Harbor
Bai Yi had just arrived home when Lu Xin called. She was removing her makeup in front of the mirror, glanced at the phone, and didn't want to answer. Lu Xin then sent a WeChat message: "Junior sister, did you delete Zhong Yunxi?"
Before she could reply, Lu Xin continued his chatter: "It's okay, I'm not here to plead for him. He deserves it, so don't be polite with him."
Bai Yi: ...
Bai Yi's arrogance is a form of cold violence that can make others reflect without making a sound.
Zhong Yunxi escalated her passive-aggressive behavior into physical violence.
After removing her makeup, Bai Yi sent a message to Lu Xin before taking a shower: "Senior brother, Boss Zhong is a really nice guy, it's just that he has an unnecessary mouth. I wish he were mute."
Lu Xin: Hahahaha
Bai Yi knew that, given Lu Xin's personality, he would definitely take a screenshot and show it to Zhong Yunxi.
She was furious; even after blocking him, she wanted to hurl another insult at him. She also wanted someone else to relay it to him. Her intentions were blatantly hurtful.
Before going to sleep, Zhong Yunxi looked at the screenshot Lu Xin had sent him and smiled silently.
No one had ever said he was talkative before. It turns out she had told others that he was a nice person.
That mix of disdain and pride, yet sweetness, seemed to strike a chord with Zhong Yunxi in every word.
Zhong Yunxi opened the social media app again and sent a third friend request, but as expected, he received no response.
He got up from the bed, picked up the cigarette from the table, pushed open the door to the balcony, his mind filled with thoughts of how such arrogance could have grown in those gentle almond-shaped eyes.
He had encountered spoiled young ladies before; in his circle, few from well-off families were not spoiled. His mother was like that, but Bai Yi was different from others.
Others' arrogance is like the blazing sun, scorching you as soon as you get close; she is a cluster of ethereal flames, dazzling, yet so light that it won't burn you if held in the palm of your hand, but impossible to grasp.
The next afternoon, he went to see Zhou Kemin.
He was too busy in the morning to look at the materials Xue Meng had compiled, so he flipped through them idly in the car.
When they arrived, Zhou Kemin had already been waiting for nearly half an hour.
The meeting room, decorated in a Chinese study style, features chestnut brown tones, creating a deep, quiet, and authoritative atmosphere.
As soon as he entered, Zhou Kemin quickly stood up. He glanced at the time, nodded slightly, and sat down: "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Zhou Kemin covered for him, saying, "You're a very busy person. I should be the one visiting you, but I was afraid it wouldn't be convenient for you in your office. Instead, I made you come all the way here."
Zhong Yunxi didn't reply. After he sat down, Zhou Kemin also sat down.
He cut to the chase: "You should know about Tiansheng's problems..."
Sitting in the old-fashioned beechwood armchair, Zhou Kemin felt uncomfortable and straightened his back instantly: "I know."
Zhong Yunxi pushed a document he had brought over to him, saying, "Take a look and see if you can solve Chen Zhaoyang's problem."
Zhou Kemin quickly flipped through the document. He had known Bai Yeliang for many years and was very familiar with his good-for-nothing nephew. His son insisted on marrying Bai Yi, and he and Bai Yeliang had long been in-laws. He knew very well how many scandals Chen Zhaoyang had committed in Tiansheng.
Zhou Kemin asked bluntly, "President Zhong, how do you plan to handle this?"
"Embezzlement is punishable by a sentence of less than one year. Give him a lesson, right? You guys at Tiansheng can do that, can't you?" Zhong Yunxi had a document under his wrist, and Zhou Kemin felt uneasy.
“President Zhong, wouldn’t it be better to wait until Tiansheng is restructured and the creditors step in to resolve the issue?” Zhou Kemin didn’t want to fall out with Bai Yeliang. By sending Chen Zhaoyang to prison, he was essentially severing all ties with the Bai family, which would be cutting off his son’s marriage prospects.
No matter how dissatisfied he was with his son's obsession with love and how dissatisfied he was with Bai Yi stringing his son along, he couldn't bear to let him go to this point.
Zhong Yunxi shook his head: "Bai Yi, Vice Chairman Zhou should know him. I've also heard a little about the marriage between the Zhou and Bai families. I have some personal connections with Bai Yi's senior brother. I can't do anything related to the Bai family; only you can do it."
Zhou Kemin almost doubted that he had heard correctly. Was this even human language? What kind of completely unrelated personal relationship could be more important than someone else's marriage?
