Chapter 6

Huo Jun propped his head with one hand, his gaze lingering on Fang Shimian’s face as he carefully selected drinks, lazily downing his glass of red wine in one go. “This kid is from the Fang family in the old compound, right?”

The boy in the white suit hid in a less crowded corner, his head down, focused solely on eating, like a rabbit suddenly thrown into a hunting ground for large predators, completely unaware of the eager eyes around him, still innocently picking out food.

Once the necessary socializing was done, the banquet naturally took on other functions. Without power to back you up, being pretty and eye-catching is a sin.

A waiter brought drinks for Huo Jun to choose from. Huo Jun casually picked a champagne, turned around, and sat opposite Huo Zhongshan. “What do you think Zhu Ze is up to?”

Huo Zhongshan, legs crossed, leaned back on a single sofa, his eyes showing a lazy fatigue, leisurely playing with an antique silver coin, not touching a drop of the drinks on the table.

Until the white rabbit downstairs left the dazzling lights and returned to the shadows to eat. Huo Zhongshan’s expression remained calm, speaking slowly, “Just marking his territory in advance.”

Huo Jun chuckled, lit a cigarette, and the white smoke floated upwards, like a few strands of vibrant spring color suddenly appearing in the bleak autumn, stirring restlessness in people’s hearts. “Fool, letting him out now just invites trouble.”

The intricately patterned silver coin had a soft sheen under the light. The waiter quietly replaced the untouched drink beside Huo Zhongshan with a steaming cup of black tea.

“Zhu Ze is currently going through the resignation process. His joint venture with the Zhou family in that internet company is doing quite well.”

“No wonder.” Huo Jun recalled Zhu Ze’s unkind warning to him, feeling a bit annoyed as he extinguished his cigarette, took a sip of champagne, and absentmindedly glanced downstairs. “Such a clean rabbit falling into the hands of that hypocrite is truly a pity.”

Hearing this, Huo Zhongshan glanced at Huo Jun.

Huo Jun was silent for a moment, then changed the topic, bringing up the company’s recent new project with other groups.

Fang Shimian, having eaten and drunk his fill, felt much better. He glanced at the center of the banquet and saw a young couple holding a child while talking to others. The child, dressed in a bright red outfit, seemed to have just learned to walk, wobbling around wanting to run everywhere. The couple, surrounded by people, couldn’t break away, so two nannies immediately stepped forward to guide the child aside.

Fang Shimian drank a bit too much sparkling water, and this time a waiter specifically led him to the bathroom. After finishing up, he didn’t see Zhu Ze and decided to grab a couple more snacks.

While he was caught up in the dilemma of choosing from the unnameable desserts, he heard voices not far away. Following the sound, he saw the child from the banquet center had somehow wandered over here.

One of the older nannies was softly coaxing the child, “Miss, don’t go there, it’s dangerous. Let’s just stay here, okay?”

Another nanny brought out some easily digestible snacks for the child from the kitchen. The snacks were exquisitely made, with vivid animal shapes and even the most popular cartoon characters.

Fang Shimian stared at the plate of pastries, initially wondering what danger could be here, but now only thinking that these snacks must taste great, a hundred times better than the previous ones. A thousand times, ten thousand times better.

The older nanny let go of the child to take the pastries from the other nanny’s hand, “Miss, eat this, your favorite… Miss! Miss, come back!”

Fang Shimian was still out of the loop when he heard the nanny’s scream and saw the child stumbling like a little calf, rushing towards the towering champagne tower used for decoration. Perhaps the child, having just learned to walk, couldn’t control their strength and pulled down the fabric underneath the champagne tower.

The nanny screamed heart-wrenchingly.

Fang Shimian dumbfoundedly looked up at the swaying, about-to-collapse champagne tower, instinctively rushing over to shield the child beneath him.

Wine glasses smashed onto Fang Shimian’s head and back, the chilled wine soaking his back, shards of broken glasses flying, and his ears filled with screams and cries. The child in his arms was also scared into wailing.

Until the sound of shattering glass stopped, the crowd surged forward, and the child in his arms was somehow taken by the young couple, who softly comforted her. Even the elderly man who spoke at the start of the banquet and his wife hurried over, looking at their little granddaughter with heartache.

Fang Shimian, bewildered, watched the warm scene, quickly surrounded by people helping to wipe his wet hair and urging him to change into clean clothes.

But he suddenly seemed unable to hear the voices around him, only feeling an overwhelming sadness engulfing him, about to suffocate.

“Xiao Mian?” Zhu Ze lifted Fang Shimian’s face, forcing him to look at him. “Where does it hurt?”

Fang Shimian snapped back to reality, looking at the crowd around him, only grateful that the wine covered his tears. Suddenly dizzy, he immediately said, “I’m fine, it’s nothing, don’t worry about me.”

At this moment, the Shen family’s old master and young master Shen Jiang also came over. Seeing the wound on Fang Shimian’s hand bleeding, Shen Jiang quickly called for the family doctor, his eyes filled with gratitude and apology. “Sir, please go upstairs and let the doctor check if there are any other injuries.”

