Chapter 87: Zhao Chen's Fury (Part 2)
Haicheng core CBD, top floor of a skyscraper.
Zhao Chen sat back in a large black leather office chair, his back to the door, his face gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the world outside. On the computer screen, several surveillance cameras were clearly displayed—one of which was the window seat at the "Yunding" cafe.
In the picture, Lin Feng put down the booklet and photos, Gu Qianqian's face was as pale as paper, and the silver spoon fell... every detail was clearly visible.
On the large desk in front of him, a document was spread out with a cold and glaring title: "Plan on Terminating All Cooperation Projects with Gu Group and Initiating Related Countermeasures (Emergency)".
The office door was silently pushed open, and Lin Feng walked in silently, as if blending into the shadows. He didn't say anything, but just stood quietly a few steps behind the desk, like the most loyal guard.
Zhao Chen still didn't turn around. He raised his hand, and his bony fingers lightly tapped the cold metal mouse.
“Pah.”
The surveillance footage on the screen went out instantly, leaving only a deep black.
The office fell into a deeper silence, with only the faint sound of air flow from the central air-conditioning vents.
"Is it done?" Zhao Chen's voice sounded, low and steady, no emotion could be heard, but it made the air feel a little heavier.
"Yes." Lin Feng's voice was equally calm. "Ms. Gu has already left. She was on the verge of a breakdown. There was no further disturbance at the scene."
"Hmm," Zhao Chen replied calmly, his fingers tapping intermittently on the smooth wooden surface. The rhythm was slow, yet it carried an invisible, palpitating pressure. His gaze fell out the window, focused on a certain, empty point. Behind his glasses, the eyes were unfathomable, surging with a chill that could freeze the soul.
"It seems I was too kind." He suddenly spoke, his voice still low, but like a blade tempered by ice, every word carrying the scent of blood, "Giving her the illusion that she could still jump."
Lin Feng lowered his head slightly and did not respond.
"She crossed a line she shouldn't have crossed." Zhao Chen's voice was cold as ice. His fingers tapping the table suddenly stopped, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force. "One warning, two...that's courting death."
Slowly, ever so slowly, he turned around.
"That plan," Zhao Chen's eyes swept across the documents on the table, his voice cold, "the execution level has been raised to A."
Lin Feng's pupils shrank slightly, almost imperceptibly. A Level A plan... This meant the blow to the Gu family would no longer be a warning or a minor injury, but rather the swiftest and most thorough way possible, uprooting their core businesses until they were completely destroyed! There would be no chance of recovery!
"Understood." Lin Feng's voice remained steady, but his speech was a little faster. "Do we need to notify the Night Owl team to intervene in advance?"
"Yes." Zhao Chen nodded, his eyes as cold as a knife. "Tell 'Night Owl' that all of Gu Qianqian's overseas accounts, trust funds, and everyone in her 'girlfriend group' who participated in the project targeting Lingling... I want all the information, neatly laid out on my desk within three days."
"Yes," Lin Feng agreed. The so-called "clean and tidy" meant leaving no traces. It also meant that Gu Qianqian and her minions wouldn't even have the chance to transfer their property or seek shelter.
Zhao Chen stood up, his tall figure bringing a stronger sense of oppression. He walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, hands in his trouser pockets, and looked down at the ant-like traffic and neon lights below.
"Some people," he said, looking out the window, his voice as low as the echo of the abyss, with a creepy indifference, "should disappear completely."
Lin Feng bowed slightly. "Understood. The plan upgrade and the order for Night Owl to intervene have been issued. I'll keep you updated on any further progress."
Zhao Chen didn't look back, but just nodded very slightly.
Lin Feng said no more. Just like when he came, he quietly left the office and gently closed the heavy wooden door.
The office fell into dead silence again.
Lingling...
He closed his eyes, his mind replaying Yu Ling's momentary shock when she took the brochure in the cafe, and then the image of her calmly throwing the Polaroid camera into the trash can. The rage and murderous intent churning in his heart were finally suppressed by a subtle, indescribable pain and heartache.
