Montblanc 149

"Good night, Mr. Ke."

Jinnan cut off the monitoring playback. Even after listening to it three times, he still couldn't figure out the specific reason for Xu Zhiyuan's behavior.

Xu Zhiyuan and Ke Zhuo didn't know each other, and there was no reminiscence. So, did Xu Zhiyuan know Ke Zhuo's name because he was particularly interested in her? Because of her pretty face?

Ke Zhuo was unable to explain the details of the meeting, and the content of Xu Zhiyuan's conversation with him was too broad. It was not about inquiring about or improving the relationship, but more like a forced chat between two strangers who met in an uninhabited area.

Xu Zhiyuan is not one to engage in small talk.

In this case, Jinnan could only think of two possibilities: 1. Xu Zhiyuan paid special attention to Ke Zhuo and had planned it in advance; 2. Xu Zhiyuan fell in love with Ke Zhuo at first sight and was very satisfied with him.

Jin Nan felt a pang of sadness for some reason. After settling the bill for Ke Zhuo, he added, "Thank you for your hard work. I hope you won't meet Mr. Xu again."

If Xu Zhiyuan really liked Ke Zhuo...liked him? Wasn't it Jinnan who had the final say on who Xu Zhiyuan liked? He locked her up in the old house and didn't let her go out. Could Xu Zhiyuan really grow wings and fly out on a date?

At least Xu Zhiyuan likes a man who is just like him and has everything he needs. So Jinnan still has a chance.

When did Xu Zhiyuan start to notice Ke Zhuo? Ke Zhuo really emerged from the runway this year, or rather, last summer. At that time, Jin Licheng was seriously ill, and Jin Nan was busy graduating, running back and forth between school and hospital. Did Xu Zhiyuan notice this beautiful model then?

Will Xu Zhiyuan still watch shows?

Jin Nan felt increasingly bitter as he thought about it, his heart gurgling like boiling water. He turned on the surveillance camera in Xu Zhiyuan's office. On a weekday morning, Xu Zhiyuan was busy processing documents, occasionally answering the phone and saying something.

Xu Zhiyuan's computer screen has always been a blind spot for surveillance. The company's surveillance is afraid of capturing business secrets, and Jinnan doesn't trust the hired bodyguards that much. He is just afraid that Xu Zhiyuan will run away, not that he wants Xu Zhiyuan to die.

But now he wants to see. He wants to know what Xu Zhiyuan is doing in those places that Jinnan can't see?

Watching a show with your work computer on? Not impossible.

What would Jinnan do if Xu Zhiyuan fell in love with Ke Zhuo at first sight, like in those TV dramas and movies?

It's not good to separate lovers, so why not lock them up together? Ke Zhuo wouldn't be so cooperative with him. Jin Nan felt that he had made a stupid move that killed a thousand enemies but hurt himself eight hundred.

Jinnan still has some hope in his heart, and for this little hope, he wants to go to Hualin and question Xu Zhiyuan in person.

Claire nearly spilled her coffee when she saw him. She hurried after him and stopped Jin Nan as he was about to burst into the office. What a joke! The boss was inside looking at the "private stuff" she had hidden in the documents. What would happen if Jin Nan burst in and saw it?

But Jinnan was not someone who could be stopped. He gave Claire some face and stood in front of the door.

"There are no visitors now, right?" Jinnan said, pulling a Montblanc from his pocket. "I'm here to return the pen."

Claire: …

What do you mean by returning the pen? It's clearly a treacherous act to hold someone accountable.

Claire could only knock on the door, praying that her boss would understand. Jinnan pushed the door open and walked into the office. Inside, many photos of Ke Zhuo were placed on the desk in front of Xu Zhiyuan, without any concealment.

Jinnan sat opposite him, holding Xu Zhiyuan's expensive pen and rubbing it in his hand.

Xu Zhiyuan didn't even raise his eyes: "Here I come."

Jin Nan almost choked to death at his words: "You don't even ask me what I'm doing here?"

Xu Zhiyuan finally took his eyes off the folder in front of him and looked at Jinnan: "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting the set, returning the pen." Jin Nan said, but just put the pen in front of himself.

If Xu Zhiyuan wanted to take it, he had to stand up to reach it.

Xu Zhiyuan naturally had no intention of getting up, and looked at Jinnan with a hint of a smile in his eyes. Jinnan couldn't tell whether Xu Zhiyuan was in a good mood or was mocking him.

