Chapter 20 Part 1

No, why did he have to use that “I’m going to buy some oranges, you stay here and don’t move” tone, like he was never coming back?

The thick, inky darkness of the night surged in through the windshield. He Qian sat in the passenger seat, on pins and needles, subtly glancing up every three seconds to check the situation ahead.

In the darkness ahead, the burly man in black who had just pressed a gun to his forehead stood by the roadside with his hands behind his back. In the profound night, he looked just like the King of Hell. And it seemed the King of Hell noticed his gaze and looked over this way.

He Qian shuddered and whipped his head away.

Old Li: “……”

As he turned his head, his gaze shifted too. Under the cold streetlight, more than a dozen black cars were neatly lined up in the darkness.

He Qian frowned and let his gaze sweep over the building to the left. The skyscraper pierced straight into the clouds, and midway up its body, a massive electronic billboard was playing an ad for Yu Qi’s soda.

Yu?

From that surname, He Qian quickly made the connection to the Zhou, Chi, Zheng, and Yu Four Families of Shangjing. Back then, the Yu Family had been massive, but after their little young master was exposed for school bullying, the incident quickly blew up in the media.

Overnight, Yu Qi’s father and mother both passed away, Yu Xiao went to prison, Yu Tingsi vanished without a trace, and the Yu Family—that behemoth in everyone’s eyes—collapsed in an instant. All traces of its existence were thoroughly erased.

Though it was undeniable that other forces had pulled strings behind the Yu Family’s downfall, the power of the media could not be ignored. This was He Qian’s first real taste of the might of public opinion.

He Qian’s eyes darted around.

So even if the owner of that car up ahead had a huge background, could it be bigger than the Yu Family back then?

With so many media outlets around, did they really dare to abduct Shen Yu?

But how could he attract all these media people over?

On the billboard, a handsome young man sat smiling on a bench amid a flower garden, his features exquisite and sharp. He tilted his head back and downed the pink soda in one go.

Yu Qi had a very distinctive look—refined but not effeminate—and his acting skills were solid too. Even without the Zhou Corporation’s help, it was only a matter of time before he blew up.

Yu Qi, Yu Qi… Zhou Corporation!

Right!

Zhou Jinsheng!

That was huge news all the major media outlets were chasing. If there was any related tip-off, they’d swarm like bees.

With that thought, He Qian immediately pulled out his phone, logged into his burner account, and found the reporter group chat he’d sneaked into by posing as a colleague at an offline press event.

Even if the group found out later it was fake news, with this massive setup, they couldn’t blame him for the mix-up. And it was so dark at night—who could blame him for seeing wrong?

He Qian felt victory in his grasp. He could already picture himself heroically saving the handsome Little Shen CEO, who would be endlessly grateful and offer himself in return.

Though Little Shen CEO was handsome, he didn’t like men. But he could use the chance to invite Little Shen CEO for a friendly cameo in his movie. The script had a supporting role that got cut because they couldn’t find a suitable actor—and mainly because of funding issues.

With that in mind—

He Qian rubbed his chin.

Little Shen CEO’s aura, figure, and looks were a perfect fit!

Of course, it would be unpaid volunteer work.

After he’d risked his life to save the guy, Little Shen CEO wouldn’t have the heart to refuse, right?

He Qian’s eyes lit up in an instant. He felt like life had hope again, all his gloom swept away. Even his typing grew bold and unstoppable:

[Fragrant Mountain Mansion side. Sighted someone from the Zhou Family.]

He finished editing the text and frowned at it for a moment, feeling like something was off. He looked it up and down, finally spotting the issue—

No photo.

Without a photo, it lacked credibility.

Take one?

He Qian acted fast. He first checked that his phone’s flash was off, then sat up straight with full conviction, grabbed his phone, and pretended to make a call. Then, while the black-clad big bro wasn’t paying attention, he tapped his finger.

Snapshot taken successfully!

He Qian immediately shrank back into the passenger seat and hurriedly checked his phone.

Damn, more than a dozen black cars lined up in the night—it actually looked pretty legit.

He Qian almost believed it himself.

He Qian smiled confidently and tapped send.

Message sent.

The chat group erupted instantly, one stone stirring a thousand waves.

Zhou Jinsheng’s gaze lightly swept over Shen Yu’s hand resting on the car door.

The skin of his fingers looked even paler against the black car body, and beneath the bluish veins, it was as if one could see blood pulsing through.

It looked somewhat sickly.

Noticing Zhou Jinsheng’s gaze, Shen Yu’s heavy eyelids twitched. Amid the dizzy haze of his low fever, a bizarre sensation welled up in his heart, like being locked onto by a ferocious beast. He couldn’t help but shiver.

Zhou Jinsheng’s lips curved into a smile, but his voice held little warmth: “It’s been so long. Don’t you want to catch up?”

If you first tell your people to stop suppressing the Shen Corporation, I’d be more than happy to catch up.

Shen Yu awkwardly withdrew his hand and placed it in front of him, his posture somewhat stiff and distant. He spoke: “Mr. Zhou, long time no see. So, do we settle this privately or what? It’s all my responsibility…”

Zhou Jinsheng narrowed his eyes, taking in Shen Yu’s reaction completely. Suddenly, a more interesting idea occurred to him.

