Chapter 79 Overtime Pay (Part 1)

The chill of early winter, like an invisible tide, quietly swept across the night of Haicheng. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the darkness and the hazy glow of city lights filled the air. The heating inside the house was on full blast, but it still couldn't dispel the feeling of emptiness and desolation.

Yu Ling curled up on the giant, engulfing, cloud-like sofa in the living room. She was wrapped in a thick coral fleece blanket, a pillow printed with a cartoon cat cradled in her arms. On the coffee table in front of her sat a bowl of freshly brewed, still steaming, braised beef noodles.

The TV screen was lit, playing a slow-paced art film. Light and shadow flickered in Yu Ling's unfocused eyes. She absentmindedly rolled up a few noodles with her fork and put them in her mouth. They tasted like wax.

This is the seventh time this month that Zhao Chen has worked overtime until late at night.

Ever since he easily defused the Green Source crisis with a "print shop document," he seems to have become even busier. He makes more calls than before, and his video conferences last longer.

He no longer came home from work on time, put on an apron, and cooked her a variety of meals like he used to. Instead, he received frequent text messages saying, "I have to work overtime tonight," "I have a project to catch up on," and "You don't have to wait for me to eat."

The reasons are always so "ordinary" and "reasonable" - "the new project is launched and the testing period is very critical", "the partner requires a temporary plan", "the department's quarterly summary and data need to be verified"... the tone is gentle and apologetic, but unquestionable.

Yu Ling initially understood. After all, his job as an "ordinary employee" seemed quite stressful. She even tried to be a considerate wife, preparing dinner for him when he was "working overtime," and instead of calling him to urge him, she would simply send him a message to remind him to take care of himself.

It's understandable, but when dinner changes from a carefully prepared four dishes and a soup to a lonely bowl of instant noodles, when the night is infinitely stretched, with only the boring dialogue on TV and the sound of chewing noodles left... an indescribable loneliness, loss and uneasiness, like the shadow of a vine, quietly creeps into my heart.

The calendar counting down to the agreement had already reached its last few pages. Day 7. The bright red number was like a hideous wound, a constant reminder of the impending end. And Zhao Chen's frequent "overtime" and absences from home seemed like salt rubbed into the wound.

Was he tired of it? Was it because the agreement was about to expire, and he needed time to deal with the "ending" of it? Or had his vast, secretive empire finally reached a point where he needed his full attention, leaving him no time to play the role of "an ordinary husband"? Gu Qianqian's figure loomed in this uneasy speculation.

Yu Ling put down her fork in frustration, her bowl of instant noodles still half full. She picked up her phone and clicked on the pinned WeChat chat. The last message was from two hours ago: [Honey, are you done? I made some Tremella soup. Can you come back for some?]

No reply.

Her fingertips hovered over the screen, hesitating whether to send another message. Ultimately, she put the phone down dejectedly. She didn't want to seem like a suspicious, nagging, and resentful woman.

Just when the boredom was about to overwhelm her, her cell phone suddenly started vibrating wildly!

It’s Su Xiao’s video call request!

Yu Ling was stunned for a moment. So late? She answered the call suspiciously.

"Lingling!!! Lingling!!! Look! Look at the international financial news!!!" Su Xiao's face, distorted with excitement, instantly filled the screen. The background noise was noisy, and she was practically screaming, her voice split with extreme excitement, "It exploded! Europe! It exploded in Europe!!!"

Yu Ling's ears were buzzing from her yelling, and she subconsciously held the phone a little further away: "Xiaoxiao? What's wrong? Speak slowly..."

"Can't wait!!! Headlines!! Check out the headlines!!! BBC! CNBC! Any one!!!" Su Xiao babbled incoherently, his fingers jabbing frantically at the screen. "Northon! Northon Group!!! They've been acquired!!! Mysterious buyer!!!"

Nordson Group? Yu Ling had a vague impression of the name. It seemed to be a giant in the European energy sector. She opened the international financial news app on her phone.

