In the dark and damp basement, Guan Baocheng was chained to an iron bed. His range of movement was only within two meters, and he even had to relieve himself in this room, which resulted in an indescribable stench filling the room.
Apart from his old wounds, there were some new ones on his face, which were left this morning when he was caught trying to sneak out.
After they noticed his attempt to escape, an extra guard was added to keep an eye on him in this house.
Suddenly, a shrill ringing broke the silence in the room. It was Guan Baocheng's phone ringing.
A Qiang, the bodyguard watching him, walked over and snatched the ringing phone from his hand. He glanced at the caller ID, which showed a string of numbers. A Qiang sneered and patted his face, saying,
"Answer the call and put it on speaker. I don't need to tell you what to say, do I?"
Guan Baocheng trembled all over. With his blood - stained fingers, he pressed the answer button.
"Mr. Guan, hello. I'm Ji Xinyue, the daughter of the Ji family."
Guan Baocheng's facial muscles twitched slightly. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "Miss Ji, what can I do for you?"
"Mr. Guan, do you still remember Yuan Xi?"
...
After the black Maybach left the Yuan family's residence, it headed towards the city center.
In the car, Old Master Yan said sarcastically, "I thought you came with me to the Yuan family's today just like Yan Zhen, to discuss the marriage. Come on, didn't you say you wanted to marry her? You made such a big deal out of it, sending equipment worth five hundred million just to get a household register. Do you think she'll agree to marry you just because of this?"
"Are you getting senile? Didn't you hear what Yuan Tianlei said just now? She's not even a child of the Yuan family. Do you think they're worthy of discussing the marriage with me?" Yan Yincheng said calmly.
Old Master Yan covered his chest, in urgent need of quick - acting heart - saving pills. After finally regaining his composure, he roared, "I don't know if I'm getting senile, but I think your head was filled with salt and sand when you were in Haicheng!"
"Haicheng is a place blessed with good fortune," Yan Yincheng said meaningfully.
Old Master Yan's emotions also calmed down. He said, "Tell me about the cooperation project with the Pei family and that so - called 'Golden Amber'. You bought into the Pei family and became a major shareholder. What's your plan?"
When it came to business, Yan Yincheng cleared his mind of distractions and explained the project with the Pei family in detail to his father. Of course, he also inevitably mentioned the design competition they held. After learning the name of the first - prize winner of the competition, Old Master Yan was indeed a bit surprised. He pondered for a while and said,
"This girl Yuan Xi is quite capable. After we get back, have someone send me the plan and design drawings of 'City of Hope'. I want to see for myself if it's as valuable as you said."
Yan Yincheng was quite proud. "The person I take a fancy to is, of course, the best."
Old Master Yan sneered. "Have you done the paternity test? Are you sure that's your son and my grandson? You'd better get your eyes treated first. A blind man claiming to have made up his mind without even knowing what the other person looks like. Be careful not to find out you've mistaken someone in the end. You may be willing to be a father for free, but I'm not willing to be a grandfather for free."
Just then, the car arrived at the Yan family's residence. Yan Yincheng unceremoniously pushed Old Master Yan out of the car with his blind stick. Old Master Yan almost lost his balance and nearly hurt his back.
Sitting in the car, Yan Yincheng faced him coldly and said, "Keep an eye on Yan Zhen. Don't let him go to Haicheng to mess up my business. Otherwise, I'll leave the Yan Corporation and start my own business."
Old Master Yan stamped his walking stick angrily. "Even if you start your own business, you still have to bear the Yan surname!"
Yan Yincheng said, "You're wrong. I can take the Yin surname."
After saying that, he slammed the door shut. The car drove away, kicking up a cloud of dust that made Old Master Yan cough.
"Third Master, where shall we go next?" Wei Shu in the front - passenger seat turned around and asked Yan Yincheng.
Yan Yincheng replied, "Go to the household registration management center."
Yan Yincheng absent - mindedly stroked the household register and ID card in his hand. The touch of his fingertips could tell him the degree of wear of the objects in his hand. Since they hadn't been used much, they still looked brand new.
