Chapter 26 The Night of Sudden Change
As soon as the old housekeeper finished speaking, the fragile and sentimental atmosphere in the studio suddenly dissipated like a balloon punctured by a needle.
The tenderness and sadness that had yet to fade in Huo Shen's eyes were replaced by an icy sharpness in a thousandth of a second. He released the hand that was holding Su Yan's chin, and the man who had just revealed his fragility disappeared, transforming back into the business tycoon who controlled everything.
"I understand." He responded to the butler outside the door, his voice returning to its usual calm and cold tone.
He took one last look at the young man Ah Xi in the painting, his eyes filled with indescribable complexity. Then, without hesitation, he turned around and strode out. As he passed Su Yan, he didn't even pause, leaving only an emotionless command: "Follow."
Su Yan didn't dare delay, suppressing the complex emotions churning in his heart, and quickly followed. The transition from the quiet and sad old house to the oppressive and tense space in the car was so fast that it caught people off guard.
In the car, Huo Shen directly called Assistant Zhou back using the car phone and turned on the hands-free mode.
"explain."
Assistant Zhou's voice came through the speaker, still calm, but speaking a little faster than usual: "Mr. Huo, Mr. Zhao from Xinghui was involved in a serious car accident on the way to the airport half an hour ago. He is now in the ICU, and his condition is not optimistic. The police initially determined it was an accident, but..."
Assistant Zhou paused, lowering his voice. "The surveillance camera on the road where the accident occurred happened to be malfunctioning. Furthermore, we just found out that Mr. Zhao secretly met with someone two hours before the accident."
"Who?" Huo Shen's voice was as cold as ice.
"A representative of Xinke International."
Xinke International! The competitor mentioned in the USB drive!
Su Yan's heart suddenly sank, and he subconsciously clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. Was he trying to silence him? Was it because Mr. Zhao might leak information? Or... was it because Su Yan had obtained the USB drive, which had driven the other party to desperate measures?
A huge fear and guilt washed over him like a tide. Although he had done nothing, the USB drive was like a curse, already beginning to bring death.
Huo Shen was silent for a few seconds. When he spoke again, his tone was filled with a murderous aura: "Find out the connection between Xinke and this matter. Also, the original technical patent document in Mr. Zhao's hand must be found. I must see him alive or dead."
"Yes. Also..." Assistant Zhou seemed hesitant. "The police may follow the routine and question anyone who has had business dealings with Mr. Zhao recently, including us and the Su Group."
"Let them come." Huo Shen sneered, "You should know how to deal with it."
"clear."
The call ended, and the car fell into a deathly silence. Huo Shen leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, fingers unconsciously rubbing between his eyebrows. The neon lights outside the car window quickly passed over his cold and hard profile, a mixture of light and dark.
Su Yan held his breath and watched him secretly. At this moment, Huo Shen was like a disturbed lion, suppressing its anger. Boss Zhao's "accident" was undoubtedly a blatant challenge to his authority, and it also made the situation of the "Prometheus" project even more complicated and dangerous.
Suddenly, Huo Shen opened his eyes, and his gaze was like two real ice cones, shooting straight at Su Yan.
Su Yan was frightened and almost thought that he had seen through his connection with the USB flash drive.
But Huo Shen asked another question: "What did you see at the old house tonight?"
His eyes were extremely oppressive, as if if Su Yan said a wrong word, he would be doomed.
Su Yan's heart leaped into his throat. He forced himself to remain calm and answered in a steady, even timid tone, "I saw... I saw a painting. A brother... with a beautiful smile."
He avoided the name "A Xi" and any words that might touch Huo Shen's wounds, and only described the most intuitive feelings.
Huo Shen stared at him, as if trying to determine the truth in his words. After a long moment, he closed his eyes again and waved his hand, his tone carrying a subtle hint of fatigue: "Forget about what happened today. Forget about the painting, and about Mr. Zhao."
This is almost impossible. The boy's smile in the painting and the tragic scene of Mr. Zhao's car accident have been engraved in Su Yan's mind like a brand.
But he could only lower his head obediently: "...Yes."
The car drove back to the apartment in the city center. This night was destined to be a sleepless one. Su Yan lay on the soft bed, feeling a pang of anxiety beneath him. The evidence in the USB drive, the mysterious conversation between Assistant Zhou and Su Chen, Ah Xi in the studio, Mr. Zhao's car accident... all the clues were like a tangled mess, tangled in his mind.
He knew he couldn't wait passively any longer. Mr. Zhao's death was a bloody warning. Who would be next? He had to quickly uncover the truth about the USB drive before a larger storm engulfed him. The only person who might know something, and perhaps even temporarily cooperate, was a vague option: the mysterious girl who had sent him the cake.
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