At a certain private club.
Xu Feng stood at the entrance, his brow furrowed deeply as he repeatedly dialed Wen Shuqiao's number. At first, it simply went unanswered; later, it became a dead number.
He cursed under his breath. He had actually been blacklisted by Wen Shuqiao!
Just then, another person emerged from the VIP box. It was Young Master Zhao’s lackey. With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he looked at Xu Feng and asked, "Manager Xu, Zhao-ge is asking when the young lady will be arriving?"
Xu Feng said flatteringly, "Please, don't call me that. Just call me Old Xu. Wen Shuqiao is on her way. She lives a bit far, but please tell Young Master Zhao not to worry. I’ll definitely get this sorted for him!"
He fished a lighter out of his pocket and proactively lit the cigarette for the man.
The man huffed, "At least you’re sensible. Hurry up, Zhao-ge doesn't have that much time to waste waiting for her."
Xu Feng nodded repeatedly. "Right, I know!"
The man took a puff of his cigarette and went back inside.
Left alone in the corridor, Xu Feng’s expression shifted several times. He had to bring Wen Shuqiao here today no matter what. Whether or not he could get a promotion depended entirely on whether Wen Shuqiao could serve Young Master Zhao well.
He checked the time and sent a message to his assistant, telling him to find Wen Shuqiao immediately.
However, before he could finish sending the message, he noticed a commotion by the elevators. He instinctively looked up and saw a crowd of people surrounding a man in a suit.
Xu Feng naturally recognized the man at the head of the group. It was the current head of the Shen family, Shen Jiazhou.
He had caught a distant glimpse of him once at a charity auction, but he had heard plenty about Shen Jiazhou’s exploits.
In just two short years, this young man had increased the Shen Corporation's revenue by ten percent.
One had to understand that the Shen Corporation was already at the pinnacle. To add such splendor to an already peak performance was something no ordinary person could achieve.
Shen Jiazhou was quickly ushered away by the crowd. Xu Feng snapped back to his senses, thinking how wonderful it would be if he had the chance to get to know such a titan. He wondered what "type" the man liked. He had so many beautiful women under his management…
As he was thinking, the door to the neighboring box opened again. Xu Feng saw Young Master Zhao and his followers coming out.
"Young Master Zhao, please don't be anxious, Wen Shuqiao will be here any moment—"
Before he could finish stepping forward, Young Master Zhao waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it. It's a waste of time!"
With that, he led his group in a grand procession toward the direction Shen Jiazhou had gone. It seemed they were also heading to find Shen Jiazhou.
It made sense; Shen Jiazhou was the man of the hour. Anyone who could establish a connection with him could save themselves at least five years of struggle!
Xu Feng stuffed his phone into his pocket and followed them.
In another, even larger VIP box, Shen Jiazhou sat down, surrounded by people. He said indifferently, "Why is everyone crowding around me? To watch a monkey show?"
Only then did the others scatter to find their seats. The spots to his immediate left and right had already been snatched up by his assistant and secretary, so everyone else scrambled for the nearest remaining seats.
Soon, everyone was seated. The organizer of the gathering, who was sitting to the right, was the first to raise a glass. "Shen Zong, let me toast you first. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to dine with us."
He drained his glass in one go. Shen Jiazhou merely picked up a glass of water and took a sip as a response.
The man didn't take offense, saying, "Drinking late at night is indeed a bit hard on the body. How about I have someone bring you some healthy sweet tonic, Shen Zong?"
After all, that was how the world worked. The more power a person had, the more people would automatically find excuses for whatever they did.
Shen Jiazhou set the water glass aside. "No need. Qian Zong, if you have something to discuss, just speak plainly."
Qian Zong kept a smile on his face. "There's no rush. Let's talk while we eat."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the box was pushed open. Young Master Zhao entered and immediately spotted Shen Jiazhou in the most prominent seat. He smiled and said, "Shen Zong, I didn't believe it when someone told me you were here. Now that I’ve come to see for myself, it really is you."
Shen Jiazhou barely lifted his eyelids. Beside him, his assistant immediately whispered, "Zhao Yuan, son of Zhao Jue. You met him once at a meeting last month."
Shen Jiazhou had no memory of it. He glanced at Zhao Yuan and then withdrew his gaze. But those who knew him well understood that he was already growing impatient.
His time was precious; not just anyone could come and waste a minute of it.
Qian Zong naturally recognized Zhao Yuan as well. He said, "Xiao Zhao, I have serious business to discuss with Shen Zong. I’ll treat you to dinner another day."
Zhao Yuan was quick-witted and knew that his uninvited presence was causing displeasure. He immediately said, "Sure thing, Uncle Qian. I just came by to say hello. I'll be heading back now."
Zhao Yuan looked back at Shen Jiazhou. "Shen Zong, let's have a drink together next time."
Shen Jiazhou’s assistant gave a polite smile. "Young Master Zhao, certainly, when there's time."
Zhao Yuan led his people out again. Xu Feng, standing at the very edge, had originally hoped to use his connection with Zhao Yuan to gain some face in front of Shen Jiazhou, but he hadn't expected Shen Jiazhou to be so unapproachable.
He was forced to give up on his idea. However, as he was leaving, he couldn't help but steal one more glance at Shen Jiazhou. At that moment, the other man happened to look up, his gaze drifting over him for a brief second. Xu Feng felt a sudden chill of displeasure from the man.
He hurried to put on a fawning smile and didn't dare look around randomly again.
However, after following Zhao Yuan for a few steps, Xu Feng felt a delayed sense of familiarity. It felt as though someone he knew looked quite like Shen Jiazhou, but he couldn't recall who it was for the moment.
Shen Jiazhou got into the car, and Lin Yan started the engine. He looked at Shen Jiazhou in the rearview mirror and said, "Shen Zong, Xiao Miao's boyfriend came to pick her up. Are you going back to the main residence tonight or to the apartment?"
Shen Jiazhou replied, "The apartment."
Lin Yan acknowledged and steered the car onto the main road.
Shen Jiazhou leaned back against the seat with his eyes closed, his face showing signs of fatigue.
Lin Yan glanced at the back seat again through the rearview mirror and finally couldn't help but speak up. "Shen Zong, I have some leads on the matter you asked me to investigate."
Shen Jiazhou didn't open his eyes. "Speak."
Lin Yan said, "The eldest young master's former girlfriend did indeed give birth to a boy. But when we found the relevant people, we discovered that she has already passed away from illness."
"And the child?" Shen Jiazhou asked in a low voice.
Lin Yan pursed his lips and let out a soft sigh before finally saying, "The child hasn't been found."
Shen Jiazhou opened his eyes, his handsome brows knitting together. "What do you mean?"
"Her situation was a bit complicated. Her parents divorced when she was very young, and she lived with her grandparents, but they also passed away a few years ago," Lin Yan disclosed everything he had investigated.
"They said that after she passed away, the child was sent to an orphanage. All we know is that the child's name is Can Can, but we don't know if he goes by Shen Can Can or Wen Can Can. We’ve searched for both names, but there is no orphan named Can Can in this city."
Shen Jiazhou was silent for a while. "Keep looking. No matter how much money it costs or how much manpower it takes, find him and bring him back."
After all, that was his brother's only remaining bloodline.