Chapter 33: Are You Lu Wang?

Huang Zhenyu received a phone call informing him that Song Yiren had been secretly escorted out of the police station by Huo Yanzhi’s men twenty minutes ago. Only then did he realize the true meaning behind Pei Baoyuan’s earlier words.

Pei Baoyuan was indeed as gullible as Huo Yanzhi had claimed.

He glanced back at the sprawling Pei estate, a swirl of conflicting emotions in his heart, before ultimately getting into his car and driving away.

Meanwhile, Song Yiren, having finally been released from the station, was whisked away by Huo Yanzhi to one of his private properties.

As Song Yiren freshened up in the bathroom, Huo Yanzhi stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, looking down at the flowing traffic and pedestrians below, where everything appeared insignificantly small.

Wisps of cigarette smoke drifted through the air. Upon emerging from the bathroom, Song Yiren caught the scent and complained casually, "Why have you smoked so much? The whole place reeks. It’s disgusting."

Several cigarette butts lay scattered on the tiles near Huo Yanzhi’s feet, and layers of ash were dusted across the room.

Song Yiren walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

"A-Zhi, I knew you wouldn't give up on me."

She pressed herself greedily against his back, inhaling his scent. Money and power—these were the things she craved above all else.

Huo Yanzhi’s lips curled in a cold sneer. He tossed his cigarette aside, turned around, and cupped her face. Song Yiren had not fared well during her two days in custody; dark circles bruised the skin under her eyes, making her look haggard.

"A-Zhi..."

She clung to his touch, her eyes fixed intently on his.

Suddenly, Huo Yanzhi’s grip tightened, his fingers digging into her chin with bruising force. Song Yiren gasped in pain and tried to pull away, but the disparity in their strength was absolute; he shoved her down onto the sofa.

"A-Zhi, you're hurting me!"

"A-Zhi..."

Huo Yanzhi’s eyes were bloodshot. He leaned in, his voice fierce: "I told you not to provoke Pei Baoyuan. How dare you lock her in an elevator?"

"Song Yiren, do you have any idea how much effort it took for me to fish you out of that station? Do you realize that because of a fool like you, the Huo family lost an incredibly important project?"

Stung by the pain, tears welled in the corners of her eyes. "I’m sorry, A-Zhi, I really didn't know... *cough*... Can you please let go?"

Seeing her flushed, strained face, Huo Yanzhi finally released her and sat down on the sofa beside her.

Song Yiren lay there, gasping for air. The spots where he had gripped her burned with a stinging sensation, and for a moment, it felt as though her jaw no longer belonged to her.

"A-Zhi, I was wrong. I really know I was wrong." She tugged gingerly at the hem of his shirt. "My resources have been inexplicably pulled lately. I saw Pei Baoyuan that day and couldn't contain my anger—who told her to look so smug in front of me..."

She cast a wary glance at Huo Yanzhi, and seeing his expression soften, she continued, "I acted on impulse, that’s why I locked her in the elevator. I only meant to scare her. Who knew she... she was so fragile?"

Huo Yanzhi was speechless.

How could the system have chosen such an idiotic woman as the target for his extra task? She was useless, capable only of making a mess of things.

The thought that Pei Baoyuan had blocked him again gave him a headache. He looked at the woman leaning into his chest.

She wasn't even half as good as Pei Baoyuan.

...

That evening, when the elder Peis returned home, they froze at the sight of Pei Baoyuan playing happily with Coco in the living room.

Mrs. Song Xuanling heard Pei Baoyuan calling the dog "sister" and exchanged a look of alarm with Pei Jianguo before tentatively asking, "Baoyuan, what is this..."

"Coco, come here and bring the ball to your sister." Pei Baoyuan explained with a smile, "Ke Xianbai is going back to Hong Kong for a couple of days, so I’m looking after him."

"Oh, I see. I thought..." Before Mrs. Song could finish, Mr. Pei interrupted her with a cough.

Pei Baoyuan petted Coco, not missing the unspoken communication between her parents.

*If the Pei parents were in the entertainment industry, their acting would be bad enough to get them cancelled.*

*What kind of secret are they hiding from us? Someone tell me!*

*Bold guess: Maybe Coco was the family dog before Pei Baoyuan lost her memory, and they got rid of him to prevent her from remembering painful things. Seeing him again, they're terrified she might recall the past.*

Pei Baoyuan read the comments, finding them quite plausible.

Seeing the genuine panic in Mrs. Song’s eyes when she noticed the dog, Pei Baoyuan realized that Coco might be the key to uncovering what her parents were keeping from her.

Since the incident at the station, Pei Baoyuan had been recovering at home. The CEO had been checking in on her frequently, while the accomplice—the culprit behind the elevator incident—fared worse. Though he often visited, the family gave him the cold shoulder, and Pei Baoyuan herself remained pointedly indifferent.

Furious, Huo Yanzhi stormed out of the Pei residence and headed to a gathering of "second-generation" socialites. He preferred their company to those of higher standing; only among them was he treated with the reverence he felt he deserved. In the circles of the Pei family, he was nothing more than a server pouring drinks.

Huo Yanzhi was arrogant and overconfident, yet lacked any real substance—a mediocre heir shielded by his family’s status. For years, he and his family had enjoyed better luck than others, but that luck was clearly beginning to run dry.

The private room was littered with empty bottles and glasses. Some of his companions were passed out on the sofas. Having been flattered all night, Huo Yanzhi had consumed a fair amount of alcohol. Feeling the buzz, he stepped out to get some air.

At the far end of the corridor, near the restrooms, was a spacious balcony with two chairs. Walking with a slight stagger, Huo Yanzhi collided head-on with someone exiting the restroom.

The man was dressed in a suit. Smelling the alcohol on Huo Yanzhi, he chose not to engage with a drunkard, offered a quick "sorry," and tried to move past.

But in that brief collision, Huo Yanzhi had felt a flicker of recognition. Where had he seen him before?

Countless images flashed through his mind. Finally—

"Stop right there!"

Huo Yanzhi turned around and called out to the man.

The man paused and turned slowly, clearly annoyed that the drunkard was so persistent. "I already apologized. What else do you want? If you really want to count, you were the one who was drunk and bumped into me."

Huo Yanzhi stumbled over and stood before him.

"You’re Lu Wang, aren't you?"

Surprised that the drunkard knew his name, Lu Wang raised an eyebrow. "It's me. So what if you—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a sudden gust of wind.

*Bang!*