Chapter 21 Chapter 21 "I volunteered"
After coming to his senses, Guan Mi froze in place with his cheeks burning.
She lowered her head awkwardly and didn't read any further.
Shen Yanfeng remained silent, his eyes still looking at Guan Mi.
She was wearing an ordinary white shirt and a knee-length black skirt, her features clearly outlined by the moonlight pouring down from above.
She was clearly just standing there quietly, doing nothing, but his Adam's apple rolled unconsciously, and a sudden surge of violent impulse in his heart surged up to tear this layer of rules apart and take it for himself.
He raised his hand and guzzled the liquid in the cup, trying to use the cool stimulation to suppress the heat in his throat and the unbearable thoughts in his head.
However, as the liquid entered his throat, he remembered that it was just non-alcoholic whiskey, lukewarm and useless.
Becky walked around Shen Yanfeng's shoulders, occasionally meowing at the air, as if reminding Guan Mi of something.
Hearing the cat's meow, Guan Mi finally remembered why she came here. She raised her hand holding the cat's food and said, "Mr. Shen, Aunt Li asked me to come and feed Becky dinner. I thought you were not at home, so..."
"Feed it," Chen Yanfeng interrupted calmly, "It's hungry."
But Becky refused to come over and just hung around Shen Yanfeng.
Guan Ya almost suspected that he had sprinkled catnip on himself.
There was no other choice but for her to go over. Fortunately, there was a chair over there, so she squatted next to it and placed the cat's food bowl in front of the cat.
...The cat didn't eat, so it just squatted there, blinking its jewel eyes, conveying to Guan Mi the message "I won't eat unless you feed me."
Chen Yanfeng knew what was going on without even looking, "I've been spoiling it lately. It only eats when I hold it and feed it."
He put down his glass and glanced at the person who was almost blocked by the chair: "Hey, sit down, aren't you tired of squatting?"
After saying that, he sank into the water, creating a wave, and swam to the other end of the pool.
Becky was held and fed cat food. She ate slowly and was attracted by the sound of the swimming pool from time to time. She always had to stop for a few seconds before continuing to eat.
During the pause, Guan Mi was also thinking about something.
Tonight is a perfect opportunity. She must speak up and cannot watch Wen Li sink deeper and deeper in torment.
When Shen Yanfeng swam back and stopped at the same place, Guan Mi put the cat and the cat bowl down, picked up the folded towel next to it, squatted down, and handed it over with both hands.
Shen Yanfeng didn't answer.
He raised his hand and pushed back the wet hair on his forehead, revealing his clear and sharp forehead and eyebrows.
"You have something to say?" He pointed it out to her directly.
"Yes, yes." Guan Mi's heart was beating like a drum, and he lowered his head slightly unconsciously. His hands still maintained the original position, and his thumb pressed the corner of the towel a little hard.
Her voice was much softer than usual, with a barely perceptible hint of pleading.
Chen Yanfeng grabbed the towel from her hand, wiped his face casually, and raised his chin towards the chair next to him: "Sit down and talk."
He really couldn't stand her humble, cautious and extremely humble appearance.
Guan Mi did not sit down immediately. Instead, he reached out and picked up the wine and glass in the ice bucket next to him, and silently poured him half a glass of wine.
He held it in front of him with both hands again.
This action made Shen Yanfeng sneer.
Sometimes he thought she was extremely hateful, but sometimes she was inexplicably cute, and she always managed to make him laugh in unexpected places.
He is looking forward to what's next.
Guan Mi sat very upright, with his two straight legs together and his hands placed neatly on his thighs.
She took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind. Her eyes first wandered into the distance, and finally fell back on Shen Yanfeng.
She pursed her lips and said softly: “Boss Shen, can you do me a favor?”
After she finished speaking, she saw Shen Yanfeng nodded without any surprise, as if he knew that she would definitely ask him for something today.
But now her mind was in a mess and she couldn't think much about it.
"Didn't I say during the day that I value Secretary Guan the most?" Chen Yanfeng took a sip of wine, his arms lazily stretched on the edge of the pool, his strong arm muscles forming a clear outline.
After a pause, he raised his eyelids and looked at her, "Any request you make, I will solve it for you."