Fang Shimian actually just wanted to run away quickly, but Zhu Ze had already agreed, so he nodded to Shen Jiang, “Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Shen.”

Fang Shimian had no choice but to be escorted upstairs under everyone’s watchful eyes.

He first went to the suite’s bathroom to wash his hair and take a shower. Only after cleaning up did he realize that there were several bleeding spots on his hands and ankles, though not deep or serious.

The old master of the Shen family was helped back to his room to rest, while Shen Jiang, Zhu Ze, and two family doctors waited in the suite’s living room for Fang Shimian.

After learning that Fang Shimian was the brother Zhu Ze specifically brought today, Shen Jiang expressed his gratitude and apology again, feeling very ashamed. Upon hearing Zhu Ze mention that Fang Shimian currently didn’t have a formal job, he immediately offered to invite Fang Shimian to join Maoshu Group.

Just then, Fang Shimian finished cleaning up and came out of the bathroom. His original outfit had been taken away by Shen Jiang’s assistant, and based on his size, a brand was quickly sent over with a slightly altered style, but not much different from before.

A servant waited outside the bathroom, and upon seeing Fang Shimian come out, they dried his hair and carefully massaged his head. Fang Shimian was extremely uncomfortable, constantly dodging during the massage, so the servant stopped the process. Once his hair was dry, they led Fang Shimian out.

Shen Jiang stood up, and the two doctors immediately stepped forward to check and treat Fang Shimian’s other wounds. Fang Shimian waved his hands repeatedly, “I’ve checked, there are no wounds, no need to treat.”

“Mr. Fang, please let them check. This was indeed our oversight. You have done a great favor to my daughter. If you have any requests, as long as the Shen family can fulfill them, just ask.”

Shen Jiang was genuinely grateful to Fang Shimian. Many of the people at the banquet were close relatives of the Shen family, but each was looking out for themselves, and no one would take such a big risk to protect a child.

Those sharp glass shards are blind, but just cutting the hands and feet is lucky. If they had cut across the unprotected face and neck… The higher you stand, the more you understand that a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall.

Seeing Fang Shimian at a loss, repeatedly refusing Shen Jiang’s goodwill, Zhu Ze said to Shen Jiang, “My brother is shy and doesn’t like to meet people. If he says something wrong, please don’t blame him, Mr. Jiang.”

“What are you saying, Mr. Zhu? I’m just grateful, nothing else…”

Hearing Zhu Ze’s words, Fang Shimian looked confused, lowering his head again, allowing the two doctors to take him to the side room to treat his wounds.

“These are the only ones, really no others.” Fang Shimian held down his pant leg, not letting the doctor lift it to check. His voice was very low, as if afraid of disturbing others, “I’ve checked, everything else is fine.”

The two doctors exchanged a glance and didn’t insist further, as their task was considered complete.

Fang Shimian didn’t really want to return to the room where Zhu Ze was, so after the doctors packed up their tools, he immediately asked, “Can I rest here for a bit before going back? I won’t run around.”

The doctor smiled at him, “Sir, you are free to do as you please.”

Fang Shimian nodded, saw the doctors out, and then closed the door.

He didn’t go to the pristine sofa in the spacious room but instead walked to the large terrace outside. It was dark outside, with no lights on.

Fang Shimian fumbled to turn on a small lamp, squatting beside it, and took out his phone to call Xu Long.

Xu Long answered immediately, sounding impatient, “What?”

“Brother Long, I’m full, so I won’t go to your place for instant noodles today.” Fang Shimian buried his head in his knees, his voice muffled.

Xu Long paused for a few seconds, “Don’t you know to eat less, you fool.”

“…Still, come over. I ate all sweet stuff today, and I want something spicy.” Fang Shimian slowly stood up, walked to the edge of the terrace, leaned his elbows on the railing, and stuck his head out. Below were trees, the wind rustling the leaves.

“You eat so much meat, it’s all going to my body.” Xu Long sounded a bit frustrated.

Fang Shimian heard the sound of a lighter in his ear, his tone lightening up. He stood on tiptoe, half his body leaning out of the terrace, and laughed, “If you smoke less, you won’t get fat.”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t smoke today, you’re accusing me wrongly.”

Fang Shimian laughed, the wind lifting his clothes, revealing a slender, snow-white waist.

The strong wind seemed to blow away all the gloom, “Haha, you’re lying, I can smell the smoke… smell.”

“You’re an idiot.” Xu Long thought Fang Shimian was teasing him and hung up the phone, cursing.

Something’s not right. How could he smell smoke from the other end of the phone?

Fang Shimian’s mind went blank for a moment. He even saw white mist in the dim light of the small lamp, instinctively looking towards the source of the mist.

In the center of the dark terrace next door, a scarlet glow flickered, unmoving, asserting its presence.

Clearly, someone had been sitting next door for who knows how long, but with no lights on, not even in the room, it was hard to notice.

With the small lamp on this terrace and that cigarette butt, Fang Shimian could vaguely see the silhouette of a tall figure, sometimes visible, sometimes blending into the darkness.

Like a beast lurking in the shadows, leisurely and lazily watching whether the prey under the light was behaving.