Chapter 20 He doesn't act unless he's absolutely sure, but when he does, he uproots everything completely.
"I...I'll go back and revise it, and send it to you tomorrow morning."
"No rush, wait for me."
Shangqiu Zhu's voice brooked no refusal, and the amber liquid in the crystal glass he handed over swayed.
Yan Shuang took the cup, and the brief touch between her fingers and his caused that small patch of skin to immediately feel as if it had been scalded.
"Actually, I have a morning meeting tomorrow..." she tried to make a last-ditch effort, but her voice grew softer and softer.
Shangqiu Zhu had already turned and walked towards the bedroom, leaving only the words "five minutes" floating in the air.
Yan Shuang stood in front of the French windows, mechanically sipping her drink.
The strong liquor slid down my throat and into my stomach.
Outside the window, the city lights twinkled like stars, giving her the illusion of floating in the void.
She thought of her small apartment, that warm and ordinary world, which seemed to be separated from this magnificent palace by an entire galaxy.
"Let's go."
Shangqiu Zhu's voice came from behind.
Yan Shuang turned around and changed into a charcoal gray suit. The only remaining trace of home was the faint scent of sandalwood on his body, which was now covered by the cool base notes of the cologne.
"Where to?" Yan Shuang put down her wine glass. "Weren't the documents already..."
"Another place." Shangqiu Zhu had already picked up the car keys. "Follow me."
During the thirty seconds the elevator descended, Yan Shuang pressed herself against the mirrored wall, maintaining the greatest possible distance from Shang Qiuzhu.
Their figures, one in front of the other, were reflected in the mirror.
He was tall and upright like a pine tree, while she was like a rabbit that had wandered into a wolf's den, even her breathing was cautious.
In the underground parking garage, Shangqiu Zhu walked straight to a low-key black Mercedes-Benz.
Yan Shuang's fingers slipped three times while fastening her seatbelt. Finally, with a click, the buckle clicked, and the car shot forward like an arrow.
Shangqiu Zhu drives in a way that is just like him: precise, ruthless, and leaving no room for compromise.
He steered the wheel with one hand and rested the other on the gearshift, his well-defined fingers occasionally tapping lightly, as if he were thinking about something.
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of an unassuming gray building.
There was no sign at the entrance, only two security guards in black suits bowing slightly: "Mr. Shang, Mr. Zhou has arrived."
Yan Shuang's heart skipped a beat.
Mr. Zhou? Zhou Lin?
Shangqiu Zhu walked with a steady and composed gait, as if he were walking in his own living room, while Yan Shuang followed behind him, feeling uneasy as if she had accidentally wandered into forbidden territory.
The door to the innermost private room was silently pushed open by the waiter.
The private room was small, luxuriously decorated but oppressive.
Zhou Lin sat alone on the leather sofa in the middle, the ashtray in front of him overflowing with cigarette butts. His face was haggard, and his eyes held a mixture of anxiety and a last glimmer of hope.
Upon seeing Shangqiu Zhu enter, he immediately stood up, forcing an almost obsequious smile onto his face:
"Mr. Shang, you've arrived... Everything before was a misunderstanding; I was out of my mind..."
Shangqiu Zhu ignored his performance and walked straight to the sofa opposite him, sitting down with a relaxed posture, yet exuding an invisible sense of oppression.
Yan Shuang stood quietly a little behind him, trying to minimize her presence.
"A misunderstanding?" Shang Qiuzhu chuckled lightly, her laughter devoid of any warmth. "Does President Zhou think that sending people to follow and attack is also a misunderstanding?"
Zhou Lin's forehead was covered in cold sweat: "President Shang, it's all because the people below are ignorant..."
Shangqiu Zhu raised his hand, interrupting his explanation.
He slowly took a thin, silver hard drive from the inside pocket of his suit and gently placed it on the glass coffee table between the two of them.
"Mr. Zhou, you might want to take a look at this first, and then think about how to explain it." His tone was calm and even.
Zhou Lin's gaze fell on the ordinary hard drive, his pupils contracted slightly, and an ominous premonition gripped him.
He hesitated before picking up the hard drive, but his prepared subordinate handed him a laptop.
Insert hard drive and read data.
