Chapter 35 Even stronger than pain is fear…

The last time I came here, I entered the group's premises with Chen Jiashu.

This time, the two receptionists only stopped her as a routine matter, and let her through after she gave her name. One of the receptionists led her into the elevator lobby, swiped her card for her, and escorted her to the elevator leading to the president's office.

The elevator doors closed slowly, and the elevator car rose smoothly, reaching the top floor in less than half a minute.

A half-wall extends from the clean, transparent glass door, with a metallic plaque bearing the Chinese and English names of the Qiaoshu Group, along with the dark blue group logo. Qin Qiao glances at it briefly, her gaze settling on the face of the receptionist who is bowing to her.

She entered the office area smoothly. Xiao Jun, who was at his workstation, saw her, stood up, and nodded solemnly.

Qin Qiao pursed her lips in response. Just as she grasped the doorknob, the door opened from the inside.

Chen Jiashu greeted her with a smile, and he was very happy about her arrival.

The black shirt accentuated his lean yet toned upper body, with smooth shoulder lines; the suit trousers perfectly showcased his long legs; the light gold belt buckle gleamed subtly, giving off an understated sense of luxury.

Is he really the same as he was six years ago? Qin Qiao couldn't help but 'scan' him again.

"You're here." He stepped aside to let her in.

Just half an hour earlier, in the car, she had been bombarding him with questions about the consequences of his actions and his motives.

Chen Jiashu listened quietly the whole time. After she finished speaking, he slowly said, "Please come to the company headquarters. Let's sit down and talk slowly."

The glass door closed silently behind her.

Chen Jiashu walked forward with his cane, gestured for her to sit on the sofa, and then slowly walked towards his desk.

I could hear the central air conditioning humming softly. The potted plant in the southeast corner, with its lush leaves, was directly facing the air vent, its leaves swaying slightly.

Qin Qiao looked away, turned around, and sat down on the sofa.

Assistant Wang knocked on the door, opened it a crack, and stood there without coming over.

"What would you like to drink?" Chen Jiashu asked from his desk.

Qin Qiao turned to look at Assistant Wang and replied, "Anything is fine."

Yu Guangduo glanced at Chen Jiashu, who was standing in front of his desk, searching for something.

His gaze shifted downwards, landing on her bent fingertips resting on her lap. White and pointed, each fingernail had a tiny crescent moon. Back then, Chen Jiashu loved to pinch the back of her hand, gently pull it close, and lean down to kiss each fingertip.

The leather shoes made a crisp sound as they hit the ground. Qin Qiao snapped out of her reverie and looked in the direction of the sound.

Chen Jiashu held the edge of the certificate in both hands, a smile still on his face, and walked steadily toward her. In this familiar place, he quickly reached the left side of the sofa, then freed one hand to reach down and find the armrest of the single sofa. He walked around the sofa, then sat down.

He leaned slightly towards her and handed her the certificate.

Zhaoye started learning piano when he was four years old. He liked watching his neighbor's older brother play the piano, and later he wanted to learn it himself.

The teacher said that this child has such talent that he might be able to pursue a professional career in the future.

In fact, Chen Jiashu is also a very good pianist. Before his parents had their accident, his family was well-off, and he was smart and could play a little bit of every musical instrument.

“The nanny gave me the certificate last night, and I was so excited that I wanted to share it with you,” Chen Jiashu said, his voice filled with undisguised joy and pride. “But I got back so late last night that I decided not to bother you. I was planning to go to the provincial TV station to find you later, even though you’re not here now.”

This was the first certificate of merit Chen Jiashu had received from his child, so his excitement was understandable. Qin Qiao smiled and placed the certificate on the table, intending to discuss serious matters with him.

"Qiaoqiao, are you unhappy?" Chen Jiashu couldn't detect a trace of surprise in her voice.

"I'm happy," she nodded.

It's a good thing that the child won an award, but Chen Jiashu gave her a sense that he was deliberately beating around the bush.

Six years later, Chen Jiashu was sometimes truly unfathomable to her.

He was hurt by her words several times, but the next day or the second time they met, her eyes still held a tenderness without any reservations, making all her ruthlessness seem like hitting a wet cotton ball in vain.

But sometimes she felt that he was wearing a smiling mask, the curve of his lips 'calculated' just right.

For example, he is now using his child as a shield to cover up how he is killing the future of a promising young man out of jealousy, simply because he is now in a high position.

Thinking of this, Qin Qiao felt horrified. When did Chen Jiashu become like this? Where did the upright, kind, and indomitable man of the past go?

Chen Jiashu sensed Qin Qiao's impatience from her slightly shifted posture, but he didn't mind and smiled slightly: "Tomorrow is Sunday, how about we go boating in the park?" His tone was suggestive.

