A Broken Mirror Never Mends - Chapter 9

The secretary suddenly realized: “…What Cheng Xi really wants is Fengyu?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw his boss nod slightly and give a word of praise: “Hmm, smart.”

Right!

The secretary’s eyes widened slowly. Why hadn’t he thought of that before?

According to current laws, a couple can make special agreements regarding property through a contract. But if there is no agreement, after getting married, both people have equal rights to handle business investments or property that should be owned together.

If Cheng Xi just wanted someone to take care of him, there were plenty of people in the industry to choose from who were richer than Mr. Ji. Being with Mr. Ji alone wouldn’t mean much to him. After all, the money Cheng Xi made from high-end fashion shows and acting was already enough for him to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

Unless, from the very beginning, he had his eyes on the “money tree” behind Mr. Ji—the Executive Director and CEO of Fengyu Group, Shi Tian.

The secretary thought seriously for a moment and then said, “CEO Zhou, how about I go find our person inside Fengyu to test the waters? Mr. Ji and Mr. Shi just flew abroad with several executives for their honeymoon. Their company has almost no management left right now.”

“…Honeymoon?”

Zhou Sifu narrowed his eyes slowly. “How come I didn’t know about this?”

The secretary felt like crying. “CEO Zhou, didn’t you say you didn’t want to hear about it?”

Zhou Sifu: “…”

He remembered now. He had specifically told his secretary and assistants that from now on, they didn’t need to report anything regarding those two from Fengyu to him.

Seeing the stiff expression on Zhou Sifu’s face, the secretary quickly gave his boss a way out: “Mr. Ji and Mr. Shi chartered a plane this time. They invited some of your old classmates and executives from several departments to the Maldives for a vacation. It seems to be four days and three nights, with all expenses paid.”

To be honest, in terms of employee benefits, Fengyu sounded pretty good. Unlike their company, Danofe—where the pay was high, but the boss made everyone work like crazy every day.

Hearing this, Zhou Sifu frowned. He asked, “Which managers went?”

“Ask Fang Bin. Immediately.”

The secretary didn’t know why CEO Zhou suddenly cared so much, but he quickly picked up his phone and called their contact inside Fengyu. Danofe had “moles” in several competing companies, and later that included Fengyu. Fang Bin was currently a mid-level manager at Fengyu and could directly contact the core management.

After a short call, the secretary returned to report to Zhou Sifu: “CEO Zhou, I’ve learned that the executives not at the office right now include the CFO, the Head of Financing, the Board Secretary, and the Head of Legal—”

After hearing the list, Zhou Sifu didn’t say a word for a long time. He just turned his gaze to the green plant on the front of his desk. There used to be an empty picture frame there, but at some point, it had been replaced by this cactus full of thorns. Its stems were twisted and it looked aggressive.

Seeing the boss’s face suddenly turn grim, the secretary asked carefully, “…CEO Zhou, is something wrong?”

Zhou Sifu said, “Something has happened.”

—

Paradise Island in the summer is a perfect place for a honeymoon. The clear blue water and the sky meet in a beautiful view. The couple had rented a three-story hotel next to the beach to host the friends and colleagues who came with them.

On the night they arrived, they held a celebration party at the hotel’s rooftop pool. Friends from all over had finally gathered together, playing in the water and chatting until midnight.

Standing at the entrance, saying goodbye to the guests returning to their rooms, Shi Tian asked the husband beside him, “A-Lin, do you want to go for a walk on the beach?”

His face was flushed, not because he drank too much, but perhaps just because he was happy.

It was late, and the beach was empty. The lighthouse at the harbor and the stars in the sky were the only sources of light. The two walked one after the other, barefoot on the soft sand, holding hands.

After walking along the shoreline for a while, Shi Tian found a flat, large reef. He waved and laughed, telling Ji Yuanlin to climb up. Because it was high, the two took off their suit jackets and tied them into a knot to use as a rope, finally reaching the top.

Lying side by side on the reef, Ji Yuanlin turned his head. He saw the person beside him listening intently to the sound of the waves hitting the rocks. His expression was very serious. Ji Yuanlin wanted to say something but didn’t want to break the peaceful silence.

Since starting the company together, he and Shi Tian had been busy with work and social events every day. It had been a long time since they had just laid side by side doing nothing.

Shi Tian spoke softly: “This is nice.”

Ji Yuanlin: “Mm.”

The moist sea breeze blew across Shi Tian’s forehead. He suddenly remembered the first time he met Shi Tian.

To get into the top city school where his father taught, Ji Yuanlin had studied so hard back then that he became very nearsighted. He had to wear a pair of thick glasses. Plus, he hadn’t grown tall yet and had a slight slouch, so classmates had mocked him since middle school. Over time, he became introverted and preferred to be alone.

He thought it would be better in high school, but old rumors followed him to the new school, and still, no one wanted to be his friend.

He remembered it was the first week of the first semester of high school. He had just moved into the dorm and was alone, unpacking his mountain of luggage. Just as he knelt on the floor to open his suitcase, he heard a loud bang behind him.

The dorm door was kicked open from the outside. Dust fell from the ceiling, covering his face.

