In June, Ningcheng was shrouded in another rain, a continuous drizzle, like the unbreakable strands of hair between lovers, falling to the ground with a soft, lingering whisper. The wind carried an intense dampness, refreshing the senses, but soon the sun’s rays brought a humid heat.
This is Shen Mingjin’s third day in the commercial district in the center of Jiangxia Road.
He let the wind blow his clothes straight, revealing his pale, scarred waist. His blank gaze kept falling on the passing traffic and tall buildings. He reached into his pocket, only to find it empty. The money in his WeChat and Alipay accounts had long been spent. If he couldn’t find a job soon, he would starve to death.
Unfortunately, he lost his memory. His ID card and the loose change in his pocket were swept away by the sea. He didn’t even know his own name, let alone find a graduation certificate or degree certificate that could help him get back to work.
He was handsome, and even in a faded old T-shirt and jeans, he would turn heads on the street. Unfortunately, he had a large scar on his head, which took a lot of effort to remove, but a faint red scar remained on his brow bone, which looked a bit like half a small swallowtail butterfly wing from a distance, strangely beautiful.
”Boss, a pack of cigarettes, please.”
Shen Mingjin’s stomach was empty, but he still leaned against the table in front of the convenience store, smacking his lips with his bland tongue. This gesture, performed on his usually aloof and noble face, inexplicably revealed a hint of laziness, displaying a casualness that didn’t match his handsome features.
”I want the cheapest one.”
The proprietress, who had just thought a customer had arrived, was speechless.
In this era, a pretty face doesn’t necessarily indicate wealth, but clothes do make the man, and one’s attire can reveal their overall spending habits.
She sized up Shen Mingjin, who practically screamed “I’m poor,” then clicked her tongue lightly, rolled her eyes almost imperceptibly, rummaged through the glass cabinet, pulled out a pack of white cigarettes, casually tossed it to Shen Mingjin, and sat back down, fanning herself with a plastic fan, to continue watching her TV.
”Just put the money on the table.”
Shen Mingjin didn’t seem to care much about the boss’s attitude. He simply said “Oh,” took the cigarette, and calmly pulled out a gold card.
”I don’t have any money, can I pay by card?”
The proprietress reluctantly shifted her gaze from the melodramatic TV drama to Shen Mingjin. Her irritated look suddenly sharpened when it landed on Shen Mingjin’s fingertips, her eyes widening in surprise.
”Where did you get this gold card?!”
Even if you’ve never eaten pork, you’ve seen pigs run. Even if the boss has never used a gold card, he’s still seen it on TV.
She never imagined that this seemingly penniless young man, who looked so poor he was practically begging, would actually possess a gold card.
Could it have been stolen?!
Her hesitant gaze lingered on Shen Mingjin, and she was considering whether to call the police to check Shen Mingjin’s identity when she saw Shen Mingjin suddenly move, muttering to himself as he put the card back into his pocket:
”Never mind, you don’t have a POS machine here.”
After he finished speaking, he glanced at the proprietress with what seemed like regret. His phoenix eyes, which seemed to express his feelings, widened slightly, looking round and full of suspicious accusation.
Upon seeing this, the proprietress almost roared out loud:
Is that strange?
Is it strange that a small shop doesn’t have a POS machine for card payments?
Shen Mingjin tilted his head, looking innocently at the proprietress whose eyes were practically spitting fire, as if he didn’t understand why the other woman was so angry.
His greatest strength after losing his memory was that he could automatically filter out other people’s anger. After a while, he calmly put away his card and was about to leave when the proprietress behind him suddenly spoke up:
”Hey, young man.”
Her voice still seemed to carry a hint of weariness, but perhaps it was Shen Mingjin’s bewildered and helpless gaze that reminded her of her son working hard away from home, her eyes gradually softened, and the look she gave Shen Mingjin’s back was no longer as harsh and cold as before. She tossed a small bag of orange candies to Shen Mingjin.
”If you don’t have money, don’t think about any crooked ways to cheat people out of money. The Yuanlong Impression Development Zone is hiring. Earning money honestly through your own labor is more important than anything else.”
”………” Shen Mingjin lowered his head, looking at the bag of orange candies in his arms that was covered with a little dust. He lowered his head, his expression unreadable, and slowly tore open the packaging with his fingertips, stuffing the half-melted and sticky orange candies into his mouth.
It tastes like saccharin.
”Okay, thank you, ma’am.”
Shen Mingjin didn’t care. The moment he looked up, he dropped his nonchalant attitude and smiled at the proprietress.
”I’ll go look for a job right now.”
Yuanlong Impression Development Zone is a real estate project invested and developed by Xu Gengshui’s Xu Group, the richest man in Ningcheng. Construction has only recently started and there is a severe shortage of manpower.
When Shen Mingjin arrived at the construction site, the foreman was wearing a yellow hat and holding a megaphone, supervising the construction. Cement carts and excavators were busy operating, creating a dazzling and bustling scene.