Qin Qiao clenched her fist, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer, and cut to the chase: "Chairman Chen, are you aware that every second and every minute that passes is draining our cash flow, and every stalled contract is shaking the confidence of suppliers, manufacturers, and other investors in us..."

Assistant Wang brought over two cups of coffee.

Chen Jiashu touched the hot cup wall with his fingertips, moved it up a centimeter or two, grasped the cup handle, picked up the cup of coffee, and took a lukewarm sip.

In stark contrast to her anxiety, Qin Qiao grew increasingly angry, and her throat suddenly flared: "Chen Jiashu!"

The assistant, Wang, who had just opened the door, was startled and quickly left, fearing he would be implicated. In contrast, Chen Jiashu calmly took another small sip.

He put down his coffee cup and slowly raised his gaze: "Qiaoqiao, our son is so outstanding, shouldn't we be happy for him?"

He remained impeccably gentle, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes, which she caught, sending chills down her spine.

Is it that the way she's begging him now looks ridiculous, or does he just enjoy seeing her angry yet helpless?

The Chen Jiashu of the past was not like this at all!

Her chest heaved with resentment, but she knew that provoking Chen Jiashu at this moment would not do any good; they needed rational negotiation.

She forced herself to remain calm: "Chairman Chen, it has been nine days since your company submitted the letter of intent. The due diligence should have been completed by now, but we have not received any payment yet. If you feel that Hengyu has done something wrong, please give us a clear indication so that we can make immediate corrections. Business cooperation is all about efficiency and trust. Delaying will only be a loss for both of us."

This argument was impeccably worded, yet every word implied both criticism and distrust. Just like every sentence on the phone, it accused him of being narrow-minded, settling personal scores, and arrogantly stifling the ideals of a promising young man.

What a promising young man!

Is it simply a partner's concern about the project, or is it a worry that this promising young man's ideals will be shattered?

Her red lips were pressed tightly together, and even her slightly heavy breathing revealed her concern for the young man.

Chen Jiashu straightened up, raised his arm and placed it on the sofa armrest. He looked away, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the brightest spot by the French windows, before finally returning to Qin Qiao's face.

"Since that's the case, let's talk about something else. As an angel investor, what aspects of 'Hengyu' do you value?"

This wasn't the question Qin Qiao had anticipated. She took a breath and adopted a professional attitude: "The founding team comes from top universities around the world. Their technology patents cover core algorithms, and market research shows that health monitoring is for the future..."

"Qiaoqiao," Chen Jiashu gently interrupted her, "I don't want to hear press releases. I want to ask you, what are their monthly and quarterly profit margins, and what are their advantages compared to similar competitors?"

Qin Qiao's gaze froze.

How could I not understand his implied meaning? If an investor doesn't even know the basic data of the other party's company, what kind of investment is he going to make?

But she really knew nothing about it.

With a tap of his bent fingertips on the leather surface, Chen Jiashu said helplessly, "You can't even explain the product logic, yet you dare to bet millions... Are you a gambler, or do you treat investment as charity?"

If things really came down to it, Qin Qiao couldn't argue with Chen Jiashu. He was staring at her intently, his dark eyes seeming to burn with a fiery intensity, making half of her face feel like it was on fire.

Chen Jiashu seemed quite pleased with her flustered state after being stumped by the question, and continued unhurriedly, "This really doesn't fit the 'keen sense' of a financial anchor. Are you interested in his product or... him as a person?"

Qin Qiao's face suddenly darkened as she looked directly at Chen Jiashu's 'all-knowing' expression: "You withheld funds just to say this?"

Chen Jiashu's eyelids twitched, and the arrogance and condescending air in his eyes crumbled instantly, replaced by a hint of regret.

But it was at this moment that the irony struck. Qin Qiao wanted to laugh, and actually chuckled softly. When she saw the man's cheek twitch a few times because of her laughter, she frowned and said, "Chairman Chen, there's no need to beat around the bush."

She paused deliberately for a long time, "To be honest, I did have my eye on Chen Cheng. He is kind, sincere, and ambitious... That's why I invested six million in him without knowing anything about him."

"Splash!"

Chen Jiashu accidentally knocked over the coffee cup next to him, spilling coffee all over the back of his hand.

The coffee was warm, slightly sticky, so he withdrew his hand and placed it on his knee.

Qin Qiao stood up, her gaze fixed on the top of his head, accompanied by the soft "drip drip drip" of coffee splashing onto the ground.

Chen Jiashu gradually realized that this was a form of scrutiny, an assessment of his entire personality.

Since the day they reunited, their relationship has been on and off, with her kindness towards him always fleeting like a dream.

He knew that Qin Qiao had a lot of grievances against him. He had made a mistake back then, and she could hit or scold him if she wanted, as long as it made her feel better.

