Chen Qizhao's attention returned, his eyes lingered on Shen Yuhuai's fingers for a moment before he answered, "No."
The other party's hand had left, and Shen Yuhuai's expression was normal, as if he was just asking a simple question.
Chen Qizhao lowered his eyes slightly, the feeling from just now still lingering on his legs. Through the cloth, he seemed to be able to feel the body temperature of Shen Yuhuai beside him.
Before he could speak, Shen Yuhuai had already explained to him the purpose of the Gu family's visit to the Chen family, diverting his attention.
"The Gu family specifically asked my mother for help, hoping to contact Aunt Zhang through her connections." Shen Yuhuai leaned slightly closer to Chen Qizhao and explained to him in a low voice: "It's for the jade necklace you originally sent to Aunt Zhang."
Chen Qizhao's eyes instantly stopped at the jewelry box next to Chen Jianhong in the distance. He pretended not to know the truth and asked curiously, "What do they want this necklace for?"
"It seems to be related to some inheritance of the Gu family. The details were not disclosed, but it should be very important, so Uncle Gu came here in person." Shen Yuhuai explained: "But Aunt Zhang is still hesitant and has not agreed yet."
necklace……
Chen Qizhao recalled the incident of the necklace. He took the picture of the necklace in order to cut off Lin Shizhong's connection with the Gu family. According to the rumors he heard in his previous life, Lin Shizhong got in touch with Gu Zhengsong because of the jade necklace, which is why he got help from the Gu family later.
At that time, he didn't think about the necklace. For him, he was happy to ruin Lin Shizhong's good deeds. However, now the necklace did not fall into Gu Zhengsong's hands, but by chance it attracted the attention of Gu Zhengxun, the eldest son of the Gu family.
Chen Qizhao hesitated for a moment, but listening to Shen Yuhuai's words, his mind couldn't help but think about the feasibility of something.
If the timeline is speculated correctly, at this stage the head of the Gu family is about to abdicate and is hesitating between two heirs.
The eldest son, Gu Zhengxun, has been involved in Gu family affairs for many years. He was originally the preferred heir of the head of the Gu family. But later, for some unknown reason, the throne of the head of the Gu family fell directly into the hands of Gu Zhengsong, the second son of the Gu family. Gu Zhengsong was ruthless. After he came to power, he killed all of Gu Zhengxun's family. However, Gu Zhengxun was not a pushover either. The struggle between the two brothers continued for many years...
Chen Qizhao had no impression of Gu Zhengxun, or rather, the two had no intersection at all.
The only thing he had some recollection of was when Gu Zhengsong stopped helping Lin Shizhong in his previous life. He learned from the intelligence network that Gu Zhengxun was holding something against Gu Zhengsong at that stage, and some of the Gu family's businesses were under strict investigation by the regulatory authorities in City B. This might be one of the reasons why Gu Zhengsong stopped helping the Lin family.
Gu Zhengxun would come to the Chen family at this time. It is conceivable that the value of this necklace to the Gu family is far more important than Chen Qizhao expected. He just learned about Gu Shen’s news in the afternoon, and Gu Zhengxun came in the evening... The coincidence of time had to make him doubt something.
What is Gu Shen’s purpose in coming to City S? What is the purpose of going to Cheng Rong's party to observe him? Is it a coincidence that Gu Zhengxun came on a business trip?
If Lin Shizhong did not rely on the jade necklace, but used other reasons to hook up with Gu Zhengsong, that would not be good news for Chen Qizhao.
With all the uncertainty, Chen Qizhao didn't mind giving his enemy's enemy a chance. Gu Zhengsong's opposite was also his friend. If he could use a jade necklace to cause some trouble for Gu Zhengsong, he would be happy to help Gu Zhengxun.
Shen Yuhuai looked slightly to the side. Chen Qizhao fell silent when he heard about the jade necklace. He lowered his eyes, thinking about other things. Chen Qizhao's reaction was different from what he expected... He did not ask too much about the purpose or origin of the necklace, and seemed calm and did not seem to be that interested in the necklace.
Chen Qizhao seemed to be hiding some secrets that he didn't know about.
After a while, Chen Qizhao asked again: "…Why is my mother hesitating?"
Shen Yuhuai narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking of Zhang Yazhi's performance just now, and replied: "Maybe it's because the necklace was given by you, and Aunt Zhang doesn't want to give it away."
