bayedsolid Chapter 214 I Didn't Alert the Enemy
Chapter 214 I Didn't Alert the Enemy
For several days in a row, Shang Yibo's schedule was packed, and the crew had to make the most of every minute to make up for the filming schedule that had fallen behind due to his two-month break.
Zhou Yanruo, who had promised to meet them in Huizhou a week later, kept delaying, and it wasn't until half a month later that she finally made the trip.
It was the weekend, and Shang Yibo had a rare evening without any scheduled work. So, he instructed his assistant Zhang Xiaoguang to make a reservation in advance at the well-known "Shengchunyan" restaurant in the area to welcome Zhou Yanruo. He also specially arranged for driver Master Jin to go to the airport to pick up Zhou Yanruo and take her directly to "Shengchunyan" to meet them.
After finishing filming, Shang Yibo asked Ding Jiajia to stay behind to handle the follow-up matters, and returned to the hotel without removing his makeup in order to save time, so that he could take a shower and remove his makeup at the same time.
He then changed into a comfortable hoodie and sweatpants, feeling refreshed. He struck a pose in front of the mirror, raised an eyebrow, and boasted, "Looks good!"
Just as he was about to change his shoes and go out, he received a message from Zhou Yanruo: "Master Jin has picked me up, and we are on our way to Shengchun Banquet."
He calculated the time and figured that if he left the hotel immediately, he should be able to arrive at Shengchun Banquet earlier than Zhou Yanruo and the others. That way, he could sit comfortably in the private room and wait for Zhou Yanruo to arrive. Just thinking about it made him happy.
He replied to the message: "See you in a bit." He also added a grinning emoji.
Having been in Huizhou for over half a month, Shang Yibo's life has remained confined to the hotel and film set, and he hasn't had a chance to properly explore this historically significant city.
It was the weekend, and the roads were crowded with vehicles and pedestrians. Shengchun Restaurant was located at the crossroads of the ancient street. As his car entered the area, he could see a three-story Hui-style building in the distance, with its white walls, black tiles, and towering gable walls, exuding a simple and elegant charm. However, the red lanterns hanging on both sides of the wall seemed somewhat out of place, ruining the overall atmosphere and appearing both tacky and incongruous. Shang Yibo couldn't help but frown slightly. He had thought that the most famous restaurant in Huizhou would have a unique flavor, but his first impression was quite different. He thought to himself that Zhou Yanruo probably wouldn't like this style of decoration.
On second thought, these external decorations are just formalities; what matters is that they "met" and "we were together." Zhou Yanruo probably thought the same way.
The driver parked the car in front of the restaurant, signaled Shang Yibo to get out first, and then drove to the parking lot.
After Shang Yibo got out of the car and entered the restaurant, his phone suddenly rang. He initially thought it was Zhou Yanruo calling, assuming she hadn't arrived yet, so he answered the phone while thinking about it.
Surprisingly, it was Jian Zheng who called.
"Yibo, you're not filming tonight, are you? Let's meet up and talk," Jian Zheng said on the other end of the phone.
"Meeting? You've come to Huizhou?" Shang Yibo asked, somewhat surprised.
“I’ve been here for almost a week. You’ve been busy, and I haven’t been idle either. Today we’ve finally made some progress, so let’s meet and talk in detail. Are you on set or have you already gone back to the hotel?” Jian Zheng asked in a series of questions.
Shang Yibo interrupted Jian Zheng, saying, "I already have plans for tonight, how about we reschedule?"
“What changes? When will you have time? I’m at ‘Shengchun Banquet’ right now, it’s a famous restaurant in Huizhou. I’ll send you the address, come find me when you’re done,” Jian Zheng insisted.
"What did you say? Where are you now?" Shang Yibo looked around in surprise.
He looked up and saw Jian Zheng standing at the front desk of the restaurant, with his back to the entrance and a phone in his hand.
Shang Yibo hung up the phone, strode over, and patted Jian Zheng heavily on the shoulder.
"Holy crap, you scared me!" Jian Zheng turned around and was startled to see Shang Yibo. "What are you doing here?"
"Zhou Yanruo arrived in Huizhou today, and I invited her to dinner here as a welcome-back dinner," Shang Yibo explained.
"Hey, you're pretty good at charming girls," Jian Zheng joked. "Speaking of which, it's quite a coincidence that we bumped into each other here, buddy."
Shang Yibo pulled his hat down further and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
As soon as the two entered the private room, Shang Yibo couldn't wait to ask, "Are you going to tell me about Zhang Qian?"
Jian Zheng nodded and replied, "I found Zhang Qian."
At this moment, the waiter followed them into the private room and politely asked, "Gentlemen, what would you like to drink?"
Jian Zheng glanced at Shang Yibo and then replied, "Wait a minute, some of us haven't all arrived yet."
The waiter smiled and replied, "Okay, then call me when you need to order." After saying that, the waiter put down the menu, turned around, and left the private room.
Jian Zheng closed the door, turned around, and sat down.
Shang Yibo stood at the door, waiting for Jian Zheng to continue.
"Sit down first, it won't interfere with your date."
Shang Yibo glared at Jian Zheng and sat down next to him.
Jian Zheng said, "My people just found him, but I haven't seen him yet."
Shang Yibo frowned and asked, "Does he still not want to see you?"
Jian Zheng shook his head and said, "I don't want to alert them; I want to understand the situation first."
Shang Yibo was somewhat dismissive of Jian Zheng's use of the phrase "beating the grass to scare the snake," feeling that he was being overly cautious, but he didn't say anything more.
Next, Jian Zheng recounted in detail the process of searching for Zhang Qian.
It turned out that after Zhang Qian recovered and was discharged from the hospital following the accident, Jian Zheng never saw him again. Years later, when Jian Zheng returned to China to investigate the cause of the accident, he contacted Professor Fang of Sunan University. Professor Fang had always taken good care of Jian Zheng during his time at the university; after Mayor Chang's accident, Professor Fang was one of the few people who helped Jian Zheng. If Professor Fang hadn't found a way to help him obtain a letter of recommendation from the university, Jian Zheng wouldn't have been able to gain admission to the University of Malta.
This time, Professor Fang secretly retrieved the accident investigation files from the college's administrative archives, but unfortunately, he couldn't find any particularly useful information. Jian Zheng had many questions that needed to be answered, and Zhang Qian, the only survivor of the accident and also his college classmate, became the key figure. For several years, Jian Zheng had been searching for Zhang Qian, but without success.
Two years ago, at a thank-you banquet following a new product launch, Jian Zheng, whose invested technology company was invited to attend, unexpectedly met Zhang Qian. It turned out that Zhang Qian had founded this technology company in Guangzhou five years prior. This chance encounter surprised both of them, and they met briefly in Guangzhou. Jian Zheng had a few questions he wanted to clarify, so he arranged to meet Zhang Qian again to discuss them in detail. However, on the appointed day, Zhang Qian not only avoided meeting him but also completely disappeared. For the next few years, Zhang Qian remained untraceable. Only recently, through extensive efforts, did Jian Zheng finally manage to locate him again.