Chapter 12: The dating movie screen is showing summer blockbusters with rave reviews...

The movie screen was showing a hilarious detective film that had received rave reviews during the summer season. The lights were dimmed to their lowest setting. In the dim light, Jiang Huaichuan leaned back on the spacious sofa, his long arm wrapped around Shen Li's waist, his eyes lowered as he massaged Shen Li's fingers.

As the movie reached its first minor climax, Shen Li watched intently, her brown pupils trembling slightly with the plot.

Suddenly, Jiang Huaichuan's phone rang, and Shen Li subconsciously snapped out of her reverie.

Jiang Huaichuan glanced at it and said, "It's from Lin Hui."

"No way, bro?! Where are you?" Lin Hui's frantic voice came through the phone. "You're only going to stay here for half an hour? Even Chen Shimei, who abandoned his wife and children, wasn't this quick!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Jiang Huaichuan said speechlessly. "I'm busy with something."

Lin Hui sat alone in the private room, feeling utterly desolate. He abruptly paused the movie, chugged a bottle of beer, and roared furiously, "Don't try to fool me! What could possibly be going on with you tonight?"

"Tsk!" Jiang Huaichuan frowned and put his phone away, a sense of superiority coming from somewhere, and said, "A loner like you wouldn't understand."

"Quack? What did you say...? Huh? Wait!" Lin Hui smacked his lips in realization. He coughed and asked, "Is Chen Li next to you?"

Jiang Huaichuan: "Hmph."

"Damn it! How can you be like this?!" Lin Hui immediately objected, jumping up and yelling, "No way! Where are you? I want to come too! I haven't seen Chen Li in ages, let's hang out together!"

Jiang Huaichuan's vision went black: "Get lost! I'm on a date with Shen Li, what are you doing here?"

After saying that, he quickly hung up the phone and then put it on silent.

Dating?

Shen Li's gaze fell on the movie screen, the colors before her eyes were mottled, the light and shadow alternated, but none of it penetrated her eyes.

Shen Li stood frozen in place, her back stiff.

His relationship with Jiang Huaichuan is...

Are you on a date?

Shen Li never imagined that this word would be used to describe him and Jiang Huaichuan, unlike the tasks he had previously thought he was forced to complete to put the elders at ease. This was a decision Jiang Huaichuan made without any external constraints.

Feeling the sudden stiffness of the person in his arms, Jiang Huaichuan was taken aback and looked down to meet a pair of bewildered almond-shaped eyes.

A wave of regret washed over Jiang Huaichuan. He quickly realized what was happening, reached out and stroked Shen Li's spine gently, and said patiently, "Shen Li, look at me. What are we doing right now?"

Shen Li was stunned: "...Watching a movie..."

"Yes, who will you watch the movie with?"

Shen Li: "Mom and Dad, Big Brother, Aci... and..."

"And me too, right?" Jiang Huaichuan's lips curled up, his usually cold black eyes filled with laughter.

Shen Li nodded.

He had no friends; besides his family, he only watched movies with Jiang Huaichuan.

If you really want to count, she met Jiang Huaichuan seven more times than she met at home.

Jiang Huaichuan gazed at Shen Li: "Then I like you, what about you? Do you like me?"

A glint flashed in Shen Li's eyes, as if a predetermined program had been triggered, and she immediately affirmed, "I like it."

"We like each other, we watch movies together, so we're...?"

Shen Li's lips moved, but he looked away as if trying to escape, and stopped speaking.

Seeing this, Jiang Huaichuan swallowed hard, his eyes filled with heartache, and he gently kissed Shen Li's forehead.

Jiang Huaichuan said softly, "It's okay, I'll say it. We're on a date. Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"Surprise!!!"

The door to the private room was suddenly swung open, and Lin Hui stood in the doorway holding a bottle of liquor.

Jiang Huaichuan shielded Shen Li behind him, veins throbbing on his forehead, and forced out a sentence through gritted teeth: "How did you find me?"

Lin Hui blinked, pointed his index finger at the tip of his nose, and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? I'm the boss, there's something on this turf that I can't find out?"

