Chu Shichen packed up and went out to Qian Hua's apartment. As a night owl with a decadent nightlife, Qian Hua usually did not leave the bed during the day.
The apartment was just above the shopping mall where they first met. Chu Shichen picked out a gift on the first floor and took the elevator up.
The front door has a password lock. Chu Shichen used to have a safe, made in Germany, which used a dial password. He didn't expect that nowadays the door can also be controlled by a password.
Qian Hua was too lazy to get up, so he sent the password to him on the way.
Chu Shichen typed it in carefully, and the door opened. He felt quite magical, opened the door and said, "Qian Hua, I'm Chu Shichen, I'm coming in."
In the room, Qian Hua responded: "I'm here!"
The apartment was all black and gray, not as exquisite as Bomanjia's house, but almost as spacious. Several cabinets were filled with colorful limited edition figures. Chu Shichen thought they were Qian Hua's childhood toys.
He followed the sound into the room, which turned out to be the bathroom. Qian Hua was soaking in a large round bathtub with his chest and arms exposed.
Chu Shichen stopped immediately and turned his head away: "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were taking a shower. I'll wait in the living room."
"What's so offensive about this?" Qian Hua didn't care and patted his chest. "There's a chair over there, sit down. Or you can come in and we can talk while we're soaking."
Chu Shichen said seriously: "Don't mess around."
Qian Hua pulled his hair back and said, "What's so awkward about our relationship? I trusted you in the past, and now that you've become so serious, I'm even more relieved!"
Chu Shichen didn't understand what "rest assured" meant.
It was inappropriate to expose one's chest and back. He couldn't stay there any longer and turned around and left the bathroom.
Seeing this, Qian Hua stopped soaking, wrapped himself in a bathrobe and followed out, took two bottles of sparkling water from the refrigerator, and then lay down on the sofa.
Chu Shichen sat upright in the armchair and said, "Let's talk about business."
Qian Hua unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip of water: "I'll send you the maintenance records of the yacht later. There are all the records for the past six months. I checked them and there are no problems."
Chu Shichen said: "Okay, there is no problem before the party?"
Qian Hua replied: "We had a centralized maintenance a week before the party, which was equivalent to a full-body checkup of the yacht to ensure safety at sea. On the morning of the party, we did a final spot check, and everything was normal."
Chu Shichen asked, "Could there be a failure that was not reported? Is it possible that the records were tampered with after the incident?"
"Don't worry about this, buddy." Qian Hua said, "Bonus for fault repair is linked to salary. If employees do not report the work after completing it, isn't that stupid? Repairs sometimes require additional fees. For the sake of profit, the company will not hide it from customers."
Chu Shichen thought to himself, if everything was normal on the yacht, then why did it catch fire and explode
Was it really a man-made accident
He asked, “Are there any problems with personnel?”
Qian Hua said: "You will be assigned the most experienced veterans. This team will be responsible for two yachts, one for you and one for me. There will be no temporary workers or part-timers, and no random people will sneak in. In short, you can check anyone in the team at will, there is nothing to be afraid of."
Chu Shichen assumed that someone was causing trouble. Since the people from the yacht company couldn't find the problem, he had to investigate others.
Qian Hua turned over and sat up, mumbling: "Anyway, I checked several times and there is really nothing fishy. I am so annoyed that most of my brain cells are exhausted. I just want to find a beautiful woman to comfort me."
Chu Shichen: “…”
Qian Hua: "I made an appointment with a model to go clubbing. Her name is Beibei. She has a really curvy figure. I was so hot."
Chu Shichen couldn't help but stop him: "Can we talk about business?"
Qian Hua was heartbroken: "If you didn't lose your memory, would you have gone through so much trouble? After dancing and drinking, I found out that Beibei had attended the party you hosted."
Qian Hua accidentally learned that Beibei was on the yacht that night, and suddenly asked who else was attending. Beibei only remembered a few other models and internet celebrities, as well as the rock band that was performing.
These people can barely be considered public figures and are active on social networks. Qian Hua searched them one by one on the Internet and found that only that band had not updated their status after the incident.
There is not much information about this unknown underground rock band. Each member is more difficult to deal with than the other. Breakups and reunions are common. They may have already disbanded.
Qian Hua searched for a band photo to make it easier to find the person later. However, after Beibei identified it, it turned out that the bassist in the photo was not the same person who attended the party.
"I saved the photo from the official homepage. This person must be the bassist. His name is Chang Cheh. I'm not sure if it's his real name." Qian Hua scratched his head. "But there was someone else playing the bass at the party, not him."
This discovery was indeed intriguing. Chu Shichen saved the photo and said, "Qian Hua, thank you for your help."
