Chapter 112. So, his experience of being reborn...
In May, the western part of the city gradually becomes hot.
On Saturday morning, Wen Xue and He Yan were walking their dog. When they passed a newsstand, she stopped and, without looking at his complicated and helpless expression, bought a newspaper and studied it word by word. For the past two weeks, Wanbo Group had been embroiled in numerous troubles.
First, media reports indicated that Zhou Yunshan, chairman of Wanbo Group, was hospitalized with a serious illness, and his eldest son temporarily took over his position. This led to a major reshuffle of Wanbo's top management and internal turmoil.
Secondly, at this critical juncture, news came from abroad. It turned out that Zhou Yunshan's second son was suspected of multiple economic crimes, the most shocking of which was his use of cryptocurrency for underground foreign exchange transactions.
The reputation of Wanbo Group has plummeted, and relevant departments have launched an investigation.
Finally, Wanbo Group has certainly captured people's attention this week, with one incident after another being exposed, such as Zhou Yunshan, whose fate is unknown, allegedly manipulating the stock market in collusion with others.
This series of events was so shocking that even a layman like Wen Xue was terrified.
"Stop looking."
He Yan took the newspaper from her hand, folded it casually, and prepared to wrap Shi Tou's poop later.
"Is everything in the newspaper true?" Wen Xue asked softly.
She had only ever seen these things on television before, and this was the first time it had happened to someone she knew. She still felt like she was in a dream. She felt that Zhou Xian seemed to have lost, but also seemed not to have lost. In the midst of this chaotic situation, he was gradually disappearing from people's sight. Perhaps in a year or two, or even a few months, no one would remember him or what he had done.
Even when she overheard her colleagues discussing these things in the break room, they all suspected that Zhou Xian was taking the blame for someone else.
Otherwise, how can we explain that he was able to commit such a serious crime at such a young age?
He must have taken the blame for someone else.
Who could it be? It could be his dad or his brother.
He Yan remained noncommittal, only casually mentioning one thing: "After the Wanbo board meeting, Zhou Xian told Zhou Zhan that whether Zhou Zhan could hold onto that position was up to him."
In fact, Zhou Zhan hadn't expected Zhou Xian to go so crazy.
In Zhou Zhan's original plan, even though he had leverage over Zhou Xian, he didn't intend to make a big fuss about it; he would just handle it as it came.
However, considering Wanbo's future and image, Zhou Xian directly overturned the entire table. Although Zhou Xian is currently secretly imprisoned, this whole affair was orchestrated by him; he was openly telling Zhou Zhan and Wanbo's elders—
If he's not having an easy time, no one else will either; if he can't hold that position, no one else will be able to live in peace.
The elders hated Zhou Xian to the core, yet they had no choice but to join forces with Zhou Zhan to put pressure on him and protect Zhou Xian no matter what.
This forcefully pushed Zhou Zhan, a man generally known for his good temper, to the point of losing his temper.
Wen Xue opened her mouth, imagining Zhou Xian's expression and tone when he said those words.
"Then what should we do?" she asked.
He Yan chuckled, holding the leash in one hand and putting his arm around her with the other. "If Zhou Zhan can't handle this mess, it just means he's not capable enough. But these are internal matters of Wanbo, and have nothing to do with us."
Wen Xue paused, unable to hide her worry: "Is it really none of your business?"
She paused, and though she had said some things many times before, she still wanted to say, "You must be careful, you can't get involved again. Zhou Xian... he knows you're helping Zhou Zhan, I just have a feeling..."
He Yan remained silent.
He squeezed her shoulder firmly and reassured her, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
As he spoke, he nodded his chin, gesturing for her to look at the car following them on the road.
The car was a gift from Zhou Zhan. It had been modified, and the cost of the modifications exceeded the value of the car itself. In addition, he also found him a skilled bodyguard and driver.
Wen Xue's heart finally settled, and she whispered, "Is it really all over?"
A shadow of gloom crossed He Yan's mind, but he nodded calmly and said, "Yes."
It is indeed over.
In this life, she will never have to live a life where she has no control over her own destiny again.
…
It was afternoon.
He Yan changed into a solemn formal suit and attended Zhou Yunshan's memorial service as Zhou Zhan's friend. Due to the recent turmoil, the memorial service was kept as simple and low-key as possible, and only relatives and friends attended.
Two days ago, Zhou Yunshan, who had been in a coma for several months, quietly stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating.