He said: “Privately.”

So straightforward?

Shen Yu cast a suspicious glance at Song Shi beside him, who had been silent as a mascot since they got in. Wasn’t this whole elaborate setup just to invite him in? It couldn’t be for silencing him, right?

Shifting his gaze away, Shen Yu fished a black business card from his pocket. He thought for a moment and didn’t hand it over directly.

The car interior was spacious, complete with a tea table. Shen Yu placed the card on the table.

Zhou Jinsheng’s gaze followed to the unremarkable business card.

The smooth marble surface of the table gleamed like flawless black ice. When the thin card was placed on it, its edges blended seamlessly with the table, becoming indistinct. Only the owner’s name on the card remained visible.

Elegant, flowing golden handwriting.

Like clusters of tender yellow osmanthus flowers blown by the wind onto the black ice.

“Sorry about this. Once you get the insurance claim, feel free to contact me for any follow-up matters.”

Zhou Jinsheng narrowed his eyes at him.

His throat felt dry and itchy. Shen Yu cut himself off, feeling a wave of heat in the enclosed space. His feverish dizziness worsened.

He paused for a good while before rasping out: “Mr. Zhou, since we’ve settled it, could you please open the door… As for catching up, my friend is still waiting outside. We can schedule another time.”

His tone was stiff, still carrying that distant, guarded air.

Zhou Jinsheng’s long, straight fingers slowly rubbed the cigar mouthpiece, gently flicking off ash. The ash fell, and the glowing red ember gradually cooled until it turned to dust.

His gaze landed on Shen Yu’s face.

On that face with softly rounded cheeks like spring mountains, silky black hair draped over his brows. His eyelashes drooped listlessly.

Only when those shimmering eyes were hidden did the contours of his face become clear: clean, refined features, a high nose bridge, full and soft lips with a sharp cupid’s bow. When not smiling, he looked aloof and unapproachable.

And this somewhat cold appearance, once touched by illness, had thin red at the corners of his eyes, like cracks in porcelain glaze. A sense of fragility quietly emerged.

Even though the man himself had nothing to do with fragility.

Just like eight years ago, he was good at deception.

Zhou Jinsheng narrowed his eyes, dark clouds gathering in their depths. His voice was cold and low:

“I’m not just talking about this one thing.”

Shen Yu froze. His brain was still burning, and for a moment, he didn’t catch what Zhou Jinsheng meant. A faintly bewildered expression crossed his face.

Not just this one thing?

What was “this” thing? Was there something else?

Zhou Jinsheng leaned forward and stubbed out the glowing red cigarette butt, saying leisurely: “Privately settled—including the Shen Corporation matter.”

Shen Yu: “?”

Not just Shen Yu was surprised; Song Shi was puzzled too. He’d been with Zhou Jinsheng long enough to get a read on his boss’s mind, but this came completely out of nowhere.

Completely like a whim?

Shen Yu lowered his head and took a deep breath. When he looked up again, a weak but eager smile was plastered on his face: “Of course, of course. Mr. Zhou, how do you want to settle it privately?”

The shift in Shen Yu’s attitude was so obvious that Song Shi couldn’t help glancing at him.

Zhou Jinsheng’s gaze sharpened. Suddenly, he leaned in close to Shen Yu, his arm snaking over like a python.

Alarms blared in Shen Yu’s mind.

When Zhou Jinsheng moved, that suited thug vibe intensified. The contours of his muscles showed clearly under his black shirt, buttons straining in a straight line from pecs to abs, radiating raw violence.

Before Shen Yu could react, an aggressive aura enveloped him.

He could even feel the pulse throbbing on the inside of Zhou Jinsheng’s arm.

Vast, surging power and life force burst from the muscle groups.

This setup made Shen Yu’s heart tighten. He reasonably suspected Zhou Jinsheng was about to punch him.

He’d witnessed Zhou Jinsheng beating someone up firsthand back then. With that guy’s ferocity and explosive power, one punch would probably land him straight in the ICU.

Shen Yu’s brain raced. Sure, maybe one punch would wipe the slate clean and let bygones be bygones—but no surprise, something would definitely go wrong for him.

Worst case, game over next week. Best case, ICU.

His foggy brain cleared a bit. Shen Yu’s heart pounded, his back tensed, his hands secretly gathering strength. His spine pressed against the frosted car door texture—nowhere to retreat.

In that split second, as Shen Yu pondered how to counterattack, what came with the sense of crisis was a patch of pale shadow and the texture of forehead skin.

Zhou Jinsheng’s hand back landed on his forehead.

Shen Yu paused, but his tensed muscles didn’t relax a bit. He quietly observed the man before him.

With the back of the hand pressed to his forehead, the scorching heat felt like ice, nearly burning Shen Yu.

Only then did Shen Yu realize this extreme temperature wasn’t from the man in front of him—it was his low fever turning into a high one.

His entire brain felt like it was stewing in a pot of hot water. His perception of the world blurred, chaotic thoughts tugging him down into the haze.

No wonder his reactions had grown so sluggish.

So Shen Yu obediently closed his eyes and let his head loll to the side as he passed out from the fever.

Zhou Jinsheng’s movement halted.