Chapter 18 Undercurrents and Temptations
Lin Qingyu was like a stone thrown into the lake. After it disappeared, the ripples began to spread.
The news about the "missing cafe waiter" was short, but it cast a huge shadow on Su Yan's heart. He didn't dare to investigate it actively, and could only piece together the information by eavesdropping on Huo Shen and Assistant Zhou's words and secretly searching for related keywords on the public network.
Huo Shen's so-called "handling" was absolutely clean, efficient, and ruthless. Lin Qingyu was likely completely gone. The risk was that some unscrupulous reporter or police officer would follow Lin Qingyu's lead and get a glimpse of Huo Shen's inner world. Although the possibility was extremely small, it was enough to make Su Yan sleepless.
Huo Shen seemed completely unaffected, still in control of everything. His "tolerance" towards Su Yan seemed only fleeting, and then he resumed his unquestionable control. He no longer mentioned Lin Qingyu, as if this person had never existed. This absolute indifference was even more chilling than rage.
Su Yan became even more silent and "submissive." He no longer made any small movements, but just stayed quietly in the cage that Huo Shen had set for him, like a beautiful ornament that was gradually losing its vitality.
But deep in his heart, the flame of unwillingness did not go out, but instead burned even more calmly in the desperate situation.
He knew clearly that the hope of relying on external forces to save himself was very slim, and he had to look for opportunities from within. The only breakthrough was Huo Shen himself and the "shadow" in the photo.
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He began to observe Huo Shen more closely. He observed his habits, his mood swings, his attitudes towards various matters. He noticed that when Huo Shen was dealing with matters related to the Prometheus project, he would appear particularly focused and... tense. The losses caused by the project's leak were clearly greater than he let on.
At the same time, Su Yan was also carefully testing the power of "Shadow".
One time, Huo Shen came out of his study late at night, his brows thick with fatigue and lingering irritability. Su Yan handed him warm water as usual. The moment Huo Shen took the cup of water, Su Yan did not immediately step away as usual. Instead, he raised his head and, with a slightly worried and pure look imitating the boy in the photo, asked softly, "Are you tired?"
Huo Shen paused as he took the cup. He looked down at Su Yan, his eyes dazed for a moment, as if he were truly seeing another person through him. The frost in his eyes seemed to melt for a moment, but soon returned to clarity, replaced by a deeper complexity and... a hint of displeasure at being seen through.
"Do your part." He pushed Su Yan away coldly and turned back to the study.
The attempt failed, and might even have aroused vigilance. But Su Yan was not discouraged. At least he had confirmed that "Shadow" could indeed affect Huo Shen's emotions. This was a double-edged sword. If used improperly, it could hurt oneself, but if used well, it might be able to pry open a gap.
A few days later, an unexpected opportunity came to me.
Huo Shen needed to attend an important overseas video conference, which would last a long time. He ordered Su Yan to stay in the living room and not to be disturbed. Assistant Zhou was also waiting for instructions in the outer room of the study.
Halfway through the meeting, Huo Shen's suppressed anger suddenly rang out from the study, suggesting something had gone wrong overseas. Then, there was the sound of documents being swept to the floor.
Assistant Zhou immediately stood up and looked at the study door nervously, but did not dare to go in rashly.
Su Yan's heart also lifted. He hesitated for a moment, then got up and went to the kitchen, where he quietly brewed a cup of black coffee, the taste Huo Shen usually preferred, without sugar or milk.
He walked to the study door with coffee and knocked gently.
There was no response from inside, only the sound of heavy breathing.
Su Yan took a deep breath, pushed the door open and walked in.
The study was a mess. Huo Shen stood in front of the French window with his back to him. His back was tense and filled with a terrifying low pressure. Documents were scattered all over the floor.
Su Yan said nothing, but quietly walked over and placed the coffee gently on the only tidy corner of the desk. Then he bent down and began to quietly pick up the documents scattered on the floor. His movements were very light and slow, trying not to make any noise.
He could feel Huo Shen's cold gaze on his back, but he didn't look back. He just focused on doing the task in his hands, as if it was just a natural task.
He picked up a document and quickly glanced at the title—it seemed to be an asset appraisal report for a company called "Xinghui Technology." He calmly sorted the document out and placed it on the table.
Time passed by minute by minute, and the only sound in the study was the rubbing of papers. Huo Shen did not speak, nor did he stop him.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Yan finally picked up the last document and put it away. He stood up, still not looking at Huo Shen, and just said softly, "The coffee is getting cold."
After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave quietly.
The moment his hand touched the door handle, Huo Shen's emotionless voice came from behind him:
"stop."
Su Yan's body stiffened instantly.
Huo Shen turned around and stared at the stack of documents he had packed, finally landing on the top one - the evaluation report of "Xinghui Technology".
"How much do you know about this company?"
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