Chapter 43: Surfacing

Zhou Jinye’s fingers still held the texture of the paper. The shadow had already disappeared, but he only realized now—it was a deliberate signal left by Qin Shuheng.

He didn’t know what Qin Shuheng planned to do about Qin Shili, nor how Qin Shuheng had learned of Zhou Jinye’s intentions toward Qin Shili. The Qin family’s stance on Qin Shili hadn’t been made public yet, but from Qin Shuheng’s actions—sending information anonymously without revealing his identity—it was clear he didn’t want the Qin family directly involved.

Regardless, the target wasn’t him. He had obtained evidence, and the Qin family didn’t need to step in. Instead, they were using his hands to handle it. No wonder this blood-related younger cousin had risen to become the head of the household—he was doing everything possible to protect the Qin family. For Zhou Jinye, though, this was enough.

After finishing company matters, he left early. The old phone was difficult to repair, and it took some effort to find a place that could handle it. Eventually, he discovered a small shop tucked away in an old alley.

Fortunately, the phone could still be repaired, though it would take time. Zhou Jinye asked the shop owner to proceed and contact him once it was done.

He gave the owner his number and stepped out of the shop.

At this hour, he sent Xu Wu a message.

As the sun dipped low in the west, Xu Wu was already waiting at the agreed-upon intersection. After spending the day with Jiang Zihan, she had taken a taxi home.

A sleek black car pulled up in front of her. Recognizing Zhou Jinye’s license plate through the windshield, she saw him sitting in the driver’s seat.

This intersection didn’t allow long stops. A distant black dot slowly approached like a frame advancing in slow motion. She quickly opened the car door and got in.

“For you.”

While out playing today, she had seen a tie that suited Zhou Jinye’s demeanor and bought it for him.

Since he was driving, she placed the gift box aside. Zhou Jinye glanced at it briefly before turning back to focus on the road. “What is it?”

“A tie for you.”

He kept his eyes on the traffic ahead, recalling the scene when she last knitted him a scarf. “What about the scarf?”

The scarf wasn’t finished yet, so she promised to give it to him next time.

Zhou Jinye simply nodded. When they got home, he had dinner.

They relaxed on a heated blanket. Xu Wu asked Zhou Jinye, “Did you find someone to fix the phone Uncle Xu gave you?”

Given its age and wear, it would be hard to repair.

Zhou Jinye continued knitting yarn for her as he replied, “Yes, I did.”

He tugged at the yarn. “That phone was deliberately sent to us.”

Hearing this, Xu Wu frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Besides us, someone else is also targeting Qin Shili.” Zhou Jinye answered.

She didn’t know who. “Who?”

“Qin Shuheng.”

After Zhou Jinye said this, Xu Wu recalled frequently seeing and hearing about these three names in industry news. The elderly patriarch of the Qin family was over seventy and no longer managed the company or family affairs. Nowadays, Qin Shuheng was the one in charge.

Xu Wu knew Qin Shili was an illegitimate child of the Qin family. His return to the family hadn’t been smooth, and though he had supported Qin Corporation for a time, he eventually lost his position as the company declined.

Externally, Xu Wu wasn’t aware of the grievances between Qin Shili and the Qin family. “What’s their conflict?”

“The Qin family kept it hidden from the public,” Zhou Jinye said, his gaze lowered. “Back then, the elder of the Qin family deemed Qin Shili useless to the company and secretly stripped him of his rightful position. Overnight, he was forced to leave the family and flee abroad.”

“Qin Shili hasn’t forgotten this. Now that Qin Shuheng is in charge, he’s rebuilt the company. Of course, the Qin family must guard against threats—but they won’t make a public appearance.”

Xu Wu didn’t have the complex familial dynamics of the Qin family. From just the words, she could sense the cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness of such a wealthy and powerful family. A person’s character often reflects their upbringing. Cases of illegitimate children in affluent families were common online. Thinking about Qin Shili growing up as an illegitimate child in such a family, Xu Wu dared not delve deeper.

“So that phone was secretly sent by President Qin… to use us…”

Xu Wu didn’t finish her sentence, but Zhou Jinye could read the fear in her eyes.

Zhou Jinye hugged her. “The Qin family is only targeting Qin Shili. They won’t harm us.”

She exhaled in relief.

________________________________________

After learning of Zhou Jinye’s plans, Xu Wu continued living as usual. Four days passed without seeing Xu Tianya until she suddenly appeared at the company today.

From the moment Xu Wu entered, Xu Tianya’s gaze was fixed on her.

Unaware, Xu Wu carried on with her work as usual.

When working on project planning, she poured herself a cup of coffee to stay alert.

Just as she finished pouring and was heading back to her desk, a thin arm pulled her toward the stairwell.

