TFS Chapter 20

Rui Shikang came out of the study and sat upright on the single sofa in the living room, flipping through the latest land reform documents for the new city. He looked up when he heard rustling footsteps at the door. Li Jie walked in with a slender young woman. After a moment’s thought, he closed the documents in his hand.

Qin Man’s heart tightened. Stepping into Rui’s residence for the first time, she felt a sense of unease. Especially when Li Jie led her straight to the hall, while her mind was still in turmoil, she heard Mayor Rui asking, “Hello, what’s your name?”

Qin Man looked at Rui Shikang, and at Mayor Rui’s suggestion, sat down on the sofa. “Hello, Mayor Rui, my name is Qin Man, and I’m Yichen’s girlfriend,” she replied, sitting upright on the high-quality Italian sofa.

“Yichen is usually busy with work, and he’s not home often. I’ll have to ask you to take care of him more in his daily life.” Rui Shikang was unaware of Qin Man’s sudden visit, as Yichen had not given him any prior notice, so he started the conversation with polite greetings.

“He is indeed very busy, and the company has a lot of affairs. I will pay more attention to his health.”

Rui Shikang nodded, his eyes sizing up Qin Man. He said sternly, “Where does Miss Qin work?”

She kept her expression calm and composed. “I’m an actress, but I’ve only played minor roles.”

Rui Shikang remained calm. “How did you and Yichen meet? Would you mind telling me about it? Don’t be nervous, we’re just chatting.” Seeing Qin Man’s hesitation, he poured a cup of tea from the tea set on the table and handed it to her.

“This is high mountain oolong tea that an old comrade of mine brought me a few days ago. You should try it too.”

Qin Man thanked him and took a heavy sip. Although she didn’t know much about tea, she could still taste a faint, elegant fragrance. The exquisite tea set added to the charm of the tea.

“Although I don’t know how to drink tea very well, it tastes sweet and refreshing. It must be good tea,” she sincerely praised. She stared at the ripples in the teacup, her thoughts running wild. She suddenly felt a pang of regret, perhaps she shouldn’t have come here so impulsively today. She pursed her lips into a line, wanting to dispel her regret, at least she had to make a serious effort for her feelings once.

Rui Shikang smiled slightly. “I think I’ll have Li Jie bring me two boxes of it later. You have so little.”

The two chatted casually. Li Jie went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Qin Man declined a couple of times, but Rui Shikang still insisted that Qin Man stay for dinner. However, not long after Li Jie started working in the kitchen, she heard the roar of a car engine in the yard. Looking out the window, she saw Rui Yichen’s luxury business car, steadily parked in front of the courtyard gate.

Rui Yichen looked strange as he got out of the car. The guard was about to greet him, but he nodded and swept past the door like a gust of wind, the whole process smooth and natural. Only those who knew him well could tell that his face was ashen at the moment, and someone was likely to suffer.

He pushed open the door and heard Rui Shikang’s voice inside, talking about some of Rui Yichen’s experiences when he was studying abroad. Soon, Qin Man felt a chill. Rui Yichen’s eyes fell on Qin Man sitting on the sofa. His pupils were dark, making it impossible to see the turbulent waves contained within.

“My child, you finally thought of coming home today?” Rui Shikang restrained his smile and sat upright again, looking like a proper old scholar. “Just right, Li Jie is preparing dinner. Eat together before you leave.”

Rui Yichen gave a meaningful smile. “Don’t trouble Li Jie, I’ll take her out to eat. I’ll come back another day to have dinner with you.” He walked slowly to Qin Man and said quietly, “Miss Qin, let’s go.”

*

Seeing this, Zhang Shun double-tapped the phone to pause it. Watching the plot advance step by step, Zhang Shun felt that the home atmosphere in the TV series reminded him of his own family. Rui Shikang and Rui Yichen in the show gave him the illusion that they were his father, Zhang Shirong, and Zhang Yu. Thinking of Zhang Yu, Zhang Shun gave a self-deprecating bitter smile and double-tapped again to play the video.

*

Qin Man could see the change in Rui Yichen’s cold attitude. His face was very unsightly. His narrow phoenix eyes were slightly upturned, and his cold gaze swept over Qin Man, making her as silent as a cicada in winter.

There was no trace of pity in his eyes, like an ancient well without waves, devoid of any emotion.

Rui Shikang calmly responded, “Since you’re going out to eat, then I won’t keep you. Come visit the house again next time you have the chance.”

Qin Man nodded politely in agreement.

The two drove away, the atmosphere in the car as heavy as ice.

“Am I making you angry?” Qin Man asked tentatively, feeling a little uneasy.

Rui Yichen remained silent. He didn’t let the driver follow, tightly gripping the steering wheel, concentrating on driving. But his speed exceeded Qin Man’s expectations. Qin Man could only hold tightly to the handrail on the right, feeling the push of the car and the thrill of extreme speed.

Qin Man looked at the scenery flashing past the window. “Can’t you slow down a bit?”

Rui Yichen suddenly stopped the car at the end of a road, catching Qin Man off guard. She exclaimed, “Are you crazy?”

He still didn’t say a word and raised his hand, slapping her hard on her right face.

Qin Man felt a burning pain on her face. She looked blankly at Rui Yichen, unable to believe that Rui Yichen would actually hit her.

