Chapter 26 Jifeng

It was late spring, and the night wind still seemed bleak. She ran on the brightly lit streets of Ginza, throwing her body into the crowd and merging into the endless stream of people at the subway entrance. Then she stood in the crowded and narrow carriage, staring at the empty shadow reflected on the cold glass opposite, and was stunned. In her ears was the shrill whistle of the train.

On a moonless night, the woman screamed and fell down the stairs, and the bright red blood flowed.

Her thoughts stayed on many years ago, until she walked out of the platform, then she raised her wooden face, as if she remembered something, quickened her pace, and stepped all the way up the stairs of the apartment building.

At that time, she got married in a hurry, and only had time to pack the necessary clothes. The rest were still piled in the same place. She didn't feel empty, but the apartment that had been idle for nearly a month seemed very deserted at this moment. When the lights were turned on, there was a clear light on the ground, covering the empty room.

She threw away the bag in her hand, and sat down on the sofa dejectedly, hugged her knees, buried her head in her arms, stood up suddenly, ran straight into the study, rummaged through the boxes and cabinets, and the yellowed old books were scattered all over the floor.

She searched carefully again and again, and finally stopped as if she was tired, sitting on the cold floor and looking at the yellowed photos that slipped out of the album in a daze.

That year, her mother fell from the stairs. The court ruled that it was a "falling", but she clearly remembered the woman's sharp scolding and pushing at that time. She rummaged through the old things that were still left in the house more than once, hoping to find one or two clues, but it was in vain.

Some old photos were still in the dark corners, aging and turning yellow with the years.

She picked them up out of boredom. There were elegant and delicate women and handsome men in the photos. They must have been the best years of their lives when they were pointing out the world and writing inspiring words, but the old influence had long been gone with time.

She chuckled and heard a slight knock on the door.

She was stunned for a moment before she lazily got up and walked over to open the door.

"So slow, huh?"

The lights in the hallway were a little dazzling. The well-dressed man stood at the door with his hands in his pockets. He looked down with his height advantage. The purple-gray hair on his forehead was scattered in his dark gray eyes, and the atmosphere of laziness and oppression filled each other.

She opened her mouth unexpectedly, her pale eyes wandered for a moment, and she only said lightly: "Sorry, I didn't hear you."

Atobe Keigo frowned and looked at the brightly lit room: "Wouldn't you please come in and sit down?"

Although she said this, her body had already taken action on its own, and she raised her leg and stepped in.

"What are you doing here?" She squeezed out a sentence, and the unfamiliarity of the words surprised herself.

It's just that she was too tired tonight and didn't want to spend too much time dealing with this difficult man.

"I have something to ask you." Atobe stood in the living room and looked around. He frowned and looked at the door of the study. He frowned and walked straight over. "What are you doing? Why are you so embarrassed?"

"Don't move!" She was startled and hurried to follow him. Her face changed in horror.

He had already bent down to pick up the yellowed photo. He was stunned for a moment and suddenly raised the corner of his mouth: "Lane Lindsay, the youngest and most outstanding trader on Wall Street at that time, that is, your father, Kyosuke Terajima?"

The last four words were deliberately emphasized and pronounced clearly. The woman's face turned slightly pale and she bit her lips unconsciously.

He turned around, and the deep meaning in his eyes became more serious: "Who are you with tonight? Did he come to see you?"

"Enough!" She interrupted him, "What does this have to do with you!"

Atobe let go and the photo fluttered down.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not so mean as to investigate your whereabouts!" He suddenly felt a little angry. He passed over her shoulder and sat down on the sofa. He glanced at her fiercely and said, "You're out of control, woman!"

She was stunned for a moment, as if her thoughts were half seen through. She laughed self-deprecatingly: "Sorry."

She squatted down and lowered her head to clean up the mess on the floor, books, notes, accessories, and finally the yellowed photo album. She stood up and put it into the dusty bookcase. In an instant, some salty liquid slowly overflowed from the corners of her eyes.

She stubbornly did not look back, hiding in the dark, and shallow tears wet her cheeks.

