Chapter 82 May I touch your face? ...

Sun Gang drove his Mercedes out of the underground parking garage. The rain had stopped, and the sunlight poured down like a waterfall, so bright it made him squint. He instinctively turned his head and reached into the armrest compartment.

At the very moment he put on his sunglasses, Zhu Ao's Maybach passed by and drove into the underground parking garage behind him.

Inside the room, Chen Jiashu instructed Lao Song to go home and fetch a few lighter coats, and Lao Song immediately agreed and went to do so.

After everyone left, Chen Jiashu bent down and took out the new white cane he had bought yesterday from the drawer under the coffee table. As he stood up, he gently pressed his thumb on the joint of the cane, and with a soft "click," the cane unfolded and the tip touched the ground.

Standing by the window just now, I felt warm all over, so the sun must be shining brightly today. He thought about going downstairs for a walk; staying in the room all the time made him feel uncomfortable all over.

Just as Chen Jiashu stepped outside and before he could close the door, a gentle, young female voice came from behind him: "Mr. Chen, are you going out?"

He carefully closed the door, turned around, and noticed that the other person was not tall, so he lowered his head slightly: "Just taking a walk."

"Do you need me to stay with you?" the nurse asked softly, her voice unconsciously becoming even softer and gentler.

He lowered his head slightly, and the corridor light cast a soft shadow on his well-defined profile, making him look even more handsome than in the television interview.

Starting from scratch, his business has flourished. He has donated money and supplies to earthquake relief efforts and provided thousands of jobs for people with disabilities. He is truly an admirable entrepreneur... and most importantly, he is still very young.

The public marriage proposal a while ago... she felt that reality was even more heartwarming than idol dramas.

Chen Jiashu shook his head, but asked her a question: "Is there a small garden downstairs?"

The nurse nodded repeatedly: "Yes, turn left after you go out and walk about two hundred meters."

Chen Jiashu smiled slightly at her, turned halfway around, and walked towards her, lightly tapping his white cane.

Suddenly, a question arose in the young nurse's mind. It was strange, really. He and his wife had such a good relationship, so why would he move to a nursing home? He was in his prime, while most of the people who came here were elite individuals with an average age of around sixty, requiring 24-hour monitoring and five-star medical services.

He's so young...

The young nurse brought this question to the office and discussed it quietly with a few close colleagues. Just as they were getting into it, the head nurse overheard them and interrupted their speculation with a smile: "Their relationship is great."

As she spoke, she solemnly reminded the group, "You can talk about this privately, but you mustn't spread it around."

Customer privacy is of paramount importance, and it's written as the first rule in their employee handbook. Upon hearing this, the group nodded vigorously, like chickens pecking at rice, and then scattered like birds.

*

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Zhu Ao was about to step out when he saw Chen Jiashu, wearing sunglasses, standing alone outside the doors.

He quickly walked up, then turned around and stood next to Chen Jiashu. Chen Jiashu tilted his head slightly: "Who?"

Zhu Ao mimicked the way Qin Qiao usually communicated with Chen Jiashu, gently grasping Chen Jiashu's wrist. The man paused for a moment before raising his arm and slowly turning his wrist so that his palm faced upwards.

[Zhu Ao]

Chen Jiashu's facial muscles gradually relaxed, and a very faint smile appeared on his lips.

As the elevator doors slowly closed, Zhu Ao immediately asked, "Where are we going?"

"I want to go downstairs for a walk."

Zhu Ao took a large step, pressed the elevator button, then stepped back and grasped his forearm again, writing "[I'm with you]".

Chen Jiashu nodded, and Zhu Ao led him into the elevator car. As the elevator descended, Chen Jiashu said, "Zhu Ao, thank you for your hard work these past few days."

The sedan door, like a mirror damp with moisture, reflected the slightly distorted figures of the two people, one tall and one short. Zhu Ao stared at it for a few seconds, then turned to look at Chen Jiashu beside him.

From this angle, he could clearly see Chen Jiashu's high nose bridge and the white gauze covering his eyes.

This reminded him of when he last visited Chen Jiashu in Beijing and met his attending physician in the corridor. The doctor calmly informed him that Jiashu had undergone enucleation in his left eye and had completely lost sight in his right eye.

"As for the left eye," the doctor paused, then said, "a prosthetic eye can be fitted in the future if aesthetics are a consideration."

At that moment, it was as if a giant boulder had fallen from the sky and smashed hard into the back of his head. His mind went blank for a long time before he slowly came to his senses.

The elevator arrived, and Chen Jiashu put away his white cane, hanging it on his wrist, and used that hand to grasp Zhu Ao's upper arm. The two walked through the bright lobby and out to the outside, stopping under a rain shelter.

Sunlight streamed in at an angle, casting a right-angled triangle on the ground. A gentle spring breeze, carrying the fragrance of some unknown flower, caressed one's face, its touch like that of a dandelion in the sunlight, with just the right temperature.

Chen Jiashu suggested that they sit in the small garden for a while, and Zhu Ao agreed, so the two continued walking slowly.

The winding path paved with cobblestones is densely planted with all kinds of wildflowers, and the colorful flowers spread out in front of you, as if you were in a magnificent sea of ​​flowers.

They walked slowly along the path, occasionally impatient pedestrians would pass by from behind, while others would step aside to make way and hurry to the front.

He can't see, and now he can't hear either, making communication with him especially difficult. Zhu Ao sighed inwardly; if he were in that situation, he probably wouldn't even have the will to live.

