On the other end of the brick phone came a voice: “Your dog bit one of my people. This is the first time, so I’m only warning you. If there’s a second time, it won’t just be your dog—you yourself won’t be setting foot on the mainland ever again.”
Li Fengrui frowned. “Who the hell are you? What dog? What are you talking about?”
The call had already been disconnected. The man outside the car rudely reached in, took the brick phone straight out of Li Fengrui’s hand, then tossed a medium-sized cardboard box in through the window. Without another word, he turned and left. The cars that had boxed them in also drove off one after another.
Li Fengrui felt completely baffled. He cursed under his breath, then lowered his head to look at the box on his lap.
What was this?
He opened it and looked inside—and the moment he saw what it was, he screamed and snatched the box up, flinging it out the window.
As soon as the box hit the ground outside, the thing inside tumbled out with it.
It was a hand.
A severed hand.
The hand was broad, the knuckles rough—clearly a man’s hand.
And there was a striking detail: on the ring finger was a plain gold band.
Young Master Li had noticed that ring the instant he opened the box. Terrified and shaken, he hadn’t had the presence of mind to think about whose hand it was.
Only after the car had driven some distance did flashes of images cross his mind, and he suddenly realized—it was Guo Ronghai’s hand.
Guo Ronghai?
Still rattled, Li Fengrui finally started thinking: what did this mean? What had Guo Ronghai done? His hand had been chopped off? Why?
Li Fengrui was quick on the uptake. It didn’t take long for his thoughts to land on Jiang Luo. After all, it was because of Jiang Luo that he’d kicked Guo Ronghai out in the first place.
Had Guo Ronghai gone after Jiang Luo?
At the same time, Li Fengrui realized that Guo Ronghai might have snapped under pressure and gone looking for Jiang Luo to get revenge.
And because of that, Guo Ronghai had been caught? Dealt with?
So who was the person on the phone just now who’d warned him?
Jiang Luo had someone backing him—who was it?
Li Fengrui didn’t bother with the severed hand, leaving it where it had fallen on the ground. He had neither the time nor the compassion to care about what Guo Ronghai’s final fate might be.
What he did do, after the initial shock, was quietly think it over—about Jiang Luo’s background, about who might be standing behind him.
Then another realization followed: no wonder Jiang Luo could build a brand, open factories, refuse to let his brand enter Pacific, not be afraid of offending him, secure that ten-million loan, and even get the town government to guarantee it. Turns out, there really was someone backing him.
Haicheng was full of hidden power players, and Li Fengrui had no desire to offend someone he shouldn’t.
Young Master Li began to think carefully about what kind of distance he should keep with Jiang Luo.
Then another thought occurred to him: the Spring Festival was coming up—maybe he should send Jiang Luo a gift.
After all, that dog Guo Ronghai had come from Pacific in the first place.
He’d bitten Jiang Luo. Li Fengrui did bear some responsibility.
With that in mind, Li Fengrui picked up the brick phone and called Jiang Luo.
Beep—beep—beep—
No answer.
Li Fengrui hung up, unconcerned about why Jiang Luo hadn’t picked up.
Maybe he was busy. Maybe he really was blaming him over Guo Ronghai.
Either way, it didn’t matter.
Li Fengrui genuinely thought highly of Jiang Luo now and sincerely wanted to be friends with him.
He believed that with his own solid strength, as long as Jiang Luo wasn’t blind, there was no way he’d refuse to associate with him.
“Mr. Li… should we call the police about what just happened?” the driver asked, still shaken by the severed hand.
“No need,” Li Fengrui said.
The last thing he wanted was to attract the attention of the police.
It was just a severed hand. He didn’t care about a dog’s life.
Jiang Luo had only been missing for one night. The truth was known to very few people. To the outside world—and to the company—it was said that Jiang Luo had been out socializing and that nothing had happened. The people at the company, as well as Mo Wanzhen and the others, suspected nothing and treated it as a false alarm.
Meanwhile, Jiang Luo was forcibly kept by Huo Zongzhuo lying around in the hotel for a full two days. On the third day, Huo Zongzhuo packed Jiang Luo’s medicine and clothes, hauled him up, stuffed him into the car, and drove straight to Su City.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Jiang Luo laughed helplessly. “The company and the factory haven’t even gone on holiday yet.”
Great. The boss was the first one to run off.
Huo Zongzhuo drove without paying him any mind. “There are plenty of people at the company and the factory. Even without you, the machines will still run and the business will still operate.”
“Fine, then.”
Jiang Luo treated it as an early holiday.
So when Zhao Shuo came by the company that afternoon, he happened to miss him.
“You’re looking for President Jiang? He’s not here. He didn’t come in.”
“When will he be back? Probably after the New Year, right?”
“He just called earlier and said he’s taking his vacation first.”
With no results to show for the trip, Zhao Shuo had no choice but to leave.
With only a few days left before the New Year, the Zhao family still couldn’t get in touch with Jiang Luo. Jiang Luo ignored them completely and even hung up on Zhao Guangyuan’s calls. By now, everyone in the Zhao family knew that Jiang Luo had made up his mind to cut them off.
