At the same time, Cheng Siran went to the side hall bathroom…
Downstairs, Zhou Mo left the bathroom and entered the side hall.
The side hall was empty and spacious. A pile of miscellaneous items was stacked in the left corner, with a multi-functional intercom hanging above them.
Zhou Mo stepped on the pile with one foot, reaching up to adjust the corner camera to face the ceiling. He then walked to the multi-functional intercom. Casually picking up an empty cardboard box from the ground, he unfolded its long edge and placed it upside down over the intercom. The box was unstable, so he adjusted its center of gravity, securing this large and clumsy paper hat on the intercom. Only then did he take out his phone, open a voice software, and begin inputting text.
Time was one line, location another, and the event and other details took up two more lines.
After finishing, Zhou Mo double-checked his input and dialed a number with an area code on the multi-functional intercom.
Following the system tone, a human voice, muffled by the cardboard box, responded: “Hello, this is the South City District Public Security…”
Zhou Mo bent down, reaching into the box, and pressed the time and location buttons in sequence near the microphone.
After Zhou Mo’s mechanical female voice finished reading, the other party apologized: “Your location is not in our jurisdiction. We’ll transfer you to the Jiangdong District immediately…”
Zhou Mo continued to press the third line for the event, then the fourth: “Although it might take you a few hours to arrive, this could be related to a case you’ve been investigating previously,” he vaguely mentioned the case, then added, “Please keep this call anonymous.”
The other party seemed to cover the receiver while reporting, and after a few seconds, replied, “Alright, we’ll dispatch officers immediately.”
Zhou Mo hung up and dialed a number belonging to a Jiujiang subordinate, instructing him to come up and collect something later.
Having completed these two tasks, Zhou Mo calmly removed the cardboard box and tossed it back onto the pile of miscellaneous items. He readjusted the camera to its original position, wiped his hands with a wet tissue, and returned to Wei Changqiu’s side in the main hall.
In the downstairs side hall bathroom, Zhou Zishen leaned against the air vent, lighting his second cigarette.
In the upstairs bathroom, Cheng Siran, having washed his hands, also lit a cigarette and extended his hand out the window, squinting at the night view.
The sky was pitch black, with neon lights twinkling like stars. The river wind howled, carrying away the ashes from both above and below.
As the person downstairs saw the ashes from upstairs, Cheng Siran also caught the scent of smoke from below.
Ordinary people might perceive cigarette smoke as a single scent, but for an ultimate hedonist like Cheng Siran, even the tiniest differences were discernible.
The person downstairs was smoking the same brand as him, a niche and sophisticated choice.
But wasn’t the downstairs area Jiujiang’s long-term private room? How could an uncouth nouveau riche like Wei Changqiu have a friend with such refined taste?
Feeling the river wind on his face, Cheng Siran let out a long whistle.
“Hey, little brother downstairs, want to come up and sing with us?” Cheng Siran called out playfully, his voice carried by the wind.
Zhou Zishen, equally casual, mimicked his tone: “Big brother upstairs, I don’t sing!”
Cheng Siran raised his voice: “Why not?”
Zhou Zishen shouted back: “I can’t!”
Emboldened by the alcohol, Cheng Siran bellowed: “Brother, you sit at the bow!”
Zhou Zishen burst into muffled laughter.
People who frequented such places were never ordinary.
The two bantered back and forth without probing too deeply, finishing their cigarettes before returning to their respective halls.
Zhou Zishen recognized the voice of the young master from Youran Residence.
Cheng Siran found the old man’s voice familiar but couldn’t place where he’d encountered it before.
—
As the wine and fragrance faded, Cheng Siran’s group dispersed in the early hours of the morning.
Cheng Siran’s cousin had just won a Best Actor award and was at the height of his popularity. Cheng Siran handed out masks to everyone.
They grumbled as they put them on: “Can’t we even show our faces when we’re with the award-winning Cheng?”
Cheng Siran scoffed: “My brother is popular with both men and women. If you don’t mind paparazzi find weird angles to photograph just the two of you and write about secret late-night rendezvous and intimate moments…”
Everyone hurriedly put on their masks.
Cheng Siran nodded approvingly: “That’s better. It’ll also protect you from the wind. The night breeze in Jiangdong can be quite fierce.”
Tang Yang wore slightly larger earrings today, and the mask straps weren’t secured properly, causing the earrings to pull painfully at her ears.