He took a breath and asked, "Mr. Zhong, now that you know about my son's marriage to Miss Bai, what is this...?"
Zhong Yunxi said bluntly, "The two of them are not suitable."
Zhou Kemin felt a wave of dizziness wash over him; the other party had deliberately come to ruin his son's marriage prospects.
Zhong Yunxi seemed to think Zhou Kemin was taking too long to think, so he slid another document across the table: "I can make the decision regarding the business between Tiansheng and Qingyang after the restructuring."
Zhou Kemin took the second document, his hands trembling violently. He knew all too well how much business Tiansheng had supplied to Zhou Qi's Qingyang over the years.
Once Tiansheng is restructured, its equity is reset, its business lines are integrated, and its personnel and organizational structure are adjusted, it will be almost impossible for the original shareholders to still have seats on the board of directors, but creditors of Zhong Yunxi's stature will.
Zhong Yunxi asked Zhou Kemin to make a choice for Zhou Qi between a woman and the company.
This tactic is far too insidious. Even if Zhong Yunxi went directly to Zhou Qi, he might not succeed. It's not impossible for a young man to act impulsively for a woman, but Zhou Kemin, having lived to this age, knows all too well how foolish it is for someone of their middle class to exchange their meager wealth and resources for a woman; in the end, they'll only lose both. Especially that girl from the Bai family, she doesn't even like his son.
If Zhou Kemin still doesn't understand after all this, then he's lived in vain. He took a breath and said, "President Zhong, forgive me for being so blunt, but I have to understand that I'm being used as a tool."
Zhou Kemin couldn't refuse him no matter what, so she couldn't help but want to find out what he was after.
Zhong Yunxi frowned slightly and glanced over. His phoenix eyes were already cold, and when he looked up, that indifference was completely contained in the sharp, slanted double eyelid crease at the corner of his eyes. The cold and heavy oppressive feeling made Zhou Kemin tremble.
The aura of a superior is far beyond what Zhou Kemin, who is more than twenty years older than himself, can handle.
Tiansheng was once a leading shipbuilding company, with more than 20,000 jobs. Restructuring a company of this size is far beyond what private capital can leverage. The creditors are either state-owned banks or low-profile investment institutions.
Zhou Kemin only knew that Zhong Yunxi was the president of Leading Venture Capital. He had people investigate the source of funds behind Leading Venture Capital, but apart from knowing that it came from Beijing, he could not find any other clues.
What cannot be found is truly unfathomable.
Zhou Kemin knew that Zhong Yunxi wouldn't bother explaining to him. Today's meeting wasn't for discussion; it was a one-sided order for him to do something.
Zhong Yunxi stood up and left his seat, habitually fiddling with his cufflinks, and reiterated the purpose of his visit today: "Before we, the creditors, take over Tiansheng, we need to settle Chen Zhaoyang's matter. No one else needs to be touched. Zhou Qi should have no further dealings with Bai Yi."
Zhou Kemin sat in the chair for a long time without getting up.
He couldn't figure out Zhong Yunxi's logic, and he couldn't see who benefited much from these arrangements, but Chen Zhaoyang and Zhou Qi were the most hurt in this regard.
It seems like a lose-lose situation. And Zhou Kemin can't tell anyone about it.
He knew he was being set up, but he had no idea how to break free or how to fight back. The pressure Zhong Yunxi exerted on him was almost devastating.
On his way back, Zhong Yunxi looked at the social media app and saw that he still hadn't accepted Bai Yi's friend request.
Bai Yi's profile picture is a fairly common forest and lake scene, probably taken by himself in Xiangcheng.
Zhong Yunxi bets that Bai Yi won't care about Chen Zhaoyang, but she will care about her father. If Chen Zhaoyang gets into trouble, it will definitely alarm her, and she will probably move closer to him to seek help and protection.
Although it wasn't honorable, it was the most effective method, and he did it without hesitation or regret.
A few days later, at a board meeting of Tiansheng, Vice Chairman Zhou instructed the audit team and legal department to disclose various violations and accounting problems by Chen Zhaoyang, the head of marketing expansion, during their reports. He then announced on the spot that Chen Zhaoyang would be prosecuted for embezzlement. Simultaneously, the company's official website published a notice.
Bai Yeliang didn't react until Chen Zhaoyang entered his office after seeing the notification pushed on the internal network.
