After the Strategy Mission Was Exposed, the Childhood Friend Became a Sinister Male Ghost - Chapter 13

“He is a new friend I just met. He works in new energy, and his name is Lin Zhouci,” Zhou Wangxing introduced him openly.

He was not worried about this man stealing his spotlight. Di Yu had high standards, and someone who rose from the bottom was usually not enough to catch his eye. However, to his surprise, Di Yu took out his business card and handed it to Lin Zhouci, his peripheral vision sweeping over Ling Luo as if by accident.

“New energy? You have a unique eye for catching trends. It so happens that my company has a project related to new energy. I am interested in learning more about your professional expertise in this field,” Di Yu said in an indifferent tone.

Zhou Wangxing was stunned. He wondered how someone who had risen from the bottom had managed to gain Di Yu’s appreciation so quickly.

Di Yu sat in his chair with a cold and noble aura. Everyone centered around him, as he was a figure regarded as a major player. Lin Zhouci took the business card, a professional smile on his face. “Thank you, Master Di, for giving me this opportunity.”

Di Yu and Lin Zhouci engaged in a sophisticated conversation. After a few exchanges, Lin Zhouci secured a contract worth one billion yuan from him. Everyone present felt a surge of envy.

After leaving the Qingyun Art Museum, Ling Luo sat in the passenger seat. “Congratulations, President Lin, on securing such a large contract.”

Lin Zhouci turned the steering wheel with one hand, the corners of his mouth curling upward. “With one billion in startup capital, I can attract even more projects. The upcoming bids are now as good as won.”

Lin Zhouci: 36.

Ling Luo pursed her lips and gave a gentle smile.

“How is your family doing?” Lin Zhouci asked.

“My mother’s condition is not optimistic,” Ling Luo’s voice trembled slightly. “The doctor said her vital signs can only be maintained for one more year.”

Lin Zhouci slowed the car to a stop as the red light ahead had sixty seconds before turning green. The last time he saw Ling Luo’s sad expression, he had misunderstood and thought her family member had very little time left. After asking around these past few days, he finally understood the situation clearly.

Lin Zhouci narrowed his eyes. “The hospital expenses must be a huge burden, right?”

“It is alright. I can afford it,” Ling Luo looked out the window and sniffed. After a long pause, she said, “I feel unwell, President Lin. I cannot accompany you to the banquet at six o’clock.”

“It is no problem. You should get some rest.”

Lin Zhouci: 39.

Ling Luo forced a smile. “President Lin, you are truly kind.”

The tip of the woman’s nose was red, and her round eyes were filled with mist, silently radiating a fragile and broken aura.

Lin Zhouci: 40.

Lin Zhouci spoke in a gentle tone. “The company policy explicitly states that female employees are entitled to two days of paid menstrual leave. Take a good rest and return to the office once your period has passed.”

“Thank you,” Ling Luo nodded.

After personally dropping Ling Luo off at the entrance of her apartment complex, Lin Zhouci stared at the golden plaque above the gate. His eyes flickered.

Gaoya Apartments.

Lin Zhouci came from an ordinary, working-class family in Beijing. After he came into money, he had looked at the property prices for Gaoya Apartments. They were excessively expensive, so he eventually chose a different complex. Ling Luo had a seriously ill mother yet lived in a high-end complex. She not only had excellent professional abilities but also possessed extraordinary looks. What exactly was her true identity?

Lin Zhouci’s gaze turned dark and inscrutable. After a long moment, he turned the car around and left the Gaoya Apartments.

At the banquet that evening, Lin Zhouci once again encountered the wealthy heirs from the Qingyun Art Museum. Led by Zhou Wangxing, who approached with a highball glass and a cynical smirk, he said, “What a coincidence to meet again!”

These business banquets were entirely about building connections. In the social circles of the wealthy, most heirs and socialites were the ones being flattered. It was rare for a wealthy heir to take the initiative to approach an ordinary person. Everyone looked curiously at the young man standing before Young Master Zhou.

He had a tall stature, and his white pinstripe suit outlined his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He was handsome, with his lips turned up in a faint smile and an elegant aura. He looked respectable, yet there was a sense that this man had a profound depth to him, like a calculating fox hiding his true intentions.

Zhou Wangxing was the youngest son of the wealthy Zhou family. In the eyes of the public, he was a rich heir with little capability and even less cunning. Those who befriended him only cared about the resources behind the Zhou family and used him as a stepping stone.

Zhou Wangxing looked behind Lin Zhouci. “Where is your beautiful assistant? Did you not say you were bringing her?”

“She was feeling unwell, so I let her go home to rest,” Lin Zhouci picked up a glass of champagne and clinked it against his.

“We are going to play golf tomorrow. Are you coming?” Zhou Wangxing asked.

“What time tomorrow?”

“Two o’clock in the afternoon. I cannot get up any earlier than that,” Zhou Wangxing took a sip of champagne. He scanned the surroundings and added, “I absolutely hate attending these banquets. The compliments are far too fake.”

Lin Zhouci did not understand his frustration. To him, every person here was a potential client. He took a sip of his drink.

“Master Di offered you a one billion yuan contract the very first time he met you. I am so envious! Anyone who gains his appreciation is truly a talent among men,” Zhou Wangxing said with a face full of admiration.

Lin Zhouci smiled modestly. “You flatter me.”

Qi Zheng walked over and teased, “If you ask me, Master Di only gave you face because Assistant Ling looks so much like his girlfriend.”

To say he was not jealous would be a lie. If he could secure a one billion yuan contract, the patriarch of the Qi family would be thrilled and would likely give him a chance to join the board of directors. Qi Zheng withdrew his scrutinizing gaze.

Zhou Wangxing tightened his grip on his glass and glared at Qi Zheng in annoyance. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Qi Zheng shrugged indifferently. Lin Zhouci smiled but said nothing, though the warmth in his eyes slowly faded. Zhou Wangxing was soon led away by others to drink and chat. Even after Qi Zheng walked away, he continued to joke that Master Di was clearly acting out of love for his girlfriend. He suggested that Lin Zhouci’s assistant looks so much like her that he could not refuse.

These words eventually reached Lin Zhouci’s ears. His smile stiffened, and he immediately took a drink of wine to hide his insecurity. If a man’s achievements were attributed to a woman, it was an indirect admission of that man’s incompetence.

Lin Zhouci talked and laughed at the banquet, drinking quite a bit to establish connections. After the banquet ended, his stomach churned uncomfortably and his head felt dizzy. He sat in the back seat of his car, waiting for a designated driver to arrive. If Ling Luo were there, he would be able to drink the honey water she prepared.

In his daze, images of the hotel in Guangzhou flashed through his mind. Di Yu had suddenly visited the hotel to ask for information at the suite where Ling Luo was staying. Was it a coincidence? Perhaps not.

The surname Ling. Was Ling Luo truly just a lookalike to Di Yu’s girlfriend, as those wealthy heirs claimed? Or was she perhaps Di Yu’s girlfriend herself? Information in the Beijing social circles was not accessible to someone of his class, and he knew nothing of their complex relationships. Lin Zhouci withdrew his curiosity.

“Fengmu, you drank too much today,” a familiar female voice reached him.

Lin Zhouci reacted instantly and looked toward the source of the sound. Two figures passed by the car. A woman wearing a white checkered Chanel style suit with a designer bag walked by. Her curly hair draped over her back, and her face was elegant, looking more mature than she did in high school.