Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Facing the situation, I awkwardly felt that the coat draped over my shoulders had become hot. Qin Yi and Lu Ming seemed much more relaxed than I was. I couldn't tell if they were genuinely unaware of the seriousness of the situation or if they were just pretending to be at ease.
I had nothing to feel guilty about, but Qin Yi's generous attitude made me feel uneasy.
"Hey, what's going on? Why aren't you answering me?"
Qin Yi's teasing voice snapped me back to reality, and I quickly replied, "Miao Miao went to Wang Nan's place for a bit; she probably didn't hear your call. If you need to find her urgently, I can take you there."
"No need," Qin Yi waved her hand, looking carefree, not as urgent as she had described. "It's nothing serious, so you don't have to trouble yourself."
It was strange; if Qin Yi came to Miao Miao's house looking for her but said it wasn't a big deal, wasn't that contradictory?
Qin Yi glanced at Lu Ming and then back at me. "Zhuang Jun, are you heading back? It's too cold; you should go inside and avoid catching a chill. I'll talk with Lu Ming for a bit and get in touch another day."
As soon as Qin Yi said that, I immediately returned my suit jacket to Lu Ming. He took it and hung it over his elbow without putting it on. I wanted to remind him not to catch a cold, but since Qin Yi was there, it wasn't my place to say anything. Thinking this way, I bid farewell to both of them and left.
Once home, I was alone. For some reason, I quietly walked out to the balcony without turning on the lights. In the dim light from below, I saw Lu Ming turn around with his clothes and get into his car. After starting the vehicle, he turned and drove away. Qin Yi stood motionless in the same spot, watching Lu Ming leave without saying a word or trying to stop him.
These two hadn't exchanged any words before I got home. From my angle, I couldn't see Qin Yi's expression clearly; I didn't know if she appeared as carefree as she did when facing me earlier. At least from this side view, she seemed somewhat lonely.
I had no right to judge Qin Yi; after all, I was in a much worse situation than she was.
The entire night passed without Miao Miao returning. After taking the medicine Gu Xiang prescribed for me, I realized that the pillbox was already running low. Tomorrow I'd need to ask Gu Xiang for more medicine and help Lily out with Gu Xiang as well.
The next morning when I left the house, Miao Miao still hadn't come back. I arrived at Gu Xiang's office and greeted Lily first. I handed one of the two breakfasts I was carrying to her, and Lily happily asked if it was for her. I nodded.
"This is a new breakfast place that opened up, and the food is quite good. I brought some for you and Gu Xiang to try. If you like it, I'll buy more next time."
"I think I'll definitely like it, but I'm about to leave. You can ask Mr. Gu; he should like it too. Sorry for the trouble," Lily said happily as she started eating the breakfast I brought. I took the remaining portion to find Gu Xiang.
Gu Xiang was delighted to receive the breakfast and praised my taste after taking a couple of bites, saying it was quite good. I just smiled and waited for Gu Xiang to share his schedule, but he told me that he might have to go on a business trip with Lily, so I wouldn't need to come over for the next two days.
"Why do you have to go on a business trip?" I asked, as I remembered that Gu Xiang's job usually didn't require him to travel around; he could handle everything from his office with his proficient skills.
"It's because a patient can't come in due to health reasons, but the compensation is good, making this trip seem quite necessary," Gu Xiang joked.
He asked if I wanted to join him, but I was worried that something might happen with Huang Zhang, making it difficult for me to leave, so I declined. Gu Xiang didn't press further and told me to rest well at home and that he would bring me a gift when he returned.
The place Gu Xiang was going to was a small town near S City, known for its rich tourism features. I was looking forward to the gift he would bring back.
So Gu Xiang left, and Miao Miao still hadn't returned. After sending me a text message to let me know she was safe, she disappeared again; she was probably with Wang Nan, which reassured me.
That afternoon, I received a call from Huang Zhang. He hadn't contacted Lu Ming or reached out through him; instead, he specifically sought me out. I knew he must have something important to discuss.
Compared to his enthusiasm in front of Lu Ming, Huang Zhang sounded much colder on the phone. This attitude was actually easier for me to accept; if he had continued with a flattering tone, I might have felt uncomfortable.
Huang Zhang got straight to the point on the call, telling me that the purpose of his call was to meet with me and set a time to talk while Lu Ming wasn't around.
This meant he already knew my identity. So I decided not to hide anything and asked Huang Zhang to set a time as soon as possible because my divorce paperwork would be finalized shortly, and I didn't want to waste too much time. If it dragged on, discussing things would become unnecessary.