The headline news pushed by the APP, with its bold and shocking title, instantly caught her eye!

Merger of the Century! Energy Giant Changes Ownership! Mysterious Oriental Capital Acquires European Energy Giant Nordson Group! Transaction Amount May Set Annual Record!

The accompanying picture is a very impactful on-site photo!

The backdrop was a dazzlingly lit, extravagant banquet hall, its massive crystal chandelier shimmering with light. A long, narrow signing table was covered with a dark green velvet tablecloth.

At the center of the photo, an elderly Westerner (former CEO of the Norson Group) with graying hair and a complex expression tinged with relief, shakes hands with an Asian man with his back to the camera, his back visible only in a straight suit and neatly styled black hair. Countless flashes focus on them, capturing this historic moment.

The news text scrolled quickly:

"…After months of secret negotiations, Norsun Group, a European traditional energy giant, officially announced in Brussels, Belgium, early this morning, local time, that its entire equity had been acquired by Horizon Global Capital, an offshore investment firm registered in the Cayman Islands!

The specific transaction amount has not been disclosed, but according to insiders, it may exceed 10 billion euros! It will become one of the largest mergers and acquisitions in the world this year!

"'Horizon Global Capital' has an extremely mysterious background and has rarely made any moves in the capital markets. Its sudden and lightning-fast acquisition of the Norson Group has shocked the global energy and financial communities! Analysts believe this move could profoundly alter the energy landscape in Europe and even globally..."

"After the signing ceremony, the new actual controller of the Norson Group did not accept any media interviews and quickly left the scene, and his whereabouts remain a mystery..."

Yu Ling's heart trembled as she read the news. Tens of billions of euros? The mysterious Oriental Capital? Horizon Global? That name... Horizon... Her heart skipped a beat! She instinctively glanced at the simple Tiffany bracelet on her wrist—a gift from the brand when she gave Zhao Chen his "Deep Space Gaze" watch. On the watch box, printed on it was the small, silver-gray "Horizon" Group logo!

Could it be...?!

The thought took her breath away! Her fingers trembled as she zoomed in on the news photo! Zoomed in again! Her gaze, like a searchlight, frantically scanned every corner of the photo! It passed over the signing table, over the protagonist under the flashing lights, and over the lawyers and advisory team standing nearby, their expressions solemn and well-dressed...

Right at the far right edge of the photo, near the shadow of the huge Roman column in the banquet hall!

A figure attracted Yu Ling's full attention!

The man stood sideways, seemed to be lowering his head slightly, and whispered something to a person who looked like an assistant next to him.

He revealed only his distinct jawline, a high nose bridge, and tightly pursed thin lips. His impeccably tailored dark gray suit, brand unknown but exuding an air of ultimate elegance, enveloped his upright, pine-like figure. He exuded a restrained yet oppressive aura that stood out from the glitz and glamour of his surroundings.

It’s Zhao Chen!

Even if it was just a blurry silhouette, even if it was across the screen, Yu Ling would never mistake it! That was a familiarity engraved in her bones!

What made her heart stop even more was that Zhao Chen's bony left hand, casually hanging by his side, held a folded, seemingly ordinary A4 document. On the exposed side of the document, a few bold English words in the title bar reflected a cold luster under the bright lights of the banquet hall:

【Norsun Group Acquisition Agreement - FINAL】

(Norson Group Acquisition Agreement - Final Version)

Boom——!!!

Yu Ling felt like a nuclear bomb had been dropped into her brain! Everything went blank for a moment! The blood in her body seemed to freeze instantly, then rushed madly to her head the next second! The huge shock made her almost unable to hold the phone!

Brussels? Nordson Group? Tens of billions of euros? Final acquisition agreement?!

And he… Zhao Chen… her “ordinary employee” husband, the man who should be “working overtime to check data” in an office building in Haicheng right now… had actually appeared thousands of miles away in Europe, at the signing ceremony of this century-defining merger and acquisition that would shock the world?! And in his hand was that… final version of the acquisition agreement?!