Chapter 144: Warning

Hechuan was at the company, and there was a meeting in the morning that everyone was required to attend.

Wen Liang intended to confess everything to him and discuss the matter once the meeting concluded.

However, not long after the meeting began, Hechuan lost his temper. After reviewing the project report, he slammed it onto the table and sternly interrogated the project manager in charge.

Wen Liang rarely saw him lose control of his emotions like this. Frightened by the scene, she didn't dare to speak.

By the end of the meeting, everyone except Hechuan looked as though they had been stripped of a layer of skin, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Only Hechuan remained in the conference room. Neither Wen Liang nor the assistant dared to disturb him at that moment.

As it neared the end of the workday, Wen Liang finished her tasks, glanced at her wristwatch, and stood up to pour a cup of coffee in the pantry. She then carried it over to Hechuan's office.

After knocking a few times, a voice from inside told her to enter a moment later.

Hechuan was smoking, his eyes dark and gloomy, apparently still angry about the morning meeting. Wen Liang thought to herself that the timing of the meeting must have coincided with his bad mood, making those people unlucky victims.

Hechuan had never lost his temper like this before; today was definitely abnormal.

Wen Liang pushed the door open and stepped inside. She placed the coffee on the desk and hesitated before asking, "Senior, are you done with your work?"

"What is it? Is something the matter?"

His voice remained cool and detached, though it sounded like he had calmed down somewhat.

"I brought you a cup of coffee."

Hechuan glanced at the steaming cup on the desk and said politely, "Thank you."

"Don't stand on ceremony with me, Senior. It's just a small thing."

Wen Liang was extremely cautious and prudent, terrified of saying the wrong thing and displeasing him.

Sensing her wariness, Hechuan softened his tone a bit and asked, "Were you frightened by the meeting this day?"

Wen Liang smiled, realizing he was showing concern for her, and replied, "No, my stress tolerance is quite high."

Hechuan said, "I focus on issues, not individuals. You don't need to take such situations to heart in the future."

"I know your character. After knowing you for so many years, how could I not? Still, Senior, you are quite terrifying when you're angry."

Hechuan's lips curved into what seemed like a smile, though it was extremely faint and vanished quickly. He picked up the coffee cup, took a single sip, and put it down. Seeing that she was still there, he said, "It's time to get off work. If you have nothing else, you can leave."

Wen Liang said, "Senior, actually... there is something I want to tell you, if you have a moment."

"Go ahead."

"During the time you were in London, Madam He came to find me." Wen Liang pursed her lips, continuously observing his expression, but she could detect no clues. Gathering her courage, she continued, "Madam He has always wanted to see Old Mr. He, and she tried to bribe me to help her."

"What did she use to bribe you?"

"She threatened me with your past relationship, saying that if I didn't help her, she would continue contacting the media to expose it."

That past relationship between Hechuan and Cheng Hui could easily be exploited to create a huge scandal.

Although Hechuan had already arranged for the previous exposure posts to be handled, a wildfire burns endlessly; the spring breeze brings them back to life. Madam He would keep making trouble. The last incident failed to draw massive attention only because Hechuan acted swiftly. If Madam He contacted reporters and media outlets again to make an issue of it, he wouldn't be able to dodge it in time.

Turning a blind eye would only provoke a larger storm.

Besides, his profile was quite prominent now.

Wen Liang said, "Madam He knows a lot of things. I believe none of it is true, but she won't stop until she achieves her goal, and she will keep causing us trouble."

Hechuan said indifferently, "What else did she say?"

"That was pretty much it. When I asked about other things, she wouldn't say." Wen Liang looked worried. "Senior, it's not a solution for Madam He to keep harassing us like this."

In just a few words, Wen Liang shifted the problem entirely onto Madam He, keeping herself completely out of it and preventing Hechuan from becoming suspicious.

Madam He had not yet divorced He Wei. Even if she wanted a divorce, they would have to live apart for a certain period before a court could grant it, and Madam He had no intention of divorcing just yet. If she did divorce, she would demand a major portion of He Wei's wealth; otherwise, she wouldn't agree to it.

Hechuan's original intention was not to force a divorce between them—whether they divorced was up to He Wei to decide. When he brought up the topic of divorce right in front of Madam He back then, it was purely to intimidate her.

However, Madam He had become increasingly outrageous, ignoring him entirely and hiring people to write so-called exposés that dragged Cheng Hui into the mud.