Guan Mi's eyes were full of sincerity: "Thank you, Mr. Shen, I..."
Becky suddenly jumped onto her lap, sat down comfortably, and leisurely began to comb her hair after the meal.
After being interrupted like this, Guan Mi's nervousness disappeared a lot. She reorganized her words: "My boyfriend..."
Shen Yanfeng: "So he doesn't have a name."
"...Wen Li's family got into trouble a while ago," Guan Mi said. "His father was taken away by the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and is still in detention. Someone reported him for corruption and bribery, and his mother was also implicated and asked to cooperate with the investigation. It's been almost two weeks, and there's been no news from either of them. So I'd like to ask for your help. I heard that if someone could help inquire about it, the investigation might progress faster. And I believe Uncle Wen was framed; he wouldn't do such a thing.
"I would be much more grateful if you would have someone privately investigate what's going on."
Chen Yanfeng looked up at her, his eyebrows slightly raised: "I'm just a businessman, how can I interfere in official affairs? You think too highly of me, do I have such great ability?"
Guan Mi's heart was filled with determination. "But you just said... that you would solve any problem for me."
She knew that once she said this, many things would deviate in an uncontrollable direction.
Shen Yanfeng suddenly chuckled.
"Too."
Guan Mi held his breath, waiting for his next words.
The huge terrace was silent, with only the faint sound of Becky licking her fur.
"Meow~" Maybe it was too quiet, so it suddenly called out.
Guan Mi raised his hand and stroked its head, then glanced at Shen Yanfeng secretly. His eyes fell into the water, and he looked like he was thinking about something.
But she inexplicably felt like he was waiting for her to speak.
She lowered her eyes. Becky felt comfortable with the touch and turned around to step on her soft thighs and breasts, occasionally stretching her neck to rub her chest.
"I know there's no such thing as a free lunch," she whispered. "If you're willing to help me, I'll agree to one condition."
Shen Yanfeng raised his voice slightly: "For example?"
"If you don't want me to leave Fengbo, then I will continue to stay."
"Guan Mi, I won't force you." He held the wine glass, but didn't drink it. He slowly swirled the liquid in the glass. "I will take care of the Wen family's affairs. It's your freedom to resign or not."
Guan Mi was confused. How could he be so selfless and kind?
"Then how can I repay you..."
"No need." Shen Yanfeng said in a gentle voice, "I volunteer."
“Zizi——”
Guan Mi's cell phone suddenly vibrated.
It was Wen Li calling.
She subconsciously took it in her hand. Wen Li had hardly called her recently, and she was afraid that something had happened again, so she wanted to take Becky away and answer the phone.
All her nervousness and worries fell into Shen Yanfeng's eyes.
His face was gloomy and he suddenly stood up from the swimming pool, making a loud splash.
The water rolled down his muscular upper body. His broad shoulders and narrow waist were in perfect proportion, and his muscles were firm but not exaggerated.
He walked up to Guan Mi and took her cell phone away.
Guan Mi subconsciously raised his hand to grab it, but his arm stretched back, loosely holding her phone, which could fall into the swimming pool at any time.
She became obedient instantly.
"That's too much, Guan Mi," Chen Yanfeng leaned over, resting his hands on the chair handles, looking at her face which suddenly changed, his dark eyebrows and eyes with a lazy smile: "Can you be more self-aware? You want me to help you, but you also want me to watch you flirt with him?"
Becky had already slipped away.
"No..." Guan Mi was forced to press her back against the back of the chair, the wind ruffling her hair. She swallowed a few of the sticks without even bothering to take them away. "I'm just worried something might happen to him."
Chen Yanfeng gently lifted the hair from her mouth and stroked her cheek with his moist fingertips. "You answered this call, aren't you afraid that something might happen to me?"
Guan Mi turned his head to the side and said immediately, "Sorry, I won't answer it."
The phone stopped vibrating quickly and did not ring a second time.
Shen Yanfeng looked at her dodging in a hurry, and a dark look flashed across his eyes.
He picked up the towel on the ground and casually draped it over his shoulders. His voice was cold: "Go back. I'll ask someone to take you back."
It ended too abruptly.
