novelaction Chapter 904: Out of Reach
Chapter 904: Out of Reach
The night at the resort was so quiet that you could hear the chirping of insects, and the moonlight flowed on the river like melted silver, breaking into shimmering waves.
The weeping willows on the bank drooped their branches into the water, causing the moon's shadow to sway gently. Ancient pavilions and towers were built along the embankment.
The flying eaves and pointed corners outline a hazy contour in the moonlight, revealing the unique gentle and poetic charm of the Jiangnan water town.
Deng Zhouyi stood at the bow of the black-sailed boat, holding an emergency light in his fingertips, and the beam of light swept across the corridors and green plants on both sides of the river.
The subordinates behind him held their breath and concentrated, and could hardly hear the sound of the oars paddling through the water. Only the occasional sound of the wooden oars pushing through the water could be heard, which was then blown away by the night wind.
They moved slowly along the riverbank, the halo of the lanterns spreading a small patch of warm yellow around the boat.
But it couldn't illuminate the wildly growing vines in the distance - the branches and leaves there were intertwined, like a natural barrier, tightly wrapping up the dark corner where Qi Haoyu was hiding.
Deep in the main courtyard, the window paper of the side room was illuminated by the warm yellow light.
The light from the wall lamp spread softly across the room, casting fine shadows on the carved wooden beams.
A faint scent of incense floats in the air, mixed with the mellow aroma of red wine, creating a lazy and lingering atmosphere.
Qi Haoyu sank into the large wooden sofa, his fingertips loosely resting on the armrest, his knuckles slightly white from the exertion.
Chang Miaomiao's body was like a soft snake, clinging to his arms, her long black hair falling on his neck, carrying the fresh scent of shampoo.
She tilted her head slightly, her nose rubbing against his jaw, her breathing warm and rapid, their breaths intertwined, creating ripples in the small space.
On the pearwood coffee table next to it, a bottle of 82 Bordeaux red wine was leaning at an angle, and the deep red wine left fine traces on the bottle wall.
Two crystal goblets were poured onto the table, and the remaining half glass of red wine was shaken out with fine bubbles.
The sweet aroma of wine mixed with an ambiguous scent grew stronger under the light.
Qi Haoyu raised his hand and pressed the back of Chang Miaomiao's neck, using neither too much nor too little force, pressing her closer to him.
The chirping of insects outside the window and the faint movement of the cruise ship in the distance have now become vague background sounds.
Only their accelerated heartbeats remained, beating out dense drumbeats in the silent night.
When he lowered his head, his sight swept across the moonlight leaking in through the gap in the curtains. A barely perceptible alertness flashed in his eyes, but it was soon completely covered by the warmth in his arms.
The warm light in the side room was tinged with a lazy yellow, and the air still had a lingering warmth.
Qi Haoyu ran his fingertips through the hair that was scattered on Chang Miaomiao's shoulders, caressing her delicate scalp.
Her voice was hoarse afterward, as if it had been gently rubbed by sandpaper: "Miaomiao, take me away."
He paused, his Adam's apple rolling, his tone full of fear towards Chang Haihe:
"Your adoptive father, that old fox, has never had any good intentions. Expecting him to escort me out of the country? Dream on.
But the money I have is enough for us to buy a house by the sea abroad and open a jewelry store. You won't have to look at his face anymore, and I won't have to live in hiding anymore."
Chang Miaomiao curled up in his arms, drawing circles on his chest with her fingertips, her voice as soft as cotton: "Okay."
She looked up at him, her eyelashes casting a faint shadow under the light, "Wait until this storm is over,
Teng Zijing's men are no longer searching so closely, so we can find a hidden boat and head directly to the high seas."
When Teng Zijing was mentioned, Qi Haoyu's face darkened instantly, and the arm around her suddenly tightened.
With gnashing teeth, he said, "Damn Teng Zijing! What a nosy bastard!"
He spat, his eyes blazing with fire, "Jiang Chengyu escaped death that time, but he didn't kill me.
This Teng guy is just like a mad dog, biting me and not letting go. What the hell did I do to offend him? "
Chang Miaomiao raised her hand to smooth his furrowed brows, and her voice softened: "Speaking of Jiang Chengyu..."
She tapped her chin with her fingertips, as if she was recalling that face. In her mind, at the entrance of Xingteng Restaurant,
Qi Haoyu bumped into him drunkenly. There was just a look of disgust between his brows, but he didn't take any extreme action.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jiang, he's drunk. I'll take him away right away." After saying this, Chang Miaomiao pulled Qi Haoyu towards the door.
Thinking of this, he commented insincerely: "He is an interesting person. He is not as cruel as Teng Zijing.
Yet, she exudes a sense of tranquility, and the lines of her profile are as soft as a painting, which gives her a certain feminine beauty.”
Qi Haoyu's hand around her waist suddenly tightened, almost pulling her into his arms.
There was a hint of sourness and warning in her tone: "What? You just finished being affectionate with me, and you're already thinking about climbing into Jiang Chengyu's bed?"
Chang Miaomiao groaned softly as he strangled her. She raised her hand and patted his shoulder, a playful smile in her eyes: "I do want to, but are you willing?"
She deliberately rubbed against his arms, breathing sweetly, "Besides, Zidong International Group is a well-known company. Has Jiang Chengyu ever had any negative news exposed?"
Qi Haoyu's expression softened after being amused by her. A self-deprecating smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He lowered his head and pecked her on the forehead:
"Don't even think about it. That person is like the moon in the sky. People like us can only look at him. He is out of reach."
He pinched her cheek and softened his tone, "Let's just be kind to the person in front of us."
Chang Miaomiao laughed out loud at what he said, and put her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck.
