Coming out of the Yao family's Western-style building, the garden path was slippery and Xiang Mingzhang walked slowly along it.
The driver was waiting outside the gate and quickly opened the door: "Mr. Xiang."
Xiang Mingzhang had no expression on his face. The sharpness in his eyes had faded away, leaving only a blank and confused look. He said, "No, I want to take a walk."
The driver dissuaded: "Mr. Xiang, it's still raining..."
Xiang Mingzhang ignored him and walked forward.
He walked with steady steps, his body straight and tall, but only he knew how stiff he was. He had become a soulless, empty shell.
Xiang Mingzhang walked along the trees, along the walls, and along the yellow line on the empty long street. His high-end woolen suit was exposed in the drizzle, and he looked both glamorous and disheveled.
Strangers looked at him sideways, but Xiang Mingzhang didn't care at all. Or rather, he simply didn't have any emotions to give to other people or things.
Chu Shichen's face kept appearing in front of his eyes, in his mind and in his heart.
No...it should be Shen Ruozhen.
Xiang Mingzhang didn't realize how far he had walked on the road. The rain was getting heavier. The driver who was driving behind him was so anxious that he leaned out of the window and shouted.
Xiang Mingzhang turned a deaf ear and walked numbly in the gauze-like rain curtain, his whole body soaked.
Ever since the incident at the yacht party more than half a year ago, the person he saw in the Chu family’s ward was Shen Ruozhen.
Shen Ruozhen was the one who was willing to be his secretary. Shen Ruozhen was surprised when he heard about the robot vacuum cleaner, wanted to have a balance car, and learned to make PPT.
Shen Ruozhen is the one who always wears formal clothes, has black hair and plain face, and feels awkward in jeans. Shen Ruozhen is the one who has never listened to rock music, understands opera, and loves to read novels of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Shen Ruozhen is the one who can smoke cigars, play chess, and win nine out of ten games of Solitaire.
The one who was fidgeting in the Japanese restaurant and shedding tears at Tiananmen was Shen Ruozhen.
The one who has no tattoos and has never had an appendectomy is Shen Ruozhen.
The one who was drunk and spoke in a flowery manner was Shen Ruozhen, who quietly gave himself away.
Shen Ruozhen is a man of strategy, knowledge, sociability, ability to command subordinates, and the ability to apply what he has learned. He has already shown his talent.
It was Shen Ruozhen who told him to "respect himself" time and time again, and it was Shen Ruozhen who pinched his chin and kissed the corner of his mouth.
Xiang Mingzhang stopped. The asphalt road was soaked with a layer of cold water. The rain was pouring down. He couldn't open his eyes and looked down at the splashing water under his feet.
He thought that "Chu Shichen" had some kind of relationship with the Shen family, and he also boldly hypothesized whether "Chu Shichen" might be a descendant of the Shen family.
The truth was revealed layer by layer, and the clues were gathered one by one. From beginning to end, from beginning to end, it turned out that the person he was facing was not someone else, but Shen Ruozhen.
Shen Ruozhen, who grew up in the last century and disappeared in the early spring of 1945.
Xiang Mingzhang clenched his fists, his knuckles crackling, but it was no match for his inner struggle.
No, it's not possible.
Something must have gone wrong, there must be some misunderstanding that has not been resolved. How could people from the last century end up here
It's ridiculous, there's no way this is possible.
But how can we overturn everything we know today
Xiang Mingzhang was like a trapped beast that had run into a dead end. He went around in circles, unable to find a way out, and felt as if a thousand-pound brick wall was crushing him.
Just one more speck of dust would be enough to crush him and cause him to collapse completely.
Xiang Mingzhang walked on the streets of Hangzhou with his body and nerves tense for four or five hours. When night fell, his legs felt so heavy that he almost fell to his knees.
When they returned to the hotel, the driver was terrified and helped Xiang Mingzhang into the room. This business trip came in a daze, and he didn't know what bad things had happened in the villa today.
Xiang Mingzhang seemed to be shocked. The driver was at a loss, afraid of accidentally stepping on a landmine, and asked: "Mr. Xiang... are you okay?"
Xiang Mingzhang had no reaction.
The driver said anxiously, "If there is anything you need me to do, just tell me."
Xiang Mingzhang was still half dead.
"What should I do..." the driver couldn't help but say, "If only Secretary Chu was here, Secretary Chu would definitely have a solution..."
Xiang Mingzhang raised his eyes quickly, his eyes red from the rain, and said, "Get out."
The driver left cautiously, the door closed, and the only noise left in the room was the noise of the air conditioner and heater.
Xiang Mingzhang went into the bathroom. His wet clothes were difficult to take off. Any movement would cause cold water to seep out. A winter rain in a southern city was enough to freeze a person to death.
He couldn't help but imagine how cold Chu Shichen would be if he jumped into the river in Harbin. It must have been freezing cold.
"Fool." Xiang Mingzhang said to himself, "What does the Chu family's grudge have to do with you? How can it be worth sacrificing your life..."
What was Chu Shichen thinking when he faced Zhou Kesen’s accusations, endured the unbearable reputation, was despised, and was misunderstood
Xiang Mingzhang was going crazy. He was sure that he was thinking. There was not a single second that he was not thinking about... thinking about that person, thinking about everything about him.
