Chapter 138

Chapter 138

"..." Yu Chuang's gaze was too intense, and Zhou Ji immediately felt a chill run down his spine.

The pressure he felt in the meeting room today paled in comparison to this moment.

Yu Chuang leaned forward, his words coming out in a rush, "What happened to him?"

I thought he wasn’t interested? Zhou Ji inwardly groaned.

Zhou Ji had no choice but to lay out the events of the past few years in detail, including Pei Qing's relationship with Yunchi Group, how the Pei family went bankrupt, and how it implicated the Ji Family, etc...

The only thing he left out was the part about the Ji Family.

Zhou Ji only mentioned the bankruptcy crisis, never mentioning the comeback. He went out of his way to protect the few assets his good friend had left.

A quick online search wouldn’t turn up much. The fact that the Ji Group was severely damaged and nearly went bankrupt was true, and the media, always chasing headlines, would exaggerate it even further.

He was secretly relieved that Ji Mian had impulsively changed the company’s name. As long as Yu Chuang didn’t stay in Ningcheng too long or hear the name Ji Group, he probably wouldn’t connect the dots.

Zhou Ji grew more confident as he spoke, even mentioning that Ji Mian had sold his beloved watch.

In the heat of the moment, he even blurted out that he was "currently homeless."

"Homeless? He... doesn’t have a place to stay?"

Zhou Ji realized he’d overstepped and quickly backtracked: "Uh, it's not that he has nowhere to live. It's just... he sold his previous properties and now lives in the suburbs."

This wasn’t exactly a lie.

Ji Hai had spent the last two years obsessed with growing vegetables and retirement, buying a plot in the Ningcheng suburbs just for growing vegetables.

"...Do you have his address?"

Zhou Ji was caught off guard, "Huh?"

Yu Chuang's gaze was deep, his words clearer: "Address."

Zhou Ji: ...

No, this wasn’t about him not hearing clearly!

He’d already said so much, and now he wanted the address!?

"No," Zhou Ji kept his cool, "You should remember, Ji Fan is very protective of his image."

"..."

Zhou Ji swiftly changed the topic: "I forgot to ask, how long do you plan to stay in Ningcheng this time?"

To cover his intentions, he added, "Ningcheng has seen a lot of changes in recent years. If you’re interested, I can arrange for someone to show you around?"

"Just three or four days," Yu Chuang replied distractedly, "No need."

Hearing this answer, Zhou Ji immediately felt relieved.

Three or four days should be enough; he probably wouldn’t have time to bother Ji Mian.

"I’ve got a few things to take care of..."

Zhou Ji was a little slow on the uptake, realizing Yu Chuang was about to take off.

What’s the rush all of a sudden?

“Let me walk you out.”

Zhou Ji walked Yu Chuang out, watching his car pull away, then quickly whipped out his phone to call Ji Mian.

When Ji Mian received Zhou Ji’s call, he was just heading into a meeting with his execs. He answered and said, “I’m busy, text me if it’s urgent.”

Before Zhou Ji could get a word in, the call was cut short, and the phone was set to Do Not Disturb mode as he entered the conference room.

The meeting didn’t wrap up until half an hour before quitting time.

Ji Mian then glanced at his phone.

Zhou Ji had actually sent him thirty-nine messages.

Ji Mian was shocked when he saw the number and immediately opened them to read.

“Zhou Ji”: Damn it!

It was the first time Ji Mian had heard this mild-mannered guy swear. Out of the thirty-nine messages, about twenty were similar expletives.

He skimmed until he found something useful.

“Zhou Ji”: That stand-in you used to have, Yu Chuang! He’s in Ningcheng!

*

Yu Chuang drove down a road he knew like the back of his hand, pulling up to the gate of a housing complex.

But since his license plate wasn’t in the system, he was turned away.

Even after all these years, he was still stuck at this gate.

He made a call, and someone picked up right away.

Yu Chuang said, “Lin Shuo, get in touch with the agent at Lishui Xinyuan and set up a time for me to check out a place.”

The other party asked something, and Yu Chuang replied, “ASAP.”

*

Ji Mian sat in his office, gathering his thoughts, mulling over what Zhou Ji had said.

“He’s only staying in Ningcheng for three days. During this time, avoid those high-end restaurants and shops, lay low, so he doesn’t see you and get upset, getting back at you for what went down back then...”

According to the system, he and Yu Chuang were bound to cross paths eventually. However, in the original plot, the original host was already in a very dire situation by then.

After some thought, Ji Mian decided to have dinner at the company. Since taking over the Ji Family, he wasn’t as idle as before, spending two to three hours just for a meal.

After dinner, he returned to his office to continue working until late at night. Although Ningcheng was vast, and he didn’t think he’d run into Yu Chuang just by going out, it was better to avoid it as much as possible.

Ji Mian stayed up late for two nights, not just because of work, but also because he couldn’t sleep after returning home. The thought that Yu Chuang was somewhere in Ningcheng at that very moment made it hard for him to calm his mind.

On the third day, he entered the company with dark circles under his eyes.

The few elders who often performed tearful dramas in front of him were deeply moved by this sight.

Feeling relieved, they advised Ji Mian to go home and rest early. Health is the foundation of revolution.

