If You Could Hear My Heart

“I just don’t want anyone dying on my turf.”

Ji Shengxuan sat down expressionlessly on the sofa opposite him.

He lazily crossed his legs and lit a cigarette. This man was always so elegant, and everything he did was extra charming.

The white shirt made him seem composed and unruffled, and his face showed no sign of any emotion.

A perfect balance of tension and relaxation, he held himself with exquisite control.

“Ji Shengxuan, you really are a coward. You should think, if Shen Chi buys a bottle of wine from you, you could make a good amount of money. Isn’t making money about being ruthless?”

“I haven’t reached the level of Shen Chi yet,” Ji Shengxuan responded indifferently.

“Don’t pretend. Your Weiyang wouldn’t have gotten to where it is today without being cold-blooded and heartless. If I’m not wrong, you’ve driven more than a few small entertainment city owners to their deaths, haven’t you? Many people have been destroyed by you.”

Ji Shengxuan responded as if discussing the weather, “Survival of the fittest, that’s all.”

“Fine, give me the wine,” Shen Chi reached out his hand.

“Shen Chi, how much do you love Xu Chaomu? You don’t even go to the company and drink here every day instead?” Ji Shengxuan looked at him.

“It’s none of your business.”

“I suggest you sober up. There has been no news of her for nearly a month, and you should realize what that means. Stop deluding yourself.”

“You don’t need to tell me. I’m a guest, the god, here to drink, not to listen to your nonsense!”

Shen Chi’s face clearly showed annoyance. Many people had hinted in various ways that Xu Chaomu was dead, but he did not believe it. Such an optimistic and cheerful girl, how could she seek death?

Now, Ji Shengxuan was telling him the same thing.

“If you want to drink, then drink. Drink until you have a gastric hemorrhage, but don’t blame it on me,” Ji Shengxuan said.

Ji Shengxuan slowly exhaled a puff of smoke and placed a bottle of wine on the table, simply to see what state Shen Chi would drink himself into.

Shen Chi grabbed the bottle and poured the wine into the glass. As soon as it was full, he downed it in one gulp.

Ji Shengxuan smoked and watched Shen Chi, thinking that the man truly had gone mad.

Previously, he had felt that Shen Chi had a special feeling for Xu Chaomu, and now, it was confirmed.

“Ji Shengxuan, you can leave now. Oh, and one bottle isn’t enough. Get me a few more. Don’t worry, I’ll pay,” Shen Chi said.

“Shen Chi, she’s just a woman. Is she really worth it?”

“Ji Shengxuan, you’re the last person who has the right to say that,” Shen Chi looked up and said mockingly.

Suddenly, Ji Shengxuan fell silent, the cigarette pinched between his fingers burning slowly.

A blurry image in his mind gradually became clearer: a woman with a joyful smile, eyebrows like willow leaves, and her beautifully fair face well-formed.

As the vague image became sharp, Ji Shengxuan’s frown deepened.

The room suddenly fell silent, and Shen Chi knew that by mentioning Ji Shengxuan’s ex-wife, he was left with nothing to say.

After filling another glass of wine to the brim, Shen Chi tilted his head back and swallowed it in one gulp.

Soon, with the wine bottle nearly empty, Shen Chi was noticeably drunk.

At that moment, his phone started vibrating on the table.

“What is it?” Shen Chi answered, his face full of drunkenness.

The caller was Old Cheng: “President Shen, the school teacher asked me to pick up Chaomu’s things.”

A surge of intense sadness spread from head to toe. Shen Chi, holding the phone, couldn’t utter a word.

His hands trembled, and it took him all the willpower he could muster to control his emotions.

His throat was choked, and he felt wave after wave of acidity.

Old Cheng, receiving no response from the other end of the phone, felt compelled to continue, “President Shen… would you like to pick them up yourself? They said Chaomu organized her books neatly, and her midterm exam papers were also issued. The teacher said she ranked fifth in the class.”

Shen Chi’s nose stung, his eyes reddening as he listened.

He tried to speak, but couldn’t make a sound.

He just held the phone, frozen in the same position without moving.

“President Shen, President Shen,” Old Cheng called a few times.

Still silence.

After a while, Shen Chi finally managed to control all his emotions, though his hand shook terribly.

“Drive to Weiyang, I’ll go myself.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there,” Old Cheng nodded, aware that Shen Chi had been drinking again.

When Old Cheng arrived, Shen Chi had already left the private room. Under the sunlight, he stood at the entrance of Weiyang, his eyes slightly squinted, but his face bore an inescapable despair.

Old Cheng had never before seen Shen Chi in such a state of decay, ignoring the group and night after night, drowning himself in alcohol at Weiyang.

He had never seen Shen Chi drink so desperately; it could be described as alcohol abuse.

Of course, besides drinking, there was also smoking—a lot of it.

At times, he would stand by the window alone, not talking, just silently smoking. The cigarette butts would litter the floor, and no one’s persuasion made any difference.

Old Cheng stepped out of the Maybach, and under the sunlight, he saw a desolate look on the man’s face that went beyond his usual coldness.

The stubble on his face, now a greenish hue, hadn’t been groomed for many days. At this point, even Old Cheng felt like he was seeing a stranger in Shen Chi.

“President Shen, get in the car. The students will be leaving school right now,” said Old Cheng.

Old Cheng opened the passenger door and, without a word, Shen Chi got into the passenger seat.

“President Shen, they said Chaomu’s dormitory contained her neatly packed suitcase,” Old Cheng reported as he drove. “It seems that Chaomu had been planning to leave for a while.”

On hearing this, a different look finally appeared in Shen Chi’s eyes.

He slowly clenched his fist; she had intended to leave all along.

“She really made something of herself,” Shen Chi said with an icy tone.

“President Shen, someone said that Chaomu took a taxi to the airport area the day after the midterm exams. So, it appears she really intended to leave. Only, afterwards those things happened…”

Shen Chi’s thin lips pressed tighter, a cold glint in his eyes.

“Therefore, President Shen, I suspect that Chaomu wouldn’t have taken her own life on Sumatra Island; she just left,” Old Cheng opined.

Shen Chi remained silent, exuding intense coldness.

His heart was conflicted with both joy and unbearable pain. The joy came from a faint glimpse of hope for life, yet the pain was excruciating.

Xu Chaomu, you really considered leaving for a long time, did you even think of me, Shen Chi?

When did I, Shen Chi, ever wrong you, that you would leave without a word!

“President Shen, I believe we will find Chaomu. Don’t give up,” Old Cheng consoled. “We can increase the staff in C City and around Sumatra Island, especially in C City. After all, it’s where Chaomu grew up. If she has any sentiment, she will definitely return.”

“If she dares come back to C City, I will never let her off the hook,” Shen Chi said coldly.

“President Shen…” Old Cheng sighed inwardly, but did not speak.

The car continued driving along the wide road. Halfway through, Old Cheng suddenly remembered something.