Zhou Zhan was exhausted and felt a sense of oppression. Upon seeing He Yan, his expression softened slightly. The two went to a quiet corner to talk. He lowered his head and tried to make a bitter joke: "Look, I'm only thirty, and I've already started getting gray hairs lately. My wife says I might go bald eventually. Sigh."
He Yan was amused, but remembering the occasion, he quickly composed himself: "Good things come to those who wait."
"What's so good about it!"
Zhou Zhan felt he had aged considerably. He sighed, "I knew Zhou Xian wasn't normal before, but I didn't expect him to be this crazy. He didn't give me any way out. Oh, and he didn't even think about leaving his father any way out. Zhou Yunshan is lucky; he doesn't have to clean up the mess his good son overturned."
He Yan said calmly, "No matter how crazy he gets, that's all he can do."
"That's right, we'll get through this year." Zhou Zhan counted on his fingers and cursed, "Seven months left!"
Having finally found someone to talk to, Zhou Zhan launched into another long-winded explanation to He Yan: "...We've already investigated Zhou Xian's assets. I haven't slept for days, and the more I look, the more alarmed I get. This kid is really rich. No wonder he's so fearless. But most of it is illegal. The legal team analyzed it, and it turns out he's not clean both domestically and internationally. Even if he does get in the future... he'll probably be restricted from entering the country."
He Yan was not surprised by this result.
He listened absentmindedly, his gaze fixed on the huge portrait of Zhou Yunshan in the hall.
Zhou Zhan: "However, there is one sum of money that doesn't match the accounts, and it's not a small amount. We can't trace it to the account number. We guessed that he must have encrypted all the data and stored it in a chip, but we couldn't find it anywhere, so we stopped investigating. This money is clean; it's money he earned when he was twenty. I think he probably gave it to Aunt Cheng or Uncle Li..."
"Oh, by the way, you don't know yet, but my daughter can stand up while holding onto the sofa now," Zhou Zhan said, taking his phone out of his suit pocket and excitedly opening a video call. "Look how well she's standing! Ah, I really want to bring them over soon—"
As he spoke, the video played several times.
Suddenly, I realized that He Yan wasn't listening or looking at anything.
He followed He Yan's gaze and looked at Zhou Yunshan's portrait. At that moment, his feelings were also complicated.
No matter what, he's still his dad.
He Yan rarely gets distracted.
His heart sank after receiving news of Zhou Yunshan's death. Although he had long guessed that this was the end for most people who had been in a coma for a long time, he still couldn't help but think when he saw Zhou Yunshan's portrait that Zhou Yunshan was actually alive and well when he was reborn in his previous life.
In my past life, the person who died in the Zhou family was Zhou Zhan.
In this life, I am Zhou Yunshan.
It's as if, within a predetermined trajectory of fate, someone from the Zhou family is destined to die; if Zhou Zhan doesn't die, then Zhou Yunshan must. Does this better conform to some kind of conservation law? Things won't be changed, they will only shift.
What price will he, who has experienced rebirth, pay to try to change her fate?
-
Another month has passed.
News about Wanbo gradually disappeared from the newspapers. Wen Xue heard from He Yan that the people who were really affected were the group's employees. After the earthquake, every aftershock would also have a significant impact.
Her mood gradually calmed down.
The sunlight was intense and glaring at that moment. While waiting for the green light, Wenxue casually lowered the sun visor and looked at the photos clipped to it, and couldn't help but smile.
It's a photo of her and He Yan.
She was wearing an academic gown, holding a bouquet of flowers, and leaning her head on his shoulder; they were both smiling at the camera.
So happy.
The phone rang; it was Ye Manni calling. She answered, "When are you arriving? We're all waiting for you at the subway station!"
"Right away." Wen Xue looked out the windshield. "Five minutes at most."
Today they are going to attend the school's graduation ceremony. Everyone who can go will go, and Wenxue is no exception. She quickly got ready early in the morning, drove out, and arranged to meet her roommates at the subway station near the school.
From a distance, she watched her three roommates chatting and laughing by the roadside, and she remembered the first time she saw them before registering for military training in her freshman year.
I also thought of that boy whose life was forever frozen at the age of twenty.
Before she knew it, her university years were over.
"Get in the car quickly."
Wen Xue rolled down the car window and shouted, "We can't stop here for long!"
Ye Manni and the others ran over quickly, opened the car door, got in, and exclaimed in unison, "It's so hot!!"
In this kind of weather, they still managed to come to school for their graduation ceremony. What else could it be but true love?
