Chapter 44: Warning

The next day, while Xu Wu was at work, a notification popped up on WeChat indicating that her friend request had been accepted.

Soon after, she entered the chat interface with Qin Shili. She sent him an introduction for work-related purposes.

The person on the other side of WeChat knew it was her and added her as a contact. Xu Wu would be collaborating with him professionally. She had done her research—while investing in various projects, he had specifically acquired one company.

His company operated in the internet industry, and they were planning an event to celebrate the 16th anniversary of that particular company. Xu Wu had seen the address of his company—it was located in the bustling, affluent commercial district of downtown, close to Qin Corporation.

Xu Wu recalled Zhou Jinye’s words from the previous day: the phone had been secretly sent by Qin Shuheng. She understood the subtext of Zhou Jinye’s words. Besides targeting Xu Wu and Zhou Jinye, Qin Shili also had grievances against the Qin family.

After all, Qin Shili still harbored resentment for what the Qin family had done to him in the past.

When Qin Shili was expelled from the group, the Qin family suppressed the fallout. Now, with Qin Corporation holding its current status and Qin Shili owning a highly ranked and influential company within the industry, both companies were under public scrutiny. While the Qin family wanted Qin Shili to let go of past grievances, they couldn’t make overt moves in the industry. The Qin family wouldn’t directly intervene either.

Returning to her role as the client-side representative for Qin Shili, Xu Wu had to coordinate work with him daily.

Xu Wu hadn’t mentioned this to Zhou Jinye the previous night. She knew he wouldn’t let her take such a risk. But this might also be a good opportunity to interact with Qin Shili. He was a difficult person to find weaknesses in, and the documents she had reviewed at Uncle Xu’s place revealed almost no vulnerabilities.

“Miss Xu, could you help me check if this project proposal is detailed enough? Is there anything unnecessary?”

Shu Ke had already completed her internship period and officially become a member of the PR department. Recently, she was trying to handle projects on her own. Her workstation remained near Xu Wu’s.

From Xu Wu’s angle, the pile of documents on her desk nearly covered her head.

She took the printed project proposal from Shu Ke and skimmed through it. “Hmm, it’s quite detailed.”

Shu Ke had indeed grown significantly over the past few months working with Xu Wu. The processes in the proposal were all learned from her. As her first intern, Xu Wu felt proud of her progress.

“I heard that Xu Tianya handed over the high-level project with Qin Shili to you yesterday?” Shu Ke’s information-gathering speed was still lightning-fast.

“Mm,” Xu Wu handed the proposal back to her. Her computer screen still displayed the introduction of Qin Shili’s company.

Shu Ke glanced vaguely at Xu Tianya, who was busy on a call not far from their workstations. “Has her personality changed? Remember how she fought so hard to snatch the Boheng project from you. Did she give up so quickly?”

When Xu Tianya handed over the project to her the previous day, Xu Wu had thought about it but didn’t know what Xu Tianya intended. She shook her head at Shu Ke, indicating she didn’t know either.

“She’s always been at odds with you. This situation can’t be simple,” Shu Ke reminded her.

Xu Wu only had work-related conflicts with her. She hadn’t acted like this before. Xu Wu wasn’t sure if Xu Tianya did it intentionally or unintentionally. Her focus was on coordinating work with Qin Shili, so she didn’t dwell on it.

Qin Shili hadn’t appeared, and Xu Wu coordinated with other departments in his company. She casually mentioned his whereabouts during discussions.

Everyone in the company claimed Qin Shili was occupied with other important matters. After a round of negotiations, she gained no useful information.

As she left their company, she unexpectedly ran into Xiang Rui.

She was wearing loose clothing and had just finished greeting someone before leaving.

“Xu Wu.” They were facing each other, separated by a tree. Clearly, Xiang Rui had seen her and was walking over.

“Sister-in-law.”

Since marrying Wei Ming, Xu Wu hadn’t seen her. Their previous way of addressing each other had changed.

Xiang Rui looked radiant, her appearance unchanged from her college days.

She smiled. “It’s been so many days since we last met. You seem even more beautiful now.”

Realizing she had misspoken, she waved her hand to explain. “I didn’t mean you weren’t beautiful before—you were just too thin, looking less healthy.”

Xu Wu acknowledged her own changes and didn’t argue. “Thank you.”

Xiang Rui looked at the company behind Xu Wu. Her friend’s company was nearby, and she often mentioned a newly relocated influential figure in the industry. She knew who was behind Xu Wu and was aware of her work. Recalling the Weibo post she had forwarded to Wei Ming: “I saw your tweet last time. Are you currently collaborating with the company behind you?”

“Mm.” Xu Wu had just come out from inside, holding a proposal booklet, and didn’t hide it.

