Chapter 330: Chapter 329: Changes in Storm (2) Rushing back to Jin City

Translator: 549690339

Song Zhizhi couldn’t believe her eyes as she looked at today’s headlines.

She had just spoken to Ji Baijian yesterday, and he was perfectly fine. How could he suddenly have a heart attack?!

Her heart beat raced rapidly.

Even though she didn’t trust that the news was real, she was still frightened by it.

She picked up the phone and dialled Ji Baijian’s number.

The call was answered by Yan Jin, “I’m Ji Baijian’s personal physician. Ji Baijian is now critically ill. If there’s anything, you can inform me first, and I will relay it to him when appropriate.”

“Doctor Yan, I am Song Zhizhi. I want to ask about Ji Baijian’s current condition.”

“It’s not good,” Yan Jin replied, “You should hurry back if you want to see him one last time.”

Song Zhizhi felt her face drained of its color.

Yan Jin said, “So, hurry back.”

Song Zhizhi wanted to ask something more, but the call had already ended.

Song Zhizhi tightly gripped her phone.

How could this be?!

She absolutely didn’t believe that something could suddenly happen to Ji Baijian.

There’s no way this millennia-old workaholic Ji Baijian could pass away just like that!

At that moment of confusion, she suddenly became calm.

If something had happened to Ji Baijian, he would definitely tell her first-hand instead of through a third party. His silence must be due to the abruptness of the situation, and knowing him, he would also be aware that she spends most of her time with Jun Mingyu, which would easily lead to a leak. So, he would be waiting until she contacted him to ask about his condition.

Listening to Yan Jin’s tone just now, it didn’t seem like someone was about to die.

Her anxieties calmed a little, though she couldn’t fully let go.

Besides, Yan Jin was clearly hinting that she should go back, was it Ji Baijian who asked him to tell her?

Thinking this, Song Zhizhi didn’t want to delay any longer.

She got up and headed for Jun Mingyu’s office.

Ever since their arrival in Jinghe Village, they had built a temporary office. Apart from her and Jun Mingyu, there were also some other local officials in charge of related work, commercial management staff, onsite construction teams, forming a project team from the government, commercial management, and enterprises.

This approach saved a lot of intermediate steps. Face-to-face office work increased efficiency by at least double!

That’s how Jinghe has developed to its current state in just half a year.

Song Zhizhi knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Jun Mingyu called out.

Song Zhizhi entered, she walked up to Jun Mingyu and bluntly said, “Mr. Jun, a stage of the project has been completed and everything has been set on track. Can the project team be disbanded now?”

“Sit down.” Jun Mingyu spoke calmly, “I was thinking the same thing.”

Song Zhizhi didn’t want to sit down. At that moment, all she wanted to do was leave.

But she held back and asked, “Does Mr. Jun have any other considerations?”

“Personally, I think the success of the project is not just the merit of us two, but also includes local officials, other colleagues in commercial management, contracted units, and so many people. We can’t just disband without notice. I plan to hold a celebration meeting this Friday. After the party, everyone can return to their respective positions. What do you think?” Jun Mingyu asked with a smile.

This man is always smiling, seeming polite and well-mannered. But no one can guess his true intentions.

Song Zhizhi, after being with him for half a year, had become accustomed to his way of doing things.

She replied, “I agree with your view. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to attend the party. I have some urgent matters and want to go back immediately.”

“Because of Ji Baijian’s illness?” Jun Mingyu asked.

So, he knew all along but deliberately took his time.

Was he testing her patience?!

Jun Mingyu was pondering himself, seeing her this calm despite his slow pace, this woman sure could keep her cool.

The two were eyeing each other up.

Song Zhizhi answered, “Yes, Ji Baijian suddenly fell ill, and I want to go back immediately.”

“That’s understandable. However, as the project’s main person in charge, your departure will be a huge regret for the project team.”

“I’m regretful too.” Song Zhizhi seemed a bit helpless, but didn’t show her true emotions.

Anyway, for the past six months, except for achieving basic consensus on work matters, both sides were always on guard most of the time.

The government and commercial management had never cooperated before, and no one would show their cards during their first collaboration.

Moreover, Song Zhizhi didn’t know if Jun Mingyu was a powerful backer that they could rely on, or a ticking time bomb that they couldn’t control. Ji Baijian didn’t give her a clear answer, only stating that they could cooperate but not trust him fully.

The more complex the environment, the more complex the interpersonal relationships!

Jun Mingyu seemed to fall silent for quite a while before he spoke, “Well, since this is your decision, I won’t force you. Are you planning to leave now?”

“Yes.” Song Zhizhi nodded, not wanting to delay even a minute.

“Can I offer to give you a lift?”

“No need, thank you. You will still be needed for the celebration.” With that, Song Zhizhi got up.

Jun Mingyu gave her a slight smile.

His customary smile was met with Song Zhizhi’s customary polite response.

She walked out of Jun Mingyu’s office.

She immediately took out her phone and called, “Brother Ziming, get ready, we’re leaving Jinghe Village today.”

