Chapter 63
He kept calling your name while he was unconscious.
During the transition from late spring to early summer, rain is frequent, especially at night, often lasting all night long.
It was 2 a.m. and the rain was still falling.
He Qingzhao sat on the public sofa in the downstairs lounge, smoking. The night wind, carrying raindrops, blew into the lounge, causing the cigarette in his mouth to flicker red quickly. In no time, the cigarette burned out.
There were eight cigarette butts in the ashtray on the coffee table. The one in my mouth was the ninth one I threw in. The bitten cigarette tip had the words "Yellow Crane Tower" printed on it.
He doesn't only smoke Taishan cigarettes; he didn't before, and he certainly doesn't now.
Now he smokes mostly Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes. Ever since Cheng Jiamo bought him a bag of Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes, he's been smoking them. During his time in Haicheng, he smoked Yellow Crane Tower every day, very heavily, like an addict, a pack a day.
He Qingzhao had smoked too much, and his throat was dry and itchy, so he coughed.
His cough caused the barely healed wound on his abdomen to tear open again.
The wound reopened, and blood flowed out, soaking through the shirt and dripping onto the off-white sofa.
The lights on the tenth floor came on.
Cheng Jiamo couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep despite being exhausted. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was He Qingzhao's pale face and the hideous, scarred wounds on his body.
She saw the cuts from broken porcelain on his waist, and the bruises on his back and arms from being beaten, but she still hardened her heart and kicked him out.
Seeing his wounds, she wasn't unmoved. Even though he had lied to her, the sight of his injuries still pained her. After all, this man had graced her darkest youth, offered her warmth during her most desperate moments, and was the man she had fallen for when she first experienced love.
However, despite feeling sorry for him, she knew she couldn't continue to entangle herself with him.
Although he said that his marriage to someone was only a marriage of convenience and not a real marriage, who knows whether it's true or not? Only he himself knows.
Besides, even if it's fake now, she doesn't want to continue being with him.
A person as cold-blooded, ruthless, and scheming as him, who would stop at nothing to gain power, has absolutely no credibility. Even if he is in a fake marriage now, he might actually take it for real in the future for the sake of power.
What will she do then?
When that day comes, she will become a laughing stock, a rat that everyone wants to beat.
A person like him is not worth your sincere feelings; leaving him as soon as possible is the right thing to do.
Cheng Jiamo couldn't sleep, so she stopped forcing herself to sleep, turned on the bedroom light, and sat up to read.
She is now an adult, capable of surviving, no longer a helpless girl mired in the mire, no longer yearning for others to extend a helping hand to her, no longer hoping for others to shine light into her heart; she can shine and radiate warmth on her own.
When He Qingzhao smoked his tenth cigarette, he finally couldn't hold on any longer. He pressed his left side against his abdomen and coughed violently. The coughing caused his chest to vibrate violently, and the wound on his abdomen was shaken open, becoming even more severe than when it was first cut. His hand was covered in blood, and there were even signs that it was about to fester.
He forced back the itch in his throat, raised his right hand, and with his long, slender fingers holding the cigarette, put it in his mouth and took a deep drag. The nicotine's spiciness made his throat itch even more, and he coughed again, coughing violently as if he were coughing up his lungs.
Just as he was coughing so hard his throat felt like it was about to split open, his phone rang. It was Assistant Wang calling. Assistant Wang was his special assistant, in charge of the 918 military project.
He invested in and built this project. From project initiation to approval, and then to the formation of the R&D team, he spent a lot of time and money. He also invited experts from multiple fields, as well as Professor Yang, a military research expert in aerospace. Ultimately, Professor Yang led the team to mainly develop AI intelligent reconnaissance aircraft and AI intelligent civilian transport aircraft.
The two projects were developed together, but publicly it was only announced that they were developing a transport aircraft. Once both were developed, the reconnaissance aircraft would be handed over unconditionally, and the transport aircraft would naturally become the company's project and belong to the company.
After three years of development, the reconnaissance aircraft has achieved initial results, while the transport aircraft has been fully manufactured and has passed official qualification inspection. A new product launch conference will be held tomorrow at nine o'clock.
If Assistant Wang calls him at this time, it must be because there's a problem with the project; otherwise, Assistant Wang wouldn't call him at this time.
He Qingzhao endured the tearing pain in his body, took another deep drag on his cigarette, stubbed it out in the ashtray, stood up, and walked out of the lounge.
He answered the phone and looked up at the building, only to see the light on in Cheng Jiamo's bedroom.
Seeing that Cheng Jiamo was still awake, He Qingzhao did not feel happy. Instead, his chest felt like it was on fire, as if all the cigarettes he had smoked that night had passed from his lungs into his heart.
"What is it?" he asked hoarsely, looking out the window on the tenth floor.
