"Miss Qi, could you help make an introduction to soone...?"
Qi Baotan felt utterly helpless—this man was like a clingy plaster that she couldn’t shake off.
Earlier this morning, she returned to her old house to tidy up a bit. Just as she reached the neighborhood’s entrance, a man suddenly erged, claiming to be the chairman of Golden Spoon, asking her to introduce him to the young girl who had been with her at the entrance of Fisherman’s Joy the other day.
Of course, Qi Baotan knew he was referring to Shen You’an.
She also understood that after that day, Jin Yu had been arrested, Golden Spoon had fallen into a massive crisis, and everyone was ready to kick the company when it was down.
The collapse—it had only taken a fleeting mont.
Qi Baotan knew deep down that An’an must have done sothing.
This Jin Zhou seed much smarter than Jin Yu.
"Step aside, or I’ll call the police." Qi Baotan would never reveal An’an’s whereabouts to strangers. Who knew if this person was here for revenge?
"Miss Qi, please, you have to trust . I an absolutely no harm. I rely wish to et that lady and offer my sincerest apology. If you can help with this, I will rember your kindness for the rest of my life."
No matter how convincing his words sounded, Qi Baotan didn’t believe a single word.
Jin Zhou grew desperate. Seeing she was about to sidestep him, he instinctively reached out to grab Qi Baotan’s arm.
Public opinion was exceedingly unfavorable toward Golden Spoon; its stock price had been plumting daily toward liquidation. If this continued, Golden Spoon would be finished entirely.
"What are you doing?" Qi Baotan, startled by his audacity, reacted like a frightened bird—her fine eyebrows arched sharply, the clarity of her beautiful features now marred by a livid pallor.
Ever since Cai Xiang, she’d developed a profound aversion to n’s physical contact, finding it utterly repulsive.
Without hesitation, Qi Baotan swung the canvas bag in her hand at Jin Zhou’s face.
Jin Zhou was both anxious and angry but didn’t dare retaliate.
He wasn’t foolish. If he dared act against her, not just Golden Spoon, but his own fate would undoubtedly be worse than Jin Yu’s.
After striking him, Qi Baotan turned and fled. She ran until she was out of breath, clutching her chest to calm the pounding.
Once she’d steadied her breathing, she sneaked a glance back.
Jin Zhou was nowhere to be seen.
Qi Baotan exhaled in relief and resud her departure.
On the other side of the wall, Jin Zhou leaned against it, too scared to move.
His neck was held in a choke by the outstretched arm of a man with a dark face and bulging muscles.
In that instant earlier, Jin Zhou had nearly felt his soul leave his body.
"Big... big brother, you saw for yourself just now—I... I treated Miss Qi with respect. Could you let go so I can explain?"
Turns out Qi Baotan had been secretly followed by a bodyguard. Good thing he hadn’t resorted to force earlier.
The man’s free hand casually dialed a number. "Jin Zhou just confronted Miss Qi."
As he spoke, his eyes stayed fixed on Jin Zhou.
Jin Zhou didn’t dare move an inch.
He had a feeling this man was speaking to the very girl he had been seeking.
Li Liu hung up the phone, released Jin Zhou, and stepped back.
Jin Zhou let out a breath of relief, rubbing his stiff neck.
"Blue Sky Hotel, seventeenth-floor café. You’d better arrive before 7:30."
With that, the man disappeared.
Jin Zhou hesitated for a mont, then snapped out of it and rushed to the roadside.
He instructed his driver to leave imdiately.
The driver sped off at 120 mph, running several red lights along the way.
Jin Zhou couldn’t afford to care, his eyes frequently darting to his phone in mounting anxiety.
There were only fifteen minutes left.
Luckily, he reached Blue Sky Hotel’s entrance by 7:25.
Jin Zhou leaped out of the car and dashed into the hotel’s lobby.
Suddenly, he stopped mid-sprint, turning his head to look.
A man was walking out through the side door.
The tall figure looked vaguely familiar.
Jin Zhou squinted.
It resembled the bodyguard who had always hovered near Jin Yu.
After Jin Yu’s arrest, the bodyguard had vanished.
But given how urgent the situation was, Jin Zhou couldn’t afford to dwell on it. He entered the elevator in quick strides.
The seventeenth-floor café was luxuriously decorated, its serene setting complented by the gentle flow of a piano lody, lending the morning an air of poetic elegance.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the bustling modern city lay in full view, the orange sunrise ascending slowly from the eastern horizon, spilling its light freely and generously upon the world.
A girl was seated at a window-side table, her silhouette bathed in the morning light, slender and delicate, like a finely rendered oil painting—full of richness and nuance.
The vast café was silent and empty. A glance across its breadth revealed only the girl, sitting alone.
Jin Zhou unconsciously softened his footsteps as he approached, his nerves taut with the fear of disturbing her.
As he drew nearer, he saw that the girl’s breakfast had already been finished. She had taken out a napkin and was leisurely wiping her fingers, while a financial newspaper lay beside her.
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