Chen Zhaoyang pointed at his computer, his legs trembling: "Uncle, what does this mean? What does Vice Chairman Zhou mean?"
Bai Yeliang picked up the phone and dialed Zhou Kemin, but the phone was switched off.
He picked up the landline on the table and dialed Zhou Kemin's office; his assistant answered.
"Xiao Song? Is Vice Chairman Zhou here?"
The assistant replied, "Mr. Bai, at today's board meeting, Vice Chairman Zhou requested sick leave for two months. His work was handed over last week. Now, General Manager Yang from the Marketing Department is handling his daily work."
Bai Yeliang hung up the phone and shook his head.
Chen Zhaoyang: "Uncle, could you contact Zhou Qi? If Vice Chairman Zhou isn't answering, surely Zhou Qi will answer your call too?"
Bai Yeliang called Zhou Qi, but no one answered.
Chen Zhaoyang was on the verge of collapse. "Uncle...you can't just watch me go to jail. What about Xiaoyi? Have Xiaoyi look for Zhou Qi. He definitely won't ignore Xiaoyi's calls..."
"Enough." Bai Yeliang interrupted him, leaning back in his chair. "What's the use of going crazy now? Go contact a lawyer right now."
Zhou Kemin did this without any room for negotiation, and Chen Zhaoyang's fate was already sealed.
After Tiansheng was designated as a special treatment (ST) stock by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), everyone knew that restructuring was highly likely and they were just waiting for the new owner to integrate the company. However, no one expected that before the new owner arrived, the board of directors would turn the tables on its own.
Chen Zhaoyang is considered a mid-level manager. At Tiansheng, he has an uncle who is the deputy director of the production management department, and the uncle has a close personal relationship with the son of Vice Chairman Zhou. With connections reaching this level, he cannot be considered insignificant.
That evening, when Chen Zhaoyang called Bai Yi and said he couldn't get in touch with the Zhou family and begged her to go find Zhou Qi and Zhou Kemin, Bai Yi wasn't surprised. She even went to look at Tiansheng's announcement and felt relieved. She thought that trash like Chen Zhaoyang should have been arrested long ago.
After hanging up the phone, she immediately drove home.
As soon as she entered, Li Wan and Wang Ma were both there. They were surprised to see her. Bai Yi rarely came back suddenly. In the past, when she came back to have a meal with Bai Yeliang, Bai Yeliang had to coax her for many days and her father had to pretend to be sick before she would reluctantly come.
"Where's Dad?" she asked, changing her shoes.
Li Wan replied blankly, "In the study upstairs."
She nodded slightly and went straight upstairs. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She tried the doorknob, but it was locked from the inside. She knocked again: "Dad?"
Bai Yeliang only got up to open the door when he heard it was his daughter.
Bai Yi breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw her father. As long as her father was alright, she was happy. She wished her father would cut ties with her aunt and cousin.
Bai Yeliang sighed, "You're here so late. Have you had dinner yet? What would you like to eat? I'll have Aunt Li and Aunt Wang make it for you."
“I’m not hungry. Chen Zhaoyang called me and that’s how I found out what happened at Tiansheng today. I just came back to tell you. Zhou Qi, I rejected you and blocked you.”
"Xiao Yi..." Bai Yeliang hesitated, not knowing whether Zhou Kemin would make any other moves. Since he could suddenly target Chen Zhaoyang, would he be next?
The two went downstairs, and Bai Yeliang patted the back of her hand: "Your father has arranged a trust for you all these years, so even if something happens to me..."
Now that things have come to this, he will no longer accuse his daughter of being reckless.
“Dad, nothing will happen to you.” Bai Yi stopped at the corner of the stairs, looking calmly at his father. “As long as you stop interfering with Chen Zhaoyang, you’ll be fine.”
She rejected Zhou Qi, hoping he would resort to desperate measures to deal with Chen Zhaoyang. She then had a whirlwind marriage with Zhong Yunxi, allowing him to suppress the Zhou family and protect her father.
As for Zhong Yunxi, she hadn't figured out how to get away if she didn't love him.
Anyway, she'd rather have a whirlwind marriage with Zhong Yunxi than marry Zhou Qi. She doesn't know why she thinks Zhong Yunxi is a decent person, even though he always makes her angry.
"We still need to help with hiring a lawyer..." Bai Yeliang only has one older sister and one nephew.
