Chapter 123 Make a Deal
The Bangs Consortium's suppression of the Song family became increasingly brutal, and they even joined forces with the Zhou and Shen families to set up a dragnet to hunt them down.
The elders on the board of directors were as anxious as ants on a hot pan. They tried many times to ask to see Pei Yuezhou, but were turned away every time.
With no other options left, they could only place their hopes on Song Yu, begging him to regain control of the center of power and turn the tide.
After all, Song Yu is not only the husband of the only daughter of the Shen family, but also has a close relationship with the leaders of the Zhou and Pei families.
He is a legitimate child.
With his intervention, perhaps the Song family's shaky foundation could be saved.
Couldn't they see that they were stepping into the trap carefully designed by Pei Yuezhou?
But at this point, they no longer have any choice. This is the only way to minimize the losses of the Song family.
At the board meeting, Song Chuhe listened to the high-sounding arguments of his subordinates with only a sneer in his heart, and even the disguised gentleness between his brows was about to break.
When the meeting was over, he could no longer suppress his anger. He kicked the chair beside him and growled through gritted teeth, "Pei Yuezhou!"
Even a rabbit will bite when it is cornered, let alone a ghost with a green face and fangs?
Song Chuhe's hands, hidden at his side, slowly clenched, his knuckles turning white: "Sister, he was the one who refused to leave me alive... Then don't blame me for being cruel..."
**
When Yu Zhi received the news and rushed to Song Nuan's apartment, she happened to see her for the last time.
At that time, Song Nuan was standing in front of the light blue door, with one foot slightly raised, about to step into the light curtain.
"What's going on? Has the mission been changed?" Yu Zhi stepped forward quickly, her tone full of anxiety.
Song Nuan turned to look at her, her voice calm and still: "It's not a replacement. The results of this round of tasks did not satisfy the higher-ups, so they added one last round for me."
Her eyes fell on the door with a clear time scale and a sense of weirdness, and the dusty memories in Yu Zhi's mind were suddenly awakened.
She had seen a similar door before, the only time being during the mission when she met Song Chuhe.
Her heart tightened, and she asked tentatively, "Do you know where the mission location is this time?"
"I guessed it." Facing Yu Zhi's surprised look, Song Nuan slowly said, "It's...an arbitrary timeline in this world."
Yu Zhi's throat tightened, and she could only utter two words: "Take care."
Song Nuan was about to take a step forward when Yu Zhi suddenly called her.
"etc!"
Seeing Song Nuan looking back in confusion, she clenched her fists and finally spoke out a cryptic reminder, "When you get there, don't try to interfere with anyone else's karma."
Retribution in reincarnation has its own destiny. Once you intervene, you will be retaliated against.
"good."
Song Nuan responded, and suddenly added, "If I can come back alive, then the little girl...maybe she will have a chance to come back too."
Yu Zhi was startled: "But you clearly said before..."
Song Nuan didn't explain any further.
The reason why she didn't tell the truth before was because even she herself didn't know how long she could last in this life of being on the edge of a knife.
There are too many unknown risks. Once she falls in the mission, those unfulfilled promises will only become blunt knives, bit by bit cutting the hearts of those she cares about.
No longer reluctant to linger, Song Nuan turned around and stepped into the light curtain of the portal.
A fierce white light suddenly lit up, and Yu Zhi subconsciously raised her hands to cover her eyes. When she put her hands down again, the door had disappeared without a trace, leaving only an empty room.
**
On the other side, Song Nuan was walking on the cobblestone garden path.
She held her breath, carefully avoided the black gardener who came to water the flowers, quietly walked out of the path, looked up, and found herself in a magnificent manor.
Just as Song Nuan was steadying herself against the carved pillars, she heard a flurry of footsteps.
She subconsciously shrank into the shadows and looked through the gap between the pillars. She saw three young men in servants' uniforms that were washed white, surrounding and pushing a thin figure.
The surrounded child was about twelve years old, and his body was as thin as a leaf that could be blown down by the wind at any time.
The most eye-catching thing is his appearance, with black hair and yellow skin, an oriental face that is out of place in this manor full of western faces.
His clothes were dirty and torn, with the cuffs and trouser legs much shorter. His exposed arms and calves were covered with layers of purple bruises, and even a few scabbed wounds could be seen, which were obviously the marks left by long-term bullying.
"Hey, you little bastard without a father, did you steal bread from the kitchen again today?" The tall boy in the lead was a mixed-race boy who spoke pure but malicious English and kicked the child on the knee.
The child staggered and knelt on the ground, his palms resting on the rough stone road, leaving several bloody marks.
He seemed not to feel the pain, but just bit his lower lip tightly and tried to get up without saying a word.
