Chapter 33 Don’t get close to men or you will become unhappy!
On the day of the beginning of winter, Gao Xing received a call from the Starship staff, saying that there would be an IP investment promotion conference that Saturday and invited her to attend the award ceremony.
Shi Yunran's father was critically ill some time ago. Although he was eventually revived, his condition is worse than before. At this critical juncture, Gao Xing dared not slack off at work. He said he really couldn't take leave that week and asked the staff member if he could not go.
Unexpectedly, the staff member had a very tough attitude, saying that the contract stipulated that the IP author must cooperate with the promotion of the work. If she did not go, it would be a breach of contract and Starship had the right to pursue responsibility.
This was exactly the same explanation given by the manager of the resort who asked her to sign the agreement. Gao Xing had no choice but to agree and started looking for colleagues to swap shifts with her.
When I got home that night and took out the contract, I was shocked. Bullshit! There was no such thing!
But her shifts have been changed, so she will just sleep at home if she doesn't go.
Forget it, just go.
On the day of the IP Investment Promotion Conference, after signing in and entering the venue, Gao Xing went straight to the staff to get a gift. Just as I approached the booth, I heard Ji Nian calling me.
She knew that Jinian would also be here today. They had talked about it before coming. Jinian was here to learn from his seniors.
"Do you know what award you are going to win today?" Jin Yi couldn't help but give her a spoiler as soon as he saw her.
"Ah? I still have a prize?" Gao Xing was confused. The staff only asked her to attend on time but did not tell her that there was a prize.
"I knew you didn't know!" Ji Nian happily shared the news he had gathered with her. "Even though the awards ceremony later on is just about handing out pork, the prize money is real. You should be winning the Best Newcomer Award, and the prize money seems to be... five thousand?"
"Five thousand?" Gao Xing was surprised.
It was definitely worth it to change my shift, otherwise I would have lost a month's salary! Fortunately, she came.
The two chatted as they walked backstage. Just as they were looking down at the name tags on the seats to find their seats, two tall and graceful figures came towards them.
Today, Zhou Jinkai wore a snug black suit, a formal white shirt, a bow tie, and a neatly cropped haircut. Only the hoop earring in his left ear remained, a faint reminder of his old style.
Seeing them, Zhou Jinkai nodded politely without saying anything.
Qian Chuan, standing next to him, wore a navy blue suit with a matching tie. His muscular frame held the fabric in place, and at first glance, he looked energetic. But for some reason, when Ji Nian glanced up at him, he seemed to be sweating with guilt.
After they left, Gao Xing heard Ji Nian swearing through gritted teeth, "Scumbag!"
Gao Xing wasn't a gossiper, nor was she particularly curious about other people's private affairs, so she just brushed her nose and pretended not to hear. But Jin Yi, on the other hand, couldn't hold it back, and after finding a seat, he started ranting at her.
"I'm telling you, don't get close to men, you'll become unhappy!"
Like a woman who has given up all love, she leaned back in her chair with her arms folded, sneering, "A man who doesn't spend money definitely doesn't love you, but a man who does doesn't necessarily love you either! He might be even more cunning! Even more hateful! Even more outrageous! He'll corrupt you with his sugar-coated tactics first, then reveal his ugly face, and finally make you realize you're just a stepping stone on his way to higher positions!"
Ji Nian clasped Gao Xing's shoulders with both hands and said, "Tell me, shouldn't a man like that be shot?"
Gao Xing was held captive by her, and could only shrink his neck and reveal an awkward but polite smile: "..."
On the other side of the venue, Qian Chuan couldn't help but complain to Zhou Jinkai as soon as he sat down: "What a narrow road for enemies to cross. This venue is so big, how come I ran into her?"
"What bad things have you done again?" Zhou Jinkai glanced at him.
Qian Chuan felt so wronged, "I feel guilty? What guilt do I feel? I have a clear conscience, okay? I just wanted to ask her about Xie Xunwen's news, and she said her best friend was Xie Xunwen's girlfriend, so I asked her to push her best friend to me. Isn't that normal? But she ended up blocking me!"
"Are you sure you are asking this in a normal way?" Zhou Jinkai glanced sideways, ruthlessly exposing his intentions.