In the elevator, Jiang Shiyan lowered his head to help her adjust the straps. She checked her reflection in the elevator mirror; her complexion looked fine, and her hairstyle was still intact.
After admiring herself for a moment, Director Tang turned to find Mr. Jiang still staring at her.
“What is it?” Tang Yang felt her heart flutter under his gaze.
Jiang Shiyan: “Your eyes are quite large.”
What did he mean by ‘quite large’? Implying there was something small in comparison?
Tang Yang glanced at her chest, then smiled as she placed one foot on top of Jiang Shiyan’s.
Jiang Shiyan said softly: “Dark and bright, stunningly beautiful, like the moon.”
Suddenly turning poetic.
Jiang Shiyan had one hand in his pocket and the other around her shoulder. Tang Yang gazed into his deep, smiling eyes, feeling her cheeks grow warm.
“There’s some dust on your shoe. Let me wipe it off,” she found an excuse, standing up straight again and gently chiding him, “You silver-tongued devil.”
Jiang Shiyan glanced at her reddening ear tips: “A honey-tongued speaker.”
Suddenly engaging in an idiom game.
Tang Yang: “A beauty like flowers and the moon.”
There weren’t many people in the elevator. Jiang Shiyan leaned in to kiss the top of her head, whispering: “That’s my Yangyang.”
“You’re breaking the rules,” Tang Yang reproached him playfully.
Jiang Shiyan’s lips curled into a casual smile: “Facts are more important than rules.”
“You’re good at deflecting blame.” Tang Yang pushed his chest lightly with her small hand, but her heart felt as if it were covered in a layer of cotton candy, sweet and soft.
As the group gradually made their way to the lobby, Jiang Shiyan was holding Tang Yang’s hand and chatting with her when their path was suddenly blocked.
A crowd had gathered to watch the commotion. Security guards had formed a semi-circle in the lobby, and in the center were three groups of people – Jiujiang’s upper management, Huishang’s executives, and the police.
Tang Yang and her group stood at the edge of the onlookers, with a clear view. They saw that each person from the two management groups was holding one or two milk crates that looked completely out of place with the club’s decor.
Murmurs of discussion arose from the crowd.
Cheng Siran also recognized from the voice that the old man smoking downstairs was Zhou Zishen, but he didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say.
The club had previously established connections with these leather-clad public officials, but the people who came weren’t from the club’s jurisdiction.
The club manager hurriedly arrived, explaining with a sweaty forehead: “We operate legally. All guests have identification and are registered—”
The police, having checked the licenses provided, repeated in an official tone: “We received an anonymous tip that these individuals are carrying prohibited items. Please open the crates for immediate inspection.”
The manager was almost on his knees: “Our club has its security screening system. There won’t be any flammable or explosive—”
The police: “Drugs.”
Those two words silenced the crowd instantly.
One second, two seconds, three seconds, then chaos erupted again.
Tang Yang and Jiang Shiyan exchanged glances, communicating silently.
Huishang executives had to report their assets annually, with every fund, investment, and deposit detailed down to the transaction time and amount to three decimal places. Gan Yiming’s investigation began with that Maserati.
So these executives, whose finances seemed clean, weren’t engaged in money-power transactions but in group drug use?
It was terrifying.
Before Tang Yang could fully process this, Jiang Shiyan pulled her slightly. Tang Yang followed his gaze, still confused.
Zhou Mo, who had been standing with his back to Tang Yang along with the other involved executives, now faced her as he pretended to manage the situation and negotiate, moving back and forth to speak with several people.
Tang Yang looked up, and her eyes met Zhou Mo’s.
Although Tang Yang harbored some resentment towards Zhou Mo, she noticed the small gestures he was making in her confusion.
There was no one behind Tang Yang; was Zhou Mo signaling to her?
Tang Yang focused.
Zhou Mo showed the number 1, then 2, and then clenched his fist twice.
1200?
What did it mean?
Tang Yang was puzzled. Just then, Zhou Mo raised his hand to his ear and rubbed his earlobe twice.
Tang Yang’s mind went blank. She turned to Jiang Shiyan and asked, “What does that mean?”
Jiang Shiyan didn’t understand either. He mimicked Zhou Mo’s gesture, rubbing his fingers in the air: “His ear is itchy?”
Jiang Shiyan also did it twice.
Tang Yang gently cupped Jiang Shiyan’s hand with her palm.
