On a winter evening, the biting wind, like a ferocious beast, rampages through the city's streets and alleys, emitting a sharp howl.
The sky darkened early on, as if quickly enveloped by a huge black curtain.
In the Zhao family study, the dim yellow lamp emitted a faint and hazy glow. The light swayed gently in the raging cold wind, but it could not dispel the thick, inky gloom in Zhao Guodong's heart.
He stood in the center of the living room like a cold statue, dressed in a sharp suit, the crisp fabric still bearing the chill of the outside world.
His face was contorted with a complex and distorted expression, as if he were being pulled tightly by an invisible and resilient net, every muscle struggling in pain.
Just now, Xia Xiong's deep and authoritative voice, like rolling thunder, was still echoing in his ears, asking Xia Shuhua to return to the Xia family home for a couple of days.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Guodong felt his heart clench as if gripped tightly by a frosty, icy hand. His breathing became rapid and heavy, each inhale feeling like a gasp for air.
Every word Xia Xiong spoke was like a thunderous boom in his ears, making his eardrums ache, and like heavy hammers pounding heavily on his heart, leaving him no room for disobedience.
He knew perfectly well that Xia Xiong was a ruthless and powerful figure in the business world, with connections as vast as a spider web that encompassed the entire business community.
The career she had worked so hard to build was nothing but a drop in the ocean compared to Xia Xiong's.
If he couldn't win Xia Shuhua back to the Xia family, who knew that one day, the business he had built up over the years through hard work and sweat would be plunged into an abyss of no return under Xia Xiong's secret manipulation, all his efforts would be in vain, and he would go from a spirited entrepreneur to a penniless failure in an instant.
Thinking of this, Zhao Guodong didn't dare to delay at all. He didn't even have time to take off his coat before he turned around and rushed out the door in a hurry.
The cold wind outside was blowing in his face, making his hair fly wildly, but he was completely unaware.
He climbed into the car, floored the accelerator, and the car sped off like an arrow.
Along the way, the street scenes outside the car window flashed by like slides. Pedestrians and vehicles were just blurry shadows in his eyes, but he had no heart to appreciate them. His mind was filled with thoughts of how to persuade Xia Shuhua to return to the Xia family.
He kept mentally rehearsing various excuses, trying to figure out how to get her to obey, like a soldier about to go to battle, repeatedly rehearsing his battle plan in his mind.
When he rushed home, he saw Zhou Jing sitting quietly on the sofa, as if shrouded in a layer of sorrowful mist.
She lowered her head, her hands unconsciously intertwined, and she exuded an aura of helplessness and confusion.
He stepped forward, his face instantly plastered with a smile that looked incredibly sincere. The curve of his lips was just right, revealing a set of clean, even teeth. But if you looked closely, you could see a hint of urgency hidden deep in his eyes, like dark clouds churning before a storm, growing ever thicker and impossible to conceal.
"Shuhua, just listen to me this once," Zhao Guodong's voice was somewhat ingratiating, with a slight rise at the end, like he was coaxing a willful child, yet it also contained an unyielding firmness. "Your dad has already asked you to go back and stay for a couple of days, we can't refuse that."
He knew in his heart that this trip back to the Xia family was of paramount importance to him, like a battle that would determine his life or death, where only success was allowed and failure was not an option.
If he fails, he will lose not only the support of the Xia family, but also his own future.
Zhou Jing sat on the sofa, her fingers unconsciously tugging at the hem of her clothes. The once smooth and flat hem was now wrinkled and crumpled, the wrinkles mirroring the chaotic and tangled state of her mind.
Her eyes were full of hesitation and unease, like a turbulent pool of deep water, shimmering but without direction.
The scene of my last visit to the Xia family kept replaying in my mind like a revolving lantern.
Xia Wan's seemingly casual probing words were like sharp needles, piercing her heart unexpectedly. Whenever she thought about them, she couldn't help but panic, and her heart would beat faster uncontrollably, as if it were about to jump out of her chest.
“Guodong, I have a feeling something’s not right,” Zhou Jing’s voice trembled slightly, like a candle flame flickering in the cold wind, as if it might go out at any moment. “Some of the things Wanwan asked me last time, I’m worried…”
At the crucial point, she suddenly stopped, her throat felt like it was choked by a wad of cotton, and she couldn't make a sound, her face turning bright red.
She dared not utter the words "possession," for they were like a taboo, and once spoken, they would trigger a terrible disaster.
She knew all too well that if the Xia family discovered that Zhou Jing's soul resided in her body, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Perhaps she would be treated as a monster, locked in a dark and sunless room, and become the subject of others' research; perhaps the Xia family would use all means to exterminate her and make her disappear from this world completely, without leaving a trace; or perhaps... Thinking of this, her body couldn't help but tremble slightly, and her hands subconsciously hugged herself tighter, trying to get a sense of warmth and security from her own embrace.
Besides, Xia Shuhua had always seen Zhao Guodong's affection for her; it was a deep and ingrained love.
Normally, Zhao Guodong takes meticulous care of Xia Shuhua, and his eyes are always full of love and doting.
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