A-Kuan’s eyes reddened as she desperately reached through the car window, tearing at Ma Jihong’s hair, pulling her out: “Come out! Come out and call her down!”

Ni Kailun had already heard A-Kuan’s frantic shouting on the other end of the phone. She threw the phone on the bed, suddenly stood up, and walked forward, but after a few steps, the baby in her womb immediately started jumping chaotically.

She quickly sat down, her breathing becoming heavy, even her hands continuously trembling.

She thought and thought again, but time was pressing. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and pick up the phone again.

That day, Zhao Pingjin had a social engagement. After finishing his work obligations, he was already half-drunk. The driver and Shen Min supported him, taking him back to Park Hyatt Residence.

Shen Min saw him settle down, and after Zhao Pingjin fell asleep, he got up to go home.

Zhao Pingjin sank into a drowsy sleep, but not long after, Shen Min walked back in, woke him up, with a serious expression: “Miss Ni has an urgent matter.”

Zhao Pingjin’s head was painfully throbbing, but his consciousness immediately cleared.

Shen Min repeated: “Ni Kailun.”

Zhao Pingjin took the phone Shen Min handed him.

Shen Min turned on the light for him and went to the living room to get something. When he returned, he saw that Zhao Pingjin had already hung up the phone and was about to lift the blanket to get up. His expression remained composed as he reached for the shirt beside the bed.

Putting on the shirt, he hurried to get up, but as soon as he stood, his entire body pitched forward.

Shen Min, quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbed him.

Shen Min made him sit back on the bed. Zhao Pingjin frowned deeply. He had been drinking tonight, and his face had been pale throughout. Now his breathing wasn’t very good either. Zhao Pingjin took a quick, gasping breath, but his voice was unusually weak: “Bring me my phone.”

Shen Min immediately handed it over.

Zhao Pingjin turned it on. Since the beginning of spring this year, there has been intense turmoil among the senior management of the Zhongyuan Group. He had been keeping a low profile, rarely answering calls personally. During the period after his uncle’s sick leave and passing, some subtle changes occurred during the power transition within the Zhongyuan board of directors. This included his father-in-law taking direct control of the approval for several core projects of Energy Holdings. In the two years since Zhao Pingjin had taken office, he had gradually brought these project departments back under the operational management layer. After the nominees for the promotion of several operational management cadres appeared on the nomination committee list of the board of directors, the group’s top management gradually discovered that this newly appointed leader of the new generation of the Zhao family was working hard, with the strength and skill of the young faction, to weaken various internal power struggles within the group and re-concentrate the group’s leadership cohesion on the management team centered around the general manager. Especially after last month’s board meeting, where five out of eight directors had cast supporting votes, essentially indirectly stripping his father-in-law of power, Yu Xiaoying had had a big fight with him over this matter.

The two were in the midst of a cold war. When he went home, Yu Xiaoying ignored him.

Tonight he had drunk a bit too much, so he instructed the driver to take him back to Park Hyatt Residence.

During this period, the situation had been unpredictable and complex. He had kept his private phone turned off. Now, as the phone turned on, messages quickly came in, with constant vibration alerts. Within two seconds of the signal connecting, calls also started coming in. He finally became impatient, dismissed them all at once, and frowned, strongly suppressing his temper.

Zhao Pingjin began making calls.

Shen Min helped button up his shirt.

He stood up, supporting himself on Shen Min’s hand. A large wave of dizziness and double vision surged before his eyes. Shen Min didn’t dare speak out, just firmly held his arm. Zhao Pingjin just frowned tightly, listening to the phone without moving.

The call connected.

Zhao Pingjin smiled: “Roger, brother needs something from you. Are you at the hotel tonight?”

His tone was as usual, pleasant and relaxed, with a slight hint of cynical smile.

The two went downstairs. Shen Min drove for him. In the car, Zhao Pingjin made several more calls. The sedan entered the hotel driveway, where Xiao Luojie was already waiting, along with a young man dressed in a blue suit, looking slick and made-up, who called out excitedly: “Brother, hurry up, we’re waiting for you.”

