9:30 a.m., in the conference room.
Fu Xuanliao looked at the solemn-looking attendees sitting around the long table, his heart unmoved. He only hoped that this shareholders' meeting would not last too long; he would rather go to Heting for some peace and quiet than waste this time.
However, the main character was slow to arrive, and the meeting couldn't proceed. Several restless people got up and went outside. Peeking through the half-open door, they saw two people in the smoking room lighting cigarettes for each other, chatting about something. They seemed a little relaxed, taking a few deep drags before holding the cigarettes between their fingers, the swirling smoke blurring their vision.
Suddenly, Fu Xuanliao remembered that Shi Meng used to smoke.
His posture, however, was far more elegant than theirs. It was unclear who he had learned it from, but Shi Meng's movements when lighting a cigarette were slow and deliberate. His gaze was slightly lowered as he waited for the sparks to gather and the tobacco to burn into wisps of smoke. He would not smoke it immediately, but instead rest his arm on the window, his wrist dangling, the cigarette between his fingers seemingly about to fall.
Only then would he bring the shortened tobacco stick to his lips, slightly part his lips to press the filter, and exhale very faint smoke, as if standing on a distant deserted island, with a thin veil separating him from his surroundings.
Perhaps he was born this way, lonely and isolated, out of step with the world.
To put it bluntly, it's indifference; a disdain and apathy for the people and things around him. Remembering how Meng had casually uttered the word "death" last night, Fu Xuanliao clenched his fists, finding it hard not to be angered by his contempt for life.
He not only despised his own life, but also looked down on others'. Death seemed to be an interesting thing to him. His heart was so hard that even when he looked at me with watery eyes, he was not repenting for the mistakes he had made.
Shi Meng's liking is a desire for control and a possessive, domineering nature.
No one can bear such affection.
Therefore, Fu Xuanliao's appearance here was to teach him a lesson. In addition, once Li Bihan and Shi Sihui regained their 10% stake and gained more influence, they could take the opportunity to ask them for help in terminating the contract.
Helping them is helping myself, Fu Xuanliao convinced himself to sit down.
Five minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin, Shi Huaiyi and his mother and daughter arrived late.
Shi Huai also looked displeased, and before even sitting down, he asked where Shi Meng was.
“He won’t understand even if he comes. We’ll just tell him the result later,” Shi Sihui said, helping her mother, Li Bihan, to sit down.
Yesterday was the anniversary of Shi Mu's death. Li Bihan cried until she fainted in front of the grave in the rain. She could only rest for one night before rushing to attend this heated meeting. From the whispers around him, Fu Xuanliao could tell that most of the people present were originally on Li Bihan's side. Now, seeing her so haggard yet still insisting on attending, they felt even more sympathy for her.
When their eyes met, Li Bihan nodded to Fu Xuanliao, sending a distant greeting.
Just before the show was about to start, Shi Sihui received a phone call. After hanging up, she went around to Fu Xuanliao's side and said in a low voice, "I have something to take care of. I'll be leaving for a while. Could you please take care of my mother for me?"
Although he wondered what could be more important at this crucial moment, it wasn't something Fu Xuanliao should concern himself with, so he agreed.
"Thank you." Shi Sihui smiled and said quite easily, "I'll give you a big gift after this is over."
The meeting started promptly at 10:00 AM.
At the same time, on the other side, Shi Meng slowly opened his eyes. The moment he regained control of his body, he could tell from the darkness and the tight restraint that his eyes were covered with cloth and his hands and feet were bound with rope.
He lay on his side, struggled a few times to no avail, then gave up and instead pricked up his ears, trying to judge the situation by sound.
The ground beneath him was icy cold; he reached out and rubbed his fingers against it, finding it to feel like concrete. Shi Meng also used the light-blocking effect of the blindfold to confirm that the warehouse-like place had its doors and windows tightly shut and wasn't very large, because he could hear footsteps and conversations outside the door if he held his breath.
There were at least three people, one of whom was on the phone. Unfortunately, he was too far away to hear clearly, but he could vaguely catch a few keywords: "not awake yet," "what to do," and "come quickly." Shi Meng breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it seemed to be a spur-of-the-moment decision.