In the end, he still let her hear those disgusting past events and made her endure those unwarranted humiliation and scrutiny.
The ice behind the lens melted quietly, replaced by a deep regret and an anxious desire to confirm that she was safe.
As Yu Ling exited the revolving door of the "Genting" cafe, the cold winter wind blew against her face, bringing a chilling sobriety. She instinctively wrapped her modest cashmere coat tightly around her. She clutched the dark blue "Zodiac" manual tightly in her arms, heavy and warm, like a shield, shielding her from the chill left by the absurd farce behind her.
She had just walked down the stairs and was about to call a taxi when a Bentley Mulsanne with smooth and elegant lines, painted all black, like a ghost in the dark night, slid silently in front of her and stopped precisely.
The rear window slowly lowered.
"Lingling." Zhao Chen's voice came through the car window, low and soft, with a kind of deliberately restrained tenderness, "Get in the car."
Yu Ling looked at him, thinking about everything she had just experienced in the cafe—Gu Qianqian's boasting and humiliation, the shock she felt from Lin Feng, and the echo of that cold warning phone call... all sorts of complicated emotions swirled in her heart. She held the manual, not moving immediately, but just watching him quietly.
Zhao Chen's heart instantly leaped. He immediately opened the car door and got out, his movements so swift that they sent a gust of wind through him. The winter chill, wrapped in the crisp woody fragrance of his body, blew towards him.
"Are you cold?" He stood before Yu Ling, his tall figure blocking most of the chill. He lowered his eyes to look at her, his brows slightly furrowed, his tone undisguised with heartache. Without even waiting for her to reply, he reached out and carefully buttoned the top button of her coat, his fingertips carelessly brushing against her slightly chilled jaw.
His movements were gentle and focused, as if he were handling a rare treasure. His clumsy yet earnest expression caused Yu Ling's complex emotions to dissipate like a popped balloon. She looked at his face, so close, filled with worry, at the tip of his nose, slightly reddened by the cold wind, and thought of what he might have seen on the surveillance camera just now...
"It's okay." Yu Ling's voice was a little muffled, with a nasal tone that she didn't even notice. "It's just a little noisy."
Zhao Chen paused slightly as he buttoned his shirt. He raised his eyes, locking them with a deep gaze, as if to peer deep into her heart. He certainly understood what she meant by "noisy." Behind his glasses, his gaze darkened, a flicker of anger passing through him before being forcibly suppressed.
"Yeah, I heard it." He responded softly, his voice carrying a soothing magic, "The source of the noise has been cleared." He was referring to Gu Qianqian, his tone was understated, but it carried an unquestionable sense of finality.
He reached out and took the heavy "Star" manual from her arms with the most natural grace, his movements as gentle as if he were taking a feather. With his other hand, he took her slightly cold hand with great familiarity, wrapping it in his warm, dry palm.
"It's cold outside, let's go home." He took her hand and walked around to the passenger side. He opened the door for her himself, placed his palms on the roof of the car like a gentleman, and watched her get in.
Yu Ling climbed into the warm car, enveloped by the familiar, refreshing scent of him mixed with the smell of premium leather. She fastened her seatbelt and watched Zhao Chen carefully place the dark blue booklet in the back seat before walking around the front of the car and getting into the driver's seat.
The car glided smoothly into traffic. The cabin was silent, save for the subtle hum of the heater. Zhao Chen stared intently at the road ahead, his profile strikingly clear and fluid in the light and shadow flowing through the window.
Yu Ling's eyes fell on his slender fingers gripping the steering wheel, their joints distinct, steady and powerful. She recalled the Polaroid photo of the young man in a motorcycle jacket leaning against the sports car, and then she recalled the icy, suffocating voice that had just come across the airwaves...
"Hello." She suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
"Hmm?" Zhao Chen immediately turned his head to look at her, his eyes focused and questioning.
