Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Zhu Ze calmly said...

Zhu Ze calmly pushed the plate away, wiped his mouth with paper, and said calmly: "The environment here is very good."

"You know what I'm talking about." The lighting in the bar was ambiguous, and many people looked over here intentionally or unintentionally. Huo Jun's face at this moment could almost be described as ugly.

Those dark, merciless eyes were like sharp blades at this moment.

Zhu Ze remained calm, even raising his eyebrows in a playful manner, "Not everyone who comes here will go underground."

He looked at Huo Jun, then at the man standing not far behind Huo Jun, wearing a black baseball cap and looking down at his phone. With a respectful smile, he looked back at Huo Jun, "I think Third Young Master will understand what I'm saying."

The man in the hat raised his head slightly. Fang Shimian happened to be looking in the direction of Huo Jun. He subconsciously exchanged a glance with the man, and then the man reached out to push the brim of his hat even lower.

Huo Jun smiled, his eyes were cold, as if he wanted to say something, but changed his mind after seeing Fang Shimian. After a moment of silence, he smiled like a gentleman, "Okay, have fun."

After saying that, he left with the man in the baseball cap.

Fang Shimian saw someone coming out from the darkness in the bar to lead the way.

Zhu Ze took a sip of wine, and the other party explained, "There is another floor underground in this bar...a place for pleasure, it's not very clean."

We are all adults, this is very clear.

With the soft music and the warm and clean decoration, Fang Shimian found it hard to imagine that the key to another world was hidden here.

Zhu Ze noticed Fang Shimian's uneasiness and chuckled, "Don't worry."

"This is just a place for casual chatting. The drinks are good and the environment is great." Zhu Ze took another sip of wine. "At least it's clean here."

Fang Shimian also drank a sip of the blue soapy water in front of him, looked around at the relaxed and open environment, and said nothing.

The reason why Zhu Ze chose this place was because it was one of the few places where he could relax his tense nerves.

He likes it here.

At the junction of clean and dirty, in the ambiguous area between order and sin, this chaotic and stimulating psychology can provide him with a constant source of emotional nourishment.

Zhu Ze's early life was tied to the Huo family. He was trained to be Huo Zhongshan's right-hand man, just like the companion selected for the prince in ancient times. His studies, social circles, and social circles mostly overlapped, but everyone only knew that he was just a running dog who was loyal to the Huo family and could be driven away when necessary.

The fox borrows the tiger's power to bully others, but it is just a false reputation.

Everyone is trying to guess the Huo family's intentions through him, and his respect and flattery are just performances for the Huo family.

The only one who truly saw him walking in this world was Fang Shimian.

Fang Shimian could see his joys, sorrows, anger and happiness, and sense the emotions of Zhu Ze.

The city is moist after the rain. The dust on the trees is washed away by the rain. The glittering green looks like a new life. The unspeakable depression and boredom seem to be washed away as well. The city is breathing.

When Fang Shimian and Zhu Ze came out of the bar, the driver was already waiting outside.

Fang Shimian's electric scooter was not in Yunjin, so this time he told the driver the address of his rental community.

Zhu Ze was originally reading the report sent by his assistant on his phone. When he heard Fang Shimian's new address, he frowned slightly and asked, "You don't live in Yunjin?"

Fang Shimian looked at Zhu Ze with some confusion, not knowing what made him think that a poor guy could afford to live in Yunjin. "I just work there."

Zhu Ze was stunned and blurted out, "Does Dean Fang really not care about anything?"

In fact, Fang Shimian didn't want to answer this question, but for some reason, he felt a little soft-hearted towards Zhu Ze today, so he said, "I am an adult and have the ability to support myself."

"You are his only son after all..." Zhu Ze seemed really shocked, "I only know them...what about your mother?"

Fang Shimian shook his head expressionlessly, feeling as if his heart had hardened again. He did not want to answer questions that were very repulsive to him.

They had just arrived at the gate of the residential complex. Zhu Ze was about to say something, but Fang Shimian said thank you and pushed the door open without hesitation and got out of the car.

The road surface in the community is not very smooth. Even though the property management has been diligently repairing it, as long as it rains, there will be many puddles on the road surface. People dare not step on the neatly arranged square bricks, as they will get their pants covered in mud if they are not careful.

The lights on both sides are also dim. Although not very bright, they can illuminate the road ahead.

