Unmatched Chapter 47

Chapter 47 Confession

From boarding the plane in the morning until now, half a day had passed, and the group of four had eaten nothing but coffee.

Zhao Shuyi treated them to a meal at a highly-rated local private kitchen. In a secluded private room, they discussed work while eating.

Although he had long suspected that Bai Fangchun might have dirt on Zhao Huaicheng, Zhao Shuyi hadn’t expected there to be so much, and so damningly conclusive.

“Embezzlement, money laundering, bribery.”

Everyone present was trustworthy, so there was no need for concealment. Zhao Shuyi said, “I used to be suspicious and speculated about him from the worst possible angle. I didn’t expect my Second Uncle to live up to my worst expectations.”

It wasn’t uncommon. Illegal transactions between high-level executives and certain local government officials—engaging in unfair competition or exchanging favors for policy convenience—were behaviors that persisted despite repeated prohibitions.

The saying goes, “Water that is too clear has no fish.” Many companies had engaged in similar actions.

But everything required careful measure and method; caution was key to longevity, and crucially, one must not leave behind any handles for others to grasp. Once the line was crossed, it was extremely detrimental to the group’s development, potentially leading to disaster. There were precedents for this.

“It’s good for you,” Xie Qi said. “The evidence is in your hands now. How to deal with it is up to you.”

The three of them instinctively looked at Zhao Shuyi’s expression. The lawyer said, “The amount of the bribe is substantial, and the circumstances are severe. Barring any surprises, it’s enough for several years in prison.”

However, if made public, it would inevitably damage the group’s reputation. Moreover, bribery was not a unilateral act; it involved high-ranking government officials. Zhao Shuyi needed to weigh the pros and cons from multiple angles and handle it cautiously.

Interests, connections, internal reform, future development…

Throughout the meal, everything was discussed, yet no one mentioned the familial aspect. It was as if everyone had forgotten that Zhao Huaicheng was Zhao Shuyi’s biological Second Uncle.

Only Xie Qi noticed that while Zhao Shuyi appeared proactive, his mood was actually low.

There was no uncle-nephew affection between him and Zhao Huaicheng, so what was there to worry about? Qin Zhi?

—The return flight was scheduled for the evening.

While waiting at the airport, Ye Zhao and the lawyer sat together. Xie Qi sat on the other side with Zhao Shuyi, allowing them some privacy away from the subordinates.

Xie Qi knew Zhao Shuyi had nothing to say to him, so he avoided awkwardness, put on his headphones, and closed his eyes to listen to music. Unexpectedly, the headphone bud closest to Zhao Shuyi was suddenly pulled out, and the music stopped.

“This afternoon,” Zhao Shuyi said, as if talking to himself, “when I saw Bai Fangchun off, I chatted with her privately for a few minutes.”

“What did you talk about?”

“Some personal topics,” Zhao Shuyi said. “I asked her if she had feelings for my Second Uncle, and if making this decision was difficult.”

The question was a bit naive, unlike Zhao Shuyi’s usual style.

But in that moment of parting, with the afternoon sun illuminating the woman’s slightly lonely profile, Zhao Shuyi felt she wasn’t very happy.

She was also surprised that the seemingly cold and tough Zhao Shuyi would ask such a meaningless question. She looked up and smiled, saying, “Yes, he was my first love in college, although… outsiders probably look down on it, since it was just a sugar baby arrangement.”

“I used to fantasize that one day, he might marry me,” Bai Fangchun said. “Later, I stopped caring. I was more worried about whether next month’s living expenses would arrive. Although he was quite generous, how could it feel good to be dependent on someone else? You never know when you might be abandoned and stop receiving money. I had to plan for myself.”

Zhao Shuyi understood.

“So I thank you for giving me a chance for release.” She was very polite, her demeanor consistently proper. “I think he had some feelings for me too, not much. I wasn’t number one in his heart… but it doesn’t matter. He wasn’t number one in mine either.”

“What is your number one?”

“My son, actually. It’s the life my son and I have together. That’s what I must protect. Everything else that’s irrelevant can be given up.”

“…”

So she gave up Zhao Huaicheng.

Zhao Shuyi put the removed earbud into his own ear. The smart Bluetooth headphones, which detected their on/off status, automatically resumed playback. He heard the song Xie Qi was listening to.

“After seeing her off, I kept thinking,” Zhao Shuyi continued, “What is number one in my heart?”

Xie Qi answered for him, “I know. Your grandfather’s dying wish, your company.”

“…”

Zhao Shuyi neither admitted nor denied it. “What about you?”

“Me?” Xie Qi gave a wry smile, looking down at his empty palm. “I don’t know. Whatever.”

By the time the plane landed, it was late at night.

Even if they had managed some communication during the day, when they returned home that night, they still slept separately. The cold room showed no sign of warming up.

Only one day remained of the New Year’s Day holiday. They tacitly slept until ten in the morning, then got up and busied themselves with their own affairs. Zhao Shuyi was on the phone with Ye Zhao almost constantly from the moment he woke up until dinner.

Regarding how to deal with Zhao Huaicheng, he had to consider not only external impact but also internal changes—it was a serious matter, and it was best to inform the Board of Directors.

The extreme busyness suppressed his personal emotions. Zhao Shuyi felt slightly more normal, even able to chat with Xie Qi a bit more.

“I have a social engagement tonight; I won’t be back for dinner,” he said. “If you’re cooking, don’t make a portion for me.”

Xie Qi replied, “I won’t be back to eat either.”

Zhao Shuyi glanced at him and blurted out, “Another friends’ gathering?”

How many good friends did he have, exactly?