Another curly-haired boy immediately stepped forward, pressing his back and sneering, "Why are you pretending to be tough? Your mother committed adultery and gave birth to a little bastard like you? Now she's dead, leaving you, an unwanted creature, here to get in the way."
The black boy next to him went even further. He put his foot on his back, his hands on his hips, and stared down at him, "Get down here and admit your mistake! Otherwise, I'll show you what it's like to be thrown into the stable today."
Song Nuan hid behind the corridor pillar, her fingertips unconsciously clenched the corner of her clothes.
She didn't expect to encounter such a thing as soon as she entered the manor, and she didn't expect to see a child with an oriental face here.
She raised her eyes quietly, and happened to meet the child's gaze.
His eyes were dark, like obsidian covered in dust. They lacked the brightness of his peers, only a numbness that was inconsistent with his age.
But at that moment, Song Nuan clearly saw that the child's gaze paused in the direction where she was hiding, and then moved away, as if he saw nothing.
Seeing that he refused to bow his head, the tall young man in the lead became extremely angry and raised his hand to slap him in the face.
Song Nuan frowned slightly, but forced herself to suppress the emotion that shouldn't have been there.
But the child suddenly dodged to the side, and although he was still slapped on the side of the face, the other party did not succeed.
"Still dare to hide?"
The tall boy became even angrier and was about to strike again when he heard the maid's shout from a distance, "What are you doing here? The master's car is almost at the door!"
The three teenagers' expressions changed. They glared at the kid fiercely and ran away cursing: "You're lucky. We'll deal with you next time."
The footsteps gradually faded away, and the garden finally returned to silence.
The child was still kneeling on the ground. After a long time, he slowly raised his head and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.
The side of his face was badly red and swollen, and the corners of his mouth were broken and bleeding, but he still didn't cry. He just slowly supported himself on the ground and stood up bit by bit.
Song Nuan then walked out from behind the porch pillar. The sound of her leather shoes stepping on the stone pavement made the child's body stiffen almost imperceptibly.
She walked up to him and looked at his scarred hands and numb eyes.
"Why didn't you expose me just now?" Song Nuan's voice was very soft, with a hint of subtle complexity.
She knew very well that the child had clearly seen her just now. If he had shouted, she would probably have been discovered by the people in the manor.
The child raised his head and his eyes fell on her.
His eyes remained calm as he stared at her in silence for a few seconds before asking in awkward but clear Chinese, "Are you here to steal something?"
Song Nuan was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect him to ask this.
She squatted down, looked at him at eye level, and asked, "What do you think?"
The child did not answer, but lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the toes of his worn shoes, and said in a low voice: "The master of the house will be back soon, you should leave as soon as possible."
After saying that, he turned around, dragged his unsteady legs, and limped towards the back of the manor.
It looked like a side yard where servants lived, and the low houses formed a sharp contrast with the grandeur of the main house.
Looking at his thin back, Song Nuan suddenly called out to him, "Wait."
The child paused, but did not look back.
"What's your name?" Song Nuan asked.
After a few seconds, he slowly turned around, his eyes still expressionless. He just said calmly, "I don't have a name. They all call me Xiao Zhuo."
"Oh, so that's it..." Song Nuan looked at him, her hand subconsciously moving to her waist and touching the handle of the gun.
This mission is not just about your own life, you must be extremely cautious.
Now that he has seen me, I might become a hidden danger.
The other party hasn't exposed me now, but what about later?
Song Nuan didn't dare to gamble on human nature.
The boy suddenly turned around and said, "Don't go through the east gate, you'll run into them."
Song Nuan felt even more complicated. After hesitating for a long time, she finally let go of the hand holding the silencer.
She caught up with the little boy.
"I want to make a deal with you."
Xiao Zhuo's eyes finally showed a slight fluctuation. He raised his head and looked at Song Nuan in confusion.
"I need to hide in this manor for a week," Song Nuan lowered her voice, "During this time, keep your mouth shut about me and pretend you've never seen me."
She paused, looked at Xiao Zhuo's still numb eyes, and added: "In a week, as long as I can complete my task successfully, I will help you leave here and you will never have to endure your current life again."
These words were like a stone thrown into stagnant water, and a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in Xiao Zhuo's eyes.
The light was very faint, but it was real, like stars in the dark night, illuminating the numbness in his eyes.
He stared into Song Nuan's eyes, as if judging whether what she said was true. His lips moved, but he never spoke.
Song Nuan didn't urge him, but just waited quietly.
She knew that for a child who had lived in darkness for a long time, such a promise might be too far-fetched, or even like a scam.
After a long while, Xiao Zhuo nodded slightly.
"Okay, I promise."
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