CM | Chapter 23

Just as Gu Yao was teaching Xu Shuo a harsh lesson with the heel of her shoe, in the president’s office of Jiangcheng Gene, Zhu Shengxi had also just ended a call, his expression cold.

He sat quietly for a moment, one hand slowly tapping the armrest of his office chair. Then there was a knock at the door.

It was Zhu Shengxi’s secretary. “President Zhu, President Gu is here.”

Zhu Shengxi froze, then quickly stood and strode to the door. “Where is he?”

“The front desk just called. He’s already in the elevator.”

“Go make a pot of Da Hong Pao.”

“Yes, President Zhu.”

The secretary turned to prepare it, while Zhu Shengxi had already reached the elevator doors.

At the same time, with a ding, the doors opened, and standing inside was Gu Chengwen.

Zhu Shengxi lowered his eyelids. “President Gu, this way please.”

Gu Chengwen gave a silent nod and followed Zhu Shengxi all the way into the office.

It was obvious that Gu Chengwen was not visiting for the first time. After entering, he did not even look around the office, but went straight to the main seat in the sofa area and sat down.

Only after Gu Chengwen was seated did Zhu Shengxi sit in the sofa to his lower left. Smiling, he said, “Uncle Gu came so suddenly, I wasn’t prepared. I’ve already asked the secretary to make tea. It’s Da Hong Pao from last month’s auction.”

There was no smile on Gu Chengwen’s face, but he was no longer as tense as when he first came in. He crossed one leg over the other and sighed before finally saying, “You handled this matter badly. You’ve caused me a lot of trouble.”

Zhu Shengxi showed not the slightest panic or shame at Gu Chengwen’s criticism. Instead, he said evenly, “Whether it’s Zhaoyang or Jiangcheng Gene, they’re both your right hand and left hand. They’ve supported each other, relied on each other for years, but because of this incident, the media has blown it up and affected your reputation. That really was my oversight.”

Gu Chengwen’s gaze settled on Zhu Shengxi’s face. This young man had deep, unreadable eyes, and over the years he had become increasingly seasoned, making it hard to see through him at a glance. Then he said, “Someone definitely interfered behind the scenes this time.”

Zhu Shengxi said, “I’m already looking into it. It’s been confirmed that people from Likun leaked the news to the media.”

Gu Chengwen asked again, “What about the lawsuit?”

Zhu Shengxi said, “Zhaoyang has already started handling it.”

Silence fell.

Gu Chengwen’s shrewd eyes remained fixed on Zhu Shengxi. Zhu Shengxi did not evade or look away, just sat there calmly and let himself be studied.

Until Gu Chengwen suddenly asked, “Then what about after this matter is resolved?”

Zhu Shengxi said quietly, “Someone wants to strip a layer of skin off Jiangcheng Gene, but if it’s handled well, it could be a rebirth. No matter what, Jiangcheng Gene will always be the most useful assistant to Chengwen Real Estate.”

A faint smile slowly appeared on Gu Chengwen’s face. “Since it’s a rebirth, we should also think about taking it a step further.”

Zhu Shengxi did not answer. He only lifted his eyelids and held Gu Chengwen’s gaze for several seconds.

Then he asked, “You mean…”

But Gu Chengwen did not answer. Instead, he asked, “Do you remember that I told you when I was young, some expert once read my birth chart and fortune?”

Zhu Shengxi said, “I remember. That expert said there were four hurdles in your life, health, studies, marriage, and career. Those so-called hurdles weren’t necessarily bad things. They were opportunities. If you don’t pass them well, you fall. If you do, you’ll rise to a higher level and sail smoothly from there.”

Gu Chengwen said, “Actually, everyone has several hurdles in this lifetime. The difference is that a few people know they’re coming, know how to deal with them, and know how to step up to the next level. Most people are oblivious, not even realizing when opportunity has arrived. They don’t pay attention, and then they trip and fall, smashing their heads bloody.”

While he was speaking, the secretary knocked and came in, placing a pot of Da Hong Pao on the table.

After the secretary left, Zhu Shengxi poured a cup of tea and set it in front of Gu Chengwen.

Gu Chengwen looked at the white steam slowly rising from the teacup and continued, “A while ago, I found another master who’s skilled in the I Ching and metaphysics to calculate a hexagram for me. He said my fourth hurdle would be this year, but this time the opportunity isn’t controlled by me alone. It’s also related to my family and my business partner. I thought it over, and although this matter looks bad on the surface, everything has two sides. The best way to shake off a stain is to use a better piece of news to whitewash it. As they say, there is no blessing without misfortune. You should know what I’m talking about.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Chengwen picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Zhu Shengxi said, “Based on the current situation, the fastest and most effective way is to choose one company from among the ones you’ve invested in and package it for an IPO. As long as it meets the listing requirements and passes review, once the news gets out and its visibility opens up, financing channels will widen, many investors will rush to it, and the previous rumors will collapse of their own accord.”

