sjar Chapter 898: Seems to be premeditated
Chapter 898: Seems to be premeditated
The bustling milk tea shop on the corner is filled with people coming in and out, smiling happily in groups of three or two, revealing the sweetness of happiness.
Even the wind was filled with the sweetness of milk tea and the aroma of caramel, spreading wildly.
The warm yellow light spread over the wooden tables and chairs, making the corner where Yu Qianqian and Deng Zhouyi were sitting particularly warm.
There were three or two exquisite desserts on the table - Matcha mousse sprinkled with fine powdered sugar,
The strawberry daifuku lay bulging on the white porcelain plate, next to it was the pearl milk tea that Yu Qianqian often ordered.
A thin layer of water droplets condensed on the wall of the cup, and the milk foam in the latte in front of Deng Zhouyi was rippling finely as he stirred it.
Deng Zhouyi's movements were very light, and the silver spoon touched the rim of the bone china cup, making a crisp tinkling sound.
He raised his eyes to look at Yu Qianqian, his gaze even warmer than the coffee in the cup: "Has anyone given you any trouble these past two days?"
Yu Qianqian was staring at her reflection on the table in a trance. She was stunned for a moment when she heard the words, and blinked before reacting: "What?"
"I haven't been to your company to wait for you downstairs these two days," Deng Zhouyi put the spoon on the saucer outside the coffee cup.
There was a hint of cautious tentativeness in his tone, "Are there any colleagues gossiping about this?"
Yu Qianqian picked up the milk tea cup, and the moment the straw pierced the plastic seal, the soft and sticky pearls mixed with the aroma of tea wafted out.
She took a small sip and then said slowly, "In the short term, everyone's comments are inevitable. If it weren't for turning the pages of a book, it would be over once the chapter is turned."
Her tone didn't reveal whether she was happy or angry, but the last syllable sank slightly, full of loneliness.
Deng Zhouyi's eyelashes trembled, and he pursed his lips helplessly, his fingertips curled on the table:
"I'm sorry. I was too simplistic before and didn't consider your situation, which caused you unnecessary trouble."
Yu Qianqian didn't respond, but took out a bank card from her small and exquisite bag and gently pushed it in front of him.
The card shone coldly under the light, like an invisible boundary. "Assistant Deng, please take this back."
Her voice was soft, but filled with unquestionable determination, "I've been thinking a lot these past few days.
What happened that night was my own choice, so I can't blame you entirely. A forced melon won't be sweet, and I really can't accept this."
She raised her eyes to look at him, the light from the dome reflected in her eyes, but they were unusually clear: “A marriage without love cannot last a lifetime.
I don't want to tie you down with this, and I don't want to use morality as a shackle. Some things, especially marriage, can't be forced."
Deng Zhouyi's hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. His palm was hot, and there was a slight tremor in his palm: "Qianqian, listen to me!"
His voice was a little more urgent than usual, his Adam's apple rolling, "This card has nothing to do with Master Jing, it's my own monthly salary.
I know I used to be a jerk, playing around with the world, but ever since Jiang Chengyu beat me up,
And after hearing what Grandpa Jing said to my mother, I suddenly realized that I didn’t want to live my life in a muddle anymore.
Now that I have met you, I want to manage my future well. I cannot change the misfortune of my mother and grandmother.
But I can bring them new hope. My mother hasn't been back to visit my grandmother for a long time.
I once went back to my grandmother's Shredded Chicken Hot Pot restaurant, but it was deserted. Everyone said that my grandmother hadn't been normal since my mother left home.
He often muttered to himself in the store, and then started crying while mumbling, and then started laughing while crying.
After I found her, I sent her to a nursing home and hired a caregiver to take care of her. My mother doesn't know about this yet.
If you don't suggest it, we can give these two poor people a happy and warm home in the future. Okay?"
Yu Qianqian looked at the red corners of his eyes, which were still stained with moisture, as if they contained years of grievances.
Her heartbeat suddenly became irregular. She wanted to say something, but her throat seemed to be blocked by the sweetness of milk tea. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
The strawberry daifuku on the table was still emitting a faint cool steam, but her wrist, where he was holding it, was incredibly hot.
The aroma of caramel in the air had not yet dissipated. Yu Qianqian stared at Deng Zhouyi's red eyes in a daze. The card with 500,000 yuan in it bound the past in the hands of both of them.
At the moment when the two of them were staring at each other, the originally faint laughter around them suddenly changed its tone, and whispers of discussion came over like a tide, carrying an inexplicable restlessness.
"Have you seen it? Something happened to Antai Technology..."
"Oh my god, the big boss has been taken away. Look, Mr. An is still wearing handcuffs in the video..."
Deng Zhouyi turned his head sharply, his eyes sweeping across the neighboring table—several young men who looked like students were gathered together, their cell phones in hand. The light from the screens reflected shock on their faces.
The girls queuing in front of the bar were also looking down at their messages, occasionally letting out a short gasp.
He just frowned when the phone in his pocket started to vibrate.
Yu Qianqian's phone, which was placed on the table, also emitted a push notification sound. The two crisp sounds seemed particularly abrupt in the warm yellow light.
Deng Zhouyi almost subconsciously took out his phone, and the news headlines that popped up on the screen were like ice-hardened -
"Breaking news! Antai Technology founder An Jinsong was arrested in accordance with the law on suspicion of multiple violations, and the company's core team is under investigation."
He clicked on it quickly, and saw the photo of An Jinsong walking out of the building in handcuffs. The comment section scrolling below was already boiling with trolls.