Chen Qizhao was slightly startled and looked towards Zhang Yazhi’s position, who was talking to Mother Shen and Madam Gu with a smile on her face.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at the jewelry box on the table. The Gu family is powerful in the capital, so it would be a good choice for the Chen family to make friends with the Gu family through the Shen family, which would be beneficial for Chen's business development around City B in the future... If it were him, he would be happy to exchange a jade necklace for making friends with the Gu family.
But he didn't expect Zhang Yazhi to hesitate on this matter.
The conversation of the elders nearby has come to an end and dinner is ready.
Chen Qizhao saw Chen Shiming leave to answer the phone, and when he just moved, he bumped into Shen Yuhuai’s leg, his eyes paused for a moment, and explained in a low voice: “I’m going to the bathroom.”
Shen Yuhuai nodded when he heard this.
Chen Qizhao left his seat and followed Chen Shiming out.
Shen Yuhuai watched Chen Qizhao leave, and after a while the phone in his pocket continued to vibrate. When he took out his cell phone and saw Yan Kaiqi's name, his eyes darkened slightly.
Shen Xuelan was sitting next to Shen Yuhuai. Seeing this, she asked, "What's wrong? Why do you look so serious?"
“No.” Shen Yuhuai put away his expression and said, “I’m going to answer a call.”
Shen Xuelan looked at her younger brother and frowned slightly.
In the quiet corridor outside the living room.
After Chen Shiming received the call from Special Assistant Xu, he turned around and saw Chen Qizhao standing behind him, as if he had been waiting for a long time. He put his phone in his pocket and looked at him puzzledly: "Why are you here?"
"Where did we get to the necklace?" Chen Qizhao asked.
The necklace hadn't been discussed much in the conversation just now, and it was likely that it had come to an end before he returned.
Chen Shiming was slightly surprised, thinking of how Chen Qizhao and Shen Yuhuai were very close in the living room just now, "Did Shen Yuhuai tell you?"
Chen Qizhao nodded, "Mom doesn't want to give me this necklace?"
"The Gu family noticed Mom's necklace at the party and said it was very similar to a valuable piece of jewelry in their family, so they came to ask about the necklace. The necklace seems to involve a lot of people, so they went around in circles and asked the Shen family for help." Chen Shiming noticed Chen Qizhao's expression and continued, "Mom is indeed hesitant. The Shen family is just trying to make connections and will not interfere with our decision. So Dad and I plan to use this excuse to refuse."
Chen Qizhao asked: "Why?"
Chen Shiming: "Being on good terms with the Gu family is a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing."
"Because of the power struggle within the Gu family?" Chen Qizhao asked.
"Chen Qizhao, you know a lot." Chen Shiming looked at his brother with some surprise. He didn't know where Chen Qizhao got the news, but Chen Qizhao would never have learned about the internal power struggle from Shen Yuhuai. He said, "Indeed, if we were to make friends with the Gu family at another time, my father and I would be very happy. But now there is a problem within the Gu family. This necklace is obviously related to the inheritance of the Gu family. If this necklace is given away, it will also represent a problem."
"We stand on Gu Zhengxun's side." Chen Qizhao followed Chen Shiming's words and said, "You weigh the pros and cons."
Chen Shiming continued, "This matter cannot be hidden. You took the photo of the necklace. As long as the necklace goes to City B, anyone who wants to investigate can trace it back to City S through Gu Zhengxun's business trip, and finally to the Chen family. The Chen family has had too many things happen recently, and intervening in the Gu family's affairs at this time will indeed have an impact on us."
"I'm not weighing the pros and cons. If we really want to start from the perspective of interests, cooperating with the Gu family is indeed a good choice. If my mother agrees, she may indeed transfer the necklace for the sake of the Shen family." Chen Shiming expressed his thoughts, "But the people who are competing with Gu Zhengxun for power are not easy to deal with. From a safe perspective, it is best not to get involved with the Gu family at this stage."
After he finished speaking, he noticed Chen Qizhao's silence and was about to continue explaining their ideas.
Chen Qizhao suddenly said, "Gu Zhengsong's son has come to S City."
Chen Shiming's eyes were stern, "Where did Gu Zhengsong get his son from?"
"I met someone at Cheng Rong's party a while ago, so I asked someone to check it out. He was Gu Zhengsong's illegitimate son, Gu Shen, who seemed to be following me at the party." Chen Qizhao looked at Chen Shiming and continued, "I was followed by Lin Shizhong before, and then Gu Shen also showed up... Don't you think this is too much of a coincidence?"
Chen Shiming didn't say anything, but his eyes became more serious.
"Do you still remember the people who bid against me when the jade necklace was auctioned?" Chen Qizhao looked into Chen Shiming's eyes and continued, "You should have checked that those people were related to Lin Shizhong. Do you think that the reason why Lin Shizhong drugged me out of anger was that simple?"