"You've worked hard." Wen Xue chuckled. "I told you I'd come pick you up."
Chen Bingwen waved her hand, "The four of us are scattered all over the west side of the city. It's faster to take the subway than to drive to pick us up one by one."
"I'll try to buy a car within two years!" Lu Chang said.
Ye Manni: "Support!"
The last time the four of them met was when they took graduation photos. They could foresee that they would get together less and less often in the future. Thinking of this, all four of them felt a little melancholy. Ye Manni took the initiative to stir up the mood and atmosphere: "Wen Xue, we all think that Boss He will propose today!"
Wen Xue struggled to pull over to find a parking space, then paused upon hearing this, both amused and exasperated: "No way."
Based on her understanding of He Yan, he probably wants to get married, but he would never propose now.
Even if he were truly out of his mind and irrational, he wouldn't beg today, because today is her day, the day her university life comes to an end.
“Who would be so foolish as to get married so early?” Chen Bingwen said. “Think about it, we’ve just graduated, we’re all newbies in the workplace, we’re exhausted, how can we have the time and energy to deal with family issues? Anyway, I don’t want to, and Wenxue, you don’t want to either.”
Wen Xue nodded and said okay, then added, "Isn't it mainly because I haven't met the conditions that I feel I can get married yet?"
"What are the conditions?"
“If one day I can provide for him in a lavish manner, and our relationship is still exceptionally good…” Wen Xue’s eyes lit up with a smile, “I’ll wait until then.”
The four of them chatted about random, unrelated topics, just like before.
After Wenxue parked the car, they walked hand in hand into the school where they had spent several years.
He Yan sent a message: 【What are your plans for today?】
He is very clingy.
He wanted to come when we took graduation photos last time, and he wanted to come again this time, but she strongly stopped him, so he had to give up and obediently go to work at the company.
I still have to send her messages while I'm at work.
Wen Xue replied when she had a moment: "We're planning to walk around the school, then they want to see my new apartment. We'll probably have hot pot together, and then sing karaoke..."
He Yan: [...]
Her schedule was so packed today that she couldn't spare any time for her boyfriend.
He should understand.
Wen Xue unleashed her ultimate move: [[Hug][Kiss][Spinning around]]
He Yan: [Hmm]
"Hey, we've arrived at the dormitory building. Should we go up and take some photos together? We won't have the chance to do this again," Lu Chang suggested.
Wen Xue put away her phone, looked at the dormitory building, and a look of nostalgia appeared in her eyes.
She thought she would definitely miss these past few years.
They walked excitedly towards the dormitory building. Just as they stepped onto the stairs and went inside, the dormitory supervisor, who was drinking water and fanning herself, glanced at them, her gaze lingering on Wen Xue for a few seconds before she quickly said, "You, yes, yes, it's you, what's your name again—"
The dormitory supervisor had a deep impression of Wen Xue.
It's because she has a "brother" who always brings her things when she comes back from holidays. This "brother" also brings her things every time, like oranges, apples, and drinks. After doing this so many times, she naturally remembers him.
They also remembered his "sister".
"Wenxue!" The aunt rummaged around in the drawer and found a cardboard box for her. "Is this your package? It arrived at the dorm and has been sitting there for several days. I was just about to call you."
Wen Xue was stunned. She remembered that she had received a call from the courier a couple of days ago, but she was busy at the time and hung up after saying only a few words.
She walked over and took the package; it was very light and didn't weigh much.
The delivery slip was dirty, and the words on it were illegible. She tried hard to make out the words, but still couldn't recognize them.
Her roommates gathered around, and under their watchful eyes, she opened the package.
"Huh, what's this??"
"It looks like a gemstone?"
"Pshaw, that's fake. Let me tell you, some businesses send empty packages these days, it might be one of those."
Wen Xue held the plastic gemstone in her hand. She picked it up and looked at it, quickly remembering that it was a prop used by their drama club at the drama festival last year. It must have been sitting there for a long time, as it looked blackened inside when held up to the light. She laughed and said, "It must have been sent to the wrong place. Do you remember the play I acted in last year? This was a prop."
The four of them walked towards the stairs.
“A play? Oh right, I even went to see your rehearsal!” Ye Manni’s voice was light and cheerful. “I remember it was about a lot of people fighting over a gem. In the end, Wen Xue found the priceless gem and took it home. It was quite ironic.”
Wen Xue smiled and corrected, "It was picked up by the character I played."
"The character you played was you."
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