After two straight days of less than four hours of sleep, Ji Mian’s brain was fried, and to make matters worse, there was a social engagement that evening.

After drinking without eating much, he was ready to sleep when he got home, but hunger and a headache from lack of sleep hit him at once, and his stomach felt uncomfortable.

He lay awake for a long time.

Ji Mian slowly sat up, sighed, and headed out to buy medicine and food.

Zhou Ji had warned him to avoid places where Yu Chuang might show up, and Ji Mian obediently found a small porridge shop nearby, ordering a sweet eight-treasure porridge with generous ingredients and a bottle of water. He took the medicine with the water first.

Behind him, someone called, "Sister, two bowls of porridge. To go?"

The last sentence was lowered, as if asking the person beside him.

Then he quickly corrected, "Eat here!"

Behind him, two porcelain bowls of porridge thudded onto the wooden table, and someone sat down behind him.

Ji Mian ignored it and slowly sipped his porridge.

The warm food finally eased his stomach.

After almost eight years in this world, Ji Mian had gotten used to eating slowly. It took him ten minutes to finish half the bowl.

Behind him, the man spoke again, cautiously, "President Yu, we have a flight..."

Ji Mian’s hand froze on the spoon, until he heard a "Hmm" from someone behind him.

The voice was different, and a single syllable wasn’t enough to confirm who it was. But Ji Mian still recognized it.

He’d been avoiding him but didn’t expect to run into him here.

Ji Mian tightened his grip on the spoon, pretending not to notice, and kept sipping his lukewarm porridge.

Even after finishing, the two behind him hadn’t left.

The louder man spoke again, hesitating, "President Yu, it’s... getting late."

It was late; he’d taken nearly twenty minutes to finish the porridge. Ji Mian thought: When did he start eating so slowly?

After two more minutes, Ji Mian wondered if he’d been recognized.

He’d dyed his hair black, which should look quite different. But if it was Yu Chuang, he might be able to recognize him.

Ji Mian stood up.

Turning, he glimpsed the two behind him, one of whom was facing him, his eyes downcast, expressionless.

It was Yu Chuang, after all.

Ji Mian walked out without a glance.

"Young master." As he passed Yu Chuang, he was casually called out.

"..."

Ji Mian’s footsteps stopped, and he turned his head to look.

Yu Chuang’s appearance had changed somewhat, the contours of his facial features had deepened, and he was colder than before.

When their eyes met, Ji Mian saw the gloom in Yu Chuang’s eyes, and his heart tightened.

He stared at Yu Chuang, silent.

Yu Chuang then stood up, facing him, his voice slightly cold: "Just a few years, and you’ve forgotten me already, young master?"

Ji Mian studied him for a while, as if finally recalling something, and curled his lips, "It’s you..."

Yu Chuang looked down at him.

Ji Mian looked visibly tired, having lost some weight, and was now eating porridge in a dingy shop he’d never have entered before, yet his tone hadn’t changed.

Moreover, just like before, he ignored him.

Ji Mian only said this one sentence and was about to leave, without any small talk.

Before Ji Mian could leave, Yu Chuang grabbed his arm.

He froze, surprised by his own action.

He noticed Ji Mian was holding a box of painkillers.

What’s hurting him?

Ji Mian frowned, "What’s the matter?"

Yu Chuang’s chest tightened. After all these years, why should he be so submissive in front of him?

He put on a haughty air, chuckled lightly, and said, "Just ran into you, young master. Thought I’d say hi."

Lin Shuo, clueless, grew even more puzzled.

He was driving his boss to the airport when he was suddenly stopped, delayed for half an hour... and now, about to miss the flight, it was just to say hello?

Ji Mian caught the sarcasm in Yu Chuang’s tone, and his heart stung. He looked up, silently staring.

Under that gaze, Yu Chuang nearly apologized.

"You’ve said hi. Let go."

Yu Chuang paused, then slowly released his hand.

Ji Mian turned and walked out.

Yu Chuang stood still for two seconds, then suddenly followed him.

Leaving Lin Shuo bewildered in the shop. After half a minute, he also hurriedly got up and chased after them. "Boss, we’ll miss the plane!"

Ji Mian walked two or three hundred meters, then stopped and turned around: "Why are you tailing me?"

Yu Chuang: "Same direction."

"..."

Ji Mian couldn’t stop Yu Chuang from walking the same way.

But Zhou Ji had specifically warned him that the news of the Ji Family’s bankruptcy must not be known to Yu Chuang, lest his lies be exposed.

If Yu Chuang kept following him like this, he might even follow him back home.

Ji Mian hailed a taxi by the roadside.

Yu Chuang observed the situation and realized one thing: this person had lost his driver too.

Just as Ji Mian was about to open the car door and get in, someone grabbed him again. He glanced at Yu Chuang and said sarcastically, "What, I haven't even said where I'm going. Are you going the same way too?"

"..."

"Let go."

Yu Chuang paused for two seconds, "First, tell me where it hurts."

Ji Mian was stunned, then suddenly turned his face away.

"Drank too much, got a headache."

Having gotten his answer, Yu Chuang let go.

The taxi's back door slammed shut, and the driver asked, "Where to?"

Ji Mian slumped back, exhausted, "Just drive around the block and come back, please."

The driver replied, "...Okay."