“If I’m not mistaken, it’s one thousand two hundred,” Tang Yang said in a hushed voice, “in cash.”
Rubbing fingers was a common gesture for cash.
And one thousand two hundred million, fifteen milk crates, each crate holding eighty million.
The first training for all management trainees entering Huishang was cash counting, using only their hands to count money quickly with an error rate controlled within a certain range.
During that time, Tang Yang’s hands would tremble even when using chopsticks to eat, but now, she immediately recalled the feel and volume of a stack of one hundred thousand after counting to ten million, comparing it to three cartons of pure milk placed side by side… they were approximately equal.
A crate of milk contained twenty-four cartons, and a milk crate could hold eighty million. The numbers matched perfectly!
Tang Yang’s lips parted slightly, both disbelieving and amused.
When Zhou Zishen rejected her request to thoroughly investigate Jiujiang that afternoon, she had considered this possibility, but Huishang’s scrutiny of management assets was so strict that all traceable transactions seemed to be out in the open.
Tang Yang trusted this system so much that she forgot the most important thing – cash.
Cash, which appeared to be the bulkiest and most cumbersome but was the safest.
Find a way to send the cash overseas, open an account in a foreign bank, and deposit it into the most confidential family trust. Even if Huishang’s system turned the executives’ assets inside out like a fried egg, it would still appear squeaky clean.
Tang Yang was genuinely smiling – no wonder her investment professor had joked when introducing family trusts that it wasn’t just for these wealthy people, but also for some bank executives. Her classmates had scoffed at the time, thinking that even if someone became a branch manager of a bank, they’d only make a few million a year including bonuses, not even reaching the threshold for a trust.
The professor had been cryptic at the time.
Now, Tang Yang… seemed to understand.
—
Two minutes later, negotiations between the club management, Jiujiang executives, and the police had reached an impasse.
Wei Changqiu straightened her collar and stepped forward, extending her hand to the captain: “Hello, I’m Wei Changqiu.”
As one of City A’s major taxpayers and the eldest daughter of the Wei family, the captain had certainly heard of her. However, he didn’t shake her hand, merely nodding slightly.
Wei Changqiu explained: “It’s almost the weekend, and a few friends got together for a meal. We just had a late-night snack, and didn’t do anything else. The milk was extra, sent by someone else, and piled up at home. It’s 56 yuan a crate, with prices marked even in roadside supermarkets. You want to open them just like that, isn’t that a bit,” Wei Changqiu smiled awkwardly, “inappropriate?”
The captain replied: “I’m sorry, but we’re just doing our job. We received a tip related to a previous smuggling case under investigation, so we must open them.” The captain signaled to several officers, who moved to surround the executives as they stepped back.
Wei Changqiu blocked the police: “What if I don’t allow it?”
The captain calmly placed his hand on his waist: “We are authorized to use special measures if obstructed during duty.”
Wei Changqiu raised her eyebrows angrily: “Do taxpayers pay taxes so you can point guns at them?”
The captain: “I protect every law-abiding citizen.”
Wei Changqiu said coldly: “By opening milk crates?”
The captain raised his hand, fingers together, wrist down, and said decisively: “Open them!”
Wei Changqiu: “Just try opening one!”
The captain remained firm, and Wei Changqiu turned and slapped a young officer.
The sharp sound of the slap drew everyone’s attention to Wei Changqiu, who shouted fiercely: “Go ahead, open them! If you don’t find anything today, don’t think you’ll keep that uniform on your back. You’d better ask your chief who Wei Changqiu is…”
As Wei Changqiu ranted and raved, kicking and punching, the police remained unmoved, swiftly drawing knives to cut open the milk crates that had been resealed with clear tape.
They started with the one Zhou Zishen was holding.
With a “rip,” the crate was opened, and everyone’s eyes converged on it. Whether they showed it or not, everyone’s hearts were in their throats.
The police and onlookers expected drugs, while Tang Yang hoped for – and the executives feared – cash.
The young officer tore off the clear tape and lifted the paper lid. Everyone froze in place.
Because it was just milk, the most ordinary milk.
The onlookers stared in disbelief, while both groups of executives breathed sighs of relief.
Wei Changqiu was momentarily taken aback, then quietly relieved. With a tone full of sarcasm, he said, “Let’s see you continue to search.”
The police brought over a scanner and opened the first box, scanning each carton inside. It was all milk.
The second box is still milk.