"Lin Shizhong also wanted that necklace." Chen Qizhao told Chen Shiming: "I don't have any evidence that Gu Shen had direct contact with Lin Shizhong, but Lin Shizhong must know the meaning of this necklace. The Lin family may have had a relationship with Gu Zhengsong's faction."
"What else do you know?" Chen Shiming looked at Chen Qizhao with a complicated look in his eyes.
Chen Qizhao did not avoid his gaze. "I've told you everything I know. I just suggested that it's not a bad thing for us to cause some trouble for Gu Zhengsong. Helping others to achieve their goals is a virtue."
Chen Shiming was still pondering Chen Qizhao's words, but after a while he suddenly heard Chen Qizhao's question.
Chen Qizhao asked: "Mom, do you really like that necklace that much?"
"She likes it very much. She has been wearing it every time she goes out to parties recently." Chen Shiming knew that his mother preferred jewelry and diamonds, but this was the first time he saw her so enthusiastic about a necklace.
"Oh." Chen Qizhao lowered his eyes slightly, thinking about something in his heart.
He turned around and prepared to leave, but Chen Shiming stopped him.
"Wait." Chen Shiming pinched his brows and said, "Xiao Xu just called me and found out something."
The Sun family's counterattack slowed down the Lin family's actions, and Chen Shiming's team also found some clues during this period. The matter concerns a project that Lin bid for in the South District more than 30 years ago. At that time, Lin had invested in a project in the South District, but that project suffered heavy losses, which once put Lin in financial difficulties and several companies declared bankruptcy. This time, most of the people Lin infiltrated into Chen's company were centered around Chen's business in the southern district, and their purpose was very obvious. Chen Shiming followed up on this matter and it took him a long time to discover part of the truth behind it.
Chen Shiming said: "Someone from the Chen family participated in the project that nearly bankrupted the Lin family, and became an indirect beneficiary of that incident."
Chen Qizhao's pupils shrank slightly, "...Chen family? 30 years ago?"
"It should be Grandpa. At that time, various business opportunities were emerging frequently, and the Lin family became a thorn in the eyes of others. So the South District incident that caused the Lin family to go bankrupt was a deliberate conspiracy. After the Lin family's accident, a small part of the assets sold off went to the Chen family, so we guess that the previous generation was also involved in that incident."
Chen Shiming continued, "Later, the Chen family split up, and the other uncles each took their assets and sold them to go abroad, leaving only us and Uncle San in S City. Dad used the assets he got to gather the assets of his uncles and aunts, and quickly built up Chen's business to its current size... and finally established Chen's current southern district business."
In short, the previous generation of the Chen family may have participated in the conspiracy against the Lin family and profited from it. Afterwards, the Chen family quickly made a fortune by stepping on the Lin family. Those assets also passed into the hands of Chen Jianhong through inheritance and eventually became part of the core business of the South District.
"This matter was done very carefully. My father and I also investigated for a long time before we found out about this matter, including the fact that Grandpa had stabbed people behind the Lin family. Until now, not many people have discovered it. Otherwise, we would not have been on good terms with the Lin family until now."
Chen Shiming continued, "It's just that I found out that several companies involved in the South District's business have either gone bankrupt or been acquired in the past 20 years. Xiao Xu checked the flow of assets and found that most of those things went to Lin's."
There are too many things involved in this matter, and what Chen Shiming was able to find out is rather scattered. The result after piecing them together is probably this.
Chen Shiming said: "If we fail to stop Lin Shizhong in advance according to his current arrangement... four or five years will be enough for Lin Shizhong to quietly dismantle the Chen family, and eventually go bankrupt like those people."
yes……
After four or five years, when he was 23 years old, the Chen family collapsed.
When Chen Qizhao heard this from Chen Shiming, he found that he was surprisingly calm. Perhaps he had anticipated Lin Shizhong's plan, so he was not surprised at all when Chen Shiming told him this fact.
On the contrary, he was in a good mood. Perhaps it was because of the necklace, or maybe it was nothing to be afraid of seeing that Lin Shizhong's so-called plan was full of holes... Chen Qizhao suddenly thought of the three monuments in the rain. In this life, the three people were standing in front of him alive. At least this time they could see it with their own eyes. He replied, "Not bad."
Chen Shiming was puzzled: "What?"
Chen Qizhao suddenly said, "I'll go back first."
