one person
"You'd better really have something urgent, Zhao Junjie." Yu Zou felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of Du Pianjian's expression. Leaving him alone at home at a time like this, even a celestial being couldn't save him unless he had a very good reason. Zhao Junjie, however, had already sent the driver to his door; he absolutely had to leave today.
"Really, really." Zhao Junjie laughed, handing him a glass of wine. "Everyone knows what kind of occasion this is. Unless it's an absolute emergency, I wouldn't have called you. The Nuoman Luomu Hotel, Luo family territory. Guess what I saw?"
This is Luo family territory; no wonder Li Kuo isn't here. Yu Zou pretended to touch his lips to the cup, then immediately put it down: "What?"
"Your younger brother, Shao Jinfeng, went into the private room together with Luo Zangrui. Why is that?"
You're asking me?
"Your younger brother."
"I don't admit it." Yu Zou shrugged, ending the conversation. "I don't know either."
Shao Jinfeng suffered a series of setbacks. His business abroad, which was doing well, was inexplicably forced to stop and he was forcibly deported back to China. Everything back home had changed drastically. Du Pianxing was imprisoned for drug addiction, and Shao Jinfeng was implicated. Caught between internal and external attacks, his career plummeted, and it became difficult for him to recover. On the other hand, Yu Zou continued to rise ahead, achieving great success in his career and collaborating with two giants, Zhao and Li. He also had a beautiful woman by his side, marrying someone many could only dream of.
Yu Zou is a legally recognized only child, yet he is a bastard child who cannot be seen in public; he can move freely, yet he is restricted at every turn.
That's unfair!
Shao Jinfeng paid off his companions and dismissed them, leaving him alone in the large private room. He had just had another argument with his father. He had initially thought his father loved him and his mother, and that his relationship with Yu Wangyue was out of necessity, like an ordinary person having to work to support themselves. However, after he came of age, his father had quietly divorced his mother, paid her off, and then, in the end, remarried Yu Zou's mother, and was now trying to pay him off again.
Shao Jinfeng slumped on the sofa, his dazed eyes unable to see anything through the wine bottles, so he swept them all to the floor. At that moment, the door opened, and a group of bodyguards in black suits entered and stood in two rows. A man in a camel-colored suit walked in and sat in the middle of the sofa opposite him. This man had a noble air about him, with average features, not unattractive, except for his large, striking eyes. As he spoke, dimples appeared on his cheeks: "Tong Mu insisted I come to see you, so why are you in this state?"
Shao Jinfeng sat up, looked him up and down, and asked, "Luo Zangrui?"
"Brother, I'm exactly one year, three months, and fourteen days older than you."
For some inexplicable reason, Shao Jinfeng knew that Luo Zangrui held a high position and was the youngest son of the old man of the Luo family. He could only curse inwardly, but on the surface he still said respectfully, "I don't know Tongjing, nor did I ask him for an introduction."
Luo Zangrui nodded: "He's the one who's relieving my worries. We've always been at odds with the Li family, and this time you've been caught in the crossfire. But do you know who started the fire? It's really caused us a lot of trouble. Your half-brother Yu Zou, the one who forced you to come back, was also his doing."
Seeing Shao Jinfeng's clenched fist, Luo Zangrui laughed and said, "Although I caused a little trouble as a return gift, it seems that the other party has turned the tables on me, which really makes me very unhappy. So I thought you might be able to help me?"
Shao Jinfeng felt a surge of anger rising in his throat, but fortunately he still had some sense and didn't immediately agree. Instead, he asked, "How can I help you?"
Luo Zangrui raised an eyebrow and replied, seemingly unrelated to the question, "I thought we were the same kind of people, only born into a world of gossip and rumors. Life has always been a storm for us, with icy rain hanging overhead, never letting up for a moment. Brother Jinfeng, why don't we raise our cup of opportunity?"
Luo Zangrui raised his glass, and Shao Jinfeng smiled, picked up the wine bottle at his feet, poured half a glass of wine, raised his glass, and said, "Brother Luo Zangrui, I know several shipping routes that are waiting to be developed."
"You really don't know?"
Yu Zou didn't even bother to reply this time. He raised his wrist to check the time and said, "It's okay, I'm going home now."
"You're not married yet? Why are you tied up at home?" Zhao Junjie pulled him up. "Come on, let's go somewhere else and talk things over."
"Then why did you come here?"
"How else would I see your brother if I didn't come here?"
"..."
In the end, we went to Yunxi Building.
