The clock on the wall pointed at ten, and the brakes finally sounded outside the door.

  Su Jianan rushed to the door, and saw Lu Boyan coming back. She opened the shoe cabinet, passed him his slippers and said, “I made noodles for you, let me heat them.”


  It was just fine and it was not hot; just enough to warm the body.

  Despite of having a busy day, and his eyebrows full of tiredness, Lu Boyan still ate them in an elegant way.

  After finishing the last mouthful, Su Jianan handed him a tissue. He pressed his lips and said, “Go to a place with me tomorrow morning.”


  The next day was Saturday.

  Su Jianan woke up very early, and went out with Lu Boyan without having breakfast. When they arrived at the destination, she discovered that it was the old place—the golf course that Lu Boyan often went to.

  Intuition told her that Lu Boyan had not gone there to play. Based on his current situation, he wouldn’t have much of a leisurely mood.

  They went down to the sightseeing motor car and met a middle-aged man. Su Jianan had an impression of him. His surname was Mo, the top executive of a bank responsible for loan businesses.

  When seeing Lu Boyan, he was obviously surprised. Then he smiled loudly as if he knew Lu Boyan very well. “Boss Lu, why are you so early!?”


  Before Lu Boyan said anything, Mr. Mo sighed and added, “Yesterday, my assistant told me after work that you called. I am sorry, I was too busy. Recently, the bank’s loan business is very tight. The monthly quota has been reached, and a lot of things needed to be followed up. I’m so busy that I can’t have three meals on time.”


  After complaining about a pass, Mr. Mo finally stopped, and he looked at Lu Boyan as if he had recalled something. “Right, Boss Lu, why did you call me yesterday?”


  Lu Boyan called yesterday for Lu Enterprises’ loan, which Mr. Mo actually knew of. He also knew that Mr. Mo had already rejected him.

  The best way to maintain respect for both parties was to smile. Lu Boyan raised his lips and said, “It’s okay.”


  “Oh, then excuse me.” Mr. Mo pointed to the distance and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

  Su Jianan knew nothing about business matters, but she understood that Lu Boyan must felt terrible because the loan had been rejected without even applying.

  She still remembered the last time she saw Mr. Mo during the birthday party at the Chamber of Commerce, of President Fan. At that time, he complimented Lu Boyan in a variety of ways, as if he could just ask him directly if he needed some money and he could lend it to Lu Boyan.

  Lu Enterprises were facing a crisis today, and Lu Booyan was in real need, but he just avoided it.

  In that world, business was the cruelest place.

  “Everyone knows that Lu Enterprises is in jeopardy because of financial problems, and it is normal for banks not to approve loans,” Lu Boyan said, relaxed and calm, and brought Su Jianan into the restaurant. “Let’s eat something first.”


  There were quite a lot of people in the restaurant. People’s expressions were similar when they saw Lu Boyan.

  A little bit strange, a little bit to avoid, but had to maintain the apparent politeness.

  After all, Lu Enterprises had its position back then, and Lu Boyan was unfathomable. No one could be sure what method he would use to bring the company back to life. At the moment, they avoided him as if he were a beast; they might be in trouble if someday he recovered his power.

  Lu Boyan acted like he did not notice the subtle attitudes of those people and maintained a consistent elegance and alienation. Su Jianan was no longer able to talk to the people and went to the bathroom after she ordered something to temporarily avoid those ill-disposed gazes.

  When she had just walked to the door of the bathroom, she heard a voice inside, “What is the situation of Lu Enterprises now? Didn’t they have a financial crisis? Why did Lu Boyan still have the mood to play golf with his wife?”


  “Stupid? Can’t you see it?” Another person analyzed proudly, “they were not here to play, they were obviously here to ask for a loan to Lu Enterprises, didn’t you see that Mr. Mo acted like he had seen a ghost when he saw Lu Boyan? Now Lu Enterprises’s future is uncertain, who would dare lend to him?”


  “The most unfortunate is the Young Miss of the Su Family. She only lived the good life as Mrs. Lu for a year, and has encountered such a bad thing.”


  Su Jianan thought about it and went straight into the bathroom.

  Several women saw her from the mirror; all stopped talking and left quickly.

  After washing her hands and returning to the restaurant, Su Jianan just saw two men smiling strangely to each other after greeting Lu Boyan and turned around.

  That smile, contained some redicule, and some bad intentions. As if they had foreseen that Lu Boyan was about to stage a tragedy.

  Su Jianan lost her appetite, and pulled Lu Boyan with disappointment. “I don’t want to eat, let’s go home.”


  The car was driven down the hill.

  Lu Boyan pulled down the shade to cover Su Jianan’s face. She was still unhappy after he had promised to take her home, yet he couldn’t help but smile. “They might say that I bullied you if they didn’t know the truth.”


  “…”


  Lu Boyan sighed. “I shouldn’t have brought you here.”


  He rubbed her face, and Su Jianan’s expression was no longer so stiff, but the soft voice was covered with unprecedented hatred. “I remember all of them!”


  Lu Boyan raised his eyebrows. He asked “And then?”


  “Then you must win this time!” Su Jianan looked firmly. “I will see them bend down and beg you later!”