Her shoulders were suddenly hugged by someone, and his arms were full of strength. The faint warmth through the clothes made her unable to break free for a while.

Then he turned her body over, his sharp eyes flashed, and he couldn't help but raise his hand to wipe her cheek, but she avoided it vigilantly.

Atobe looked at the woman in his arms coldly, his dark grey eyes reflecting the dim light above his head, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, and finally he just sighed and took her into his arms.

The woman's face was pressed against his chest, buried in the open coat, and the wet liquid silently seeped along the exquisitely crafted texture.

"I investigated your family background at the beginning, but that's all." Atobe put his arm around her shoulders, his slender fingers sank into her golden hair, "If you want me to know those unknown secrets, tell me, if even you don't know... If you are willing, I don't mind continuing to investigate."

The woman's shoulders shrugged slightly, and she didn't speak.

He didn't ask any more questions, but gently put force on his wrist and hugged her to the sofa, and they sat together, leaning against each other. The living room was silent, and the night wind was blowing through the window.

"You didn't mean to say that."

It was a long time before she spoke. He just remembered the original intention of this trip and smiled lazily: "I heard that AE replaced the attorney for the labor-capital case of Futong Logistics?"

"Isn't this just what you want?" Her tears were not dry yet, and she lowered her eyes. Her voice was hoarse but lazy.

Atobe raised the corners of his mouth, and his fingertips passed through her messy hair: "You will pay the price for using me as a sign without permission."

The lazy and gorgeous voice was faintly provocative and ostentatious, but she had no intention of dealing with it. She just leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

There was silence for a long time.

Atobe slightly turned his face, half of the woman's bare face was buried in his shoulder, and the other half was quietly bathed in the cold light, no longer concealing the desolate and tired atmosphere, and the quiet loneliness of frost and snow.

The man couldn't help but be moved. He sighed, picked her up and walked into the bedroom. He turned on the light, put her down on the soft sheets, pulled up the corner of the quilt, stared at her quietly for a moment, then turned on the light and walked out.

The moonlight was like water, quietly pouring into the window.

When he woke up the next day, it was already bright. The result of a night on the sofa was a sore feeling all over his body. Atobe frowned and raised his palms to his eyes to block the snow-like sunlight outside the window. He stood up and stretched his slender body. He looked around. The door of the bedroom opposite was already open. The neat and clean bed was empty. There was a gurgling sound of water coming from the kitchen behind him. Turning around, he saw the woman in front of the stove wearing loose pajamas. The sunlight shone in from the windowsill, and her whole back was bathed in a light golden beam.

"Awake?" As if she could feel the gaze behind her, she didn't look back, but just focused on picking up the noodles in the pot.

"The sofa is too small and uncomfortable." Atobe raised his eyebrows and leaned against the kitchen door to admire her thin back.

"The room next door is obviously empty." Facing his complaints, she was more or less indifferent. It was true that Master Atobe lacked the experience of civilian life.

"That's your brother's room, right?"

"Eh?"

She turned her head after missing a beat, but the man raised the corner of his lips lightly, then walked into the bathroom next to him.

Terajima Seiichi's room remained the same as before he was hospitalized. Apart from sorting out related items, she seemed not to have walked into it before.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but curl her lips habitually, as if hiding something, and picked up the tray.

When Atobe came out of the bathroom, she had already brought the prepared breakfast to the table.

It was a very ordinary dish, udon noodles, plus two or three fried eggs.

"You actually let me eat such plain food..."

"It's great to find such a little thing in the refrigerator that hasn't been touched for more than a month. If you have any objections, go outside and solve it yourself."

The expected complaint was exchanged for an equally expected roll of the eyes. Atobe Keigo put his elbows on the edge of the table, his slender fingertips against his forehead, looked at her twice, sneered lightly, and picked up the chopsticks.

"My cooking skills are pretty good. Did you cook often in the past?"

"When I'm alone, I like to order takeout, but I'll cook for Seiichi." She has never had much enthusiasm for cooking. It was more of a necessary means to make a living. If it weren't for Seiichi Terajima's frail body that needed care, she might have filled her stomach with fast food for every meal given how busy she was at work.