Jinnan could only change the subject.

He picked up the photo on the table and asked casually, "Who is this? She's pretty."

"Yeah, it's quite beautiful." Xu Zhiyuan nodded in affirmation.

Jinnan was very angry, and Xu Zhiyuan actually confirmed it!

"Who is he to you?"

Xu Zhiyuan didn't answer, his eyes piercing him. He picked up a photo, holding only a small corner, and showed it to Jinnan, showing a picture of Ke Zhuo toasting and chatting with others.

"Xiao Nan, look at the friends you've made."

Jinnan suddenly couldn't speak.

He could ignore Xu Zhiyuan's secret investigation of Ke Zhuo, and he could also pretend not to care about Xu Zhiyuan's appreciation of Ke Zhuo, but what did Xu Zhiyuan mean by this?

If he hadn't been monitoring the entire process, Jin Nan would have thought Ke Zhuo had betrayed him. But that wasn't the case. How did Xu Zhiyuan know that Ke Zhuo was related to him? They had never met openly.

Li Hongfang would not betray him. Who else in this company knew his whereabouts?

What did Xu Zhiyuan mean by this? Was he warning him? Was it because of him that Xu Zhiyuan cared so much about Ke Zhuo?

Could it be that Xu Zhiyuan...

"Last year, this person had six bed partners, all of them men," Xu Zhiyuan said. "Did you ask him to produce his medical report? This kind of person..."

Xu Zhiyuan didn't finish his words, but Jin Nan understood the hidden meaning behind them. Things might have taken a turn for the worst, the possibility that Jin Nan was most reluctant to face.

Xu Zhiyuan is homophobic.

Xu Zhiyuan investigated Ke Zhuo not because he was interested in him, but because he wanted to know what purpose this scheming homosexual had in approaching him. He pinched the photo with such disdain, as if he didn't want to touch Ke Zhuo in it.

Jinnan felt something in his heart shattering into pieces.

"Are you warning me?" Jinnan asked.

Xu Zhiyuan threw the photo aside and said, "Yes."

Jinnan closed his eyes deeply: "What about me?"

You don't like him, what about me? I'm clean, do you like me?

Jinnan didn't dare to ask the second half of the question. He was afraid that he would be thrown away by Xu Zhiyuan just like this photo.

Xu Zhiyuan stood up, picked up the pen from in front of him, walked around the table, and came behind Jinnan. Sitting and standing, Jinnan felt like a mountain was pressing down on him.

Glancing down, Xu Zhiyuan stopped smiling and said in a cold tone, "Boss Jin, how long have you not been to work?"

Jin Nan was held by the scruff of his neck like a kitten, his warm palm covering his hair and stroking it gently. He used almost no force, but Jin Nan didn't dare to move. He could feel that Xu Zhiyuan was not happy.

Xu Zhiyuan looked down at him, feeling unhappy because Jinnan was disappointed because he had exposed the model.

Do you like it so much?

Xu Zhiyuan didn't quite understand why Jinnan could be so cruel. He had detained him and ignored him, not seeing him for two months, and the only time he had taken the initiative to meet him for no other reason was to question him.

For an outsider.

He really wanted to crush Jinnan like this, bite him in the most conspicuous place, so that others would not dare to covet him.

But Jinnan was trembling. He was afraid that he would not and could not belong to Xu Zhiyuan.

He had already confined Xu Zhiyuan like this, and he was just short of locking him up at home with a chain. Even after doing this, he didn't have any improper thoughts about Xu Zhiyuan.

Jin Nan would rather meet a model like that and bring her home without even looking at Xu Zhiyuan, and would rather go find that model.

Xu Zhiyuan completely forgot what he had warned himself not to touch Jinnan.

He just felt sad.

How could Jinnan be so cruel?

"Your office is ready. Go up and take a look. Tell Claire if you need anything." Xu Zhiyuan said slowly, "I've transferred Uncle Jin's assistant. You can choose the new one yourself. The Human Resources Department has already hired several."

Jinnan didn't dare to say a word and could only nod.

The hand touching the back of his neck moved forward, its palm gripping his artery, its fingertips resting on his Adam's apple. It was clearly a strangulation; if Xu Zhiyuan tightened his grip, Jin Nan would suffocate.

He dared not move, listening to the increasingly heavy breathing of the person behind him.

But in the end, Xu Zhiyuan just helped him straighten his collar.