  Lu Boyan laughed and hugged the little monster passionately, “Mrs. Lu, the business has always been very realistic and cruel, you had always been well protected by your brother in the past.”


  Su Jianan suddenly raised her head and her eyes were bright. “Can you ask my brother for help?”


  “Your brother and Tang Ming, they have done what they can do,” Lu Boyan said, “but it was only enough for Lu Enterprises to survive for a month.”


  Su Jianan looked down. Only one month; either someone was willing to lend to Lu Enterprises, or… to send Kang Ruicheng to prison.

  After returning home, Lu Boyan did not get off the car. He touched Su Jianan’s head. “I have to go somewhere and will come back at night.”


  Su Jianan did not ask more about it and gave him a big kiss. “Go for it, husband!”


  Lu Boyan smiled and asked Uncle Qian to start the car after he watched Su Jianan enter the house.

  After Su Jianan entered the house, she did not expect to see Su Yicheng in the living room.

  Uncle Xu said, “Young Madam, Mr. Su has been here for half an hour.”


  Su Jianan nodded and took the initiative to explain to Su Yicheng, “Boyan said that he needed to go to a place and left without getting off the car.”


  “I know,” Su Yicheng said, “He is going to visit the company’s directors today and persuade them not to sell the company’s stock.”


  Su Jianan sat down next to Su Yicheng and looked at him. “Brother…” Suddenly she stopped talking and sat quietly with a confused face.

  Su Yicheng knew what she was thinking, so he held her hand. He said, “If you can’t help, don’t worry about it. Many people are still sure that Boyan can survive this pass.”


  Su Jianan’s hands were uncomfortably twisted together. “But I saw those people today… Forget it, let’s not mention them, Lu Enterprises must go through it!”


  As long as Lu Enterprises survived, it would be the most powerful couterattack.

  “What if the results are not so optimistic, what are you going to do?” Su Yicheng asked.

  “The worst result is to go bankrupt,” Su Jianan said, spreading her hands, “What else can I do? Accompany him to start over.”


  Su Yicheng smiled and said, “You do believe in Lu Boyan.”


  Su Jianan snorted. “So many people don’t believe in him and expected him to drop the ball. I am his wife; even if the whole world questions him, I will choose to believe him.”


  Su Yicheng gently caressed Su Jianan’s soft long hair like how he did when they were young. “You’ve really grown up. If mother could see it, she would be very happy.”


  Su Jianan just smiled and said, “Brother, stay and have lunch with me. I will cook for you!”


  Su Yicheng looked at the time and shook his head. “No, I made an appointment to play chess.”


  “Who is it?” Su Jianan was puzzled. “I know all of your friends. They like riding horses or playing ball. No one likes to play chess.”


  Su Yicheng did not disclose anything and just left. The driver got out to open the door for him and asked, “Shall we go to Mr. Luo’s house?”


  Su Jianan instantly understood it—Lao Luo really liked to play chess.

  “Gotta go,” Su Yicheng said to her before got in the car.

  Su Jianan smiled and waved at him. “Brother, this is a good move.”


  Luo Xiaoxi was not there, so he accompanied Lao Luo to go for a walk or to play chess. Luo Xiaoxi must fall in love with him, when she returns and notices that he is already bound to her family.

  Su Jianan’s mood finally turned positive; she ate something and took out the photocopy of Hong Qing’s photo from her bag.

  She could send Kang Ruicheng to prison if she found Hong Qing and convinced him to renege on the confession of that year.

  But it was so hard to find a person she had never met in such a big world.

  It might be easier to hand it over to Lu Boyan. But at the moment, the company’s business was enough for him. What’s more, she promised to deal with his father’s case.

  Jiang Shaokai had just called while she worried.

  “My uncle promised to help us find Hong Qing!” Jiang Shaokai said with a long sigh of relief on the phone, “Now, we don’t have to do anything, just wait for my uncle’s news.”


  “Say thank you to your uncle for me.” Su Jianan could not thank him enough, but she only said one sentence word by word. “And thank you too.”


  Jiang Shaokai smiled and said with a serious tone, “You’re welcome,” he paused, “Right, what arrangements do you have today?”


  “If you are free this afternoon, I would like to visit the police who handled the case at that time,” Su Jianan said, “maybe we can find something suspicious from them.”


  “Is Lu Boyan with you?”


  “How would he have the time?”


  “Then I will go with you,” Jiang Shaokai said, “It’s not safe for you to go alone. But we have to agree on this that we must unanimously declare that we are working overtime when talking to the public.”


  Su Jianan thought for a moment and understood. “…Are you being forced to date with Zhou Qilan again?” He could leave home with excuses for work.

  “Cough,” Jiang Shaokai’s voice became unnatural and said, “See you in the afternoon!”


  After hanging up the phone, Su Jianan inadvertently looked out the window and it was snowing again.

  But she didn’t feel as excited as when she saw it for the first time.

  She remembered that during the summer, she carried a pot of coffee and ran into Lu Boyan’s study. He promised to take her to the French winery in winter to taste the new wine.

  With the sudden crisis of Lu Enterprises, they might not be able to go this year.