The Vanishing Beauty - Chapter 9 - 5
Chapter 9 - 5
They asked, and she answered truthfully. Although Di Liren had let her down, Yu Jia firmly believed that as an official, he had been dedicated, qualified, and even outstanding. He had indeed died at his post because his heart was tied to the common people. "Is there any problem?" she asked at the end. "Don't overthink it, just routine questioning," they said.
Walking back to her shop, various clues connected in her mind, suddenly weaving a web. Could this be related to the person who was just sentenced? Right, Yuankai had mentioned it—the one sentenced to twenty or nineteen years. She felt like she had heard Di Liren mention that name before, but she couldn't remember it clearly.
Yu Jia immediately called Luan Chengyun and asked him to come to the shop right away. Chengyun didn't ask questions; he set off immediately, and they met up. Once face-to-face, Yu Jia asked him whether Old Di had any dealings with that person before his death. Luan Chengyun insisted flatly that there were none. Yu Jia grew anxious. "The higher-ups have already questioned me, so tell me the truth!" Luan Chengyun lit a cigarette and finally said, "There were dealings, but I'm sure they had nothing improper between them." Yu Jia asked how he knew nothing improper was going on.
Luan Chengyun said that the leader Di Liren had followed and the sentenced person were political rivals.
Yu Jia let out a sigh of relief. Luan Chengyun added, "He went to the northwest largely because he was being suppressed around here." Yu Jia hadn't even known about this—she only knew that Di Liren had been unhappy here. Exactly who was suppressing him and how complex the internal relations were, she didn't know; Di Liren would never have told her.
"Did he tell you that?" Yu Jia asked. Chengyun gave a bitter smile and said it went without saying. After discussing the critical matters, the two naturally transitioned to talking about Yu Meng. Yu Jia relayed Yuankai's words, mentioning Yu Meng's difficulties. Luan Chengyun said, "I warned her long ago to watch out for pitfalls." Yu Jia asked when he had warned her.
Luan Chengyun recounted their experience of facing danger together on the airplane.
Yu Jia remarked, "Then the two of you can be considered companions in life and death."
Before Han Guang reappeared, Weng Yue had already gone abroad, claiming she was going to find Xiqian to stabilize the girl's emotions. Even if Yu Meng wanted to ask for her help, there was no way to reach her. The group's stock price continued to plummet, and mid-level and senior executives resigned one after another. Ye Cha and Yu Rui ran everywhere trying to put out fires, but in the end, it was merely trying to stop a boiling cauldron by adding fuel, utterly inadequate for the scale of the crisis.
Ye Cha said to Yu Rui, "Why do I get this overwhelming feeling that the great mansion is about to collapse?" Being a Chinese department graduate, she liked to wax dramatic. "What should we do? Let's think about an exit strategy!" When disaster is imminent, if you don't fly, you get burned alive.
Yet Yu Rui's gaze was resolute, as if she intended to live and die with the company.
With Han Guang absent, no one could approve funds, leaving Yu Meng to pull out all the stops to raise money everywhere. But doing business was always like this: plenty of people would add flowers to a brocade, but almost none would send charcoal in the snow. None of the former admirers and suitors who used to flutter around her were willing to inject capital into Moon City. Yu Jia found Xiao Bai, and while he was willing to help, the company's book funds were entirely tied up in the artificial intelligence project, leaving no "surplus grain" available for short-term turnover.
Yu Meng turned green with anxiety and wished she could go ask Liang Cai for a solution. However, the funds he managed belonged to the public sector and could never be poured into a project like Moon City. Weng Yang was a decent sort and willing to help put out the fire; when Yu Meng asked how much he could invest, Weng Yang replied, "Two million!"
Yu Meng was dumbfounded. Two million—what the hell kind of difference would that make! He had a mighty high opinion of his pocket change.
Everything seemed to have reached the brink of collapse.
Waiting only for that final straw.
Without any warning, Han Guang reappeared.
Within an hour, the group officially announced to the public that Chairman Han was attending meetings as usual and would pursue legal responsibility against those spreading rumors. The group's first-half financial report was promptly published, showing a year-on-year revenue increase of six percent.
Following this, the stock price slowly rebounded.
When Yu Rui saw the way Han Guang walked in and his overall state, she too believed that Mr. Han had no problems whatsoever. He was radiant, in fighting form, spoke with absolute confidence, and even injected a touch of humor. On his very first day back at the nest, he processed a massive stack of work. Was he just putting on a brave face? Yu Rui had her doubts. Whatever the case—even if it was a put-on composure—as long as he could remain composed, he was a powerhouse. Han Guang's series of moves delivered a forceful rebuttal to the rumors, making his disappearance look as though it had merely been a malicious smear campaign by competitors.
Upon learning of Han Guang's return, Yu Meng rushed to the group's headquarters at the earliest opportunity. After listening to her report, Han Guang simply told her not to worry, saying the group was about to make a major move and that project would not be a problem. He added that he would dispatch the external affairs department to coordinate with the Myanmar side to maintain the confidence of their partners. "When will the funds arrive?" Yu Meng cared about this above all else. "As soon as possible," Han Guang replied crisply. Just as she was about to step out, Yu Meng couldn't help asking out of turn, "Old Han, are you alright?" Han Guang told her there was no need to worry.
Yu Meng went over to sit for a while at Yu Jia's restaurant, her face clouded with worry. After a wave of customers cleared out, Yu Jia finally found a moment to accompany her. Yu Meng briefly outlined her predicament, and Yu Jia comforted her, saying that since Chairman Han had promised, it would surely be fine. "Fine?" Yu Meng retorted. "Can a man's words be trusted?"