Guan Miren sat on the chair, still not fully recovered from what had just happened. Her heart was beating fast. Of course, it wasn't excitement, but fear. She was afraid that this call would make Shen Yanfeng unhappy, and that he would do something to her, or even refuse to help her.
Fortunately, fortunately.
She didn't dare ask him when he could deal with the matter. She grabbed her clothes and high heels and left his house impatiently.
After returning to the rented house, Guan Mi called Wen Li, but he didn't answer. He might have fallen asleep. She was worried until midnight, and after sleeping for more than three hours, she woke up to go to work.
It's been a whole day. Wen Li sent a WeChat message in the morning saying that he would be called in for a talk today, and there has been no news since then.
And Shen Yanfeng didn't come to the company either. I really hope he went to solve this matter.
After work that evening, Yi Ziting told Guan Miwen that his mother had come out. This was the only good news he had heard in the past few days.
She called Wen Li immediately.
It’s connected, I picked up the call.
Fan Ying answered the phone.
"Sister Guan Mi, Brother Wen Li fell asleep two hours ago," she sighed, "Now that Auntie is back today, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief and have a good sleep, so I didn't have the heart to wake him up. Please don't be angry."
"There's nothing to be angry about. Let him sleep. I'll contact him tomorrow." Guan Mi asked, "Auntie, are you okay?"
Fan Ying said, "It's okay, don't worry. She came back, had a meal, and then went to the hospital to see Grandpa Wen. I believe Uncle Wen will be out soon. If there is any news, I will ask Brother Wen Li to tell you as soon as possible."
"Thanks."
After hanging up the phone, Guan Mi held the phone in a daze.
Today is only Wednesday, and she really wants to fly to Wen Li to be with him.
Wen's father came out the next day.
Wen Li drove over early in the morning after receiving the news. Seeing his father who had lost weight and looked haggard, his nose felt sore. He turned his head abruptly and quickly wiped his eyes.
"Silly boy, I'm fine, why are you crying?" Wen's father patted his shoulder and said, "Be a man, don't shed tears easily."
"Because of you, Wen Li couldn't eat or sleep well, and he went everywhere to ask for help. He was suffering even harder than you." Wen's mother had tears in her eyes as she carefully straightened her husband's messy hair. "Be more careful in the future. Don't let others plot against you like this. Our family can't afford another such ordeal."
The matter was investigated very quickly in the past two days.
About half a year ago, Wen's father rejected an unqualified construction project application. The other party's person in charge, Zhang Biao, held a grudge and carefully set up a plan for revenge.
They first forged financial records and transferred a so-called "bribe money" to the account of a distant relative of the Wen family. They then took advantage of the relative's old grudge of seeking help from the Wen family for personal matters in his early years but to no avail, and made him insist during the investigation that he was instructed by Wen's father. They used this to build relationships and exchange for project conveniences, and secretly asked people to spread rumors about the Wen family's extravagant lifestyle.
Wen Li held his parents' arms as they walked towards the car. After they got in, he was about to go around to the driver's seat when he caught a glimpse of a group of people walking out of the government compound.
Surrounded in the middle was a strange man in a suit with an extraordinary temperament.
He felt that the man looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him.
It was not until he opened the car door and saw the tall figure standing next to the black car not far away that he suddenly realized who it was.
It’s Shen Yanfeng’s brother, Shen Cunyi.
Why are these two brothers here at the same time?
Seeing Wen Li standing still, his father urged, "Wen Li, why don't you get in the car? I still have to go to the hospital to see your grandfather."
As Wen Li closed the car door and fastened his seatbelt, he asked, "Dad, isn't that Shen Cunyi from Beijing? Why is he here?"
"I don't know the details." Father Wen looked out the window and sighed deeply, his tone unable to conceal his disappointment in some people. "But if he hadn't come, I would probably have stayed in there for another month or two."
Mother Wen held her husband's hand tightly and said, "It's all in the past. We will live in peace and stability from now on."
Wen Li started the car with a complicated expression.
In fact, he had already found a breakthrough in this matter yesterday.
Recently, he has been trying to find ways to check out the projects that his father had previously failed to pass. One of the persons in charge, named Zhang, is very suspicious.