After returning to the rental house, Fang Shimian first tore off the towel and placed it in the basin. He was about to set an alarm to wash up and go to bed, but he found a notification of a deposit into his bank card.

Then came Zhao You’s voice.

Fang Shimian clicked on it and heard Grandpa Zhao's voice. He told Fang Shimian that the manuscript had been sold. This time it was not sold to a jeweler, but during the negotiation, it was intercepted by a very popular star who bought it directly at a fixed price.

When Fang Shimian clicked on the text message alert from the bank, he was stunned.

One hundred and twenty thousand.

Fang Shimian had sold his manuscripts since high school. Grandpa Zhao would help him hand them over to Rensheng Design Company to negotiate the price. At the beginning, the price was about 100 yuan, and the highest was only 5,000 yuan later. That was because he was lucky enough to be noticed by a big brand.

Human intuition is extremely sharp at times. Almost instantly, Fang Shimian thought of the hush money that Huo Jun mentioned.

Fang Shimian asked Zhao You which star it was.

He waited for a while before Zhao You slowly sent out a name.

【Zhou Yu】

Fang Shimian opened the video software to search, and a lot of videos popped up, with many topics, so he clicked on one at random.

It was a collection of very popular photos. Fang Shimian quickly looked through the previous photos until he saw a photo of Zhou Yu coming out of the airport wearing a baseball cap. He paused the photo.

The photo was taken very clearly. Although the low-pull baseball cap covered most of his handsome face, Fang Shimian still recognized him at a glance. This was the man who appeared in the bar with Huo Jun that day.

No wonder.

Fang Shimian let out a breath. He said that he knew his own level, but this kind of unexpected wealth could easily make people go to their heads.

However, the Huo family is indeed terrifying. They can even find such a channel to give money, and the reasons are also made up in a very convincing way. The image of celebrities being wealthy and powerful is deeply rooted in people's hearts. Even Grandpa Zhao did not doubt it. If it weren't for the fact that they gave too much, Fang Shimian would really think that his luck had changed.

But after all this trouble, Fang Shimian knew that if he didn't accept it, it would seem a bit ungrateful.

Besides, it’s common for those people to be suspicious, and they will probably feel at ease only after paying hush money.

Fang Shimian no longer hesitated when he thought of this, and happily transferred all the money into the card where he saved money. Looking at the balance, he saw that he had taken a big step towards his goal.

The next day, when the alarm clock rang and the long-lost beautiful sunlight shone into the bedroom through the glass, Fang Shimian felt that he still liked working the day shift. He didn't have to reverse his work and rest schedule, and he had proper work to be busy during the day. He didn't have to look for things to do to fulfill himself like a ghost.

The temperature in Hai City was getting lower and lower in November. Fang Shimian received the company's customized winter uniform, which included a shirt, tie and black coat.

The small rectangular work badge had Fang Shimian's name written on it. When Xu Long was helping Fang Shimian pin the badge on his new coat, Fang Shimian was trying on a shirt. He turned around and just in time saw the pin piercing through the collar of the coat. His eyes widened, his mouth sunken, and he felt heartbroken.

Xu Long was so amused that he burst into laughter. He couldn't help but laugh at Fang Shimian, "You are such a jerk for wearing such poor quality clothes."

Fang Shimian felt embarrassed by the laughter, so he touched his head and continued to tie his tie.

Xu Long had originally stood up to help him tie it, but he didn't expect Fang Shimian to be so skilled in this area. He tied it quickly and well, with clean and neat movements, as if he had done it thousands of times.

This was strange. Xu Long sat back down. Although he secretly felt it was strange, he quickly put it out of his mind and stopped thinking about it.

Fang Shimian put on his pants, happily took the coat from Xu Long's hand and put it on. After tidying himself up carefully, he turned to Xu Long and showed it to him in a cocky manner.

"What do you think, Brother Long? Am I very mature now?" Fang Shimian pretended to touch his tie in front of Xu Long, with a smile that the young man couldn't hide in his eyes and eyebrows.

The boy was thin, and logically he couldn't support such a coat, but his extremely handsome face and the childishness that had not yet completely disappeared made this rigid uniform look different.

The tiny gleam in his eyes, the overlap of sunny and cheerful youthfulness and mature and steady can easily arouse others' desire to explore.

Even in this dark and gray underground, some people can still shine brightly.

Xu Long looked at it for a long time, and finally sighed: "People are still a little unequal."