Qian Hua asked: "Are you going to continue investigating?"
"I'll take care of it." Chu Shichen warned, "Don't mention this to anyone else."
"I understand." Qian Hua flew to Beijing for a date in the afternoon. "I'll ask you out some other time. You can't hide away. The beauty I failed to introduce to you last time, wow, is definitely your type!"
Chu Shichen couldn't handle such decadent topics and left in a hurry.
Along the way, Chu Shichen thought it over clearly. In essence, the yacht accident had nothing to do with him. The real "Chu Shichen" was gone. Everything was settled. Now keeping quiet was an option that did not require any cost.
But how can he stay out of it when he uses this name and occupies this identity
Man is not a saint, but he hopes to always have a conscience.
A drizzle started to fall halfway on the road. After getting off the car at the gate, Chu Shichen walked into the garden, shielding his forehead from the sun. Chu Shihui was reading a book under an umbrella, and half of the small table was occupied by a large bunch of tulips.
Chu Shihui raised her head: "Brother."
Calling him “brother” in front of others at the dinner table last night was polite, but this first “brother” in private was probably from the heart.
Chu Shichen walked over and stood under the umbrella, picking up a branch from the bouquet: "What a beautiful variety, we need to plant it up as soon as possible, otherwise it will wither."
Chu Shihui didn't get the chance last night, so she formally said, "Thank you."
Chu Shichen was targeting the engagement. Even if the Li family was a good match among thousands, he would still oppose it.
In the old days, his sister Shen Lizhi attended the best girls' school. Those female classmates came from wealthy families, but they got engaged, married, and even had children before graduation. They stopped studying and gave up their ideals. They were too embarrassed to shout the slogan of "new women" anymore and were forced to become a man's mistress.
This is the case for girls from rich families, and girls from poor families have no choice.
Shen Lizhi often declared at home that she must not get married early. How could she go backwards when the times have progressed to this day
Chu Shichen understood Chu Shihui's concerns and said, "Little sister, your family will help you alleviate your worries. Don't worry. A pure relationship can last longer."
Chu Shihui asked: "What do you think I should do?"
Chu Shichen replied: "It is very important to have the power to make decisions, so you must make your own decisions, and no one can make the decision for you."
Chu Shihui said: "But I haven't thought about it yet."
Chu Shihui has a strong personality. After listening to Chu Shichen's words, she felt much more cheerful. She raised her book and said, "Then I will choose to prepare for the final exam."
Chu Shichen did not disturb her studies and took away the flowers that were in the way. He went to the side hall of the villa and found a large square vase.
The old mansion had large flower beds planted in it. Every summer, his mother liked to sit by the window and tend to the flowers and plants. Chu Shichen untied the bouquet, thinking of the scenes deep in his memory.
The tulips were in full bloom, peach color, so delicate that they seemed to be hurt if pinched. Chu Shichen picked up the scissors and cut the branches and leaves without thinking.
His mother Zhang Daoying once said that if one cannot bring himself to prune a flower cleanly, he is indecisive.
He agreed with it deeply.
After cutting a large bunch of tulips and soaking them in clean water, Chu Shichen took a tissue to wipe the water droplets on the outer wall of the vase, then took out his mobile phone and called the Chu family's lawyer.
He was worried before, so he made some inquiries openly and secretly. He learned that the head of the legal team was named Lei, and that he had been a long-time friend of Mrs. Chu. He had trustworthy professional ethics and was reliable in his work.
When the phone was connected, an intellectual female voice came out: "Mr. Xiao Chu?"
Chu Shichen got straight to the point: "Lawyer Lei, regarding the handling and aftermath of the yacht accident, please send me the relevant documents, especially the compensation."
Lawyer Lei asked: "Is there any problem?"
Chu Shichen said slowly: "Nothing, I just want to take a look."
"Okay." Lawyer Lei agreed. "Compensation involves insurance, and there are a lot of documents. I need to go back to the law firm to sort them out. Please give me some time."
Today is a day off, Chu Shichen said: "I feel bad for asking you to work overtime, let's wait until the working day."
Lawyer Lei said: "Thank you Mr. Chu for your understanding."
Chu Shichen clenched the tissue into a ball: "At the beginning, it was Mr. Li who helped to deal with it. Now that it's over, there's no need to bother him anymore."
Lawyer Lei understood: "My only client is the Chu family. I know what to do."
Chu Shichen hung up the phone. He said that if he wanted to investigate this matter, he couldn't do it openly. If there was something fishy going on, it would be bad to alert the enemy. He could only dig deeper bit by bit.
The drizzle outside the window was getting heavier and had been falling on and off for two whole days.