Hechuan did not discuss his family matters with Wen Liang, as these were, after all, the He family's affairs. Sensing the situation was sufficient, Wen Liang stopped pressing further, fearing that any more persistence might evoke Hechuan's aversion.

Seeing that it was about time, Hechuan offered to drive her home. Wen Liang was naturally overjoyed, but she kept her composure, acting very calm as she sat in the passenger seat and chatted with her best friend on her phone.

Her best friend had given her a strategy: pretend that someone was pursuing her aggressively and find a way to let Hechuan accidentally overhear this news. This would test whether Hechuan actually harbored any romantic feelings for her.

Initially, Wen Liang thought the idea was too childish and easily seen through, especially since her friend didn't truly understand Hechuan's personality. What kind of man was Hechuan? How could he be fooled by such low-level tricks? Furthermore, he likely still held feelings for his ex-girlfriend in his heart.

A woman's intuition was often terrifyingly accurate. Wen Liang felt she hadn't guessed wrong, and thinking this way brought a trace of sorrow to her heart. Where was she lacking? Why couldn't Hechuan ever look at her?

After much persuasion from her best friend on WeChat, Wen Liang eventually agreed to give it a try.

Though the hope was slim, a person had to give themselves various opportunities to try while they were alive.

Besides, being strung along indefinitely was no way to live.

Her friend immediately sprang into action. Five or six minutes later, Wen Liang received a call. After answering, the person on the other end said something, and Wen Liang put on a troubled expression, rubbed the bridge between her eyebrows, and said, "Mr. Ji, I'm terribly sorry. I'm busy right now. How about we meet up this weekend instead?"

Hanging up the phone, Wen Liang sighed and looked out the car window. It was the evening rush hour, and traffic was jammed; their car was wedged tightly in the surging river of vehicles.

Hechuan kept his hands on the steering wheel, looking straight ahead without paying attention to her. It seemed he hadn't heard a word of what she said during that phone call.

The longer she waited, the more insecure Wen Liang felt. He didn't even ask! Having known each other for so long, even from the perspective of an ordinary friend, shouldn't he ask something?

Hechuan's thoughts were truly hard to fathom.

She could neither see through them nor guess them.

Wen Liang felt as though her heart was being clawed at; she sat on pins and needles, staring blankly at the traffic outside the window with a dazed expression.

In truth, Hechuan was somewhat distracted and hadn't paid attention to what Wen Liang said on the phone, which was why he had no reaction at all.

It was past nine in the evening when Hechuan finally dropped Wen Liang off at her home. Before getting out of the car, Wen Liang offered a warm reminder, "Senior, thank you. Drive carefully. I'll be heading up now, bye-bye."

Hechuan nodded faintly, maintaining his usual aloofness, and said, "Alright."

Just as she stepped out of the car, Hechuan remembered something. He rolled down the window and called out to her, "Wen Liang, wait a moment."

Wen Liang bent down. "Is there something else you need to tell me, Senior?"

"Are you going on a blind date this weekend?"

"Yes, my family arranged it. I couldn't get out of it."

"Never mind then."

Hechuan had merely asked offhandedly. Wen Liang instantly plummeted from heaven to the abyss; he asked a single question and left it at that.

Wen Liang returned home to a phone call from her best friend. Complaining, she said, "He literally just asked one sentence, and that was it!"

"Let me tell you, this is called playing hard to get. Don't get discouraged, keep pushing! Tomorrow, I'll have someone send flowers to your company, pretending that you have a pursuer so he knows. Trust me, listen to me, I've got your back."

Wen Liang wasn't some naive, gullible fool. She grasped her friend's intention and decided to let go of her reservations.

The next day when Wen Liang went to work, she received a massive bouquet of flowers in the afternoon. It was so huge that she couldn't even hold it in her arms and had to struggle to carry it to her desk. It was obvious that her "pursuer" had spared no expense.

The identity of the sender instantly became the hot topic of gossip across the company. Many people cast their votes for Hechuan, reasoning that since he had lost his temper at the meeting yesterday, he must have sent flowers today to comfort her. With a bouquet of roses this massive, who else could it be from besides a romantic partner?

Another faction insisted it must be from Wen Liang's boyfriend. If it were the boss, given his personality, such a public display was unlikely; the boss had always maintained strict boundaries between public and private matters and wouldn't pull such stunts in the office.

