Fog Returns to the Capital

Chapter 90 Don't want to marry?
After seeing Li Wu's figure gradually disappear into the distance.

Zhou Jinghuai then sat down on the rest platform again.

When He Yanting offered him a cigarette, Zhou Jinghuai waved his hand.

Knowing he wasn't into that kind of thing, He Yanting took it back and lit the cigarette himself. He slowly exhaled a smoke ring, the rising bluish-white smoke blurring his outline slightly.

It was rare to see Zhou Jinghuai patiently instructing someone, so He Yanting slightly curled his lips and said, "I think you've really fallen for her."

"Yeah."

Zhou Jinghuai said calmly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

He Yanting looked at him and saw that he was calm and composed, with the appearance of a noble young master.

Who could have imagined that his methods would be so swift and decisive, to the point of being ruthless?

A conglomerate with a market capitalization of over 7000 billion yuan was broken up and no one could hold a controlling stake; the higher-ups were all giving up on it because the cost of saving it was too high. He, however, used an iron fist to rename and restructure the company, becoming its largest shareholder. Following this, he implemented a series of reforms and innovations, and the group's market capitalization more than tripled or quadrupled.

So even now, He Yanting still finds it somewhat unbelievable.

only……

Thinking of himself, He Yanting fell silent again. He silently smoked one cigarette after another.

After a long while...

He Yanting suddenly said something.

"We've booked the third young lady of a merchant family in the port city."

Zhou Jinghuai looked into the distance and saw that Xu Mingze and his group seemed to be looking for Li Wu to compete against.

They were standing at roughly the same level when the referee suddenly waved his flag down, and the group rushed down the hillside at the same time.

Li Wu, standing in the very center of the group, was the most eye-catching in her red ski suit.

Soon.

On another undulating hilltop, Zhou Jinghuai first saw that small, almost illusory red figure, which was barely more than a dot.

It quieted down.

Zhou Jinghuai then said, "Old Master Shang is a patriot and dislikes getting involved in factional struggles. By marrying his youngest daughter to you, he not only made his stance clear and extricated the Shang family from the conflict, but also ensured his youngest daughter's future wealth and prosperity."

"Furthermore, our businesses have topped the rankings in Hong Kong for many years. That's the same as yours."

He Yanting's name consistently ranks at the top of domestic wealth lists.

The implication.

They're a good match.

He Yanting's slender fingers were speckled with scarlet dots and covered with long trails of cigarette ash, but he didn't care.

Zhou Jinghuai picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and without even looking up, said, "Don't you want to marry me?"

Hear the words.

He Yanting flicked away the long ash from his cigarette, his eyes seemingly fixed on the endless snow-capped mountains in the distance.

But the view was too deep, like an abyss, with no bottom in sight.

He Yanting's casual voice carried a hint of cold mockery, "If I don't marry her, who else can I marry? The woman who has already registered her marriage abroad?"
Zhou Jinghuai put down his teacup, his expression calm, and offered no comment.

It was quiet for a while.

He Yanting had already composed himself and turned to look at Zhou Jinghuai.

When he spoke again, his voice was slightly deeper, "I heard that Aunt Shu is coming back to Beijing? The last time she came to Beijing must have been three or four years ago?"

After a few seconds of silence.

Zhou Jinghuai then said, "In two months."

"...Are they planning to push you down? Putting aside everyone else, there must be quite a few people who support your older brother, right?"

Although it was just the two of them at the rest area, and the bodyguards were still in plain clothes, intentionally or unintentionally keeping others at bay, He Yanting still lowered his voice slightly.

Hear the words.

Zhou Jinghuai frowned slightly, his tone flat and even. "The old man hasn't expressed his opinion yet. He probably thinks it doesn't matter who goes up, since they're all from the Zhou family anyway. Others might not think that way; they still care about blood ties."

"With that, plus the Qi family, the Song family, and the Xiao family who have always been at odds with you... the situation is probably really going to change completely."

But after a pause, He Yanting added, "However, the Xu family and your Zhou family have always had a good relationship, so the chances of winning are very high." "Old Master Xu has retired after achieving his goal and doesn't want to get involved anymore. But given the Xu family's position, how can they easily extricate themselves?"

When Zhou Jinghuai said this, his tone was somewhat cold, "Whether or not to take sides is no longer something they can decide."

He Yanting remained silent.

After a moment of silence, He Yanting finally spoke, "Is Xiling going to be transferred back to the capital?"

Zhou Jinghuai hummed in agreement and said calmly, "The transfer order has been issued."

The two then talked about other things.

Not a moment later.

Li Wu excitedly ran towards Zhou Jinghuai. If she hadn't been wearing a ski suit, she probably would have jumped right into his arms. "Look! I won the prize for the competition!"

Li Wu happily handed the things in her hands to Zhou Jinghuai.

It is an exquisite and beautiful snow globe.

The mist swayed gently, and countless tiny ice crystals rose softly. One after another, beautiful little ice flowers slowly formed a pure white and magnificent ice and snow world.

Countless tiny snowflakes drifted down. Bathed in the warm sunlight, it was exceptionally beautiful and dreamlike.

The scattered glimmers of light reflected from the snowflakes fell into Li Wu's beautiful and pure eyes, making it even more captivating.

"...When they came to challenge me to a competition, I thought I was still a beginner and would just play around. But I never expected that I would actually win first place!"

As the little girl spoke with great enthusiasm, a bright and radiant smile shone across her delicate and lively face.

It's hard not to be tempted.

Xu Mingze, dressed in a black ski suit with a matching helmet casually twirling in his hand, slowly followed behind Li Wu.

After sitting down.

Xu Mingze poured himself a cup of tea.

Upon hearing Li Wu's words, he lazily replied, "A narrow victory."

The words fell.

He Yanting, standing to the side, looked at Xu Mingze and raised his eyebrows slightly.

The Winter Olympic world champion lost to a beginner who had only been learning for less than three hours—a narrow victory indeed, a seemingly insurmountable hurdle.

Hear the words.

Li Wu, who was talking animatedly with Zhou Jinghuai, suddenly stopped.

She turned to look at Xu Mingze, who was sitting there casually, but didn't directly refute him.

Instead, she turned around, moved slightly closer to Zhou Jinghuai, and whispered in a voice she thought no one else could hear, "Even a narrow victory is still a win for me."

Zhou Jinghuai couldn't help but smile, raised his hand to pat her head, and affirmed her gently, "Yes, our Lili is great."

"If you win, you win; you have to accept the consequences of your bet."

When Zhou Jinghuai looked over again, Xu Mingze was already sitting properly, not forgetting to show his attitude, "Yes, Third Uncle is right, a bet is a bet!"

A strange sweet feeling inexplicably swept through Li Wu's heart.

……

They spent the weekend at the ski resort before going back.

It just so happened that Zhou Jinghuai was going on a business trip that week, so he dropped Li Wu off at H University and went straight to the airport.

Li Wu wondered if it was just her imagination, but although Zhou Jinghuai had always been busy, he seemed even busier now than before.

She sent him a message, but didn't receive a reply until after midnight.

The number of bodyguards who usually follow him has also increased.

Su Jingyao hasn't been to H University for a few days. When Li Wu sent her a message, she only said that she had taken leave.

The night she received her call, Li Wu was getting ready to wash up.

"Li Li..."

As soon as the call connected, Su Jingyao burst into tears. Her voice trembled, and she could barely utter a complete sentence.

After barely managing to hear clearly, Li Wu's entire body suddenly froze.