partiality
In the hotel lobby, Xu Zhiyuan, dressed in home clothes, was holding the car keys. He had only been sitting there for three minutes when Gao Sheng was brought down in the elevator, along with a box of macarons.
"Mr. Xiao Jin heard you were coming and asked me to pick you up." Gao Min stuffed the macarons into Xu Zhiyuan's hands. "He gave it to you."
Jinnan loves sweet things, Xu Zhiyuan doesn’t mind anything, and what matters is certainly not a macaron.
Xu Zhiyuan: "Whoever invites him today has to go through you."
Gao Min smiled knowingly: "Don't worry, he's not a love rival."
"I'm not kidding you." Xu Zhiyuan felt a little helpless and followed Gao Min into the elevator. They were the only two left in the small space.
Xu Zhiyuan: "There's been a lot going on lately, I have to prepare in advance."
"Didn't last quarter's financial report look pretty good?" Gao Min laughed. "I'll use the dividends at the end of the month to go on vacation. Do you want to come?"
"No." Xu Zhiyuan pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm really sleep deprived."
When the elevator arrived, Gao Min led the way and explained quietly, "It's Wen Qi. There's some exclusive information that can't be made public. I don't know what it is specifically."
It was nearly ten o'clock, and the dinner conversation had long since ended. When I knocked on the door of the private room, Jin Nan, who was sitting in the guest seat, looked up with a calm expression. A drunk was lying next to him.
"Boss Xiao Jin, I'm telling you, this matter must be resolved as soon as possible! I know... I know you have a backup plan, but it won't look good if it gets out of hand..."
Jinnan poured a glass of ice water and held it in his hand: "Thanks for the reminder."
Wen Qi smiled foolishly, his eyes followed Jin Nan around, and landed on the tall man at the entrance, and he shrank his neck.
Xu Zhiyuan looked a little unhappy.
Jin Nan naturally took his hand and smiled at Gao Min, "Mr. Gao, I'll leave Editor Wen to you. I have to go home first."
He didn't say a word to Xu Zhiyuan, but his hand was tightly clasped. Jinnan's smile was always genuine, as determined by his personality, but it didn't show in his eyes at this moment.
Like Xu Zhiyuan, he was also unhappy.
Xu Zhiyuan said nothing, sat in the driver's seat, adjusted the air conditioner, and waited quietly for nearly a minute before starting the car.
"Why is it so late?"
Jinnan fastened his seatbelt and turned to look at him: "Xu Zhiyuan."
Xu Zhiyuan sat up straight and hummed softly.
Jinnan didn't know how to start for a moment. All his ideas became empty talk at this moment, and he suddenly felt a little wronged.
"They told me that we had a deep hatred. They wanted me to give them 10 million, otherwise they would send me to jail and make me a pauper." Jinnan looked at him. "If I become a pauper, will you still be with me?"
"What else did they say?" Xu Zhiyuan seemed very calm.
Jinnan laughed at himself: "You really do know."
I know, Xu Zhiyuan certainly knows.
When he was fourteen, his second uncle Xu Yuqiang, who had been hiding from him for several years for compensation, came to his house with the phone recording, accompanied by Xu Xingwen, who was dressed in branded clothes and looked arrogant.
"Zhiyuan, that Jin Licheng is a complete bastard. He forced your parents to death, and he even wants you to take care of him until they die! I'm telling you, don't be fooled. Just live well and eat well at his house, and when he's old and you're the sole heir, take all his property! Then you can take revenge on him and make his life a living hell..."
Xu Zhiyuan was wearing the new clothes Jin Licheng bought for him and holding the registration form for the competition class filled out by Jin Licheng. At that moment, he understood the ridiculousness of kinship.
"Uncle, can you return my parents' compensation?" Fourteen-year-old Xu Zhiyuan asked. "I heard your family took 600,000 yuan."
"I...I'll keep it for you and return it to you when you come of age. By then, I'll give you the principal and interest, and I won't owe you a penny!"
Fourteen-year-old Xu Zhiyuan had driven his second uncle into exile, and at eighteen, he certainly hadn't received any compensation. Jin Licheng laid out before him enough evidence to bring down several of the elders in his family, letting him make his own choice.
