Chapter 20

Just as Ming Ke finished speaking, a few burly men in black suits walked over from behind. The one standing at the front looked a bit younger and nodded at Fang Shimian. Although they had a restrained demeanor, it was clear they were not to be messed with.

Fang Shimian remembered the bodyguards who had caught him at Yunjin Building Six that day and instinctively shrank back a little.

Huo Jun raised an eyebrow, thinking that old fox Huo Zhongshan couldn’t wait even for a moment. He ignored Zhu Ze but was extremely vigilant with his younger brother.

He glanced at Ming Ke, letting out a half-smile, half-sneer, crossing his arms and casually crossing his long legs, leaning to the side to watch the show.

Noticing Fang Shimian’s unease, Ming Ke immediately had the men step back, looking at Fang Shimian with a very gentle gaze. “Mr. Huo wants to meet you. These people won’t harm you, please rest assured, Mr. Fang. I will accompany you.”

Fang Shimian looked down at the half-eaten jelly in his hand, nervously pinching the edge. “Is Mr. Huo’s health okay now?”

This question was actually quite sensitive. After all, the incident of Huo Zhongshan being attacked was a big deal. While online public opinion could be suppressed, it couldn’t be hidden from the higher-ups at Hengshi and the Huo family members who held real power.

Just looking at how Huo Zhongshan’s father, Huo Bai, had already started delegating power, yet suddenly returned from the capital to take charge, swiftly dealing with a few prominent collateral relatives with an iron fist, was enough to see the undercurrents beneath the calm surface.

Many people had asked this question during this time, but most didn’t get an answer. Fang Shimian was somewhat special, likely one of the few who could get a real answer, but Ming Ke still tactfully said, “Mr. Fang, you’ll know once you see him.”

Fang Shimian lowered his head, gently pinching the soft flesh of his curled index finger with his thumb, looking a bit anxious.

“I think I won’t go see him…”

Knowing that the person is alive is enough. Fang Shimian saved him for peace of mind and didn’t want all these follow-up matters. The unfamiliar people and things made him feel uncomfortable and uneasy.

Not going?

Huo Jun was surprised, thinking this kid was really clueless, not even taking the chance to claim credit. But he didn’t show it on his face, smiling at Ming Ke, “Mr. Fang doesn’t want to go. Maybe he likes being with me. If Second Brother has anything to say, he can tell me, and I’ll pass it on as his younger brother.”

If it were anyone else, if Huo Zhongshan wanted to see them, they’d be respectfully invited over if willing, or forcibly brought over if not. But this person couldn’t be taken by force… this task was difficult.

The young man in black behind Ming Ke stepped forward upon hearing this, bowing slightly to Fang Shimian with a bit of a smile on his face. “I wonder if Mr. Fang remembers, we’ve met before.”

This young man had a proper appearance, looking exceptionally kind among his black-clad colleagues.

Fang Shimian looked up, quickly glanced, and didn’t remember, but his interactions with such people had only been once, so the answer was obvious. He tentatively asked in a low voice, “Was it when I went to Building Six to deliver something?”

The man’s smile deepened, and he simply walked up to Fang Shimian. “Last time, they were too rough, and you were frightened. You might have become wary of us. Even if I apologize for that now, it would be useless. But Mr. Huo has been very concerned about your safety and has always wanted to meet you personally to express his gratitude. If you don’t like us, we won’t appear in front of you again.”

“Mr. Fang, with your kind heart, please give us a chance to redeem ourselves. I’ve already reprimanded those people. They haven’t integrated into society and only know how to follow orders, not how to interact with people. Next time, I’ll bring them to apologize to you.”

“No need…”

After this conversation, what else could Fang Shimian say? He looked at the young man in front of him, feeling they were probably around the same age, and said, “I don’t dislike you. You’re just following orders, and I have a boss too… I understand.”

Hearing this, the young man’s smile became more genuine.

In a way, Fang Shimian saving Huo Zhongshan also saved them. Although it wasn’t their team on duty that day, as bodyguards raised by the Huo family, they couldn’t even ensure their employer’s safety. Even if the Huo family didn’t trouble them, any hope of making a name for themselves in this line of work would be completely extinguished.

“Mr. Fang is understanding, and we are truly grateful.”

What a move, appealing to emotions and reason!

Huo Jun was amazed, re-evaluating the people his second brother had sent. It was the first time he realized that among Huo Zhongshan’s group of wooden blocks, there was actually someone so eloquent and clever, hidden and unassuming.

“Does Third Young Master want to come along?” the young man asked respectfully.

At this time, go together? Wouldn’t that be courting death?

