When Xue Heng arrived at the entrance of the hospital, he noticed a group of reporters sitting not far away, chatting while carrying cameras on their backs. He felt that something was off but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. His intuition was usually accurate, but his level of sensitivity was not very high, so he couldn’t figure out what exactly was strange.
On his way back, Xue Heng, feeling bored to death, made calls to his buddies from his bachelor days. The first person didn’t answer, neither did the second. It was only after the third call went through that the person on the other end, panting heavily, answered the phone while grumbling and even threatened to kill Xue Heng.
Waiting at a red light, Xue Heng absentmindedly tapped the steering wheel with his fingers and said, “Let’s go to Baishan Highway tonight.”
“Didn’t your old man say you’re supposed to be a decent married man now?” the young man on the other end of the phone coldly taunted, “You haven’t even gotten used to household chores, and you already want to go back to the steering wheel?”
Xue Heng touched his nose and asked, “Do you want to come or not?”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and then the person said, “Baishan is my territory.”
Xue Heng readily agreed, “Should I come along then?”
In the evening, while Wei Zongjin was working overtime, Xue Heng, a married man, excitedly ran to Baishan Highway. Before he even reached the location, he saw a greasy young man with flashy beach shorts and a middle-parted hairstyle squatting by the roadside smoking a cigarette. Xue Heng couldn’t help but think to himself, “You look so ugly.”
The greasy young man, who didn’t come from a line of handsome ancestors, wiped the sweat off his face with a wet tissue and said, “I accompanied my ex-girlfriend to have an abortion today, and here you are, joining in the fun.”
Xue Heng walked towards the nearby war car, and upon hearing the remark, he paused and asked, “Baishan, are you fooling around with someone else’s girl?”
Baishan glared at him with his small eyes and said, “Fuck your bullshit. That’s someone else’s seed.”
Xue Heng felt sorry for him. After all, in this city full of beautiful women and handsome men, Baishan was only wealthy and nothing more. Now he was even wearing a metaphorical green hat, “Shall we have a showdown?”
Baishan eagerly accepted the challenge. He put on his own battle armor and helmet, and only then did he open the car door and get in.
Xue Heng whistled, not commenting on Baishan’s taste, “Are we ready to clear the field?”
“This is my territory. Who dares to block the way?” Baishan said dismissively. He took off his helmet, wiped the sweat off his forehead with a tissue, put the helmet back on, and firmly closed the car door.
Xue Heng didn’t have money, but he had a car exclusively for himself. He had saved up and bought it himself, usually keeping it in Baishan’s garage and asking him to help with maintenance.
Putting on his helmet, he waited until the sound of guns from the side, then with a “biu,” he shot out.
After the two cars zoomed out with a “chi liu” sound, the scattered group of wealthy heirs who were chatting nearby gathered closer. One of them had a cigarette in his mouth and lazily said, “I heard Xue Heng got married. Why didn’t he invite us?”
The first wealthy heir who spoke, laughed, then his phone in his pocket vibrated. He took it out, glanced at it, saw that it was from his ex-girlfriend whom he had broken up with, found it uninteresting, and put the phone back. He eagerly said, “I’ll also join the race later. Who’s coming with me?”
A couple of people lazily raised their hands sporadically. It wasn’t that nobody wanted to play, but it was still too early, and Baishan Highway wasn’t particularly exciting. They were waiting for another race that would start in the middle of the night.
After all, when there was something better, who would settle for less?
Someone looked at the not-so-thrilling Baishan racetrack in front of them and sneered. The Bai family sure was stingy.
Military District Residence.
Wei Zongjin arrived home precisely at midnight. He stood in the entrance hall on the first floor with an indifferent expression.
The two pairs of slippers at the doorstep were still there, but Xue Heng’s shoes were not.
It was well past midnight, and the man who went out for work had returned, but there was no news of the man who went out to fool around.
Wei Zongjin looked at his phone, which had no messages, and his eyes darkened.
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Chapter 16
At two in the morning, Xue Heng quietly climbed onto the bed, and the room was pitch black.
Afraid of waking Wei Zongjin, he carefully lifted a corner of the blanket, adjusted his body, and slowly slipped in. Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep shortly afterward.
The next morning.
After Xue Heng woke up, he realized that Wei Zongjin had already left for work. He sat on the bed and scratched his head vigorously, finally realizing it.
Wei Zongjin was angry.
Xue Heng vaguely guessed why the other person was upset.
Just as Xue Heng was agonizing over it, Xue Guozhi called him. Xue Guozhi spoke confidently on the phone, “Is Wei Zongjin at home?”
Xue Heng moved the phone slightly away, confirming that it was indeed his phone, and said directly, “You’ve got the wrong number.”
“Xue Heng, you and Wei Zongjin will come home tonight,” Xue Guozhi’s tone suddenly sounded somewhat guilty but unusually firm. “Do you understand?”
Xue Guozhi was speechless for a moment and then said, “The family business is in trouble. As the eldest son, can you just stand idly by?!”
Xue Heng turned on the television. “You said it yourself, ‘once married, a son is like water poured out.'”
The national channel was broadcasting the latest updates on the fire in Huacheng Village. Xue Heng, who had appeared normal, suddenly had a drastic change in his expression upon hearing the segment on TV: “…The fire incident is likely related to a newly purchased oven in the residents’ homes. The product has been transferred to the relevant department for inspection, and we will continue to provide updates after the inspection results are released.”
The oven label shown on the TV screen clearly belonged to the Xue family.
In an instant, Xue Heng understood everything. Xue Guozhi’s phone call was not good news.
Gripping the armrest of the sofa, Xue Heng trembled with anger. “Xue Guozhi, you’re really something. You even plan to make Wei Zongjin clean up your mess!”
Startled by Xue Heng’s outburst, Xue Guozhi quickly composed himself and assumed a fatherly stance. With a cold tone, he ordered, “The inspection results are not out yet, so it’s still uncertain if our oven is the cause. Don’t speculate. Tonight, you and Wei Zongjin come home. I have something to discuss with you.”
After speaking, Xue Guozhi hung up the phone.
Xue Heng, with an icy expression, fiercely threw his phone to the ground. He hadn’t expected Xue Guozhi to stoop so low.
The fire in Huacheng Village had caused a major stir online. The National Security Bureau and the Safety Inspection Bureau would certainly not sit idly by. In other words, if it was confirmed that the Xue family’s oven was the source of the fire, the Xue family would face serious consequences.
Moreover, Xue Guozhi specifically requested to meet Wei Zongjin at this critical moment. From this alone, Xue Heng knew that Xue Guozhi was feeling guilty.
After contemplating for a long time, Xue Heng eventually left home with his keys. He didn’t intend to help Xue Guozhi, but he needed to clarify some things with Wei Zongjin to avoid any misunderstandings.
An hour later, Secretary Li entered with two folders, placing them in front of Wei Zongjin. He then said, “Deputy Director, Young Master Xue is here in the reception room downstairs.”
Xue Heng?
Wei Zongjin took the folders with a cold expression and said indifferently, “Why is he here?”
“He said he has something to discuss with you,” Secretary Li couldn’t accurately guess Wei Zongjin’s attitude, but he could sense the purpose of Xue Heng’s visit.
Secretary Li lowered his gaze and sighed involuntarily.
This Xue Heng, after all, is still the young master of the Xue family.
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