Xiang Rui had seen some things online about Qin Shili’s past. Even through the screen, she could sense how terrifying this person was, let alone the unpleasant incidents in those videos. She worriedly asked, “Did anyone inside give you trouble?”

Xu Wu shook her head, gently reassuring her. “No, someone in our department was overwhelmed with work and handed this project over to me. I’m just doing my job.”

That video was still in her top five history records. Thinking about it, Wei Ming was on a business trip and couldn’t answer calls. She would tell him when he returned.

Xiang Rui’s law firm had matters to attend to, so she said goodbye to Xu Wu. “Come over to my place another day, and we’ll talk more later.”

After marrying Wei Ming, Xiang Rui had bought a separate house. Xu Wu nodded in agreement.

________________________________________

In the following two days, she frequently visited that company due to work-related affairs. Not only did she fail to gather any useful information, but she also never caught sight of Qin Shili.

During these days, Zhou Jinye was busy with company projects. As usual, he returned to the apartment at dusk and continued working in his study until the early hours of the morning. After resting for three or four hours, he went back to work.

There was no movement from Xu Tianya’s workstation nearby. Xu Wu sent the final electronic file from their communication for review.

Soon, she was informed that revisions were needed, and specific details would be communicated by their company.

That’s when she unexpectedly encountered Qin Shili, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. Qin Shili, who had previously shown little interest, hung up the phone and raised his eyes over his glasses. His gaze changed, as if something amusing had appeared in his line of sight, sparking his interest.

“Miss Xu, it’s been a long time.”

After days of calm, Xu Wu suddenly meeting Qin Shili today made her fingers instinctively tighten around the project proposal she had brought.

“Miss Xu, Public Relations.” The manager who had been coordinating with her stood beside her and introduced Qin Shili as the company’s CEO. “This is our company’s President Qin.”

Before the manager could finish, Qin Shili laughed. Everyone who had seen the Weibo post knew him. “No need for introductions. Sit down.”

She realized Qin Shili wasn’t satisfied with the proposal. Xu Wu remained cautious around him.

The requirements were numerous. At the end, Qin Shili glanced at Xu Wu’s notes and chuckled. “Miss Xu is truly diligent. No wonder Zhou Jinye likes you.”

His sudden mention of Zhou Jinye made Xu Wu pause her writing hand and look up at him.

The cold-toned lights in the lobby reflected in his eyes. Behind them, his deep, emotionless eyes were hidden, revealing only a cold gleam that radiated danger and ambiguity.

The manager had been dismissed by Qin Shili. Despite the distance between them, Qin Shili continued to smile, though his expression was inscrutable and sinister. Slowly, he said, “I recently discovered something interesting. Would Miss Xu like to hear it?”

Beneath his polite tone lay a sinister expression. Xu Wu immediately felt uneasy—he surely had nothing good to share.

Sitting across from her, Qin Shili began slowly. “Not long ago, a friend of mine abroad—who has followed me for a year or two—had the anniversary of his daughter’s death. I asked him to visit an old friend for me. Can you guess what I found out?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Wu knew who he referred to as the “old friend.” She sensed trouble but kept her expression unchanged, revealing no emotions.

He closely observed her facial expressions, seemingly not finding what he wanted. Continuing, he said, “He recently returned to the country. Why didn’t he come to see me immediately? What was he doing? I really miss my old friend, but I don’t know where he is.”

Xu Wu’s face remained composed, but a thin layer of sweat had formed on her back despite the warm air conditioning.

“So, I’ve been investigating this matter for the past few days, which delayed my work. That’s why I haven’t had time to communicate clearly with you about this project. Even today, I’m still unsatisfied.”

Her throat was dry, making it hard to speak. She swallowed and, after a few seconds, maintained her professional smile. “I will make sure to revise everything President Qin mentioned today.”

The manager who had been dismissed still hadn’t returned. The wrinkles on Qin Shili’s face deepened as he smiled. The light above cast shadows beneath the folds. “Then I’ll trouble you, Miss Xu. If there’s anything else I’m unsatisfied with, I’ll let you know. I’ll have to bother you again.”

With that, he stood up and left. Xu Wu watched as Qin Shili walked away, his black heels rising and falling, revealing a dark red underneath, as if stepping on dried blood. As he walked further, the dark color merged with the black of his heels, leaving only black visible.

Only when Qin Shili was far away and out of sight did Xu Wu finally relax. She then began to reflect on the “interesting” matter Qin Shili had mentioned.

Though Zhou Jinye hadn’t told her that Uncle Xu had returned from abroad, she could roughly guess that Uncle Xu was the person Qin Shili referred to. Zhou Jinye had mentioned that Uncle Xu was considered part of his family.

And regarding Uncle Xu and Qin Shili, what kind of grudge existed between them?

She took out her phone. The project here was nearing completion. She needed to inform Zhou Jinye that Uncle Xu was being targeted.