The Buddha statue was solemn and majestic. In front of the Buddha, Chen Wan was turning pages in a scripture for Song Qingmiao. He was focused when he did things, and did not even notice when the abbot came in.
Zhao Shengge heard the lady call Chen Wan BB in a very low voice, and his expression turned faintly subtle.
Only when he came closer did he see clearly that the woman was actually Song Qingmiao, who had once caused a stir throughout Hai City.
Then these two were not lovers after all. Although Zhao Shengge’s generation no longer knew much about what had happened back then, after so many years, it had all been sealed in dust, truth and rumor mixed together.
But he had heard from Tan Youming that Chen Wan was not from Hai City.
Song Qingmiao came from Jiangnan. No wonder Chen Wan had that gentle, cultured air, like an ink landscape.
That was not Zhao Shengge’s own opinion. Qin Zhaoting had said it.
The people beside him all greeted the abbot. Chen Wan also looked up, and when he saw the person behind the abbot, he sighed inwardly.
He could only force himself to greet them. “Abbot. Mr. Zhao.”
Zhao Shengge gave a faint nod. The abbot recognized them. “Benefactor Song. Benefactor Chen.”
Song Qingmiao had once seen Zhao Shengge from afar at a banquet. A little surprised and delighted, she turned to glance at Chen Wan. She had never imagined that the son she saw as good for nothing would know a figure like this.
“Baby, introduce us.”
Hearing that repeated intimate address again, Zhao Shengge raised the tip of his brow.
Chen Wan had no attention to spare for that, because he saw Song Qingmiao tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
His face remained calm, but inside him, something rotten was being cut open bit by bit and exposed before others. There was humiliation in it too.
Chen Wan knew Song Qingmiao far too well. He knew exactly what that gesture usually meant.
This was why he had been unwilling, a thousand times over, ten thousand times over, for Song Qingmiao and Zhao Shengge to run into each other.
Zhao Shengge was not Chen Bingxin, who had been taken in by beauty. He was not Xie Jiajian, who had met her in secret behind his family’s back. Zhao Shengge was not those people. Zhao Shengge was not anyone she could see through, calculate, or use.
No matter what ideas Song Qingmiao had, she would only look ridiculous. Whether she wanted to rely on herself or on Chen Wan.
His mother’s greedy delight and his vulgar origins had nowhere to hide before Zhao Shengge.
Chen Wan sighed inwardly and said very briefly, “This is Mr. Zhao. This is my mother.” He had no intention of introducing anything more.
Song Qingmiao said quite a lot after that, but Chen Wan did not truly hear it. He was a little more silent than usual.
For the first time, Zhao Shengge saw Chen Wan’s cold side. Chen Wan had always been mild and thorough. This struck him as strange. Although Chen Wan still wore a proper smile when he spoke, Zhao Shengge found it very false, not at all sincere.
He did not know the reason, but seeing that Chen Wan truly did not want to talk more, Zhao Shengge did not linger either. He lifted his eyes and glanced at the deputy beside him, then left first.
He had already stayed at Lotus Serenity Temple far beyond the time he had set aside. He should not waste any more.
Seeing that Chen Wan was neither eager nor warm, Song Qingmiao blamed him for not knowing how to conduct himself.
“You know Zhao Shengge. Why didn’t you tell Mommy?”
Chen Wan’s smile disappeared. He suddenly turned to look at her. There was something in his eyes that was very unfamiliar to her, something ugly and difficult to understand.
That deep, slow calm—she wanted to understand it as a reminder, but it was clearly a forceful warning. Even though his voice was so peaceful, it was peaceful to the point of being faintly cold. “I don’t really know him. Don’t think too much.”
Song Qingmiao shivered for no reason. Her voice lowered a little as she muttered, “How is that not knowing him? He even greeted you.”
In Hai City, how many people could make Zhao Shengge take the initiative to greet them?
“No.” Chen Wan lifted his chin slightly, his expression holding a kind of gentle indifference. “We’re not close. He was only answering casually. In fact, he doesn’t know who I am.”
Naturally, he was deceiving Song Qingmiao. Although he and Zhao Shengge still could not be considered close, at the very least, Zhao Shengge definitely knew him now.
Song Qingmiao’s delicate brows drew together. She still wanted to say something, but Chen Wan spoke before she could.
“Mommy.”
His voice was very soft.
It had been a very long time since he had called Song Qingmiao that. The address made Song Qingmiao pause.
Chen Wan’s eyes were exceptionally black, like a deep abyss. He looked seriously at his beautiful, greedy mother and patiently advised her, “King Yama and demons are not things people like us can provoke. Otherwise, no matter how many Bodhisattvas we worship, it will be useless. Don’t you think so?”
Whatever Song Qingmiao wanted, he could work hard to satisfy it—jewelry, money, face.
Only Zhao Shengge was out of the question.
“…”
Seeing her always obedient son become this serious, as if he would be very angry if she kept going, Song Qingmiao fell silent in low spirits. But in her heart, she was turning over other thoughts.
Zhao Shengge’s car crossed Pearl Bridge. His deputy’s call came through just then.
Ever since the shooting in Italy two years ago, whenever Zhao Shengge went somewhere outside the inner ring, he had people make arrangements in advance. Although the country was very safe, he had offended far too many people.
In his earpiece, Chen Wan’s voice as he spoke to his mother was very gentle and very patient. Clear, distinct, without missing a single word, it entered Zhao Shengge’s ears.