On top of that, because Zhao Mingzhi had been made to move out of his original bedroom, Su Lan and Zhao Guangyuan had fallen out. The rift between the couple had grown deeper recently, and neither bothered much with the other.
As a result, even with the New Year approaching, the atmosphere in the Zhao household was anything but festive.
Su Lan was busy with work, upset that Zhao Guangyuan didn’t care enough about Zhao Mingzhi, and anxious about Jiang Luo not coming home. She was so frazzled that she had no mood to prepare New Year goods. If it weren’t for the household aunt bustling around, the house wouldn’t even have a single sausage hanging up.
In the entire Zhao family, the one in the best mood now was Zhao Mingzhi.
Moving out of his original bedroom had indeed made him miserable, but once it was done, it was done. Su Lan and Zhao Shuo both felt sorry for him because of it. He’d also had a heart-to-heart with Zhao Guangyuan, expressing his understanding and making it clear that he would never compete with Jiang Luo. Zhao Guangyuan, in turn, continued to treat him like a good son.
Zhao Mingzhi felt that everything was under his control.
In any case, he wasn’t going to leave the Zhao family. Everything in the Zhao family was his—before, now, and in the future.
Su Lan and Zhao Guangyuan were in bad moods because Jiang Luo wasn’t coming home, and Zhao Mingzhi was more than happy to see it.
He wished Jiang Luo and the Zhao family would fall out even more—the worse, the better.
Besides, he’d recently fallen in love, and he’d successfully coaxed his upperclassman girlfriend into booking hotel rooms with him. He was feeling great.
After coming home for the holiday with nothing much to do, he stayed in his room, secretly chatting and flirting with his girlfriend on the phone, coaxing his upperclassman to come back to campus early after the break so they could get a room again.
Now that he’d gotten a taste of it, he couldn’t get enough—he wished he could hold his girlfriend every night.
Lately, every night he’d relive the sensations while taking matters into his own hands, the trash can filled with tissues.
But that day, Zhao Shuo’s nominal father—Zhao Guangyuan’s older brother, Zhao Guangqian—came back.
“Big brother.”
“Dad.”
Su Lan, Zhao Shuo, and the others were all delighted.
“Uncle.”
Zhao Mingzhi was happy too. From childhood to now, in his memories, Zhao Guangqian had always liked him and doted on him.
The first time he went abroad as a child, it was Zhao Guangqian who took him.
However, when Zhao Guangqian entered and saw him, his expression paused. He frowned slightly, let out a stern “Mm,” and didn’t engage with him much.
Walking past him, Zhao Guangqian even ignored his presence and spoke directly to Zhao Guangyuan and Su Lan: “Why is he here? Where’s your biological son?”
“It’s almost New Year. How does it make sense for someone else’s son to spend the New Year in his own house?”
Zhao Mingzhi: “……”
—
When they arrived in Su City, Jiang Luo had a lollipop in his mouth, gazing out the window, filled with emotion. So we’re here—the land of rivers and canals in the south.
Especially after reaching Gusu District and crossing the bridge by Pan Gate, they truly entered the city of Suzhou.
The roads were narrow, the houses low. Gray tiles and white walls were everywhere, pedestrians coming and going, the air thick with everyday life.
Looking out the window, Jiang Luo asked Huo Zongzhuo, “Where does your family live?”
“Pingjiang Road.”
“Single-story houses?”
“More or less. Just one extra floor.”
“An old family home?”
“Yeah. We’ve always lived there.”
Jiang Luo thought of something and turned his head. “Then where am I staying?”
Huo Zongzhuo answered as he drove, “I have another small courtyard on Pingjiang Road, specifically for guests. You’ll stay there. It’s not far from my place—very close.”
Jiang Luo chatted casually. “Bought or rented?”
“Also family property. It used to be my grandparents’ place.”
“Nice.”
Jiang Luo nodded and added a line in the local dialect.
Then something occurred to him, and he suddenly twisted around. “If we’re going to your place, your mom’s there, right?”
“What about it?”
Huo Zongzhuo glanced over.
Jiang Luo stared at him, spreading his hands wide. “I’m going empty-handed? Don’t I need some dignity? Isn’t that awkward?”
Huo Zongzhuo laughed. “You’re going to my house, not a stranger’s. Empty-handed is fine.”
Spotting a small shop by the roadside, Jiang Luo hurriedly said, “Stop the car, stop the car. You may not care about my dignity, but I do.”
“Who shows up for the first visit empty-handed?”
The car pulled over. Jiang Luo muttered to himself as he got out and headed for the shop to buy something.
Huo Zongzhuo followed him out, watching his back and smiling quietly to himself. Someone usually so flamboyant and confident actually cared about these little formalities.
What was more, Jiang Luo had clearly already brought gifts for his mother.
Before long, the courtyard gate opened. The white-haired old lady sitting in the courtyard lifted her gaze and saw a tall, handsome young man walking in, his arms open as he carried things toward her. He was smiling brightly as he called out, “Mooom—my mooom—”
The old lady was momentarily stunned, then broke into delighted surprise.
Jiang Luo walked up, bent down, and loosely wrapped his arms around her in a hug.
His mother smiled and hugged him back, patting him lightly. “Good child.”