Chapter 24
There was a very crisp "pop" sound.
Shan Li's hand was slapped away, frozen in mid-air. Pei Huai used his finger bones, which was considered to be giving the host enough face.
Her gaze then fell on his face, terribly cold and stern: "I don't think the relationship between you and me has reached this point yet."
——What is the probability of a coincidence like this?
The man before him had visited his brother's home a few days before his death. He said he had only come to exchange business cards. This was one of his doubts.
Secondly, a new report from the legal department shows that it was the company under Shan Li's name that manipulated the Bangkok hotel to accept the commission, resulting in the death of the target.
Third.
He is approaching himself. He is approaching himself purposefully, in the name of pursuit.
Pei Huai gradually formed a rough outline of the incident in his mind. He remained calm, pulled out a pen from his jacket pocket, and skillfully turned it half a circle.
The reason why this man approached me was definitely not simple.
The host quickly expressed understanding for his resistance. He raised his hands and apologized, "It seems I may have offended you slightly. Mr. Pei, I just thought your expression was a little off. I thought something had happened."
Pei Huai stopped responding and leaned against the window, hugging his elbows. There was a moment of silence as the car descended the slope and entered a tunnel.
The Bentley's performance was excellent: stable and comfortable, with no sign of gear slipping even on the slopes. At this moment, the window was nearly completely dark, reflecting only the hazy profile of his face.
The traffic moved on. The light from the indicator lights filtered diagonally into the car, casting a dim light on the shallow grooves of his upper eyelids. Pei Huai's eyes were sharply shaped, with strong contours. The two arches beneath his brows alone were enough to break the three-dimensional effect of his features.
It was a very aggressive face, but he could only describe it as "good-looking".
"Has anyone ever said that?" Shan Li realized he had slipped up when he uttered a hoarse voice. He had no choice but to make the best of it. "You really are... very attractive."
Pei Huai raised his head and cracked the brush with a click. His lacquer-black eyes shone startlingly bright in the dim light.
"So?" he asked. "You like it?"
-
It took nearly an hour to drive to the scene.
Entering the hall, Pei Huai took a quick look around, realizing that the so-called music performance was essentially a business evening for local celebrities. As he walked through the hall with his arm around her, he glanced around for a moment and recognized some of the faces: It wasn't hard; most of them would appear on television and in commercials.
According to Shan Li, the list of invited guests includes philanthropists, big names in finance and entertainment, etc.
Although the former didn't take the opportunity to boast, Pei Huai still understood his intentions during their subsequent interactions. Among these big names, Shan Li was placed in a very high position, and those who were watching gathered around him whenever they had the chance.
The conversation consisted of nothing more than compliments and congratulations, the words repeated to the point of being boring. After the pleasantries were over, they all expressed their curiosity towards Pei Huai.
Especially after meeting his eyes, the so-called "curiosity" became even more eager. Some people mustered up the courage to come over and eagerly call him brother.
The topic gradually jumped from his relationship with Shan Li to his favorite musical style.
Pei Huai didn't want to give them positive feedback, so he lazily said hello and shifted his gaze to the giant screen poster. However, these men and women rushed to his ear and surrounded him.
The questions turned personal. They talked about his hair color, some saying it looked like cream, others like the coat of a white horse; they talked about his eye sockets, praising his high nose bone and how it looked deep when the shadows fell; they also asked about his clothing preferences, and so on and so forth.
"This gentleman is very important to me. Please give him some privacy." Shan Li raised his hand to refuse. He politely and gentlemanly put his arm around Pei Huai's shoulders, asking him with his eyes if he wanted to continue chatting with these people.
Pei Huai waved his hand in refusal. Everyone's enthusiasm was immediately dissipated by one or two excuses.
Arriving at the lobby, Shan Li turned around and glanced at the empty corridor. He let go of his hands and smiled apologetically at him, saying, "Mr. Pei, the situation just now was my fault. I should have reminded you before the performance started."
"No need." Pei Huai's eyes swept over him, "I'm not so noble that I need protection in everything."
The man stared at his face closely for a moment and chuckled softly: "Maybe I'm just wishful thinking?"
"……what ever."
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, the entrance to the performance hall finally opened.
Before entering, Pei Huai mentioned it casually: "I remember you also have a younger brother. A cousin." He wanted to see Shan Li's reaction when he heard the word "brother" - if this person was really related to Yu Mingrui's death.
The person answering was stunned for a moment, but unfortunately, his expression was hard to discern in the silence of the hall. "Speaking of him, I almost forgot to tell you he was safe. Mr. Pei probably didn't even look at the list of those rescued at that time. My brother was indeed on the list."
"Congratulations."
"There's nothing to congratulate. He and I both underwent trauma treatment for a period of time, and our conditions have improved a lot. Coincidentally, the child is the same age as your brother this year." The footsteps behind him didn't stop. A hand also lightly supported Pei Huai's waist and led him to the seat. "It's just that he became quite distant from me after he was discharged from the hospital. My father also removed him from the family roster a long time ago."
Pei Huai didn't say anything.
As the lights dimmed, a man in a tuxedo and a curly beard stepped into the light and sat down at a piano. Pei Huai didn't know much about piano music, but he knew the keys rose and fell, the music moving in sync with the beat, the melody shifting from a flat track to an impassioned and exuberant power, and then to a long, sustained passage.
After the last syllable, Pei Huai was about to lean back when he felt something warm touch his wrist. He tried to shake it off, but the slightly rough hand suddenly grasped his fingertips and rubbed them tenderly.
"Your hands are a little cold." Shan Li lowered his voice and leaned close to his ear, "Are you busy lately?"
After the seventh section ended, Pei Huai went to the bathroom alone to wash his hands.
