Chapter 9 He Yanzhou: "Then you need to think about how to repay..."
Zhu Xu asked him if it would be convenient for him to return the coat at noon the next day, so they could arrange a place to do so.
He Yanzhou could have sent his assistant to pick it up, or he could have had it delivered by courier, but he did neither and readily agreed.
Zhu Xu breathed a sigh of relief. She was on edge and didn't have time to think much about the rationality of the matter.
The next day at noon, she arrived at the coffee shop as agreed.
This is a bustling area. The coffee shop is located on the first floor of a building. It has a unique layout, being long and narrow, so the seats are all placed near the windows, facing the busy street outside.
Liang Haiyang had arrived before her and was sitting by the window.
Zhu Xu watched from afar at the street corner, his heart pounding like a drum.
She didn't go in immediately because she had arranged to meet He Yanzhou at the same location in ten minutes.
He Yanzhou was right on time; his car was parked on the opposite side of the road.
Zhu Xu spent a few seconds thinking about the price he would pay if he continued down this path, but he didn't realize that he had already taken the first step, his heart filled with unwavering determination.
"Mr. He, I'm troubling you again." Zhu Xuling tried to smile as naturally as possible.
He Yanzhou, buttoning his suit jacket, unconsciously glanced at the injury on her forehead: "Is everything alright now?" He raised his chin.
Zhu Xu subconsciously brushed a strand of hair from his forehead: "It's alright."
He Yanzhou didn't reply, but looked down at her, waiting for her to speak again.
Zhu Xu handed over the paper bag in his hand: "The coat has been dry cleaned. Remember to hang it up when you get back, and don't let it get wrinkled."
He Yanzhou took the paper bag, opened the car door, and placed it in the back seat.
"Have you had lunch?" he asked.
"not yet."
He Yanzhou looked around: "Shall we find a place to eat together?"
Zhu Xu was already somewhat distracted.
The car was parked in a rather inconspicuous spot, yet there was a greater than 50% chance that it would be seen by people in the coffee shop across the street.
She didn't dare to look over there openly; out of the corner of her eye, she could only catch glimpses of large panes of glass illuminated by the sunlight.
Zhu Xu turned his attention back to He Yanzhou: "President He, I'll invite you to dinner more formally another day."
He Yanzhou casually put his hands behind his back and said with a smile, "No need to be so polite. It's fine today too."
"I have some things to take care of today."
Zhu Xu hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward, standing less than half a meter away from him.
He Yanzhou paused slightly.
Zhu Xu slightly raised his chin and stood on tiptoe.
He Yanzhou was surprised, but subconsciously looked away and leaned closer.
Zhu Xu's lips rested roughly on his shoulder. As far as the eye could see, his shirt collar was clean and neat, and his crisp black suit jacket was draped over it, with a fishbone pattern visible only upon closer inspection.
Her voice wasn't loud: "I don't know how to thank you enough for what happened that night."
He Yanzhou held his breath for two seconds. Despite the dry and chilly air outside, he still couldn't ignore the woman's scent that suddenly entered his nostrils.
He turned his gaze back and found that she didn't dare to meet his eyes, only slightly lowering her eyelashes, her lips a little dry and wrinkled. But as if sensing his gaze, she pursed her lips to ease her tension, and her lips regained their shine.
He Yanzhou remained with his hands behind his back and slightly leaning forward: "I didn't do anything."
Zhu Xu raised his gaze: "But for me, it was a life-saving grace."
He Yanzhou's eyes held a hint of a smile, and his voice deepened slightly: "Then you'll have to think about how to repay me."
Something seemed to explode in Zhu Xu's heart. In a daze, he couldn't tell whether the words were meant to imply something or just a joke.
“…Okay.” Zhu Xu put his foot down and took a half step back.
He Yanzhou also straightened up.
The two never made any physical contact, but the ambiguous atmosphere only intensified their attraction. And that was especially true for those with a keen eye.
As the cold air around her finally began to circulate, Zhu Xu realized that she had been having some difficulty breathing for those few seconds. She was really bad at doing such things; her actions and expressions just now must have been extremely lewd, and her purposeful behavior was no different from Yang Xiaotong's that day.
He Yanzhou replied nonchalantly, "I was just teasing you."