He had planned to conduct an in-depth investigation into this person today, but unexpectedly, he received news early in the morning that his father had been proven innocent and would be released soon.
On the other side, as soon as Shen Cunyi got into the car, the gentleness on his face instantly faded away, leaving only a cold and solemn look.
"Did you set this up?" he asked.
"Me?" The man in the driver's seat chuckled. "Why do you think I'm capable of this?"
Whether there is such a thing or not, Shen Cunyi, as his brother, knows it very well.
A phone call tricked him into coming here from his business trip in the city next to Jiangcheng. When he arrived, he realized that the person was there to settle a dispute for someone.
After all, he only stepped forward to push the progress of the investigation, and the truth about Director Wen was revealed only because Shen Yanfeng dug out key evidence from somewhere.
Now that things have come to this, he doesn't want to say anything more. He just feels fortunate once again that his younger brother didn't choose the same path he is taking.
Otherwise, with Shen Yanfeng's methods and character, who knows how many times he would "abuse his power".
When Guan Mi received a call from Wen Li and heard his choked voice, she couldn't help but feel sad and happy for him.
She told him to have a good rest and talk about other things later, after all, Mr. Wen had not woken up yet.
After the call, she was about to open Shen Yanfeng's WeChat when she saw a message from him.
[I'm going back from Jiangcheng tomorrow night. Buy a ticket.]
He really went to Jiangcheng.
Guan Mi: [Okay, I’ll buy it right away.]
[I heard the matter has been resolved. Mr. Shen, thank you very much.]
Chen Yanfeng: [Are you feeling better?]
When Guan Mi saw this, he didn't know how to respond for a moment.
He said it was voluntary and he didn't ask for anything in return, but she always felt it wasn't that simple.
After get off work, Sister Song went home to eat a meal and then returned to the company to get something. When she saw Guan Mi hadn't left yet, she asked, "Secretary Guan, it's almost nine o'clock. Why haven't you left work yet?"
Guan Mi flipped through the contract and said, "There's still some work to be done."
Sister Song came over and said, "There's no rush for these contracts. Don't they just need to be reviewed before next Tuesday? Why don't you wait until you get to work?"
Guan Mi's hands that were tapping on the keyboard paused.
She couldn't accept Shen Yanfeng's statement of "voluntary" with peace of mind.
Since Shen Yanfeng didn't mention it, she would repay him in her own way.
Like, work harder, like, stay.
And if she took the initiative to repay the favor, it would at least be much "safer" than him asking for it, right?
Just when she was thinking about it, the company she interviewed last time called her at this time. She thought they were calling her to urge her, but the other party just said politely that they were in a hurry to hire someone and couldn't wait for her to start next month.
Guan Mi listened with unusual calmness.
She even secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as if this accident helped her make the final decision.
"Ms. Guan, I'm really sorry. I hope you can find a better job next time."
"It's okay, thank you for letting me know." She hung up the phone and continued to review the contract.
She will not submit that resignation letter again.
No matter what, she now owes Shen Yanfeng a huge favor, and she can't and won't do the ungrateful thing of turning around and walking away.
This is Jiangcheng Hospital.
When Wen's mother came out to pour water, she saw Wen Li sitting alone on the bench without saying a word. She walked over and sat down.
"What are you thinking about?"
Fan Ying, who followed her out, interrupted with a smile, "You must be thinking about Sister Guan Mi and can't wait to tell her the good news, right?"
Wen Li forced a smile but didn't respond.
Wen's mother turned around and said gently, "Xiaoying, can you help Auntie get a pot of hot water? I want to talk to Wen Li about something."
"Okay!" Fan Ying took the kettle readily and quickly left the corridor.
After watching her figure walk away, Wen's mother spoke softly, "I heard from your grandmother that Xiaoying has been by her side all this time, accompanying her to take care of your grandfather. This child has been very caring and sensible since she was young, and she treats us as if we were her own parents."
At this point, she recalled some past events. "Back then, your grandfather and her grandfather joked about arranging a marriage for you. I didn't agree at the time. I thought it was a different era now. How could you tie two people who might never fall in love together just based on a joke from the older generation?"
