Chapter 5 Injured

Chapter 5: Wounded

She wiped her tears and restarted the car.

"You'll need a place to stay for now, right, Mr. Shen?" she asked, her voice still a bit hoarse. "Until your ID card is ready."

"Yes."

"I have a place down in the south side of the city. It's usually vacant." Lin Wei turned the steering wheel. "You can stay there for now. Once your ID is ready, I'll bring it to you."

Shen Qingci nodded. "Thank you."

Lin Wei managed a faint smile. "Don't mention it, Mr. Shen. If you... if you ever start a company again, I'll still work for you."

Shen Qingci gave a faint "Hmm" in response.

The car pulled into a quiet neighborhood and stopped in front of an apartment building.

Lin Wei fished a key from her bag and handed it to Shen Qingci. "Sixteenth floor, unit 1602. The code lock's default is six eights. Please change it. There's some ready-to-eat meals in the fridge; please make do for now. I'll bring you some daily essentials tomorrow."

Shen Qingci took the key. "Alright."

Lin Wei seemed about to say more, but before she could speak, her phone rang.

The screen displayed the name "Xiao Ya."

Lin Wei answered the call, and a sweet, young voice immediately came through: "Mommy, when are you coming home? Grandma says if I don't go to sleep now, I won't be able to get up tomorrow..."

"Mommy will be home soon," Lin Wei's voice instantly softened. "Be good, go to sleep with Grandma first."

After hanging up, she looked at Shen Qingci, somewhat apologetically. "Mr. Shen, my daughter... I should get home."

"Go ahead," Shen Qingci said. "The child is important."

He got out of the car, using his cane for support as he stood by the roadside.

Lin Wei rolled down the window, opened her mouth as if to speak, but finally just said, "Goodnight, Mr. Shen."

The car slowly drove out of the complex.

Shen Qingci stood in place, watching the taillights disappear around the corner, then turned and walked into the building.

The elevator ascended, its mirrored walls reflecting his calm face.

He pressed the button for the sixteenth floor, leaned against the elevator wall, and closed his eyes.

Lin Wei's words flashed through his mind.

"After Lu Lin learned of your death, he went crazy."

"He has severe post-traumatic stress disorder, with self-destructive tendencies."

"He climbed to the top of the company building and stood by the railing."

The elevator chimed as it stopped.

Shen Qingci opened his eyes; his deep brown pupils were utterly still.

He stepped out of the elevator, found unit 1602, and entered the password.

The door opened to a simply decorated, clean, and tidy space, though it lacked a lived-in feel.

He closed the door, leaned back against it, and slowly let out a breath.

Then he raised a hand, pressing his fingertips firmly against the space between his eyebrows.

"Passing clouds..." he murmured, repeating the four words he had said in the car, his voice as light as a sigh.

Early the next morning, Lin Wei arrived.

She brought two large bags containing toiletries, a change of clothes, a few books, and a thick stack of financial magazines.

"Mr. Shen, these are all publications you used to read regularly." Lin Wei arranged the items one by one. "I picked out a few of the most influential ones for you to look over first."

Shen Qingci nodded and sat on the sofa to flip through the magazines.

"Coffee, Mr. Shen." Lin Wei placed the coffee on the table. Seeing Shen Qingci absorbed in reading, she said softly, "I'll be going now. I have things to do at the company. Please call me anytime if you need anything."

"Alright."

The door closed, leaving only the sound of turning pages in the room.

Shen Qingci spent the entire morning quickly skimming through a decade's worth of societal changes.

His gaze finally settled on the field of artificial intelligence.

Ten years ago, AI was merely a concept in laboratories; now it had permeated every industry.

"The trend of the times," Shen Qingci murmured to himself.

He set down the magazine, his right hand habitually tapping the top of his cane twice.

With his other hand, he picked up the coffee and took a small sip, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

It wasn't the familiar taste.

Shen Qingci placed the cup back on the table and didn't touch it again.

He flipped through the magazine a while longer until he reached an inside-page feature interview about the Lu Group.

A full-color spread, with a photograph right in the center.

Shen Qingci's movements stilled.

The man in the photo wore an impeccably tailored dark gray suit, seated behind a large desk.

He was slightly turned, looking in a direction outside the frame, his jawline taut, his eyes devoid of warmth.

The backdrop was the bustling city skyline outside floor-to-ceiling windows. He sat there like a cold marble statue.

Shen Qingci stared at that photograph for a long time.

In his memory, Lu Lin was still sixteen years old.

But the person in this photo now...

Shen Qingci put down the magazine and raised a hand to rub his temple.

There were too many people in this city who knew him.

To the public, he was a dead man walking, and he needed to get out of here as soon as possible to start a new life.

First, he needed some capital.

Shen Qingci researched several companies currently negotiating major collaborations and selected two with the most potential.

He did his homework thoroughly.

Over the next three days, he made four trips.

The first was to a technology company on the east side of the city. They had been deadlocked in negotiations with a foreign enterprise over technology transfer for a month.

Shen Qingci approached the company’s CEO as an independent consultant. In twenty minutes, he analyzed the foreign enterprise’s true intentions and hidden clauses, laying out a counter-strategy.

The CEO agreed on the spot and paid the consultation fee at the industry’s highest rate.

The second trip was to a manufacturing company on the brink of bankruptcy. Investors were demanding to withdraw their funds, and the management was at a loss.

Shen Qingci spent a day sorting out the accounts, organizing the assets, and identifying salvageable business lines. He then met with the largest creditor.

The negotiations lasted until late at night, ultimately resulting in a debt restructuring agreement.

Two contracts, with a total value exceeding 30 million.

According to the agreed-upon profit-sharing ratio, Shen Qingci received over two million.

The CEO of the second company personally walked him downstairs. In the elevator, he said earnestly, “Mr. Shen, come work for us. I can offer you an annual salary of 1.5 million, plus equity incentives.”

Shen Qingci leaned on his cane, watching the elevator numbers descend floor by floor.

“Thank you,” he said, “but I have my own plans.”

The CEO wanted to persuade him further, but the elevator doors opened.

Shen Qingci gave a slight nod and turned to leave.

With enough startup capital, all he needed now was for his ID to be processed.

On the taxi ride back, Shen Qingci shut his eyes for a moment.

Soft music was playing on the radio when it was abruptly interrupted by an emergency news bulletin:

“Breaking news: Around 3 p.m. today, an attack occurred outside the headquarters of Lu Group. According to eyewitnesses, an unidentified man attempted to approach Lu Lin, Chairman of Lu Group. The suspect has been subdued, and Lu Lin sustained minor injuries. He has been taken to the hospital for examination. The police have taken the suspect into custody for investigation…”

Shen Qingci opened his eyes.

The taxi driver clicked his tongue. “Even the wealthy aren’t safe these days. But what can you do? Everyone knows the name Lu Lin. I hear he has a terrible temper—probably made some enemies.”

Shen Qingci said nothing, his expression calm and unreadable.