The third box, the fourth box… all fifteen boxes were filled with nothing but milk!
Tang Yang held Jiang Shiyan’s hand, her palm’s fine sweat transferring to his.
She felt as if she had just witnessed a bizarre magic show, her heart pounding “thump-thump.”
Zhou Mo couldn’t have given her those hints for no reason.
But what was the deal with all this milk scattered across the hall floor?
Although carrying milk in such an expensive club was strange, who could fathom the whims of the wealthy?
Faced with the facts, the captain bowed, “We’re sorry for the disturbance.”
“Next time, remember my name correctly,” Wei Changqiu said.
The captain straightened up. “My apologies.”
Wei Changqiu smirked, then directly raised his middle finger at the captain, followed by an extremely vicious downward motion with the same finger.
Zhou Mo draped a cloak over her shoulders, and Wei Changqiu left, surrounded by high-level executives.
As they turned to leave, the Huishang executives glanced toward Jiang Shiyan. He quickly pulled Tang Yang into his embrace, pretending to pat her face gently while saying impatiently to those nearby, “Are we going or not? Can’t you see she’s fallen asleep?”
The Jiujiang executives nodded at Jiang Shiyan before leaving.
Once the crowd dispersed, Jiang Shiyan held Tang Yang’s skirt and lifted her into his arms.
As they exited the club, Zhou Mo, walking ahead, seemed to look back at the stars in the sky, but his gaze lingered on the couple for a moment.
The parking lot, previously packed, gradually emptied as private cars dispersed towards various exits like scattered sand, following the fading sound of police sirens. Cheng Siran and the others had also left one after another.
In the vast area surrounded by trees, two black Lincoln cars were parked on the left and right, like two rocks standing amidst the night breeze.
The surrounding bushes echoed with chirping insects.
In the car on the left, the ventilation was on, and the ceiling light cast an orange glow.
The passenger seat was reclined at a large angle, with Tang Yang sprawled across it, her eyelids heavy.
Jiang Shiyan sat beside her, rummaging through a cloth bag.
“It feels like watching a leader get caught in a prostitution raid,” Tang Yang rubbed her eyes. “How did you react so quickly?” She was referring to his idea of pretending she was asleep.
Jiang Shiyan said seriously, “Little kids shouldn’t see yellow things.”
Tang Yang chuckled.
Physically, Tang Yang wanted to sleep, but her mind was wide awake.
Seeing her eyebrows knotted together, Jiang Shiyan felt both annoyed and amused. While continuing to search through the bag with one hand, he covered her eyes with the other.
The skin around her eyes was delicate, and Tang Yang could feel the thin calluses on his palm. The warmth from his hand spread from her eyes throughout her entire body.
“Do you remember when Zhou Mo asked me out for chicken soup?” Tang Yang suddenly spoke.
Jiang Shiyan replied, “Did I ever tell you the results of the video comparison? He collected the items himself and threw away the cookies.”
Tang Yang wrapped her hands around his arm as if hanging from a horizontal bar.
“I think you might have mentioned it to me before. What I’m thinking is,” Tang Yang pondered, “Zhou Mo always struck me as an ambitious person. He loved finance and was a top-notch risk control expert at Huishang. Even Manager Fan from the B City branch joked that Zhou Mo might one day appear in banking textbooks.”
For such a person, Tang Yang couldn’t understand: “So why did he go to Jiujiang to do some,” Tang Yang wasn’t sure how to describe, “very strange things by Wei Changqiu’s side?”
Tang Yang shook her head, “I don’t believe the salary could be that tempting for him.”
Jiang Shiyan finally pulled out a thin blanket and covered Tang Yang with it. His voice softened as if coaxing a baby, “Women care about many things – parents, children, proximity to home. Men, I feel, only care about two things,” Jiang Shiyan said, “Love and career.”
While carefully tucking the blanket around Tang Yang, Jiang Shiyan continued, “Back then, I went to Taiwan for an exchange program to avoid you. So is it possible that he liked you and left Huishang to avoid you?”
Jiang Shiyan had never admitted before that he went to Taiwan to avoid her.
The first time he mentioned it, and in such a frank tone?
Tang Yang laughed in disbelief, “Aren’t you even a little jealous?”
He even casually commented on whether Zhou Mo liked her or not.
“Why should I be jealous?” Jiang Shiyan said with exaggerated confidence, tilting his chin up, “No matter how much others like you, you’re still mine.” And besides, you’ve liked me for a long time.
