The appearance of Cheng Shangjian was unexpected for both Qin Huai and Song Zhe. After all, it was quite late, and that old man was usually asleep rather than visiting a clubhouse.
However, they were both wearing face masks while eating a fruit platter, so even if Cheng Shangjian looked at them, he would not recognize them. Sure enough, when Cheng Shangjian passed by them, he did not even cast a glance in their direction and headed straight for the elevator.
Qin Huai and Song Zhe did not dare to be sluggish. Instead of removing their masks, they brazenly followed him into the elevator with the masks still on. In truth, they did not know which floor Cheng Shangjian was heading to, but having spent the entire day there, they had essentially mapped out the layout.
“That old man certainly has plenty of energy.”
Song Zhe muttered under his breath. Even though they were already committed, he still disapproved of Qin Huai’s dangerous approach. After all, the person in question was Cheng Shangjian. If they failed to catch him in the act, they might be accused of something else if discovered.
Song Zhe sighed helplessly, but he noticed that Qin Huai’s expression was incredibly firm, as if he would not stop until he achieved his goal. It was understandable, too; Qin Huai had been searching for clues for so long, so how could he not be anxious? With the help of a few bodyguards, they successfully recorded a video of Cheng Shangjian.
The video was quite sensational. If it were ever released, it would be a major scandal, and quite a few investors would likely pull their funding. However, this single video was not enough to take down Cheng Shangjian for good. Qin Huai needed more evidence to ensure that Cheng Shangjian could never make a comeback.
That night, after obtaining the footage, Qin Huai and Song Zhe headed to an Omega bar they frequented.
“Why does it feel like it has been ages since we were here?”
Qin Huai leaned back in the booth with a smile, looking at the diverse group of Omegas in the bar. He felt an indescribable sense of happiness.
“It really has been a long time. Ever since you started going to the office, we have not been here. It is so boring to drink alone,” Song Zhe said as he poured their favorite drinks into their glasses.
“I know. I feel like I will be even busier later, so I probably will not have time to come at all.” Qin Huai sighed helplessly, clutching his glass. He touched his stomach, which had not yet shown any visible signs of pregnancy, and drank the contents of his glass without hesitation.
Song Zhe reached out to stop him, but he was too late.
“Why are you drinking so fast?” Song Zhe gripped his wrist, preventing Qin Huai from pouring more.
The sudden intake of alcohol had caused Qin Huai’s face to turn bright red, and his gaze became slightly unfocused. It took a long moment for him to react, and he slumped against the booth.
“I have not had a drink in a long time. I wanted to drink, so I just did it a bit quickly…”
Qin Huai fell silent afterward, staring hollowly at the wine glass on the table. He felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness.
“Are you not feeling well? Why that expression?” Song Zhe leaned in, worried that something might happen to Qin Huai after drinking so quickly. Qin Huai just shook his head gently.
“Maybe I am just tired from being at the clubhouse all day. Let us finish our drinks and head home.”
Considering Qin Huai’s physical condition, Song Zhe did not hesitate. He called the driver and headed back to the villa.
Qin Huai was already asleep in the car. Song Zhe thought about carrying him inside so as not to wake him, but Qin Huai woke up just as they were getting out. He looked sleepy and asked Song Zhe with a smile: “Can you carry me, little Zhe?”
Song Zhe took that as a challenge and immediately tried to show off, much to the alarm of the nearby bodyguards. He could not lift him, and they nearly toppled over together.
“You scared me to death! Are you alright, little Huai?” Song Zhe was caught by a bodyguard, while Qin Huai stood firmly on his own.
“Hahaha, of course I am fine. It looks like you need to practice more.”
They walked into the villa laughing and chatting. Once he was back in his bedroom, Qin Huai let out a sigh of relief. He checked the saved video multiple times and created several backups before feeling satisfied enough to take a shower.
His phone kept ringing throughout his shower. By the time he finished, he found that Shen Yuzhi had called him. Hearing the ringtone, Qin Huai was surprised. He looked at the messages and dozens of missed calls from Shen Yuzhi, his heart skipping a beat, but he ultimately set the phone aside silently.
Shen Yuzhi, on the other end, was growing anxious. Ever since the night he drank with Ji Sui, he had wanted to apologize to Qin Huai. However, Qin Huai did not return any messages or calls; he could not even find him at the company.
