949 Concede Defea
Zhao Liangze was so drunk that he slumped over. The others saw that he was about to slide down from the sofa.
Only Huo Shaoheng remained indifferent as he coldly looked at him.
On the sidelines, Yin s.h.i.+xiong was breaking out in a cold sweat. He finally punched Zhao Liangze hard on the back of his head to knock him out.
“Huo Shao, today Little Ze experienced great happiness and sadness. He drank a bit too much, so please don’t take it to heart…” Yin s.h.i.+xiong stuttered in an attempt to help Zhao Liangze defend himself.
Gu Nianzhi wanted to speak up, but Yin s.h.i.+xiong discreetly waved a hand at her so she would keep quiet.
However, Huo Shaoheng didn’t appear angry at all. He merely stood up and said, “…It’s already considered malfeasance for him to get so drunk after having so little to drink. I’ll take him back and get him sobered up, then I’ll ask him to submit a 10,000-word report. I will discuss his subsequent punishment after he sobers up.” As he spoke, he walked over to Zhao Liangze and picked up him with one hand. He dragged Zhao Liangze outside like he was a burlap sack.
Gu Nianzhi was silent.
Yin s.h.i.+xiong wiped the sweat from his forehead, then shot Gu Nianzhi a look to ask her to chase after Huo Shaoheng.
He could tell that although Huo Shaoheng didn’t appear angry at all, he must be enraged on the inside.
Everyone in their profession was accustomed to concealing their own emotions.
Suddenly going crazy like Zhao Liangze had was indeed quite unprofessional.
As Huo Shaoheng had said, this was “malfeasance.”
The punishment probably wouldn’t be very light.
Yin s.h.i.+xiong began silently praying for Zhao Liangze.
However, Gu Nianzhi was still thinking about the video on He Zhichu’s phone.
She still hadn’t figured out where He Zhichu had gotten his hands on it, so this was very important to her.
“Brother Xiong, you and Qiqi should go first. I’ll also be leaving after I get the bill.” Gu Nianzhi didn’t go after Huo Shaoheng, but winked at Ma Qiqi instead. “Qiqi, sorry you had to see that.”
Ma Qiqi quickly shook her head with a smile. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m fine. It’s good that you’re happy.”
Yin s.h.i.+xiong wanted to go back to the base and visit Zhao Liangze. He also wanted to take the opportunity to plead on his behalf.
“Then we’ll be leaving first.” Yin s.h.i.+xiong took Ma Qiqi’s hand and smiled at Gu Nianzhi. “Nianzhi, this year I’ll be taking Qiqi back to my hometown for Lunar New Year. I wish you Happy New Year in advance.”
“Oh? Meeting the parents already?! Congratulations, congratulations!” Gu Nianzhi was genuinely happy for Ma Qiqi, then replied, “When is the wedding? Tell me in advance once the date is set, I need to earn enough money for your red envelope!”
“Well, of course. I won’t accept your red envelope if there’s not enough inside! Work hard, Nianzhi!” Yin s.h.i.+xiong chuckled as he patted her shoulder and nodded to He Zhichu. “Professor He, can I bother you to take Nianzhi back?”
He Zhichu put both hands in his trouser pockets and nodded with elegance. “Nianzhi will be driving my car.”
Gu Nianzhi said nothing.
After Yin Shxiong and Ma Qiqi left, Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu also left the private room. They went to the front counter to pay.
When the staff at the front counter looked at their bill, they smiled and said, “The bill has already been paid for. Have a good day!”
“It’s already paid for? By who?” Gu Nianzhi was very shocked, so she asked the front counter to show her the bill.
The name “Huo Shaoheng” was written with great flourish, so messy that people typically wouldn’t be able to read it.
Of course, Gu Nianzhi could read it.
When she had been most obsessed with Huo Shaoheng, she had even secretly imitated his handwriting.
After she finished her homework every night, she would read his handwritten notes over and over again. She had felt devout and sweet as she wrote in his handwriting–it was like the entire world was hers.
But when she saw his signature now, Gu Nianzhi discovered that her heart was still as water.
Setting the bill down, she memorized the amount on it.
It wasn’t too much, she could afford it herself.
She’d make sure to return this favor when she had a chance to.
Gu Nianzhi and He Zhichu left the restaurant together.
The snow on the ground had already acc.u.mulated into a thick layer, so it creaked when they stepped on it.
Gu Nianzhi glanced at her car and said with some hesitation, “Professor He, you should ride in my car. I’ll bring you back here to pick up your car tomorrow.”
He Zhichu rubbed his temples, then nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll go in your car.”
The two of them got into Gu Nianzhi’s red Ferrari and drove out of the restaurant’s parking lot.
Gu Nianzhi was driving He Zhichu to the B University professor’s building.
On the way, Gu Nianzhi began to probe carefully and ask He Zhichu about the video.
“Professor He, where did you get that video from?”
In the beginning, He Zhichu ignored her. Afterward, he got frustrated enough that he replied coolly, “…You hide everything from me anyway, why do I have to tell you?”
Gu Nianzhi didn’t respond.
She looked down nervously and squeezed the steering wheel as she got onto the highway.
That morning’s situation was still vivid in her memory, but somehow she hadn’t experienced any trauma at all.
She wondered if it meant that her courage had been honed.