"Hello, it's been a long time~ How have you been lately?" Lin Hui greeted Shen Li.

Shen Li smiled slightly and said, "Long time no see. I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."

Lin Hui didn't feel wronged at all; as soon as he entered the room, he threw himself into the most comfortable massage chair.

"I told you rumors are harmful! Everyone in the industry is saying the Jiang and Chen families have broken up, and that you two are getting a divorce, blah blah blah. I'm sick of hearing it. If Huaichuan can separate from you, I, Lin Hui, will write my name backwards from now on, heh!"

Jiang Huaichuan kicked the massage chair. "Say something nice. What's with all this talk about divorce? It's bad luck."

Outsiders only feel that there have been constant upheavals recently, and the long-standing stable cooperation between the two major groups, Jiang and Chen, has collapsed overnight. Everyone is quietly watching the subsequent development of the two groups.

Meanwhile, a small group of people who knew about the marriage alliance between the Jiang and Chen families were gossiping in secret, and some were even trying to find out the truth from the sidelines, showing their eagerness to make a move.

Five years ago, the Jiang family was in decline, but because of Jiang Huaichuan's face, the news of the arranged marriage broke the hearts of many in City A. In recent years, there have been many who still want to get into his bed, and there are always "brave souls" appearing at parties or business negotiations.

Moreover, with the Jiang Group now booming and Jiang Huaichuan in real power, even more people are flocking to it.

"Understood, understood." Lin Hui quickly replied, "May you have a long and happy marriage."

"Speaking of which," Lin Hui suddenly narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping around twice, "were you two kissing when I just came in?"

Shen Li's face turned bright red.

Jiang Huaichuan glared at him and smirked, "Ha! You saw me and still came in?"

Lin Hui knew he was in the wrong, but he was an only child. His mother had passed away early, and his father couldn't control him. The elderly relatives spoiled him so much that he became a lawless little tyrant.

Young Master Lin was about to retort, "Wouldn't it be even more awkward if I backed out?"

Jiang Huaichuan ignored him and stayed with Shen Li to continue watching the movie.

Having met tonight, and not knowing when they'd see each other again, Jiang Huaichuan didn't want to waste time spending time with his wife.

Young Master Lin was just bored and eager to see Shen Li, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, so he came over for a quick look. He only stayed for about ten minutes before receiving a message from other young masters and ladies about a get-together, and without even taking any drinks, he rushed off.

With the boisterous young master Lin gone, the private room returned to silence, with only the sound of the movie playing.

Before a movie had even finished playing, Shen Li had already fallen asleep with her head tilted to the side.

Jiang Huaichuan used his fingertips to brush away the stray hairs from Shen Li's forehead, revealing Shen Li's serene and gentle eyes. He stared at her for a long time without blinking, then carefully moved his body and gently rubbed his chin against Shen Li's soft hair.

It's the familiar lemon scent.

Jiang Huaichuan answered the phone when Shen Wenyuan called.

Shen Wenyuan must have had a few drinks, because his voice wasn't as clear as usual, and it was a bit hoarse: "Xiao Li, we're going home."

Jiang Huaichuan: "He's asleep."

Um?

Shen Wenyuan paused, glanced at his phone to make sure he hadn't dialed the wrong number: "Jiang Huaichuan?"

"Um."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wenyuan looked around, gestured behind him, and lowered his voice, "Where are you? I'm coming to pick up Xiao Li."

"Fifth floor, room A08."

Shen Wenyuan: "Understood, I'll be there right away."

Within five minutes, Shen Wenyuan appeared at the door of the private room.

Shen Wenyuan looked Jiang Huaichuan up and down several times with suspicion and wariness. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Shen Li was dressed neatly.

Shen Wenyuan: "How did you two meet?"

Jiang Huaichuan: "A coincidence."

"Alright, I'll take her with me." Shen Wenyuan bent down, rested Shen Li's head on his shoulder, and picked her up by slipping his right hand under her knees.

The following day, amid numerous media reports, Jiang's Group and Yuanman Construction reached a cooperation agreement, with the project expected to take two years to complete.

