"Thud—"
The moment the lights went out, Xu Yan felt Zhou Luming move. A pair of hands reached out and wrapped around Xu Yan's neck. In the darkness, Xu Yan heard Zhou Luming whisper, "Finally caught you."
Xu Yan was startled and froze, using her arms to support herself and prevent herself from falling on Zhou Luming.
“Actually, I can see that you care about me a lot—not the care of an ordinary friend, but the kind of care you have for someone you love. You must have felt it yourself, from overcoming your psychological barriers to drive to me, to impulsively finding me barefoot tonight, everything is going against your proud rationality. Xu Yan, if this isn’t love, then what is it?” Zhou Luming questioned him in the darkness.
“I—have never had any friends, nor have I ever experienced what you mean by love.” Xu Yan’s voice trembled slightly. “I have to admit that your appearance was an unexpected event in my plan. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of me, and that was the case with you from the beginning.”
Are you denying your feelings for me?
“No, let me finish,” Xu Yan said. “I used to wonder what my feelings for you were, and I used to think that I treated you with the same pity and sympathy as I treat other clients, thinking that I could help you a little to make myself feel better. But I soon realized that I treat you differently.”
Zhou Luming laughed as he listened, "How are they different?"
"I can't help but want to get close to you." Xu Yan said frankly, with a hint of shyness. Luckily, there was no light, otherwise you could see the pink blush on her face, which was almost burning up. "I have some strange thoughts. I get jealous when I see you being close to others... Even though I know you yearn for freedom, I selfishly want to keep you by my side forever."
Zhou Luming did not reply.
Xu Yan said, "Are you scared? Scared that I'll lock you up like your stepfather did and not give you your freedom?"
After a moment, Zhou Luming spoke from the darkness, "Yes, I am indeed afraid. It's a feeling I can't control. Even if I like you a lot, I still want to run away. The more I like you, the more I want to escape. It's contradictory, but it's really what I feel. After accepting the mission, I wanted to give up several times, but when I thought about how if I gave up and left you, you would suffer all of this on your own, I couldn't bear to see you get hurt, so I stayed and took the burden for you..."
Zhou Luming looked up and accurately located Xu Yan's lips in the darkness, then gently kissed them.
“The mission is already halfway through, and I don’t want to be a deserter. But I want a higher reward; this time, I want you to pay me personally,” she said with a smile.
Receiving this hint in this atmosphere, Xu Yan wasn't stupid; of course she knew what "reward" meant. But things were progressing too quickly, and she hesitated.
Just then, the cell phone on the bedside table rang.
Zhou Luming wanted to throw his phone out the window, but Xu Yan had already gone to catch it.
"Huh? You found it so quickly?"
"Okay, I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Sister Anjing."
"Okay, she's fine. I'll take good care of her. By the way, I've noticed some unusual activity in the stock fund flows of Yuan Universe Technology lately. You should pay attention, especially to the small, scattered funds. I feel there's something wrong with them. If needed, I can send someone to help you manage them."
After Xu Yan hung up the phone, Zhou Luming asked, "Have you found out who tampered with the concert hall? Who is it?"
“It’s our old acquaintance, Xu Lang,” Xu Yan said. “It seems he can’t pretend to be peaceful anymore and has come after you directly. Xu Lang comes from the construction industry and has countless real estate companies under his control. It’s normal for him to have dealings with that new company in charge of renovations. He can bribe one of his underlings to tamper with the chandelier and get rid of you quietly, making it look like an accident to the outside world.”
Zhou Luming said, "Wu Fan has already told him that he wants to pursue me. He agreed on the surface, but then he turned around and wanted to get rid of Wu Fan and me together. Xu Lang seems kind, but he is actually ruthless. He is indeed the old fox who helped Grandpa Zhou build his empire. No, now he has become a beast that kills without shedding blood, and he has no humanity."
“Wu Fan got his ticket from Xu Lang, and Xu Lang is going to get rid of Wu Fan as well,” Xu Yan said. “It seems he doesn’t approve of Wu Fan becoming the Zhou family’s son-in-law, and he doesn’t care about Wu Fan’s or your life.”