Gu Nianzhi sighed emotionally, then said, “Professor He, I didn’t want to hide it from you. I was afraid that you would get worried…”
“If you knew I would get worried, why did you do that kind of thing anyway?” He Zhichu opened the video on his phone. “Just look at you, you were playing with fire!”
Gu Nianzhi pursed her lips, silently listening to He Zhichu berate her.
“And what was going on with that tanker? Why did it keep tailing you? Why were the Is.h.i.+hara Corporations’ two cars the only ones to collide with the tanker? How did you become so brave that you’d even dare to play hard to get on the highway?”
He Zhichu fired off a series of questions at her, but Gu Nianzhi really didn’t know which one to answer first.
Because it was a very long story, she didn’t know where to begin.
As Gu Nianzhi drove, she decided to turn on the car’s stereo system. The flowing piano melody instantly filled the small cabin of the car. It seemed to carry a calming force that settled her nerves.
After He Zhichu vented for some time, he noticed that Gu Nianzhi was keeping silent. He grew even angrier. “Why aren’t you speaking? Are you not going to tell me if anything happens to you in the future?”
Gu Nianzhi finally smiled meekly and replied, “Professor He, you are speaking too seriously. I wasn’t trying to hide it from you. I actually hid it from Huo Shao too.”
He Zhichu was shocked.
Although he still wasn’t too satisfied with this answer, why was his mood miraculously improving?
Gu Nianzhi keenly sensed that He Zhichu’s mood had already improved, so she continued. “…I calculated everything. The Is.h.i.+hara’s wanted me dead, so I couldn’t sit idly by.”
“The Is.h.i.+hara’s wanted you dead?!” He Zhichu turned around to look at her with shock. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”
Gu Nianzhi was also very surprised. “Why would I tell you sooner? Could you have dealt with this family without violating any laws?”
“Sc.u.m like them should’ve been wiped out anyway. Why do we need to talk about the law?” He Zhichu sneered and turned to look at the night scenery through the car window.
After some time, he said, “…Did you leave any evidence behind of the things you did? Do you need me to clean up for you?”
Gu Nianzhi closed her eyes and said with exasperation, “Professor He, what on earth are you thinking about? I really didn’t do anything. The only thing I did was call to order delivery. When the tanker was about to hit me, I suddenly accelerated to escape being crushed by an 18-wheeler.”
He Zhichu frowned as he watched the video over and over again. The situation was actually exactly as Gu Nianzhi described.
He didn’t know what Gu Nianzhi meant by “call to order delivery,” but the video clearly showed her suddenly accelerating.
Gu Nianzhi certainly didn’t do anything wrong.
He Zhichu sighed in relief. “You need to know the importance of things, so I believe that you wouldn’t lie to me about this kind of thing.” He paused, then asked her, “How did you know the Is.h.i.+hara’s wanted to harm you?”
Gu Nianzhi glanced at him before replying calmly, “Does Professor He remember how I fell a while ago and was almost half-paralyzed from it?”
“I remember that.”
“That was Is.h.i.+hara Taro’s doing.”
He Zhichu was silent.
“Also, Is.h.i.+hara Taro stalked me for a long time and collected information about my whereabouts. He made up his mind to create a car accident today…”
He Zhichu recalled the car accident Gu Nianzhi experienced when she was 12 years old, so his heart instantly softened. “Are you okay? Do you need to see a psychiatrist?”
“I’m fine now.” Gu Nianzhi patted her steering wheel energetically. “I used my own abilities to get rid of the grandfather and grandson once and for all. I also dealt with my psychological trauma!”
He Zhichu rubbed his forehead and felt a bit of a headache coming on. However, he was a bit proud and smiled, “I didn’t you would be like this, Nianzhi.”
“Haha, Professor He is too kind.”
“I wasn’t complimenting you.”
Gu Nianzhi didn’t mind, so she said to He Zhichu, “I already came clean, so Professor He should also explain where you he that video from!”
“I’m no longer your professor.” He Zhichu suddenly became very conscious about what she called him. “You can call me something else…”
“Ok, Lawyer He.” Gu Nianzhi giggled as she changed his t.i.tle. “Tell me.”
He Zhichu sighed, his fingers rubbing the phone screen as he finally said, “…Actually, I used to study computer science. I changed to studying law afterward.”
“Oh? You’re that amazing?” Gu Nianzhi expressed sincere admiration. “Then you’ll have to teach me a few tricks.”
“When we have the chance later on.” He Zhichu draped a hand against the edge of the car window, propping it under his head as he stared blankly at the road ahead.
The black night stretched out endlessly ahead. It was like he would never see the end to it.
But this was only an illusion. The truth was, the sun would rise eventually and the suffering would come to an end.
Gu Nianzhi’s mood brightened. She hummed quietly as she got off the highway.
He Zhichu hesitated for a while before saying, “Nianzhi, I’ll be going back to the United States tomorrow. I’m not coming back for Lunar New Year.”
Gu Nianzhi agreed mindlessly, saying, “Professor He also needs to go home for the Lunar New Year? Then I’ll have to wish you Happy New Year in advance!”
He Zhichu nodded. He was originally going to say that he would go back to deal with everything this time around, then return here to stay with her and never leave again. But when he saw Gu Nianzhi’s carefree expression, he stopped himself from saying it.
He Zhichu decided to stay in the Huaxia Empire from now on.
He didn’t want to say it and give Gu Nianzhi any psychological stress.
He wanted her genuine feelings, not love stemming from pity and charity.
If that didn’t make her love him, then he would concede defeat.