Fang Shimian looked around for a mirror, and turned to look at him, "What?"

"Nothing, just said you look good in it." Xu Long glanced at the green-gray oversized sweater Fang Shimian placed on the operating table, and then at the faded thick cotton trousers. Although it is good for children to be aware of keeping warm, this clothing style...

"Throw away all those ugly clothes you're wearing from now on."

Fang Shimian chuckled.

It was Saturday off, and Fang Shimian, contrary to his usual practice, did not turn off the alarm clock in advance, but got up early to wash up.

He rode his electric scooter to the non-motor vehicle stop on the side of the road, parked the bike, walked a short distance to the bus station, bought a ticket and waited for the bus.

While waiting for the bus, Fang Shimian found the number in his address book and dialed it.

The line was connected, and the voice was very noisy. A middle-aged male voice shouted loudly, "Hey, brother, you need to come and see it now."

"Yes, it may take me two hours to arrive." Fang Shimian looked at the departure schedule scrolling on the screen, packed up his things and went to the ticket gate.

"Two hours, sure, sure. If you can win, just come. Call me when you're there."

"Okay." Fang Shimian hung up the phone, handed the ticket to the attendant, scanned his face to enter the station, found his bus, and sat down in a window seat at the back.

The two-hour journey was neither short nor long, but compared to most of the tired passengers on the bus, Fang Shimian was in a very excited state and he kept looking out the window.

From the bustling city to the scattered small towns, the last section of the road is a pastoral scenery surrounded by mountains and rivers.

The bus pulled into the bus station. Fang Shimian was talking on his cell phone while queuing up with the crowd to get off the bus.

Before the call was connected, Fang Shimian saw a middle-aged man in a brown down jacket outside the bus station holding up a cell phone and waving at him, "Here, here, here, over here!"

Fang Shimian trotted over and said, "Excuse me, uncle. I will pay the deposit after I finish reading it today."

The man took Fang Shimian to sit on his cargo tricycle. Amid the roar of the engine, the middle-aged man lit a cigarette and held it in his hand, looking up and saying, "My land is very popular. I saved it for you because you are a good guy."

Fang Shimian agreed deeply and nodded quickly.

The man glanced at Fang Shimian, laughed, and took out a cigarette from the cigarette box. "You should be an adult now, right? Want one?"

Fang Shimian shook his head, "I don't smoke."

The middle-aged man threw the cigarette box in front of the windshield and stepped on the accelerator when turning. He was very proud and said, "If you don't know how to smoke, just learn. My brat knew how to put a cigarette in his mouth when he was very young. He even dared to drink liquor. He is very tough."

The mountain roads are full of twists and turns. When the asphalt road ends, the tricycle will continue to drive on the small road up the mountain. Fortunately, it hasn't rained in the past few days, so the road is not muddy or slippery.

The air in the forest was fresh. Fang Shimian held the small armrest beside the seat, feeling the breeze brushing his cheeks and wrists. He thought, if there really were gods in the world, then the wind god who controlled this forest must be very gentle.

The tricycle could not go up the last section of the road, so the two got off and walked. The middle-aged man took out a sickle from the carriage. The path that few people walked on was overgrown with weeds. In a few months, the grass and trees covered the road. He cleared the way ahead while muttering, "The soil in our mountain is very fertile. Anything can grow. It's a Feng Shui treasure land. Really, I'm not kidding you, it's very good."

Fang Shimian followed closely behind, but his eyes were fixed on a certain spot ahead, and he whispered, "I know, I know."

When they arrived at the place, Fang Shimian walked to the front, but the middle-aged man stopped and looked down the mountain. He took out another cigarette and put it in his mouth without lighting it.

The destination was two grandly built connected tombs. The photo above showed two elderly people, both of whom looked serious.

Fang Shimian took a bottle of white wine from his bag and poured it in front of the tombstone, and put some candies on it. His eyes lingered on the photo for a long time, revealing a sad expression.

The middle-aged man glanced over here for a few times, then walked over and squatted next to Fang Shimian. "This is very good feng shui. Your grandparents must be enjoying themselves now. It must be a lot of suffering to be alive."

Fang Shimian nodded, and slowly walked to a piece of land next to the two graves, stepping lightly on the soft soil with his feet, "I'll pay you a deposit of 100,000 first, please don't sell this place to anyone else, okay?"