A small clique who had long bet on Wen Liang becoming the future boss's wife immediately began sucking up to her in private. Seeing her receive such a grand bouquet, they all assumed it was a gift from the boss. Groups of them, each harboring their own hidden agendas, swarmed over before the workday ended to invite Wen Liang out for dinner, trying to curry favor and build alliances.

Wen Liang understood the true motives of these people approaching and buttering her up; they merely assumed she would become the boss's wife and were smoothing over relations in advance to form cliques.

The assistant also heard the rumors about the bouquet. He smiled dismissively and didn't take it to heart.

However, when he went into the office to report to Hechuan, Hechuan casually asked what all the commotion outside was about.

The assistant mentioned the rumors of Wen Liang receiving flowers, adding, "The colleagues outside are all whispering about whether you sent them, Boss."

As soon as he finished speaking, the assistant immediately clamped his mouth shut, his eyes darting around nervously as he thought: *Why did I bring this up? Isn't this inviting disaster with loose lips?*

Hearing this, Hechuan raised his head and shot him a sharp glare. The assistant pressed his lips together even tighter, not daring to utter another word.

"And?"

"And what?" The assistant was momentarily stumped. Wasn't that enough? What else was there?
Hechuan flipped through the documents. The crisp rustling of the paper made the assistant's palms break out in sweat, prompting him to quickly add, "Manager Wen hasn't clarified either. She didn't say you sent them, but she didn't deny it either."

"Got it."

"Then I'll head out, Boss."

"Mmh."

Hechuan showed no particular reaction upon learning this. Walking out of the office, the assistant felt even more perplexed. *Could Wen Liang really be on her way to becoming the boss's wife?*

Given that he hadn't exactly been on the best of terms with Wen Liang previously, what if she really did rise to power and whisper pillow talk into the tyrant's ear to file complaints against him? Wouldn't his position become extremely dangerous?

Wen Liang only looked like a gentle white rabbit, but anyone capable of reaching that position was far from a simple rabbit—it was all an illusion.

*Sigh*, how he missed Cheng Hui from before. That was a truly harmless, genuine white rabbit.

Still, lamenting was useless; the boss had completely cut ties with Cheng Hui, and the one poised to take the throne now was Wen Liang.

...

Hechuan had a gathering that evening which would likely involve drinking, so he brought his assistant along.

In the car, Hechuan suddenly asked him, "Do you have a problem with Wen Liang?"

Hit with such an abrupt question, the assistant's hand shook slightly. "N-No, of course not."

"You don't like her?"

Cold sweat was already beading on the assistant's forehead. "Boss, why would you say that?"

"Nothing, just asking casually." Hechuan chuckled softly. "What, why do you look so nervous?"

"No, it's not like that. Manager Wen and I just have a normal colleague relationship. The other colleagues all say she's a great person with strong capabilities." He successfully distanced himself by attributing praise to the general consensus of the office.

Hechuan asked, "So you think she's great too?"

"Manager Wen is attractive, highly educated, and excels at her work. She is indeed very capable."

Hechuan scoffed dismissively, "Polite corporate nonsense."

"......"

What else did the boss want him to say then?

Hechuan pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to London next week. You're coming with me."

"Yes, Boss."

As for whether the trip to London was for official business, Hechuan didn't specify.

...

When Hechuan left London initially, Cheng Hui didn't know. He had claimed the trip was for business, and after he departed without appearing again, her life finally returned to peace.

After discovering he had been blocked by Cheng Hui, Liang Yang tried to find her numerous times without success, and gradually stopped coming around. Though he didn't understand why Cheng Hui had suddenly broken up with him, he guessed that the other man must have said something to her; otherwise, she wouldn't have severed ties so abruptly.

Yet Liang Yang remained deeply resentful. Could a "big fish" he had spent so much time and effort luring on a long line just slip away like that? How could he swallow this insult?

He had invested a significant amount of time and energy into reeling Cheng Hui in, only for that man to hijack her halfway.

Thinking back now, he always felt that man looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, though he couldn't recall where for the moment.

Liang Yang's money was practically squandered by this point. With truly no cash left, he finally resorted to calling home to ask his parents for funds. His mother sounded deeply troubled on the other end. "Your father hasn't given me any money in a long time, and I have nothing to give you either. You need to spend more sparingly."