The stairwell was near the break room, its door slightly ajar. Unaware anyone was inside, Xu Wu was pulled into the stairwell.

The hand belonged to Xu Tianya, who had returned to work.

The door closed behind them, and the strong smell of cigarette smoke filled the air.

Xu Tianya held a half-burnt cigarette in her other hand. After pulling Xu Wu into the stairwell, she neither spoke nor continued smoking.

As the cigarette burned down to nearly an inch, Xu Wu attempted to leave. Only then did Xu Tianya speak: “How many projects are you handling right now?”

Xu Wu turned to look at her, confused. “What do you mean?”

“I haven’t been in recently, and I’m swamped with projects. I have an important one I can’t handle alone. Chen Haili told me to hand it over to you.”

The stairwell was typically used as an emergency escape route. Few people climbed twenty floors during the day. At noon, with the lights off, the area was dimly lit, and Xu Tianya was almost invisible in the shadows.

Hearing this, Xu Wu froze. Normally, Xu Tianya would fiercely compete with her for project leadership, treating her like a rival. Now, she had dragged Xu Wu into the stairwell to hand over her workload.

Xu Wu’s expression shifted from surprise to suspicion.

Without wasting words, if Xu Tianya was serious, Chen Haili would inform her directly.

The coffee in her hand had cooled. Xu Wu decided not to linger in the stairwell and returned to her desk.

Right on time, Chen Haili notified her of the matter. But when she heard the client’s name, Xu Wu was utterly shocked.

Why would they assign Qin Shili’s project to her?!

Meanwhile, in the stairwell, Xu Tianya finished her cigarette, the butt still clutched in her hand. The light from her phone illuminated her face, the screen still displaying her conversation with Qin Shili from hours earlier.

He had mentioned a project, but Xu Tianya hadn’t replied. Over the past few days, she had uncovered many things. Initially, when Qin Shili met Xu Wu, there was tension between them. Xu Tianya had always disliked Xu Wu, but after learning certain things recently, her feelings deepened.

She sent a message to Qin Shili. As the phone screen dimmed, the light reflected in her eyes, revealing years of suppressed resentment and hatred. Dressed in her usual flamboyant red, she resembled a rose in the shadows, its colors darker in the unlit corners.

Back at her desk, Xu Wu caught a faint whiff of cigarette smoke wafting past her. The scent lingered in her nose as Xu Tianya walked by.

Shortly after, Xu Tianya sent her Qin Shili’s WeChat and phone number.

Xu Wu couldn’t understand why Xu Tianya, who had once fawned over him, was now handing over such an important figure to her.

Regarding Qin Shili, the PR department handled various projects and tasks. Xu Wu anticipated difficulty in refusing.

Xu Tianya’s behavior today was strange—too strange.

But she couldn’t figure out why.

It left Xu Wu deep in thought.

________________________________________

Five days later, the shop repairing the phone contacted Zhou Jinye. The contents of the phone were mostly restored.

As the setting sun cast its glow between tall buildings, he put on his coat and headed out, conveniently picking up the repaired phone while on his way to meet Xu Wu.

Together, they brought the phone home. It stayed with Xu Wu, who tried to turn it on. The screen appeared ordinary.

Zhou Jinye took the phone to examine it, unsure where the information they sought might be.

He opened the contacts list.

There weren’t many entries—mostly blank spaces, except for two contacts.

The notes listed “Q” and “Old Woman.” The ambiguous labels didn’t reveal the phone’s owner.

By chance, Zhou Jinye tapped on the first recent call log. The exchanged messages glowed faintly on the worn-out screen, nearly fading.

In the conversation, a particular phrase caught Xu Wu’s sharp attention: the cemetery in the small county where her father had been harmed. Recalling Tang Shu’s words when she returned to Jiangcheng, she realized this was the killer’s phone he had mentioned.

And it was Qin Shuheng who had sent this phone with information about Qin Shili.

At this moment, she clearly understood that “Q” on the other end of the call was Qin Shili.

He had sent location messages to this phone’s owner. She looked at Zhou Jinye, realizing how cunningly they had orchestrated a plot to force them apart.

Her gaze fell on his wounds. She had nearly lost Zhou Jinye.

Zhou Jinye pieced it together at the same time.

The scars on his chest and back had come from the same person.

Her hand gently rested on Zhou Jinye’s chest. Her voice was soft. “Does the scar here still hurt?”

Fatherly love comes in different forms. Xu Wu had been happy with her father, sharing everything with him. But Zhou Jinye’s father had inflicted scars on him and sought to wound him even deeper, wanting Zhou Jinye to end up like him.

He covered her hand with his, pressing it against the scar as if to comfort her. “I’ve long since stopped feeling it.”