This playboy was naturally someone Zhao Pingjin recognized—Hu Shaolei’s cousin, a second-generation heir dedicated to eating, drinking, and having fun. Zhao Pingjin got out of the car: “How’s it going?”

It was already after work hours. Xiao Luojie, slightly plump, wore a white shirt and black vest, with a small mustache, looking like a snooker player. In reality, he was a proper professional manager who had been responsible for the management and operation of two top-level foreign-related hotels in Beijing for over ten years. He was very familiar with Zhao Pingjin and was still cheerful: “The call was made first, but they wouldn’t let us in. Those two guys are guarding the door. Little Chao went in to say hello, and it seems the person isn’t in too much trouble.”

The young man in the blue suit nodded vigorously: “I saw everything. A beauty, a stunning beauty. But how did I hear she’s my brother’s girlfriend?”

Zhao Pingjin reached out and patted him on the head: “What nonsense are you talking, kid.”

Zhao Pingjin was anxious to go to the elevator.

Xiao Luojie stopped him: “Zhouzi, wait a minute.”

Xiao Luojie moved closer to him: “It’s not just Sun Kehu in there.”

Zhao Pingjin paused his steps, sensitively asking: “Who else?”

Xiao Luojie lowered his voice and quickly whispered something in his ear, then shrugged: “Director Hu is probably just a front. Sun Kehu is the connection. The real master is the one inside. I looked, this is meant as a tribute upward.”

Zhao Pingjin nodded, indicating he understood.

Xiao Luojie turned back, grinning as he put his arm around Hu Shaochao: “Be good, go get your master out, Brother Xiao will entertain.”

Hu Shaochao touched his nose and went as told.

Xiao Luojie accompanied Zhao Pingjin into the elevator. The hotel butler was already waiting outside the suite: “Good evening, Director Xiao, good evening, Mr. Zhao.”

Zhao Pingjin entered, sweeping a glance around. The living room of the suite had been cleaned, there were wine stains on the carpet, and Huang Xi Tang, wearing an overcoat over her formal dress, sat quietly on the sofa.

Zhao Pingjin didn’t look at her again, walking toward the study inside.

Xiao Luojie stood in the outer living room, speaking softly to the attendant standing in the living room: “As President Zhao instructed, tonight’s surveillance footage has already been taken care of. Please assure the leader.”

In the small living room of the suite, Sun Kehu sat by the door. As soon as he saw Zhao Pingjin, he gritted his teeth: “Well, Zhouzhou, you love to meddle in other people’s business.”

Zhao Pingjin didn’t even look at him, slightly bowing as he shook hands with the person sitting in the chair: “It’s all a misunderstanding, I’ve caused you trouble.”

The man sat in the shadows of the sofa, over fifty years old, wearing a short-sleeved white shirt, with broad features and a slightly yellow, wrinkled face. He appeared not to mind at all, laughing: “Zhouzi, so we’re all our people.”

Zhao Pingjin, showing no emotion, smiled and said: “Tiger is just joking with you, he knows.”

The man’s face in the shadows, speaking slowly: “Tiger, is what Zhouzi said true?”

Sun Kehu’s face turned green.

Zhao Pingjin said politely: “I’ve spoiled your fun. I’ve arranged another suite for you, more peaceful. Please do me the honor of going there, and Tiger and I will join you for a drink?”

The man stood up, laughing heartily: “No need, no need.”

Zhao Pingjin quickly went to meet him: “I’ve rudely disturbed you today, I’ll make it up to you another day.”

The man walked out: “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

At this moment, Zhao Pingjin’s secretary Shen Min came in, nodding to him to indicate everything was arranged. Zhao Pingjin said: “I’ll see you down.”

Zhao Pingjin lagged a step behind, lowering his voice to tell Shen Min behind him: “See her out.”

Zhao Pingjin stood in the corridor, watching the man enter the elevator.