“He doesn’t care about the lives of the other audience members in the concert hall either,” Zhou Luming added in a deep voice. “This man has gone completely mad.”
“You are the heir of the Zhou family. If Wu Fan becomes your husband and the son-in-law of the Zhou family, Xu Lang will have a powerful rival. He certainly will not hand over his power, and he certainly will not accept Wu Fan as your husband. So he agreed to Wu Fan’s pursuit of you first, but secretly he wants to get rid of him and you together to eliminate future troubles.” Xu Yan pondered how to deal with Xu Lang’s offensive.
Zhou Luming smiled and said, "Who said Zhou Luming has to get married before he can take over the Zhou Group?"
"Um?"
“Who says you have to rely on a man to manage the Zhou family? What era are we living in? The law doesn’t stipulate that only a man can be the chairman. Can’t I be the chairman of the Zhou Group myself?” Zhou Luming walked to Xu Yan’s side, put his arm around her shoulder, and looked her in the eye as he said, “Although I won’t be able to get the remaining shares without getting married and won’t be able to control the Zhou Group with an overwhelming advantage, the shares I get after this birthday are enough for me to get a seat on the board of directors. As long as we persevere until then, I believe that if we join forces, we can definitely take control of the Zhou Group that should have originally belonged to you.”
“I don’t care about the Zhou family,” Xu Yan said.
“But the person who killed your parents cares,” Zhou Luming said. “The more he wants the Zhou Group, the less we can let him have it. If we follow the clues, we will definitely find him.”
“If this continues, you will be in danger, and I may not be able to protect you.”
“I can protect myself. After all these years of hard work, I’m not a hothouse flower—I’m a resilient weed.” Zhou Luming smiled slightly at Xu Yan.
Xu Yan saw her smile, and he smiled too.
"Yes, I will do my best to help you."
The phone vibrated again; this time it was Zhou Luming's phone, displaying Wu Fan's name.
Wu Fan: How are you? I can't find you. Did you get home safely?
Zhou Luming replied: I'm home. How are you?
Wu Fan: I'm fine. I owe you so much tonight.
Zhou Luming did not reply.
Xu Yan knew she was playing hard to get.
“Xu Yan, I want to win over Wu Fan. Xu Lang almost killed him. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. After he learns the truth, he will help me get Xu Lang’s complete financial information.”
"Wu Fan doesn't believe you so easily."
“Isn’t that easy? Once might be an accident, but one after another, it certainly won’t be an accident.” A sly glint flashed in Zhou Luming’s eyes.
Chapter 78
===================
In the following days, Zhou Luming was constantly preoccupied with trivial matters. Although she was only the nominal general manager of Shanhai Catering, she still needed to socialize and entertain. Outsiders only knew that her surname was Zhou and did not know that she was the future heir of the Zhou Group. Seeing that she was such a young and beautiful girl, they assumed that she was Xu Lang's mistress, and their words were often presumptuous, with some even trying to make advances. However, the shrewd Zhou Luming skillfully defused all of these situations.
One time, Zhou Luming, half-drunk and half-awake, told Xu Yan that it was fortunate that she was the one who took her place, otherwise, given Xu Yan's low alcohol tolerance, she would definitely have been taken advantage of by these lecherous old men.
Xu Yan felt sorry for Zhou Luming and told her that there was no need for her to go to these occasions. Anyway, she didn't plan to take over the Zhou family business, so she could squander money or cause trouble for her father if she wanted.
Zhou Luming shook her head and replied firmly that she would definitely not let the Zhou family be squandered in her hands. Besides, even if she bought houses like vegetables every day, it would take her a while to squander a super aircraft carrier like the Zhou family. How could it be so easy to squander it all?
Zhou Luming was constantly in meetings during the day and socializing at night, keeping him incredibly busy. In contrast to the busy CEO Zhou, Xu Yan had become quite idle. With no other work to do, she often stayed at home reading books and watching movies, occasionally going to Yuan Yuzhou to discuss the progress of the investigation into the chandelier that fell from the concert hall with Wang Anjing.