“No,” Xie Qi said, lowering his head to cut his sandwich into small pieces. The filling that couldn’t be held by the toast fell out, looking a bit messy. He clearly didn’t have much appetite either. “I’m going home for dinner to celebrate my dad and his little wife’s wedding anniversary.”

Zhao Shuyi was stunned. The answer was so absurd it sounded like a joke.

But Xie Qi wasn’t joking. Zhao Shuyi asked, puzzled, “It’s their anniversary. Why are they calling you?”

When had Xie Qi ever shown his stepmother a pleasant face?

“Not just me, but Xie Yuran too,” Xie Qi said. “We’re a family, aren’t we? We have to celebrate together.”

“…”

Li Yin was Xie Qi and Xie Yuran’s stepmother. Xie Qi’s poor relationship with her was well known. Although Xie Yuran didn’t care much, she sided with Xie Qi, maintaining distance from her stepmother based on her brother’s preferences.

Why was this so unusual today?

Zhao Shuyi felt a little lost, slowly recalling that Xie Qi inviting Li Yin to his birthday before was already abnormal. Moreover, she had openly tried to sow discord, acting arrogant and reckless. Wasn’t she afraid Xie Qi would settle the score with her?

Although Zhao Shuyi wasn’t interested in tattling, and later was too exhausted to deal with her, what mindset drove her to say those things? What benefit was there in provoking Xie Qi?

Could it be that she was certain Xie Qi wouldn’t get angry, and like today, would obediently go home and wish her a happy wedding anniversary?

—Why?

Zhao Shuyi couldn’t figure out the reason, and Xie Qi offered no explanation. After finishing the poorly cut sandwich, Xie Qi got dressed and left.

Intuition told Zhao Shuyi that it might have something to do with himself, but a full day of busy official business filled his mind. He followed up on Bai Fangchun’s materials, checked internal files, took notes, collected evidence, negotiated with the lawyer, held meetings, and attended social events… When the evening banquet ended, Ye Zhao helped the slightly tipsy Zhao Shuyi into the car.

It was then, with a blast of cold air, that Zhao Shuyi suddenly woke up as if from a dream, realizing: it was probably because of the money.

He hadn’t understood before where Xie Qi got tens of billions to bail him out. Even if a large portion was asset collateral, Xie Qi didn’t have that many assets on hand. It could only have been Xie Jianhe intervening personally.

Why would Xie Jianhe help him, a Zhao?

Naturally, Xie Qi must have pleaded on his behalf and made certain compromises with his father, which likely included compromising with Li Yin.

Xie Qi had mentioned before that Li Yin always wanted a child, ostensibly a symbol of her love with Xie Jianhe. In reality, she wanted to give birth to a legitimate heir to the Xie Family, not an illegitimate child.

But Xie Jianhe was mindful of Xie Qi’s feelings, afraid of alienating him and damaging their father-son relationship, so he forbade Li Yin from having a child.

So now…

Zhao Shuyi didn’t know if Xie Qi had compromised to that extent, but even if it was just suffering humiliation in front of his stepmother for his sake, it made him feel uneasy.

Why bother? Was loving him this much worth it?

—And he didn’t even let him know.

They had argued so many times; this could have been used as leverage against him: “I’ve done so much for you, what have you done for me?”

But Xie Qi never mentioned a word.

Zhao Shuyi felt a wave of dizziness. The other party’s heavy love was nearly crushing him.

What was Xie Qi doing now? Was dinner over? Had he considered what kind of new life he would have if he moved out and divorced after “giving up”?

In the future, whether he was with someone else or lived alone, it would be happier than being tormented by Zhao Shuyi, wouldn’t it?

“…Shuyi?”

Ye Zhao held Zhao Shuyi’s shoulder. “Are you too drunk? Are you okay?”

Zhao Shuyi paused for a long time, finally settling into the back seat. “Take me to the cemetery.”

“What?” Ye Zhao didn’t hear clearly.

“Buy a bouquet of flowers on the way. I want to visit the Old Master’s grave.”

On a deep winter night, snowflakes drifted down. The car wheels rolled over broken branches and dead leaves, stopping at the cemetery gate.

In truth, Zhao Shuyi rarely felt the reality that “Grandfather has passed away.” They didn’t see each other often before, and now, after months apart, it felt like a normal separation, as if they would sit together for the New Year’s Eve dinner at the end of the year.

But he didn’t know how this year’s New Year’s Eve would be spent.

Zhao Shuyi searched his suit pocket for a moment. Finding no cigarettes, he asked Ye Zhao for one and lit it in the darkness.

While smoking, he burned paper offerings for Zhao Fengli.

Zhao Shuyi murmured to himself, “It’s getting cold; remember to put on more clothes. Coming to see you today was on a whim; I wanted someone to talk to. But if you were still alive, I wouldn’t be confiding in you.”

The cold tombstone did not reply.

“Lately, I’ve been reflecting: what did I do wrong?” he said. “I feel like I’ve always done the right thing, but the results of everything haven’t been great. My life is a mess. If you saw it, would you think I did the right thing?”

The cold wind brushed against his cheek, like the rough, ungentle caress of his grandfather’s hand.

Zhao Shuyi’s pale skin was reddened by the firelight. He had too much to say, but his thoughts were scattered and incoherent. Even facing a tombstone that would never criticize him, it was hard to be honest.

After a long silence, he said, “I finally dug up the evidence of my Second Uncle’s crimes. If I drive him to extinction and leave him no way out, will you blame me?”

No answer.

“I’ll take that as agreement. Even if you disagreed, what could you do to me? It’s your fault for dying. I’m the one who’s alive.”

He was being extremely disrespectful, yet the tombstone remained cold and silent.

Zhao Shuyi’s eyes felt warm. He finished burning the paper and set down the flowers. “Forget it. Enjoy your blessings down there. I’m leaving.”