She originally intended to use sweet words to coax Zhao Xinjie, hoping that he would be willing to work with her to find a solution. If he wasn't, then she shouldn't blame him.
Just as Zhao Xinjie was about to hang up, she spoke first.
Wen Tang said softly, "Xin Jie, we're in the same boat now. The boat is leaking. Do you think you can save yourself just by kicking me overboard?"
Zhao Xinjie got even angrier upon hearing this and, no longer bothering to hide his anger, yelled, "What the hell do you want?"
"I just don't want to go to jail." In the end, Wen Tang didn't dare to be too forceful.
What Wen Tang didn't dare tell Zhao Xinjie was that this matter was also related to Ni Jingxi. Zhao Xinjie had previously warned her not to provoke Ni Jingxi, but she hadn't listened to his advice.
But now that she's provoked them, she's determined to see it through to the end.
Yes, she's gotten herself into a mess right now, and nobody dares to get involved, but she's not the only one who hates Ni Jingxi.
Wen Tang looked at the phone number on her phone; she had gotten it from someone else.
After a long while, Wen Tang finally dialed the number.
"Hello, Ms. Su," she said.
*
Ni Jingxi learned from the private investigator that Liu Hui had disappeared. Since Wen Tang's accident, she had not gone to look for Liu Hui. As a result, the private investigator had become somewhat complacent, but then Liu Hui suddenly disappeared one evening.
From then on, finding her in Shanghai was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Ni Jingxi didn't take it to heart. Without Wen Tang, Liu Hui wouldn't be able to cause any trouble. Besides, Huo Shenyan's trip to Europe had been scheduled, and the hearing was to be held in early September.
They will go there a few days in advance to make preparations.
However, before that, she, Huo Shenyan, Tang Mi, and Xiao Yichen attended the opening of Ni Pingsen's porridge shop together.
Ni Jingxi and Huo Shenyan presented the flower baskets very seriously, and there was even a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the store opening.
Ni Pingsen originally invited her and Huo Shenyan to cut the ribbon together, but he thought it was too high-profile. After all, it was too much of a show to have the CEO of Hengya Group cut the ribbon for the opening ceremony of a small porridge shop.
Is this some kind of attempt to make sure everyone knows this isn't just an ordinary porridge shop?
Therefore, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the porridge shop was ultimately completed by Ni Jingxi and his daughter Ni Pingsen.
Unexpectedly, Shen Qiqi and Han Zhao, whom I hadn't seen recently, also came along.
Seeing their awkward demeanor, Xiao Yichen couldn't help but sigh, "Have you two not even graduated from elementary school yet? You've been arguing for so long and still haven't made up."
Shen Qiqi opened her mouth and said, "Who wants to make up with him?"
Han Zhao: "Alright."
The two answered almost simultaneously, but their answers were quite different, so everyone's attention fell on them at the same time.
Finally, Xiao Yichen couldn't take it anymore and said, "Han Zhao, you don't actually like elementary school students, do you? That's illegal."
Shen Qiqi raised her hand and slammed it hard on the table: "Who's a primary school student?"
Xiao Yichen scoffed and reached out to give her a light tap on the forehead as usual, but before he could finish raising his hand, Han Zhao also raised his hand. However, Han Zhao pulled Shen Qiqi's head towards him and whispered, "Apologize to Brother Yichen."
Xiao Yichen chuckled inwardly as he watched Han Zhao's actions. Was he protecting him?
Shen Qiqi knew that her behavior just now was disrespectful, so she hung her head and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Brother Yichen, I was wrong."
Seeing that she was genuinely remorseful, Xiao Yichen chuckled and said, "I'll forgive you this time because your brother Han Zhao pleaded for you."
He secretly played a trick, deliberately emphasizing the words "Brother Han Zhao".
This prompted Han Zhao to glance at him.
Because it's the first day the porridge shop is open, all food is being sold at half price. The shop is packed with customers, and there are even a lot of takeout orders.
Ni Jingxi wanted to help, but Ni Pingsen told her to go back to her seat.
The shop offers more than 30 kinds of porridge, and everyone ordered different varieties.
When the porridge arrived, their noodles and snacks were also served.
After taking a few bites, Tang Mi praised, "If my company weren't so far away, I would come here for lunch every day."
Previously, Ni Pingsen was also troubled about what kind of restaurant to open. After Ni Jingxi gave him some advice, he finally chose a porridge shop, which followed the path of low profit and high volume.
During the meal, Ni Jingxi watched as Shen Qiqi across from her kept moving to the other side, but she was pulled back by Han Zhao after only a few steps.
The two of them thought they were doing something so subtle that the whole world wouldn't know.
But everyone present saw it all.
During the meal, Ni Jingxi not only enjoyed the delicious food but also witnessed a sweet and sour love story. When they returned, Huo Shenyan, seeing Ni Jingxi sitting in the passenger seat chuckling as she texted, softly asked, "What's making you so happy?"
“I’m chatting with Qiqi,” Ni Jingxi said with a smile.
Huo Shenyan: "Is she telling you a joke?"
Ni Jingxi is usually quite quiet; she rarely chats and giggles like this.
Ni Jingxi laughed even harder when she heard this. She said, "Don't you think Qiqi and Han Zhao are strange?"
"Strange?" Huo Shenyan thought for a moment: "You mean Han Zhao likes Qiqi?"
