Chapter 58

No problem, Chen Tingyan splashed some water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror. Over the past few days, he had been working hard to pursue her. By Valentine’s Day, he was planning to give her a romantic confession.

He had already decided on the method for their “accidental encounter” today.

After learning her home address last night, he noticed there was a pet hospital nearby. His cat, Ah Dai, had been lacking appetite recently, so Chen Tingyan decided to take it there. He would also send a message to ask if she could come help.

Before heading out, he grabbed a popular suspense novel and took the pen that Zhu Jia had given him.

The pen was beautiful, with a vintage feel. The chocolate brown and rose gold colors blended beautifully on the barrel, evoking the decadent and luxurious colors of a run-down castle room’s decor.

Chen Tingyan lovingly touched the pen, placing it with the book. After putting Ah Dai in the transparent cat space capsule bag, he set off on his motorbike.

Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the pet hospital, where he saw a sign that the clinic opened at 10:00 AM. Checking his phone, he realized there was still half an hour to go.

Across from the pet shop was a café, which was open. Chen Tingyan decided to sit there, reading while waiting.

He chose a window seat, placed Ah Dai’s space capsule next to him, ordered an iced Americano, and set the book and pen on the table.

He gazed out the window, watching the rain slowly intensify, thinking about what to say to Zhu Jia when he texted her. Should he say, “I brought Ah Dai to your neighborhood, are you home?” or just send her the location of the pet hospital?

Just then, a sleek black Aston Martin slowly pulled up to the roadside café. Chen Tingyan thought the car looked familiar, and then a man in a silver-gray suit stepped out.

The man was tall, with a cold expression, and his right hand was wrapped in a conspicuous bandage. A driver exited the car and held an umbrella for him. The man looked impatient, clearly someone with a bad temper.

The man in the gray suit walked into the café, scanning the room before locking eyes with Chen Tingyan.

Chen Tingyan felt uneasy, as if he were being targeted by some nocturnal predator, a chill running down his spine.

The man in the gray suit approached, smiling, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Is this seat taken? Mr. Chen?”

Chen Tingyan, wary, replied, “Who are you? Do I know you?”

The man in the gray suit elegantly sat across from him, taking a seat that wasn’t his, looking completely at ease, as though it were his own home.

He brushed off some raindrops from his shoulder. “You don’t know me, but you should know my wife.”

His narrow eyes scanned Chen Tingyan briefly before resting on the pen on the table.

“My wife?”

“Yes. I came to thank you for escorting her home last night. She attended your birthday party, didn’t she?”

Last night, he only saw one person home! Chen Tingyan was shocked, unable to say a word. He finally remembered that this was the man who had come to pick up Zhu Jia—the one in the car.

The man in the gray suit gestured to the pen on the table and gave Chen Tingyan a gentle smile. “Do you like the pen? I use it often because I think it writes really well, which is why I had her give it to you.”

Chen Tingyan stared at the pen in disbelief, processing every word the man had just said. The pen and the man in front of him seemed to be a perfect match, as if it were destined to be his.

The man in the gray suit looked at Ah Dai in the transparent bag. The cat yawned and meowed softly.

“The cat is cute. My wife would definitely love it,” he said unexpectedly.

Chen Tingyan, with his eyes full of suspicion, watched him closely, as if waiting for the next blow.

The man in the gray suit smiled indifferently. “We also have a very cute one at home.”

He then pulled out his phone and showed Chen Tingyan a picture of a chubby baby. “This is my wife’s son. He’s already one year old. Isn’t he adorable?”

The man seemed to have finished speaking.

He stood up impatiently, adjusted his collar, and his expression softened a little. “Mr. Chen, I won’t keep you from your coffee.”

With that, he walked out of the café, as if he had never been there.

Chen Tingyan sat there all morning, staring at the rain, lost in thought. He knew exactly why the man had come to see him.

What he hadn’t expected was that he had been fantasizing about a married woman!

He hated that he had met her so late. If he had met her earlier, she would have definitely wanted to be with him, but now someone else had beaten him to it.

How rare it was to meet a girl who made him feel this way, and now he was filled with regret and frustration! No matter how bitter the coffee was, it couldn’t compare to the bitterness in his heart.

He clenched the coffee cup in anger. The man was just so unpleasant to look at, in every way unworthy of Zhu Jia.

What had happened to Zhu Jia for her to end up with someone like him?

Chen Tingyan sat there for a long time, finally coming to a realization.

It was a “father relying on the child” story. That man must have used the child to tie her down!

On Monday morning, in the 18th-floor CEO office of Mo Group, Mo Yichen sat on a dark gray curved sofa, smoking a cigarette.

Fang Bo Ran, in a blue casual suit, sat across from him, looking somewhat nervous.

“The person we sent to track my brother finally found some clues yesterday. They’ve been careful for three months,” Fang Bo Ran said after taking a sip of red tea. “Last week, my brother went to Hong Kong under the guise of a business trip. It turns out he was meeting with the owner of W Technologies, a friend he met in the UK.”

Mo Yichen raised an eyebrow, signaling Fang Bo Ran to continue.

Fang Bo Ran took a brown envelope from his bag and pulled out a few photos. “Later, my brother met with this person, the one who owns shares in W Technologies. I don’t recognize him, but he seems familiar. Let me show you.”

Mo Yichen stubbed out his cigarette and took the three photos from Fang Bo Ran. They were taken in a private club, the lighting was poor, and the resolution was low. Mo Yichen focused on the third photo, carefully studying the face of a middle-aged man with a square jaw, a strong build, and a robust physique.

Mo Yichen’s pupils contracted. It was him—the driver who had been working for Mo San Shu (Uncle Mo) for nearly twenty years!

Mo Yichen recognized him because, when he was a teenager, he had a good relationship with Mo San Shu, who was not much older than him. Mo San Shu often took him to business forums and lectures from prominent figures. He remembered that this burly driver was always the one who drove them around.

It wasn’t until this past New Year’s that Mo Yichen noticed the driver helping Mo San Shu’s wife with her bag. His physique was striking—someone as muscular as him wasn’t common.

Mo Yichen also remembered that in his twenties, Mo San Shu was an incredibly talented young man, full of wisdom. He had demonstrated his exceptional business and management abilities even as a student.

He was well-regarded in the Mo family and in Mo Group. There were even rumors that Mo Yichen’s grandfather had intended to support Mo San Shu’s rise. However, these rumors proved unreliable. A few years before Mo Yichen’s grandfather passed away, he dismissed several key supporters of Mo San Shu and eventually helped Mo Ronghua take over his position.

Without the support of his main pillar, Mo San Shu remained a minor figure in Mo Group, neither too hot nor too cold.

After recalling all of this, Mo Yichen rubbed his brow. “Don’t worry about the next steps.”

Fang Bo Ran took a deep drag from his cigarette. “Honestly, I don’t want to get involved. My brother’s always been a jerk, and now he’s sticking his nose in your business. You do what you think is best.”

Mo Yichen walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window without much expression. The sky was dim above the 18th floor, and raindrops covered the glass, as the entire city was engulfed in a misty rain curtain.

“It’s almost Qingming,” Fang Bo Ran stood next to Mo Yichen, shoulder to shoulder, watching the rain. “Will you go visit Jingheng and A Ning?”

“Yes,” Mo Yichen said, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

“Hard to believe, just a few years ago they were here, and now they’re lying in the ground.”

Fang Bo Ran patted Mo Yichen on the shoulder. “At least we have Xiao Wen. If they knew Xiao Wen is doing so well now, they’d be at peace.”

Mo Yichen nodded imperceptibly, the furrow in his brow relaxing, his cold expression softening slightly.