As adults, although I really don’t want to interrupt your children’s little socializing mixer, Huo Yuanzhou had finished his work at some point and pushed the door open. It’s almost bedtime. Can the two gentlemen finish treating those wounds quickly, then return to your respective beloved little beds and drift off into sweet dreams?
Before Wei Chun could even react, the doctor leaped up, looking startled as he began to frantically pat his own chest. Why is there no sound when you walk?
Huo Yuanzhou’s tone was ice-cold. There was. It’s just that the soundproofing in my house is built too well, and you didn’t hear it.
He only glanced around the room upon entering before shifting his gaze directly to Wei Chun. After staring intently for several moments, he turned back to the doctor. Xue Wenxi, I called you here to treat his wound, not for the two of you to hold a children’s mixer. If you like making friends with youngsters so much, I can have you sent back and ask your father to host a few more parties for you.
Wei Chun’s forehead was completely clean; forget about bandages, there wasn’t even a single piece of gauze left. Seeing Huo Yuanzhou enter, he unconsciously took two steps back.
Huo Yuanzhou didn’t dwell on his small evasive movement. He stepped forward to watch Xue Wenxi finish dressing Wei Chun’s wound, then chased the doctor out, leaving only the two of them in the room.
Does it still hurt? Huo Yuanzhou asked him.
Wei Chun shook his head without uttering a word.
The sharp tongue and witty eloquence he displayed in front of the doctor automatically turned into mute silence when facing Huo Yuanzhou. Having no idea what this man actually wanted, he decided to speak as little as possible, striving simply to survive until he could run away.
Once he went and got rid of the child tomorrow, he wouldn’t have any more entanglements with Huo Yuanzhou.
Go to sleep. Huo Yuanzhou didn’t press any further. It’s too late. A guest room has been prepared for you, and I’ll have someone show you the way.
Can I say no?
Staying in the Huo residence for even a single minute meant an extra layer of risk, and Wei Chun was not someone who loved chasing thrills.
Huo Yuanzhou said flatly, I am not negotiating with you.
He knew it.
With a bitter expression, Wei Chun stood up helplessly and followed closely behind Huo Yuanzhou out the door, praying only that the sun would rise early so he could escape this wretched place as soon as possible.
The female assistant was still standing outside. Her six-inch high heels did nothing to detract from her graceful posture as she smiled brightly while holding a folder, waiting for them outside the door.
Have someone draw up a feasibility report regarding the cooperation with the Wei family, and send the file to my office as soon as possible. After delegating work matters, Huo Yuanzhou handed Wei Chun over to her as well. Take him to the main building; the housekeeper is waiting over there.
The current scene felt to Wei Chun remarkably like a baton pass, complete with the expectation that the assistant would soon hand this exact baton over to the housekeeper.
The assistant kept her smile, nodded slightly, and then took the lead to guide the way.
On their walk to the main building, the two passed a lawn. The assistant, walking ahead, suddenly spoke up, Young Master Wei, I’m sorry.
Wei Chun had been spacing out, mulling over a snippet of conversation he had just overheard.
The Wei family? Which Wei family? Is it Wei or Wei?
Stunned by the abrupt apology, it took him a beat to snap back to reality. He instinctively reached up to touch the new gauze wrapped around his forehead.
It’s fine. It actually doesn’t hurt.
However, the assistant’s guilt was not diminished by a simple it’s fine. She slowed her pace to walk side-by-side with Wei Chun, her gaze lingering on his gauze for a long moment before she said softly, Young Master Wei, if you ever need help while you’re around President Huo, you can let me know. As long as it doesn’t violate my professional ethics, I can try my best to make things convenient for you.
This counted as a heavy promise. Just as Wei Chun was about to say it wasn’t necessary, he suddenly remembered the Wei family name he had just heard. A flash of realization crossed his mind, and he abruptly understood that asking the person right in front of him was obviously the simplest way instead of guessing slowly by himself.
Then, may I ask which Wei family the cooperation is with? Wei Chun asked casually, as if by chance. I overheard it just now and got a little curious.