The middle-aged man nodded hurriedly, "Of course. I'll draw up a note for you, oh, a contract, just like your grandparents used. I'll give you a copy and you can sign it and it'll be done."

The two of them got on the tricycle again and returned to the foot of the mountain. Fang Shimian transferred the money to the man, signed the contract and put his fingerprints on it.

We still took the bus on the way back, but this time there were more things on the bus. The seats were filled with vegetables, eggs, bags of fruits, etc., filling up every gap.

While riding his electric scooter home, Fang Shimian hummed a song and inexplicably felt like taking a ride, so he changed his route and drove slowly towards a road with fewer people.

There isn't a lot of traffic on this road, as it's a new road. Previously, there were factories here, but now most of the factories have been demolished, so this side is very deserted. It may become lively only after the airport is built.

At this moment, a roar suddenly came from far away on the road. Almost in an instant, several cars sped around the bend at high speed. Fang Shimian watched helplessly as one of the cars skidded and flew out of the guardrail and hit the stone wall, emitting thick smoke.

There were several loud crashes immediately afterwards. Fang Shimian turned the corner on his bike and saw two cars collide with each other and all rushed to the opposite lane.

Under the blood-red sunset, it all looked like a desperado's doomsday carnival.

Fang Shimian's hands and feet were cold. His instinct told him not to meddle in other people's business. He didn't know who these people were. He drove forward at the fastest speed until he could no longer see those cars. Then he stopped the car and called the ambulance and the police.

After making the call, Fang Shimian felt inexplicably panicked. He got on his bike and drove forward, but there was a car in front of him that had crashed into a stone wall and was emitting thick black smoke.

The black oil that kept coming out looked like thick blood.

Fang Shimian suppressed his fear, went around the car and prepared to run away. However, when he passed by the car, he saw a familiar face through the broken window and deformed door.

Huo Zhongshan!

Fang Shimian had been driving past with gritted teeth, but when he saw the billowing smoke, he stopped the car, took off his helmet and ran back.

The cab and the engine had been compressed against the stone wall. Fang Shimian forced himself to ignore the mixture flowing out from the gap in the cab door.

The rear door had obviously been hit violently more than once, and the bullet holes on the window glass made Fang Shimian even more frightened.

The man inside had his eyes closed. The silent darkness in the car swallowed up Huo Zhongshan's expression at the moment. It was unknown whether he was dead or alive. Fang Shimian saw that his hand hanging by his side was covered in blood.

Fang Shimian tried his best to pry the car door open, but it was badly deformed and could not be moved at all. The thick smoke brought a scorching hot breath. A huge explosion was heard not far away. Fang Shimian trembled all over. He had never experienced this before, but he also knew that the car was going to explode.

The balance of his grave had not yet been paid, and they certainly would not bury him there.

He really, really didn't want to die yet.

Fang Shimian choked up and opened the car door with tears on his face. It would be very painful to be scalded to death. He knew it because he had seen people wailing in medical documentaries.

What if the person inside is already dead? Fang Shimian trembled and tried to comfort himself, it was just a stranger who he had met a few times and had spoken a few words to...

But just when he was about to give up, he saw the hand illuminated by the sunset glow suddenly clenched, and the blue veins under the skin were clearly visible.

Still alive, but he is still alive.

The sound of Fang Shimian's collapse and crying sounded particularly sad on this empty road. He picked up the stones that were broken from the stone wall and smashed them hard at the place where he was stuck. He burst into tears and thought, if there was an explosion, that would be his death.

It's a bad fate. God will not have mercy on Fang Shimian. Perhaps after being blown to death, even his soul will be eaten by evil spirits.

He would not meet the gentle wind god in the mountains and forests, nor would he be buried in that land.

A few more loud explosions were heard in his ears. Just when Fang Shimian's hands were covered in blood and he was completely desperate, the door suddenly loosened a little. He quickly threw away the stone and tried to pull the door.

With a sharp sound, the door actually opened. The temperature inside the car was already very high at this time. Fang Shimian bent over and entered the car, grabbing the hand and pulling it out with all his strength.

Just moved out a little.

Suddenly, his hand was gently held. Fang Shimian raised his head with tears in his eyes. He didn't know when Huo Zhongshan had opened his eyes. His gaze was still calm. He didn't know how long he had been looking at him. His dark eyes were like a silent deep sea.

He spoke softly in the dark and hot carriage.

"Let's go."

"Stop crying."