The more he thought about it, the more pleased he became. Jiang Shiyan leaned down to kiss her forehead.
Tang Yang opened her eyes to see a certain someone’s eyes brimming with satisfaction.
“You’re so full of yourself,” she said, her ears turning slightly red as she pushed his face away.
Jiang Shiyan rubbed his face against her hand, shamelessly praising, “Your hands are so small.”
“My face is small too,” Tang Yang said with a hint of pride.
“Let me see,” Jiang Shiyan took her hand and guided it to touch her face, then kissed each of her delicate white fingertips.
Tang Yang felt embarrassed, “My hands are dirty.”
“Then let’s disinfect them,” Jiang Shiyan readily agreed, extending his tongue to lick her fingertip.
A tingling sensation spread from her fingertips to her entire body. Tang Yang shuddered, suddenly recalling a scene—
At a B University alumni gathering where Tang Yang was a volunteer. After the event, everyone gathered for a meal, and Zhou Mo, as the youngest alumni representative, was also present.
Zhou Mo had brought a gentle, plain-looking girl. When someone urged him to introduce her, the girl, with rosy cheeks, said, “Hello everyone, I’m Zhou Mo’s junior, Xu Shanshan.”
Zhou Mo rested his face on his hand, looking at his junior lazily, “Zhou Mo’s girlfriend.”
Xu Shanshan corrected him, “Junior.”
Zhou Mo teased her, “Girlfriend.”
Xu Shanshan frantically waved her hands, “Senior Zhou, don’t be like this…”
Tang Yang remembered Zhou Mo taking Xu Shanshan’s hand and then, kissing the back of it. Xu Shanshan’s face turned as red as a ripe apple.
Zhou Mo just kept teasing her, even going so far as to lick the back of Xu Shanshan’s hand with the tip of his tongue. It was extremely flirtatious yet not vulgar, eliciting a chorus of surprised exclamations.
Tang Yang was still in graduate school then, probably four or five years ago.
Later, she never paid attention to whether the two ended up together or broke up.
Yes… it was this Xu Shanshan!
She was also the Xu Shanshan mentioned in office gossip after Tang Yang was harassed by Gan Yiming: “If it weren’t for Jiang Shiyan, Tang Yang would be the second Xu Shanshan!”
Something was on the tip of her tongue, but Tang Yang couldn’t quite put it into words.
“Stop thinking. Get some sleep, we’ll be there soon,” Jiang Shiyan hugged her tightly through the blanket. His voice was low, his brows furrowed, “Don’t be like this, it’s breaking my heart.”
Tang Yang mumbled softly, “Then let your heart break.”
Jiang Shiyan: “…”
He pinched his little girlfriend’s cheek in frustration, and Tang Yang snuggled closer into his embrace.
In the Lincoln on the right.
Wei Changqiu and Zhou Mo sat side by side in the back seat.
Wei Changqiu’s face was expressionless, “Check the surveillance footage and entry records.” He wanted to investigate how the money had been replaced with milk.
Zhou Mo pushed his glasses up and voluntarily explained, “I was worried something might happen, so I had the driver come up earlier to swap the milk boxes with the special ones. The special milk is now in the car with Zhou Xing and the others. Fifteen boxes, not one missing.”
Zhou Mo continued, “I figured if nothing went wrong, they’d carry the milk boxes to the car and switch them for the special ones when they got out. And if something did happen, like just now, we wouldn’t have to worry.”
The vehicle started, and the interior was dim.
Wei Changqiu massaged his temples, “Why would something happen?”
“There are some things I’m not sure if I should say,” Zhou Mo, who usually handled matters efficiently and appropriately, spoke with an unprecedented hesitation.
Wei Changqiu said, “Tell me.”
Zhou Mo sat by the door. While reaching over to massage Wei Changqiu’s right temple, he mentioned the name of a Jiujiang executive he had earlier caught “reminiscing and quarreling” with Zhou Zisheng: He Zheng.
Wei Changqiu raised an eyebrow and repeated, “He Zheng?”
He Zheng was a veteran of Jiujiang and the executive director of Jiujiang Real Estate.
The previous major promotional campaigns for Jiujiang were negotiated between He Zheng and Yixiu.