The assistant briefly weighed the acceptable boundaries for answering this question before speaking again. Of course you may.
With a faint smile, she replied, Your adoptive parents’ family.
Wei Chun’s footsteps came to an immediate halt. Although he had briefly entertained the thought while pondering earlier, he had quickly dismissed it as too much of a coincidence.
Now that he had his answer, his body stiffened slightly. He instinctively bit down on his lower lip, tearing at a piece of dead skin until he tasted a trace of sweet, metallic blood on his tongue. Only then did he snap out of it like someone newly awakened from a dream, wretchedly turning his gaze away.
May I ask what kind of cooperation it is?
The assistant lowered her smile, weighed her words for a moment, and then said, A project in Nancheng.
It was a very broad answer, providing only a general location, a practically useless answer.
Wei Chun nodded blindly. He knew that the inside information of an unfinalized cooperation certainly couldn’t be shared with an outsider like him, and the assistant had already told him quite enough.
He couldn’t control himself and bit his lower lip again; the spot he had just bitten open was brushed by the tip of his tongue, bringing back a hint of sweet, bloody taste.
Does the Wei family place a lot of importance on this project? Wei Chun knew he shouldn’t keep prying, but after holding it in for so long, he still couldn’t resist asking for more details.
Even if his former father had swept him out the door the moment they found out about the mix-up at birth, the doting affection his adoptive mother and older sister had poured on him since childhood wasn’t fake. He couldn’t just let go of his former family in the span of a moment.
You could say they value it, the assistant said softly. The project liaison is Young Master Wei.
Wei Chun stopped in his tracks altogether. Is the liaison my older sister?
The assistant nodded. Yes, it is Ms. Wei Zhen.
What kind of project could it be that requires my older sister to handle the liaison personally? Wei Chun couldn’t stop pondering in his heart. But back when he was still at home, he only knew how to spend money and wander around everywhere; he was completely clueless about business and corporate affairs.
His sister had actually thought about bringing him into the company, not expecting him to accomplish anything great, but at least securing an idle position so she could keep him under her watchful eye.
Unfortunately, after two days of work, Wei Chun had started complaining bitterly. One moment he claimed he lacked freedom, the next he complained that other people were mocking him for being a nepotism hire. In short, it all boiled down to a single sentence: he didn’t want to work.
Wei Mother doted on her son. Hearing him cry out in endless misery, she immediately laid down the law and told Wei Chun he didn’t need to go anymore.
At the time, he felt relieved to have escaped work, but now he only felt regret. If he had understood a bit more about the company back then, he wouldn’t be stuck knowing only the project location without being able to guess what it was actually about.
Filled with lingering questions, he was led all the way to the guest room prepared for him.
Mr. Wei Chun, the internal telephone is right here. If you need anything tonight, please feel free to call us at any time.
Perhaps due to instructions from Huo Yuanzhou, the servants in the main building treated Wei Chun with extreme courtesy.
Having long been accustomed to being waited on back at home, Wei Chun felt no discomfort. He gave a casual nod and dismissed them.
Compared to dealing with polite pleasantries, he was now much more eager to quietly figure out what on earth that project could be.
The servants were tactful. Seeing that the guest had no further instructions, they placed the prepared changes of clothes on the table and quietly exited the room.
Left entirely alone, Wei Chun took a shower, climbed into bed, and began to stare blankly into space.
Nancheng, Nancheng
After tossing, turning, and mulling it over in bed for a while, Wei Chun flipped over, lay face down on the mattress, and pulled out his phone to start searching online for the city of Nancheng.
Since he wasn’t familiar with the Wei family’s business, he could only try to guess based on the geographical location.
Facing the sea, boasting a long coastline, and simultaneously well-connected by convenient land transportation routes, facilitating shipping and logistics
Wei Chun murmured the introduction from his phone under his breath, but still couldn’t figure it out. Just as he was about to switch to another browser to continue searching, three sharp knocks suddenly echoed from outside the door: Clank, clank, clank!
Who is it?