he just smiled.

"I just want to talk to Shen Shuangmiao and have a proper chat."

Looking at the old man's face, which had aged considerably overnight, Shen Shuangmiao's words of refusal stuck in her throat.

She remained silent for a moment, then gently shook her head at Fu Xuan.

"Fu Xuan, you should go back first. I'd like to have a few words with Mr. Zhu."

Fu Xuan looked at her with concern, "Miaomiao..."

"It's alright." Shen Shuangmiao gave him a reassuring look, opened the car door, and got into the back seat of the Bentley.

Fu Xuan knew that no one could stop her from making a decision, so he could only step back and watch helplessly as the driver in the front seat took them away.

The car slowly drove away from the roadside and merged into the traffic.

Grandpa Zhu leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and sighed heavily, his sigh filled with helplessness.

"Miss Shen."

He opened his eyes and looked at Shen Shuangmiao, his gaze complex.

“I know I had many complaints about you in the past, and my words were not very nice. I apologize to you here.”

Shen Shuangmiao was somewhat surprised, but remained silent.

The old man's voice trembled.

"But I'm begging you, please go and persuade Ah Jin to stop and stop going head-to-head with Zhao Mobai."

“We have no chance of winning that project! If he keeps pouring money into it without regard to cost, he will drag the entire Zhu family down.”

The old man became emotional, his voice filled with grief and indignation.

"That's the culmination of three generations of the Zhu family's hard work! We can't let it be ruined in his hands!"

"No one can persuade him now, no one can control him, only you."

The old man looked at Shen Shuangmiao and said, "Only you, Miss Shen, if it's just you now, he might listen to you a little. A large part of the reason he's so recklessly going against Zhao Mobai is because of you."

Shen Shuangmiao frowned, disliking being morally blackmailed like this.

She replied without hesitation, "It has nothing to do with me, don't blame me."

"In short, you can't ignore this! You have to take responsibility. If it weren't for you, Zhu Jin wouldn't have competed for this project!"

Upon hearing this last sentence, Shen Shuangmiao finally couldn't hold back her anger.

"Why should I be responsible? Zhu Jin made the business decision himself, he chose to act recklessly, why should she be held responsible?"

“Zhu Jin is an adult. He has his own judgment and choices. If he wants to treat the Zhu family business as a game, that’s his business. What does it have to do with me?”

She retorted without holding back.

When Grandpa Zhu was rebuked, his face turned pale and then red, and his breathing became rapid.

He suppressed his anger, his tone stubborn.

"How can it not concern you! If it weren't for you, would he have lost his mind like this? I know you hate him and resent him for treating you badly in the past."

The old man became more and more anxious as he spoke.

"Look at him now, he's even giving up his family business for you. Isn't this punishment enough? Please, just do him a favor and have some mercy. Go and tell him to stop. I'm begging you, old man!"

Seeing an old man who was once high and mighty pleading with her in such a humble voice, Shen Shuangmiao felt extremely uncomfortable and even suffocated.

She just wanted to get away from all of this.

Why are all these people trying to drag her into this mess?

Shen Shuangmiao closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, all that remained in her eyes was a cold weariness.

That's enough.

She interrupted the old man's attempt to continue pleading.

"Address? Where is he now?"

She eventually gave in.

But this wasn't a case of being morally blackmailed; rather, she clearly knew that if Zhu Jin really destroyed the Zhu family because of her inaction, this heavy karmic consequence would forever weigh on her conscience.

“But I want you to understand that I went to see him not for him, not for the Zhu family, but simply to sever this entanglement completely.”

The old man breathed a sigh of relief and immediately gave the address of a private club.

"I know, he's drinking alone and feeling down. You should go over there."

Shen Shuangmiao reluctantly pursed her lips, but in the end, she got into the car without saying anything.