Just an old friend
"Take me to No. 27, Dangxing Lane," Zhang Chenglin said. Before the driver could reply, He Zhonghua, who was waiting outside, suddenly yelled, "Where are you going? Where do you think you're going?"
"Why would you go to Dangxing Alley when you could be staying at the perfectly good Jiang family home?!" He Zhonghua was still drunk and looked like he had the urge to drag Zhang Chenglin out of the car at any moment.
Zheng Mingzhe struggled to pull the man back, warning him in a low voice, "Be quiet."
"Oh." After being warned, He Zhonghua immediately fell silent, touched his nose, and said nothing.
Seeing that they had no further objections, the driver was about to turn to Zhang Chenglin and ask if they could leave when he heard Zhang Chenglin ask, "Aren't you going back to Dangxing Alley?"
Always two steps behind He Zhonghua and Zheng Mingzhe, Feng Yue, who was standing with Zhuang Eryi, received Zhang Chenglin's inquiry and put on a not-so-shallow smile: "Sir, would you like to give me a ride?"
"Get in the car."
After saying this, Zhang Chenglin didn't wait for the other people present to react. He simply rolled up the car window and waited for Fengyue to get in.
"What's going on?"
"What's the meaning?"
As the car drove away from the Peace Hotel, He Zhonghua and Zhuang Eryi spoke at the same time, their eyes filled with the same confusion and bewilderment.
Zheng Mingzhe struggled to support He Zhonghua, speaking with difficulty: "Did you forget that No. 27 Dangxing Lane was the place you arranged for them to stay?"
He Zhonghua was stunned for a moment, and after a couple of seconds he nodded: "It seems so."
*
No. 27, Dangxing Lane.
This area is a residential area, and at this time it is completely quiet, with no noise whatsoever, not even the sound of cars driving by.
Zhang Chenglin had never been to Dangxing Lane before, but he knew that it was inhabited by important and influential people, and he usually avoided the area like the plague.
If it weren't for the fact that the Puyu Chamber of Commerce's leadership transition meeting arranged accommodation here for members from afar, he would never have set foot here.
Zhang Chenglin didn't say much along the way, and silently entered No. 27 Dangxing Lane.
After a moment's hesitation, Fengyue followed him through the door without saying a word.
Zhang Chenglin took off his thick overcoat and put it on the clothes rack. He sat on the sofa, looking somewhat tired. The surroundings were quiet, and Feng Yue couldn't quite figure out what he was thinking.
Feng Yue walked slowly to his side and asked softly, "Are you feeling unwell, sir?"
"Hmm," Zhang Chenglin replied in a muffled voice, his expression indifferent, like a small animal that had been abandoned.
"Let me massage your head, sir," Feng Yue said, moving closer and smiling gently. "It will make you feel better."
"Hmm." Zhang Chenglin's tone was indifferent. Feng Yue could tell he was unhappy, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
After an unknown amount of time, just when Fengyue thought he had fallen asleep, Zhang Chenglin suddenly asked her, "Have you been staying in Shandong all this time?"
Feng Yue was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes."
"Then you..." Zhang Chenglin started to say but didn't know how to ask, so he stopped abruptly.
"Sir, are you asking about the eldest daughter of the Gu family in Shanghai many years ago?"
Feng Yue smiled, her smile so calm and collected that Zhang Chenglin couldn't immediately discern her thoughts.
"You know?" Zhang Chenglin asked again, his tone filled with surprise that was beyond his control.
“When I was shopping with Miss Zhuang this afternoon,” Feng Yue said, her hands moving as if she were talking about something unimportant, “Miss Zhuang mentioned that he was the person she admired most when she was young.”
After listening, Zhang Chenglin remained silent and did not say anything.
"And what about the gentleman?"
After a moment, Fengyue suddenly asked this question with a smile.
Zhang Chenglin hadn't reacted yet, and frowned, asking, "What?"
“Miss Zhuang said that the eldest daughter of the Gu family was once the white moonlight in the hearts of countless young men in Shanghai,” Feng Yue’s tone was very soft, with a hint of fear and a hint of expectation: “Is that also true for you, sir?”
Zhang Chenglin didn't answer her immediately, but instead threw the question back at her: "You hope she is, right?"
Feng Yue was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "How dare I guess your thoughts, sir?"
"Just an old friend."
After a long silence, Zhang Chenglin suddenly spoke, his tone low and unlike his usual self.
"Just an old acquaintance?" Feng Yue asked, a hint of a smile in her eyes, as if she were talking about gossip about someone else that she was very interested in, pressing for a definite answer.
"Just like this, only like this, that's enough..."
Zhang Chenglin uttered a rather inexplicable remark, but showed no intention of continuing the conversation. Feng Yue then lowered her gaze and did not ask any further questions.
When two people haven't seen each other for a while and are alone in an environment unfamiliar to both of them, it's inevitable that something will happen.
But Fengyue felt that Zhang Chenglin was different tonight. His domineering and ruthless nature was something Fengyue had never seen or felt before.
The red candles flickered, and the fragrant breaths had just ceased. Fengyue lay in the quilt, breathing softly. Zhang Chenglin sat half-reclined against the headboard, a cigarette lightly between his lips, but he did not light it.
Fengyue lay down, looking up at his eyes from her angle.
Is it just an old friend?