“That’s so sudden?”

“Ji Baijian had a heart attack. I need to go back immediately and check on his condition.”

“Okay.”

Song Zhizhi hung up the phone and swiftly packed up her things in her own office.

There was a knock on her office door.

Without lifting her head, Song Zhizhi said, “Come in.”

“Manager Song.” Li Sheng appeared before her.

The project in Jinghe Village initially only included Song Zhizhi. After her arrival, the government and commercial management reached an agreement to establish a project department in Jinghe Village. In plain words, they were not allowed to leave.

As expected, the government didn’t want Jun Mingyu to return, and commercial management didn’t want her to return. And so, they reached an agreement.

They were detained there.

But they could not form a project team with just two people. Commercial management sent five more colleagues in addition to Song Zhizhi, and official local officers joined them as well. Both sides showed full sincerity in this collaboration.

“What’s up?” Song Zhizhi asked.

“I heard you’re leaving?” Li Sheng asked her, “What’s going on that you have to leave so suddenly? I heard from the government side that there’s a celebration this Friday, aren’t you going?”

“Yes, I have an emergency and won’t be able to make it.”

“That’s such a pity. The project owes much of its success to you. The government played a supporting role. Now, the main contributor is leaving; I find the celebration meaningless,” Li Sheng said, clearly disheartened.

Song Zhizhi didn’t pay much attention to Li Sheng. She was busy packing her stuff, and after making sure she had packed everything she needed, she said, “Just enjoy yourselves. Don’t worry about me. We can catch up when we’re back at commercial management.”

“Are you really leaving?” Li Sheng asked again, looking quite upset.

“Yes.” Song Zhizhi didn’t bother to explain further.

She looked around her office one more time to ensure she hadn’t left anything behind.

A moment later, Song Zhizhi was carrying her belongings out.

Li Sheng hastily offered his help, “Let me help you, Manager Song.”

Song Zhizhi indeed couldn’t move everything alone.

Without making any excuses, she and Li Sheng started carrying things toward the main gate of the project department.

Wei Ziming was already waiting in the car at the gate for her.

In Jinghe Village, both Jun Mingyu and Song Zhizhi were assigned separate cars.

Wei Ziming got out of the car, took Zhizhi’s things from her and Li Sheng, and placed them in the trunk.

Song Zhizhi opened the car door and got in.

Wei Ziming also returned to the driver’s seat.

Li Sheng stood watching as their vehicle departed, appearing melancholy and reluctant to part ways.

Song Zhizhi looked back at Li Sheng with an indifferent gaze.

Until she completely disappeared from sight.

Li Sheng, watching the car drive off into the distance, quicky picked up her phone and moved to a place where she could be alone. She hurriedly sent a message, “Song Zhizhi is about to leave now, I’m certain.”

“Ok,” came a single-word response from the other end.

Li Sheng immediately deleted the message.

Her eyes hardened.

Don’t blame me for betraying you, Zhizhi, but Ye Wenhan can offer much more benefits to me!

In the departing car.

Wei Ziming asked her, “Are you going back to pack your bags?”

“Hmm.” Song Zhizhi turned her head and responded.

Wei Ziming drove the car to their living place. The traditional quadrangles in Jinghe Village had been significantly modified, keeping only the original appearance and completely renovating the living environment. This had also become a selling point for tourists visiting Jinghe Village.

Song Zhizhi and Wei Ziming quickly packed their things and loaded them into the car.

Wei Ziming started the car and left with Song Zhizhi.

Song Zhizhi’s gaze remained fixed out of the window, watching the completely transformed Jinghe Village.

Through the rear-view mirror, Wei Ziming watched Song Zhizhi’s face and gave a faint smile, “You reluctant to leave? This place was created by you.”

“No,” Song Zhizhi shook her head.

She was wondering whether there might be some spies watching her from around the edges.

She said, “Brother Ziming, I can’t leave now.”

Wei Ziming paused, “What do you mean?”

“I suspect our journey will not be safe.”

“Hmm?”

Song Zhizhi said, “I’ve been observing Li Sheng for a while. From the moment Li Sheng arrived in Jinghe I’ve been suspicious! Normally, no one would willingly return here after experiencing the accidents that occurred in Jinghe Village. If Li Sheng came back, it must have been ordered. There’s only one person capable of making Li Sheng follow orders without question, and that’s Ye Wenhan! Ye Wenhan thinks, because Li Sheng and I have a good relationship, there are many things I won’t be on guard against. In fact, in Commercial Management, I do get on relatively well with her.”

“What makes me certain of Li Sheng’s identity is her unusually strange behavior today! Just now, Li Sheng kept asking if I was going to leave soon. Understandably, it’s quite normal for people to feel a little disappointed about an important person missing from a celebration banquet, but Li Sheng was being far too obvious. What’s more crucial is, she loves gossip so much, there’s no way she wouldn’t know that Baijian is sick. Despite that, she just acted dim, persistently trying to keep me there. Thus, she was repeatedly confirming if I was about to leave. If I did leave, she would most certainly alert Ye Wenhan.”