After the contract was signed, since the project was initially handled by the Shen Group, and the cooperation with the Shen Group broke down, the Jiang Group took back all the data and information related to the project and packaged it up and sent it to Yuanman Construction.

After successfully obtaining the materials, Zhang Man, perhaps due to impatience or some other reason, had all the machinery and equipment installed within five days.

The Haigang New Bay project has officially commenced construction.

——

Before the National Day holiday, Shen Ci's mother had already confirmed the school's holiday schedule with Shen Ci. Perhaps because of the recent ideal experimental results, Shen Ci's doctoral supervisor unusually arranged a seven-day holiday for the group.

Mother Shen immediately made the decision: the family would go on vacation to a manor abroad during the National Day holiday.

Who knew that the night before departure...

"Are you sure you can't go?" Mother Shen asked as she added a bowl of rice to her eldest son's plate.

"Yeah, I got the message suddenly this morning. You guys go ahead, just take some photos and send them back to me." Shen Wenyuan took the food without saying anything more.

Shen's father glanced at Shen Wenyuan.

Seeing that her eldest son hadn't said a word about it, Mother Shen knew perfectly well what was going on. She ended the conversation by saying, "Alright, then be careful. I think the weather is going to get colder in a few days, so don't get into any trouble."

Shen Wenyuan paused, looked up at his mother, and said casually, "Don't worry, Mom."

Knowing a son is like a mother.

Although Mother Shen may not fully understand the cutthroat competition and cunning of the business world, how could she not understand her own sons?

The next morning, Mr. and Mrs. Shen took their two sons on a plane and flew directly to Country S.

On the plane, Shen Li, who should have taken a nap, looked restlessly at the dense clouds outside.

"What's wrong?" Shen Ci noticed and leaned closer.

Shen Li shook his head and pressed his palm to his heart.

Shen Ci was shocked when he saw this and turned to shout, but Shen Li stopped him.

"I'm fine." Shen Li took a deep breath. "I just feel a bit down, like something's about to happen."

Seeing that Shen Li was not feeling unwell, Shen Ci was relieved. He casually said, "It's probably because it's been too long since I've flown. I'm a little not used to it. I'll be fine once we land." Shen Ci pulled the blanket up a bit. "Take a nap. I'll wake you up when we arrive."

Seeing Shen Li close her eyes, Shen Ci's thoughts returned to last night.

After dinner, Shen Ci sat on the sofa, with today's news from City A playing on the television in front of him.

"Why are you watching TV?" Shen Wenyuan walked over, picked up the remote, and changed the movie channel.

Shen Ci was taken aback. Seeing Shen Wenyuan's gaze frequently drifting towards the kitchen, he immediately frowned. "What's wrong?"

Shen Wenyuan lowered his voice: "Something happened to Jiang Huaichuan. Although the news has been blocked, it won't be suppressed for long. It will definitely break out as early as tomorrow, or at the latest the day after tomorrow afternoon. However, by then Xiao Li will already be in S country, so the information won't be as readily available. Be careful and try to delay it as long as possible."

Shen Ci thought about it carefully and realized what was going on: "You guys planned this all along, releasing it at this time? Besides, we're abroad, not going to a primitive tribe, so we'll still be able to find information online."

Thinking back to last week when Shen Wenyuan suddenly suggested going abroad for the National Day holiday at the dinner table, Shen Ci had found it strange at the time, but now that she thought about it, it all made sense.

"We can only be abroad for a maximum of 7 days. No matter how well we conceal it, it can only be concealed for 7 days. Are you sure you can resolve this within 7 days?"

Shen Wenyuan said firmly, "No."

Shen Ci: ? ? ?

Do you want to hear what you're saying?

Shen Wenyuan explained, "We can avoid the time when the storm is at its peak. It only takes 3 days from when the news breaks to when the whole nation is outraged. During these 3 days, everyone's emotions are at their peak, and there will be more and more voices of abuse and doubt."

His plan with Jiang Huaichuan was to take advantage of this public resentment. Only in this way, when the truth came out, could those who deserved to die be buried without a burial place and never be able to recover.