The foreman’s voice was hoarse from shouting. When he turned around, he saw Shen Mingjin standing in front of the skyscraper with his hands behind his back, looking thoughtful. The foreman, who had seen a lot in his life, suddenly felt a pang of unease and couldn’t help but mutter to himself:
”What’s going on? I heard some important figure is coming up for inspection today. Could it be him?”
The foreman, filled with suspicion, couldn’t help but glance at Shen Mingjin again.
Look at his bearing and demeanor. He’s as graceful as a bamboo and as handsome as jade. He must be the eldest son of the Xu family, whom they’ve recently brought home.
It’s just that rich people have a strange habit: they’re clearly wealthy, yet they still dress so simply.
However, considering that the young master had lived a hard life before being taken home, the private inspection doesn’t seem so strange.
To avoid being slighted, the foreman quickly stepped forward, rubbing his hands together and smiling at Shen Mingjin:
”Young Master, the sun is strong here, please come with me.”
Shen Mingjin slowly turned his head upon hearing this: “?”
Is your company always this friendly to people applying for manual labor jobs?
He was completely bewildered, his uneasy fingertips curling slightly into his palm, but after a moment he chose to remain silent and follow the foreman away.
No sooner had Shen Mingjin and the contractor left than a black Mercedes-Benz stopped in front of the Yuanlong Impression Development Zone.
As the car window slowly rolled down, the shadows of the white clouds reflected on it quickly receded, soon revealing a fair and handsome young man’s face.
He had a somewhat youthful appearance. Although he was wearing a sophisticated white shirt, he looked to be just over twenty. His dark pupils were full of hostility and gloom, and his jawline was taut. He seemed unapproachable, cold and aloof, like an ice block that was hard to melt. One glance at him would make people tremble involuntarily.
”Where is the person in charge of this development zone? Wasn’t he supposed to pick up the young master here?”
The driver got out of the car and respectfully opened the door for Xu Duwan. Xu Duwan twirled the sandalwood prayer beads on his wrist and raised his eyelids noncommittally.
This was the second day after he was brought back to the Xu family, and he couldn’t wait to take over the most important project currently under the old man’s management.
Some say he’s a pure opportunist, that the old man invited a wolf into the house; others mock Xu Duwan for taking on a task he’s not qualified for. Opinions are divided, but Xu Duwan doesn’t care about such comments. He’s now the rightful heir of the Xu family. As for those who have impersonated him for over twenty years, Xu Duwan isn’t a saint, so he won’t treat them kindly. Similarly, he’ll take back what rightfully belongs to him, one by one.
He will not let go of those who have hurt him either.
A smiling young man’s face suddenly flashed before her eyes, but when he looked at him, his gaze turned cold again. These images overlapped and pieced together in his memory. For some reason, the thought of this person made Xu Duwan’s eyes grow even deeper, and the veins on his temples bulged. He wished he could dig up the ground three feet deep to find this man he loved and hated so much, and humiliate him severely.
Shen Mingjin……..
He’s no longer the ugly duckling who could be humiliated at will, is he?
You better not let me find you.
Xu Duwan curled his lips, but the smile did not reach his eyes. His handsome face was even slightly distorted with resentment, tinged with a bit of madness and obsession, making his expression ferocious and terrifying.
Therefore, the absence of the person in charge who was supposed to pick him up at this moment made it hard for the suspicious Xu Duwan not to immediately suspect that someone had deliberately instructed him to give him a hard time.
Even a small task like an inspection gets sabotaged, let alone taking over the entire Xu family business?
The thought of the fake young master of the Xu family still causing trouble made Xu Duwan’s expression gradually turn cold. The blazing sun was overhead, and the air, filled with the damp, earthy smell, made him sweat profusely. A wave of irritation washed over him, causing him to tug at his collar in frustration, revealing a small patch of his fair and delicate collarbone. His voice was deep and muffled, as if he were suppressing his emotions to the extreme:
”Where is their manager’s office? Take me there.”
His voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable force. In the sweltering summer heat, it carried a chill that made one’s heart sink, unconsciously inspiring a sense of awe and reverence.
……..
The contractor was receiving people sent by his superiors for the first time, and he was a little nervous.
The person in charge hadn’t arrived yet. Shen Mingjin and the contractor sat calmly in the bright and clean office, each holding a small glass of water. On the other hand, the contractor Jiao, seemed to be there for an interview, fidgeting around as if he had hemorrhoids.
He cautiously looked at Shen Mingjin’s face, noticing that the other was squinting and enjoying the long-lost coolness of the air conditioning. Unsure if this man was satisfied, he carefully smiled ingratiatingly:
”Young Master, are you satisfied with the progress of our construction today?”
Shen Mingjin thought to himself, “What’s the use of my satisfaction? I’m not a big boss.” But after thinking about it, he still nodded honestly.