The corridor was very quiet. After Chen Qizhao turned the corner, Chen Shiming was still looking at the corner. He recalled Chen Qizhao's expression just now and had a strange premonition in his heart. He thought back to what Chen Qizhao had just said about the necklace. If that was true, then perhaps they should accept the olive branch from the Gu family.
When he returned to the living room, Chen Qizhao didn’t see Shen Yuhuai.
After sitting for a long time, Shen Yuhuai came back from outside.
At the dinner table, none of the three families mentioned the necklace, but Chen Qizhao knew that the matter was basically a done deal.
In fact, it doesn't matter whether to help the Gu family or not, and the Chen family doesn't necessarily have to rely on the Gu family to win. It's just that he doesn't like Gu Zhengsong. This man helped Lin Shizhong in his previous life. The grudge that he didn't have time to settle in the previous life, he will have a chance to settle in this life. It would be a pleasant thing to be able to bring Gu Zhengsong down.
Most of the things talked about at the dinner table were daily matters. The Gu couple were not so formal and would chat a little when talking about daily matters.
Shen Yuhuai listened to the elders talking, and took the opportunity to wash his hands to go to the bathroom, clearing the accumulated messages in his mobile phone VX, and also saw the file that Yan Kaiqi had just sent over the phone.
Yan Kaiqi found out that several companies in Beijing were related to several institutions in S City. Following this line of inquiry... he actually found out that these institutions and companies in Beijing all had secret businesses cooperating with Lin's Medical. These have not been made public, which obviously means something is not right...and the capital behind those companies in Beijing has not yet been found out. Judging from the current situation, it is very likely that they are related to several big capitals in Beijing.
This is not good news for Shen Yuhuai.
The more private the information is, the closer it is to his guess. This was what he had just talked about with Yan Kaiqi. To be on the safe side, he asked Yan Kaiqi to stop. If he continued to investigate, too many things would be involved, which might easily get Yan Kaiqi into trouble.
Shen Yuhuai's attention was fixed on the email. If he followed this information to switch to other breakthroughs, he should be able to find more clues. It would be best to confirm which capital was behind those companies in Beijing, so that he could dig out the mysteries behind the aromatherapy.
But the Lin family...
Shen Yuhuai thought of the crisis that broke out in Lin's Medical some time ago, and he became even more suspicious. There must be someone secretly targeting Lin's... Some things can't break out so coincidentally.
As he thought about this, he inexplicably thought of Chen Qizhao.
Shen Yuhuai paused for a while, downloaded the email, and then switched off to reply to some of the messages.
When Liu Sui asked him whether he would go back to the dormitory at night, he replied "No".
[-Liu Sui: Why don’t you reply again? I wanted you to bring me something when you come back from S University. ]
[-s: I am not at S University. ]
[-Liu Sui: Ah? Aren’t you chasing girls at S University? ]
[-s: No. ]
In the dormitory, Liu Sui saw Shen Yuhuai’s message and made a tut-tut sound.
During this period, Shen Yuhuai often stepped on the door to enter the dormitory at night, and occasionally brought him midnight snacks from around S University. Liu Sui thought of what Shen Yuhuai said some time ago that he was pursuing someone, and he could probably guess the purpose of Shen Yuhuai's going out during this period, but the other party didn't say it, so he didn't ask more.
[-Liu Sui: You told me it’s okay, I didn’t tell anyone. Are you coming back this week? I really want to eat the grilled fish at the restaurant that just opened in front of S University. I originally wanted to order Chen Qizhao because I heard that restaurant offers discounts if you use S University student cards. ]
Shen Yuhuai was about to end the conversation, but paused slightly when he saw Liu Sui’s message.
[-s: Have you asked him? ]
[-Liu Sui: Chen Qizhao? I have asked. I wanted to invite him to dinner, but he said he had something to do in the evening and asked me to call him.
[-Liu Sui: My vacation is very precious! I finally finished writing my thesis, but everyone has been busy for the past half month! ]
When Shen Yuhuai saw the word "thesis", his eyes deepened a little. He thought of the few questions that Chen Qizhao had asked casually when he sat next to him not long ago, and his fingers moved slightly to type the question.
——[Does he know that you have finished your thesis? ]
After finishing the meal, the others were still talking about something and moved to the living room.
Chen Qizhao listened for a while, but was not interested in what they were talking about, so he turned and walked towards the kitchen next to the restaurant.
There was red wine on the table in the evening, and Chen Qizhao saw that Shen Yuhuai didn't drink much even though he was there, so he felt a little thirsty at this time.