He didn't understand what Shan Li wanted, nor did he understand how this ambiguous gesture could possibly satisfy him. Leaning over the basin, he washed his wrists, his base of the palm, and other parts of his body. He rubbed the white tea-scented hand soap down his palms, then wiped them with a tissue.
It was clear that Shan Li's sincerity was genuine, but it was by no means pure. He was a threat that must be guarded against.
Knock, knock. Knock, knock. Pei Huai looked towards the southwest corner alertly.
The muffled sound came from the window. Apparently, someone was knocking on it.
He took a piece of paper and wiped the water stains on his arm as if nothing had happened. He turned to leave. At this moment, a series of intermittent cries in a mixture of Chinese and English drifted from outside the building: "Brother, Help, SOS, save me——"
Pei Huai's eyelids twitched. He walked over, opened the window a little, and looked down.
At this moment, a pair of hands, with their fingertips turned white from exertion, were swaying precariously by the window.
His gaze swept down along his trembling forearm, and he saw Xiang Mingqi clinging to the edge with both hands, whimpering and groaning. His legs, unable to find a fulcrum, hung in the air, kicking, his entire posture extremely dangerous.
“Brother!” He saw a familiar figure appear at the window, and he opened his eyes wide and looked over pitifully. “Hurry, hurry up and help me! Help me!”
Pei Huai leaned forward and looked around downstairs, but didn't reach out: "This is the second floor. The air conditioner is right under your feet."
"But wow, I'm going to fall! My 22-year-old life is going to be ruined here. No, I can't hold on." Thinking that Pei Huai really was going to watch him die without helping, he cried anxiously, "—Help me, brother!"
The former's ears stung from his yelling, and he sighed and dragged him into the house. Once the crisis was over, Pei Huai twisted the sand on his fingertips with disgust and went to wash his hands again.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked while washing.
"The company has an urgent commission, and the boss asked me to come find you right away. I only know that you were scammed by that 24-year-old man who pretends to be 44, but I don't know your location. I had to navigate to each house one by one. Uh, look, my phone is out of battery."
"And, they wouldn't let me in because I didn't have a ticket, so I asked the guard which floor the performance hall was on, and climbed up through the window when no one was around." Xiang Mingqi jumped up from the ground, brushed off the dust on his clothes, opened his arms and pounced on him, "Brother, I almost died, but luckily you saved me. You must be a fairy."
Pei Huai didn't want to pay attention to him. He was reaching under the dryer when he was suddenly tackled from behind with a huge bear hug and thrown to the ground. Xiang Mingqi placed his hand on the back of his head and buried his head in his shoulder, rubbing it against his chest. He was so excited that he let out a series of ghostly howls from time to time.
"Uh woo woo brother brother good brother!"
"...Are you a hooligan?" Pei Huai couldn't bear it anymore and slapped him, then pushed the confused junior away from him - he straightened the wrinkled hem of his clothes and got back on track.
The company informed Xiang Mingqi that the commission was concise and to the point: go to the coordinates to conduct an investigation. However, the Bangkok Hotel would not send the coordinates to the newcomer until his credit rating met the requirements.
Pei Huai quickly received the attachment.
The coordinates of the operation were located in the city. This was likely the address where the insider had last spoken with Jingshan Real Estate Company. Pei Huai didn't say much, but simply edited the attachment and sent it to Xiang Mingqi, asking him to review it himself.
His previous speculation was correct. With the legal department's support, the general outline of the matter emerged: Jingshan Real Estate Company hired the financial officer at a high price, exploited his position to embezzle funds, and then went to great lengths to destroy the evidence.
It is still uncertain what impact this company will have on Bangkok hotels, but in short, they cannot sit idly by.
Xiang Mingqi had no doubts and started clapping after hearing this: "So our company is involved in a major loan dispute? Oh my god, brother, were you collaborating with the enemy or stealing information?"
Pei Huai, who was dragged into the topic, glared at him in confusion.
"It was an accident. Do you believe it?"
"I believe it." The former nodded vigorously, "Brother, you are a fairy, I believe everything you say."
Sick. Pei Huai turned his attention to the mirror, pondering his next move. Perhaps because he had spent too long in the restroom, he heard the sound of footsteps in the corridor—directly towards them.
A voice knocked on the door a few times, asked Pei Huai's name and after getting a response, he asked again: "Mr. Pei, are you feeling unwell? Is there anything I can do for you?" Hearing the mellow texture of the voice, it was not difficult to associate it with Shan Li's name.
Shan Li knocked on the door several times, and when no one answered, he waited outside politely. But when he heard complete silence from inside, he hesitated for a moment before finally pushing the door open and entering.
"Mr. Pei——"
The hand that reached in through the gap was caught.
As if waiting for this moment, Pei Huai dragged him towards him. His force was so incredible that Shan Li stumbled and almost fell on his shoulder.
Her eyes swept across his face, but they were so sharp that they seemed to pierce through his chest.
His heart pounded against his chest, forcing Shan Li to swallow.
This face was more than just handsome. He was born with a striking appearance, especially the lines of his eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips. The more he defined them, the more he exuded a special calmness—one that made him unable to think and his chest ached with fear.
His hand was firmly grasped by Pei Huai, making it difficult for him to focus his vision. However, if he moved even slightly, his gaze would be involuntarily fixed on the waist of the person in front of him—a waist loosely supported by an arm.
Looking over his shoulder, his gaze suddenly met a pair of hyena-like eyes, greedily and bluntly revealing a desire for possession. Xiang Mingqi stared at him, his expression unprecedentedly cold.
Shan Li chuckled softly and ignored his provocation.
"You two." Pei Huai raised his hand, pinched Xiang Mingqi's chin and pulled it towards him, and said in a calm tone, "Who has a cigarette?"
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