Fatal Desire

Chapter 47 Hindsight is always 20/20

“Well, we’ll inevitably be spending time together as sisters-in-law in the future, so it’s good to let Xixi see them,” Song Yunyu said with a gentle smile. “She’s more concerned about this than I am; she’s been very careful and meticulous in choosing the photos.”

Zhao Yansen remained expressionless as he unfolded a stack of beautiful photos, each with its own unique charm, and casually tapped them twice with his long fingers.

Song Yunyu pulled out the bottom photo and said, "Xixi likes this one the most. She is Li Shuyi, the fourth young lady of the Li family. She is beautiful and immediately noticeable as a well-educated and polite person."

"She was very happy with her choice?" Zhao Yansen glanced at her and said casually.

“That’s just how Xixi is; she cares especially about her family,” Song Yunyu said. “If she can really choose a girl you like, she’ll definitely be happy.”

Song Xi was happy and attentive in choosing a sister-in-law, but Zhao Yansen was extremely displeased and bored.

There's a gathering tonight at a hot spring resort on the East Fifth Ring Road. This place is a members-only club, and only people in the circle can get around.

This is the only building complex within a hundred miles, its exterior resplendent with gold and carved beams and painted rafters, while the interior is decorated in a relatively simple yet luxurious style. As darkness falls, several dazzling lights illuminate the surroundings as if it were daytime.

A waiter in a cheongsam entered the private room to serve drinks, and secretly glanced around at the distinguished guests. These young men were well-dressed and spoke with great manners, and each of them had an outstanding temperament... None of them had brought female companions.

She became even more cautious, humbly bowing to pour the wine. Before leaving, her gaze inadvertently swept across the screen, noticing a tall man lounging on the sofa behind it.

That man was more eye-catching and aloof than the other young masters, exuding a terrifying sense of oppression despite his casual and aloof demeanor.

I didn't dare look any longer and left in a hurry.

Zhou Ji'an glanced at Chi Wang, who was playing cards at the table outside, then turned to Zhao Yansen and said, "Dingce and Stratalux have merged. Did you know that?"

"I did something stupid." Zhao Yansen held a glass of whiskey in his well-defined hand, swirling it gently. The liquid in the glass bobbed like a small boat, and his tone was somewhat amused.

Zhou Ji'an frowned: "At this critical juncture, aren't they afraid of offending people?"

"A spineless coward will never reach that position." Zhao Yansen's dark eyes held a lazy smile as he casually remarked, "People die for money, birds die for food. When faced with a crisis, there's nothing they won't do."

Zhou Ji remained silent for a while, knowing that with his temperament he would never allow others to act arrogantly. Since he understood this, he must have already taken countermeasures.

However… Zhou Ji’an glanced at the empty wine bottle on the table, then looked at Zhao Yansen.

The man leaned back in his chair, his exceptionally proud eyebrows slightly furrowed, a hint of worry and restlessness in them... He rarely lost control of his emotions like this.

Except for that year.

That day, Zhou Ji'an visited Fu Guanyue at the hospital.

Fu Guanyue's colleague said she had gone to check on the patients, so Zhou Ji'an went to the VIP ward with lilies to find her, but instead of Fu Guanyue, he saw Zhao Yansen.

The hospital fell into a deathly silence, the air almost frozen. Although the room was warm as spring, he seemed to have fallen into an ice cave, radiating an extremely cold aura.

Zhao Yansen stood at the door of the ward, his blood-stained right hand hovering for a few seconds before finally falling heavily to the ground uncontrollably.

It was as if something had crashed hard to the ground, shattering into pieces.

His expression seemed ordinary, but even with his hands braced against the wall, he couldn't straighten his back.

His Adam's apple bobbed with a hoarse sound; his pride was utterly shattered, leaving only silence and desolation.

Zhou Ji'an was shocked; he had never seen Zhao Yansen in such a disheveled state.

A fresh wound appeared on Zhao Yansen's cheek, and blood congealed into beads that dripped to the ground, leaving a wet patch.