Xu Zhiyuan chose to let go of everything.
Jinnan waited quietly for a long time, and Xu Zhiyuan showed no intention of speaking. The car arrived at Yunting, and it rained all night. When Jinnan returned home, Xu Zhiyuan brought a bowl of white fungus that had been stewed all night and went upstairs first.
There were still a few dishes in the refrigerator, all wrapped in plastic wrap. They probably hadn't been cooked in the afternoon because Xu Zhiyuan received a call from Jinnan first.
He put down the soup and went upstairs. Xu Zhiyuan's door was half-open, and there was no light on inside, so it was dark.
The man was sitting by the window smoking, still wearing the home clothes that were a little wet when I went out to pick him up.
"I'll give you a day off tomorrow," Jinnan said. "Rest at home and don't come to the company."
Xu Zhiyuan: "Okay."
Jinnan frowned: "You don't want to ask me anything?"
"I trust you."
All of Jinnan's doubts and unhappiness were like a punch into cotton, leaving only suffocation.
He squatted beside Xu Zhiyuan, his shirt buttons half unbuttoned, and you could see the red wine stains that had accidentally spilled on his collar.
He came home in such a sloppy manner and started questioning people right away, which Jinnan himself felt was inappropriate.
"I'm sorry." Jin Nan apologized, "I want to move out for a while, wait for me to calm down, I..."
Xu Zhiyuan just looked at him quietly.
"Xiao Nan, are you leaving again?"
Jinnan was speechless. He instantly understood Xu Zhiyuan's predicament, and understood the brother who had done everything in secret without saying a word.
Many things can't be said openly. How should Xu Zhiyuan start? Should he tell Jin Nan, who was so sensitive and aggressive, "I know everything about your past"?
Xu Zhiyuan couldn't speak at the beginning, and Jinnan can't speak now either.
Compared to Jinnan, Xu Zhiyuan seemed very calm. It seemed as if he had anticipated this day, had deduced all the possibilities, and had prepared how to face it.
He simply asked, "Are you leaving again?"
When he first realized his feelings, he distanced himself from Xu Zhiyuan without a word. After Jin Licheng passed away due to a family tragedy, he moved out of Yunting without a word. Even during their subsequent arguments, Jin Nan's first reaction was to let them cool down a bit.
He suddenly realized that he had never thought about how Xu Zhiyuan, who was abandoned by him, would feel.
Xu Zhiyuan would feel pain, sadness, and reluctance, but he would never tell him.
What qualifications does he have to question Xu Zhiyuan? He is the bastard.
"I don't know what to do, brother." Jin Nan lowered his head, his voice muffled, "I... I don't know if what they said is true, and I don't want to open up your scars. I want to find out first, and then..."
"What did they tell you?"
Xu Zhiyuan held his face in his hands, and a tear fell into his palms, still hot.
Jin Nan was speechless for a moment. Xu Zhiyuan leaned over and kissed her little by little, his voice hoarse: "Xiao Nan, what do you think? Do you really want to leave me?"
Jinnan raised his tear-filled eyes and shook his head.
He wished he could tie Xu Zhiyuan to his side, even if there were bumps and bruises, even if it hurt, it would not be bad to be entangled with him for a lifetime.
This is what Jinnan thought at the beginning and he still thinks so now.
He wiped away his tears, hugged Xu Zhiyuan tightly regardless of anything, and squeezed him hard, as if to take revenge on Xu Zhiyuan for what he had always done to him.
"Give me a week and I'll get to the bottom of this." Jin Nan's voice was full of nasal sounds. "I will do it well. I want to find out who bullied you and then settle the score with them. Wait until I can help you vent your anger."
Xu Zhiyuan hesitated and trembled, pressing his cheek against Jinnan's soft hair.
Unreserved partiality and trust, Xu Zhiyuan has been waiting for this day for too long.
*
A day later, President Xu went on a business trip for branch office matters and took Hua Lin and other core cadres with him. The working hours for the business trip application were submitted to Jin Nan's desk.
It is said that Mr. Jin was so angry about this that he smashed a jade lion in the office that had been passed down from Mr. Jin for more than 20 years. The morning meeting was postponed for half an hour.
