"I'd better go take a look. Don't worry, it'll be fine—nothing will happen."Sun Zhewen gently lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss to Li Zhiyan's forehead. That light, tender touch seemed to carry comfort and courage with it. Then he got up briskly and began getting dressed.
Li Zhiyan watched his busy figure, her eyes filled with worry. Still, she tried hard to suppress the unease in her heart and said, "Mm… be careful."
After tidying himself up, Sun Zhewen walked back to the bed and hugged Li Zhiyan tightly once more, as if passing his strength to her. "Be good and stay at home. Don't be afraid."
Li Zhiyan forced out a smile, though it looked a little stiff. "Alright. Go do what you need to do."
Sun Zhewen turned and left the room. Listening to his footsteps gradually fade away, Li Zhiyan felt an emptiness settle in her chest. She slowly got up, her steps heavy as she walked into the bathroom. Turning on the faucet, she let the warm water wash over her, trying to rinse away the cold sweat on her body—and the fear and anxiety in her heart. Amid the sound of running water, her thoughts only grew more chaotic.
That morning, Ailin arrived in a hurry, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor. She walked straight into the director's office without even knocking. Tossing her bag aside casually, she sat down across from Sun Zhewen and stared at him as he worked.
With a soft, coquettish voice, she said, "Director Sun, I've come to you today because I really have something going on."
Sun Zhewen didn't even lift his head, continuing to handle the work in his hands as he replied coolly, "Oh? You're from the Fengyun Public Relations Department. What business do you have with me?"
"Director Sun, listen to how you're talking. Can't I come to you for something personal?" Ailin blinked, trying to show off her charm.
"Personal matters? Then you've come to the wrong person," Sun Zhewen said, his pen never stopping.
"Director Sun, you're really boring." Ailin pouted, clearly displeased.
"Say it. What is it?" Sun Zhewen finally raised his head and glanced at her.
"Well… my family has a teahouse on Xiangfu Street. Recently, some thugs have been coming over to cause trouble all the time. My place is practically on the verge of shutting down." A trace of worry appeared on Ailin's face.
"Oh? Even you can be bullied to the point of not being able to keep a business running?" Sun Zhewen clearly didn't quite believe her, a hint of mockery in his tone.
Seeing that he didn't believe her, Ailin grew anxious. "Director Sun, I'm telling the truth! They're forcing me to transfer the shop to them, but they're only offering one hundred thousand. I spent nearly a million to set that place up!"
Sun Zhewen snorted and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. "With the reputation of the Fengyun Group, who would dare provoke you?""Heh."
Ailin stomped her foot in frustration. "Director Sun, every word I've said is true. They've really gone too far."
"Then tell me properly—what exactly happened?" Sun Zhewen frowned.
"They're not from Jiangcheng. I don't know where they came from. Last week they were gambling at my place. They lost, and then insisted that the people who won were staff from my teahouse cheating. They demanded we compensate their losses. Of course we didn't agree. After that, they started coming every day to cause trouble. I called the police—when the police came, they left. As soon as the police left, they came right back. I really have no other choice." Ailin finished in one breath, looking utterly wronged.
"That's it?" Sun Zhewen raised an eyebrow.
"That's all." Ailin nodded heavily.
"The ones who won really weren't your people?" Sun Zhewen stared at her sharply.
"They really weren't! Director Sun, why are you doubting me too?" Ailin's voice rose several notches.
"I'm not doubting you. Isn't this exactly the kind of thing your people often do?" Sun Zhewen's tone still carried suspicion.
"Director Sun, please help me." Ailin said coyly, leaning forward slightly.
"I'll have someone go take a look later," Sun Zhewen said.
"Director Sun, could you personally bring people over?" Ailin asked, her eyes full of expectation.
"What, are our officers not good enough?" Sun Zhewen frowned.
"I'm afraid that if your people go, they'll behave themselves for the moment. Once you leave, they'll start causing trouble again." Ailin's face was filled with worry.
"Then what do you want me to do?" Sun Zhewen asked.
"I want to ask you to be a mediator. I'll give them some money and have them leave, so they won't cause trouble anymore." Ailin said carefully.
"What? Are you out of your mind? You're giving them money?" Sun Zhewen stared at her, incredulous.
"But I really don't have any other way! If I shut down for one day, I lose over ten thousand. They've been at it for a whole week—I really can't hold on anymore." Ailin's voice carried a sob.
"Alright. Go back first. I'll come over later." Sun Zhewen waved his hand, signaling her to leave.
"Thank you, Director Sun. After this is over, I'll definitely repay you generously." Ailin squeezed out a flattering smile.
Yet Sun Zhewen felt that this matter wasn't as simple as Ailin made it sound. His brows furrowed slightly as he silently pondered the hidden twists behind it. Then he called Li Qian. "Li Qian, bring two people with you. Come with me to Xiangfu Street later."
Sun Zhewen changed into plain clothes and arrived at the teahouse. Li Qian and the others stayed some distance away, watching discreetly, ready to respond to any sudden situation.
When Ailin saw Sun Zhewen arrive, she finally let out a long breath of relief. "Director Sun, I was really afraid you wouldn't come."
"If I didn't come, you'd still have ways to deal with it," Sun Zhewen said with a hint of teasing.
"Director Sun, listen to you—this time I really have no way out." Ailin's face was full of helplessness and grievance.
Just then, four burly men walked in from outside. Each of them was tall and powerfully built, with fierce faces—you could tell at a glance they were not good people.
Ailin whispered, "It's them." Forcing herself to stay calm, she stood up and went to greet them. "Brother Zhang, you're here. Please, have a seat."
"Little sister, you promised me." The lead man, known as Brother Zhang, spoke in a domineering tone.
"Brother Zhang, can we sit down and talk properly?" Ailin said carefully.
"What's there to talk about? You become my woman, I run the teahouse—then this whole thing is settled." Brother Zhang laughed brazenly.
"Brother Zhang, you know that's impossible." Ailin's face turned ugly.
"Then what's there to talk about?" Brother Zhang suddenly noticed Sun Zhewen sitting there and asked, "Who's he?"
Ailin deliberately raised her voice. "You don't know who he is?"
"Heh, why would we need to know the name of some random nobody?" Brother Zhang glanced at Sun Zhewen with disdain.
Sun Zhewen slowly stood up. His tall figure looked down at the so-called Brother Zhang, an air of authority in his gaze. Ailin hurriedly said, "This is Director Sun from the police station. He came today so both sides could talk things through properly. I'm willing to take out fifty thousand yuan to apologize to Brother Zhang."
"Heh, you slut. No wonder he showed up today—so you brought a cop with you." Brother Zhang cursed viciously.