Walking into the shower room, Xiang Mingzhang slowly warmed up under the hot water. After taking a shower and changing his clothes, he seemed to have returned to normal, but in fact he was still deeply confused.
He suffered a complete defeat today, and the moment he turned over the photo, he was completely defeated.
Xiang Mingzhang was sitting and lying in the luxury suite, not knowing how he would get through the night. He probably wouldn't be able to sleep.
The cell phone thrown at the end of the bed suddenly rang.
The caller ID shows “Chu Shichen”.
Xiang Mingzhang was caught off guard when he saw the name. He thought he would panic, but unexpectedly he calmed down a little. He held the phone and hung up without answering it.
Opening WeChat, Xiang Mingzhang made a video call to Chu Shichen.
After ringing for a while, the call was connected. Chu Shichen's face appeared on the screen. His eyes widened slightly and he looked back and forth between the picture frame and the lens, revealing a bit of confusion and curiosity.
Xiang Mingzhang stared at it intently, but before he could open his mouth to say anything, Chu Shichen suddenly met his gaze, then blinked and froze.
The two looked at each other for a few seconds, and Xiang Mingzhang cleared his throat: "Can you see clearly?"
"Yes." Chu Shichen said, "This is my first video call."
Xiang Mingzhang believed it, of course, without realizing that he was coaxing a child: "Do you think it's funny?"
Chu Shichen concealed his true thoughts and calmly commented: "The mobile phone is amazing, it's like seeing a real person."
Xiang Mingzhang thought to himself how could it be the same, and said, "It's not as good as seeing you face to face."
Xiang Mingzhang's mind was in a state of confusion. He had not yet figured out everything he had learned, and he was still unable to accept it. But he just wanted to see Chu Shichen, he wanted to see this person.
After another moment of silence, Chu Shichen heard the sound of water and asked, "Is it raining in Hangzhou?"
Xiang Mingzhang: "Yeah, it rained for a long time."
Chu Shichen asked, "You're not wet, are you?"
"No, I took a bus on the way." Xiang Mingzhang lied, and then changed the subject, "I'm back to the hotel now, just finished taking a shower."
Suddenly, Chu Shichen brought the phone closer and his facial features magnified on the screen, with distinct eyelashes, the slightly protruding bones of the nose, the clear light in the pupils, and the entire face clearly visible.
Xiang Mingzhang held his breath unconsciously. It was not him who had exposed his identity, but he was afraid of being seen through, so he asked carefully: "What are you doing?"
Chu Shichen finished his observation and came to a conclusion: "You didn't blow dry your hair today."
Xiang Mingzhang didn't even have the energy to blow dry his hair. He wiped his forehead and wiped the water stains on his hands, saying, "No, I learned it from you."
Chu Shichen actually believed it and thought he had found an ally: "It was unnecessary to begin with. Let's not brag about it anymore."
Xiang Mingzhang was so stimulated by the person in front of him that he hiked 10,000 meters in the heavy rain. At this moment, he couldn't help laughing because of this person. They are all modern electrical appliances, so why does he hate hair dryers
Xiang Mingzhang played dumb: "Will that give me a headache?"
"I think it's just the opposite." Chu Shichen said, "The brain is the most important part of the human body. It's not good to be affected by the wind. If you force it to blow, your brain will not be very sharp."
Xiang Mingzhang was inspired and said: "It is indeed a bit superstitious."
Chu Shichen was stunned for a moment and argued: "If it is good to have your head tilted back on the pillow and the breeze blows, then 'pillow wind' will become a good word."
Xiang Mingzhang sat down at the end of the bed: "Why is pillow talk not a good word? It depends on who is blowing the pillow."
Chu Shichen didn't want to talk anymore and turned the camera to look somewhere else. There was a desk lamp and a pen holder. It looked like the Chu family's study.
Xiang Mingzhang couldn't see anyone and was about to call Chu Shichen's name, but the word "Chu" got stuck in his throat and he couldn't utter it. He swallowed it back and said, "Let me look at you."
Chu Shichen turned the camera back and put the phone further away. There was a half plate of peeled lychees on the table. He ate and ignored everyone.
Xiang Mingzhang silently fantasized that in the old days when he was at the Shen Mansion and was busy until late at night and felt tired, would Butler Yao bring a plate of lychees to this young master
He was possessed, his mind was wandering, and he asked, "By the way, what are you calling me about?"
Chu Shichen almost forgot that he was going to report on his work: "Hu Xiushan's side has basically settled it. Since Xiang Yue took care of the whole process, there are a few documents that need your signature."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Okay, I know it's okay to leave it to you."
"It was the joint efforts of the business team that made it happen." Chu Shichen said, "I'll keep a record of all the credits. You can reward everyone when you come back."
Xiang Mingzhang knew what was going on: "Do you need a reward?"
Chu Shichen chewed a lychee and muttered, "Then you have to come back first."
If it was before, Xiang Mingzhang would definitely ask in a nasty way if he missed him, but now he was afraid of offending others and just said, "I will go back in the next two days."
Chu Shichen said: "It's hard to travel in the heavy rain, please be careful on the road."
Xiang Mingzhang clutched a handful of bed sheets, as if he was eager to hold something tightly in his hands: "I have something to tell you when we get back."
Chu Shichen was unprepared: "Okay, I'll wait for you."
(End of this chapter)