"Konami."

"Um."

"Next time you come to me, don't do it for something like this."

Jinnan's throat choked: "I know."

Xu Zhiyuan continued to move his hand down, and under Jinnan's gaze, he inserted the Montblanc 149 into the front pocket of his suit.

"One more thing," Xu Zhiyuan said, "Don't give my gift away."

"knew."

Jinnan lowered his eyes, thinking that this was unnecessary talk.

How could he bear to give it away since it was a gift from Xu Zhiyuan?

*

Jinnan's office, inherited from Jinlicheng, is located on the top 55th floor of Hualin. With a 270-degree floor-to-ceiling glass wall, on a clear day, one can see the distant Lucerne Bay, where ships are returning to port. The renovations and formaldehyde removal were completed before the New Year, leaving it vacant for half a month, waiting for Jinnan to move in.

In addition to the floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning views, there is also a table full of thick documents, like Xu Zhiyuan's silent revenge, waiting for Jinnan to resolve.

Jinnan had no choice but to sit down and start his day in jail.

At noon, Claire brought a young girl to Jinnan to identify her face. Jinnan took her resume, read only two lines, and suddenly looked up.

Jin Nan knew this girl. He had known her when he was not yet the future owner of this building.

She is Jinnan's neighbor in the small three-story building in Liancheng.

She wasn't surprised to see Jin Nan. She smiled widely, bowed, and introduced herself, "Hello, Mr. Jin. I'm Lu Yiqing, who joined last April. I'll be your assistant from now on."

After she finished speaking, she placed a lunch on Jinnan's table. Jinnan took a look through the lid and saw that it was all his favorite sweet Liancheng dishes.

Claire stepped forward at the right moment to impress her boss: "Ms. Lu was selected by Mr. Xu through campus recruitment. She has become very familiar with the company's operations over the past six months and will be able to help you."

Jin Nan was indeed surprised. He remembered that Lu Yiqing was upset about something that happened in the past, and after returning to Lido, Master Jin, who was busy with his own affairs, had not paid attention to her recent situation.

He was surprised to see Lido Business School listed on his resume. The little girl who had cried behind him back then was now an outstanding graduate of a top-tier university.

Jinnan asked her to stay for lunch. Lu Yiqing went out for a few minutes and brought back her own little bear lunch box.

"Back then, after you left, Mr. Jin, my father... was sentenced to four years. Mr. Xu helped me get a boarding school place and applied for the Jin family's financial aid fund," Lu Yiqing said as she ate. "I write a thank-you letter to the foundation every year. I hope you see it."

Jinnan's memory flashed back to a few years ago, in a narrow corridor, on a rainy day with thunder, he was holding Lu Yiqing's hand as she ran while crying, and the two of them were running wildly in the rain, fleeing from her devil father.

The two underage children sat in the police station, not knowing who to call to contact their guardian.

Jinnan thought of Xu Zhiyuan, who had come to Liancheng to meet him. Should he tell that young master about such an unbearable thing?

He was unwilling to bow to Xu Zhiyuan, but he and Lu Yiqing together were not enough to form a parent who could seek help.

They slept overnight at the police station. After changing into dry clothes provided by the police, Lu Yiqing was taken in to take a statement and collect evidence. Jinnan didn't make the call to Lido, but Xu Zhiyuan still showed up the next morning.

Although only three years older than him, Xu Zhiyuan acted like a mature adult. After arriving, he didn't let Jinnan worry for a single minute. He quickly resolved everything, including Jinnan's cold and fever.

While he was receiving an IV drip at the municipal hospital to reduce his fever, Jin Nan thought, why not just go back with him.

Someone who travels four or five hours at night to help him should not harm him.

Even in the big garden of Lido, no one welcomed him, no one recognized him, and there was no place for Jinnan to stand.

Jinnan has been an orphan for fifteen years and longs to have a home.

While Lu Yiqing was still reminiscing about the past, Jinnan already despised him. It was his own delusions that had brought his relationship with Xu Zhiyuan to a freezing point. They…had never had to come to this.

In the entire Lido, or even in the whole world, there is no better brother than Xu Zhiyuan.

"I'm really grateful to you for all these years. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have the courage to start a new life." Lu Yiqing said with a smile, "Of course, I also want to thank Mr. Xu. Mr. Xu is really a good person."

"Yes," Jinnan replied, "He is a very good person."