Wei Yumeng breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Fang Xun. As long as Fang Xun was there, it meant Zhan Mohan was likely still at the company.
“Fang Xun, what have you all been busy with lately? How is Mohan doing? Did that Zhan Yangyi do anything to you all? And… what’s the current situation?”
Fang Xun felt a bit awkward at Wei Yumeng’s rapid-fire questions.
“Madam, you’re asking so many things at once, I don’t know where to begin answering.”
Wei Yumeng then realized her rudeness. “I’m sorry, I’m just too worried.”
Fang Xun then said, “We have been busy lately, but that Zhan Yangyi hasn’t had the time to do anything to us.”
Hearing Fang Xun’s confident tone, Wei Yumeng realized that this might have something to do with Zhan Yangyi’s recent unavailability.
“Could it be that you’ve already made a move?”
Fang Xun nodded. “As long as they’re in this business circle, problems are bound to arise. President Zhan has simply chosen a more interesting project to cause him some trouble, and he likely won’t have time for anything else for a while.”
“Then recently, Mohan…”
“President Zhan is naturally fine. He’s just been so busy because he has to simultaneously contain Zhan Yangyi and manage the company.”
Now, Wei Yumeng was completely relieved. Regardless, knowing that Zhan Yangyi wouldn’t have the opportunity to cause trouble for the time being gave her a great deal of peace of mind.
Wei Yumeng still wanted to see Zhan Mohan in person, but knowing how busy he was, she realized her sudden appearance might only add to his troubles, so she had to give up on that idea.
However, before leaving, she repeatedly urged Fang Xun to make sure Zhan Mohan took care of his health.
Perhaps because Zhan Mohan had truly managed to suppress Zhan Yangyi, Wei Yumeng experienced a period of peace. Zhan Mohan remained busy, though not as intensely as before.
Wei Yumeng even began to wonder if the matter with Zhan Yangyi was finally over.
After a busy day, Wei Yumeng had just finished her work and was leaving the Feng Corporation when she unexpectedly ran into Zhan Yangyi again.
Zhan Yangyi, wearing sunglasses and driving a luxury car, was waiting quietly at the entrance of the Feng Corporation, attracting the attention of many passersby.
Wei Yumeng did not want to engage with him, feeling it was best to stay as far away as possible.
But Zhan Yangyi appeared just in time to block her path.
“What do you want?” Wei Yumeng felt somewhat angry.
Zhan Yangyi smiled. “Madam Wei, I have no other intentions. I just want to ask you to accompany me to a few places. I will personally take you back after we’re done, and I guarantee you’ll be unharmed.”
Although Zhan Yangyi was smiling, Wei Yumeng could still vaguely sense an underlying threat.
This kind of hidden threat was the most fatal and dangerous.
Ultimately, Wei Yumeng got into Zhan Yangyi’s car.
“Where are we going?”
Zhan Yangyi curved his lips. “You’ll know when we get there.”
Wei Yumeng sat in the car, feeling anxious and uneasy. She even mentally rehearsed various escape methods, preparing to find a way to protect herself if she encountered any danger.
She had even reached into her bag and gripped the pepper spray she always kept there, determined to use it if Zhan Yangyi made any move.
They rode in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, the car stopped. Zhan Yangyi got out first, then opened the rear door and personally invited Wei Yumeng to alight.
Wei Yumeng looked around. This appeared to be a very ordinary urban village, and as far as she knew, it was the slowest developing area in the city. There were even beggars by the roadside.
“I know you’re curious about why I brought you here. I’ll tell you now,” Zhan Yangyi said as they walked. “You know who I am, but you probably have no idea how I managed to get through everything.”
He pointed in a direction. “Do you see the building being demolished there? That used to be a residential complex, the place where my adoptive parents and I lived. In fact, looking at the surroundings, you can tell that the complexes here are not much better, having a history of fifty or sixty years.”
“Back then, Old Master Zhan gave me to this family because they were elderly and childless. What difference does that make from kidnapping children?”
Wei Yumeng looked at the buildings being demolished, finding it difficult to connect them with the current Zhan Yangyi. His current image was completely out of place with this environment.
Zhan Yangyi let out a bitter laugh. “That family probably never expected that they would eventually have a son, and that son, upon growing up, would dislike me. Because I wasn’t their biological son, he always tried to frame me in various ways, even making me a thief.”
Zhan Yangyi then walked back to the car. “Come, I’ll take you to the next place.”
Wei Yumeng got back into the car, still somewhat bewildered. Was Zhan Yangyi going to tell her about his past experiences and the places he had lived?
Wei Yumeng felt a pang of sympathy. Indeed, when comparing Zhan Yangyi’s circumstances with Zhan Mohan’s, even she would feel how unfair fate could be.
The second location turned out to be a local orphanage. They could hear the children’s laughter from outside.
However, the orphanage looked like it had been around for a long time and appeared somewhat dilapidated. There was a sign at the entrance that read, “For the healthy growth of the children, we hope to receive help from all sectors of society.”
Zhan Yangyi said, “This sign has been here for a long time, but as you can see, there hasn’t been much improvement.”
“Did you live here before?”
Wei Yumeng, uncharacteristically, asked the question.
“That’s not quite accurate. I only stayed here for half a month.”
“Half a month?” Wei Yumeng didn’t know how old Zhan Yangyi was when he was sent there, but he certainly wasn’t old.
“I ran away myself. That kind of place was not somewhere I could stay. Can you imagine these children only eating vegetables and radishes every day, with very little rice?”
Wei Yumeng was even more astonished. She had thought such poverty no longer existed in this city.
“Perhaps it’s because it’s a welfare institution, and many people simply don’t care about it.”
“Did you leave here because of that?”
“I still had some self-respect back then. I believed this wasn’t a place I could stay long-term, so I wanted to forge my own path rather than wait to die here.”