Even if Huo Jun lacked tact, he wouldn’t go and provoke his second brother at this time. He got up and sat back in his office chair, picking up the pile of documents, quite impatiently waving his hand, “Go, go.”

Ming Ke glanced back, and the people in the corridor quietly went down to notify the driver and remote security to get in place.

Once again sitting in the Huo family’s car, as they passed by Hengshi Building, Fang Shimian suddenly realized its grandeur.

The towering building occupying the city center was like a blade piercing the sky. He remembered looking down from the office, seeing the bustling city at a glance, as if it could be a plaything in the palm of his hand.

Human life was but a speck of dust in front of this colossal entity.

Fang Shimian thought, now because of that accident, he had a good relationship with the Huo family, but with his dull and clumsy nature, offending people could happen inadvertently. If he made a wrong move in the future, he wouldn’t even have the basic ability to protect himself.

At this moment, the urge to quickly escape took over again, and meeting Huo Zhongshan made Fang Shimian even more anxious and uneasy.

The vehicle stopped in the basement of Anhe. Ming Ke led Fang Shimian around a beautifully landscaped garden. The young man in black led a few people walking far behind. The group passed through a corridor and entered a delicately designed classical building. After two security checks, all electronic devices were confiscated.

On the right side of the first-floor lobby was an elevator. After the bodyguard guarding it verified with the young man in black, they swiped open the elevator. Upon reaching the third floor, the group walked out, with bodyguards patrolling the sides. The building was extremely quiet, with only occasional bird calls from outside.

The medical staff passing by in the corridor were also silent.

On the way here, Fang Shimian had thought of some things he wanted to say, but the strict setup here scared him into lowering his breathing, not daring to look around. He could only closely follow Ming Ke, afraid of losing track.

The young man in black led them to one of the rooms in the corridor, stood straight, and knocked on the door in a regular pattern, speaking softly, “Mr. Huo, Mr. Fang is here.”

Outside the room stood a few men in suits, seemingly waiting for something.

After a moment, the door was opened from the inside. Fang Shimian saw a woman in formal attire, with a capable demeanor, holding a folder as she came out. She nodded at Fang Shimian, smiling, “Mr. Fang, please come in.”

After speaking, she quickly left with the people waiting outside the corridor.

Ming Ke and the young man in black exchanged glances and each led their people to retreat at the right time.

The door closed gently, making a slight sound.

At first glance, it didn’t look like a hospital room but a beautifully decorated small reception room, complete with sofas and tea sets. The door on the right was casually open, revealing a corner of the hospital bed.

Seeing the pile of documents on the sofa, Fang Shimian didn’t want to stay here alone for long, so he quietly walked towards the inner room.

The room was spacious.

The tall man sitting on the hospital bed was currently looking down, reviewing reports sent by his subordinates in his email.

His face was calm, and the cold light from the electronic device made him look even more unapproachable. He seemed dissatisfied with the content of the documents, and his sharp, handsome features appeared particularly cold and oppressive when expressionless.

He looked like he was ready to cut someone down.

This didn’t look like a patient at all. The powerful arm exposed under the hospital gown seemed capable of punching him back into the basement.

He looked very healthy, a stark contrast to his previously dying state. Fang Shimian couldn’t help but let his mind wander to distract himself.

Fang Shimian heard his own heartbeat become loud in the silent space. He cautiously walked into Huo Zhongshan’s line of sight, stopping at the farthest point in a straight line.

All the words he had in mind seemed to have been forcibly erased, leaving only the biological instinct of fear.

Huo Zhongshan put the item in his hand aside, his dark eyes shifting to Fang Shimian standing in the corner.

The chilling aura that had been lingering dissipated in the man’s softened smile.

“Come and sit.”

The man’s tone was slow, yet carried an undeniable pressure, an aura exuded from someone who had long been in a position of power.

For some reason, as he approached Huo Zhongshan, Fang Shimian suddenly recalled details that should have been quickly forgotten.

The dark carriage, suffocating smoke, the spreading scorching heat, his despair and collapse, even the thought of retreating, under the shadow of death, and that sentence.

“Stop crying.”

These three words truly stirred some memories.

Fang Shimian sat in the chair next to Huo Zhongshan’s hospital bed, noticing his old cotton coat neatly folded beside the bed, with no bloodstains left.

It was still there, not casually discarded.

All those messy emotions in his heart suddenly vanished. For the first time, he truly felt that the person who had gone through that life-and-death ordeal with him was still alive.

He lowered his head, not looking into Huo Zhongshan’s eyes, and impulsively whispered a sentence that had been bottled up for a long time.

“Don’t go racing anymore…”

“Racing?” The man looked up, his eyes under the high brow bone exceptionally deep.

The slightly raised tone carried a hint of intriguing amusement amidst the laziness.