Deep Fog Kiss

She stared at Wu Jianhui's leg. "Your dad's leg isn't something that can be bought off with a few hundred thousand yuan. Aren't you two planning to start a business but short on capital? Perfect, let this woman take the money!"

Seeing that Wu Jianhui remained silent, she asked again, "You're not still thinking about what happened in Nancheng, are you?"

Wu Jianhui frowned; he couldn't forget that woman's smile.

There was an eerie quality in that smile that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"You're already out, why are you still thinking about that?" Wang Xiuchun said irritably. "That guy deserved to die. He was blind and had terrible luck! And he's a policeman, driving so recklessly in the rain that he crashed into your car. We haven't even blamed him yet! If it weren't for him, would you have spent so many years in prison and been separated from our family for so many years?"

As Wang Xiuchun spoke, she wiped away her tears and began to cry, "That short-lived man's family wasn't any better. If they hadn't been demanding exorbitant sums for our son's wedding and house, you would have been out of prison long ago!"

Outside the door, Jiang Li's tears fell silently, and she smiled softly.

Fourteen years ago, Wu Jianhui was sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to pay the Jiang family 1.5 million yuan in compensation.

At that time, their family only left one sentence: "Not a penny."

Wu Jianhui even volunteered for an extended sentence rather than pay any money, which is why he was eventually sentenced to seventeen years.

It's not that they don't have the money, it's that they're unwilling to contribute.

Therefore, after Jiang Jing died, Jiang Li's life became especially difficult, worse than that of a stray dog.

She raised her hand, wiped away the tears on her face with her fingertips, and gave a light chuckle.

What does one leg of Wu Jianhui matter?

This game has only just begun.

......

Tianze Capital President's Office

Behind the desk, a man in a white shirt, sleeves casually rolled up to his forearms, lowered his eyes as he signed documents.

The phone on the desk rang, and he glanced at it.

A hint of mocking amusement crept into his eyes behind the glasses.

He answered the phone, "Brother, what's up?"

The voice was neither loud nor soft, and it was impossible to discern any emotion in it.

"Zhishen." A deep, mellow voice came from the other end of the phone. "I've been accompanying my father on a business trip to Country D recently, and there are some things at work I'd like to confirm with you."

"I heard that Shenda Group has partnered with your Tianze Capital?"

Gu Zhishen put down his metal pen, not intending to beat around the bush, and said, "Yes."

The person on the other end of the phone clearly hadn't expected such a straightforward answer. After a moment's hesitation, they said, "Shenda has always maintained a long-term, in-depth partnership with Hengsheng. Why would they suddenly contact Tianze Capital?"

Gu Zhishen leaned back in his chair, his knuckles lightly tapping the table.

"Shenda Group has substantial funds and is a high-quality partner for any wealth management company. Shenda has the right to choose, and Tianze Capital has no reason to refuse."

Because of its enormous capital, Shenda Group is like a big, fat goose on the dinner table.

Shen Da's sudden decision to abandon Hengsheng and choose Tian Ce was tantamount to stealing a main dish from Gu Sheng's dinner table.

So, even though he was far away overseas, this transoceanic call reached Gu Zhishen.

"Yes, in business, profit is king."

Gu Sheng chuckled, "But everyone knows that Hengsheng is a subsidiary of the Gu Group, and you're my younger brother. Hengsheng is too much of a competitor to Tiance; I'm afraid that would give people something to gossip about, wouldn't it?"

"Business is business, brother, there's no need to worry." Gu Zhishen smiled lightly, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

"That's true. We're all family. Whether Shen Da chooses Hengsheng or Tiance is the same."

Gu Sheng laughed heartily a few times, and then said, "Zhishen, Tiance Capital has a stable position in the business world now, and you are the second largest shareholder of Gu's Group. Have you considered when you will return to the group to help your father share the burden?"

Gu Zhishen said calmly, "With my elder brother and father in charge of the group, what is there to worry about?"

On the other end of the phone, Gu Sheng sighed softly, "You're still so stubborn. You didn't want to join the group before, and you still don't want to now."

He kindly advised, "Don't let your relationship with your dad become too strained. When you were little, your dad loved you the most."

Gu Zhishen's eyes narrowed slightly. The word "pain" was too cheap and too ironic.

"By the way," Gu Sheng asked, "I heard from Rou'er that Xiao Li is back?"

"Um."

"So, what are her plans?" Gu Sheng asked. "Does she want to stay in Jingzhou, or go back to her hometown, Nancheng?"

"Jingzhou is beneficial to her career development," Gu Zhishen said. "She will stay in Jingzhou."

"That works too. You raised her, so you can make arrangements for her."

Gu Sheng said a few more words and then hung up the phone.

Gu Zhishen stared at the motionless phone on the table, his eyes darkening slightly.

She's been quiet these past few days.

Did she really listen to what he said?

......

Night falls and the city lights begin to twinkle.

The bustling streets were teeming with people.

Jiang Li sat on a stone bench by the roadside, quietly watching people come and go.

The streetlights came on, and people crowded onto the zebra crossing.

"Dad! It's so tall!"

In the crowd, the little girl's innocent laughter caught her attention.

She turned her head and saw the little girl giggling on the young man's neck.

The little girl, about four or five years old, with two little braids, sat on her father's shoulders, her hands gripping his ears.

She stood out from the crowd, towering over everyone else, and was overjoyed.

Jiang Li stared intently, her eyes stinging with tears.

She suddenly remembered that when she was little, her father used to lift her up high above his head like that.

At that time, she felt that the closest she had ever been to the sky was when her father lifted her up above his head.

My eyes gradually welled up with tears, my vision blurred, and the figures of the little girl and her father in the distance receded further and further until they disappeared from sight...

Jiang Li, dressed in thin clothes, sat quietly on the cold stone bench under the streetlight for more than forty minutes.

Like a doll abandoned by the roadside.

Yellow leaves, tinged with yellow, fell with the wind and drifted to her feet.

She shivered; her whole body felt ice-cold.

"Dad..." She looked down at the yellow leaves on the ground, her voice soft and trembling, "Winter is coming soon again this year."

"This winter seems especially cold."

It was only the end of August, and she was already shivering from the cold.

The phone in my bag kept ringing, and it rang for a long time.

Jiang Li slowly picked up her phone, her tearful eyes brightening slightly.

On the screen, a single word appeared: "Deep".

Her fingertips trembled as she pressed the answer button, her breathing becoming soft.

"The housekeeper said you haven't come home yet?"

The man's clear, deep voice on the other end of the phone sent a shiver down her spine.

Jiang Li held her phone, head bowed, tears falling silently, one after another.

"Jiang Li, speak."

Gu Zhishen's voice turned noticeably colder.

Jiang Li's lips trembled as she tried to speak, but her throat felt blocked by something.

She nearly choked up before managing to utter, "...I'm so cold."

A soft sob came through the phone. The man's voice was slightly deep. "Where are you?"

"I'm so cold..." Jiang Li suddenly burst into tears, "Gu Zhishen, I'm so cold..."

She bent down, her forehead resting on her knees, tears soaking her white dress.

"Gu Zhishen, please don't abandon me..."