If, as he says, they are old friends from Shanghai, it has been more than ten years since they last met.
But Zhang Chenglin from over ten years ago didn't look like this at all...
Zhuang Eryi was right. Gu Shiyue, the former eldest daughter of the Gu family, was unrestrained, proud, and flamboyant. She was once the most high and mighty princess in Shanghai, a white moonlight that no one could touch.
At that time, Gu Shiyue was arrogant and looked down on everyone. She had few friends, and those so-called young masters naturally couldn't catch her eye or get close to her.
However, Zhuang Eryi was wrong about one thing: it wasn't that no one was good enough for her. There was once a young man who amazed her and became someone she couldn't forget for many years afterward.
But as time went by, the Gu family was destroyed and its members perished. She was no longer the high and mighty eldest daughter of the Gu family, nor could she tolerate the affections of those noble and aloof young men.
After years of hardship and struggle, she no longer dared to reveal the most sacred corner of her heart. So, after all these years, that person's name and face had long been left behind in her past.
But now... it has been lost and found again in the dark.
She is no longer the untouchable white moonlight in the hearts of Shanghainese.
But he remains the most sacred corner in her heart.
The next morning, Zhang Chenglin got up quietly, ready to go to the airport after getting ready.
But when he finished washing up and came out, Fengyue had already prepared a meal for him in the kitchen downstairs.
"Please have breakfast before you leave, sir."
Zhang Chenglin paused as he walked downstairs, then nodded: "Okay."
After breakfast, Zhang Chenglin put on his trench coat in the entryway and suddenly asked Feng Yue, "What are your plans for the future?"
"Once you board the plane, my train will probably be ready to depart from Shanghai as well."
Zhang Chenglin nodded, "Then I'll have Jiang Xiaoxiao arrange a driver to take you to the train station."
“Okay,” Fengyue replied with a smile, “Then I’ll trouble you, sir.”
Zhang Chenglin stood at the door, gave her a deep look, and said nothing.
*
When Zhang Chenglin arrived in Anshan, Ji Yuxing personally came to pick him up at the airport.
On the way to his lodgings, Ji Yuxing briefly told Zhang Chenglin about his progress, "Zhou Zhu and I met with the remaining workers, but we didn't get much out of it, but..."
Zhang Chenglin, startled by his sudden change of topic, turned to look at him: "What?"
“Some people who refused to take sides when they were based in Shanghai and at Ansteel have suddenly changed their tune.” Ji Yuxing frowned, and after thinking for a long time, he finally said the words that Zhang Chenglin was very unwilling to hear: “I suspect… it was Mr. Jiang who made the move.”
Zhang Chenglin remained silent for a long time. Just when Ji Yuxing thought he wouldn't say anything more, Zhang Chenglin suddenly spoke up: "Then I'll go and meet them tomorrow."
"You don't..." His attitude left Ji Yuxing somewhat puzzled, and he couldn't help but ask, "Weren't you reluctant to let Mr. Jiang interfere in your affairs?"
"A higher rank can crush a person, and greater power can make even the devil turn the millstone." Zhang Chenglin turned to look out the window. Compared to Shanghai, the environment in Anshan was much less vibrant. "Sometimes, you still have to use your connections."
Ji Yuxing's eyes held a faint smile, but he didn't answer his question.
Upon arriving at their lodgings, Ji Yuxing first showed Zhang Chenglin the information he and Zhou Zhu had collected, so that Zhang Chenglin would also have a clear understanding of the situation.
Zhang Chenglin read through the documents page by page, but stopped at a bank transfer slip that seemed insignificant to Ji Yuxing, and asked Ji Yuxing, "Where did this come from?"
Ji Yuxing leaned over to take a look and explained, "It was given to me by Wu Fengze. He worked in the finance department of Ansteel for a long time before."
"The case can be closed now."
Zhang Chenglin put down the paper and suddenly said something that surprised Ji Yuxing: "Huh?"
"These statements, along with this transaction record," Zhang Chenglin said, reorganizing the documents in his hand and putting them back into the file bag. "Give them to Mr. Sheng. The organization will naturally have its own considerations."
"Don't we need to check its authenticity again?" Ji Yuxing asked him, frowning.
"Do you remember what you said to me in the car just now?" Zhang Chenglin carefully placed the file folder on the coffee table and stood up.
"What did you say?" Ji Yuxing frowned and thought for a long time before suddenly realizing, "Mr. Jiang made a move?"
“Yes.” Zhang Chenglin nodded. “I’ve read those documents. Besides Jiang Yuanxing, no one else has the ability to get them to reveal these things…”
At this point, Zhang Chenglin suddenly paused and then said, "No, besides Jiang Yuanxing, there was also Zhang Deyue, but as you know, Zhang Deyue is now resting in peace."
Ji Yuxing remained silent, not responding, and listened to Zhang Chenglin continue.
“So since it’s Jiang Yuanxing who’s involved,” Zhang Chenglin said calmly, “there’s no need to worry about whether it’s real or fake. If something like this is fake, then it would be a disgrace to Jiang Yuanxing’s name.”
Ji Yuxing nodded thoughtfully: "That makes sense..."
Zhang Chenglin walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, stop thinking about it. Let's go out for lunch this afternoon and get ready to go back to Shandong tomorrow."
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