Is Chapter 28 because of her?

The spicy liquid burned in my throat, all the way down to my stomach.

"Great!" Manager Wang led the applause and filled his cup again.

Qin Feng, standing to the side, was completely bewildered by the scene.

When has the boss ever done a business that loses money?

To give up a project worth hundreds of millions just to get Shen Yu to drink a meal?

He didn't understand, but he still turned to the waiter waiting nearby and whispered, "Go and bring me your strongest liquor."

One glass of wine after another was poured and then emptied.

That Manager Wang was indeed incredibly generous, remaining completely unfazed.

Shen Yu's vision began to blur, and his mind grew heavier and heavier. Finally, with a "bang," he collapsed onto the sofa, unconscious.

Huo Yanzhi leaned there the whole time, watching coldly.

Only after Shen Yu had completely passed out drunk did he slowly stand up and throw a contract in front of Shen Yu's assistant.

"Sign it."

The assistant looked at his boss, who was completely drunk, and then at the contract he had been dreaming of; his hands were trembling.

After he signed the document, Huo Yanzhi didn't even glance at it before turning around and walking out of the private room.

Qin Feng quickly followed.

The corridor was so quiet that only the sound of their footsteps could be heard.

"President Huo," Qin Feng finally couldn't hold back, "I don't understand, the Dongchang project has profits of at least ten figures, why were you just handing it over to him like that?"

Giving up such a huge benefit just to get him drunk once?

The boss's behavior today was completely abnormal.

Huo Yanzhi did not stop walking; the elevator doors opened in front of him.

He stepped into the elevator, watched the red numbers on the elevator doors slowly descend, and then spoke softly.

"let?"

He turned his head to the side, his unfathomable eyes devoid of any warmth.

"I completely divested the core assets of that project last week."

"What I gave him was just an empty shell that required constant money to be poured into, but could never be filled."

*

The fact that Ruan Yao had someone she liked, but not Shen Yu, greatly surprised the Shen couple.

But Ruan Minghui and Su Wanqing were even more surprised.

After the dinner, the two families said goodbye.

Once inside the house, Su Wanqing finally couldn't hold back any longer and pulled Ruan Yao to sit on the sofa.

"Yaoyao, what were you talking about just now? You have someone you like? Who is it? Why haven't you ever told Mommy?"

Ruan Minghui also looked at her, as if he were about to conduct a joint trial.

Ruan Yao knew she couldn't avoid this hurdle.

She organized her thoughts, trying to make her words sound less shocking.

"Dad, Mom, Shen Yu and I really do have a brother-sister relationship, both before and now."

She paused, then her voice trailed off.

"The person I like is a very nice person, very outstanding, and is... a friend, but right now I'm the one pursuing him."

Upon hearing that it was their daughter who took the initiative, the expressions on Ruan's parents' faces softened slightly, assuming it was just their youngest daughter's unrequited love.

Su Wanqing sighed and said regretfully, "Oh, you know... Xiao Yu is so good. He has a good family background and good character. We watched him grow up. He cares about you so much. Where can you find someone better than him?"

Ruan Minghui's brows furrowed, clearly showing his regret for Shen Yu and his worry for that "unknown man".

"Oh, Mom and Dad, you're just worrying unnecessarily." Ruan Sheng put away his phone and lazily leaned closer. "Our Yaoyao is all grown up now, she has her own judgment. Besides, Shen Yu is good, but compared to your precious son, isn't he still a little bit lacking?"

Su Wanqing rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "You're such a chatterbox!"

Seeing that his parents were about to start another round of questioning, Ruan Sheng quickly put his arm around Ruan Yao's shoulder and led her outside.

"Dad, Mom, please stop asking. Give Yaoyao some space. Come on, I have something to tell her. I'll take her home."

Without giving his parents a chance to react, he dragged and pulled Ruan Yao out of the water.

The door slammed shut, cutting off the view from the living room.

Ruan Yao breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the door. "Brother, thanks."

"Don't mention it." Ruan Sheng sat back in his boss's chair, turned halfway around, and grinned mischievously. "Look at how worried Mom and Dad look. They won't be getting a good night's sleep tonight. It feels like the cabbage they've raised for twenty years is about to be eaten by some unknown pig."

Ruan Yao also found it somewhat amusing.

"Why didn't you speak up for Brother Shen Yu just now? Weren't you the one who kept trying to persuade me before?"

Upon hearing this, Ruan Sheng's smile became inscrutable.

He picked up a pen from the table and twirled it between his fingers.

"Times have changed. I used to think Shen Yu was alright, but now..."

