A Chan – CH 002

Chapter 2: One Billion (2)

Li Weiyi returned to her workstation, staring blankly at the computer screen.

She and Xie Zhilu were classmates, dating in their junior year. Xie Zhilu had relentlessly pursued her. Li Weiyi always thought Xie Zhilu was a ruthless person, ruthless to himself and even more ruthless to his studies. His family wasn’t well-off, but he went from a poor county to a top university. For four years, he consistently ranked in the top ten of his department, was the vice president of the student union, and even got a top-tier professor for his postgraduate entrance exam.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to get into the powerful department with an acceptance rate of one in a thousand. Over the past five years, they’ve shared many sweet moments, especially during their junior and senior years of college. One was preparing for graduate school entrance exams, and the other was looking for a job; they supported each other through thick and thin, spending every day and night together. While it might not be the most unforgettable, it’s certainly true that they were deeply in love and their youth was filled with no regrets.

However, in these past three years, Li Weiyi worked and rented an apartment while he was living on campus while pursuing his graduate studies. Both were incredibly busy, and they gradually saw each other less and less. Sometimes, Li Weiyi wouldn’t see him for an entire month.

It wasn’t without complaints and arguments. Li Weiyi had a lot of work pressure and often worked overtime on weekends. How busy could a student be? Li Weiyi hoped he would make more trips and spend more time with her. But Xie Zhilu had always been a very aloof and self-disciplined person. He felt that his girlfriend should only follow his schedule and revolve around him. After a few arguments, they stopped arguing. They both avoided the topic of who gave more and who compromised, meeting once every week or two, cherishing their time together peacefully. Thus, their relationship continued in this calm and stable manner.

~

See less ads by logging in.

~

But what important things did he have to say to her?

Although his tone on the phone seemed ambiguous, she figured he was probably busy. When he was busy, he was absent-minded on the phone—a thoroughly career-oriented man. Li Weiyi recalled their last meeting—a month and a half ago. They had eaten together, walked on a cold street, and Xie Zhilu wrapped her in his coat, the faint scent of his arms, and his passionate kiss… Li Weiyi’s heart softened, and her suspicions vanished.

Suddenly, a thought popped into her head…

Could he be planning to propose?

That’s why he didn’t tell her immediately that he had passed the civil service exam and why his words were ambiguous—he wanted to tell her in person.

In the afternoon, after finishing her work, Li Weiyi went with Sister Zhou to the headquarters building in a taxi to deliver a report. Although office work was now electronic, some extremely important documents still required paper copies with signatures from various levels of leadership.

Upon arriving at the building, Li Weiyi blushed and whispered, “Sister Zhou, my boyfriend passed the exam.”

Sister Zhou was very happy for her: “That’s wonderful! Remember what I told you? How about I ask you about it tomorrow in front of the leaders?”

Li Weiyi: “Okay! Thank you, Sister Zhou! You’re so thoughtful. We’ll treat you to dinner later.”

Sister Zhou laughed heartily. She also liked this diligent, smart, and capable young woman. Crucially, she handled things very well, being both endearing and sincere, not at all annoying. She hoped to continue working with Li Weiyi. As for herself, she wasn’t worried about layoffs at all, since her husband was a director at headquarters.

The two entered the headquarters lobby and were registering at the front desk when a secretary led two men and a woman past them. Sister Zhou nudged Li Weiyi with her elbow, and Li Weiyi looked up.

No wonder her eyes were immediately drawn to the man walking in front. He looked to be in his late twenties, wearing a dark gray suit and a black shirt, without a tie. His features were sharp and stern, yet he was thin and pale. He was the tallest of the three, and from his eyebrows to his eyes, cuffs, and shoes, he exuded the air of someone in a position of power.

Li Weiyi lowered her voice. “Who’s that? He’s really handsome.”

Sister Zhou actually knew him. She and Li Weiyi, still admiring the striking good looks, said, “The boss of Huicui Technology is Zhang Jingchan. Handsome, right? He’s probably here to discuss a collaboration with our group. I heard he’s only twenty-seven this year, young and handsome. He’s a very well-known figure in the city’s business circle. But don’t be envious of him. There’s nothing to envy. He’s famous not because he’s made a lot of money over the years, but because… you know, my husband told me that all the socialites in the city, the daughters of those bosses, his employees, his business partners—you could say that not a single woman in all of Xiangcheng wants to marry him.”

