the truth
At Hualin's regular board meeting, Jin Nandu was absent-minded and slow to react. Anyone with an eye for detail could see that the return of Geng Guangsong, formerly the second-in-command, had a significant impact on the young leader.
Actually, it wasn’t like that. Jinnan’s mind was completely focused on the phone call from the technician last night.
After the car arrived home, Jin Nan broke his usual behavior of the past few days and did not live with Xu Zhiyuan. Instead, he returned to the room he had not entered for several days and locked the door.
Xu Zhiyuan knocked on the door, but Jinnan didn't open it, and there was no sound after that.
He made a phone call back and the technician quickly sent him a file, all of which were extracted from Xu Zhiyuan's encrypted folder.
Like the photos of the orphanage that were placed outside and seen by Jinnan, the contents of the encrypted folder were also related to Liancheng Orphanage.
The first xlsx file was a list without a title. The names included many Jianguo Huaqiang. Jinnan searched three or four lists online according to the list. Without exception, they were all famous figures in the entries.
Wang xx, 100000, 5
Liu xx, 50000, 1
Li x, 20000,1
…
The list was long, more than a hundred in total. Jinnan could roughly understand that the first two columns contained names and amounts, but the unlabeled third column was unclear.
He moved on to the second document titled "Date".
The scanned copy of the handwritten file looked like the entry and exit records of the orphanage. Some of the names were circled in red, and they were all names that appeared in the first list.
The third document is the hospital medical record.
Jinnan took a look at it twice, but couldn't bear to read it anymore, so he closed the file.
There was silence on the other end of the line, the technician's breathing trembling. Jinnan closed his mouth and asked, "Anything else?"
"There are two more folders, Mr. Jin. I really don't dare to open this package. Please forgive me."
"It's okay. Thank you for your hard work."
After hanging up the phone, Jinnan leaned back into the sofa, feeling as if someone was strangling him and having difficulty breathing.
Jin Nan was nine years old when he moved into a tube-shaped building with all his belongings and the orphan allowance he had saved. He thought that the past was far away from him, but today he suddenly realized that it was not.
Nothing is in the past, and the truth cannot be escaped.
Why was Xu Zhiyuan looking into this? Why didn't he ask him if he wanted to know? Was he afraid of hurting him, or did he simply not trust him?
Jinnan opened Xu Zhiyuan's chat box and typed a lot. At this time, the other party also lit up "typing". After waiting for a long time, no message came.
He turned on the surveillance camera in Xu Zhiyuan's room after a long absence. Xu Zhiyuan sat on the edge of the bed, without turning on the light, his shirt half-open, and kept looking at the door.
The phone was next to him, and his unconscious movements made it produce a string of garbled characters, which then disappeared one by one.
Tonight was a major breakthrough for Xu Zhiyuan. He had finally taken the first step towards claiming his territory, and he could no longer deceive himself with the "for his own good" rhetoric.
He wanted to see Jinnan very much, but unfortunately, Jinnan was the opposite.
Xu Zhiyuan had a very long time to understand him, and Jinnan never kept anything back from him, even if it was a little secret hidden deep in his heart, as long as Xu Zhiyuan asked, Jinnan was willing to tell him.
But Xu Zhiyuan never asked and acted like a brother who didn't want to hurt him. Jinnan thought that Xu Zhiyuan really didn't care about those things and that no matter what hurt he had suffered, Xu Zhiyuan would make up for it to the fullest extent.
Today, Jin Nan suddenly realized that he was wrong. It’s not that Xu Zhiyuan is not interested, but maybe it’s just... none of his business.
When it came to his own affairs, he suddenly became concerned. Was Xu Zhiyuan collecting these embarrassing past events in order to defeat him in one fell swoop?
Still curious, did those evil claws reach out to him?
After all, for such a long time, no matter how perfect the conditions were, Xu Zhiyuan had not touched him. Or rather, he was unwilling to touch him.
No, how could Xu Zhiyuan be that kind of person? Jinnan, how could you speculate about him so darkly? Don't you know what kind of person Xu Zhiyuan is?
But why? Why did Xu Zhiyuan never ask him in person?
With the alcohol taking effect, Jinnan rushed into the bathroom and vomited violently.
It took him nearly twenty minutes to come out, take out his cell phone and send a message to the technician.
"I'll give you ten times the hush money. I want to see everything tomorrow."
Jin Nan waited for the outcome of his morning meeting. He felt like a death row inmate about to appear in court for the second trial, clinging to a glimmer of hope thinner than a spider's thread.
