He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, which was wide open, letting the autumn wind blow against his face, chilling him to the bone.
His cufflinks were undone, his black shirt was rolled up in two, and the cigarette between his fingers was battered by the night wind, its ember glowing eerily red. His platinum watch lay on the table, and two long scars on his left wrist were exposed without any attempt to conceal them.
Meng Weixi glanced at it a few times, then held the half-burnt cigarette, the butt pointing downwards, the hot, burning embers getting closer and closer to the two scars before burning them.
Half a second later, Meng Weixi didn't even blink before slowly moving her eyes away.
The skin is thicker where the scab has formed, so it seems like I really can't feel any pain.
Meng Weixi stubbed out his cigarette, fastened his platinum watch back on, and his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and answered it quickly.
The person on the other end said, "Mr. Meng, we've found out what you asked us to do last time. Bai Qi's senior is now in the Department of General Surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. He used to work at MD Anderson."
Meng Weixi had some impression of this hospital; it was positioned as a high-end private medical service and was very private.
"After checking his patient records for those two years, Ms. Zhao's name did appear."
Meng Weixi gripped her phone, her fingers tightening. "What illness does she have?"
“The case report is kept in the archives. I asked someone to use their connections to see if I could access Ms. Zhao’s electronic file from that time.”
"A few days?"
The other person gave a time, and Meng Weixi checked the schedule. He was flying to Japan tomorrow to attend an investment forum and wouldn't return to Beijing until Tuesday.
"Call me as soon as you have any news."
——
Zhou Qishen's company has been busy with a big case recently. They won the bid for the urban renewal project of shantytowns in the northern suburbs. Only after the results came out did Zhou Qishen truly breathe a sigh of relief.
I met up with Gu Heping and Lao Cheng tonight. It's been a while since we've seen each other, so we're getting together at our usual spot.
Zhao Zhao recently brewed some new tea, a fruity flavor. Old Cheng said, "These are all drinks that girls like, so I won't serve you. Zhou Ge'er's is still eight-tenths hot Houkui. Heping, what would you like to drink?"
"Make me some lemon water. I've been feeling a bit feverish lately, so I don't drink tea." Gu Heping said without looking up, chatting on WeChat and grinning like an idiot.
Zhou Qishen reached for the ashtray, inadvertently glancing at his screen. The chat profile picture was incredibly familiar. He stopped grabbing the ashtray and frowned. "When did you start chatting with Li Ran?"
Gu Heping smiled, his debonair demeanor tinged with an ambiguous meaning. "I recommended her Taobao shop to my sister and did a lot of business with her. It's not unreasonable for us to add each other on WeChat, is it?"
Zhou Qishen took the ashtray, shook out a cigarette and held it between his fingers. When he turned his head to strike a match, he extinguished it. "I'm just giving you a heads-up, don't mess around."
Gu Heping chuckled, "What nonsense have I spouted?"
"Li Dongguo's youngest daughter. She has two older brothers, Li Yi and Li Hui. It's such a small circle. You'll run into each other all the time. If you fall out in the future, let's see how you handle it."
"Hey? Can't you wish me well? Putting aside whether I've been messing around or not, even if I did have some ideas, saying such a mood-killing thing, aren't you afraid I'll block you?" Gu Heping was still unhappy.
Zhou Qishen was too lazy to pay attention to his nonsense and didn't joke with him. "Gu Heping, you're going to do something really stupid one day."
"Damn it, why are you distancing yourself from me like this? When we used to hang out together, you never seemed so crazy." Gu Heping scoffed. "Back in 2008 when we were drunk in Houhai, who was it that ordered two girls to play double? And in 2012 when we went surfing in Hawaii, who was it that tried to kill two birds with one stone?"
Old Cheng reached out and covered Gu Heping's mouth, saying unhappily, "Keep your voice down, you bastard, don't make dirty jokes, Zhaozhao is here."
"Get lost, you're not clean either." Gu Heping said, "Zhao Zhao went upstairs, she can't hear you. Brother Zhou is fierce, he didn't leave the hotel until noon the next day, right? Don't mess with me, or I'll tell Xiao Zhao about your dark history before your marriage."
This person talks nonsense, spouting nonsense about high-speed rail.
Zhou Qishen didn't have that kind of fetish, so he let him make up whatever he wanted. He only warned him, "I can't stop you from picking up girls, but you better remember, don't cause any trouble during this time. After I finish my business, I won't say a word whether you're playing with two girls, three girls, or in groups."
Although the words were formal, Zhou Qishen seemed relatively relaxed.
Old Cheng had been observing him ever since he walked in.
After a while, Lao Cheng took a kettle from the charcoal fire, added some water to Zhou Qishen's cup, and asked, "You seem to be in a good mood today."
Zhou Qishen held the teacup, the warmth soothing his palms and promoting blood circulation, which warmed his smile even more.
He lit another cigarette. As the match struck, his slender fingers curled slightly, cupping the sparks, and he lowered his head to inhale. In the smoke, Zhou Qishen's thick eyebrows softened, his eyes as serene as a deity. "I have something to tell you."
"I want to win Xiaoxi back, and I want to remarry her."
Chapter 36 An Arrow Piercing the Clouds (1)
An arrow piercing the clouds (1)
After saying that, Lao Cheng cursed.
Gu Heping got lucky.
It was practically a national celebration! "Finally, they said something sensible and did something decent!"
Even Zhao Zhao was completely caught up in the moment, running downstairs and peeking out her little head, "Really?!"
Zhou Qishen felt a surge of excitement, his overflowing impulse replacing his apprehension about the unknown. He didn't react much else, just calmly nodded, appearing perfectly composed.
Old Cheng asked, "What was Xiao Zhao's reaction?"
“I haven’t told her yet, but I think,” Zhou Qishen raised an eyebrow, “that she still cares about me a little.”
Gu Heping, always eager for drama, asked, "How do you show your concern?"
They're all brothers who've been through thick and thin together, so there's no need for embellishment when it comes to the truth. Zhou Qishen smiled slightly, "When I had a headache, she made me do yoga, wouldn't let me eat takeout, and sewed me several herbal medicine packets. Quite a lot, you wouldn't understand."
Gu Heping said, "I understand, I understand your lustful and horny heart right now."
Zhou Qishen laughed and cursed, "You're such a liar!"