“Are you worried Ye Wenhan will take the opportunity to attack you? We’ve been in Jinghe Village for quite a while and Ye Wenhan hasn’t made a move. Thinking he might just as you’re leaving…aren’t you overthinking it?”

“The reason Ye Wenhan hasn’t made a move on me all this time is because Jun Mingyu has always been by my side. He’s scared the official family would find out his misconduct. His first step after getting to power was to seek stability, naturally, he wouldn’t dare make any reckless moves. But it’s been quite some time since he took power now, the situation that needed to stabilise has stabilised. It’s time for him to make a move. Plus, I’m leaving alone today without Jun Mingyu, it’s the perfect opportunity for Ye Wenhan.”

“So, you mean, Ye Wenhan plans to kill us on the way?” Wei Ziming looked slightly pale.

“No,” Song Zhizhi denied.

Wei Ziming looked puzzled.

“This time, they probably just want to kidnap me.”

“Why?” Wei Ziming was completely clueless.

Song Zhizhi replied, “The sudden illness of Ji Baijian is startling to not only me, but many others as well. The news was explicit that Jihong Group had laboriously obtained the exclusive international e-commerce agency rights of Kostal, only to terminate it due to Ji Baijian’s sudden illness. I even suspect that Ji Baijian did it intentionally. Perhaps he discovered something fishy, and therefore decided to reject the agency rights by choosing this method.”

What a method that most people wouldn’t even come to think of!

Wei Ziming pursed his lips.

He admitted that it was some high-level strategy he couldn’t fully comprehend.

Song Zhizhi continued, “If I can grasp Ji Baijian’s scheme, then Ye Wenhan, or to be accurate, the cunning Qian Guanshu, certainly can as well. Last time when I chose not to kill Ye Taiting, Guanshu confirmed my standing in Ji Baijian’s heart. Therefore, he could use kidnapping me as a way to verify whether Ji Baijian is truly on his deathbed. If Ji Baijian can still come to my rescue after I’m kidnapped, it would completely confirm that his heart disease is feigned. If this deception is exposed, both Ji Baijian and Jihong Group would become the laughing stocks globally. Their reputations would be ruined, and it would be tough for them to find foothold internationally ever again. In this way, it would be a piece of cake for the Commercial Management to suppress Jihong Group.”

Wei Ziming truly admired Song Zhizhi.

Unexpectedly, she could think so far and so thoroughly.

He asked, “So what do we do now?”

Song Zhizhi replied, “There’s a gas station ahead. You refill the gas, and I will take the opportunity to use the restroom. Then you drive off directly, and I’ll find a way back to Jin City by myself.”

“How can you return all by yourself?” Wei Ziming become somewhat frenetic, “I feel even more uneasy to leave you alone!”

“You will be guiding them away, hence you’ll be the one in danger, Brother Ziming. It is you who have to guarantee your own safety,” Song Zhizhi said, “On the contrary, once I slip from their sight, I’ll be much safer.”

Wei Ziming remained silent and didn’t budge.

Song Zhizhi knew that Wei Ziming would never leave her alone unless he was absolutely sure of her safety.

“If my conjecture is correct, both of us will be in great danger if we stay together. If I go alone, it will only put you in danger, but without me dragging you down, it will be easier for you to protect yourself,” Song Zhizhi explained, “If my conjecture is wrong, then neither of us is in danger and I will be safe even if I leave alone.”

Song Zhizhi was telling him that no matter the probability, her leaving alone was the safest by all means.

After a while, Wei Ziming nodded, “Okay.”

Song Zhizhi added, “Be careful.”

“Don’t worry, ordinary people can’t get to me. On the other hand, you have to be extra cautious if you’re on your own!” Wei Ziming advised.

“Okay.”

The sedan was parked at the gas station.

Wei Ziming refueled the car and went to the restroom with Song Zhizhi.

Song Zhizhi never came out after entering.

There were people coming and going.

It was easy to evade attention.

Wei Ziming drove off.

Song Zhizhi stayed inside a restroom stall until it got a bit darker before coming out.

She bought a set of local clothes from the gas station and changed into them.

In this way, it will be much more challenging to track her down in the vast sea of people!

She walked to the bus stop outside the gas station after changing clothes.

Due to the development of Jinghe Village, there was a public bus service from Jinghe Village to other towns. Riding the last bus of the day, Song Zhizhi smoothly got aboard.

Neither too crowded nor too empty, the bus was very quiet.

Song Zhizhi couldn’t reach out to Wei Ziming to know his situation, nor could she risk to call anyone else. She had this lingering fear that everyone might be under surveillance.

In fact, Song Zhizhi’s concern was not unnecessary.

Ji Baijian lay in the hospital ward.

Yan Jin came in for a ward round.

Ji Baijian removed his oxygen mask.

“There are quite a few people monitoring your condition outside,” Yan Jin said.