After a moment of silence, Qi Haoyu's brows knitted together again, and his fingertips tapped unconsciously on the armrest of the sofa.
He muttered, "I still can't figure out when exactly did Teng Zijing start targeting me?"
He recalled the whole process, his tone full of confusion: "When I did that little trick on the construction site,
I just wanted to give Jiang Chengyu a warning, telling him not to block other people's money, so how did it turn into the falling incident later? That was not what we planned at all?"
"Do you suspect... that Teng Zijing was behind this?" Chang Miaomiao raised his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"What else?" Qi Haoyu asked back, his tone a little more firm, "Have you forgotten what happened between Jiang Chengyu and Teng Zijing at the entrance of the Four Seasons Hotel?
They didn't care about the public place and fought in front of so many people, as if there was a deep hatred. Now think about it, what was the reason? "
Chang Miaomiao shook her head, as if suddenly remembering something, and said in surprise, "That's not right! Did you know about the construction in Haikou?"
Qi Haoyu said with disapproval: "I know, the bidding project that Jiang Chengyu won,
Isn't it normal to start construction? He can do whatever he wants. What does it have to do with us?
Chang Miaomiao rolled her eyes at him and said angrily, "What's going on in your head all day long?"
She turned around and reached for her phone from the coffee table, swiped the screen, and clicked on a video she had just received. "Take a good look at this. Do you know what's going on?"
Qi Haoyu said impatiently: "What's so good about it, baby, come here and let me kiss you again."
"Shut up and look carefully." Chang Miaomiao pinched Qi Haoyu's chin and handed the phone to him.
The video shows a construction site in Haikou. The sea breeze blows up the corners of their clothes. Teng Zijing and Jiang Chengyu stand side by side on a temporary viewing platform.
Following behind him were two rows of people in suits and ties, who were obviously the core backbones of the two companies.
In the camera, Teng Zijing pointed at the construction ship on the sea, his profile lines were cold and hard, while Jiang Chengyu was holding the blueprint.
Nodding in response from time to time, the two of them huddled together and talked in low voices, their expressions so tacit that it didn't look like there had been any conflict.
Qi Haoyu's brows knitted into knots instantly, and his fingers clenched violently, his knuckles turning white. "When did they get so close?"
His eyes were filled with disbelief. "Could it be that...the confrontation at the bidding meeting and the brawl outside the Four Seasons Hotel were all staged?"
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. A chill ran down his back: "We...were all fooled by these two guys?"
Chang Miaomiao didn't say anything, just turned off the video and looked at her face reflected on the phone screen, a complex look flashing in her eyes.
The warm light in the room seemed to have turned a little colder, illuminating the uncertainty on the two people's faces with particular clarity.
In Gu Ze's private apartment at Fengteng International, warm yellow light spread over the dining table, illuminating a table of home-cooked dishes with a warm, steaming aroma.
Jiang Chengyu sat on the dining chair, scrolling through the document on his phone with his right hand, and holding the chopsticks with his left hand, occasionally picking up a piece of vegetable and putting it into his mouth.
His movements were slow and his eyes showed a hint of tiredness from work, but the smoky atmosphere in the room softened his expression.
The little white horse at my feet snorted, and its mane shone with a lustrous white luster under the light.
It paced back and forth restlessly in the restaurant, its tail swishing back and forth, making a slight sound when it swept across Jiang Chengyu's trouser legs, showing its happy mood at the moment, as if it was acting coquettishly with its owner.
There was a light "click" in the kitchen as the fire was turned off. Gu Ze came out wearing a cartoon-patterned chef's skirt.
Holding a casserole in both hands, the bottom of the pot made a slight collision sound when it touched the dining table.
He lifted the lid of the casserole, and the hot steam with the rich aroma of meat spread out instantly, mixed with the sweet taste of winter melon, which aroused people's appetite.
"Cheng Yu, come and try the winter melon and pork ribs soup I made. How does it taste?" There was a smile in his voice and warmth in his eyes.
"You've been going out early and coming back late lately, and you've lost a lot of weight. I'm here to give you some nourishment."
As he spoke, he picked up the soup spoon and scooped a full bowl, blew it carefully, and then placed it in front of Jiang Chengyu.
A thin layer of oil floated on the milky white soup, and a few pieces of tender pork ribs and translucent winter melon sank to the bottom of the bowl, the aroma drilling straight into one's nose.
Jiang Chengyu quickly raised his hand to take it, looking at Gu Ze with gratitude in his eyes:
"Gu Ze, thank you for your hard work. You are busy enough with your work every day, and you still have to worry about all this for me when you come back. I feel really bad about it."
"What are you talking about?" Gu Ze raised his hand and rubbed his hair, his fingertips were warm with the soup that had just been stewed.
"I'm afraid you haven't considered me family. I'm five years older than you. As an older brother, isn't it natural for me to take care of my younger brother?"
Jiang Chengyu smiled as he rubbed her, his eyes curved into crescents, and his voice was as brisk as a wind chime:
"Thank you, Gu Ze. I am the happiest person in the world because I have such a considerate big brother like you!"
"Stop talking nonsense." Gu Ze glared at him with a smile, picked up the braised pork with chopsticks and put it into Jiang Chengyu's bowl, "Eat quickly, or the food will get cold if you dawdle any longer."
The moment their eyes met, it felt like fine icing sugar was melting in the air.
Jiang Chengyu lowered his head and scooped a spoonful of soup. The warm soup slid into his throat, and the warmth spread from his stomach all the way to his heart.
Gu Ze looked at his satisfied expression, picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of pork ribs and put it into the bowl.
The night outside the window deepened, and the only sounds in the apartment were the clinking of dishes and the occasional neighing of the little white horse.
It was as gentle as a pool of spring water, soaking the shadows of both people soft.