Chapter 3

Fang Shimian also saw Zhu Ze. As he watched Zhu Ze walk towards him, he tried hard to suppress the uncontrollable moisture in his eyes and raised his voice as much as he could, “I’m sorry, I…”

“Apologies, Mr. Huo. My little brother here is a bit timid. He probably woke up and didn’t see anyone, so he came out looking for me.” Zhu Ze seemed completely unaffected, his expression as usual, though his voice carried a hint of helplessness, his expression was indulgent and affectionate.

Zhu Ze held a prominent position within Hengshi Group. He had been following Huo Zhongshan since the latter took over the group’s affairs. It was said that they grew up together, making him a ‘close minister to the emperor.’ Nowadays, most of the old, stubborn generation within the group had been purged by Huo Zhongshan’s iron-fisted methods, eliminating the old problems, and Hengshi had been growing stronger, rapidly developing in recent years to its current scale.

Bringing a relative to the company wasn’t a big deal for Zhu Ze, but the term ‘little brother’ was intriguing. Zhu Ze’s cousin, He Yao, had been personally kicked out by Mr. Huo for angering him, and now he brought in another well-behaved and pretty ‘little brother’…

A few sharp-minded individuals began to cautiously observe Mr. Huo’s attitude on the other side.

Some of the older leaders, seeing this side of Zhu Ze for the first time, didn’t suspect anything and even offered a couple of commercial compliments.

Huo Zhongshan, surrounded by people, showed no change in expression. He calmly withdrew his gaze from Fang Shimian, handed the item in his hand to another assistant, and left with a few people.

As soon as Huo Zhongshan left, the crowd that had stopped also dispersed in small groups.

The corridor was well-lit, and the indoor lighting was also very bright. For Fang Shimian, it was too bright, leaving his weakness and shame nowhere to hide.

“I’m sorry, Brother Zhu, for causing you trouble again.” Fang Shimian felt very apologetic, his eyes a bit moist, and he raised his hand to wipe them.

Zhu Ze didn’t mind much. He led Fang Shimian to the middle of the corridor to press the elevator button, jokingly saying, “Compared to these little things, it’s more heartbreaking for me when you call me Mr. Zhu.”

Fang Shimian nodded, his attitude very sincere, “I won’t do it again.”

Zhu Ze’s expression was momentarily complex, and he smiled, “You’re still the same as when you were a kid.” After saying that, he realized it might not be appropriate, remembering that Fang Shimian probably didn’t want to talk about the past, so he added, “Were you trying to find me just now?”

Fang Shimian answered honestly, “I wanted to go to the bathroom, but I didn’t see anyone.”

Zhu Ze understood and led Fang Shimian back into his office. Inside, a female assistant was standing with a folded blanket, looking at a loss. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the two return.

She had just gone to make some tea, and when she came back, she didn’t see anyone, which scared her to death.

Zhu Ze took Fang Shimian into the rest area of his office, which was like a large suite in a hotel, complete with all the living necessities. Fang Shimian knew this was Zhu Ze’s private domain, so he walked straight to the bathroom without looking around.

Once Fang Shimian went in, Zhu Ze came out, looked at the assistant, and his voice wasn’t as gentle as usual, but not harsh either, “Next time, let him sleep inside.”

He had just returned to the company and was notified of a meeting, so he asked the assistant to settle Fang Shimian. He didn’t expect the assistant to let him sleep on the sofa. He knew it was his fault for not being clear, so he couldn’t blame the assistant, but he felt a bit uncomfortable.

“Okay, Mr. Zhu.” The assistant had never encountered such a situation before and was anxious, but fortunately, Zhu Ze didn’t say much and let her leave.

When Fang Shimian came out of the rest area, he saw Zhu Ze sitting at the desk, talking on the phone. By now, it was already getting dark. Fang Shimian took out his phone and saw several missed calls.

Opening WeChat, Xu Long’s messages were pinned at the top, with twelve unread messages in red.