”I’m quite satisfied.”
”That’s good.” The foreman was overjoyed and excitedly rubbed his hands together, about to say something, when suddenly a series of chaotic footsteps came from outside the office door. The person in charge’s loud voice, accompanied by a fawning smile, came from afar, as if he was about to push the door open and enter.
Shen Mingjin didn’t recognize the person in charge and remained seated firmly on the leather sofa. The foreman, however, suddenly tensed up. Even from a meter away, Shen Mingjin could see the beads of cold sweat suddenly appearing on his forehead. His slightly overweight body compressed to its limit like a spring, then he suddenly jumped up, slumped slightly, and bowed and scraped, putting on a smiling, welcoming expression.
”Mr. Cheng…”
Squeak—
The door was opened from the outside.
As the door was opened a crack, Shen Mingjin, sitting on the sofa, finally saw the face of the person outside the door.
The person leading the group wore black sunglasses, revealing a small portion of his fair chin. He wore a white shirt tucked into his flowing suit trousers, and his waist was so slender it seemed one could encircle it with a single hand. Around his neck was a faintly visible silver chain that looked like the kind you could buy anywhere in the city. On his wrist were precious sandalwood prayer beads, the two seemingly mismatched. His face was gloomy and cold, and a shadow fell over his shoulder, making him appear mysterious and unpredictable.
Behind him stood a dozen or so men who looked like bodyguards, and beside him stood a middle-aged man with his hair slicked back with styling oil, who smiled at the young man and said:
”Young Master, your presence is an honor to our humble abode…”
Upon hearing this, the contractor standing behind Shen Mingjin was struck dumb, his dazed gaze shifting back and forth between Xu Duwan and Shen Mingjin, his eyes practically popping out of the window:
”What’s going on?! You’re not Young Master Xu?!”
Shen Mingjin didn’t notice the foreman’s gaze. He listened intently to the person in front of him. Intuitively, he knew that this young man’s identity was definitely not ordinary.
Just as Shen Mingjin hesitated whether to stand up and greet him, under everyone’s gaze, the man suddenly took off his sunglasses, revealing a face full of astonishment and disbelief:
”Shen Mingjin?!”
“…Hello.” Shen Mingjin, called upon, reflexively stepped forward and, under the foreman’s stunned gaze, grasped Xu Duwan’s hand, his face full of sincerity:
”Do you know me?”
“……..”
A strand of black hair unexpectedly fell from Xu Duwan’s forehead, obscuring his dark and unfathomable eyes. He gave Shen Mingjin a meaningful look but did not speak immediately.
The moment Shen Mingjin grasped Xu Duwan’s wrist in his palm, everyone’s expressions gradually changed from calm to horror, and they secretly held their breath for Shen Mingjin.
Now everyone knows that this young master of the Xu family is a self-taught individual. He had just returned home when, at the welcome banquet, a drunk man, seeing how handsome he was, deliberately tried to touch his waist. Before the man could even touch the hem of his clothes, Xu Duwan, who had noticed the attack, smashed a wine bottle over his head with a blank expression. The shattered glass fell to the ground along with his bloodied face, shocking everyone.
As expected, amidst the various gazes of the crowd, Xu Duwan’s face darkened, and he slowly lowered his gaze to the fingertips that Shen Mingjin was holding. The place that Shen Mingjin had touched felt like a tiny ant was gnawing at it, exuding a fine, dense, and piercing itch.
The person who used to be so disgusted by even a slight touch that they would wash their hands, has now switched roles and is actually learning to actively try to please him.
Money really can make the devil turn the millstone.
Xu Duwan’s lips curled into a stiff, sarcastic smile. His gaze remained fixed on Shen Mingjin’s innocent face, a surge of hatred welling up within him. He wanted nothing more than to skin the person before him alive, and said with a mixture of mockery and sarcasm:
”Shen Mingjin, what are you doing here?”
See, that’s how people are in this world. When you’re poor, they ignore you, but as soon as they hear you’re rich and powerful, they swarm around you like flies, impossible to guard against.
Even someone as aloof and proud as Shen Mingjin is no exception.
Thinking about this, Xu Duwan suddenly felt uncomfortable for some reason, as if the white moonlight in his heart had been tainted, and he wished he could turn around and leave.
”Me?” Meeting Xu Duwan’s probing gaze, Shen Mingjin was confused, and even said confidently:
”I’m here to carry bricks.”
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”…” Xu Duwan slowly narrowed her eyes. Before anyone could react, he suddenly reached out and, with lightning speed, grabbed Shen Mingjin’s neck, slamming him against the wall. His expression was sinister, his eyes reddening. He leaned close to Shen Mingjin’s ear, his hot breath brushing against Shen Mingjin’s skin, but the words he spoke carried a cold, bone-deep hatred:
”Shen Mingjin, it’s been ten years. When you lie to me, can’t you at least think it through before you start?!”