In addition to discovering that the contractor responsible for repairing the chandelier was connected to Xu Lang, Wang Anjing also retrieved a video clip from the surveillance footage.
Xu Yan looked at the video screenshot on the big screen and asked Wang Anjing to zoom in. When the person in the crowd was almost completely blurred into a mosaic, Xu Yan narrowed his eyes and said, "She is the person you sent to impersonate, who calls herself S."
The bombing S carried out in front of the golf club has not yet been solved. Xu Yan thought she had already fled, but he did not expect that she was still in Hai City.
“She’s someone hired from the dark web, but even with all this pressure, she hasn’t left Hai City. She even secretly followed Zhou Luming to the concert hall… There must be a powerful force protecting her in Hai City, perhaps even keeping her, providing her with supplies and shelter, and letting her infiltrate Hai City to find an opportunity to harm Zhou Luming.” Xu Yan’s pupils constricted, and he quickly opened his phone to check Zhou Luming’s recent schedule. “S is still in Hai City. Zhou Luming is in danger.”
Wang Anjing saw that Xu Yan's hands were trembling, so she pressed down on her wrist to steady her and said, "What do you want to say? I'll send her a text message for you."
She returned to her desk, her hand hovering over the keyboard, waiting for Xu Yan to give her orders.
Xu Yan took a deep breath. "Just tell her that S is still in Haishi, and she will act accordingly." Li Ruo is like a resilient blade of grass; her caution and resourcefulness will help her turn misfortune into good fortune.
"Okay." Wang Anjing quickly sent the message and leaned back in her chair. "Xu Yan, I feel like the company's recent cash flow is a bit off, but I can't figure out what's wrong. Could you take a look for me when you have some free time?"
"Okay, let me help you," Xu Yan said.
Wang smiled quietly.
She and Xu Yan shared an unspoken understanding; despite their age difference, their friendship was built over many years. Xu Yan could become friends with Li Li online, and naturally, she could also become friends with Wang Anjing, because Li Li and Wang Anjing were similar types of people, and Xu Yan liked those kinds of people.
The phone on the coffee table buzzed twice; it was a message from Lao Liu: "Ms. Xu, I'm sorry to bother you, but I just received a message that my father fell and is in emergency care. I'm on my way to the hospital now, and Aunt Lin is going too."
Xu Yan replied: I understand. Let me know as soon as there are any updates.
If something happens to Old Man Liu, the execution of his will will begin. Mrs. Lin is a persistent and unforgiving person; she's determined to get Old Man Liu's house. The other children in the Liu family are honest and law-abiding and won't try to take the house, but it's only fair that they should be left some inheritance to help with household expenses.
Xu Yan waited for news from Lao Liu. If there was any trouble, she would rush to the will center to handle Lao Liu's estate.
“I’ll send a car with a driver to accompany you later. It’s not convenient to get a taxi during rush hour,” Wang Anjing said. “Consider this my payment to you.”
"Thanks."
"I heard you ordered a car? You don't drive yourself, so is it for Zhou Luming?" Wang Anjing muttered to herself, then suddenly realized, "I know, it's Zhou Luming's birthday in a few days, and I received an invitation. Is this your birthday gift for her? That's generous." She gave a thumbs up.
Xu Yan said calmly, "My previous car was blown up."
"Hmm? So?" Wang Anjing raised her eyebrows with interest.
"So I bought a new one, and the seats are very comfortable," Xu Yan explained.
Wang Anjing's smile deepened. "Oh? I didn't know you liked such a flashy red. I thought you preferred a more subdued black." She could see through Xu Yan's repressed flirtatious nature. She clearly liked him and wanted to please him, but she insisted on using work as an excuse. She didn't know what Zhou Luming liked about her.