Wen Li leaned his neck against the back of the chair and tilted his head slightly: "Mom, what do you want to say?"
"I sent you a photo this afternoon. Have you seen it?"
He said nothing.
Wen's mother's tone darkened. "I checked. The cheapest bag of that brand costs tens of thousands of yuan. Given Guan Mi's family situation, she can't even afford to rent a good house, so how could she afford to buy luxury goods? If she didn't buy it herself, then it must have been given to her by someone else."
Wen Li turned his head and looked at her calmly: "Why didn't you tell me that you went to Beijing to find her?"
"I thought she would tell you." Wen's mother pulled his arm, "That's not the point. Don't you really want to know where she got that bag?"
Wen Li: "I believe her."
This sentence left Wen's mother speechless.
She sighed, "It's going to be very difficult to get over your grandfather. Wasn't your father a living example of this? Do you want to follow Yi Ziting's example and let Guan Mi follow you without any status? If I were her family, I would never agree to you two staying together."
"Have you said these things to her as well?" Wen Li suddenly smiled, his smile devoid of warmth. "I'm afraid it was even harsher."
Guan Mi said nothing to him and swallowed all the grievances alone.
He had been so depressed these days that he didn't even give her a good hug when she came back last time.
On Saturday night, Shen Yanfeng returned to Beijing.
After get off work, Guan Mi drove to the high-speed rail station to pick him up.
Shen Yanfeng walked out of the station exit, closed the back door, and got on the passenger seat. "Go to Lu Kai's place."
Guan Mi: “Okay.”
It is said that Lu Kai had a batch of seafood from New Zealand airlifted this morning and invited a few friends to his house to taste it.
On the way there, Guan Mi held the steering wheel more attentively than ever before, while Shen Yanfeng beside him kept his eyes lowered as he processed messages on his phone.
The car was silent.
Lu Kai's own home can be described as the most luxurious of the luxurious.
He was a well-known hedonist who was willing to invest in himself. He had a manor villa of over 2,000 square meters, with more than a dozen luxury cars in the garage alone. There was a spacious infinity pool on the second floor, which was several times larger than the one in Shen Yanfeng's house. Even a seemingly ordinary entrance lamp in the living room was actually worth hundreds of thousands.
As soon as he parked the car, Guan Mi felt that he smelled the scent of money floating in the air.
Chen Yanfeng asked her to get the wine from the trunk. When she opened it, she saw that the Romanee-Conti that he had delivered to the buffet restaurant that day was actually inside.
Her heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
At this time, the gate of the villa slowly opened, and Shen Yanfeng was ready to go in. She quickly suppressed her emotions, took out the wine, closed the car door and followed him.
As soon as Lu Kai saw Guan Mi, he warmly invited her to stay and have something to eat.
There were already several men and women in the living room, all of whom were friendly to Guan Mi.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see how much Shen Yanfeng valued this secretary, so naturally no one dared to make trouble for her, let alone urge her to drink.
After eating, a few people gathered in the living room to play cards, with noise and laughter everywhere.
Guan Mi stayed alone in the restaurant, slowly eating the crab meat and scallop meat that the servants had carefully peeled. She would be bored if she finished eating too quickly anyway.
Not long after, the servant came over to chat with Guan Mi, saying that the others had gone to the second floor, and also mentioned that Shen Yanfeng lost the card game and was required to swim 800 meters within a limited time.
The housekeeper came over with a dining cart filled with all kinds of fruits and drinks. "Miss Guan, I washed some fruits. Take a look at what you want and I'll get it for you."
"Don't bother, just take it upstairs to them."
At this time, another servant hurried over from the living room, "Miss Guan, is this Mr. Shen's cell phone? Someone called just now."
"Yes, I'll take it up to him." Guan Mi wiped his hands, took the phone, and took the elevator upstairs with the butler.
The music upstairs was deafening. A group of people were having a great time, standing by the swimming pool with their glasses of wine, swaying their bodies wildly.
There was no sign of Shen Yanfeng.
Guan Mi walked up to Lu Kai, who was about to lose control of his excitement. Before he could say anything, he saw him drunkenly pointing to the swimming pool: "There, there! I wonder if you're suffocating to death..."