Zhou Mo stated matter-of-factly, “Starting last year, Mr. He had two meetings with Yixiu about promotional campaigns, but neither was successful. When you asked Yixiu to lower the heat on public opinion, it was also Mr. He who negotiated. The heat kept cycling with Wang Qianqian, spending money without results. You might not have paid attention to the specific accounts.”
Zhou Mo stopped his hand movements and found relevant screenshots on the tablet to show Wei Changqiu. The deeper Wei Changqiu scrolled, the darker his eyes became.
Zhou Mo explained, “Wang Qianqian was packaged and made popular by Yixiu.”
Wei Changqiu had a certain degree of monitoring on these executives.
Zhou Mo reached out to open another set of data on the tablet: “Recently, Mr. He has also been frequently dining with Yixiu’s female director, Peng Si, the one who made Wang Qianqian popular.”
The entire content pointed to two conclusions.
First, He Zheng had pocketed the money Wei Changqiu allocated for lowering the heat.
As for the second—
After Jiujiang Real Estate went public, the finances and share distribution became much more transparent compared to before. The most direct impact was a significant reduction in executive salaries and grey income.
Jiujiang Real Estate was the presentable facade that the entire Jiujiang Group had sacrificed for appearances. Before going public, the executives had sworn their loyalty.
Wei Changqiu’s expression, which had been unpleasant earlier, now smoothed out, “Are you suggesting he wants to betray Jiujiang?”
The phrase “jump ship to Yixiu” remained unspoken by Wei Changqiu.
Zhou Mo didn’t have the urgency or purposefulness of someone speaking ill of others behind their backs.
He neither confirmed nor denied, merely stating facts dispassionately: “Jiang Shiyan’s intention to transform Yixiu is very clear, which is why he made the ‘Lost Pearl’ series so thorough, popular, righteous, and professional.”
Zhou Mo continued, “But Yixiu is less than five years old, and the entire corporate culture and operations are new. They desperately need the weight of older generation successful entrepreneurs to stabilize things. The pan-entertainment sector is booming economically, with Yixiu’s co-branded games netting a profit of 20 billion last year, and Jiang Shiyan is a typical maverick capitalist.”
When Yixiu was first established, Jiang Shiyan went to great lengths to recruit a visual effects expert, offering both material wealth and showing deep respect. This story appeared in the expert’s autobiography, and many people joked after dinner that Jiang Shiyan should be the one to ascend the throne.
Wei Changqiu had already guessed what would follow.
“Just say it,” she said.
Zhou Mo replied, “When I first came to Jiujiang, you offered me five times my previous salary, and I signed a lifetime contract. When that visual effects expert went to Yixiu, Jiang Shiyan offered an astronomical price, and the expert gave Yixiu all the rights to his past peripheral works.”
Zhou Mo continued, “Yixiu’s ‘Lost Pearl’ series has received mediocre reviews overseas, and their entertainment marketing has only managed to promote Wang Qianqian in the past few months. They’ve always been hit-makers,” Zhou Mo paused, then added, “If tomorrow’s hot search shows ‘Jiujiang executives and Huishang executives frequenting private clubs late at night,’ ‘Jiujiang executives involved in group drug use,’ ‘Fifteen milk boxes containing 12 million in cash, Jiujiang executives suspected of money laundering’…”
If Jiang Shiyan had offered He Zheng an astronomical price, He Zheng would surely need to bring something valuable in return.
The best option would be a blockbuster hit that could dominate the charts.
Coincidentally, Wei Changqiu had just seen Jiang Shiyan at the scene, and many entertainment industry figures were there too.
She had encountered Cheng Siran’s private gatherings a few times before, but rarely with such a full attendance. So, could it be that the gathering was just a cover, and what they wanted was the explosive material He Zheng would provide?
Tonight, when the police wanted to open the boxes, Wei Changqiu couldn’t imagine the consequences if they had been full of cash.
After Zhou Mo calmly finished speaking, she could even less imagine the click-through rates, the heat, and the butterfly effect of these headlines.
The safety of Huishang’s executives was one aspect Jiujiang had to consider. Another was the dozens of real estate projects Jiujiang had on sale, as well as the Linjiang City commercial district with its enormous potential and pending loans.
Zhou Mo had said enough.
Wei Changqiu didn’t speak either.
For a moment, an extremely quiet atmosphere settled in the car.
The vehicle felt like a three-dimensional constraint, the air seemingly stuck, unable to flow.
Zhou Mo casually looked at the scenery flying by outside the window, then glanced at the back of the front passenger seat.