In Wang Anjing's opinion, Zhou Luming was good-looking and wealthy, and could easily have all the young talents in the city line up to be summoned by her with a mere gesture. Yet, he was lured away by Xu Yan, a man of few words, which was really a bit incongruous and unbelievable.
"Honestly, things may be peaceful for now, but once Little Zhou takes over the Zhou Group shares after her birthday and becomes the largest shareholder, her name and photo will be on the front page of major news outlets that very night. At that point, it will be impossible for you to keep a low profile. Are you prepared to become the center of gossip and scandals in Shanghai?" Wang Anjing asked sincerely.
In today's social environment, although it is much more open and tolerant than before, it still faces considerable resistance. If they were ordinary people, they could live a low-key and peaceful life, but they are not ordinary people, especially "Zhou Luming," who is bound to become the center of a gossip storm in Shanghai.
Her every move will be scrutinized under a magnifying glass; the identities and backgrounds of everyone she comes into contact with will be dug up; her past and all her information will be unearthed by those with ulterior motives and selectively published in a biased manner...
In short, Wang Anjing felt that the future of these two people would definitely not be as peaceful as it was now; this was the last calm before the storm.
“We were both prepared,” Xu Yan said calmly. “She was even more determined than I was about this.”
Wang Anjing sighed helplessly, "I really envy your youthful arrogance and impulsiveness. Keep it up."
Xu Yan asked Wang Anjing for an empty office to check the stock market dynamics of Yuan Yuzhou Technology. He did indeed feel that the recent capital flow was very strange. He convened an impromptu transoceanic video conference, had his capable assistant prepare an analysis report, and after arranging everything, he looked up and found that it was already dark outside.
"I have an appointment tonight, so I'll have the company driver take you home," Wang Anjing said to Xu Yan as she knocked on the door and entered.
Xu Yan noticed that Wang Anjing was wearing matte lip gloss and a dark red V-neck fitted dress, and belatedly realized that she must be on a date with someone.
"Congratulations."
"Congratulations on what?"
"I've achieved success in both my career and love life," Xu Yan said.
"I hope so," Wang Anjing brushed a strand of short hair behind her ear. "The driver is waiting downstairs; we're about to close up shop."
When Xu Yan went downstairs and entered the elevator with her, he heard Wang Anjing answer a phone call. The signal was bad, so Wang Anjing turned up the volume. Xu Yan heard the man's voice on the other end, but frowned slightly.
The voice sounds familiar; it's like I've heard it somewhere before.
Back home, Xu Yan turned on the lights. The house was empty and quiet. Zhou Luming wasn't home yet. She said she was with Wu Fan after work. What were they doing now? Having a pleasant meal? Watching a movie? Or working overtime and discussing work?
Since the chandelier incident, Wu Fan's feelings for Zhou Luming have skyrocketed, but Zhou Luming has maintained an ambiguous attitude, neither rejecting nor accepting Wu Fan's closeness and ambiguity, just letting things drag on like this.
Zhou Luming explained to Xu Yan that the more a man is kept on tenterhooks, the more he can't have you, the more he'll flock to you. If he gets you too easily, he'll soon get annoyed, find you clingy, and leave you quickly.
I just wanted Wu Fan to experience the torment and unbearable longing, until he was bewitched by me and willing to give everything for me.
When she said those words, Xu Yan looked at her confident expression and felt that she must be familiar with all kinds of routines between men and women. Her indulgence and willfulness in relationships were based on her confidence that she could control and manage them.
Xu Yan couldn't help but ask her, "Have you... used this trick on me too?"
Zhou Luming had just poured himself a glass of water and was drinking it when he heard this. He almost choked on it, coughed a few times to catch his breath, and explained, "I swear, I absolutely didn't." If he used this trick on Xu Yan, she would probably run away before he even had a chance to "indulge" her, so he didn't dare to take the risk.
Xu Yan tilted her head, squinted, and stared at Zhou Luming suspiciously. Really not?
Feeling increasingly guilty under his gaze, Zhou Luming hurriedly put down his cup, saying he needed to prepare for tomorrow's meeting, and hid in his study.