Before Fang Shimian could reply to each one, Xu Long’s WeChat call came through. Fang Shimian, not daring to wander outside again, walked quietly to the farthest corner of the office from Zhu Ze and answered Xu Long’s call.

“Your phone is on silent again!” Xu Long’s loud voice came through, “Are you coming back today? Let me tell you, if you dare say you’re not coming back, you’re in trouble.”

Fang Shimian chuckled lightly and took the opportunity to make a request, “I’m coming back. Can we have rice noodles tonight?”

Xu Long snorted heavily, impatiently saying, “I’m sick of those rice noodles. Pick something else.”

“Okay, then I’ll go by myself.”

Xu Long cursed, “Ah, eat, eat, eat! You’re such a troublesome kid.”

A smile unconsciously appeared on Fang Shimian’s face. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he felt someone approaching from behind. Turning his head, he met Zhu Ze’s gentle gaze.

To say it was gentle wasn’t entirely accurate. For a moment, Fang Shimian was transported back to his childhood, always filled with pain, when he clung to Zhu Ze’s embrace as a lifeline in his most helpless moments. Zhu Ze had the same expression, gentle and compassionate, yet carrying complexities he couldn’t understand.

Fang Shimian ended the call, forcing himself to pull away from those chaotic memories.

Zhu Ze reached out and ruffled Fang Shimian’s hair, his expression somewhat forlorn, “Xiao Mian, do you have plans tonight?”

Fang Shimian nodded awkwardly, looking very apologetic, “Sorry for the trouble, Brother Zhu. Next time, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

“Really?” Zhu Ze seemed a bit surprised. He took out his phone, tapped it a couple of times, and handed it to Fang Shimian, “Give me your current contact number. The previous one was a dead number a few months ago.”

Fang Shimian entered his number and returned the phone to Zhu Ze. He took a few steps, picked up the medicine on the sofa, and was about to say goodbye to Zhu Ze when he noticed Zhu Ze staring at him expressionlessly.

The room was warm, much warmer than the air-conditioned surveillance room, but at that moment, Fang Shimian felt a chill that made his scalp tingle. Even if he was slow, he sensed something was off.

“Brother Zhu,” Fang Shimian didn’t know when he started feeling afraid of Zhu Ze. He cautiously asked, “What’s wrong?”

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and Fang Shimian’s breathing paused for a few seconds.

Zhu Ze waved his phone screen in front of Fang Shimian, letting out a helpless chuckle, his tone slow, “Xiao Mian, the number you gave me, why is it unreachable again?”

Fang Shimian immediately pulled out his phone from his coat pocket, showing a missed call from an unknown number. He quickly handed the phone to Zhu Ze, explaining, “Sorry, Brother Zhu, my phone was on silent earlier. I didn’t give you the wrong number.”

The tension instantly dissipated, as if the imminent sense of crisis was just an illusion.

Zhu Ze smiled, “I see. I knew Xiao Mian wouldn’t lie to his brother. Is the phone number linked to WeChat? Never mind, just scan me. It’s more convenient.”

Fang Shimian added Zhu Ze on WeChat, but Zhu Ze put his phone in his pocket without immediately accepting the request. He looked at Fang Shimian, seemingly confirming, “Are you really unable to have dinner with your brother tonight?”

Fang Shimian shook his head, his smile a bit forced, “Next time, Brother Zhu. I’ve already made plans, and it’s not good to cancel last minute.”

“Is that so? Alright then.”

Zhu Ze seemed to accept it calmly, and then he led Fang Shimian out of the office to take the elevator to the basement level.

During the ride, Fang Shimian earnestly expressed that he could take a taxi or public transport home, but Zhu Ze didn’t seem inclined to respond to that suggestion.

After getting in the car, Zhu Ze asked for Fang Shimian’s address. Fang Shimian mentioned Yunjin No. 1, the residential area where he worked, without mentioning his rented place. Zhu Ze wasn’t surprised and didn’t seem to want to ask further, which relieved Fang Shimian.

The journey wasn’t far, but halfway through, Zhu Ze suddenly asked, “Xiao Mian, whose appointment are you going to tonight?”