She avoided the bodies that were stumbling around and slowly walked towards the edge of the swimming pool.
The surface of the pool was calm, and she leaned over to look carefully into the water.
When we reached the end where the lights were dim, the surface of the water suddenly broke open with a loud splash.
Chen Yanfeng suddenly jumped out of the water, his wet hair disheveled. He raised his head and gave her a wild, bright, and watery smile.
"Looking for me?"
The fact that he can swim means he hasn't been drinking, and the fact that he's smiling so brightly means he's probably in a good mood.
Guan Mi bent down and handed over his phone, "Mr. Shen, Director Shen just called."
"Don't worry about it."
"Okay," she pointed to the bustling area, "I'll put my phone over there."
"Go get a bottle of wine." Chen Yanfeng curved the corner of his lip, "The one you returned."
Guan Mi's eyelashes trembled, and after obediently taking it, he skillfully opened the bottle, poured the wine, and handed it to him, "The housekeeper asked me to help her prepare some things, I'll go downstairs first."
She slipped away very quickly. The housekeeper was instructing the servants to clean the room and didn't even look for her.
She walked towards the courtyard. The evening breeze was cool and the night sky was dark. She sat on the swing under the flower stand, half of her body leaning on the rope, swaying gently, and her thoughts gradually drifted away.
On the second floor, Shen Yanfeng stood in the shadows beside the fence, looking at the person on the swing downstairs.
The Human Resources Department told him that Guan Mi had voluntarily withdrawn his resignation report.
Too self-conscious.
Can this continue?
At this time, a friend who was still sober noticed him and came over curiously: "Yan Feng, what are you hiding here alone for? Come over and have a couple of drinks."
Chen Yanfeng turned around, picked up the wine glass beside him and took a sip, a faint arc appeared at the corner of his lips, "Look at the moon."
"Moon? Where's the moon?" My friend squinted at the dark night sky. "It's pitch black. There's nothing there."
"It's good that you didn't see it." Shen Yanfeng said in a low voice, and cast his gaze downstairs again.
It’s best if no one can see it.
The game didn't end until almost half past ten.
Guan Mi hadn't drunk any alcohol and could have driven, but Chen Yanfeng asked the driver to drive another car over and said he would take her home first.
She observed him and saw a slight redness at the corners of his eyes, knowing that he had drunk quite a bit.
As soon as she got in the car, she asked softly, "Do you need some hangover medicine?"
The man in the back seat half-closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Not really."
The car drove directly into the community.
Before Guan Mi opened the car door and got out, Shen Yanfeng said, "Your things are in the trunk."
"Mine?" Guan Mi was puzzled. How could her things be here? She had never driven this car before.
The driver had already gotten out of the car and opened the trunk.
Guan Mi walked over and saw that it was empty, with only a bright yellow bag that looked very familiar placed there.
Shen Yanfeng also came down and stood beside her, saying slowly: "Aunt Qiao asked me to bring it to you."
When Guan Mi heard this, she was stunned at first, and then she immediately recognized that this was a shopping bag from the supermarket near her home. Qiao Qiuying always kept these bags and used them to pack things again.
Her mind went blank for a moment, and countless questions suddenly rushed into her mind, but she was so shocked that she could hardly think, followed by a strong sense of fear.
How did he come to see her mother? When did he go? Why did he go?
"There are two boxes of mung bean cakes inside." Chen Yanfeng seemed not to notice the panic in her eyes and said directly, "Since I'm already in Jiangcheng, is there anything wrong with visiting the family of my capable subordinate on the way?"
"No, there's nothing wrong..." Guan Mi said reluctantly, "I'm just surprised that you even know where my home is."
"I can pull the Wen family out of this dire situation," Chen Yanfeng suddenly leaned over, his voice low and slow, his breath almost brushing against her ears, "Are you worried about not being able to find your home?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a brute force pushed him forward.
"Stay away from her."
Guan Mi looked up in surprise and saw Wen Li who had appeared here at some point.
His face was ice-cold, and every word he said seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
After pushing Shen Yanfeng, he grabbed her wrist and used his body to completely shield her behind him in a completely protective posture.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