This slap was not at all soft. Qin Man’s right cheek immediately swelled up red.

“Where were you planning to go behind my back next time? I underestimated you, actually finding your way to my house.” His voice was like a knife, cutting into her heart with every word.

Qin Man’s heart was icy cold. “Rui Yichen, don’t forget that I still have evidence in my hands!”

Rui Yichen’s eyes were ignited again. He let out a chilling laugh. “Really? Evidence? I’ll send you to the Public Security Bureau right now and see if the police will believe you or believe me?” He said, his low voice carrying a bit of morbid madness, “Even if you die, you’re still my pet. I only see clearly today that you still have claws. Why don’t I chop them off and see if you still dare to show your teeth and claws?”

His eyes oozed coldness, and his originally elegant and noble temperament suddenly became sinister and perverse.

“Madman! You’re a madman! Don’t think that Xichuan is all named Rui!” Qin Man said, trying to open the car door to escape, her emotions already out of control.

Rui Yichen narrowed his eyes and quickly grabbed her wrist, pressing her hard into the seat. “You better be quiet for me.” His eyes were cold, and his tone revealed an undeniable ruthlessness.

“Don’t think I’ll always indulge you. If you piss me off, I don’t mind letting you taste what it’s like to be worse than dead from your parents.” His words revealed a playful cruelty, as if the devil in the depths of hell was murmuring.

Qin Man’s body couldn’t help but tremble. “Rui Yichen, I dare you to try them! I won’t let you go even if I become a ghost.”

He sneered. “A ghost should be like me.” Tears streamed down Qin Man’s face. “You bastard!”

Rui Yichen didn’t say a word, but instead used one hand to restrain the struggling Qin Man and dialed Shen Chen’s phone with the other. “Come to the Qin’s house for tea.” As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Man’s heart trembled violently. She stared at Rui Yichen in horror, but his eyes were piercingly cold, and his handsome face showed traces of blue-black. His icy lips touched her ear again, each word filled with despair, “Want to see a live broadcast?”

She stopped struggling, like a deflated ball, only her clear eyes were bloodshot. “No… don’t… don’t hurt them!”

Rui Yichen ignored her pleas. His vocal cords seemed to be torn, each word revealing an unbearable pain. “Do you know what to do now?”

*

Inside the Dongchuan Public Security Bureau, Xie Wenhao placed the food he had gotten from the cafeteria into a lunch box and slowly returned to the office, handing it to Yang Miaomiao. Yang Miaomiao had already changed clothes with the help of a female colleague. The little girl’s timid eyes stared at the lunch box Xie Wenhao handed over, and she swallowed her saliva.

“Eat, this is the food I got for you. We’ll see what you want to eat tomorrow, how about a burger?” Xie Wenhao said patiently.

Yang Miaomiao ate her dinner in big mouthfuls. The child seemed extremely hungry and had obviously not been taken care of for the past few days.

“Miaomiao, eat while Uncle asks you a few questions, okay?”

The little girl’s eyes lit up again and said in a childish voice, “Uncle, ask.”

“Where’s your dad?”

Just as he finished asking this question, before Yang Miaomiao could answer, Fang Qing patted Xie Wenhao’s back, signaling him to come with her. Xie Wenhao understood and turned to leave.

“They were evicted from their rented house by people who were forcibly demolishing houses a few days ago. Her father went to defend their rights with some people from the village, and then he never came back. When I asked the others, they all said they didn’t know,” Fang Qing explained.

“Never came back? Which company was the last to come?” Xie Wenhao frowned.

“I inquired at the urban village where they had previously rented, and they said that the village was in the planning section of Financial City, and the original landlord sold it to Huafeng Group, which is now the new owner taking over. If they were defending their rights, it should be at Huafeng Group.”

“I’ll go take a look tomorrow morning,” Xie Wenhao said. “I’ll trouble you to take care of the child tonight.”

“Ah, what are you saying? The little girl doesn’t have a mother, and if something happens to her father, it would be pitiful…”

Xie Wenhao felt that it sounded familiar. Financial City, how could everything today be related to that place? Cheng Ran also suddenly disappeared right after submitting a bid for a plot of land in Financial City, and the competitor was also Huafeng. A layer of mist was wrapped around Huafeng Group, waiting for Xie Wenhao to explore. Huafeng was very determined about the old city renovation project, it seemed like they were determined to get it.

*

When Rui Yichen’s phone rang again, Qin Man’s scattered gaze refocused. She listened carefully to the movement outside the phone, only to realize that it wasn’t Shen Chen, but Gu Shiqing.

Gu Shiqing didn’t tell Rui Yichen about meeting Qin Man during the day. Instead, she spoke about many official matters, especially the police were going to come to take a routine statement about Cheng Ran’s disappearance, which made Rui Yichen lose all interest at the moment. He patiently listened to Gu Shiqing’s story and instructed, “Don’t go out tomorrow, be sure to handle it properly and let the legal department take care of it.”

Qin Man groaned softly. Gu Shiqing caught the sound and said tactfully, “I’ll arrange everything properly, I won’t disturb President Rui anymore.” With that, she hung up the phone.

Only then did Rui Yichen’s mood improve slightly. He grabbed Qin Man’s long hair. “Remember, you can never escape my grasp.”

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