Ni Jingxi was surprised that even Huo Shenyan had noticed. She turned to look at him in astonishment, just as Huo Shenyan stopped the car at the traffic light.
He glanced at her expression from the side and reached out to pinch her cheek: "The way a man looks at a woman he likes is different."
Ni Jingxi asked curiously, "What should it be like?"
The next second, Huo Shenyan's eyes fell on her cheek, the emotions in his eyes as thick as ink, impossible to dissipate.
When the green light came on, he turned his head to look ahead, but a slight smile played on his lips as he said softly, "Just like me."
The feelings are so deep that they cannot be dissolved.
*
A few days later, Ni Jingxi accompanied Huo Shenyan to Brussels. The location of this hearing had been confirmed: Brussels, the capital of Belgium, where the EU headquarters is also located.
Even before they went, Ni Jingxi had been told countless times by Huo Shenyan that their chances of winning this time were very high.
Ni Jingxi knew that worrying was useless, so she simply acted relaxed and at ease; she wasn't there to hold anyone back.
After a long flight, they finally arrived at the destination. They would not be staying in a hotel throughout the entire hearing; Hengya Group had already arranged for them to reside in detached villas.
To make it convenient for other staff members to also live nearby.
The next day, while they were still jet-lagged, Huo Shenyan glanced at the weather outside, then went over and pulled her up from the sofa: "Let's go."
Ni Jingxi was slightly taken aback: "Where to?"
“Since we’re in Brussels, how can we not go to the Grand Place? It’s known as the most beautiful square in Europe,” Huo Shenyan said casually.
Ni Jingxi looked at him in disbelief: "Shall we go out and play now?"
They were here on official business, to face the huge corporate crisis of Hengya Group. Ni Jingxi suddenly felt that she really did have the potential to be like Bao Si or Daji.
Seeing her hesitant expression, Huo Shenyan nodded calmly: "Yes, I'm willing to give up everything for you."
Ni Jingxi snorted at his flippant tone.
Huo Shenyan reached out and ruffled her long hair, then said in a low voice, "We have a couple of hours of free time. I'll take you to the Grand Place in Brussels now, and then I'll be very busy and won't be able to spend time with you."
Upon hearing that it would be two hours, Ni Jingxi grabbed his arm almost without thinking.
"Alright, stop wasting time. Let's go."
Huo Shenyan shook his head and chuckled as he watched her eagerly pulling him to leave.
Just as Huo Shenyan had said, after they returned from their leisurely time at the Grand Place in Brussels, he quickly got busy.
He will face numerous questions at the hearing, so every word he says must be carefully crafted.
This time, Ni Jingxi truly saw the nascent form of a massive multinational corporation. The villa next door had also been booked, specifically for the staff. Ni Jingxi watched people of various skin colors and races come and go, and listened to English spoken in various regional accents.
Suddenly, she had that feeling of returning to Israel again.
Back then, war correspondents from various countries gathered together like this. Even though they spoke the same English, their different accents made them easily distinguishable.
Time flew by, and the day of the hearing finally arrived.
The venue for this hearing was kept strictly confidential, but because the hearing time had been announced in advance, reporters from various countries were already stationed at the gates of the EU early in the morning, waiting for the Hengya Group delegation to arrive.
When their car arrived and came to a complete stop, reporters rushed out from both sides.
Fortunately, their bodyguards had already prepared in advance and blocked the reporters. After Huo Shenyan got out of the car, he stood by the car door for a few seconds before reaching out to help Ni Jingxi out of the car.
As they stood side by side, holding each other's hands, the spotlights illuminated the somewhat gloomy sky, turning it into a bright, silvery white.
Many reporters' voices have already come through, and even though they know Huo Shenyan will not answer any questions, they still relentlessly keep asking.
And then there were even members of an antitrust organization on the other side; all sorts of organizations are popping up everywhere in Europe.
Despite the bodyguards' desperate attempts to stop them, more and more reporters surrounded them, and they finally managed to break free and enter the building.
Ni Jingxi did not attend the hearing, but she waited in a special lounge.
After what seemed like an eternity, the first day of the hearing finally came to an end.
The moment the door to the lounge was pushed open, Ni Jingxi stood up. Huo Shenyan, standing at the door, was impeccably dressed in a suit. Even after such a close hearing, he still stood straight.
She immediately went over, hugged him, and whispered, "You've worked hard."
Huo Shenyan's expression was originally extremely cold, but even after experiencing such questioning, he was still annoyed by the arrogance and conceit of these Europeans.
But when she uttered those three words, the anger in his heart seemed to be soothed.
They left the headquarters building soon.
Unexpectedly, the reporters did not leave; instead, the crowd grew larger and larger. Even the anti-monopoly organization, which had not been numerous in the morning, had now amassed dozens of people.
The number of people even nearly exceeded that of the reporters.
When they came out of the building, everyone surrounded them like zombies, making it difficult for Huo Shenyan and Ni Jingxi to move forward.
Fortunately, they soon reached the car and saw the door open, ready for them to get in and leave.
Suddenly, a white man with a thick beard squeezed in from the side, waving his fists and shouting, "You disgusting Asian, you've taken away our jobs, take your company and get out of Europe!"
As he spoke, he actually pushed aside the reporters in front of him and rushed over.
At this moment, the bodyguard tried to grab him from the side, but he nimbly broke free.