Gu Chengwen’s smile deepened. “Then which company do you think is more suitable?”

Zhu Shengxi thought for a moment. “How about Jiangcheng Pharmaceutical?”

Gu Chengwen said, “In the short term, Jiangcheng Pharmaceutical should still focus on drug development and research. Pulling it too early into commercial competition may not be a good thing.”

Zhu Shengxi then said, “Then Jiangcheng Medical? These years they’ve been focusing on developing equipment related to cardiac surgery. Whether in product quality or sales, they’re solid. Many major hospitals are already using Jiangcheng Medical’s hardware for cardiac imaging and cardiothoracic surgery.”

Gu Chengwen said, “It’s not the right time yet.”

Zhu Shengxi paused. After a few seconds of silence, as if he suddenly understood, he said, “Then that only leaves Jiangcheng Gene…”

Gu Chengwen’s smile slowly faded. “If I say it’s this one, are you confident you can do it well?”

For a moment, Zhu Shengxi’s expression was very complicated, with surprise and a trace of joy, but both emotions were quickly pushed down by a third, a firm resolve.

Zhu Shengxi took a breath, then straightened his back. His tone was not only solemn, but certain. “If you’re willing to trust me, I’ll do everything I can, no matter what it takes.”

At last, Gu Chengwen was satisfied. He set down his teacup and stood up.

Zhu Shengxi also stood. He was half a head taller than Gu Chengwen, his posture straight, his gaze steady. He looked just like the boy who had stood in front of Gu Chengwen ten years ago. He had hardly changed, yet somehow he had gone through several transformations, washing away the wildness on him, smoothing out the thorns, making his temperament more polished, yet somehow even sharper. By now, he was already the sharpest dagger in Gu Chengwen’s hand.

Gu Chengwen looked at him as though admiring a masterpiece he had personally refined, and smiled. “I’ve never misjudged anyone. You’re a rare kind of manager. It’s really a pity to focus only on gene research.”

After Gu Chengwen left, Zhu Shengxi stayed alone in the office for a long while.

Actually, Zhu Shengxi had no business matters to handle that afternoon. The biggest matter in front of him was the case of a senior executive at Jiangcheng Gene dying after mistakenly taking medication. Compared to that, everything else was unimportant.

But Zhu Shengxi did not leave the office until his phone suddenly rang.

“President Zhu.” It was a woman’s voice on the phone. “This afternoon, I went to see Tian Fang. I’ve already passed on your words, but…”

Zhu Shengxi’s brows moved. “Get to the point.”

The woman hurriedly said, “I think I saw Miss Gu in the parking lot.”

Zhu Shengxi froze. “Gu Yao? Are you sure you didn’t mistake her?”

The woman said, “Yes. There was another man with her, but he looked unfamiliar. It seemed like Miss Gu had some kind of argument with him. They were originally standing in the parking lot talking, and everything was fine, but I don’t know what that man said. Miss Gu stepped on his foot.”

Zhu Shengxi fell silent.

Gu Yao was not someone who got emotional easily. In the past year, he had never once seen her angry. What kind of man, and what did he say, that could actually enrage Gu Yao, even make her use violence?

The woman continued, “Later, when I went to see Tian Fang, it was Tian Fang who said Miss Gu had brought a male lawyer to see her. That lawyer’s surname is Xu, his name is Xu Shuo. She also said he wanted to get involved in this case and asked Tian Fang to hire him.”

Another silence.

Zhu Shengxi made no sound. The woman waited a moment, then finally could not help asking, “President Zhu, are you still there?”

Only then did Zhu Shengxi speak. “You said his surname is Xu?”

The woman said, “Yes.”

Zhu Shengxi suddenly said, “Go and check whether he has any connection with Xu Haiqing in Licheng. Don’t alert Gu Yao.”

The woman was stunned, but quickly reacted. “Yes, I know what to do.”

Zhu Shengxi hung up, his brows furrowing.

He put the phone back on the desk and thought for a long time.

Why would Gu Yao suddenly go to the detention center to see Tian Fang? Was she being curious, showing concern, or did she know something? And she even brought a male lawyer.

Why did that lawyer want to get involved in this case? What was his purpose? Fame, profit, or…

The lawyer who had gone to cause trouble at Zijing Palace before was also surnamed Xu, and he was Xu Haiqing’s man. According to Jin Zhizhong, that Xu brat had also come to Jiangcheng.