The leader of this group must be someone of great importance, daring to collude with the receptionist and security guards to take action in the group's headquarters building.
That's all I can say. The Shi family is a powerful and influential family with deep roots in Fengcheng. They have many relatives and enemies, and it's hard to guarantee that there aren't any relatives who are envious of the Shi family's daily wealth. It's common for them to engage in underhanded tactics behind the scenes.
However, Shi Meng considered himself to be just an insignificant member of the Shi family. He did not participate in company decisions and voluntarily gave up his inheritance rights. Why would they go to such lengths to kidnap him?
No, it still has some value.
Shi Meng recalled the 10% stake he owned. When Shi Huaiyi transferred the shares to him, the reason given was "to provide you with protection." Although Shi Meng had never cared about these profits, given the Shi family's growth momentum, it seemed like a lucrative opportunity, at least attractive enough to the group's existing shareholders.
It is highly likely that the people who kidnapped him were after this share of equity. When they saw him arrive at the group's building, they assumed he was going to do something to harm their interests, so they hastily kidnapped him first.
The person who can have so many informants in the huge Shi family headquarters building and control the lower-level staff for their own use must be someone of extraordinary status.
Just as a guess was rapidly forming in his mind and about to be made, Shi Meng heard a loud bang as the iron door of the warehouse opened from the outside.
As the eldest daughter of the Shi family, Shi Sihui had never been to such a remote and dirty place before. Upon entering, she frowned at the musty smell that hit her face. Even when her subordinates brought her a chair, she couldn't bear to sit down, afraid of getting her clothes dirty.
However, upon seeing the person bound hand and foot and thrown on the ground like trash, Shi Sihui's expression relaxed, and she even revealed a smug smile.
She had been waiting for this day for a long time. Previously, her mother couldn't bring herself to deal with this bastard child, and she didn't have enough say in the Shi family, so she could only pretend to be a good daughter and a good sister, secretly waiting for the right opportunity.
Now that the time is ripe, it's like a person who has endured humiliation and hardship finally getting a chance to turn the tables. Shi Sihui felt delighted. She could have left this matter entirely to her subordinates, but she insisted on coming to witness it firsthand, to see the person she had hated for so many years fall from grace.
She hadn't intended to speak up, to avoid giving anyone leverage, and even less to get her hands dirty. But the blindfolded person on the ground listened silently for a while, then suddenly spoke, "Shi Sihui."
Shi Sihui, whose name was called, was stunned and subconsciously gasped.
This made Shi Meng even more certain of his judgment, and he smiled slightly: "It really was you."
After a moment of panic, Shi Sihui quickly calmed down.
Now that it was already known, there was no need to hide it anymore. She dragged over a chair that her subordinates had wiped clean, sat down less than two meters away from Shi Meng, crossed her legs, and looked down at the person who was crawling on the ground like an ant: "Tell me, who notified you that there would be a shareholders' meeting today?"
Shi Sihui's question undoubtedly confirmed Shi Meng's guess. Thinking about how the shares he had almost forgotten were still being so concerned about by his so-called family, Shi Meng chuckled again.
When he provoked her, Shi Sihui signaled to the security guard next to her to take action.
A heavy kick landed on Shi Meng's chest, sending him rolling backward half a meter before he fell flat on his back.
"Keep laughing!" Shi Sihui snapped angrily. "Let's see how long you can keep laughing!"
Shi Meng, who had never known the meaning of following rules, burst into laughter, even though his voice was hoarse and the pain in his chest made him cough incessantly.
Perhaps because she usually keeps to herself and ignores everyone, Shi Meng's smile stunned Shi Sihui.
She stood up, intending to observe whether this person had really gone mad as she stepped forward. She nudged his arm with her toe, but was startled by Shi Meng's sudden jump and retreated repeatedly.
"You're a madman! You're a madman!"
Shi Sihui was furious and signaled to the security guard again to teach him a lesson.
Shi Meng was pulled up from the ground by his shirt, and a hail of fists rained down on him without restraint. Along with the muffled sound of the blows came the pain of his flesh being crushed.
But Shi Meng was exceptionally good at enduring pain, suppressing even muffled groans in his throat. Shi Sihui, fearing things might escalate, urgently asked, "Will you talk or not?"