Qian Chuan stammered, "...If I don't use some tricks, will people trust me to introduce me?"
"So, you deserve it."
Qian Chuan pointed at himself in shock. "I deserve this? Big Brother, why don't you figure out who I'm trying to curry favor with? If it weren't for your invitation, would I have sacrificed myself like this?"
Speaking of the invitation letter, Zhou Jinkai narrowed his eyes and said, "You don't have to worry about this matter."
Ever since learning about the auction, Qian Chuan had been busy and hustling for it. Unexpectedly, Zhou Jin suddenly told him to stop worrying about it during the meeting. He immediately realized something and asked, "Do you have any idea?"
Zhou Jinkai raised his head slightly and said, "I guess so."
The investment promotion conference started soon, and the previous procedures were carried out step by step. Except for the Starship staff and the manufacturers who came to seek cooperation, everyone else only needed to watch and applaud from the audience.
Soon, it was time for the awards ceremony.
The staff member bent down and walked up to Gao Xing, telling her that the award would be hers soon and asked her to go backstage and wait first.
She then followed the staff to the stage, expecting it to be her turn soon. However, after waiting for nearly half an hour, the host still hadn't called her name.
She was a little unsteady on her feet, and she used her left and right legs alternately to save energy. She wanted to find the staff to ask what was going on, but all she got was the same old words like "wait a little longer" and "it will be soon."
Meanwhile, outside the venue, Xu Jiakai arrived late. Xinghai staff immediately informed everyone inside via the intercom when they learned of his arrival.
Just when Gao Xing was thinking about saying, "Why don't I go back to my seat and sit for a while, and then come over when it's my turn," a staff member came over, grabbed her arm, and slid her in front of the other people waiting for the awards, saying that she was the next one.
Happy:"???"
Is it so careless?
It was not until Gao Xing stood on the podium and heard the host call out the name of the award presenter that she realized the person who was going to present the award to her was actually Xu Jiakai!
Under the strong light, she glanced sideways at Xu Jiakai in this time and space walking towards her. His pure black leather shoes made a dull sound on the makeshift stage carpet. He held a transparent crystal trophy in his hand, and the crystal solid reflected a cold light.
He walked over slowly, his tall figure looming over Gao Xing, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he was examining something, staring at every subtle change in her expression without blinking.
Compared to Xu Jiakai ten years ago, he exudes an even stronger sense of oppression, with a chilling aggression.
A trace of surprise flashed across Gao Xing's face, but only for a moment, and then she looked away.
Xu Jiakai's fingertips unconsciously tapped the base of the trophy. He looked directly into Gao Xing's eyes, deliberately slowing down his award presentation and saying, "Hello, I'm Xu Jiakai."
Zhang Wei once said that new memories created by the overlap of time and space would manifest in dreams. So, if she had seen Xu Jiakai in Villa No. 1 that day, would he have also had new memories? If so, was what happened today intentional?
Confused guesses flashed through Gao Xing's mind. She didn't hide, but looked him in the eye and replied, "Hello, Mr. Xu."
Compared with the award ceremonies of the previous groups, the speed of the award ceremony of this group on the stage seemed to be much slower. It was just a Best Potential Newcomer award, just an appetizer for the main award later. How could it be finished on time if it dragged on like this?
In the audience, when Qian Chuan saw Xu Jiakai, his first reaction was to his gossip. He couldn't help but chatter, "I didn't expect the famous Xu Jiakai to attend this kind of investment conference. I've never seen anything like this before! I guess he's here to support his wife. After all, isn't that what rich people do? As long as the wife survives, the others will eventually become concubines!"
Zhou Jinkai glanced speechlessly at Qian Chuan, who was about to start a palace drama. It was a waste of his talent to be an agent with his gossipy nature. He should be a screenwriter.
"But... do you feel like they seem to know each other?" Qian Chuan leaned close to Zhou Jinkai's ear and whispered.
Even a thick-skinned person like Qian Chuan noticed it, so how could those shrewd people in the audience not sense it? The host still hadn't come out to urge the process, so it was hard to say whether it wasn't a tacit understanding.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jinkai looked at Gao Xing on the stage with a little worry.
