"Right now... my apartment is my only safe space," Song Meiqi said.
A flicker of unease crossed her eyes as memories of her kidnapping suddenly flashed through her mind. She quickly blinked them away, forcing herself back to the present.
She turned toward Wang Zi Rui and offered him a small smile. "I'm a celebrity, after all... I think my apartment is the only place where I can really hide from the paparazzi," she said with a soft chuckle.
Wang Zi Rui stared at her for a moment.
There was something different about her this time.
Before, whenever something was bothering her, she would cry and tell him about her bad day or talk about the people she cared about. But this time, there was a hesitation in her expression, as though she were deliberately keeping something from him.
But he did not intend to pry further. Instead, he called, "Song Meiqi."
Song Meiqi's eyes widened slightly.
It was the first time he had called her by her name so casually.
"Can I call you that?" he asked.
For a brief second, Song Meiqi simply looked at him. Perhaps it was his low, slightly raspy voice, or perhaps it was the stillness of the night, but hearing her name from his lips suddenly felt different.
She nodded softly.
"Then... can I call you Zi Rui?"
"As long as you don't call me 'Sister,'" he replied, a faint warning in his voice as he remembered the last time she had drunkenly called him that.
Song Meiqi let out a small laugh. "I won't."
Wang Zi Rui blinked as he watched her laugh. For a fleeting second, he simply looked at her before taking another sip of his beer.
Song Meiqi followed suit, taking another sip from her velvet cocktail. Only a little remained in the glass. She picked up the bottle and poured more, filling it halfway.
"What about you...?" She looked at him. "Why did you agree to drink with me?"
Wang Zi Rui didn't answer right away. He tilted his beer can slightly, watching the drink swirl inside.
"I think... I needed a drink."
He had agreed because of the promise they had made before Song Meiqi left for M City. She had told him that once he was feeling better, they should have a drink together.
At first, that had been the only reason he'd said yes. But after everything that had happened, perhaps a little alcohol was exactly what he needed to take the edge off.
"Why?" Song Meiqi asked. "Did something happen? I'm all ears."
She leaned forward slightly, her expression earnest.
After all, he had listened to almost all of her problems. She had even cried in front of him. If he had been there to listen to her, then she wanted to be there for him too.
Wang Zi Rui paused.
His fingers tightened slightly around the beer can as his thoughts returned to what had happened three days ago.
As the conference at GL Holdings Headquarters neared its end, Wang Zi Rui continued answering questions from the reporters when he noticed one of his men reprimanding someone in the crowd.
It was discreet, but it did not escape his notice. Yet, as if he had seen nothing, he calmly brought the press conference to an end.
"GL Holdings will issue a statement regarding the Camillia Spring Resort Project soon. Please look forward to it," he said before stepping off the stage.
Flashes from the cameras followed him as he exited the room, but he paid them no mind. His expression remained composed.
"Boss..." Si Qi, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward. "We've got him. I think he's the man we've been looking for."
Wang Zi Rui nodded silently without breaking stride.
Moments later, they were inside Wang Zi Rui's office, where tension hung thick in the air.
The delivery man, now dressed entirely in black, sat across from him, his eyes filled with undisguised displeasure.
Wang Zi Rui, however, simply crossed his legs, every movement deliberate and composed. Around him, his men stood in silence, their expressions tense.
Wang Zi Rui had lived an ordinary life abroad, earning his position as an architect through his own efforts without relying on GL Holdings. Most people assumed his influence came solely from his family's company.
But his men knew better.
They had seen what Wang Zi Rui was like when he was serious.
And that was why, despite the man's defiant gaze, none of them dared to make a sound.
"Tell me. Are you related to the news leak about the embezzlement?" Wang Zi Rui asked, his gaze fixed on him as his fingers slowly brushed against his wristwatch.
"Tsk..." The man leaned back in his chair, a mocking smile tugging at his lips. "What could the little heir possibly do for me to make me willing to tell you?"
Wang Zi Rui paused.
His fingers stopped moving against his watch.
Then, with a calculated movement, he raised his right hand and adjusted his glasses, letting his fingers briefly rest against the bridge of his nose.
"Mr. Tang, did you really think you could just walk into GL Holdings Headquarters unnoticed?"
Wang Zi Rui stared at him, his gaze cold and unreadable.
The delivery man frowned, puzzled by how Wang Zi Rui knew his name.
But what frightened him more was the meaning behind his words.
"You knew..." His voice faltered as the realization sank in.
His mocking smile disappeared.
"You knew I would come."
Wang Zi Rui remained silent for a moment.
Then, his cold gaze settled on him once more.
"A fox may hide its tracks, but when it grows hungry, it will eventually reveal itself."
Mr. Tang laughed in disbelief. "Then how sure are you that I'm that fox?"
Wang Zi Rui once again adjusted the rim of his glasses.
"Director Fan is merely another piece on the chessboard—a scapegoat," he said calmly. "But he's not stupid. He knows he needs something to protect himself. He needs someone capable of hiding the evidence for him."
Shifting in his seat, Wang Zi Rui continued, "But everyone would naturally assume it was his assistant. So, to mislead everyone, he chose you instead."
His gaze remained fixed on Mr. Tang.
"You're one of the senior project managers. You've worked at the company longer than he has, yet he was promoted before you."
Mr. Tang's expression gradually stiffened.
"He knew you had no backer. He knew you were working yourself to the bone to pay for your mother's hospital bills."
Wang Zi Rui's fingers lightly tapped against his wristwatch.
"You were the perfect person."
He paused.
"Someone overlooked by everyone, desperate enough to accept his offer, and with no one powerful enough to stand behind you."
Mr. Tang felt his throat go dry as the atmosphere grew colder and more suffocating, as though the air had been slowly sucked out of his lungs.
"But what I don't understand is why all of this happened when I had just assumed the position of Vice President. Why wait?"
Wang Zi Rui leaned forward, his voice low.
"All of this is not a coincidence."
His cold gaze settled on Mr. Tang.
"Everything happened after I returned and assumed my position."
He paused.
"Why now, Mr. Tang? What are you after?"