Could it be the same person?

And how did this person end up offending Gu Yao?

Gu Yao was not the kind of woman who would trust others easily or build a connection in such a short time, yet the two of them had even gone to visit someone in custody together.

Originally, Jin Zhizhong’s call hadn’t concerned Zhu Shengxi much. There had been too many troublesome matters to deal with lately, and he really couldn’t spare the attention. But at this moment, these things that seemed unrelated to each other had unexpectedly connected all at once, forcing him to grow suspicious.

But whoever he was, since he wanted to get involved in Jiangcheng Gene’s affairs, and even provoke Gu Yao, his motives definitely weren’t pure.

No matter what, he would first dig out this person’s background.

Night fell, and before long it was ten o’clock.

Zhu Shengxi stood by the window the whole time, looking at the night scenery in the distance.

For once in several days, he had such a quiet moment, enough to calm down and think about the past.

These ten years had truly been earth-shaking, whether it was Jiangcheng’s development or his own.

Then a WeChat message popped up on his phone.

He picked it up and saw that it was from Gu Yao.

“How’s the work going? Business trips are tiring, make sure you get some rest.”

Zhu Shengxi looked at it silently, a smile flickering at the corner of his lips.

But he did not reply. He simply left the office.

The secretary had been waiting for Zhu Shengxi to get off work. Seeing him come out, the secretary immediately stood up. “President Zhu.”

Zhu Shengxi walked past the secretary and said, “Clean up the office. I’m not coming back to work overtime tonight.”

“Yes.”

Zhu Shengxi got into the elevator and went all the way down to the parking garage. He did not call the driver to bring the car over, but instead walked toward his BMW 760.

It was already past rush hour, so Zhu Shengxi drove along the Third Ring Road, quickly left the CBD, and took the interchange onto the Fourth Ring Road. In less than half an hour, he arrived at a quiet, elegant high-end residential complex.

They were all apartment buildings here, only two households on each floor. The development had been built ten years ago. Each building had more than twenty floors, and the price per square meter was 130,000 yuan. The population density in the whole complex was high, yet it hid dragons and crouching tigers. Not only producers, directors, and celebrities from the entertainment industry chose to live here, there were also many real estate developers and new elites from the financial world. It was said that someone had specially consulted on the feng shui of this complex, and those who lived here were all either rich or influential, with smooth careers. If there happened to be an empty unit for rent, it would be snapped up instantly before the agent even had time to post it online.

Zhu Shengxi parked the car in the designated spot and took the elevator to the seventh floor.

After stepping out of the elevator, he opened the door with a password.

The living room curtains were not drawn. The city lights outside blazed brightly, and those lights shone in, falling onto the wooden floor and clearly reflecting his shadow.

Zhu Shengxi did not linger. He took off his shoes and walked straight into the bedroom.

His steps were steady, making almost no sound, until he pushed open the slightly ajar dressing room door. His suit jacket had already been tossed aside.

He found a set of pajamas and changed, then turned and went into the bedroom.

The bedroom curtains were tightly closed, quiet beyond belief. Zhu Shengxi softened his steps and came to the bedside. He lifted the blanket and lay down in one motion.

Then he reached out and found a woman’s soft body. Beneath the silk comforter was a warmth and fragrance all its own.

Zhu Shengxi took a deep breath, moved closer to the woman, and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Then he let out a long breath, and the tension that had held him all day finally eased.

By six o’clock the next morning, dawn had arrived.

A faint light had appeared outside the window, but the temperature still had not risen. It was the coldest time of day, and also the time when Gu Yao slept the soundest and least wanted to get out of bed.

But she woke up then.

Gu Yao suddenly felt very hot, and something was restraining her body, making it hard to move. Her lips moved as she tried to turn over, while raising a hand to push away the eye mask covering her face.

The man’s burning body was pressed tightly against her back, his face buried in the crook of her neck. Their skin touched, carrying a faint stickiness.

Gu Yao let out a soft sigh and turned over in Zhu Shengxi’s arms. The movement woke him as well.

Zhu Shengxi’s eyes opened a slit. His voice was hoarse and deep. “It’s still early.”

Gu Yao said softly, “You’re holding me too tight.”

With a low chuckle, Zhu Shengxi lowered the eye mask from her face and said, “It’s all my fault. Sleep a little longer.”

Gu Yao said, “Mm.”

Gu Yao burrowed deeper into the blankets, but her mind was already becoming clear. Her body didn’t move, but her thoughts started racing first.

