Beg Me to Remarry
Chapter 587 - 588: The Lonely New Year’s Eve

Chapter 587: Chapter 588: The Lonely New Year’s Eve

Only with Du Wanting’s death could his humiliating past disappear along with her; just like now, decades later, many people talk about how impressive it is that he built his fortune from scratch. Who remembers how he once kissed up to a lady for money?

But at this moment, on the deserted street,

Xia Guoxiong for the first time looked straight into his own heart. Just between him and Du Wanting, he knew he owed her an apology. Even in death, Du Wanting still helped him.

It could be said that if Du Wanting hadn’t saved He Xing, the Xia Group would be nothing more than a passable business today, definitely not as expansive as it is now.

As he was thinking, suddenly there came a knocking on his window.

A short man stood by his car window, his triangular, drooping eyes staring unblinkingly at him like a snake lurking in the night, silently harboring ill intentions.

Xia Guoxiong’s heart jumped; he hadn’t noticed when Mr. Ji had arrived, nor how long he had been there. Had he been silently observing him for a long time? For the first time, he harbored great suspicion towards Mr. Ji.

Yet his expression remained unchanged as he asked in his usual grim tone, "How did your investigation go?"

Mr. Ji’s voice, rough as a crow’s, rose in the night, sending shivers down the spine: "I’ve looked into it. As of now, there’s no substantial evidence to prove that Yi Lixing orchestrated this. The assassin who was caught has yet to confess Yi Lixing’s involvement."

"Didn’t expect Yi Lixing to have some ability after all," a sinister smile crept onto Xia Guoxiong’s face as he offered the remaining half of his cigar to Mr. Ji, "Do you think I still need to make a trip up there, then?"

"Yes!" Mr. Ji took a puff of the cigar, perhaps too eagerly, which led to a severe coughing fit; it sounded like his lungs might cough up, and after he finally stopped coughing, he spat out a thick glob of phlegm: "I’ve found out something else."

Leaning forward, he motioned Xia Guoxiong to come closer; Xia Guoxiong immediately poked half his head through the car window.

A few minutes later, Xia Guoxiong asked with a face full of shock: "Are you telling the truth?"

"It’s true," Mr. Ji’s smile was crafty: "That Yi Lixing, driven by lust, now has a pair of handles in the grasp of the Huangpu Group, and since the Huangpu Group has formed a partnership with the He Group, he is like a ticking bomb. You must cut ties with him as soon as possible."

"No wonder..." Xia Guoxiong’s face twisted, he gritted his teeth and said: "I was wondering why he suddenly told us to stop going after the Huangpu Group, so it was because of this relationship."

"Exactly," Mr. Ji’s pockmarked face beamed with pride: "You did well not to listen to him. Otherwise, how could we have snatched so many orders from the Huangpu Group?"

"You’re reliable," Xia Guoxiong extended a hand and patted Mr. Ji’s shoulder: "Starting next year, your salary will double. As long as you serve me well, I will never mistreat you."

"Thank you, Director Xia," Mr. Ji bowed respectfully: "The fruit basket and flowers are already in your trunk, all bought from the finest at the import store; you can go up and visit Miss Fu Han right now."

"Alright," Xia Guoxiong agreed but did not get up immediately; instead, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

The ember of Mr. Ji’s cigar glowed faintly between his fingers, revealing his bony, stick-like fingers as raw skin and bones.

Out of Xia Guoxiong’s view, Mr. Ji’s eyes became extraordinarily complex, like a monster lurking in the brush eyeing its prey, or like a hunter, thrilled with the catch in hand.

Before leaving, he gave Xia Guoxiong another look, then lifted his foot and silently walked away.

As he turned, Xia Guoxiong opened his eyes. He scrutinized closely but couldn’t see where Mr. Ji was; in the darkness, he seemed to have vanished, invisible even though the street was lit, without a sound of footsteps.

Xia Guoxiong could only gauge Mr. Ji’s position by the slight glow from the cigar.

He looked around; the street was empty, devoid of people. An absurd thought crossed his mind: if he floored the accelerator now, would Mr. Ji simply drop dead on the spot?

But in the end, he did not do it. Mr. Ji was still useful, and although he had blood on his hands from various incidents, none had implicated him directly. Even if Mr. Ji needed to be dealt with, Xia Guoxiong could not do it himself.

With that thought, Xia Guoxiong pulled open the car door and got out. His black woolen coat flapped in the wind, creating a dark wave carrying a chill with it.

...

Outside the window, the twilight was deepening, without stars or moon in sight, but in the distance, there were thousands of household lights, a scene one might consider beautiful.

Fu Han had been standing by the window for a while now, a gentle breeze drifting in, not cold, barely enough to stir her hair.

Today is New Year’s Eve. It’s the first time she’s spent it alone in her memory.

When her parents were alive, they were with her; later, it was He Xing and Grandfather He; after going abroad, it was Nan Qing and Su Cheng.

When there were others, she hadn’t felt it, but now suddenly alone, an overwhelming loneliness swept over her, engulfing her in an instant.

Just ten minutes ago, her uncle had video called her. Her aunt and Bai Wei had traveled out of the country, even Luo Qinghe had sent her wishes; of course, because Fu Han didn’t want them to know she was in the hospital, she turned off the camera.

During that video chat, her uncle told her they would return soon, asked her not to miss them, and said they would bring back New Year’s gifts for her.

As joyous as everyone was in that video, Fu Han felt just as desolate now.

It was as if nothing and no one in the world was related to her anymore. Since her parents’ deaths, a sense of belonging had never again been present in her heart.

He Xing and Grandfather He were her blood relatives; her uncle, aunt, and Bai Wei were a family; Su Cheng and Nan Qing had their own families as well.

Lady Nangong and Nan Qing had come to visit her, wanting to take her to Nan Qing’s ward to celebrate the reunion, but Fu Han declined.

They would be a happy family of three along with Wang Yixuan; Fu Han felt she would be an extra person if she went, not only failing to liven the atmosphere but possibly making their already joyless New Year even less cheerful.

So Fu Han fabricated a lie; she told them He Xing would soon return to spend New Year’s with her.

But the truth wasn’t like that at all. Fu Han had received a call from He Xing around five o’clock, insisting that he should stay at home and have the New Year’s Eve dinner with Grandfather He, certainly not to let him eat alone in the villa.