"From now on, you can only cook for me."

Her thoughts were interrupted unexpectedly. She looked up unexpectedly and looked at the man's face in front of her, who was motionless. "What did you say?"

Atobe put down his chopsticks and lazily sat in the back seat. He clasped his hands and placed them on his folded knees. He closed his eyes as if he was disdainful. "Forget it if you didn't hear it clearly. Do you have any plans this morning?"

The topic changed.

"Maybe I'll go to the office."

"If you have time, let's go to the hospital to see your father. There will be a press conference at

Oshitsuki later." The heart surgery of the chairman of the Atobe chaebol was successful. It not only injected a sedative into the Atobe Group, but also made Oshitsuki Yuushi, the young genius doctor, stand at the intersection of the industry's vision again. The University of Tokyo Hospital finally passed the new Batista team reorganization plan. The young man with dark blue hair stood under the media's spotlight as the leader of the team. His lazy smile concealed a bit of sharpness.

Atobe Keigo stood in the corner of the venue, slightly raised his face, and their eyes met, and a tacit smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Yuki Terajima chose an inconspicuous corner and leaned against the cold wall. Hasegawa Shu walked to her side when he had time.

"Nothing happened last night, did it?"

She was slightly startled, thinking of the phone call that ended hastily at dusk yesterday, and curled the corners of her lips lightly: "I'm fine, no need for you to worry."

"Yuki..." Shu frowned, stood side by side with her, and his voice became hard and cold, "Your colleague contacted me this morning, hoping to have further negotiations on the Futong Logistics case."

She turned her face slightly and said nothing.

"The lawyer named Tezuka Kunimitsu, I heard he is your partner."

This time she couldn't help but smile slightly, tilted her head, and looked harmless: "What do you want to say?"

"Don't forget that you are also a shareholder of Hasegawa Company now. What benefits will it bring to you to accept the other party's commission?" Shu glanced at her sideways, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

"You are wrong. I am not the one who accepted the commission. This is just the decision of the firm." She interrupted him. "If you are here for this matter, I am sorry that I can't do anything. Tezuka is a straightforward and rigorous person. As long as he is determined, no matter how big the background and power of the other party is, he will fight to the end. I think you need to be prepared to respond to the lawsuit."

Hasegawa Shu's face sank, frowned, and said nothing.

You Ji suddenly laughed: "You seem to be too nervous, Shu, since Fortis has been acquired by AX, it is not a bad idea for them to handle the so-called compensation and responsibilities?"

Shu heard the words, his drooping eyelids trembled slightly, and he looked at her profile from a close distance. When he spoke again, his voice was lowered a few points: "Is this what you mean, or..."

Just when the press conference was over, he raised his eyes and his sight fell on the purple-haired man who was walking here, and a trace of haze passed through his eyes.

You Ji tilted his head, did not speak, but raised a clear and cold arc, greeted the man, and walked out of the door arm in arm.

Hasegawa Shu stood tall, his drooping eyelids concealing the unknown expression in his eyes. He clenched only his ten fingers under his sleeves, then loosened them again, and suddenly turned around and walked out.

Oshitari Yuushi stood on the high steps and watched from afar, forcing a lazy smile.

"I wonder how Tezuka would react if she knew about your little actions, huh?"

"You're so long-winded!"

As soon as she turned into the corridor leading to the ward, she stopped smiling, and in response to his teasing, she just rolled her eyes coldly, and then she stopped talking in a sullen manner.

Atobe Keigo watched coldly, sighed, pulled her hand and held it in his palm, and a faint desolate warmth seeped into her skin.

"How much have you guessed, huh?"

"How much do you know?"

She looked up and looked into his dark gray eyes, and the latter just smiled lightly: "Not sure yet, but maybe, if Tezuka is able to force him into danger this time, maybe..."

Atobe didn't say anything else, but just put his arm around her shoulders, "It's time to go see the old man."

The sun in the corridor was like snow, a pale white light.