Fang Shimian smiled and simply said it was with a colleague.

Zhu Ze didn’t speak again after that.

The car stopped at the main entrance of the residential area. After thanking him, Fang Shimian quickly got out of the car without waiting for the driver to open the door.

It wasn’t until the silver-white car, whose name Fang Shimian couldn’t recall, completely drove out of his sight that he finally relaxed, feeling the ground beneath his feet.

Fang Shimian didn’t enter the residential area but found a flower bed to sit on. He silently watched the exquisitely decorated and luxurious entrance of the residential area. The light-colored marble combined with translucent sandstone, and the gilded carvings on the Roman columns on both sides, made it appear particularly luxurious and solemn.

This residential area was actually considered old, built two or three decades ago, located in the most prosperous golden area of Haishi. It was a symbol of extreme wealth at the time, and even now, it’s still incredibly expensive, almost impossible to buy.

Fang Shimian inexplicably thought of the face in the surveillance footage, the one that was so familiar at first glance. It turned out to be He Yao.

The wind picked up, blowing a few leaves down. Fang Shimian stuffed the medicine in his pocket, wrapped his coat tighter, and checked the time on his phone, sending a message to Xu Long.

Before long, there was movement at the entrance. Xu Long, holding a thick cotton coat, walked out with a cigarette in his mouth, looking grumpy. He stopped to chat with the security guard, handed out a couple of cigarettes, and swaggered out.

Xu Long stopped about ten meters away from Fang Shimian, pretending not to see him with an air of arrogance.

When Fang Shimian slowly walked over, Xu Long dropped the act, wrapping the cotton coat around Fang Shimian, “You didn’t say anything about having a cold and fever, and you’re still wandering around like a popsicle. I think you just need a beating!”

Fang Shimian chuckled foolishly, getting a hard pat on the back from Xu Long, “I think you’re doing it on purpose.”

“Brother Long, there’s still half an hour left. You left early.” Fang Shimian, feeling warmer, had a bit of color in his face, his round eyes bright and lively under the soft moonlight.

Xu Long was momentarily stunned, then snapped back to reality, letting out an awkward snort, “I’m just worried you’ll freeze to death.” He paused, raising an eyebrow at him fiercely, “What right do you have to talk about me leaving early? You disappeared for a day, and with no one to cover, I was bored to death in the surveillance room.”

The rice noodle shop that Fang Shimian loved wasn’t far, just in the commercial area outside the residential area, not far from the main entrance. It didn’t take long to get there.

The shop wasn’t crowded yet. They found a seat, and it seemed the previous customers had just left, as the staff had only cleared the dishes, leaving oil stains on the table.

“Did Brother Ma and the others come to cover the shift early?” Fang Shimian sat down and scanned the code to order, while Xu Long wiped the table with a napkin.

“No, I asked the order supervisor to cover for me.” Xu Long threw the napkin in the trash under the table and went to the front to get a big bowl, filling it with hot tea, “Order me a small portion.”

“Did you hear that, kid?” Xu Long shouted.

Fang Shimian was hesitating whether to add a fried egg. Hearing Xu Long’s request, he went back to change it, didn’t order the egg, and placed the order.

Before the rice noodles arrived, Fang Shimian saw a WeChat request had been accepted, followed by a call from an unknown number. He didn’t need to guess who it was.

He forgot to add a note for Zhu Ze.

Fang Shimian hesitated for a moment but answered the call.

Zhu Ze asked when Fang Shimian was off, and he honestly replied Saturday. After hearing this, Zhu Ze asked him to keep that day free for him.

Fang Shimian wanted to find an excuse to refuse, but Zhu Ze keenly sensed the ambiguity in his words and asked, “Didn’t you say you’d treat your brother to a meal, Xiao Mian?”

The voice was gentle, without any threat, but Fang Shimian couldn’t help but recall Zhu Ze’s gaze from the afternoon.

Even though he wasn’t under that gaze now, Fang Shimian still felt a chill.

“Xiao Mian?”