"If there's no money, go get some from him. Dad won't give it to you, so you go find him."

"Liang Yang, don't talk like that. Mom has done her best. Our family's savings weren't much to begin with after funding your studies abroad. You've been asking for more and more money lately, my salary hasn't come in yet, and your father refuses to give anything. There's genuinely nothing I can do."

"Dad refusing to money—isn't that your problem?"

"Your father has recently taken a fancy to some little vixen and gave all his money to her; he doesn't even come home to see me anymore. Even if I wanted to beg, there's nowhere to turn."

Liang Yang chuckled, impatiently taking a drag of his cigarette. "Mom, don't tell me about this. That's for you to figure out."

Liang Mother sighed. "Fine then. Wait a few days, and I'll try talking to your father again."

Liang Yang didn't care what new girlfriend his philandering father had acquired outside; his sole concern was money. Unfortunately, his father kept a tight grip on the finances, and the living allowance given to Liang Yang wasn't even a fraction—no, not even a third—of what he spent on women outside.

Liang Mother continued, "I heard that little vixen's younger brother is sick, and your father spent a fortune on him. He's willing to spend money on women outside, but he won't spare a cent for the two of us. Liang Yang, you must study hard and make a great achievement in the future so your father looks at you with respect. Only then will the two of us finally see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Liang Yang hung up the phone, completely uninterested in hearing his mother's lectures.

Study?

What good was studying? It was far better to figure out how to extract money from the daughters of wealthy families. As for wealthy older women, he looked down on them because of their age; rich young heiresses who were young and inexperienced were much easier to deceive.

And Cheng Hui had simply been a fish he caught by casting a wide net from the very beginning.

His extravagant spending had already exhausted all the funds he previously acquired. With his family refusing to provide more, he had no choice but to invest his efforts back into Cheng Hui.

...

After having someone investigate Cheng Hui's so-called boyfriend, Hechuan finally learned the full sequence of events.

Liang Yang was also from Yongcheng; no wonder Cheng Hui had ended up with him.

However, this Liang Yang was no good person. He had engaged in scams and petty swindles more than once—an idle loafer with a complex social circle who associated with all sorts of shady characters.

Hechuan smoked cigarette after cigarette, the billowing smoke obscuring his facial features.

...

At the end of the month, Cheng Hui finished her exams and entered summer break. She didn't return to Yongcheng, nor did she know where to go, but anywhere was better than going back to Yongcheng. She chose instead to spend a few days playing tourist in a neighboring city as a form of relaxation.

Since she wasn't in London, Hechuan missed crossing paths with her during this trip.

The main purposes of Hechuan's trip to London were twofold: first, to pay a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Tan; second, to inquire about a specific student named Cheng Hui through Tan Bei's wife.

Tan Bei's wife happened to be Cheng Hui's professor at the university Cheng Hui attended, and coincidentally, she even taught Cheng Hui's specific year and class.

The name of the school where Tan Bei's wife taught was visible on the photo Hechuan had previously seen.

Tan Bei asked jokingly, "Who is this person you're asking about? You didn't come to London specifically for her, did you?"

Hechuan smiled and said, "She's the younger sister of a friend. My friend entrusted me to look after her, and I'm just afraid she might get scammed."

"Oh?" Tan Bei understood with a sudden realization. "I see. You really put a lot of thought into this."

Hechuan offered neither confirmation nor denial.

Tan Bei's wife retrieved the class roster photograph, pointed to a girl in the picture, and asked, "Is this the person you're looking for? Cheng Hui."

"Yes, that's her." In the photo, Cheng Hui was still very thin back then, blending unremarkably into the crowd. Yet her distinctly Eastern appearance still managed to catch the eye.

Tan Bei's wife briefly outlined Cheng Hui's situation, mentioning that she had previously taken a leave of absence due to illness before returning to resume her studies. When she first arrived at school, she kept to herself, interacted with no one, spoke very little, and looked to be in poor mental health. After returning from her suspension, however, she had improved noticeably; her grades gradually rose, and she became much more cheerful than when she first arrived.

Hechuan listened quietly without interrupting.

Inwardly, Tan Bei felt a bit strange, sensing something subtle and nuanced about Hechuan's expression.

With the school currently on summer break, Tan Bei's wife asked, "Do you need me to help you contact her?"

"No need, thank you for the trouble."

"Don't mention it. You're my husband's friend, this little favor is nothing."