After the meeting, Jin Nan returned to the office immediately and did only one thing - wait.
During this time, a technician called and said in a serious tone, "Mr. Jin, I sorted out the list. If we sort them by assets and rank, the top few have already been admitted."
"What's the charge?" Jin Nan asked in a low voice.
"Money laundering," the technician said. "I'm afraid a lot of this stuff has slipped through the net. I suggest you turn this over to the public security authorities."
"Okay." Jinnan agreed.
That being said, he wouldn't do it. Because what was even more terrifying than Xu Zhiyuan discovering his dark past was that Jin Licheng was on the list.
Or, "Jin Licheng".
The handwriting on the list was identical, so it was clearly a dictation by the person who typed it in. So there was a real possibility of mishearing. Jinnan remembered the time, long before he was born.
Jinnan didn't dare to guess any further.
He had just hung up the phone when Claire knocked on the door and came in. The weather outside the window was sunny and Mr. Xu invited him to have lunch together.
"Mr. Xu specially selected these local private dishes, which are hard to make reservations for." Claire worked hard to promote them and obviously received a lot of benefits.
Jinnan agreed with a smile, sweeping everything he had just read into the darkness and not mentioning it for the time being.
*
Mr. Xu was still enjoying his meal today. I don't know if it was intentional, but as soon as Jin Nan sat down, he noticed he was wearing a white shirt under his suit. It didn't fit him well, like it was a size too small.
There was a faint scent of cologne wafting over from across the table, like the fragrance of aged books, with a touch of Xu Zhiyuan's unique warmth.
He glanced at them furtively from across the menu, his eyes looking young enough to be the same age as Jinnan.
"What do you want to eat?" Xu Zhiyuan asked in a rising tone, "Lychee meat? Crucian carp is good today, and braised fish fillet."
Jinnan felt that he and Xu Zhiyuan were like two watches that were always three minutes apart. Xu Zhiyuan was finally willing to slow down the time for him, but Jinnan was shocked to find that they were not in the same time zone.
The truth is never told due to the altitude and geography of the heart.
"Zhiyuan." Jinnan called him and stretched out his hand.
Xu Zhiyuan looked up, his eyebrows raised slightly. Jinnan took the menu from him, ordered a few dishes at random, and asked the waiter to leave. They were the only two left in the room.
A beetle slid down from the green ivy outside the window and hit the glass with a thud. Water lily buds appeared on the surface of the pond, the faint signs of summer emerging.
Jinnan: "I ask questions and you answer them."
Don't misunderstand, don't create barriers, ask everything clearly.
Xu Zhiyuan straightened his collar and sat upright: "Please speak."
"What is our relationship now?"
This question had been on their minds for a long time, from their first kiss, their first confession, to this day. Neither of them had a clear answer.
"Superiors and subordinates." Xu Zhiyuan said, "Adopting brothers."
"What else?"
"Lover... Reserve."
Jinnan chuckled, "Really? But you won't do it with me."
Xu Zhiyuan looked at him quietly: "I can't bear it."
I can't bear it. How can I be so heartless? Destroying a work of art, burning a book? I can't bear to destroy anything beautiful. The owner knows how much pity and love he has for something.
In a dimension that Xu Zhiyuan himself was not aware of, he had already regarded Jinnan as his own and cherished her.
Is it sweet talk or a true expression of the heart?
Jinnan could only tell by his eyes, so he asked the next question: "So, are you hiding something from me?"
"Yes." Xu Zhiyuan answered simply.
"What are you hiding?"
"Li Hongfang couldn't get through to you this morning, so he called your home phone," Xu Zhiyuan said. "I hung up without telling you."
The tone was wrong. Jin Nan was curious for a moment and asked tentatively, "Are you jealous of Li Hongfang too?"
Xu Zhiyuan actually nodded: "Yeah."
"What are you jealous of? Jealous that he invited me to drink?"
Jinnan relaxed and the meal was served. He held the chopsticks in one hand and picked out the bones from the fish, waiting for Xu Zhiyuan's answer.
After waiting for a long time, Xu Zhiyuan finally answered: "Painting."
painting.
It took Jinnan a long time to remember this painting. He had given it to Xu Zhiyuan nearly half a year ago. Jinnan had forgotten about it, and Xu Zhiyuan had never responded.
It turned out that he was jealous. He minded that Jinnan was used as painting material for others. He minded those things that happened in the corners that he couldn't see and those things that were approaching warning points.
Jinnan was surprised. He wasn't the only one struggling, pondering, or bothered.