Shi Meng was beaten so badly that he rolled over again, coughing up a mouthful of bloody saliva face down.
He still found it ridiculous, and thought the whole thing was absurd and illogical.
He provoked Shi Sihui again: "Guess."
Eager for an answer, Shi Sihui guessed correctly: "Is it Shi Huaiyi?" But she immediately dismissed the assumption, "The old man only knows how to prioritize peace and keep the peace, so it shouldn't be him."
Shi Meng gasped for breath, neither admitting nor denying it.
"Is that Fu Xuanliao?"
Upon hearing the name, Shi Meng stirred slightly.
Seeing his special treatment of Fu Xuanliao, Shi Sihui squatted down with determination, approached Shi Meng, and pinched his weak spot, saying, "It's a pity it can't be him. He's in the conference room on the top floor of the group right now, helping my mother take back the shares in your hands."
Shi Meng's body trembled again, and she slowly raised her head. Because her eyes were covered, she could only look blankly at the source of the sound and opened her mouth meaninglessly.
"You don't believe me?" Shi Sihui took out her phone and opened her contacts. "If you don't believe me, I'll have him tell you."
Fu Xuanliao received the call during halftime.
"How did the meeting go?" Shi Sihui asked on the phone.
"It went quite smoothly, pretty much as you expected," Fu Xuanliao said.
"That's good." Shi Sihui was in a good mood, her tone light and cheerful. "Thank you for your help this time."
Fu Xuanliao hummed in agreement, seemingly having nothing to say.
Shi Sihui changed the subject: "Does Shi Meng know about this?"
After a moment of silence, Fu Xuanliao said, "I don't know."
I thought you would tell him.
"Why should I tell him?" Fu Xuanliao retorted, his tone slightly agitated. "He brought this result upon himself."
“Yes,” Shi Sihui laughed. “He ruined so many people’s happiness, he deserved to end up like this.”
After hanging up the phone, Fu Xuanliao remained depressed for a long time.
Although he had convinced himself to stop worrying, Fu Xuanliao found it hard to feel happy when he thought about Shi Meng's possible reaction after learning that his shares had been taken away.
Even so, he would never admit that his concern for Shi Meng stemmed from affection.
When two people spend a lot of time together, it's inevitable that some unseen ties will develop. Habit is a terrible thing; it erodes one's rationality, causing one to act out of conditioned reflexes and do things that one despises.
Like animals in a circus, they will repeatedly perform actions that they themselves do not understand in order to get a bite to eat.
Just leave it. With a period of abstinence, even the most deeply ingrained habits can be eradicated.
Thinking this, Fu Xuanliao breathed a sigh of relief and forced himself to stop thinking about that person.
I don't want to think about his injuries, or about him smoking alone.
I no longer think about whether he will cry or be sad.
Therefore, when Fu Xuanliao received Shi Meng's call an hour later, out of resistance, his subconscious reaction was to hang up.
Soon after, Shi Meng broke in again.
Even though his phone was on vibrate, the buzzing sound still drew frequent glances from the surrounding attendees. Fortunately, the meeting was nearing its end, and to avoid missing an important call, Fu Xuanliao chose to answer rather than turn off his phone. He stepped outside the meeting room and pressed the answer button.
As soon as the call connected, a barrage of ambient noise came from the other end. Fu Xuanliao frowned and asked, "Where are you?"
About half a minute later, a human voice came from the other end.
"It's raining." Shi Meng's voice was very soft, so faint that it was almost inaudible.
"Fu Xuanliao." He called his name, then repeated, "It's raining."
Looking out the window, I noticed the sky had darkened without me noticing, and the rain pouring down from the clouds like a silver river.
Fu Xuanliao watched for a while, then suddenly realized something: "Trying to trick me into going back again?"
After he finished speaking, he heard a few unusual breaths coming from the phone, heavy and strained, as if they were about to stop.
Her heart tightened, and she was about to ask him what was wrong when Shi Meng slowly spoke up, "Yeah." This time, his voice was laced with mockery, "That's all I'm good for."
Fu Xuanliao's heart, which had been pounding, calmed down. He was angered by this madman again, hating himself for always being unable to control his soft heart for him.