His features were extremely regular, as were his words and actions. Like the man himself, he was always prepared and meticulous.
Wei Changqiu watched Zhou Mo for a while, then suddenly smiled, her face scrunching up.
“How could I turn danger into safety without you,” she sighed, “I’m even a bit jealous of Xu Shanshan.”
To be loved by Zhou Mo at the best age.
Zhou Mo’s back stiffened when he heard this name.
Wei Changqiu noticed his unnatural reaction.
A few seconds later, Zhou Mo turned his head, looking confused, “Xu Shanshan?” as if he didn’t recognize the name.
Zhou Mo stared at Wei Changqiu for a moment, then said “Oh, oh,” and continued, “I remember now, an ex-girlfriend.”
His tone was particularly bland.
His earlier oddness seemed to be from trying to recall who this person was.
Wei Changqiu asked suspiciously, “Wasn’t she your first love?”
Zhou Mo replied, “No, she wasn’t.”
Wei Changqiu: “Then?”
Zhou Mo knew Wei Changqiu so well that he could tell what answer she wanted from just a single syllable.
Zhou Mo said, “She came from a poor background, lived in an orphanage until she was ten, and then was taken in by her uncle and aunt. She was dependent on others, studied hard, and unexpectedly got into Jiaotong University through the college entrance exam. She had a poor and timid personality, always hesitant in everything she did. She interned at Huishang’s A City branch in her senior year, while I was still at the B City branch. We broke up due to the long distance and never contacted each other again,” Zhou Mo finished, then added after some thought, “Maybe because of her submissive nature, the few months we were together were quite pleasant. She’s the type suitable for being a housewife, easy to manage.”
Throughout, Zhou Mo’s expression didn’t show the slightest fluctuation.
Zhou Mo had completed his Ph.D. and joined Huishang with an annual salary of one million, and his uncle Zhou Zisheng was a well-known banking executive with numerous classic cases under his belt.
And Xu Shanshan at that time? A female college student, living frugally, with a humble background and an uncertain future. Even in Zhou Mo’s recent evaluation, there was a hint of class superiority in his tone – like a delicate, elegant little hammer, hitting Wei Changqiu’s heart just right, making her feel extremely comfortable.
Xu Shanshan got into trouble at the beginning of last year, and Zhou Mo came over in June of the same year. Jiujiang’s executives and Gan Yiming all speculated whether Zhou Mo might have loved Xu Shanshan too much and had ulterior motives. Wei Changqiu personally interviewed Zhou Mo, and her intuition told her that this kind of man loved himself the most, a typical self-serving elite from a prestigious university.
In the year and more since Zhou Mo joined Jiujiang, every step he took was steady, and he didn’t hide his ambition. He liked luxury cars and houses, and would also have relationships with the women Wei Changqiu sent his way. He could be Wei Changqiu’s right-hand man in business, and in private life, without having a relationship, he could give Wei Changqiu the ambiguity and care she wanted, just right.
Wei Changqiu became increasingly dependent on Zhou Mo, and her doubts grew fewer and fewer.
Today, her stroke of genius in mentioning “Xu Shanshan” and Zhou Mo’s answer completely dispelled her doubts.
The driver in front, reading the atmosphere, opened the window a crack. After the air inside quickly changed, he closed it again.
Wei Changqiu said, “Keep an eye on He Zheng’s situation.”
Zhou Mo nodded, “Understood.”
Wei Changqiu: “Also follow up on the Huishang special case, there can’t be any slip-ups.”
Zhou Mo: “Yes.”
“…”
After discussing several important matters, Wei Changqiu suddenly softened her voice: “What type of girl do you like? The Wei family has many beautiful young women in their early twenties.”
Zhou Mo was taken aback by this question, then showed a rare shyness on his face: “It’s hard to say.”
Seeing this, Wei Changqiu knew there was hope, and patiently said, “Come on, tell me, why is it hard to say?”
Zhou Mo seemed to hesitate for a moment, but still spoke: “I like girls like Tang Yang.”
Zhou Mo’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, “Generous, beautiful,” Zhou Mo tapped his forehead with his index finger and said, “and spirited.”
Jiang Shiyan and Tang Yang had only been together for a short while, right?
Wei Changqiu was surprised: “You never pursued her?” It didn’t seem like Zhou Mo’s style.
“She feels like I never pursued her, but I was preparing to,” Zhou Mo confessed, “Later, because of a very small thing, I gave up.”
