Zhou Qishen hung up the phone immediately. It wasn't his fault; it was his own.
He didn't even bother to collect his luggage; he ran straight out of the airport. He didn't care which car Secretary Xu had arranged; he just opened the door of a small van and got in, saying, "To Golmud, I'll pay whatever it takes."
Only after getting on the bus did I realize that the driver was a middle-aged woman.
She wore a navy blue floral headscarf, her skin was dark, but her features were delicate. Years of sun exposure at high altitudes left her cheeks with a few red spots. She was still eating bread when she immediately put it back in her plastic bag and held out her hand, "Five hundred yuan."
Zhou Qishen opened his wallet and handed over a stack of red bills. "Hurry up."
His face was grim, he was furious, and his temples throbbed with pain. The pain and the lack of oxygen drained the color from his thin lips.
The scenery outside the window flashed by, a landscape completely different from Beijing. Darkness fell, and car headlights flashed like needles pricking my eyes. Gu Heping had maintained contact with him, sending WeChat messages one after another:
"Zhuang Qiu knows many people because of his investment work, and he was invited to Qinghai."
"Dai Yunxin wants to make a movie, and he is interested in investing in it."
"He has met Xiaoxi, but Xiaoxi doesn't know about your relationship."
With each additional word he read, Zhou Qishen's fear grew. It was his oversight, his oversight! He had been so busy with the project lately that he hadn't had time to think about Zhuang Qiu.
Gu Heping's last message: "Brother Zhou, Meng Weixi is also in Qinghai."
Without a second thought, Zhou Qishen immediately called Meng Weixi.
As expected, Meng Weixi refused to accept the offer.
Once, twice, three times, Zhou Qishen kept hitting.
Finally, the connection was established. Meng Weixi remained silent, as always.
Zhou Qishen's voice was hoarse, with a hint of pleading in it, "Meng Weixi, do me a favor." He paused, then said, "Zhao Xiyin is in trouble."
After the brief phone call, Zhou Qishen's head was throbbing so badly he felt like it was going to explode. He curled his fingers, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes to exhale. The old van had poor sound insulation, and he was instantly irritable. But then he heard the female driver next to him suddenly speak, "That restaurant has two locations in Golmud, with the same name. Did you find out which one it is?"
Zhou Qishen opened his eyes and turned his head to the side.
The female driver's expression flickered slightly, and she frowned as she said, "Please make sure you know the place."
——
At the same time.
Meng Weixi left all the crew members behind, and even interrupted a female producer who was speaking in a rather ungentlemanly manner, saying, "Excuse me, I have to go now."
He pushed the table and stood up, his movements so quick and forceful that he unknowingly knocked over a half-empty cup of tea. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, and Zhang Yijie quickly followed, "President Meng?"
Meng Weixi took out her car keys and drove off, making a phone call as she started the car, saying, "I need Dai Yunxin's address."
With a roar of the accelerator, the Cayenne sped off, kicking up clouds of yellow dust.
Forty minutes later, the screeching of tires on the pavement filled the air, and with a sharp turn, the Cayenne veered to the right. The noise was particularly startling in the dark of the small town, drawing frequent glances from many patrons in the restaurant lobby. When Zhuang Qiu's secretary saw Meng Weixi get out of the car, his expression immediately changed.
Meng Weixi entered the gate with a cold gaze. Secretary Zhuang Qiu quickly stepped forward to greet him, smiling as if nothing had happened, "President Meng, are you here on business or..."
Before he could finish speaking, Meng Weixi grabbed his throat, half a finger digging into his flesh, leaving him only a small portion of space to speak. Meng Weixi asked, word by word, "Where is Zhao Xiyin?"
The secretary was out of breath, her eyes rolled back, and she stammered incoherently, pointing upstairs.
Meng Wei felt a chill run down her spine, but also felt relieved. Fortunately, she was still in the restaurant, which was not a place where she could do anything reckless, proving that she was at least safe.
Meng Weixi slammed the man to the ground and kicked him, saying, "If anything happens to him, you're not leaving Qinghai."
He went upstairs and had just turned the corner in the hallway when he bumped into Dai Yunxin. Dai Yunxin had just come out of the restroom, and her expression immediately turned flustered upon seeing him. "Wei Xi?"
Meng Weixi remained indifferent, neither responding nor answering, and walked straight to the innermost part of the building.
Dai Yun instinctively reached out to stop her, "What's wrong?"
Meng Weixi stopped in her tracks, her tone chilling, "Teacher Dai, it's alright if you don't know what's going on. Zhou Qishen will be here soon, and once he arrives, you'll know exactly what's 'going on'."
As they were talking, hurried footsteps sounded on the stairs. Zhou Qishen, with a stern face, had taken off his coat, leaving him only in a dark gray cashmere sweater. Despite it being the dead of winter, he was covered in sweat from running. Dai Yunxin was right in front of him, but Zhou Qishen didn't even look at her, only giving Meng Weixi a slight nod in greeting.
Meng Weixi gestured with his chin to the right, and the two men walked towards that direction together.
Dai Yunxin's expression changed drastically. She stood there for a long time without moving. After she came to her senses, she hurriedly followed.
Zhou Qishen first turned the doorknob and locked it from the inside.
Meng Weixi stood to the side, his heart sinking. He could even faintly hear the subtle sounds coming from inside.
Zhou Qishen remained expressionless, took two steps back, then rushed over and kicked the door lock off.
The door panel sprang open and slammed against the wall with a thunderous roar.
The scene inside made Zhou Qishen dizzy. Zhao Xiyin, her eyes red, squatted on the ground. Zhuang Qiu stood beside her, his fierce expression still unresolved, and grabbed her hair, dragging her forcefully to the ground.
The curses from a second ago still echoed in my ears, "What kind of chaste and virtuous woman are you? You put on airs even when you're eating! Do you really think someone's backing you up? The emperor is far away, he can't possibly fly all the way from Beijing, can he? I don't need you, just have a drink, drink it, and I'll let you go!"
Zhao Xiyin was stubborn and refused to argue, compromise, or compromise, remaining silent in confrontation with him.
Zhuang Qiu felt truly annoyed; he'd never met such an impervious woman. Of course, he was aware that she was Zhou Qishen's woman, and there was no need to force himself on her. He had no shortage of women who wanted to sleep with him. Initially, he genuinely thought Zhao Xiyin was beautiful and wanted to have some fun. Later, after learning about her relationship with Zhou Qishen, his motivation shifted more towards conquest and humiliation.
Some men use their inherent scoundrels to disgust others.
Zhao Xiyin was quick-witted and had a cool, aloof personality, so she didn't let Zhuang Qiu get away with it. Zhuang Qiu was furious, locked the door, and started to attack. Zhao Xiyin felt a tearing pain in her scalp; she was already feeling unwell, and she almost fainted.
At this moment, Zhou Qishen and Meng Weixi appeared at the same time, and Zhuang Qiu was dumbfounded, forgetting to let go of the hand that was holding her hair.