The pale moon hung in the sky, the winding, wide road stretched as far as the eye could see, and the streetlights cast a soft glow.
A gust of autumn wind blew by, and I realized I was shivering.
She never expected to get out so easily.
After leaving Nangong, she was like a lost child or a wandering soul, aimlessly walking along this road with nowhere to go and no friends to find in Haicheng.
My only friend, Liu Siyi, is abroad...
Fang Zhi realized he was wearing slippers when he ran out, and his feet were already hurting terribly after walking less than a third of the way.
In the villa area where the wealthy gather, there are basically no people or taxis passing by at night. The pain in her toes and the dense thoughts weighing on her mind overwhelmed her.
Fang Zhi finally couldn't hold back any longer and squatted down, burying her fair face in her knees, her sobs escaping in fragments.
She wants to find a quiet place to escape, but she can't help the urge to confide in others. She's too tired and her life is too repressed.
When Fang Zhi finally managed to stop crying, she stared blankly at the vast, silent surroundings. Suddenly, a phone number flashed into her mind. Would she help her...?
"Hello!"
The woman on the other end of the line sounded clearly unfriendly, and Fang Zhi was so startled she almost dropped her phone. If it weren't for the fact that it was Sister Lin's voice, she would have suspected she had dialed the wrong number.
"Lin...Lin...it's me, Sister..."
-
At the lavish business dinner, amidst clinking glasses and elegantly dressed guests, Qi Shen was thinking of Fang Zhi at home. However, the host of the banquet was a member of the Fang family, his elder, his mother's cousin, and his and Qi Chen's maternal uncle, Fang Honghe. He couldn't refuse to give them face.
"Mr. Qi, I hope you can give me the opportunity to take a look at our company's new energy development project. If the opportunity arises, I would be very happy to cooperate with you."
Suppressing his impatience, Qi Shen maintained a refined and composed demeanor as he dealt with the casually chatting clients. "New energy is a major hot topic for the future. I will take a look at the project that Chairman Wang mentioned."
Chairman Wang enthusiastically promoted the benefits of new energy, which Qi Shen handled with ease.
"Chairman Wang has been looking for you, but I didn't expect you to be hiding here at Xiao Shen's place." A middle-aged man with a champagne glass in hand, tall and composed, appeared from behind.
Qi Shen turned to the side and nodded slightly, "Cousin."
Fang Honghe patted him on the shoulder and hummed in response.
"Mr. Fang," Chairman Wang said with a smile, extending his hand, "I didn't want to bother you because I saw you were busy."
The two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
Seeing that Fang Honghe seemed to have something to say to Qi Shen alone, Chairman Wang tactfully took his leave, saying, "Then we won't disturb you two uncle and nephew's time to get to know each other."
"Take care, Mr. Wang."
After watching Chairman Wang walk away, Fang Honghe turned his gaze back to his nephew, who was exceptionally handsome and capable.
"When is your brother coming back to Haicheng? Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since he returned to China."
Qi Shen spoke with a gentle and refined demeanor, his pace unhurried, "The old man doesn't want to keep him around any longer."
"Really?" Fang Honghe was skeptical. "I heard he got into trouble and that's why he went to the capital to seek refuge."
Qi Shen smiled and said succinctly, "My cousin has excellent insight."
“You two brothers…” Fang Honghe chuckled and sighed, “If Xiao Chen were half as good as you, my cousin would have so much less to worry about.”
“It’s understandable that Xiao Chen is young and playful.” Qi Shen’s tone was gentle and humble, befitting a good older brother.
The light fell on his deep, warm eyes, like a pool of unfathomable spring water, his emotions unreadable.
Seeing that he didn't mention his cousin at all, Fang Honghe sighed almost imperceptibly. How could he not resent her?
If it were him, he couldn't guarantee he'd have a better mindset than his nephew. When my cousin and her husband were getting a divorce, the two children were the most affected.
He knew that his cousin had taken Xiao Chen away without a second thought, leaving Xiao Shen alone, but he was powerless to do anything about it.
"Chairman Wang probably needs something from you," Fang Honghe said, smoothly changing the subject, as if to give a meaningful reminder, "His company has been having cash flow problems recently, so be careful."
Qi Shen lowered his eyes, a dark light flickering in them. "Uncle, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
He is optimistic about the future development trend of new energy.
But he has no intention of cooperating with anyone, especially with old companies like Chairman Wang's that rely on past successes.
......
Drinking for the boss and entertaining clients who aren't even important are also mandatory skills for Assistant Chen. As a result, many people around Assistant Chen want to get in touch with SQ through him.
After downing glass after glass of wine, Assistant Chen's face turned red from the alcohol, and his eyes became slightly glazed. He managed to slip away from the group by pretending to go to the restroom.
While he was catching his breath in the cubicle, a phone call came in. After listening to what the other person said, he searched for the official forum of Ocean University of China. The comments on the forum made his hands tremble.
Ignoring his headache, Assistant Chen rushed out of the restroom and frantically searched the venue for men like a headless fly. Finally spotting Qi Shen standing out in the crowd, he composed himself and walked over.
"President Qi."
Seeing that Assistant Chen had lost his usual composure and looked like something important had happened, Qi Shen raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at Fang Honghe apologetically, saying, "Excuse me, Uncle, please excuse me for a moment."
Fang Honghe understood that his nephew's business was even bigger than his own. "It's alright, you can go if you have something to do. The banquet is almost over."
Qi Shen led the way, with Special Assistant Chen following closely behind.
After leaving the magnificent and bustling banquet hall, the two came to a quiet path.
"Please take a look." Assistant Chen shakily handed over the phone. Qi Shen glanced at it and tossed the phone back to Assistant Chen. He strode forward, leaving behind words as cold and sinister as a winter's day, "Have someone hack the forum and block the posts, then find the poster and keep them under surveillance."
"yes."
Bad news followed one after another. Just as the Bentley started moving, Qi Shen received a call from Nangong's servant informing him that Fang Zhiren had disappeared.
"They ran away? Can't find them?"
The man's voice was flat and devoid of warmth.
His high-end black custom-made suit and trousers looked elegant and spotless, but the aura emanating from him was like the flashing of swords, cutting people to pieces.
"Did I pay you just to hear you tell me you can't even handle this little thing?"
"I'm sorry, sir..."
"Have someone search carefully around the villa." Qi Shen interrupted his explanation sharply, his knuckles turning slightly white as he gripped his phone. After hanging up, Qi Shen called Fang Zhi repeatedly, but no one answered despite the calls going through.
He couldn't bear to think that Zhizhi might have been driven to despair by seeing the news on the forum... No, he couldn't accept that.
The thought of something happening to her made my chest feel like it had been hit hard by a hammer, a dull, throbbing pain that made it hard to breathe.
Qi Shen roughly and with trembling hands loosened his tie, looked up at the driver's back, and said in a voice that sounded like it was being squeezed out of his throat, "Speed up."
"yes."
With the car window open, the car sped along, and the wind that rushed in stung his face. Qi Shen seemed oblivious, holding a cigarette in the hand he was using to shield himself from the wind.
He smoked one cigarette after another, as if only in this way could he soothe his heart, which was barren from tension and fear.
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