Assistant Wang: "President He, our 918 project has been developed by Ramesh first. They held a new product launch half an hour ago, and the transport aircraft they made is exactly the same as our 918. Secretary Li said that Director Chen was furious, which means that the reconnaissance aircraft project has also been leaked. Director Chen wants you to give him a reasonable explanation first thing tomorrow morning."
He Qingzhao's already cold and pale face was now as cold as an ice block, and his whole body was bursting with fierceness, without a trace of warmth.
"Investigate!" he said fiercely, his voice chilling. "Don't worry about the limits, investigate to the very end!"
Assistant Wang expressed his concerns: "President He, our project involves the military industry and is a collaboration with the military. We ourselves are strictly keeping it confidential. If this can be leaked, I'm afraid there must be someone in high places..." He stopped midway, paused, and continued, "If it is found that the scope is too wide, I'm afraid it will be difficult to handle."
He Qingzhao lowered his brows, his jawline tightened, and he gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with malice, and said, "Chen Yanzhong asked me to give him an explanation. If I don't find out the truth, what will I give him? My life?"
Assistant Wang: "Okay, I'll call an emergency meeting right away."
He Qingzhao hung up the phone, took a deep look at the window on the tenth floor that was still lit, and turned to disappear into the dark rainy night.
Cheng Jiamo read until after 3 a.m. before feeling a little sleepy. She quickly turned off the light and lay down, but it took her a long time to fall asleep. She woke up before 6 a.m. and her sleep was very light.
After getting up and washing up, Cheng Jiamo went downstairs to buy breakfast. She saw the cleaning lady wiping the sofa in the lounge area, muttering as she wiped, "...What kind of people are these, sitting in the public area smoking so much in the middle of the night, and leaving blood all over the sofa that can't be wiped off."
Cheng Jiamo turned to the side and saw that there were indeed bloodstains on the beige sofa, and a pile of cigarette butts in the ashtray on the coffee table.
Her mind flashed with He Qingzhao's face and his shocking injuries, and her heart clenched. She quickly stopped and looked at it a few more times. She saw the words "Yellow Crane Tower" printed on the cigarette holder, so it didn't seem to be He Qingzhao. She breathed a sigh of relief.
He Qingzhao doesn't smoke Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes. That day, he deliberately sent her away to buy cigarettes. She bought a bag of Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes, ranging from 20 yuan to 100 yuan, but he didn't smoke a single one. He didn't even look at them. After the meal, he arrogantly gave all the cigarettes away to others.
He was colder than the snow on a high mountain and more proud than a crane, displaying the aloof and arrogant demeanor of a noble young master to the fullest. He pursued refinement and elegance in everything he did, from head to toe, always subtly revealing his noble and proud nature.
Without thinking further, Cheng Jiamo pulled the hoodie over her head, put her hands in her pockets, and quickly walked out of the lounge.
-
He Qingzhao returned to the rooftop apartment of the group's headquarters. Ignoring his injuries, he quickly took a shower, sprayed some hemostatic agent on his waist and abdomen, wrapped it haphazardly with gauze, quickly put on a black shirt, then a vest, and finally a black suit jacket before taking the direct elevator to his office.
Assistant Wang and his secretary were already waiting outside the door. He loosened his tie with one hand and strode into the office, with Assistant Wang and his secretary following behind.
The secretary stepped forward with a speech draft that had been written overnight: "Mr. He, this is the speech draft for the new product launch. Please take a look."
He Qingzhao took the phone and was about to sit down to look at it when it rang. The caller ID showed "abao," which was the nickname he had given Cheng Jiamo, and it was the first number in his contacts.
He lifted his eyelids slightly, said nothing, and his secretary and assistant Wang understood immediately and turned to leave.
He Qingzhao answered the phone: "Momo."
Cheng Jiamo spoke in a flat, emotionless tone: "Take some time to have someone come and move those gym equipment out of the room."
He Qingzhao felt a lump in his throat, an instant dryness and swelling, as if his throat was cracking. He swallowed, his throat aching and itchy, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "I don't want it anymore, you can throw it away."
Cheng Jiamo: "It's a shame to throw it away. I'll have Uncle Lü come and move it."
She always addressed Butler Lü as "Uncle Lü" very politely, and she always called him that sweetly. Because of this, He Qingzhao made some sarcastic remarks, saying that she never called him that sweetly.
He Qingzhao tilted his head back, feeling the tie tightening around his neck uncomfortably, as if it were suffocating him. He loosened the tie, his long fingers quickly unbuttoning the two buttons below his neck, and said in a deep voice, "Okay."
After hanging up the phone, He Qingzhao threw it on the table, pressed his lower back hard with one hand, and slowly sat down with a hunched back.
The wound on my waist reopened, and my shirt was soaked with blood, but thankfully my vest covered it up so it wouldn't be noticeable.