But now she's telling him that she's taken a liking to Chen Cheng, that she's fallen in love with this man, and that she's willingly invested six million for him...

Chen Jiashu looked up under Qin Qiao's gaze and saw her visibly sway slightly.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but she stopped him with a single sentence: "Chen Jiashu, that's enough!"

"When did you start planning this? Was it at the conference center? First, you showed interest in Hengyu at the end of the roadshow, then you gave him a letter of intent to invest, and now you're dragging your feet. Are you waiting for us to give you a 'signal' or are you deliberately pushing us into a corner... Chen Jiashu, I don't even recognize you anymore!"

She expressed her inner indignation at a very fast pace.

Each syllable was like a gleaming knife, stabbing straight into his heart. The warmth rising in Chen Jiashu's eyes revealed that... they had truly become so estranged that even their personalities had to be re-examined.

"Is that the kind of person you think I am?" His back hunched over, his bloodshot eyes filled with sorrow. "Despicable, shameless, bullying others? Qiaoqiao... do you have to say these things? Do you have to fabricate some baseless 'fact'?"

The temperature-controlled room felt like stepping into a glacier at minus twenty degrees Celsius; her whole body was numb with cold, but her mind was clear: "Unfounded 'facts'? You've decided to tell me that you can distinguish between 'unfounded' and 'facts'? Well, that's true, after all, you've always been 'objective and fair,' accepting 'facts' without even investigating."

Qin Qiao stared at him intently, and the more his expression turned ashen, the more distorted her pleasure grew.

Finally, in this standoff, Chen Jiashu was the first to give in. He lowered his eyes and clenched his fists, which were originally on his knees, making a cracking sound.

As if knowing what she was about to say, he deflated like a punctured balloon, his voice suddenly becoming weak: "Don't say anything more."

It's always like this.

she!

She is the bad guy, the heartless and unreasonable one... while Chen Jiashu will always be the good guy who is "forced to do something against his will," always able to stand on the moral high ground under the guise of doing what's best for her.

Even when she remarried and had children, he was able to maintain his image as a devoted lover.

He told her not to talk, but she insisted on talking anyway!

A chill ran down her spine, but Qin Qiao's tone remained light, each word piercing to the heart:

"I was able to remarry shortly after you went to prison, and I can fall in love with Chen Cheng right now! I've fallen in love with him, Chen Jiashu, you guessed right."

As she had foreseen, the man's face flushed, then turned pale, and finally lost all color as she recounted each word of fact.

Chen Jiashu raised his chin very slowly, like a broken machine, his lips trembling.

But when she saw his bloodshot eyes, Qin Qiao took a small step back, her calf bumping against the edge of the sofa, and she almost fell back.

There was not just anger, but also deep despair and ten times, a hundred times, more pain.

Chen Jiashu raised his hand and overturned all the items on the coffee table, which fell to the ground with a clatter.

A shattered coffee cup, teaware, and an award certificate lying forlornly on the ground in the background...

Chen Jiashu slumped wearily on the sofa, his right hand clenched tightly, his blank eyes staring at the ceiling, a bitter and pale smile on his lips.

He asked, "Since you sat down until now, have you ever properly asked me why the T document hasn't been approved yet?"

Qin Qiao hadn't recovered from his cold and violent outburst and stared blankly at everything in front of her.

This also awakened a memory deep within her: the man who, in the dark of a rainy night, fought three men single-handedly to help her retrieve her phone, refusing to yield an inch even when his eyes were blurred and his forehead was stained with blood.

Back then, he only showed ruthlessness to outsiders.

"You can leave now," he said, almost losing his voice.

Qin Qiao looked at the mess on the ground, remained silent for a moment, and then went over and squatted down to clean it up.

Suddenly, Chen Jiashu stood up abruptly and pointed to the door:

"go out!!"

The roar was like a landmine exploding, shaking the entire room and making Qin Qiao sway. She was terrified, but ignored him and continued picking up the pieces.

One piece, two pieces, three pieces...

Her fingertips were cut open by a sharp blade, and blood seeped from the wound. She immediately clenched her hand, but just then, her left arm was grabbed.

She suddenly looked up and met Chen Jiashu's terrifyingly gloomy face, his right eye seeming like it would bleed at any moment.

His large hand, like an iron clamp, grabbed her and dragged her toward the door without a word.

The force was so great that it felt like it was going to break her bones, but what was stronger than the pain was the fear. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and she couldn't break free. Tears welled up in her eyes.

He placed his palm on the glass door and pushed it out, pushing her out with him.

Qin Qiao stumbled and bumped into the table, but was caught by a hand that reached out from the left. When she looked up, Xiao Jun was staring at her in astonishment.