"How could it be..." His Adam's apple rolled, and the eyes that had just been warm turned cold in an instant.
The air around him seemed to be suddenly frozen, and even the knuckles holding the phone turned white.
Yu Qianqian also picked up her phone, her pupils constricted slightly. Her fingertips trembled as she swiped the screen, reading the reports about tax evasion and illegal experiments.
"Qianqian, I'll take you home first." Deng Zhouyi stood up suddenly, and the chair legs made a harsh sound on the floor, interrupting her daze.
He reached out to pull her, his tone filled with unquestionable urgency, "An Tai's matter has become a big deal. I must report it to Master Jing immediately. I will call you as soon as I have dealt with it."
Before Yu Qianqian could react, he pulled her up. The dessert plate on the table was shaken.
She hurriedly grabbed her bag, stuffed her cell phone into it, and hurriedly stuffed the bank card into Deng Zhouyi's hand - without any delay.
"Keep this. I'll explain it to you later." Deng Zhouyi pulled her wrist and stuffed the card back into Yu Qianqian's bag.
As I hurried past the bar, the waiter was still talking quietly on his phone.
The wind chimes at the door jingled, but could not cover up the sound of Deng Zhouyi's hurried footsteps.
As I stepped out of the milk tea shop, the lights of an oncoming car were so bright that I couldn’t open my eyes.
Deng Zhouyi subconsciously raised his hand to block Yu Qianqian. His eyes swept across the traffic on the side of the road, and his brows furrowed even tighter.
He turned his head to glance at Yu Qianqian who was still in a daze beside him, and his voice slowed down a bit, but still tense: "Are you okay? I'll take you home first."
Yu Qianqian nodded and was pulled by him across the sidewalk to the parking space and got into the car.
Deng Zhouyi got into the car, the engine of the luxury car roared, and it merged into the traffic flow at a high speed.
Back downstairs of Dongheng's small apartment, Yu Qianqian unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, saying softly, "Be careful on the road!"
The sensor light on the community unit door lit up behind Yu Qianqian, and the warm yellow light outlined her silhouette as she turned around.
Deng Zhouyi stood beside the car, the warmth of her wrist still lingering on his fingertips. His tone was a little softer than before, but still tense: "Go up, I'll call you later."
Yu Qianqian nodded without saying anything more, and looked back when she pushed the door open.
He leaned against the car, a corner of his white shirt lifted by the wind, and the anxiety on his face could not be hidden.
The moment the unit door clicked shut, the roar of an engine suddenly came from behind - the black car disappeared from near to far.
In the office on the top floor of Xingteng Restaurant, the air seemed to be sucked into a vacuum.
Behind the heavy mahogany desk, Teng Zijing slumped in the wide leather chair, his long legs casually resting on the table.
He held a cigarette between his fingers, the smoke swirling in front of his eyes, but it couldn't hide the coldness in his eyes.
On both sides of the office, two rows of men in black security uniforms stood upright.
He has broad shoulders and a broad back, and the walkie-talkie on his waist makes a slight electric sound from time to time.
They were the elites brought up by Teng Zijing from among the veterans, but at this moment, they all lowered their eyes and even breathed lightly, for fear of angering the people on the seats.
With a "bang", the office door was pushed open.
When Deng Zhouyi rushed in, he brought a gust of wind, and the loose hair on his forehead was blown into a mess.
He caught a glimpse of the stagnant atmosphere and his Adam's apple rolled subconsciously.
He slowed down his pace, walked over to Teng Zijing and whispered, "Master Jing, did you also see what happened with Antai Technology?"
Teng Zijing didn't say anything, but just glanced at him, his eyes as cold as ice.
Deng Zhouyi immediately realized that he had asked a nonsense question, pursed his lips awkwardly, and turned to look at the security guards on both sides.
His tone suddenly became stern: "Where's Qi Haoyu? The news said that Antai's people arrested a lot of people, and those who should be imprisoned and those who shouldn't have been imprisoned didn't escape, so why is he nowhere to be seen?"
"He disappeared together with his little lover." Teng Zijing finally spoke. There was no emotion in his voice, but it made the air a little colder.
Deng Zhouyi suddenly turned around and looked at Teng Zijing, his face full of surprise: "Master Jing, what did you say?"
The security captain Lu Feng, who was standing at the front, took a step forward and said in a deep and powerful voice:
"Assistant Deng, we followed your instructions and had three teams of people take turns keeping watch 24 hours a day. Last night, when we were changing shifts at the service area on the Ring Expressway,
A traffic accident occurred. The other party seemed to have planned it in advance. The accident car just happened to block the blind spot of the monitoring.
It also blocked our way. By the time our people got around it, Qi Haoyu's car had already disappeared."
"Impossible!" Deng Zhouyi's voice suddenly rose, "You are all soldiers brought by Master Jing.
Anti-tracking and targeted surveillance are basic skills, so how could they fall for such a petty trick?
He pointed at Lu Feng, his tone filled with anger, "Even if the other party is playing dirty, with your reaction speed, you can at least bite the tail, right?"
"Deng, shut up." Teng Zijing suddenly spoke, his voice was not loud, but it carried unquestionable majesty.
"Brother, Miss An has been taken away by the investigation team. There must be something wrong with that bastard Qi Haoyu." Deng Zhouyi was indignant.
Teng Zijing put his legs down from the table, stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked at the busy street below.
"The sudden disappearance of Qi Haoyu and Chang Miaomiao is very strange. Lu Feng, adjust your deployment as soon as possible.
Send some people to keep an eye on Chang Haihe, and some to search for Qi Haoyu as quickly as possible."