"Then don't wait any longer." Not wanting to be swayed by his emotions any longer, Fu Xuanliao suppressed all traces of gentleness and said coldly, "I won't go back."
Summer in Fengcheng is often rainy, with a sultry heat mixed with a touch of chilly desolation.
Shi Meng lay on the uneven cement ground outside the dilapidated warehouse, letting the rain wash over his face and body. The smell of rust filled the air with his breath, mingling with the salty rainwater, making him cough involuntarily.
He didn't want to cough; his ribs were probably broken, and even the slightest movement caused a sharp pain in his chest. Before leaving, Shi Sihui stomped hard on his right hand, saying that he had ruined the Shi family and everyone's happiness, and that he would have to pay the price.
It was at this moment that Shi Meng realized that the person who drugged Fu Xuanliao back then was indeed Shi Sihui. She glared at him with resentment and demanded, "Isn't Shi Mu enough? Why are you trying to take him from me too?"
The resentment that had been building up for years finally found an outlet, and incidentally, it also unraveled a corner of the mystery in Shi Meng's heart.
Unfortunately, he was unable to personally uncover the truth about the rest.
In a place unknown to anyone, his life was slipping away at an alarming rate, like sand slipping through his fingers, so fast that he felt a pang of fear and panic, yet was powerless to stop it.
Taking advantage of the moment when the restraints were loosened, Shi Meng struggled to reach for her phone in her pocket with her uninjured hand. Fearing she wouldn't have enough time, she didn't call the police or an ambulance, but instead used the last of her time to call 001 in her contacts.
He wanted to hear Fu Xuanliao's voice, afraid that he might never hear it again.
He also wanted to tell Fu Xuanliao that it was raining outside, but Mushroom didn't bring an umbrella.
Listening to the long beeping sound on the phone, Shi Meng even fantasized that she might be able to get a few warm words from Fu Xuanliao to ward off the cold.
But Fu Xuanliao was unaware of his predicament, and his words were piercing to the heart.
"Then..." Shi Meng tried to calm himself down so as not to appear disheveled, "Then, if I'm about to die, you can..."
He couldn't help but bring up the hypothesis, even before it was about to become a reality.
Perhaps annoyed by his threats of death, Fu Xuanliao did not take it seriously this time, thinking it was just another trick to lure him back.
"Shi Meng, haven't you made enough trouble yet?" Fu Xuanliao interrupted him, his voice devoid of any warmth. "Your life or death has nothing to do with me."
That means it's not allowed.
Even if he dies, he won't remember.
When Meng came to the conclusion, he felt a sense of relief and pleasure.
He cursed himself for pleasing himself and bringing it upon himself, while spreading his arms, throwing his phone aside, and staring wide-eyed at the sky that looked like a black hole.
It took a long time for the pain to slowly surface.
His body looked as if it had been smashed open with many holes, each gushing blood. So many wounds that he had ignored, soaked by the annoying rain, became infected, and were eaten away by maggots, forming a festering, hollow mess.
When the pain became unbearable, he would curl up and hug himself tightly.
He was like a pathetic worm deceiving himself, mistaking inferiority for arrogance, unable to back down, and never admitting defeat. Yet, in this remote and chaotic corner, he allowed pain to overwhelm all his senses, cowardly reacting to all the hurt he had experienced.
Realizing that the warm liquid flowing down her cheeks was tears, Shi Meng took a few deep breaths, opened her mouth, and cried out in a loud, empty place.
He never sheds a tear, no matter what happens. People around him gossip, but they just think he is cold-hearted.
But how can anyone not cry?
It's just not desperate enough.
In that last phone call, Shi Meng wanted to ask—I have nothing left now, all my armor has been removed, all my thorns have been pulled out, can you hug me? Just once.
His response was Fu Xuanliao's impatient attempt to distance himself, along with the increasingly biting cold rain.
Shi Meng gradually lost his strength.
He had no ability to heal himself. After crying, he felt even more empty inside, unable to find a way to fill the void. He felt so light that he floated away.
Not knowing where she was about to drift, Shi Meng thought, anywhere would be fine.
It's just an empty shell; it doesn't matter where it stays, right?
He slowly loosened his limbs, relaxed his body, and waited for a gust of wind after the storm to blow him to a faraway place where no one knew him.
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