Li Kuo held Pixiu against the pool table, looking at it seriously as they simulated small boats exchanging fire on a course of water. Pixiu's curious eyes followed the movement. When Yu Zou walked over, he asked, "Can the crystal sand technology be used on this?"
“Theoretically, it’s possible, but the scrap rate hasn’t dropped to a feasible level yet,” Yu replied.
"Tell me the news?" Zhao Junjie took Pi Xiu from Li Kuo's arms, but Pi Xiu was unwilling and clung tightly to Li Kuo's clothes with his claws.
“The lifting of restrictions in Xiyanba has been postponed; what they’re more concerned about is this place.” Li Kuo held Pi Xiu, who was desperately trying to avoid Zhao Junjie, on his shoulder with one hand, and pointed to several surrounding areas with the other.
This was no ordinary news. Yu Zou immediately perked up, watching intently as the map transformed from two-dimensional to three-dimensional topographical depiction. Zhao Junjie's mention of Shao Jinfeng at this crucial juncture meant Shao Yuan must have given the Luo family the proposed solution for eliminating the crystal sand he had placed at the company. While this was exactly what they wanted, if the Luo family continued their research in this direction and didn't apply the technology to the transportation and weaponry Li Kuo envisioned, but instead focused solely on weaponry, it wouldn't be difficult to deduce how they could escape the pincer attack.
It's time to bring out the next technology. Yu Zou thought to himself. He said aloud, "What happened?"
“Unidentified armed conflicts on regional borders are not a good sign,” Li Kuo said.
"Fight, fight, fight. It's so boring. Isn't it, little Pixiu?" Zhao Junjie pinched Pixiu's front paws, lifted him up, and put his belly on his face.
"You? Unknown?" Yu Zou looked at Li Kuo in surprise. Li Kuo shook his head and switched icons. The three-dimensional structure collapsed into two dimensions, and a series of pictures popped up. Various people in suits and ties stood or sat next to the same person—Luo Zangrui.
Li Kuo succinctly explained: "Addiction."
Yu Zou felt a chill run down his spine, the coldness spreading upwards in segments. At this point, things were more complicated than he had anticipated, involving things beyond his control. He needed to continue to survive, but the further he went, the greater the risks became.
"Using technology to get Xiyanba won't work," Yu Zou muttered to himself. Then a thought struck him: if Li Kuo could get these photos, then the police must have them too. He silently prayed and asked Li Kuo to pull up all the photos again and carefully examine each person.
"Who are you looking for?" Li Kuo then looked at the faces in each photo.
Zhao Junjie tucked Pixiu under his arm, squeezed past the two men, stood in the middle, gathered all the photos together, and said, "Nothing special, they're all Luo's old allies. Look at this."
An old photograph was brought up, showing a young man who looked very much like Luo Zangrui talking to someone. The face was a bit blurry due to the downward angle. Zhao Junjie said, "This is one I finally found. The location is also in Xiyanba. Can you guess where?"
"Release it quickly!" Li Kuo said.
"The surveillance footage from St. Hele Sanatorium."
Yu Zou felt something flash through his mind, something he was about to grasp, so he turned to look at Zhao Junjie, his furrowed brows unable to suppress the turmoil in his heart, and subconsciously asked, "What year is this?"
"Ten years ago."
"who is he?"
“Luo Zangqi, Luo Zangrui’s elder brother. What should we do next?” Zhao Junjie handed Pi Xiu to him. Yu Zou, who was thinking, subconsciously took it. Pi Xiu realized that the restraints had been loosened and jumped out of the embrace in a flash.
"Happy Birthday!" Zhao Junjie shouted. The pool table screen immediately went dark, and many people rushed into the room with cakes, firecrackers, and megaphones, jumping up and cheering, "Happy Birthday!"
Still unable to switch gears, Yu Zou was pushed to put on a crown and a cape. A cake and candles were placed in front of her. Urged on by everyone, she completed the ceremony. She looked at her watch and realized it was past midnight, her birthday.
Twelve hours later, at the Yu family villa.
The tightly closed guest room was indeed very soundproof. Du Pianjian put down his pipa and glanced at the clock; the second hand ticked silently. He opened the door and stepped out. He heard unfamiliar voices coming from the living room, so he turned and went to the corner of the stairs to peek down.
"Why are you cooking?" Shao Yuan took off his tie and watch, placed them neatly on the table, and rolled up his sleeves to go to the kitchen.
"Don't pretend you don't remember when you already know the answer." Yu Wangyue turned on the small TV and continued explaining how to make oil-splashed noodles, which had been paused. She stretched the dough according to the techniques shown in the video.