The pain associated with love should be borne by two people. For some reason, Jinnan felt a sense of relief at having won back a city.
"Where is the painting?" Jinnan asked in a low voice, as if afraid that the waiter next to him would hear it.
Xu Zhiyuan stared at him and blinked: "Burned."
Thin shoulders, a red mole, and a taut back with a shallow, pearly ridgeline. The red line meanders, sinking into the bottom edge of the drawing paper, disappearing into the invisible place.
Geng Guangsong's gaze followed the painting frame, carefully examining every brushstroke. His expression was impassive, devoid of any emotion. Xu Xingwen, standing beside him, felt a pang of nervousness, his palms sweating.
"You mean, Jinnan asked someone to draw this picture and gave it to Xu Zhiyuan?" Geng Guangsong put down his phone and moved it away.
"It's absolutely true." Xu Xingwen raised his lips. "The painting is being framed in my friend's studio right now. They're watching it very closely. I had to sneak in to take a sneak shot..."
Geng Guangsong knocked on the table and interrupted him: "Okay, just tell me what you want."
Xu Xingwen took a half step forward and reasoned with him, "Mr. Geng, what you said is true. Xu Zhiyuan is my cousin. I can't possibly harm him, right? I just see that they are getting too close, and it's a little unusual. I'm worried!"
Geng Guangsong wasn't fooled: "Young people these days are all living on their own. If anything really happens, they'll handle it themselves. What are you worried about?"
"That's true, but..." Xu Xingwen leaned in closer, almost whispering to Geng Guangsong, "What if there's a blood feud between the two of them?"
Geng Guangsong finally raised his eyes, and his expression changed slightly.
"Xu Zhiyuan knows everything. Do you think he has any bad intentions towards President Jin?" Xu Xingwen narrowed his eyes and spoke in a slow tone. "I know President Jin has had a hard time along the way. President Jin only has this one son, so he certainly doesn't want anything to happen to him. President Geng, you're the only elder who can control President Jin now."
Geng Guangsong snorted coldly, "I raised Zhiyuan, and I know his character. But you, on the other hand, are trying to sow discord and slander him. Why should I believe you?"
"You want to see the evidence?" Xu Xingwen said, "Yes, Mr. Geng. I have all the evidence. If you want it, I can just pack it up and send it to you. As long as..."
There was a knock on the door, and the secretary's voice interrupted their conversation: "Mr. Geng, Miss Liu Rui wants to see you."
"Please let her in." Geng Guangsong raised his hand to interrupt Xu Xingwen's unfinished words, "You should go back first. Next time, don't use our employees' elevator cards. It will cause them to be fined for nothing."
Xu Xingwen understood what he meant and said with a smile, "I understand, Mr. Geng. See you next time."
Liu Rui pushed the door open and passed the strange man, paying a little attention. He was a stranger, someone she had never met before in her social circle, and he didn't look like someone from Hua Lin's inner circle.
Geng Guangsong stood up and helped her pull out a seat, then boiled some water and made some tea. "Xiao Rui, please sit down first. How come you have time to come here today?"
"Uncle Geng." Liu Rui put down her bag and sat down, getting straight to the point. "I'll skip the tea. I came here to tell you that the introduction you helped me with... may not work."
"What?" Geng Guangsong had a smile on his face. "Don't you like Xiaonan? Or is that guy not giving you face? I'll teach him a lesson."
"Not really suitable." Liu Rui said, "You'll know if we're compatible once we meet. I won't hide it from you, Xiao Jin and I really don't have that kind of feeling."
"Feelings can be cultivated slowly."
The tea soup is poured into the cup, the first brew rushes into the white porcelain jar, and the second brew releases fragrance, it is very fresh Mingqian Longjing.
"Xiao Nan is younger than you, but he's a good kid. You two will eventually get along as time goes by," Geng Guangsong said. "Plus, he's smart and can weigh the pros and cons."
Seeing that Geng Guangsong was still trying to persuade her, Liu Rui laughed and said, "Uncle Geng, please stop trying. I'll tell you the truth. I don't want to be a gay wife."
The cup lid in Geng Guangsong's hand fell onto the mahogany tea table with a bang.
"Let's go, Uncle Geng. We'll work together again next time."
The red light at the intersection downstairs was on, just like the bright red mole in the painting Geng Guangsong had just seen, so bright and glaring.
The truth is revealed, bloody.
Geng Guangsong picked up his phone and dialed. The other party picked up within a few seconds. In the background was the familiar sound of someone else's laughter.
"Xiao Nan, come to my office this afternoon."
"Yes, I have a gift for you."
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