Yu Jia sighed and brought up the matter of Di Liren's former work unit approaching her to inquire about things. Shocked upon hearing this, Yu Meng said, "Surely not. What problems could he possibly have—bribery? Then why were you living so poorly?" Yu Jia also found it suspicious and asked Yu Meng if she knew anything about Old Di's other situations from back then.
"What other situations?"
Though hard to put into words, Yu Jia still had to say it. "That aspect... with other... women..." Her voice dropped very low. Yu Meng was put in a difficult position; the man was already dead and a recognized martyr to boot—why dredge up those things now? She said she knew nothing about it. Yu Jia said, "In this system-wide commendation, the word 'martyr' right behind Di Liren's name was stripped from the briefing." Anxious, Yu Meng asked, "Can they even take that back?!" Yu Jia sighed, saying she wasn't sure either. In the past, the word martyr trailing behind Di Liren's name had felt like a massive irony to her. Now, if those two words were truly gone, she felt a sudden sense of loss. Being the widow of a martyr was still better than being the widow of a fallen and disgraced cadre.
Most of the people in the building had already cleared out. Yu Rui was still sitting at her workstation. As long as Han Guang didn't leave, she wouldn't leave; during this extraordinary period, she and Ye Cha had decided to stand guard by Chairman Han. They were afraid something unexpected might happen. A document came through, and Yu Rui took it to go find Han Guang for his signature.
The door was half-open, and with only a single lamp lit, the office was poorly illuminated. She saw Han Guang sitting there listlessly, his expression desolate, his eyes looking as though their soul had been sucked out. She knocked lightly. Only then did he snap back to his senses as if reacting to a conditioned reflex. He reached out his hand for the document, and she handed it over. He flipped through it twice and affixed his grand signature.
"Sit for a while," he said.
He didn't ask her why she hadn't left yet.
Cautiously, Yu Rui sat down, placing both hands on her knees. She wanted to ask him what had happened, or perhaps chat about something else. But in the end, the words didn't come out. At a moment like this, if he wanted to talk, he would naturally speak. If he didn't, she would simply keep him company. It felt as though time stood still, stretching on until the end of the world. Words failed between them. She watched him. He didn't look at her, smoking his own cigarette.
Profound, oppressive, and laden with infinite sorrow.
Because of this silence, Yu Rui understood that things were far from as simple as they appeared on the surface; beneath the calm sea, a violent storm was brewing. Yet all she could do was accompany him and wait for that moment to arrive. If not her, who else could it be? Weng Yue was out of the country, and his daughter was also abroad. Ye Cha? Needless to say, if that veteran secretary knew the truth, she would be the first person to flee for safety. A lonely king, a solitary beast—he was completely surrounded by emptiness. Only, Yu Rui realized, perhaps the king in their eyes was merely a puppet controlled by an even higher-tier king.
When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact.
Should she, like others, make a swift retreat to a safe zone and watch helplessly as a legend was destroyed?
Before she knew it, Han Guang had actually fallen asleep. She stepped over lightly and draped a jacket over his shoulders.
Han Guang successively resigned from his leadership positions in four companies subordinate to the group. The outside world was in an uproar, viewing it as a major signal. However, Han Guang repeatedly stated publicly that he had no intention of retiring.
The group pulled strings to temporarily suppress the situation in Myanmar, but Yu Meng was burning with anxiety! Every single day without money meant her project couldn't progress for a day; every day of stagnation meant a day of losses and risks! Old Han's phone couldn't get through, and when she went to the company to find him, eight times out of ten he wasn't there. The local government in Myanmar could wait, but the small contractors were still demanding their money; if she couldn't come up with the funds, they were going to pull out and might even tear down what had already been built—they weren't going to leave empty-handed without getting paid in kind or cash. With no alternative left, Yu Meng had no choice but to take Weng Yang's money, sell off the house and jewelry she had gotten in the divorce, and convert them to cash. Desperate to sell quickly, the price wasn't great, but she needed immediate cash to patch the eastern wall by tearing down the western one. Yet this money only lasted a few days before drying up. Back to grinding away. A bottomless pit.
Yu Meng went to the sisters of the Women Entrepreneurs Association to think of a way, but none of them were fools; they stayed far away. Kneeling down wouldn't even work. Everyone knew money was good; who would throw their own cash into a bottomless ocean? She looked for Mrs. Xin, but she couldn't find her either, as if she had vanished into thin air.
Yu Meng went to Yu Shuang for help, and Yu Shuang took her to meet a few friends. In the end, it was Yuankai who invested a small amount. Profusely grateful, Yu Meng promised him a share of the equity later on. Yuankai gave a light smile and said nothing. The moment he invested, he was already thinking about how to pull his money back out. He wasn't very optimistic about the Moon City project, primarily because the entire venture relied entirely on policy rather than market demand, making it far too unstable.
Yet taking advantage of this opportunity, Yu Shuang and Yuankai got together for a catch-up. It was a rare occasion. Both of them had been busy with their respective lives and burdened with their own worries, and it had been quite a while since the old friends last met.
Yuankai had something on his mind and wanted to talk it over with Yu Shuang. Meanwhile, Yu Shuang was still somewhat nursing a grudge because Kang Long hadn't answered her call, and she intended to vent to Yuankai.
Even if they weren't lovers, they ought to still be friends. Kang Long shouldn't have done that. But before she could even get into her own grievances, the moment Yuankai opened his mouth, Yu Shuang was hit by one shock after another.