Soul Patch

Chapter 98 Going around in circles

Wenjie sized up the man who had suddenly appeared. He was wearing dark blue trousers and a light blue shirt.

Two buttons were undone at the collar of the shirt, and a walkie-talkie was clipped to one side of the lapel.

His sleeves were rolled up high, and he was working bare-armed, but fine beads of sweat still seeped out from his forehead.

They must be staff from the banquet's organizing department, such as public relations or marketing.

I needed to run around the room to handle things, so I took off my suit jacket and was still sweating profusely in just my shirt.

Upon hearing this, Wang Hui was taken aback.

He looked at the person running over; it was Tan Jun from the marketing department, who was in charge of organizing the conference.

The two men exchanged glances, and he nodded thoughtfully. He then turned to Wenjie and the other two, saying apologetically, "Excuse me, my boss is here, and I need to go to the door to greet him."

"Please!"

"Please!"

Amidst the agreement of Wenjie and the other two, Wang Hui followed Tan Jun toward the flower archway of the banquet hall.

After the two had walked away, Zhang Yang smacked his lips and said:

"So Wang Hui isn't the general manager. That doesn't make sense. If a family business is opening a branch, and they sent him here, shouldn't he be in full charge?"

"You don't understand. We live in an era of capital operations. The companies that seem to be making money on the surface are actually seeing their funds flowing into the pockets of capitalists."

Bai Yu had heard his elders talk about these things many times, and through this exposure, he had come to know a little about them.

He paused, then moved closer to Wenjie and Zhang Yang:

"Haven't you heard? This company has investors behind it. Some investors are willing to achieve financial freedom and simply wait for dividends. Others prefer to participate in the management..."

"Like I said, whoever has money calls the shots!" Wenjie chimed in at the opportune moment.

Bai Yu and Zhang Yang simultaneously glanced at Wen Jie, their faces showing surprise, and exclaimed in unison, "Brilliant!"

The music in the venue changed style, from gentle and soothing to passionate and stirring, indicating that the opening ceremony was about to begin.

Sure enough, accompanied by energetic music, the lights in the venue gradually dimmed, and a promotional video for Huahai Technology Company began to play on the large LED screen behind the stage.

Wenjie looked around and realized that many guests had arrived in the short time they had been chatting.

Right now, everyone is watching the promotional video quietly, just like them, while also learning about the development history of Huahai Technology Company.

This local brand, founded in 1995 in a southern coastal city, conquered the market step by step, gradually gaining a foothold in the national market and becoming one of the top performers in the industry.

After the slideshow, the host appeared under the spotlight.

The lights in the venue gradually came on, and after the opening remarks, the host delivered a series of witty remarks, leading to lively interaction between the stage and the audience, and the atmosphere in the banquet hall gradually warmed up.

These kinds of company opening and listing activities involve many procedures...

Wenjie glanced listlessly at the stage, then quickly turned his gaze to Bai Yu and Zhang Yang, pointing to a long table in the corner of the banquet hall laden with food.

He was so hungry that he had to eat something.

Bai Yu and Zhang Yang looked at Wen Jie's face, then at his hands that were "packaging" his clothes, and smiled at each other.

The three of them approached the table laden with a sumptuous feast in tacit agreement.

While others enthusiastically participated in the opening ceremony of Huahai Company, the three of them enjoyed their meal in a corner.

What is their purpose in coming?

Are they really here to watch the opening ceremony?

What does the opening ceremony of Huahai Technology Company have to do with them?

But who can say for sure?

After the host announced that so-and-so should come up on stage, thunderous applause erupted in the hall.

The three of them were so busy eating that they didn't hear clearly who was being talked about. Zhang Yang was the first to turn his head and look at the stage: "Hey, hey, stop eating, our boss Wang has made a dazzling appearance."

Wenjie and Baiyu were chewing on Arctic shrimp, the spiciness of wasabi filling their noses. Wenjie felt like he was about to cry, so he raised his hand to rub his eyes.

"Foodie! You're injured and you still tried to steal my seafood. You got burned by the spiciness, didn't you? Serves you right!" Bai Yu said gloatingly.

"Thank you to all the elites from M City, and thank you to all the employees of Huahai Technology Company for attending today's opening ceremony. First of all, please allow me to introduce to you the General Manager of Huahai Technology Company's M City branch, Ms. Jia Nan. Please welcome her with applause!"

Who? Wenjie's heart clenched.

That can't be such a coincidence!

He glanced sideways at the stage, where only the host and Wang Hui were present; there was no sign of General Manager Jia.

Wenjie was puzzled.

Suddenly, the lights in the venue went out.

The spotlight beam was directed at the connection between the stage and the backstage area.

Everyone on site held their breath and stared at the small area illuminated by the spotlight.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

No one came out.

In the audience, some people began to whisper:

"Who is Mr. Jia?"

"How come I've never heard of this name since the company was founded?"

"You don't know the legal representative listed on the business license?"

While the audience was buzzing with discussion, Wang Hui and the host on stage were feeling rather awkward.

Wang Hui whispered a few words to the host, then hurriedly walked backstage.

