Chapter 14

Xincheng.

As soon as Xu Zhou got off the plane, he dragged his luggage straight to the hotel.

Sore waist, aching back—who understands…

Once in the room, he spent half an hour unpacking before collapsing flat on the bed. The seminar wasn’t until the evening, so he still had a few hours to rest.

He opened his phone and idly scrolled—only Lu Feng had messaged, asking if he’d landed.

After replying, he was about to set the phone down and rest.

Then Shen Yan called via video.

“Reached the hotel?”

“Yes, just about to rest.”

On the screen, Shen Yan sat in his office, switching between writing on documents and glancing at Xu Zhou.

Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, Shen Yan felt a pang of guilt.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have—last night…”

“Stop!” Xu Zhou’s face flushed suspiciously.

He remembered how he had begged for mercy last night, but Shen Yan had pretended not to hear.

And now… he had been pushed to tears.

His reputation was gone.

“Mr. Shen, representatives from Chen Group are already waiting in the company conference room,” a voice reminded.

Xu Zhou whispered to the screen, “Go handle it.”

“Mm. Call me tonight after your meeting.”

“Okay.”

“Remember to miss me.”

“…Okay.”

…

Xu Zhou held his entrance ticket and smoothly entered the seminar hall, finding a seat near the center to wait.

The brightly lit hall was filled with top-tier elites.

Xu Zhou’s outstanding aura and youthful face made him stand out among the crowd; several pairs of eyes subtly followed his every move.

While looking down to reply to a message, he suddenly heard someone call his name. He looked up, slightly surprised, and smiled, greeting the person.

Shao Guangming’s face lit up with recognition.

“I thought you wouldn’t recognize me after all these years, haha!” He patted Xu Zhou on the shoulder and sat down beside him.

“The partner who used to stand with me in high school detention—I could never forget.”

Xu Zhou smiled. He hadn’t expected to run into an old classmate here; it was a pleasant surprise.

“Wow, your memory’s impressive. By the way, I only returned to the country last month. I didn’t expect the first old friend I’d meet to be you—talk about fate!”

Xu Zhou asked curiously, “When did you leave the country?”

“Right after high school. Family forced me; had no choice.”

“No wonder there’s been no news of you all these years.”

“My whole family moved. I used to be restricted at home, now that I’m free, I just want to come back and develop myself,” Shao Guangming said with a bitter smile.

Xu Zhou nodded in understanding, saying nothing further—every family has its own struggles.

The two, long-separated, had many new things to catch up on and chatted until the seminar began.

“The speaker on stage looks familiar,” Shao Guangming muttered.

“Duan Yichen, next-generation heir of Duan Group,” Xu Zhou quietly explained.

“Oh! I saw him last month at the M Country International Finance Conference,” Shao Guangming said in realization.

Suddenly recalling something, he asked, “Do you remember Shen Yan? Your high school deskmate, super cold, hardly spoke, but insanely smart.”

Xu Zhou fell silent.

Cold and distant was just a façade; smart was the only truth.

“I remember. What about him?”

“M Country’s International Finance Conference is organized by his mother every year. I heard she’s one of the top three economic tycoons in M Country, untouchable in her field. And…”

Shao Guangming paused dramatically. “His father’s in politics, with influence comparable to his mother’s economic power…”

Xu Zhou didn’t respond, expression unreadable, fingers tightening around his pen.

“Impressive…”

“Your reaction is way too calm. When I first heard, I was shocked speechless. Shen Yan’s already top-tier in the field, and his parents are just as formidable. They have overwhelming advantages over anyone, leaving others with nothing but envy…”

Seeing Xu Zhou still silent, Shao Guangming assumed he was intimidated. After all, he knew Xu Zhou’s attitude toward Shen Yan back in high school—not bad, but not particularly good either.

He patted Xu Zhou’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. Shen Yan isn’t petty. When we were younger, small quarrels were normal among classmates.”

“And now he’s CEO of Lingqi Group, a busy man. Surely he won’t bother you.”

Xu Zhou pressed his temple, feeling conflicted.

“I’m not worried about him causing trouble.”

“Good. By the way, do you have Shen Yan’s contact info? I thought maybe, besides you as his deskmate, no one really speaks to him…”

Speaking of contact, he remembered adding Shen Yan on WeChat back in middle school, initially just to copy answers.

After high school, they lost touch—but miraculously, Shen Yan hadn’t changed his number. Thinking back, Xu Zhou realized how poorly he’d treated him.

Would Shen Yan even like him back then?

Shao Guangming cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed, but spoke honestly.

“The company is negotiating with a newly acquired Lingqi enterprise. I thought, if I could meet Shen Yan, maybe I could bring it up. Who knows, he might be in a good mood and remember old times…”

Xu Zhou thought for a moment. He couldn’t give out Shen Yan’s private info without permission.

“I’ll check…”

He opened their chat.

Xu Zhou: Can I give your contact info to someone?

Just finishing a meeting, Shen Yan replied instantly.

Shen Yan: Already trying to push me onto someone?

Xu Zhou: …

Shen Yan: (cry.jpg)

Xu Zhou: A high school classmate, Shao Guangming—remember him?

Shen Yan: Don’t know him.

Xu Zhou: Do you want him to have your contact info?

Shen Yan: No.

Xu Zhou: Then I won’t give it.

Shen Yan: Okay (kiss.jpg)

Xu Zhou: ????????????

Shen Yan: Missing you?

Xu Zhou couldn’t help but chuckle softly. This was the Shen Yan he had known from others? Or was it a fake?

Shao Guangming gave a puzzled look. Xu Zhou suddenly looked so happy… why?

Xu Zhou composed himself. “Next time you meet Shen Yan, you can ask him yourself.”

Shao Guangming waved, “I was just mentioning it casually. Even if I got the contact, he probably wouldn’t even know who I am…”

The seminar was nearly over.

The host announced the schedule for the next two days and concluded today’s event.

By the time Xu Zhou and Shao Guangming left the hall, it was eleven p.m.

Xu Zhou was about to hail a taxi when a silver car suddenly stopped in front of them.

Someone quickly got out and bowed politely to Xu Zhou.

“Mr. Xu, Mr. Shen asked me to pick you up.”

Xu Zhou: ?

Shao Guangming: ???

What’s happening? Who’s Mr. Shen?

Xu Zhou gave a dry laugh. “A local friend.”

Shao Guangming nodded, not thinking much, though a bit envious. “Your friend really takes care of you—arranging a ride so late at night.”

“…”