The tense atmosphere spread from top to bottom. The employees passing by the top floor have been quiet in recent days. Even Lu Yiqing, who was used to wearing high heels with Claire, changed back to flat shoes.
Jin Nan was looking at some materials in the office. Lu Yiqing closed the door slightly and placed a cup of iced coffee next to Jin Nan.
"Boss Jin, the matter you asked me to investigate has yielded results."
Jinnan looked up from the pile of reports and nodded for her to continue.
Lu Yiqing took a deep breath. "The former CEO did have a bodyguard named Wu Liang. He retired a few years ago due to age. The company's accounts showed a large transfer to Wu Liang's personal account seventeen years ago, with the note stating project procurement."
"Hiring a killer, using public funds. My father is truly a genius." Jin Nan laughed angrily. "Have the shareholders had any reaction?"
"Mr. Geng has made two appointments to speak with you in person. He told you... not to get too angry with Mr. Xu. A lot of the company's business depends on Mr. Xu."
"I'm angry?!" Jin Nan was completely furious, his voice rising a few notches. "He took his men and left without a word. I'm already being magnanimous by not pursuing him!"
Lu Yiqing said nothing, but winked at Jinnan quietly. The sound of footsteps quietly faded away from the half-open door.
Jinnan turned around to take a look, and as if that wasn't enough, he threw another glass ornament in front of the door.
When there was no more sound, Jin Nan breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Yiqing ran to lock the door and slightly closed the glass in front of the door to prevent anyone from stepping on it.
"Acting is so tiring." Jinnan turned his neck and could hear the crackling sound of his bones.
"This episode should be over for today. Inform the administration this afternoon that no one is allowed to come up to this floor, and you will be the one to handle all the documents. Then go to Mr. Geng crying for help, saying I'm going crazy and no one can help me."
Lu Yiqing looked embarrassed: "Do you really have to cry, Mr. Jin? I... I can't cry."
"I'm just giving you an analogy. If you can't make your powder whiter, just make your face look ugly enough." Jin Nan laughed. "What's the real story? Did Mr. Jin really hire someone to do it?"
"No, it's from a purchase, and the inventory receipts all match." Lu Yiqing glanced to both sides and whispered, "But there's another transfer of the same amount. The source hasn't been traced yet, and Wu Liang used the funds to buy a house for his son's wedding."
"Grafting." Jinnan nodded, seemingly thinking about something.
Lu Yiqing: "We've also inquired about the research institute. Mr. Jin has a very good relationship with the Xu couple. It is said that they met in the early years due to material development and they used to interact frequently. The two companies have always had a cooperative relationship and signed an agency sales contract, and the commission is not low. There is really no need for Mr. Jin to do such a thing."
Jinnan: "Frame-up!"
Lu Yiqing: "Also, Mr. Xu sent back information this morning that the branch office was indeed tampered with, and Mr. Xu has already urgently arranged a product recall. If it weren't for this investigation, the subsequent thunderbolt problem would have been more serious. Mr. Xu said that the person behind this must not be allowed to stay."
Jinnan: "Black sheep!"
Lu Yiqing: "Instant success?"
Jinnan: "...You really learned bad things from Claire."
Lu Yiqing chuckled and changed the subject: "Come to think of it, Mr. Xu mentioned a lot of key clues this time, as if he already knew something."
"That's not surprising." Jin Nan touched his chin. "Because of his special status, it's hard for him to take action. It's a good opportunity for us to find something to do. Isn't it more interesting to read these than to read the report and then the menu?"
"Of course I feel like a private investigator!"
"Just a reminder, this thing is illegal in China." Jin Nan looked her over. "Why are you wearing a ring? Proposing?"
Lu Yiqing subconsciously wanted to hide her left hand, but after thinking about it, it was Jinnan, she put her hand in front of her somewhat embarrassedly.
"Well, we're planning to take annual leave in September and go to Northern Europe for our wedding."
Jin Nan nodded. "It's been almost a year now. Have you decided on the guests? Are you planning to invite Xu Zhiyuan and me?"
"Not yet. I need to discuss this with Claire."
Jin Nan raised his eyebrows: "Why, she doesn't like me?"
Lu Yiqing blinked: "A little bit."
Jinnan: ...
This honest child.
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