She still remembered everything that had happened before this.

She remembered that Zhu Shengxi had said two days ago that he had to go on a business trip and probably wouldn’t be able to make it back these few days. She hadn’t expected him to suddenly come home in the middle of the night yesterday, but she had been sleeping very deeply. Before bed, she had even taken medicine, worried that the events of the day would keep her awake, so she had not even known he got into bed.

Outside the detention center during the day, she had been provoked by those words from Xu Shuo, “Do you think the two of them slept together?”

Her instinct told her that was impossible. Zhu Shengxi was not a man obsessed with lust, and he didn’t have so much interest in chasing women. Unless he was too busy with work, in which case he would just rest at the company. Otherwise, no matter how late it got, he would drive over and sleep in the same bed as her.

Zhu Shengxi also had his own apartment, but he hardly ever went back. Every time Gu Yao went there, she had to do a full cleaning. The daily necessities weren’t complete either, and it lacked any signs of life. The whole apartment was cold and gloomy.

Facing a man like Zhu Shengxi, whose life was so simple and disciplined, Gu Yao could never connect him with backroom deals or cheating. Precisely because she trusted him and was so certain of him, she had never taken out the third diary entry or Zhu Shengxi’s investigative materials from her bag.

Before she had fully sorted out her thoughts, she didn’t want Xu Shuo’s little tricks to throw her off again. But she also had a premonition that the third diary entry would still scare her.

Sigh, who knew what kind of self-control it had taken her to suppress all that curiosity.

Just as Gu Yao was thinking this, there was movement in the bed beside her.

Zhu Shengxi rose very lightly, barefoot on the floor, and walked into the bathroom.

Soon, with a click, the shower door lock opened, followed quickly by the faint sound of running water.

Those sounds came in a regular rhythm. Gu Yao kept the same posture and listened quietly.

It was only about ten minutes before the water stopped. A rustling sound followed, then the bathroom door opened, and the fragrance of bath gel drifted out.

But Zhu Shengxi did not lie back down. Instead, he left the bedroom directly and closed the door firmly behind him.

Gu Yao also let out a breath. She changed position and forced herself to sleep for another two hours.

When Gu Yao woke again, it was already nine in the morning. She put on her coat and got out of bed, first washing up in the bathroom, then changing into home clothes.

The living room connected to an open kitchen, fully stocked with every utensil.

Zhu Shengxi, wearing gray loungewear and barefoot, stood in front of the stove frying ham and eggs.

Only when there was movement behind him did he turn around, smile, and say, “Wait a little longer, it’ll be ready soon.”

Gu Yao sat on a high stool by the counter, yawned, poured two cups of coffee from the coffee pot, then set out the plates and waited for breakfast to be done.

Zhu Shengxi turned off the heat, picked up the frying pan, and turned back to place the eggs and ham onto the plate.

Gu Yao rested one hand on her cheek and watched him, saying as if in casual conversation, “I went to the detention center yesterday.”

Zhu Shengxi lifted his eyelids. “What, did a friend get sent in? Want me to help?”

Gu Yao said, “Not my friend, but she’s been pretty famous lately. Her videos have been on the news several times, just with the face blurred out.”

Zhu Shengxi’s movements paused. He put down the frying pan, then rested both hands on the counter and asked, “You’re not talking about that lawyer’s assistant from Zhaoyang, are you?”

Gu Yao said, “That’s her, Tian Fang.”

Zhu Shengxi frowned. “What did you go see her for?”

“Two reasons. First, curiosity. Second, because a boring lawyer invited me.”

“Boring lawyer?”

Zhu Shengxi’s eyes flickered slightly, then he smiled. “He must not have invited you to the detention center just because he was boring. Is he a friend you just met?”

“No. He just came to Jiangcheng and has no roots or reputation here. He wants to use Tian Fang’s case to become famous overnight. But that’s not important. What’s interesting is Tian Fang’s reaction to me. When I introduced myself, her expression made me feel like she knew me.”

As she said this, Gu Yao kept watching Zhu Shengxi’s expression and movements. He was right in front of her, quietly eating the food on his plate, occasionally lifting his eyes to meet hers, neither hiding nor dodging, neither arrogant nor impatient.

Gu Yao added, “And my intuition tells me that her ‘knowing’ me is because of you.”

For one second, there was silence. Then Zhu Shengxi smiled soundlessly.

Gu Yao was still figuring out what that smile meant when she heard him say, “I do know Tian Fang.”

Gu Yao gave an “oh” and raised a brow. “Just know her?”

Zhu Shengxi said, “To be precise, she once expressed affection toward me.”