Their generation grew up in hardship; Bai Yeliang's mother passed away early, and his eldest sister was like a mother to him. The times shaped different values, creating a vast chasm that he couldn't explain to his daughter. So, over the years, he's always felt a pang of guilt towards his sister and his wayward nephew.
Bai Yi didn't object anymore and followed her father down the stairs. "Okay, we'll pay his lawyer's fees. That's more than enough, isn't it?"
He knew his daughter's temper better than anyone, and her dislike and even hatred for her aunt and cousin. He had tried to mediate between them for so many years, but ultimately he was powerless to maintain the relationship.
Bai Yi stared blankly at her phone. For the past week, Zhong Yunxi had sent her two friend requests every day, using the request greetings as a chat box. He would either say "sorry" or ask if she could have a meal with him.
But it wasn't sent today.
She was actually a little scared; Zhong Yunxi was like her last trump card at this moment.
Another friend request popped up on my phone: Why are you so vengeful? You don't just want to see me apologize every day, do you?
A few minutes later, a second request came in: Sorry.
Bai Yi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, should have settled down, but for some reason, she not only felt relieved, but also a strange sense of joy welled up inside her.
She didn't directly accept his friend request; instead, she replied to his request: "Where did I go wrong?"
Zhong Yunxi quickly replied: You don't remember either, do you?
Bai Yi: ...
What do you mean by not remembering at all?
Bai Yi thought for a moment, then realized that several days had passed and she really couldn't remember.
I'm going to die.
In the end, you get so angry you don't even know what you're angry about anymore.
That's utterly shameful.
She silently clicked "accept friend request".
Zhong Yunxi quickly made a call request.
She hesitated, wanting to accept but afraid of being tricked by Zhong Yunxi.
I managed to answer the call before the system crashed.
Because of her father's situation, she couldn't do as she pleased. This man, though complicated to her, was also useful.
"I'm in Fenglan Lane. Would you like some milk tea? Song's Tea House is still open." Zhong Yunxi's voice was low, carrying a special gentleness.
Bai Yi was stunned. She hadn't expected Zhong Yunxi's first words to be about milk tea, and he seemed different from before, especially since they hadn't seen each other for several days.
"What are you doing over there so late?" she couldn't help but ask, but regretted it as soon as she asked. She was afraid that Zhong Yunxi would say something she couldn't handle.
But a woman's sixth sense is just that unpredictable.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a seemingly helpless laugh: "You deleted me a lot of days ago, but I can't just go to your doorstep. That would make me seem like a stalker and scare you. I'll try my luck at the bubble tea shop these next few nights. Maybe you'll come and buy some bubble tea."
Bai Yi: ...
As if unwilling to admit he would actually be at the bubble tea shop, she took a gamble and went to verify: "I want to drink Hong Kong-style milk tea. Can I give you fifteen yuan for delivery? Deliver it to No. 73 Qiwu Mountain Residence."
"Okay," he replied.
Bai Yi hung up the phone, fully aware that if Zhong Yunxi really brought the milk tea over, she would have almost no reason to refuse him.
Testing the waters is an admission. If you test the waters and then feign refusal, it's just too much of a womanic act.
Bai Yeliang noticed his daughter making a request on the phone, but seeing her frowning and biting her lip in distress, he asked, "Xiaoyi, who is it?"
She shook her head, refusing to speak.
After dinner, Li Wan asked Bai Yi, "Xiao Yi, why don't you stay out so late?"
Her mind was a jumbled mess, and she just casually agreed. Li bent down and went upstairs to tidy up her room.
When a new message pops up on her phone, she gets a jolt of surprise, but when it's not Zhong Yunxi, she breathes a sigh of relief.
The video doorbell in the living room rang, and she practically jumped off the sofa and ran to hang up.
Even if Bai Yeliang didn't know what had happened, he should have noticed that his daughter was behaving very strangely tonight. "Xiaoyi?"
She saw Zhong Yunxi's face on the screen. But she didn't want to go out to see him.
Twenty minutes later, it was confirmed that he had indeed come from Fenglan Lane. She felt like a conman who was trying to break a promise at the last minute.
Zhong Yunxi stood outside the door waiting. He didn't make a phone call or send a text message.
He came with his intentions clearly, leaving no room for refusal. He didn't consider whether she would be afraid to accept it, and he would never say something as gentle and considerate as "I'll leave the milk tea at the door," leaving her feeling uneasy inside.
She's always been so used to and so good at refusing others.
But right now she doesn't know how to refuse Zhong Yunxi.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