In his anger, Shen Yuzhi had suppressed the trending topic and ordered Ji Sui to maintain boundaries when interacting with him. However, Ji Sui was no pushover. He grinned and agreed, but he did not take Shen Yuzhi’s words to heart.
“Fine, fine, I understand.” Ji Sui replied casually, but he was particularly pleased with the photos of him and Shen Yuzhi taken from an intimate angle that night. Secretly, Ji Sui saved quite a few of them.
Shen Yuzhi continued to send messages and call Qin Huai, over and over, tirelessly. Yet, Qin Huai never picked up or replied; instead, he blocked him.
This caused Shen Yuzhi to panic completely. He tried calling Song Zhe, but whether Song Zhe was asleep or otherwise occupied, he did not pick up.
Shen Yuzhi gave up after a long while. The next morning, he drove to the Shen Group, only to find that Qin Huai was not at work.
“What did you say? Are you sure Qin Huai did not come to work today?” Shen Yuzhi asked the receptionist, finding it hard to believe. After receiving the same confirmation, he left the building in low spirits.
There was only one place left to go: the Song family villa.
However, when Shen Yuzhi arrived, the housekeeper informed him that Qin Huai and Song Zhe had just left.
“Mr. Shen, our young master and Mr. Qin just left. If you chase them now, you might catch up. As for where they are going, I am not entirely sure.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuzhi sighed helplessly and drove off in search of them, but after searching for a while, he could not find Song Zhe’s car. He eventually returned to the Song villa to wait for their return.
Qin Huai and Song Zhe had gone out to relax—they ate at a newly opened restaurant and went shopping, returning with a pile of bags. As soon as they arrived at the villa and saw the car parked outside, Qin Huai’s alarm bells rang. He knew Shen Yuzhi was there to find him, so he curled up in the car, refusing to get out.
“Little Huai, I am sorry. Come back with me. I said the wrong thing that day.”
To his surprise, Shen Yuzhi took the initiative to apologize. Both Qin Huai and Song Zhe were taken aback. However, Song Zhe still did not trust Shen Yuzhi and blocked his path: “Shen, let me tell you, little Huai is my best brother. You have hurt his heart time and time again; how do you have the nerve to show up here?”
Hearing Song Zhe’s words, Qin Huai lowered his head. He had not been innocent of hurting people’s hearts either. Yet, Shen Yuzhi showed no signs of losing his temper. Despite Song Zhe’s harsh words, he did not turn and walk away, showing remarkable restraint.
“I was wrong in this matter. I should not have said those things while Qin Huai was pregnant.” Seeing Shen Yuzhi’s uncharacteristic good temper, both Song Zhe and Qin Huai were stunned.
They had not expected him to continue explaining. Qin Huai felt a pang of sympathy and wanted to open the car door, but Song Zhe stopped him.
“Since you know you were wrong, you should not be pestering him here. Who do you think you are?” Song Zhe had no intention of letting it go; his expression was fierce, and his gaze was full of disdain.
Shen Yuzhi did not intend to acknowledge Song Zhe. He folded his arms and spoke directly to Qin Huai in the car: “Go back to the villa with me. It is not inferior to this place in any way, and I will help you with the data you want to investigate.”
Shen Yuzhi’s words silenced Qin Huai. He did want the data, but he was clearly unwilling to accept Shen Yuzhi’s help.
“Let me think about it. Just go back for now, okay?” After saying this, Qin Huai got out of the car. He held Song Zhe’s hand, and the two of them returned to the villa. Shen Yuzhi did not stop them; he simply watched as they left.
For the next several days, Qin Huai did not contact Shen Yuzhi, nor did he respond to any of his calls or messages. He went to work every day, sitting in his office and pouring over the documents he had. He had gathered quite a bit of information on Cheng Shangjian, but most of it was inconsequential.
Qin Huai furrowed his brows and tossed the documents onto the table. For the past few days, the people from the Cheng family had been suspiciously quiet, perhaps because of Shen Yuzhi’s previous actions.
“This information is far from enough. It seems I cannot keep sitting in this office. I need to go see what Cheng Shangjian is up to.”
Just as Qin Huai was about to get up, the office phone rang. He grabbed it without hesitation, only to hear Shen Yuzhi’s voice on the other end. Qin Huai hung up as if by reflex and sat in his chair, feeling distracted and unsettled. He had not expected Shen Yuzhi to go so far as to find out his office phone number.