When he opened the refrigerator, he suddenly remembered that Shen Yuhuai didn't seem to drink alcohol that night, and there was also orange juice on the table. He didn’t seem to know how much Shen Yuhuai could drink, and he had only seen him drink a few times… Was his alcohol tolerance very poor? It doesn’t seem so.
Thinking of this, he suddenly wanted to know what it would be like for someone like Shen Yuhuai to get drunk? He thought aimlessly, and the pair of legs sitting next to him in the living room and the light and intimate gesture of tapping on his legs suddenly emerged in his mind.
Chen Qizhao felt his throat a little itchy. He inspected the drinks in the refrigerator and his eyes couldn't help but stop at the ice beer. Just as he was about to take a bottle, he suddenly heard footsteps.
He paused slightly, and when he turned back, he saw Shen Yuhuai walking into the kitchen.
"Brother Huai?" Chen Qizhao was surprised.
Shen Yuhuai's eyes stopped on him, "I heard from the housekeeper that you are here."
Noticing Shen Yuhuai’s gaze, Chen Qizhao asked, “Is there something on my face?”
"Are you in a good mood?" Shen Yuhuai suddenly asked.
"Not bad." Chen Qizhao retracted his gaze and continued to look at the drinks in the refrigerator.
He looked away from the ice beer and was about to reach for the Coke at the bottom when he asked casually, "Brother Huai, do you want to drink something?"
The footsteps in the distance seemed to be getting closer and closer. Chen Qizhao had just picked up the Coke when he suddenly realized that there was someone standing behind him.
Shen Yuhuai stopped behind him, and when he moved forward slightly, he brought a great sense of oppression. Chen Qizhao's hand holding the Coke paused slightly, and Shen Yuhuai did not move forward. He seemed to be standing behind him and looking at something in the refrigerator.
The man's breath was very close, without any smell of alcohol, just a faint mint scent.
Chen Qizhao lowered his eyes and glanced at the person behind him.
His eyes moved, judging the distance between him and Shen Yuhuai at this moment, and suddenly he felt an itch beside his ear.
Shen Yuhuai lowered his head slightly, his eyes half closed, his gaze fixed on Chen Qizhao's ears.
The warm breath spread around Chen Qizhao's ears, as soft as a whisper, or as if it were the murmurs of lovers.
"Chen Qizhao, your eyes move when you lie."
At this time, there was a sound outside the door. The servant just walked to the kitchen door and saw two people standing in the kitchen. He looked at Shen Yuhuai and said, “Mr. Shen, Miss Shen said she was ready to leave.”
Chen Qizhao blinked, but the person behind him took a step back.
"Don't drink cold drinks at night. Warm boiled water can quench your thirst." Shen Yuhuai said, looking at the people at the kitchen door, "Tell Shen Xuelan, I'll be there right away."
Chen Qizhao's eyes stopped at a certain point, he put the Coke in his hand back to its original place, and when he turned around, Shen Yuhuai was looking at him.
Shen Yuhuai did not avoid that gaze, but said: “Then I’ll go first, good night.”
"Um."
Chen Qizhao closed the refrigerator door and saw Shen Yuhuai walking away with the servant.
He raised his hand and touched his ear, his slightly focused eyes seemed to conceal some kind of understanding.
It was dark at night and the Gu family’s car left first.
Chen Jianhong was still talking to Father Shen.
“You don’t have to worry about us about the necklace.” Father Shen said, “Then let’s go first.”
Chen Jianhong said: "I'll ask the driver to take you there."
“No, Yu Huai was driving today, he didn’t drink.” Father Shen patted his old friend’s shoulder, opened the car door and got in.
Chen Jianhong looked at Shen Yuhuai who was still standing next to him, and warned: “Drive slowly on the way back.”
“I know.” Shen Yuhuai nodded, and looked up to see Chen Qizhao standing behind Chen Jianhong.
The latter's sight passed through the others and looked straight over here, causing Shen Yuhuai to stop for two seconds.
At this time, Shen Xuelan's urging voice came from the side, and Shen Yuhuai's hand accidentally touched the open car door, and the key in his hand fell off to the other side of the car door.
Through the car door, Shen Yuhuai was about to turn around to get it, but he saw a figure crouching in front of the car door and picking up the fallen key.
Shen Yuhuai looked at Chen Qizhao.
Chen Qizhao handed him the key.
When their fingers touched, Shen Yuhuai felt an itchy sensation in his palm.
Chen Qizhao's nails seemed to follow the lines on his palm, and gently scratched it when handing over the keys.
Shen Yuhuai's eyes deepened as he looked at the instigator.
Through the car door, Chen Qizhao released the key, his eyes frank and honest.
"Brother Huai, good night."
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