Yu Ling cleared her throat, trying to make her voice sound more relaxed, with a hint of sarcasm: "That... Dodge Viper, V10 engine, deafening, the whole street is shaking the windows... sounds pretty cool, right?"
Zhao Chen's fingers gripping the steering wheel tightened imperceptibly, their knuckles turning slightly white. He was silent for two seconds before turning his head, his deep eyes gazing at Yu Ling with an expression of intense earnestness, perhaps even a hint of grievance.
"Lingling," his voice was low and pleasant, with a strange magnetism, "Do you like that?"
Yu Ling was choked by his sudden aggrieved expression and question: "...Ah? No, I just..."
"That engine," Zhao Chen interrupted, frowning slightly. He began to analyze it seriously, speaking like a picky engineer. "It produces severe noise pollution, doesn't meet environmental standards, consumes absurd amounts of fuel, and has absolutely no practical value. It's simply the product of excessive teenage hormones. It's completely stupid."
He finished speaking in one breath, then stared into Yu Ling's eyes, with a hint of accusation and a barely perceptible nervousness in his eyes: "Besides, it's disturbing your ears, which is not good." He said the last three words with extreme seriousness.
"Pfft..." Yu Ling couldn't help but laugh out loud as she watched him, eager to distance himself from his youthful recklessness and strive to maintain his image as an "environmentally friendly, practical, and good man." The lingering gloom in her heart was completely dispelled by this laughter.
Seeing her smile, Zhao Chen's tense lips finally relaxed, a tiny curve forming. He reached out with one free hand, naturally ruffling the top of Yu Ling's head. His gesture was affectionate and doting. "The Star is still the best. It's quiet and comfortable, and the sound of the sea breeze suits you best." His tone was slightly smug.
Yu Ling shook her head as he rubbed her, feeling the warmth from his palm, her cheeks warming slightly. She slapped his hand away, deliberately putting on a stern face: "Stop it, I'm driving!" But her heart felt like it was soaked in warm sugar water, sweet and soft.
Zhao Chen readily withdrew his hand and returned to the steering wheel. The car fell silent again, yet a silent warmth and tacit understanding filled the air.
As the car passed an intersection, Yu Ling looked out the window at the passing street scene. Suddenly, she remembered something and muttered quietly, "That silver sailboat model, from the Victorian era, should be quite expensive, right?"
Zhao Chen's grip on the steering wheel stiffened again. He stared straight ahead, his Adam's apple rolling. His voice sounded incredibly upright, even tinged with a hint of "heartbroken" criticism:
"Expensive? Lingling, that's stolen property! It's the product of intimidation! It's evidence of serious damage to public property! It's a dark history!" He used four decisive negative words in a row, his tone sonorous and powerful, as if criticizing something unforgivable. "It should have been destroyed long ago! Keeping it will only pollute the eyes!"
"..." Yu Ling was completely speechless, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up. This man... would do anything to discredit her past!
She turned her head and looked at Zhao Chen's profile, which was clearly outlined in the light and shadow. His thin lips were tightly pursed, his jawline was a little tense, and he had a stern look that said "I have cut ties with the past". His ears seemed... a little suspiciously red?
The last bit of resentment in Yu Ling's heart completely dissipated, replaced by a soft, cherished sweetness. She stretched out her finger and gently poked his tense arm: "Hey, Zhao Chen."
"Hmm?" Zhao Chen responded immediately, turning his head to look at her with a questioning look.
"Next time you play the pig," Yu Ling drawled, a sly glint in her eyes, "could you hide the pigpen a little deeper? It's easy to be caught if you just customize a yacht or something, okay, Mr. Rich?"
"boom--"
Something in Zhao Chen's head seemed to explode! He slammed on the brakes! The high-performance Bentley Mulsanne came to a steady stop at the red light.
He turned his head suddenly, his eyes widening behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his pupils clearly reflecting Yu Ling's face with a mischievous smile. Shock, astonishment, and a hint of panic at being exposed.
She knew? When did she know? She wasn't angry?!
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