His eyes were lowered, reflecting a sticky, blood-red hue that gradually darkened and thickened, eventually gathering into a devastating storm that transformed into endless torment and pain.

Later, Zhou Ji'an asked Fu Guanyue and learned the truth—

Song Xi was staying in a hospital room just one wall away.

All these years later, the only person who can still stir Zhao Yansen's emotions is still that one person.

Zhou Ji'an didn't understand.

Why did Song Xi come back?

*
The company's drug verification process was extremely rigorous, with no room for error. The final results showed no prohibited drugs, but some high-risk semi-finished products were found. After resolving the company's internal issues, Song Xi and Shang Shixu, coinciding with Qin Fanghao's return to Beijing after filming, arranged for the four to celebrate at the Night Realm Club.

"You're really bold, attending your ex-girlfriend's and older brother's wedding." Qin Fanghao had mentioned it several times on WeChat, but couldn't help but speak up again when he saw Meng Weixian.

Meng Weixian was flattered: "Thank you for the compliment, Sister Qin."

"Was that a compliment?" Qin Fanghao rolled her eyes.

“I’ll take that as true!” Meng Weixian said.

"I told you before that Jiang Shangxue is the heir of the Jiang family, and she would never marry a young master who yearns for the wider world," Qin Fanghao continued. "I advised you to compete fairly with your elder brother, but you didn't want the family business and insisted on getting involved in astronomy."

"Why would a family fight over a family business?" Meng Weixian scoffed. "Stop being a Monday morning quarterback."

"You were a bit slow on the uptake beforehand." Qin Fanghao picked up a bottle of red wine, removed the hairpin from her hair, and used the sharp end of the hairpin to cleanly and neatly open the bottle.

With a "thump," the cork was removed.

"Awesome, Sister Qin!" Meng Weixian exclaimed.

"It's nothing." Qin Fanghao poured a glass for Song Xi and Shang Shixu. "President Xi, President Shang, it's time for you two to leave work. Talking about work will damage our friendship."

Song Xi raised her eyebrows and smiled slightly, then raised her glass and clinked it with theirs: "Put all the expenses on my tab tonight."

"Thanks to President Xi's good fortune," Shang Shixu said with a smile.

"Oh, isn't President Xi's birthday coming up soon?" Meng Weixian suddenly remembered.

Song Xi: "It's still a long way off, several months away."

"July 7th," Shang Shixu said.

Qin Fanghao chimed in, "It'll only be three or four months, not far at all."

"Mr. Xi, if you don't have any other plans, how about we celebrate your birthday on a yacht?" Meng Weixian was very enthusiastic, patting his chest and assuring everyone, "You only need to provide the yacht and attend, I'll take care of everything else!"

“Sure,” Song Xi readily agreed.

Friends gathered without any restraint. During the gathering, Song Yunyu called, and Song Xi went to a quiet area on the balcony to answer the call.

Shang Shixu followed her figure with his gaze, pondered for a moment, and then asked Qin Fanghao, "Was there an explosion in the Tsinghua University laboratory?"

Qin Fanghao was fiddling with his phone when he heard the sound and asked in surprise, "What explosion?"

Shang Shixu smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's okay if you don't know."

He searched online for information about the Tsinghua University lab explosion, but found absolutely nothing; it was as if the information had been deliberately cleaned up.

Apart from the parties involved, probably no one knows.

Song Xi hung up the phone and returned, sitting on the sofa, eating fruit while listening to Meng Weixian sing. It was a Cantonese song, "First Love," most likely a lament for lost love.

...From now on, whenever he sees Jiang Shangxue, he will have to call her "sister-in-law".

sister in law.

That's a really unfamiliar title.

Suddenly, Qin Fanghao's voice came from beside him: "My dear CEO Xi, your phone is ringing."

Auntie called again?

Song Xi picked up her phone, glanced at it, and froze.

elder brother?

(End of this chapter)