The host gave his partner, who was standing on the right side of the stage, a look, and brought the microphone to his mouth, saying:

"Alright, distinguished guests, important figures don't make their appearances so easily..."

His partner, sitting in the audience, used a walkie-talkie to contact the lighting technician.

The original plan was to turn on the lights and then proceed with the next part of the opening ceremony.

Then, Wang Hui rushed over and nodded to the host.

Wang Hui didn't linger for a moment, turned around and stepped off the stage.

In his panic, he almost bumped into a waiter in the audience...

Wenjie stared at Wang Hui's figure for a moment, and couldn't help but wonder: What could have made him so panicked?

The host looked at the spotlight, where a handsome figure in a suit and leather shoes stood.

"what!"

Screams erupted continuously!

As the host looked over, the guests in the audience looked over as well, and Wenjie also looked over!

In other words, everyone saw the radiant, handsome man standing there.

Unexpectedly, the general manager of Huahai Technology Company's branch was such a talented young man, and the girls in the audience went almost crazy.

In stark contrast to the girl's enthusiasm, Wenjie felt a chill run through him, and even the Arctic shrimp he was eating didn't taste good anymore.

It really is Jia Nan!

Why is Jia Nan's spirit so persistent?

You can run into them no matter where you hide!

However, with the audience completely dark, Wenjie decided to slip away before the lights came on.

"I'm going to the restroom..."

After greeting the two people beside him, he lowered his head and walked toward the flower archway of the banquet hall.

He walked briskly through the corridors, turning this way and that in the Lincoln villa, and somehow ended up at the side door of the villa.

It could also be a backdoor.

He followed Bai Yu like a silly boy into the city, so busy marveling at everything that he didn't remember the way. Now he's lost.

He reached out and pushed the glass door, but it was locked and he couldn't open it.

It seemed he needed to ask someone for directions to find the main entrance, so he wandered into the corridor on the other side.

Suddenly, they heard hurried footsteps and two people talking frantically: "Mr. Wang, what should we do?"

"What do you mean, what should we do? Get him to the hospital first!"

"Is Manager Cheng... alright?"

"Then you should ask yourself, hey! Stop talking, there are quite a few media reporters here!"

Isn't that Wang Hui's voice?

It seems to be coming from the side door!

Wang Hui must have access control; he's booked the entire venue, so how can he not come and go freely?

Even if he doesn't have access control, he can call the Lincoln Villa staff to open the door with just one phone call.

Wenjie simply went back around, and as soon as he peeked out from the corner of the wall, he saw Wang Hui and the young man who had called Wang Hui away earlier.

The young man was holding a woman in his arms. The woman was covered by a dark blue suit jacket, which obscured her face and most of her body.

However, the hem of the silver evening gown still peeked out from the edge of the coat.

A silver evening gown?

Wenjie's mind conjured up images of Cheng Xiaohui's collarbone and fierce mouth revealed by her off-shoulder evening gown, as well as her long, gleaming legs at the slit.

Upon seeing Wenjie, the two clearly panicked.

The two men exchanged a glance; the young man holding the person was trembling. His expression looked worse than crying, and his knees buckled as if he were about to kneel down on the spot.

"Boss!"

Wenjie sensed something was wrong with the two, but getting out of there was the priority; why bother with their company's business?

"Huh? Wenjie, you... why are you out here?"

Wang Hui asked, trying to appear calm.

"I'm going out for a smoke; smoking isn't allowed here," Wenjie said, pointing to the sign at the corner.

The bottom line of the sign reads "No Smoking".

"Oh, well... then come over here."

Wang Hui shakily pulled an access card from his pocket and waved it close to the electronic sensor.

The door clicked open.

Wang Hui gestured for Wenjie to go first.

"Oh, I'm not in a hurry. Someone's...drunk. Let this young man go first."

Wenjie said this deliberately.

The young man looked at Wang Hui with a pained expression, and Wang Hui gave him a wink.

Only then did he carry the woman toward the glass door.

As she passed by Wenjie, the hem of the suit jacket covering the woman brushed against Wenjie's arm, and Wenjie gently tugged at it with two fingers.

Crash! The suit jacket fell off.

"Ah, clothes!" the young man exclaimed, freezing instantly.

Seeing this, Wang Hui was about to step forward and pick up the clothes that had fallen to the ground.

Wenjie was obviously closer, and he raised his hand and waved to Wang Hui, "I'll do it, I'll do it."

He bent down, picked up the clothes, and draped them over the woman.

Taking the opportunity to glance at the woman's face, he realized that the unconscious woman was indeed Cheng Xiaohui.

The moment the suit jacket was draped over his shoulders, his gaze shifted downwards and landed on Cheng Xiaohui's slender white hands.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted, and his gaze became fixed intently on the rope buckle on Cheng Xiaohui's wrist.

It was a butterfly-shaped rope knot, the butterfly so lifelike it seemed to be alive.

Wenjie felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if something was tearing at his soul.

This butterfly rope buckle... is exactly the same as the one on his father's wrist back then.

(End of this chapter)