As the data and analysis reports were clearly displayed on the screen, the color drained from Zhou Lin's face at a visible speed, turning him deathly pale.
His fingers began to tremble uncontrollably, and his breathing became rapid and heavy.
It contained a detailed list of his corporate spies planted in several competitors, their contact information, financial transaction records, and even audio clips of several key intelligence transmissions.
These were his last trump cards, the bargaining chips he used to negotiate with Shangqiu Zhu, believing he could make a comeback.
Now, everything is exposed to Shangqiu bamboo.
He knew all too well what this meant.
He not only completely lost the acquisition, but also completely cut off any last chance for a comeback and any way out.
Shangqiu Zhu not only wants his company, but also wants to completely crush him, leaving him with no chance of recovery!
"No...it's impossible...how could you..." He stammered, his eyes unfocused, as if all his energy had been drained away in an instant, and he collapsed onto the sofa.
Shangqiu Zhu watched him indifferently as he completely collapsed, as if he were watching a play that had nothing to do with him.
"Does Mr. Zhou still think it's a misunderstanding?"
Zhou Lin was speechless, staring blankly at the data on the screen as if he could see the end of his business life.
Shang Qiuzhu withdrew his gaze and looked back at the trembling Zhou Lin. "I'll give you two choices. First, I'll hand this over to the Commercial Crime Investigation Department; second, you sign this agreement tomorrow." He then took an envelope from his pocket and gently placed it next to the hard drive.
Yan Shuang watched as Zhou Lin trembled as he opened the envelope, glanced at it, and his face turned ashen.
Those must be extremely demanding conditions.
"President Shang..." Zhou Lin's voice was already trembling with tears, "Could you...?"
Shang Qiuzhu was too lazy to waste any more words. He stood up, straightened his cuffs, and said, "I want to see the signed documents in my office at 10 a.m. tomorrow."
After saying that, he stopped looking at him and said to Yan Shuang indifferently, "I'm leaving."
Yan Shuang immediately followed, and as she passed Zhou Lin, she could even hear the faint sound of his teeth chattering.
She didn't dare look any longer and quickly followed Shang Qiuzhu out of the suffocating private room.
Only after getting back into the car did Yan Shuang slowly exhale a breath she had been holding for a long time.
She finally understood that Shangqiu Zhu's previous inaction was not out of patience, but rather to lay a larger net, waiting for the moment to finally close it.
He doesn't act unless he's absolutely sure of it, but when he does, it's with overwhelming force, striking the vital points and uprooting the entire target.
Such a man has a terrifyingly deep mind.
Yan Shuang's fingertips trembled slightly, and she subconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.
She couldn't help but wonder, if Shang Qiuzhu knew the truth about that night in the Maldives, and knew that the Yan family had deceived him, what means would he use to retaliate?
Yan Shuang's heart pounded wildly in her chest, and she finally couldn't help but ask him, "Why...why did you bring me here?"
Her gaze was fixed on Shang Qiuzhu's profile, trying to glean even the slightest information from his cold, hard lines.
Did he already sense something and use this as a warning to her?
Shangqiu Zhu did not answer immediately, nor did she turn to look at her; her gaze remained steadily fixed on the dark road ahead, cut off by the car headlights.
Time ticked by, each second feeling like a slow, agonizing torture.
Just when she was about to succumb to the pressure of the silence, he finally spoke, his tone unexpectedly carrying a hint of languid casualness:
"Watching a play alone is bound to be boring."
He turned his head, his gaze sweeping over her face, which was almost stiff with tension. As if he found her reaction somewhat amusing, the corners of his lips curled up very slightly before quickly returning to their normal position.
"Besides," he turned back, his tone returning to its usual calm and even tone, but he dropped a bombshell that left Yan Shuang even more bewildered.
"You were a victim that night too, weren't you? You deserve to see the outcome with your own eyes."
Yan Shuang's palms were ice-cold.
Was he really only talking about Zhou Lin?
Or... was he subtly using Zhou Lin's ending to subtly probe her about the secret of the Maldives?
He seemed to know something, yet also seemed to know nothing; this unresolved probing was more chilling than a direct interrogation.
Yan Shuang silently turned her head and looked at the rapidly receding night view outside the window, feeling that beneath that dazzling prosperity lay endless unknown dangers.
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