This was too gossipy. Li Weiyi and Sister Zhou finished their paperwork and headed for the elevator. Seeing that the group had already taken the previous elevator, Li Weiyi whispered, “Isn’t he good enough?”

“Hey, you’re quite knowledgeable, aren’t you? That’s not the reason. How would I know if he’s capable or not, hahaha! By the way, aren’t you from Chen City? Have you ever heard of Fuming Group?”

Li Weiyi nodded. Of course, she had. She remembered it was eight or nine years ago, when she was in high school. The entire Chen City was filled with Fuming Group’s construction sites and clothing brand stores. She heard that their business had even expanded outside the province and that the CEO of Fuming was the richest man in Chen City at the time.

“This Zhang Jingchan is the only son of the CEO of Fuming Group back then.”

Li Weiyi was surprised.

Because the Fuming Group went bankrupt seven or eight years ago. It caused a huge uproar at the time because Fuming Group owed a lot of debt, hundreds of millions of yuan, not only to banks but also to many private lenders. After that, there was no news of them.

Sister Zhou wore a cryptic expression: “His father owes 1 billion yuan, and he’s still a defaulter, restricted from high-level consumption. I’ve heard he’s suffering terribly.”

Li Weiyi, recalling the sharp, intimidating face she’d just seen, subconsciously asked, “And him?”

~

See less ads by logging in.

~

Sister Zhou, however, showed admiration: “This Zhang Jingchan, the young CEO Zhang, is quite a character. I heard that before the incident, his father divorced his wife to protect him and his mother, leaving them with nothing. Although they didn’t lose anything, they weren’t burdened with debt either. Legally, Zhang Jingchan isn’t required to repay his debts, but in recent years, he’s started his own company, and I’ve heard he’s already repaid 300-400 million yuan for his father. However, he still has 600-700 million yuan on his plate. He’s a responsible man, good-looking, and capable, but until his debts are paid off, who would want to marry him? This bachelor might be stuck in his thirties or forties.”

—

The next evening.

Xie Zhilu had booked a quiet, less crowded Western restaurant, two levels above their usual haunts. This made Li Weiyi’s heart pound even harder. Fortunately, she was prepared, braving the cold and forgoing her heavy down jacket for a burgundy coat over a wool off-the-shoulder dress. Her freshly washed long hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her makeup was more vibrant than usual.

Even Xie Zhilu, who had seen her for so many years, was momentarily stunned when he sat down.

Li Weiyi smiled slightly.

Xie Zhilu didn’t smile. His expression was somber, his hand gripping the menu, his thumb constantly rubbing it.

Li Weiyi’s heart swayed again, like a sway on a swing. She scrutinized the man before her more closely. He wore a worn-out down jacket, his sweater was pilling, and his sneakers were muddy; he didn’t seem serious at all. Every word and action of his concealed worries.

Li Weiyi stopped smiling.

Xie Zhilu’s voice grew even more somber: “Let’s order first; we’ll talk after we eat. What do you want to eat? It’s on me today.”

Li Weiyi suddenly felt a touch of bitter sarcasm, thinking, “Only a man with no social experience would make such a big deal out of paying for a meal.”

“I’m not eating,” she said, also getting angry, giving him a cold look. “What do you want to say? Say it first.”

Xie Zhilu hesitated, unusually, his tone softening slightly: “I haven’t said anything yet; why are you getting angry? Let’s eat first; let’s have a good meal together.”

Li Weiyi finally sensed a hint of impending doom in his words and actions. But she really couldn’t figure it out. They had always been fine; everything was progressing according to their plans for the future; they had even met each other’s parents last year, and neither side had any objections. So where did things go wrong?

Li Weiyi stared at him incredulously: “Xie Zhilu, you’ve cheated on me?”

~

See less ads by logging in.

~

His profession is so focused on his studies and projects; how could he possibly have time for an affair?