Shao Yuan stood outside the kitchen, watching Yu Wangyue busily bring out a bowl of noodles, before silently walking upstairs.
Du Pianjian hid back inside, and only came out again after guessing that everyone had left. She bumped into Yu Wangyue, who was holding a tie and a watch. Yu Wangyue smiled at Du Pianjian and casually asked, "Are you hungry? Do you want to have lunch?"
Du Pianjian shook his head.
Yu Wangyue said, "Shall we eat some fruit?"
Du Pianjian had already figured out this lady's temperament. If she refused again, the lady would ask if she wanted some snacks. Here, you could choose not to eat in the restaurant, not to eat with others, not to finish your meal, or even not to eat at all, but you had to eat.
Seeing Du Pianjian nod, Yu Wangyue said with satisfaction, "Then tell the housekeeper to bring you some seasonal fruit."
Yu Wangyue went upstairs, while Du Pianjian went down the stairs. Standing on the second floor and looking down, they saw a bowl of oil-splashed noodles on the dining table. The butler, having received Yu Wangyue's order, was walking towards the dining room when he looked up and saw Du Pianjian. He paused, then walked upstairs, handed him a letter, and explained that it was an urgent package.
Du Pianjian stared at the unsigned address, expressionlessly unwrapping it. Inside was a tri-folded letter with a photograph attached. The photograph showed the exterior of the room Du Pianjian was currently in; it was quite recent, taken yesterday.
The letter contained only one sentence: "A single note, why are you all alone?"
Du Pianjian crumpled the letter in his hand, tore it in two, returned to his room, opened the stained glass window, and stood by the window scanning the surroundings. The landscape appeared perfectly normal. He randomly pointed to a spot, his lips moving silently: "You're asking for it."
The next second, Du Pianjian slammed the window shut and drew the curtains, trying to calm herself down. Her phone flashed, and Du Pianjian, suppressing her anger, opened it. It was a message from Xu Bo: Did you receive it?
Du Pianjian unfolded the letter, took a picture, and sent it over with the note: This one?
A message popped up simultaneously from the other party, also a photo. It was just a scenic postcard. Then, worried he might have missed it, I took a picture and enlarged the postcard's serial number: O5406.
Xu Bo: I didn't receive this.
Du Pianjian replied with an image: None
Xu Bo: It's a preview.
Du Pianjian hovered her finger over the phone, typing out each word carefully: It's our turn.
The message was sent, and the phone was thrown onto the bed. The pattern in the middle of the curtains looked like two pairs of prying eyes. Du Pianjian stared at them, walked over to them, and pulled the curtains shut.
There was a knock on the door behind me; it was the housekeeper bringing up fruit.
Du Pianjian opened the door and greeted her with a smile: "I'd like to go downstairs to eat."
The butler obeyed and followed Du Pianjian. When he reached the bottom of the stairs and saw the empty dining table, he slowly stopped. Then, without looking away, he walked downstairs, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
The butler placed the fruit platter on the table, and Du Pianjian asked in a cool tone, "Where's the noodles?"
The butler replied respectfully, "Young Master has eaten."
Du Pianjian raised an eyebrow: "Yu Zou has returned?"
"Yes, but the young master seemed very busy. He only exchanged a few words with the madam before leaving."
The banquet lasted for a whole day and night. When the day finally came to an end and midnight finally passed, Yu Zou returned home reeking of alcohol.
Only a few nightlights were on in the house; everyone must have gone to sleep. Yu Zou tiptoed along, and as he stepped onto the stairs with his left foot, perhaps due to the alcohol, he was momentarily transported back to his childhood.
Only when everything is silent can one have time to reminisce. Yu Zou mocked himself, wondering why he was thinking about such useless things, and walked back to his room without stopping for a moment.
Pushing open the door, the moonlight was bright. Du Pianjian was sitting by the window, holding a pipa. Hearing the sound, she turned around. Her clothes accentuated her slender waist yet showed strength. A few strands of hair fell to the side of her neck. Under the moonlight, she looked like an ancient person.
"You're finally back."
Yu Zou was surprised to see Du Pianjian waiting there and felt apologetic. He was about to explain when he was interrupted. Du Pianjian tuned her pipa and commanded without room for argument, "Sit down."
Yu Zou draped his coat over the chair, dragging it a meter away from Du Pianjian, then sat back down, resting his arms on the back of the chair, tilting his head back and looking at Du Pianjian.
Du Pianjian pressed his fingers on the strings, paused, and looked at Yu Zou.
Yu Zou smiled, his voice tinged with drunkenness: "My room is very soundproof."
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