Zhu Xu did not respond.
"We've known each other for over a decade, no need to be so polite." He Yanzhou turned around and opened the car door: "See you sometime."
Zhu Xu was silent for a moment, and before he sat down, he solemnly said, "After today, it's my treat."
"good."
Zhu Xu watched He Yanzhou's car leave, then turned around and strode towards the coffee shop across the street.
She felt a gaze like a cold arrow shooting towards her. Glancing over, she saw Liang Haiyang staring intently at her through the glass window.
Zhu Xu felt less anxious. After today, for better or for worse, there would finally be a result.
She pushed open the glass door, paused, turned to the order counter and said something to the waitress, watching as her expression changed from blank to astonished.
She pleaded in a low voice, "Please."
The younger sister glanced furtively at the glass window and nodded.
Zhu Xu walked towards Liang Haiyang.
On one side of the table, there was already a thick milk latte and a lemon-cut cake.
He still remembered her tastes. But she was still confused at this moment: if he didn't love her, why would he be so attentive to her every little detail? If he did love her, how could he bear to hurt her?
Zhu Xu sat down and waited for him to speak first.
Liang Haiyang squeezed out three words through gritted teeth: "Shameless."
Zhu Xu looked up at him. If looks could kill, he would probably be dead by now. Clearly, the scene on the street corner had successfully provoked him.
He tried to suppress his anger: "You called me here today just to see you two, this shameless couple, pulling and tugging at each other in the street?"
"Didn't you go to see me first that night?"
When did you two get together?
Zhu Xu did not answer directly: "Let's talk about what's between you and me. It's none of anyone else's business..."
"Recently? In the last few months? In the last six months?"
Zhu Xu did not answer, but his expression was intriguing.
Liang Haiyang gasped, his clenched fists trembling uncontrollably.
He had never felt this way before; it was as if a knife had been ripped open his heart, causing him excruciating pain. A profound sense of shame overwhelmed him, leaving him no chance to breathe.
His voice was hoarse: "You're not divorced yet, your father is still in the hospital, are you even human?"
Zhu Xu remained silent.
Liang Haiyang looked out the window, then stared back at me intently: "In the past six months, you haven't smiled at me once. You don't like to come home, you don't like to talk, and eight out of ten times I've tried to touch you, you've refused..." He nodded on the verge of collapse: "So it turns out he's having an affair."
Zhu Xu accepted everything without offering any explanation.
My mouth is so dry, I really want a glass of iced water.
“And this too,” he growled.
Zhu Xu looked up, and something flew towards her, its sharp edge cutting a thin gash in her cheek.
She tilted her head slightly; there was a yellow medicine box on the ground.
The pillbox was all too familiar; it was the long-acting contraceptive she had started taking after he first made his move.
Zhu Xu bent down and picked it up: "It's fortunate that we don't have any children..."
"Fuck you, Zhu Xu!"
She utterly trampled on his dignity, leaving it utterly beneath her feet.
Liang Haiyang lost all reason and no longer cared about being in a public place. He pointed at her nose and yelled, "Why don't you just die!"
The coffee shop fell silent instantly, and everyone cast strange glances in their direction.
The waitress's heart pounded. She silently picked up the phone, hesitated, and dialed three numbers...
\
After He Yanzhou got into the car, the car drove forward.
The road ahead is congested, and traffic is slow.
Upon seeing Zhu Xu, Zheng Zhi suddenly remembered: "President He, I have investigated the matter you instructed me to handle."
He Yanzhou reacted for a moment, looked ahead, and told him to continue.
Zheng Zhi: "That person's name is Liang Haiyang. He is not from this city. After graduation, he changed jobs twice and things were not going well until the end of last year when he started his own business and opened a small self-media company. Now he has about ten employees."
He Yanzhou was somewhat lost in thought, and after a moment, he nodded.
Zheng Zhi continued, "Corruption in the selection of products in such small companies is easy to catch. His business has just started to take off, so he is definitely reluctant to give it up. Using this as an example, he should know how to make choices."
He Yanzhou looked out the window and didn't answer for a moment.
Unable to determine whether he had listened, Zheng Zhi tentatively asked, "Then... shall I take care of it?"
He Yanzhou asked, "Is there an intersection ahead?"