He drew out his words, leaning forward slightly, "Brother, I'm beholden to those who give me money, I'm obligated to their hospitality."

Ruan Yao was a little confused by his words.

"What's the meaning?"

Ruan Sheng's playful expression faded somewhat, replaced by an undisguised excitement.

"Didn't you tell me to invest in that Chengnan cultural tourism project?"

Ruan Yao's heart skipped a beat: "Mmm..."

Ruan Sheng grinned and uttered two words: "Got it."

Ruan Yao was completely stunned. She stared blankly at Ruan Sheng, wondering if she had misheard.

How is that possible?

She was just giving it a shot, letting her brother try his luck with a slim chance.

After all, the project was won by an industry giant in the previous life, and the current Ruan family is simply not qualified.

"Let me tell you, you have no idea how exciting that day was!"

Ruan Sheng became very excited when he talked about it.

"At the bidding meeting that day, several listed companies were eyeing that lucrative opportunity. In the end, it was basically decided that an established construction company would be chosen, and they had almost finished their PowerPoint presentation."

"Guess who was there? Huo Yanzhi! He had his assistant submit some documents. It was about a serious safety accident that happened to one of the company's overseas projects last year, which killed several people, but they managed to cover it up by paying a lot of money."

Ruan Sheng still gets emotional when he talks about what happened back then.

"That company was disqualified on the spot. Then the organizers asked Huo Yanzhi if he had any recommended partners. I don't know what he said to the organizers, but in the end, the project fell directly to us!"

"Dad was there too, and the expression on his face was more exciting than winning the lottery! Our Ruan family became the biggest dark horse that day!"

Ruan Sheng was still excitedly recounting how triumphant he was on the day of the summit, but Ruan Yao could barely hear him anymore.

Her mind was buzzing, with only that one name remaining.

Huo Yanzhi.

He actually handed this incredible opportunity firmly into the hands of the Ruan family.

But why would he do that?

Ruan Sheng exclaimed from the side, "I look at Huo Yanzhi like he's a god of wealth. Sis, your job as a corporate spy is worth a fortune!"

Ruan Yao made up an excuse and, before Ruan Sheng could react, floated back to her room and gently closed the door.

She leaned against the door, feeling somewhat unsteady.

An absurd yet sweet thought popped into my head uncontrollably.

Was Huo Yanzhi helping the Ruan family because of her?

The thought made her cheeks burn, and her heart started pounding uncontrollably.

But then she shook her head vigorously.

She was being a bit presumptuous.

It must be a coincidence.

Yes, it was a coincidence.

Regardless of the reason, in this life, there always seems to be an invisible thread connecting her and Huo Yanzhi.

Ruan Yao took her phone out of her pocket, swiped her finger up, and opened the contact she had saved as "H".

There were only a few messages she had sent unilaterally, and the person on the other end was very aloof and did not give any response.

She bit her lip, her fingertips hesitating on the screen.

Ruan Yao's fingers tapped back and forth in the input box, deleting and revising several times. In the end, all her thoughts were reduced to a single, simple sentence.

Thank you~

The moment Ruan Yao pressed the send button, her heart leaped into her throat.

As if she had accomplished some arduous task, she tossed her phone aside, sprawled out on the bed in a staring-at-the-ceiling position, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Time passed by, second by second.

The phone remained silent, without making any noise.

Ruan Yao couldn't resist picking it up and taking another look.

It's the same as always.

She deflated, turned over, and covered her head with the blanket.

He probably won't reply.

That's true. Someone like him has so many things to deal with every day, he doesn't have time to check his phone.

Ruan Yao tossed and turned on the bed for a long time, her mind a jumble of thoughts. One moment she saw Huo Yanzhi shielding her from the spotlight, the next she saw his aloof profile as he waited for her in the hospital corridor.

Finally, she sighed resignedly, got out of bed, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

By the time she dried her hair and lay back down in bed, it was almost midnight.

She picked up her phone and, as was her habit, took one last look at it.

The screen remained empty.

All right.

Ruan Yao placed her phone face down on the bedside table and forced herself to close her eyes and sleep.

Good night, Huo Yanzhi.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep—

"Buzz—"

The phone on the bedside table vibrated very slightly.

Ruan Yao grabbed the phone.

On the screen, a preview of a new message was prominently displayed.

It came from that number she knew by heart.

Ruan Yao was wide awake.

Her fingertips trembled slightly. She took a deep breath before opening the message.

In the chat box, below her "Thank you," two words lay quietly.

【Good evening. 】