East Fourth Ring South Road, outside the entrance of Chaoyang Economic Investigation Team.
Chen Cheng sat in the car, looking towards the gate, waiting for someone to come out.
A night’s time can change many things.
Gunghua Consulting, which had stirred up a huge online storm, seemed to have disappeared with the sunrise this morning.
It was as if it had never appeared or, alternatively, it had transformed and continued to exist in this Great Wall forged by money.
Chen Cheng was not clear on what price or what equivalent exchange conditions the Chen and Cao families had proposed, but what he did know was that the startling numbers and the thorough revelations had vanished with the morning rush hour traffic, lost in the swirling exhaust fumes.
The joint statement’s release, after fermenting overnight and the redemption work that unfolded this morning, had completely won back investors’ trust. This alliance, established less than 24 hours ago, had become the new upholder of financial order.
Chen Cheng seldom smoked, but during the wait, he still lit one.
The faint smoky haze blurred those eyes that could see through the rules of the game and play the market laws, until the cigarette burned out, and Chen Donghai was the first to walk out of the gate.
Chen Cheng got out of the car, and Chen Donghai, pulling his suitcase, hurried over.
Chen Cheng saw the trace of fatigue on his face, "You’ve worked hard."
He gave the whole pack of Lotus cigarettes he had just started to Chen Donghai, lighting one for him personally, "How did it go?"
Chen Donghai took a deep drag, the taste of nicotine slightly relaxing his tense nerves. "Ah, don’t mention it, damn exhausting!"
This was the first time he had cursed in front of Chen Cheng, but as soon as the words were out, Chen Donghai immediately realized it wasn’t right.
"Mr. Chen, I didn’t mean it like that."
Chen Cheng patted his shoulder, "You’ve had a hard time, it’s inevitable! Calm down and take it slow."
Chen Donghai nodded firmly, "It started off polite, asking about basic information, about the projects I signed for the last two times."
He continued, "They kept asking whether I knew the specific details of the projects, the final direction of the funds, whether I had fulfilled my duty of due diligence, and so on."
"They probably understand that you’re just a nominal signatory," Chen Cheng expressed his speculation.
Chen Donghai took another deep drag to steady his emotions before saying, "They also brought out a thick stack of documents, all the project materials that I had signed, and asked me to look at them one by one, to see if I remembered or noticed any problems."
"Later on, they showed me a lot of comments online, accusing us of fraud, illegal fundraising and the like; it was frightening to see."
Chen Cheng nodded slightly, "These are all standard procedures, don’t take it too seriously. Now that the issue has been resolved, those reports won’t hold."
"I know," said Chen Donghai, "but it’s still quite scary. They asked if I had transferred assets, hidden properties, and I said no, then they asked me to provide bank statements, proof of assets, and such."
Chen Donghai took a harsh drag, "Mr. Chen, you know my situation..."
Chen Cheng pinched his arm, "Alright, go rest up."
"Okay, Mr. Chen." Chen Donghai extinguished the cigarette, and Chen Cheng handed him the car keys, "I told Xiao Er you were staying in Banna to deal with the aftermath; don’t let the cat out of the bag. She’s timid, I don’t want her to worry."
"Understood." Chen Donghai nodded, "Don’t worry, Mr. Chen, I won’t say a word."
Chen Cheng smiled and nodded, "Go on, I’ll wait here for Yu Bing."
Chen Donghai placed his suitcase in the trunk, walked to the driver’s seat, opened the door, then hesitated for a moment.
Chen Donghai sincerely said, "Mr. Chen, thank you for getting me out. If it weren’t for you..."
Chen Cheng waved his hand, "You didn’t do anything wrong, and I just did what I had to do."
He took a deep breath, "Go on, rest up, there’s still a lot to be done in the future."
Chen Donghai bowed slightly, then drove off.
As Chen Cheng stayed behind, he looked towards the gate, calculating how long it would take for Xia Yubing to come out.
He adjusted his coat and sat down on a bench by the road, glancing at the time, "She should be out soon."
Around 11 in the morning, Xia Yubing finally appeared at the entrance of the Economic Investigation Team.
She looked utterly exhausted, pale, her steps somewhat unsteady, a far cry from her usually elegant image.
Her red lips were gone, and she shivered in the biting wind of late autumn.
Chen Cheng spotted her immediately and got up to greet her.
Xia Yubing saw him too, her somewhat scattered gaze instantly focusing, her face revealing a smile of relief, yet edged with an indelible bitterness.
"Husband." Xia Yubing’s voice was hoarse as she called out.
Chen Cheng took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders, "Are you alright?"
Xia Yubing shook her head, "I’m okay, just a bit tired."
She paused, "Inside... it was harder than I imagined."
Chen Cheng had never seen Xia Yubing so worn down, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "It’s all right now, everything’s been settled."
Tears held back for over ten hours breached the dam the moment Chen Cheng finished speaking.
Tears silently slid down her cheeks as Xia Yubing buried her head in Chen Cheng’s chest, her shoulders trembling slightly.
She made no sound, letting the tears flow, seeking to release all her grievances and stress.