Zheng Zhi peered through the gap in the convoy: "There's a traffic light about fifty meters away."
"Let's turn back first."
/
After a brief silence, the coffee shop returned to normal.
Some people have no intention of prying into others' privacy, while others are secretly watching what's happening here.
Zhu Xu picked up the small steel fork from the dessert plate, held it in his palm for a while, and then tapped the porcelain plate gently and rhythmically.
She met Liang Haiyang's angry gaze and calmly said, "Only now do I truly understand you. You are hypocritical, brutal, and vicious. You have no humanity. What you did to me was worse than that of an animal..."
Liang Haiyang's temples throbbed, as if someone had ripped open his skull, and he felt blood gushing out.
The sound of the steel fork striking the porcelain plate drilled into his brain, causing a sharp pain.
He clenched his fist: "Say that again, you fucking idiot."
Zhu Xu continued to provoke him: "I'm so glad I don't have children. If I had a boy who inherited your genes, how unlucky would the girl who met him be? If it were a girl, marrying someone like you would be even more unbearable." She paused for a moment while tapping the porcelain plate, then placed the small steel fork on the table and turned it over to play with it: "So Liang Haiyang, not having children is a good deed for both of us, while someone like you should be childless, as it's a contribution to society."
May he be childless and without descendants. What a vicious curse.
Liang Haiyang felt as if he had been thrown into the sea, his ears ringing, and the sound of the steel fork striking the ground was amplified infinitely.
He looked at Zhu Xu, whose face was hideous.
She didn't love him, she didn't want to have his child, and she was having affairs with other men...
Liang Haiyang clenched his teeth, then suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her hand holding the steel fork.
Zhu Xu was forced to lean forward, his arm being pulled between the two of them.
Liang Haiyang's eyes were bloodshot: "It's clearly you who messed around outside, why do you say I'm worthless?"
Zhu Xu twisted his wrist with difficulty, and the steel fork dangled in front of the two men.
She said, "You are indeed incompetent, incapable, poor, and without a good family or background..."
The sunlight streamed in, reflecting off the steel fork and piercing Liang Haiyang's eyes.
That fork is sharp enough to pierce a person's throat.
Zhu Xu: "You are vain, violent, and easily angered..."
Liang Haiyang gripped her wrist tightly, as if trying to crush her bones.
"You're the one who should die..." Zhu Xu cried out in pain, "You're alive..."
Liang Haiyang exerted even more force.
Zhu Xu was forced to release his grip, and the steel fork fell onto the table with a crisp crack.
The people at the next table looked over again.
Liang Haiyang released Zhu Xu, then grabbed her hair and slammed her head onto the table. With his other hand, he picked up a steel fork and plunged it into her neck.
Zhu Xu was in so much pain that he was speechless for a moment, biting his lower lip tightly.
He pulled out the steel fork and stabbed her again.
Zhu Xu instinctively raised his arm to block, but the blow pierced her arm.
Screams erupted around them, and the timid girls scattered and ran away. The only male employee in the store hesitated and dared not step forward.
Some people shouted for the police, some watched the commotion from a distance, and others took out their phones to record the scene.
Liang Haiyang laughed maniacally: "Let's see who dies first. I'll kill you right here today."
Zhu Xu only feels a little regret now, but it's too late.
She might pay the price for her recklessness, or she might get rid of him forever.
He stopped stabbing her, and instead grabbed her hair, slamming her head against the table and the window repeatedly...
The male shop assistant suddenly rushed over and tried to pull Liang Haiyang away; two girls also shouted "Stop!" and tried to pull Zhu Xu's feet.
The scene descended into chaos.
Liang Haiyang held on tightly, refusing to let go. After countless blows, Zhu Xu gradually lost her pain and vaguely smelled a nauseating stench of blood. An alarm rang in her ears, and a group of people rushed towards her.
Zhu Xu tried to open his eyes and seemed to see a tall figure following behind the crowd.
Everyone rushed to subdue the abuser, but that one man quickly knelt down and caught her limp body. In that moment, he seemed to be the only one showing kindness in a world ravaged by devastation.
"Zhu Xu..." He called her name twice in a deep voice.
Zhu Xu looked at the person in front of him and said in a daze, "This should be okay now."
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