Xu Lize had been a bit absent-minded during the afternoon meetings. The closer it got to evening, the more frequently he checked his phone.
By the time the meeting ended, even his personal assistant, Zhao Rui, couldn't help but ask him, "President Xu, do you have some other private appointment later?"
Zhao Rui had been with Xu Lize for many years. Since Xu Lize started his struggle on Wall Street, Zhao Rui had been his right-hand man.
Officially, they were boss and subordinate, but their private relationship was more like that of comrades-in-arms.
However, today Xu Lize didn't respond to Zhao Rui. Instead, he tapped the desktop with his phone and asked, "Do I have any other schedules later?"
"Yes," Zhao Rui nodded. "We've made an appointment to have dinner with Director Dai from the Development Zone."
There was a livelihood project in the Development Zone that Xu Lize had been personally involved in for a long time. Now it was in the final stage, and the only thing left was the bank loan.
Both sides were holding firm, so Xu Lize couldn't afford to miss it.
"What about after dinner?"
Hearing this, Xu Lize showed an impatient look on his face, and his eyes were still fixed on the dark phone screen. Clearly, he was waiting for a call or a message.
Zhao Rui was confused, but he continued to report as usual, "After dinner, President Wen has invited you for a drink."
"Who?" Xu Lize was distracted and didn't react immediately.
"Xu Wenfeng, President Wen. Your fourth uncle," Zhao Rui explained word by word, trying not to laugh.
Xu Lize glared at him and said coldly, "Cancel the drinking party. Or you can call Xu Wenfeng and ask what he wants. If it's a private matter, don't even mention it. If it's a business matter, ask him to come to my office during the day."
After saying that, Xu Lize stood up, grabbed the suit hanging on the chair back, and walked out. Zhao Rui let out a silent groan in his heart and quickly caught up.
"Wait a minute, President Xu. President Wen has invited you several times. He wants to talk to you about the board meeting. You personally agreed to tonight's drinking party..."
Hearing Zhao Rui's "wailing" behind him, Xu Lize suddenly stopped, turned around, and said, "What? Can't you be an administrative secretary after coming back to China? Can't you even cancel an unimportant schedule?"
Zhao Rui stared blankly, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Was the board meeting unimportant? Then what was important?
Over there, Xu Lize had already walked to the elevator. The moment he pressed the down button, he suddenly thought of the faint lemon fragrance on Su Yang.
It was strange. It was just the smell of cheap body wash or shampoo, but it left a deep impression on Xu Lize, who was used to all kinds of sweet and alluring perfume scents.
The image of the little woman huddling in his arms, shivering but pretending to be calm, still seemed vivid in his mind. In the narrow elevator car, Xu Lize only needed to lower his head to see Su Yang's blushing face due to panic.
That moment of life and death actually made him feel a strange sense of deja vu.
Thinking of this, the elevator still hadn't arrived. Xu Lize impatiently pressed the button twice more.
It had been exactly six hours since he left Wutong No. 1.
He never checked his phone during meetings. Not only did he not check it himself, but he also didn't like his subordinates holding their phones absent-mindedly during meetings.
But in today's afternoon meeting, Xu Lize broke the rule because of his own words, "You can also call me."
Others didn't know what he was thinking while holding the phone, but Xu Lize himself knew clearly that he might be waiting for a call from the little woman who was alone in the villa.
To be honest, this unfamiliar emotion made Xu Lize very uncomfortable.
As for Su Yang, she had a full and wonderful afternoon.
After Xu Lize left, she first moved all the things from the car to the entrance. Then she washed her hands and started to explore this empty villa.
After a tour, besides the first floor, the second floor, and the rooftop terrace, Su Yang found that there was also a basement in this villa.
Out of curiosity, she went down and took a look. She found that the basement had been transformed into an open - style home theater. There was also a mahjong table in the corner. Although it seemed out of place compared to the artistic atmosphere of the home theater, it was very down - to - earth.
After the "exploration", Su Yang returned to the second floor. She chose a room with its own bathroom near the escalator and began to organize her odds and ends.
In the middle, Su Yang cooked herself a bowl of noodles with tomatoes and eggs from the refrigerator. Then she called the hospital.
The call was answered by a duty nurse. The nurse told Su Yang that He Juan had just woken up not long ago, was out of danger, and had been moved back to a general ward.
Su Yang thanked the nurse and felt much more at ease. After finishing the noodles, she continued to bury herself in organizing the room...
In the evening, when Xu Lize returned to Wutong No. 1 after the dinner, it was almost nine o'clock.
He had drunk a lot at the dinner today. Although he wasn't drunk yet, he was a bit tipsy.
When Zhao Rui drove him to the door of the house, as usual, he asked Xu Lize if he needed him to stay and take care of him.
Unexpectedly, Xu Lize gave him a disdainful look, slammed the car door shut, and walked into the villa without looking back.
In the huge living room, only a corner lamp was on, providing a dim light. The surrounding was lifeless, and there was no sign of anyone.
Xu Lize changed his shoes and walked up to the second floor while loosening his tie. But after searching around, he still didn't see Su Yang.
The after - effect of the white wine was starting to kick in. Xu Lize stood at the escalator entrance, impatiently took out his phone, and dialed Su Yang's number.
The call was connected, but no one answered for several minutes.
Xu Lize frowned. Just as he was about to go downstairs, he suddenly heard a dull scream coming from below.
He was stunned for a moment, leaned out half of his body over the stair railing, and looked downstairs, but the first floor was still empty.
At this time, the scream sounded again.
Xu Lize squinted his eyes and thought for a while. He took off his tie and jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and walked towards the basement along the fork of the escalator.
In the semi - open basement, colorful lights were flashing. The strange and gloomy music seemed like an airtight net, covering the entire space.
On the long, milky - white leather sofa, there was a figure curled up in a strawberry pajamas. A head of long hair was all over the shoulders. From the back, it looked like a giant doll.
A terrifying scream erupted again from the Dolby surround sound system.
Xu Lize lifted his eyelids. Suddenly, a pale ghost face flashed on the screen in front of him. Its pupils shrank, blood flowed from its three orifices, and rotten meat could be seen on its black lips.
It had to be said that this scene made Xu Lize, who was still a bit tipsy, suddenly sober up a lot.
The little woman on the sofa also seemed to be startled and buried her already curled - up body into the pillow behind her.
Seeing this, Xu Lize suddenly got a playful interest.
He slowly approached, slowly reached out his hand, and then, without saying a word, gently patted Su Yang's shoulder...