She once told him that she wanted to get this back by her own efforts. She must have known what price she had to pay to get it back, right? A man like Yuan Tianlei wouldn't give it up easily. So she must have had to exchange it for something else. Maybe her own marriage, maybe money, or maybe something more valuable.
That's why she worked so hard to get into the Pei family, worked so hard at her job, and worked so hard to participate in the competition and won the first prize.
She had poured her feelings into "City of Hope", which was actually her "hope" too.
He had helped her get this thing back and helped her gain freedom. Would she be happy? Would she be grateful to him? Or... would she think he was being presumptuous and not respecting her wishes? But he hoped she would blame and resent him, because that would prove that there was more than just the child between them. He also wanted her to remember that it was him who gave her the chance to stand freely in the sunlight.
Let him be selfish and despicable one more time.
The weather in Fengcheng was not like that in Haicheng, which was often sunny. Maybe you could see a ray of sunlight in the early morning, but within half a day, it might be completely covered by dark clouds, and then it would start to snow. The biting cold wind howled everywhere.
After Yan Yincheng left the household registration management center, he went to Fengcheng University. When he finally finished his business and came out, it had already started to snow. A black umbrella was held above his head, shielding him from the falling snow. Wei Shu walked beside him and whispered,
"Third Master, A Qiang sent a message. Someone contacted Guan Baocheng this afternoon and told him that Miss Yuan was in Haicheng."
Yan Yincheng asked, "Who is it?"
"It's Ji Xinyue, the daughter of the Ji family."
"After our investigation, we found that Ji Xinyue and Miss Yuan were classmates from primary school to middle school, but their relationship was just so - so. After Yuan Ya'er came back, she became good friends with Yuan Ya'er. We checked her call records. Before calling Guan Baocheng, she had just talked to Yuan Ya'er on the phone."
"Ji Xinyue, Yuan Ya'er?" Yan Yincheng's face turned cold. He had just left the Yuan family's, and Ji Xinyue had already found Guan Baocheng. There was no such a coincidence in the world. How did they know she was in Haicheng? Did Yan Zhen tell Yuan Ya'er, and then Yuan Ya'er told Ji Xinyue? Or did Yuan Ya'er find out through other means?
If it hadn't been for Yuan Ya'er's instigation back then, how could Yuan Xi have been forced to marry Guan Baocheng? What role did Yuan Ya'er play in this? And what about Ji Xinyue? And the Ji family?
These people were really good.
However, he wouldn't touch the Yuan family for the time being. He still needed Yuan Ya'er, this "prospective niece - in - law". He needed her to marry Yan Zhen and needed her to hold Yan Zhen back. And he would settle the score with her for her attempt to harm Yuan Xi slowly.
"Have someone find out if Ji Xinyue is involved in what happened four years ago," Yan Yincheng said coldly. "If she is, make the Ji family disappear from Fengcheng completely."
"Okay, Third Master."
"Get ready. It's time for us to go back to Haicheng."
There were too many people in this world who were malicious towards her. He had to rush back to her side quickly, protect her well, and shield her from all the storms. He also wanted to help her achieve her dream, to complete her "City of Hope".
More importantly - he missed her.
He couldn't wait to stand in front of her again with a brand - new look.
Haicheng.
The sea breeze blew gently. Xu Zixi was dressed in a neat and valiant outfit, with her long hair pulled up high. Holding the drawings in her hand, she was checking the terrain on - site with the chief engineer of the engineering department. Pei Mingyuan, as the general project director, was also following beside them.
"I've read the geological report. The bearing capacity of the soil in this area is between that of the coastal and inland areas. It's the safest and most stable location to build the main building of 'City of Hope' here. And the data from the past five years shows that the coastline in this area has been extending, which is very beneficial to the whole project..."
After they had checked the main terrain, they were walking towards the temporary office.
The chief engineer of the project was surnamed Dong. He said with some difficulty, "I've read the revised design drawings. Although there seem to be no major problems overall, we still have to wait for Mr. Yan to come back before we can determine the next - step plan."