Turning back to enter the suite, Sun Kehu was getting his bag, and about to leave. As he turned around, he saw the door had already closed.

“In such a hurry to leave?” Zhao Pingjin blocked the doorway. As he spoke, there was still a thin smile on his lips, but his face was already covered with an icy frost: “Sun Kehu, we still haven’t settled our account.”

Huang Xi Tang followed Shen Min downstairs. The car was parked in a spot in front of the ground-floor lobby. Shen Min helped her into the car, and Zhao Pingjin’s driver stood by the car, saying to her: “Miss Huang, President Zhao asked you to wait a moment.”

Xi Tang sat in Zhao Pingjin’s car, made two phone calls to Ni Kailun and her assistant, and then waited for a long time. Shen Min came out, greeted her, and then walked away. Less than two minutes later, Zhao Pingjin finally came out.

Zhao Pingjin got into the car with a gloomy face.

He sat in the back seat, not looking at Huang Xi Tang beside him, only saying hoarsely and impatiently: “Where do you live? I’ll take you back.”

Xi Tang pursed her lips: “I’ll go by myself.”

Zhao Pingjin, with deep anger: “Go by yourself? Still waiting for someone else to invite you up for drinks and chat?”

Huang Xi Tang didn’t speak again.

Zhao Pingjin couldn’t suppress his temper at all: “Are you going to leave, or sit here for a lifetime?”

Xi Tang still didn’t speak.

Shen Min came over and opened the car door, immediately realizing these two were arguing, habitually mediating: “Xi Tang, let’s go.”

Shen Min handed Xi Tang alcohol cotton balls and a pack of band-aids: “Help him clean the wound on his hand.”

Only then did Xi Tang see a long cut on the back of his hand, not knowing where it was scraped, with blood seeping out in fine drops.

Shen Min leaned in to tell Zhao Pingjin: “Zhouzi, I’m going back then.”

Shen Min closed the car door.

Xi Tang couldn’t avoid seeing those traces of red in her vision, saying: “Give me your hand.”

Zhao Pingjin didn’t move.

Xi Tang went to grab his wrist.

Zhao Pingjin threw off her hand: “Leave me alone.”

Xi Tang, angry, called out: “Zhao Pingjin!”

Zhao Pingjin finally gave in, allowing Huang Xi Tang to press the back of his hand onto the car seat armrest. Xi Tang tore open the package of disinfectant cotton swabs. Zhao Pingjin lowered his head, seeing that her right hand couldn’t hold things steady, continuously trembling slightly. His heart ached, and tears almost flowed out.

Zhao Pingjin shifted his gaze, staring at her neck and body, tightly gritting his teeth, his voice sounding particularly rigid: “What did he do to you?”

Xi Tang was silent again.

“Speak.”

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean ‘nothing’?”

Huang Xi Tang finally screamed, her face flushing red, but her body continued to shake with anger. She threw the cotton swab with medicine at him, “He pulled at my clothes and groped my chest, do you want to check? Why are you yelling at me? I didn’t know anything about this! One by one these goddamn bastards, I want to kill all these goddamn bastards!”

Zhao Pingjin finally reached out, hugged her head, and pressed her tightly against his chest.

The car drove toward the expressway entrance for Capital Airport.

Xi Tang calmed down, disinfecting the cut on his hand.

Zhao Pingjin finally stopped talking.

Xi Tang could easily see that he was angry, furious. As soon as he spoke, his tone became extremely bad, his chest heaving irregularly, his breathing unstable, yet he was trying hard to control it.

He had obviously been drinking tonight, with redness under his eyes, the weariness on his face impossible to hide.

Xi Tang needed to rush back to Shanghai overnight.

Zhao Pingjin accompanied her alone to the airport at past four in the morning. Xi Tang’s assistant hadn’t arrived, so he got her boarding pass.

Xi Tang saw the boarding card in his hand, finally understanding that he wanted to send her back to Shanghai.

She spoke up to refuse: “My assistant will be here soon, no need to trouble you.”

The two were about to start arguing over this matter again.