After listening with no expression, Zhao Shengge said to the deputy general manager still waiting on the other end of the video meeting, “The number for the terminal budget isn’t very auspicious, is it? Take a look and see whether it needs to be redone.”
“…”
His tone was far too mild, making the deputy general manager feel as if there were room to discuss it. He explained a few sentences, but Zhao Shengge was no longer listening.
Outside the window, tree after tree passed by. Their fleeting shadows fell over his slightly lonely shoulders.
Countless guesses about Chen Wan’s motives.
So this was the correct answer.
After that one meeting at Sea Goddess Temple, Zhao Shengge disappeared for a very long time, long enough that Chen Wan became a little worried.
But this time, it seemed to be a meeting with a very high level of confidentiality. Even Tan Youming did not mention a word, so naturally, Chen Wan could not get the slightest bit of news.
When they met again, it was still because of Qin Zhaoting.
During that two-day, one-night voyage, Chen Wan had gained a stack of business cards. Qin Zhaoting had also exchanged private contact information with him and invited him to visit his newly opened shooting club.
The club was on Holland Avenue. In Central, where every inch of land was worth gold, it still occupied nearly a thousand square meters. Shooting, archery, rock climbing, billiards—everything was available.
Chen Wan arrived early and brought a courtesy gift.
Qin Zhaoting asked him whether he had played before. Chen Wan said no. Qin Zhaoting was just about to say he would teach him later when an off-road vehicle drove over.
Three people got out.
Shen Zongnian was expressionless. Zhao Shengge was on the phone, so when he passed by, he probably did not hear Chen Wan’s greeting and therefore did not answer.
Or perhaps he had answered. Chen Wan was not sure.
Tan Youming, who had been the driver the whole way, walked over spinning the car key around his finger. Pointing at Shen Zongnian’s back, he said, “Not awake.” Then he pointed at Zhao Shengge’s back and said, “No manners.”
Qin Zhaoting and Chen Wan: “…”
The club was full of a technological feel. Today, they were playing photoelectric shooting, with ten target faces.
Inside the target trench were fifteen clay throwers. The clay targets moved randomly, and the shooter could fire in different directions, with rings counted for the score.
While they were choosing equipment, someone brought up the land at Baoli Bay. News that Zhao Shengge wanted to build a new terminal had already spread through Hai City.
Jiang Ying asked Zhao Shengge, “I heard you want to raise the budget?”
Tan Youming was quick-tongued and answered for him. “He thinks the number is unlucky.”
Everyone fell silent for several seconds.
Zhao Shengge unhurriedly took down a pair of safety goggles and tried them on, correcting him. “That was Zhao Maozheng’s meaning. When people get old, superstition is hard to avoid.”
Everyone was somewhat skeptical of this explanation, because the old man of Minglong no longer had the final say.
Zhao Shengge spoke with absolute certainty. “You don’t want a one-way trip on the Titanic either.”
When he said that, no one had anything to say.
Many of the people present had family businesses involving cruise ships and maritime transport. If the Baoli Bay terminal was truly built, at least eighty percent of Hai City’s cargo ships would have to dock there. The water was deep, it was sheltered from wind, and the bay line was long. Its capacity was unmatched.
One person said that when the terminal was completed, he wanted to apply for the first trial voyage.
Another person half-jokingly said that this should still be competed for by ability. Although they were all friends, business was still business. This was a major event that could make financial news.
Chen Wan listened silently, and a little envy rose in his heart.
It was not that he coveted other people’s wealth.
He only somehow felt that it was very romantic.
Chen Wan was a very realistic person, but only when it involved Zhao Shengge would he give rise to certain romantic, unrealistic imaginings.
To be the first ship to sail into Zhao Shengge’s harbor was something one would long for.
Only, Chen Wan might work hard for several more decades and still never make that dream come true.
Zhao Shengge made no attempt to hide his nature as a businessman. He nodded and said, very amenable, “That’s all negotiable. Highest bidder wins.”
“…”
He changed into a white shooting uniform, which made his shoulders look broader and his legs longer. Among the crowd, he stood out like a crane among chickens.
He chose a small Wing of the Void shaped like an anchor. From aiming to pulling the trigger, he used only 0.3 seconds, hitting the ten-ring target thirty-three feet away.
With a bang, through the digitally simulated smoke and dust, there was an arrogant wildness that looked down on everything.
Chen Wan felt as if his soul had also been struck in that instant.
Qin Zhaoting walked over and asked him how he was finding it.
Chen Wan was very good with guns, but he had never revealed it before others.
As an expert, Qin Zhaoting patiently introduced several types of firearms to Chen Wan and explained how to shoot and the key points of aiming.
Chen Wan looked refined and gentle, obviously someone who had never held a gun before. Qin Zhaoting was the host today, so it was only proper for him to spend more time with him.
Chen Wan listened to his explanation of the basics of using a gun with some boredom. Smiling, he told Qin Zhaoting to go busy himself and not worry about him; he would practice alone first.
Just then, someone called Qin Zhaoting. He smiled apologetically and patted Chen Wan’s shoulder, saying to come find him if there was any problem.
When Chen Wan took the gun, he took care to avoid touching Qin Zhaoting’s hand. Lowering his head, he fumbled with loading the gun. Then, as if he had suddenly sensed something, he lifted his head.
His pupils contracted sharply.
Zhao Shengge’s muzzle was pointed straight at him.