Huang Zhang laughed on the other end: "So it turns out that whether it's men or women, when faced with danger, they will take risks. I misjudged you before; I thought you were just two fragile girls, but it seems you're quite shrewd. Alright then, just tell me a time, and I'll meet with you."
I told Huang Zhang that for now, I was the only one who could meet him. I didn't know how long Miao Miao would need to deal with her own matters, and in any case, I didn't want to delay her further. This was my issue, and I should resolve it myself.
"That's fine; as long as one of you comes out, the rest is up to you two to negotiate," Huang Zhang generously gave me some leeway. After I agreed, I hung up the phone, feeling a mess of emotions.
It was clear that I would be meeting Huang Zhang alone, so I needed to sort out my feelings. I couldn't appear timid in front of him. He had invited me out to talk; was it about negotiating terms for a deal?
When we met, Huang Zhang didn't waste time. He looked at me calmly and asked what my needs were. I was taken aback, and he smiled, "Of course, I'm not letting you speak for free. I, Huang, don't engage in losing business. We're all adults here; we understand that interests come first. Mutual benefit is essential, so you state your conditions and requirements, and I'll state mine. If we can negotiate, we will; if not, we'll part ways. That's how it is."
Huang Zhang boldly stated his position. I didn't beat around the bush either; I directly asked him, "Do you still have the voice recorder from last time?"
Huang Zhang nodded. "That's right; it's still with me."
I felt a surge of excitement and tightened my grip. Indeed! But then I thought about it more deeply, and my heart sank: "What proof do you have that this recorder is the one from that day? I can't just take your word for it."
Huang Zhang sneered and looked at me disdainfully, as if he found my question very childish. He then reached into his pocket and after a moment pulled out something familiar to place in his hand.
The reason this item felt so familiar was that it had been haunting my mind relentlessly. For the past couple of days, I had been thinking about the voice recorder, wondering if it was still with Huang Zhang and what my chances were of turning things around after my divorce.
Finally, I saw it.
"How can you prove that this recorder is the one from that day?" Since Huang Zhang had already looked down on me, adding a few more words wouldn't change anything. It seemed he was very reluctant to continue talking with me; he appeared to think that conversing with me might lower his intelligence.
He then pressed the play button, and the familiar voice came out of the recorder. I couldn't contain my excitement; this was definitely it! The item in Huang Zhang's hand was what I had been longing for—I needed to get it back!
Ignoring the potential risks of showing my eagerness, I excitedly countered him: "What about you? What are your conditions? I only want to take back this voice recorder; everything else is unnecessary. Now it's your turn to state your conditions."
Huang Zhang cannot gain anything from me. I have no money, I have never possessed power, and I cannot be so narcissistic about my body. So what exactly does Huang Zhang want? It remains a mystery.
"Well, not bad. You really don’t hold back at all. Fine, I won't waste any more words. Go back and tell Lu Ming that the piece of land in the east of the city and that bid document in his hands need to be given up," Huang Zhang said, lightly tapping his fingers on the glass table, producing a crisp sound.
I felt a bit dazed as I listened. "What did you say?"
"It doesn't matter whether you understand or not. Just tell Lu Ming my exact words and let him decide. If he agrees, we can continue negotiating. You get what you want, and I get what I want. If not, then it stays like this. I, Huang, don’t care; I won’t lose anything."
Huang Zhang's relaxed expression indicated that he was not concerned about this matter at all. But I was concerned; my entire life was tied to this issue. I became more anxious: "But this is Lu Ming's own property. How could I use it to exchange for mine? If you want to make a deal, it should be with me."
"You?" Huang Zhang seemed to find this absurd: "What could I possibly take from you, little girl? You're joking. Let’s not even go there. If you take back this pen, can't you get a whole apartment in return? Check the market price for an apartment yourself. Am I giving it away for free? I'm not a philanthropist."
The voice recorder was still sitting on the table in front of Huang Zhang. I really wanted to grab it and run out without looking back. The conditions he proposed were nearly impossible for me to fulfill, leaving me in a dilemma. I asked him again, "Are there any other conditions besides this one?"
Huang Zhang shook his head: "No, I only want this."
Huang Zhang called me out to tell me that the voice recorder was in his hands, which seemed to give me hope. However, the conditions he proposed to retrieve the voice recorder made my previous hopes seem even more distant. His true target was no longer me but Lu Ming.
Comment 0 Comment Count