Under the spotlight, Xu Jiakai didn't hear the expected answer. He smiled politely, as if he was just a guest who happened to be presenting the award, and said, "Congratulations."
Gao Xing took it with both hands and said calmly, "Thank you."
After taking a group photo on the stage, Gao Xing followed Xu Jiakai off the stage.
Gao Xing had no evidence and no plan to investigate whether Xu Jiakai was the murderer. But she knew that if she wanted to uncover the truth, she had to focus on her own time and space. Whether he had done it or not, the 32-year-old Xu Jiakai would know the truth best.
"Mr. Xu!"
As soon as he got off the stage, Gao Xing called him and walked up to him quickly.
Xu Jiakai turned around when he heard the voice. There was no impatience on his face at being disturbed. Instead, he stopped and waited for her next words with some anticipation.
"Mr. Xu, I'm sorry to bother you. Can I take up a minute of your time?" she asked politely.
"You say." Xu Jiakai looked at her.
"Mr. Xu, I am the current resident of Villa No. 1 in Mingjing Lake Resort. I heard from Teacher Shi that you were friends with the previous owner of the villa?" Gao Xing asked tentatively.
Xu Jiakai didn’t expect that she actually asked about Shen Xingjian.
Just now on the stage, he was not quite sure whether the woman before him and the woman in his dream were similar except for their names. But now, this intuition was deepened, and he did not believe that all this was just a coincidence.
Xu Jiakai didn't answer her immediately. Instead, he frowned slightly and pretended to be confused: "Why are you asking this?"
Gao Xing then remembered that he hadn't explained the whole thing, so he pieced it together, referring to what he had said to Shi Yunran: "It's like this. When I was tidying up the villa, I accidentally found a photo of you, Teacher Shi, and the villa's previous owner..."
"Photos?" Before she could finish, Xu Jiakai asked, "What kind of photos? Can you show them to me?"
There are no photos at all. They are just stories made up by Gao Xing.
"Well... I don't have it with me." She calmed down and responded calmly, "Mr. Xu, Teacher Shi said the previous owner of the villa died of cardiac arrest?"
Gao Xing deliberately told him what Shi Yunran said, wanting to see his reaction.
Xu Jiakai remained nonchalant, "Indeed. But I don't know the details. At the time, there was a demolition going on near Mingjing Lake, and the community members came to negotiate with him. I only found out about it after I received a call from the police."
Did Xu Jiakai ever receive a call from the police? Does that mean the police intervened when the incident happened?
My happy heart suddenly became even more uncertain.
Shen Xingjian's tombstone was erected by Xu Jiakai. If he disposed of the body promptly as a friend without arousing suspicion, it might be plausible. However, if the police were involved, the possibility that he was the true murderer who escaped would be even smaller.
Gao Xing didn't realize that Xu Jiakai was watching all her forced calm thoughts. With her experience, trying to play tricks on someone like Xu Jiakai, who had been through the business world for so long, was truly a bit of a stretch.
Xu Jiakai observed her and took out his phone. "The person you're talking about is indeed a former good friend of mine. I wonder if Miss Gao would be willing to share her contact information? If so, I'd like to buy the photo in your hand as a keepsake."
Gao Xing had just made up a photo to trick people into thinking he was a good person, so he couldn't refuse and had to agree.
At the edge of the venue, more than ten meters away, Qian Chuan looked at Gao Xing in amazement at how easily he added Xu Jiakai's contact information. He couldn't help but sigh, "Sure enough, women are more convenient!"
"Shut up!" Zhou Jinkai whispered to him.
He had a gloomy face and stared solemnly in the direction of the stage.
As if by telepathy, Xu Jiakai's gaze swept over him. At just one glance, Qian Chuan felt an extremely strong oppression, like an ice spike in the coldest days of winter, which made people stay away.
As Xu Jiakai's eyes passed over them, he caught a glimpse of hostility. He looked past the large man and at the handsome young man beside him.
He has seen him.
To be precise, I saw him in the passenger seat of Shi Yunran's car.
Their eyes met in the air, and there was a hint of danger in them.
However, Xu Jiakai didn't say anything in the end and turned away.
After he left, Zhou Jinkai stopped in front of Gao Xing and said ambiguously, "You'd better stay away from him."
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