Hechuan didn't stay for a meal at Tan Bei's home this time; he bid farewell to the couple and left.

...

Accustomed to being alone, Cheng Hui didn't particularly want to interact with people. Still, traveling out alone meant she had to maintain contact with Cheng Jiu so they wouldn't worry if they couldn't reach her—excluding Madam He, of course.

The architecture of the foreign town had a unique charm. Armed with her camera, Cheng Hui took pictures everywhere she went and began writing an online travel blog, though she kept her face hidden and simply used it as an outlet to express her moods.

She shared her account handle with Dr. Ye, asking him to follow her.

Dr. Ye followed her and left a comment under her very first Instagram post, praising her photography skills.

This validation of her photography talent swept away the gloom in Cheng Hui's heart.

Only Cheng Jiu and Dr. Ye knew where she had gone.

Hechuan stayed in London for five days without catching sight of Cheng Hui. On the afternoon of the sixth day, he ran into Liang Yang—Cheng Hui's so-called boyfriend—at a shopping mall.

Running into Hechuan felt like bad luck to Liang Yang. Though unaware of the other man's identity, Liang Yang instinctively sensed he was not a man to be trifled with, especially after Hechuan had dragged Cheng Hui away that day.

What transpired after she was taken away remained a mystery to him. When he tried to find Cheng Hui to ask what had happened, she gave him no opportunity, dodging him entirely and unilaterally declaring a breakup.

At that moment, Liang Yang had already hooked up with a new junior female student—wealthy and attractive, though admittedly inferior to Cheng Hui.

Hechuan arched an eyebrow and asked expressionlessly, "Where is Cheng Hui?"

Assuming Liang Yang knew her whereabouts, he asked directly.

Liang Yang paused, patted the waist of his young girlfriend standing beside him, and murmured, "Step away for a second. I need to talk to him."

Once the young girlfriend walked off a short distance, Liang Yang said, "You're asking me where Cheng Hui is? How would I know?"

His attitude didn't seem fake. Hechuan glanced sideways at the woman waiting off to the side and stated, "Stay away from Cheng Hui in the future."

Having delivered the warning, Hechuan turned to leave.

Liang Yang sneered and said, "You slept with her that night, didn't you? The dosage of that drug wasn't small either—you got a real bargain."

Hechuan turned back, his gaze shifting to display a blatant, chilling warning.

Liang Yang had endured plenty of frustration because of Cheng Hui. Between this man's warnings and snatching his girl, Liang Yang had long been harboring grievances. He provoked, "She has mental illness; playing with her must feel a lot more thrilling than a normal woman."

The consequence of running his mouth was getting beaten up by Hechuan as a lesson.
Without wasting unnecessary words, Hechuan said, "Do you want to call the police? I'll give you the chance."

Gasping for breath, Liang Yang winced and grimaced, cold sweat beading on his forehead from the pain.

"Go ahead and call them. I've also secured the hotel surveillance footage. Care to go inside and review it together?"

Naturally, Liang Yang didn't dare, nor had he expected Hechuan to pull the hotel security records.

"Don't let me ever see you appear around Cheng Hui again."

Tugging at the corner of his mouth, Hechuan released his grip and walked away.

Though badly shaken, the young girlfriend had watched Hechuan's actions and felt her heart flutter repeatedly. She suddenly found him immensely masculine, whereas Liang Yang was only capable of getting beaten up.

Recalling something, the young girlfriend asked, "Did you offend him?"

"No. He's just acting crazy. If a dog bites you, you can't bite it back, can you?"

Refusing to believe him, the young girlfriend retorted, "Don't talk nonsense. I recognize him; he doesn't hit people for no reason. Did you offend him?"

"You recognize him? Who is he?"

"Search domestic websites for Hechuan. My dad mentions him all the time."

Liang Yang frowned.

...

Indulging in local food and drink, Cheng Hui had been enjoying herself a bit too much. Carried away by the fun, she grew careless, and her belongings were stolen at the inn.

Fortunately, she had kept her crucial items on her person; only her suitcase was stolen.

When traveling with family in the past, they would hire a tour guide, and the phrase the guide repeated constantly was to keep valuables on your person to avoid theft. Luckily, she had remembered that advice. Losing a suitcase wasn't a major issue since she still had her money and phone; it was merely an inconvenience requiring her to buy a new wardrobe.