As long as this man has a breath left, he will never truly let go. Having climbed up through thorny and treacherous paths, such scheming has long been ingrained in his instincts.

Oh.

Zhu Ao let out another cold laugh in his heart.

Back when Chen Jiashu and Zhang Shuang both ran into trouble, he single-handedly held the fort, working tirelessly to stabilize the situation. They risked their lives and poured their hearts and souls into protecting the company's foundation; how did Chen Jiashu treat him in return?

Three years ago, they quietly hired Sun Gang into the company at a high price, under the guise of "improving governance"; and within two years, they casually gave 20% of the shares to a woman who knew nothing about management!

What brotherhood, what right-hand men... I realized it all too late.

In the end, Zhu Ao was nothing more than a worn-out watchdog in Chen Jiashu's hands. All that so-called "brotherly loyalty" was just a leash around his neck, making him willingly grovel until his death.

"Zhu Ao..."

A slight force came from his upper arm, and Zhu Ao was instantly pulled out of his hateful memories.

"What?" he replied instinctively.

Chen Jiashu tilted his head slightly, his gaze behind his sunglasses fixed precisely on his face, his tone as usual: "You stopped here because we've arrived?"

Zhu Ao looked over and saw the pavilion just a few steps away. He suddenly paused, not knowing why, but he felt that there was another meaning behind Chen Jiashu's seemingly ordinary words.

He turned his gaze and saw Chen Jiashu turn his head away, slightly raise his chin, and ask very softly, "Tell me... what did I do wrong? Why is God punishing me like this?"

A sudden chill ran down Zhu Ao's spine and neck. He lowered his eyes in a panic and grasped Chen Jiashu's hand, trying to tell him not to overthink it, but his fist was clenched tightly.

In the middle of the night, Zhu Ao, unable to sleep, leaned against the sofa and closed his eyes to rest.

A steaming hot scene flashed through his mind.

In the bustling food stall, a super-bright incandescent light bulb hangs in the center. Occasionally, a night breeze sweeps by, causing the bulb to sway gently in the air.

At the corner table, Zhu Ao was quite drunk, slumped there with sleepy eyes. The light occasionally flickered, stinging his eyes and making him close them uncomfortably.

“Zhu Ao…”

Is that Chen Jiashu's voice?

Zhu Ao struggled to lift his eyelids and saw Chen Jiashu walking towards him. In that brief moment of blurred vision, he had already pulled out the bench opposite him and sat down.

"Zhang Shuang and I have been looking for you for three days." Chen Jiashu leaned forward. "What happened?"

“Jiashu… do you think people in this world are all like this, fawning on the powerful and belittling the weak?” Zhu Ao propped up his heavy head, his voice muffled. “I’ve been overseeing our team’s ‘Central Continent’ project for over half a year… I built the architecture, I stayed up all night… at last week’s review meeting, the director praised it as the department’s benchmark.”

He grabbed his glass, took a big gulp, and slammed it down on the table, the liquor dripping down his chin: "Guess what? I spent half a year writing the core algorithm, and in his report it became 'completed under the manager's guidance'."

Chen Jiashu didn't reply, but silently stared at Zhu Ao, reaching out to move the wine bottle next to him half an inch away.

Zhu Ao raised his hand and wiped his face: "Do you know what's the most disgusting thing? The manager told me privately... Zhu Ao, you're a top-notch technician, you should focus on the core technology. Let others do these management and coordination tasks. Next time, next time there's a project, I'll definitely give you priority consideration."

As he spoke, he began to chuckle softly. At first, it was just a few suppressed laughs, but later he leaned on the table, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"...I'll take you back." Chen Jiashu appeared beside him at some point.

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Ao's left arm was lifted up, and Chen Jiashu lifted him up. Chen Jiashu paid the bill for him, and the two walked outside the food stall.

The alley leading to the main road was dark and messy, littered with debris and garbage that rustled underfoot. Chen Jiashu had poor eyesight at night, so he had to help Chen Jiashu and carry a flashlight. The two of them stumbled and staggered through the narrow alley.

Once outside the alley, Chen Jiashu suddenly said, “I’m almost driven crazy by the supply chain lately. The data from our distributors doesn’t match up, inventory turnover is as slow as a snail, and purchasing can never get accurate figures. We’re still using rudimentary methods in the office, passing around Excel spreadsheets that are full of errors. I’ve been thinking that we need to have our own supply chain management system. Everything from orders, purchasing, production to warehousing and logistics, all connected, with real-time data visualization.”

The streetlights were spaced far apart, casting long, orange shadows on the two people.

"You mean...?" Zhu Ao vaguely sensed that Chen Jiashu was inviting him.

The two stopped directly under a street lamp. Chen Jiashu lowered the hand holding the flashlight, afraid of piercing Zhu Ao's eyes. "Zhu Ao, come help me. Don't let your talent be wasted on those unworthy personnel struggles. Here, you can use your code to build your own kingdom."

*

A subtle, oppressive feeling settles over someone as they toss and turn in bed. It's unclear whether they haven't slept at all, or... are thinking about someone.

With a thought, Qin Qiao bent her knuckles and gently tapped the wall twice.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by three clear and restrained responses.

Her heart pounded; she could almost hear it. "Can't sleep?" she whispered to the wall.

“Jojo,” the man’s deep, husky voice pierced through the cold wall, “…may I touch your face?”