It wasn't that he was deliberately self-harming and didn't want to go to the hospital; given his condition today, he couldn't go, and he didn't even have time to call Gu Xiwen.
Today is April 28th, and May 12th is the election day for the president of the Asia-Pacific Chamber of Commerce. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will be elected this time.
The reason he took the initiative to invest in military research and development projects was to win the support of the military. With the military's support, he could be more secure in his position as president of the chamber of commerce.
However, with the election just around the corner, the military project he invested in and created has run into trouble. It was developed by a foreign company first. Now, let alone becoming the chairman, his future path is probably not going to be smooth. At least in the military project, he can forget about getting a share of the profits.
His father, He Rong'an, would only add to his glory when he was successful, but would never offer help when he was down on his luck.
Furthermore, since he didn't marry Zhao Qingman as He Rong'an wished, He Rong'an would be even less likely to help him.
At this point, no one could help him; he had to save himself.
-
With May fast approaching, Cheng Jiamo suddenly felt the urgency of time.
She is going to take the Mandarin Proficiency Test on May 12th. She took it once when she was a freshman in college, but failed.
She was the only one in the dorm who didn't pass the exam. There was nothing she could do; she had lived in the south since she was a child, and even went to Thailand in the second year of junior high. Not only could she not distinguish between retroflex and alveolar consonants, but she also occasionally had a Southeast Asian accent, especially when she spoke with the erhua (erhua) sound, which made everyone in the dorm laugh to death.
However, she couldn't skip the Mandarin proficiency test. She majored in Chinese language and literature, and a Mandarin proficiency level test was mandatory because it was required to take the teacher qualification exam; otherwise, even if she passed the test, she wouldn't be recognized as a teacher.
In addition to Mandarin, she also plans to take the primary ZHC exam in June. She has already registered. Having multiple certificates is always a good thing, and it will give her more security when looking for a job in the future.
By the time you reach your third year of university, you should take the teacher qualification exam, which is an essential certificate for working in the education industry.
The major she studied allows her to work as a teacher, secretary, editor, or copywriter, among which teaching is the most reliable and secure job.
In addition to her teacher qualification exam, she also wants to take the CTCSOL exam, so time is very tight.
If she doesn't take the Mandarin Proficiency Test and the ZHC exam in her sophomore year, she will be extremely busy in her junior year, and may even miss the teacher qualification exam.
In her senior year, she needs to do internships and obtain internship certificates, leaving her no time to take various exams. It's best to get these certificates before graduation, otherwise it will affect her job search.
Cheng Jiamo spends her days doing practice questions in the library after class, and when she gets home she has to practice her Mandarin test. She's very busy every day, and when she's busy, she doesn't have time to think about He Qingzhao or pay attention to news reports.
She doesn't like watching the news, especially military and financial news; she almost never reads those.
Therefore, she was completely unaware that He Qingzhao's investment in the development of the artificial intelligence transport aircraft had failed and that he had solemnly held a press conference to apologize to the public. As for He Qingzhao's failure to win the chairmanship election, she was even more unaware of it.
She had been dating He Qingzhao for several months and never knew he was running for president of the chamber of commerce. He hadn't told her about it, and she hadn't asked him either.
Their communication was limited to eating and sleeping, with most of their interactions taking place in bed.
While He Qingzhao was drinking alone in a bar, Cheng Jiamo was having barbecue with her roommates to celebrate her Mandarin proficiency test. Although the results hadn't come out yet, her roommates were already celebrating for her and praying that she would pass.
"Cheers!" Ding Qiaoqiao raised her glass, offering a warm toast, "Wishing Momo all the best this time!"
Everyone raised their glasses and shouted, "Momo will definitely pass!"
Cheng Jiamo smiled so hard her eyes curved into crescent moons, and two little dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth. Her smile was so sweet and charming, it was almost like honey was overflowing.
However, the sweet and obedient Mr. Cheng said with a smile, "Thank you to my three daughters."
Ding Qiaoqiao slammed the cup on the table and pounced on her, while Xia Mei and Zhang Wenqian also pressed her down.
Three people, six hands in total, scratched and rubbed her all over.
Cheng Jiamo clutched her chest and screamed, "Ah, help!"
Suddenly her phone rang, and she excitedly shouted, "My phone! My phone is ringing! Let me answer it!"
The three girls then let go of her, and before letting go, Ding Qiaoqiao took the opportunity to pinch her chest.
Cheng Jiamo didn't even bother to check the caller ID; she quickly grabbed her phone and ran to a distance.
"Hello," she answered the phone, panting.
Zhong Qi's voice was deep: "He Qingzhao is hospitalized with a stomach hemorrhage. He keeps calling for you while he's unconscious. Can you come and see him?"
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