Cough— cough—

When the dust cleared, he coughed and saw the uninvited guests at the door. It wasn’t just one person; it was a gang. The boy in the lead had sharp features and long limbs, wearing a plain white T-shirt. His school uniform was tied casually around his waist, with the sleeves swaying in the air.

With bright, sharp eyes, the boy looked down at him: “Five yuan. Cash or student card?”

He froze and stammered: “…I, I don’t have any money on me.”

He knew he had run into a school bully. Every school had these groups that collected “protection fees” from people like him. He couldn’t escape it even here.

The boy narrowed his eyes and repeated himself with interest: “No money?”

The air became tense. After a while, a chubby boy behind the leader widened his eyes and poked the leader’s back: “Brother Zhou, this… this looks like Teacher Ji’s son.”

The boy laughed, turned his head, and asked the chubby boy: “So? The son of the Dean doesn’t have to pay?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant—”

Just then, an angry teenage voice came from outside: “Zhou Sifu, who told you to collect club fees like this?”

Hearing the voice, the group at the door moved aside. A thin, tall figure walked in. The boy’s school uniform was spotless, and he wore a red “Student Council Duty Member” band on his right sleeve, holding a blue clipboard.

The moment the boy entered the dorm, the chubby boy whispered to Zhou Sifu: “The ‘wife’ is here.”

Zhou Sifu immediately gave him a sharp look: “Damn it, Cai Tianjie, can you shut up??”

Crouching by his suitcase with his head down, he carefully looked up. He watched the young Shi Tian walk toward him step by step, leaning down to reach out a hand: “Are you okay?”

Pulling him up from the floor, Shi Tian took a pack of tissues from his pocket and handed them over: “Your face is dirty. Use these to wipe it off.”

After helping him straighten the suitcase on the floor, Shi Tian turned around and asked Zhou Sifu coldly: “Did you kick the door?”

Zhou Sifu leaned lazily against the door frame, spreading his hands with an innocent face: “This door is broken. It wouldn’t open. If you don’t believe me, ask Tianjie.”

The chubby boy behind him quickly agreed: “Yes, yes, this door is hard to open. Brother Zhou used his foot—”

“You guys go back to class. You, come with me.” Leaving these words for Zhou Sifu at the door, Shi Tian walked out without looking back.

“Tsk, tsk,” Zhou Sifu raised an eyebrow and shouted mockingly toward the hall, “What a big authority! Do you really think you’re that great?”

Even though he said that, when he saw Shi Tian was about to go downstairs, Zhou Sifu quickly threw his uniform over his shoulder and chased after him, grumbling.

Watching them leave, he stood there dazed for a long time. It wasn’t until the school bell rang that he looked down and slowly gripped the pack of cartoon tissues.

Returning from his memories, Ji Yuanlin realized the person beside him hadn’t spoken for a while. He instinctively raised his arm to hold Shi Tian’s hand, only to find that Shi Tian had closed his eyes and seemed to be asleep.

After a while, he suddenly heard Shi Tian ask quietly, “A-Lin, do you think I’m an idiot?”

Ji Yuanlin froze: “…What?”

Shi Tian smiled: “Are you hiding something from me?”

Hearing this, Ji Yuanlin’s body went stiff. His reaching hand stopped in mid-air. He swallowed, trying to keep his voice relaxed and natural: “Tiantian is so smart, how could you be an idiot?”

Shi Tian curled his lips, as if he didn’t quite believe the answer.

Seeing Shi Tian’s reaction, Ji Yuanlin’s heart skipped a beat. Did Shi Tian already know something?

Noticing his hand was still in the air, Shi Tian pulled his hand back: “Don’t think about it. Let’s sleep.”

Below them was a cliff, and the waves crashed against the rocks before turning silent again. Just like a person’s life, you bring nothing when you are born, and you take nothing when you die.

Holding Shi Tian’s warm palm, a thought suddenly appeared in Ji Yuanlin’s mind that he had never had before. How about ending it all here, right now? He wouldn’t run or hide anymore.

He and Shi Tian had walked together for eight years. He had loved this person deeply, and he still did. He didn’t want Shi Tian to hate him for the rest of his life. Those broken capital chains, the huge debts, the incoming legal battles—everything that was about to happen could end today.

He only needed to do one thing. Hold Shi Tian’s hand and jump down from here together. He could take Shi Tian to die with him, and they could still be lovers in the next life.

Thinking this, Ji Yuanlin gripped his fingers tight, grabbing Shi Tian’s wrist a bit nervously.

Buzz— buzz—

Hearing his phone vibrate in his pocket, Shi Tian opened his eyes. He found that Ji Yuanlin had sat up on the reef at some point. The look in Ji Yuanlin’s eyes was strange both blurry and mixed with a hint of madness.

His right hand was held tightly by Ji Yuanlin, so Shi Tian could only use his other hand to pull out his phone. He hadn’t checked it for a while, and there were several missed calls, all from the same unknown number.

Just as he was about to call back, a notification popped up on his chat app, showing that someone had sent him a new message.

@Danofe Greater China-Milton Zhou: [Pick up the phone.]

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