The temperature dropped a few degrees. Xiang Mingzhang put on a three-piece suit, changed into a high-clearance Mercedes Benz off-road vehicle, and drove at high speed, arriving at the company half an hour early.
There was no one in the department, so Xiang Mingzhang made himself a cup of coffee, went to the office and took off his coat. The navy blue vest was tailored to fit him well, outlining his straight and broad shoulders, and the diamond tie clip neutralized the dullness of the dark tie.
Someone knocked on the door, and Xiang Mingzhang said, "Come in."
Chu Shichen pushed the door open and walked in. He got off the car at the entrance of the park and was blown by the wind. His hair was not messy at all and his entire forehead was just exposed.
The curvature of his brow bones was perfectly formed, and once his eyes were unobstructed, even without any expression, the look in his eyes when he raised them was bright enough.
Chu Shichen held a pile of files in one hand and placed them on the desk, arranging them in a row like a card of priority. The black files needed signatures. He asked, "Mr. Xiang, do you want to sign now?"
Xiang Mingzhang took out the first one and opened it to find the report from the Finance Department: "Why, do you need it urgently?"
"No rush." Chu Shichen said, "Old Xiang Yue's regular meeting has been cancelled. I'm afraid you won't be used to this free time."
Although Xiang Mingzhang was drunk on Friday night, he remembered that the Chu family had dinner with Li Zangqiu and his son. Chu Shichen said that he messed up the dinner. Taking off the pen cap, he signed and asked, "How did you offend Li Zangqiu that day?"
Chu Shichen certainly would not reveal his sister's emotional privacy, and replied: "It's just a little family matter."
Xiang Mingzhang was not interested in gossip and said, "Is it serious? If you don't want to meet, I'll let Assistant Guan do it."
Chu Shichen said: "It's okay, leave it to me."
The previous loss of the bid resulted in the loss of three managers and a team leader, which was like an earthquake in the department. Later, Xiang Yue sent two old employees there.
The project of the pharmaceutical company was coming to an end these two days. In addition to bonuses and holidays, Xiang Mingzhang wanted to hold a lunch party. It didn't have to be complicated. One was to celebrate the success of the project team, and the other was for the employees of Xiang Yue and Yisi to get closer.
The third is... let Chu Shichen organize and participate, and take this opportunity to contact Yisi's people in a legitimate way.
Xiang Mingzhang did not say anything about the third point, but only said, "Then you do it. Assistant Guan is very busy."
Chu Shichen said: "Let's go to the company's restaurant. We don't have to go out and it's spacious. Everyone will be more relaxed in a familiar place."
"Okay." Xiang Mingzhang said, "Don't take up everyone's rest time. Leave work an hour and a half earlier at noon."
Chu Shichen said: "Okay."
There was nothing else to do. Chu Shichen took the signed document and took a step back from the desk, not turning around as quickly and decisively as usual.
In just a second of delay, Xiang Mingzhang looked at him suddenly: "Do you have anything else to say?"
Chu Shichen said, "Director Xiang's birthday party ended in a bad mood, and he was absent from the regular meeting. People's hearts are unpredictable. Do you want to make some arrangements for those directors?"
Xiang Mingzhang was used to worrying about things by himself, but he didn't expect someone to take care of it for him. After all, even his own mother didn't care. He said, "You seem to care about me a lot."
Chu Shichen paused: "Considering you is one of my jobs."
Xiang Mingzhang moved his Adam's apple. That day, the Xiang family's gorgeous coat was torn and was caught by Chu Shichen. Chu Shichen saw his depressed state that he never showed in front of others. He took Chu Shichen to Manzhuang when he was drunk and had dinner at the same table with his reclusive mother. Each of these things went beyond the scope of work.
Whether in public or private, Xiang Mingzhang likes to control his own pace and distance when interacting with anyone. However, unknowingly, Chu Shichen gradually broke some of his principles.
He couldn't adapt, or he didn't know whether it was good or bad.
Xiang Mingzhang said expressionlessly: "No need."
Chu Shichen felt a sense of alienation. As a subordinate, he should shut up and obey, so as to save trouble. However, he has not yet cultivated much self-awareness as a subordinate. He asked inquiringly, "Did I say something wrong that night and made my aunt unhappy?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "No."
Chu Shichen: "That means you are unhappy."
Xiang Mingzhang: "Why should I be unhappy?"
Chu Shichen thought to himself, how would I know? He thought about it and asked, "When I was feeding you the medicine, did I pinch your face and hurt it?"
Xiang Mingzhang glared at him, not in anger, but with a bit of displeasure of losing face, and sternly denied: "Why would your cat's claws hurt? Get out."
The author has something to say:
Xiang Mingzhang: It hurts a lot, I almost had temporomandibular disorder
(End of this chapter)