This happened before he met Xu Shanshan.
Gossip seems to be a common trait among the vast majority of women.
Even Wei Changqiu, in her high position, was no exception.
“Then why didn’t you pursue her? What small thing could make you give up so easily?” she asked with great interest.
Since coming to Wei Changqiu’s side, Zhou Mo had learned to be blind, and deaf, and to call a deer a horse, turning black into white.
For instance, Wei Changqiu had always been self-delusional about Gan Yiming’s chaotic private life, turning a blind eye. If Gan Yiming’s harassment of Tang Yang had been exposed, Wei Changqiu would have only wanted to remove Gan Yiming’s position at Huishang. However, the last straw that broke Gan Yiming was when Zhou Zisheng discovered that Gan Yiming had bought a set of custom-made jewelry for someone else. Gan Yiming had given that set of jewelry to Fan Linlang. Zhou Mo didn’t mention this, he only fabricated the meaning of that set of jewelry, such as “Even if I’m imprisoned, I still see you as a treasure, my love is only for you.” Wei Changqiu had given Gan Yiming money and status, but Gan Yiming gave jewelry saying he only loved someone else, so she could only be ruthless.
For example, Zhou Mo monitored Jiujiang’s executives for Wei Changqiu. He knew clearly how many misdeeds He Zheng had covered up for Jiujiang and how loyal he was to Jiujiang. But Zhou Mo didn’t know if He Zheng had not heard his conversation with Zhou Zisheng or was pretending not to have heard. No matter how wide the rift between him and Zhou Zisheng, only he, Zhou Mo, could bring down Zhou Zisheng. Since there was a possibility that He Zheng had heard, Zhou Mo could only act this way. He liked the phrase “foolproof.”
For instance, this loan case with Jiujiang at Huishang was the best opportunity, and he was getting a bit impatient. He had to use He Zheng as a chess piece, and he could only report to the police himself and then switch the milk himself, a move both incisive and meticulous.
Zhou Mo had told many lies, but his answer to Wei Changqiu this time was true.
A few years ago, they were all young. At that time, their clothes still carried the scent of sun-dried laundry detergent.
Tang Yang was in graduate school, he was in the doctoral program, under the same advisor, in the same research lab.
For a period, they worked on projects together with other classmates, ate together, and naturally became familiar over time. Tang Yang was good at her major and had a mild temperament, and many male classmates openly or secretly wanted to pursue her.
Maybe they were all academic stars.
At that time, Zhou Mo’s relationship with her was a bit closer than others.
Once, they went out together to buy milk tea for everyone.
Outside the milk tea shop was sunshine, inside were vines and wind chimes, with artistic decorations. The air was filled with a mix of milk, tea, fruit, and vegetable scents.
Sweet and fresh, similar to Tang Yang.
Tang Yang was the type of person who would answer any question asked, and participate in any activity. She was gentle and kind to everyone but seemed to maintain a subtle distance from everyone.
Zhou Mo still remembers that afternoon, dust floating in the air, and Tang Yang looking at the menu with him.
Tang Yang was focused on the menu, and Zhou Mo couldn’t help but look at her.
Her skin was fair, her nose delicate, her lips diamond-shaped, her chin slightly chubby with baby fat, her expression calm and light.
The bright light was behind her, yet her thick eyelashes seemed to be coated with a layer of shine, fluttering like fans.
She had one hand on the counter, the other scrolling through the menu, softly reciting from memory: “Professor Chen wants peach oolong, Assistant Jiang wants Oreo milk cap, Wen Wanwan wants lemon water…”
She went through each item, and when she came to a certain one, her finger stopped.
Tang Yang’s eyes were filled with soft, scattered light. She said softly, in a tone of “doing something with current classmates that a former classmate also liked to do”: “Jiang Shiyan also really likes to drink matcha.”
After saying this, she continued to order for other classmates, her voice much softer than at the beginning.
Zhou Mo secretly observed Tang Yang’s profile, watching her slightly pursed her lips, seeing an unconscious and unprecedented gentleness on her face.
At that time, Zhou Mo didn’t know exactly who Jiang Shiyan was or what his relationship with Tang Yang was.
At that moment, with the warm breeze gently blowing, Zhou Mo only felt that Tang Yang was thinking of Jiang Shiyan, with a kind of implicit, unspoken… she missed him, missed him very much.