The release of memories is like a rolling wheel climbing a staircase. After each stretch, the wheel jolts and suddenly drops into the next stage—a stage completely different from the last, bringing a whole new world of feelings.
Jack Young sat in the car, his left hand propping up his forehead, eyes closed. The deep music of Johann Strauss echoed through the cabin, and Jack's expression was anything but relaxed, making Bobby Brooks, sitting opposite him, a little nervous.
He was drifting in his memory elevator, and after entering a totally new stage, even the elevator buttons had changed color. The last stage was green, this one was orange-yellow. The green before was like summer leaves fluttering in the breeze—bright, natural, easy. All the memories stored on those green floors had one thing in common: happiness.
But orange-yellow was different. Lemon yellow, orange peel—these floors brought up a jumble of feelings: sweet, and a little sour.
The elevator of the mind was like a deep well, digging up layer after layer of memories. After August 2012, the green memories faded, and the orange-yellow ones took over. Jack Young kept his Senior Brother Mentor’s advice in mind, trying not to drown in these bittersweet memories. With rational restraint, he forced down the wild thoughts bubbling up inside.
Images of seeing Qi Xi again flashed through his mind. No wonder her expression was always awkward and stiffly distant. He hadn’t remembered all the details yet, but even just analyzing it rationally, the answer was obvious: he’d fallen for Qi Xi.
"Love makes you blind. Love makes you dumb. Love makes you insecure, sensitive, and suspicious. No wonder I suddenly turned into a lovable idiot." Jack Young searched every old memory and realized he’d never felt this way before meeting Qi Xi. Qi Xi was definitely his first love, his girlfriend: "A guy caught up in his first love could do anything. Especially when he sees his first love become someone else’s girlfriend..."
He summoned all his mental strength, sealing the doors of his mind’s elevator for now. Rationality slowed the flood of memories, because right now, he needed more than jealous rage—he needed a mature, tough mindset. He couldn’t let himself drown in the past; he had to fight.
Like a beast whose territory had just been invaded.
Jack Young opened his eyes, his narrowed gaze sharp and piercing: "Now I finally know where my nameless anger comes from. This time, I’ll crush you to dust." He opened his eyes fully, his whole body brimming with energy: "Bobby, are we there yet?"
"Prince, we're almost there. Look, that's Tianding Group up ahead."
Jack Young looked where Bobby pointed and saw a skyscraper much like the Prime Integrity Building. Tianding Group was one of Shanghai’s biggest conglomerates—officially private, but with powerful government ties. The city’s construction projects? Most were commissioned, bid on, and subcontracted by Tianding. No wonder that background guy kept bragging like a peacock showing off its feathers.
And in this bidding war, Zhu Ming, the head of bidding, was the main roadblock.
"Winning back my love is like a beast fighting for its mate. I’m not one for dirty tricks, but in a head-on clash, I won’t hold back." Jack Young clenched his fist, declaring in a low voice: "Whatever you block, I’ll make happen. Whatever you hope for, I’ll wreck. However tough you are, I’ll show you weakness. Whatever you brag about, I’ll show you how shallow it is—every advantage you’ve got, I’ll crush one by one until you don’t have the guts to stand up to me! I’m going to break you!"
The gates of Tianding Group’s campus swung open, and under the watchful eyes of security, the fancy motorcade rolled into the parking lot.
The official bidding conference was a big public event. If it involved public or civic construction, you’d get media, the public, and government watchdogs on site to keep things transparent and high-quality—or so they say. After several rounds of bidding and screening, most companies were just there for show.
Except for two companies.
One was Eternal Night Holdings Group. The other was Deborah Zade’s Tomorrow City Construction (foreign firms bidding for contracts had to partner with a local company, so they all had Chinese names). This business meeting was just a private sit-down between Tianding, Eternal Night, and Tomorrow—mainly so the big bosses could meet face-to-face. Before, it was just the managers talking. Now, it was time for the generals. In a way, this was the last chance before the final decision.
Since it was a big boss meeting, the folks who used to run things were now just foot soldiers.
In the lobby of Tianding Group’s front building, a crowd of people in suits waited anxiously. Some checked their watches, some made calls, some paced. And front and center, right in the middle, was Zhu Ming.
Right now, everyone was restless—Zhu Ming had already been waiting over ten minutes. Ten minutes isn’t long, really—checkout at the supermarket takes longer. But when it’s the boss waiting, the underlings get nervous fast.
"Minister, the Eternal Enterprise Group’s convoy is almost here!" A female staffer ran in quietly from the door. "I just saw them—they’re heading straight for the VP parking area. Minister, should we...?"
Zhu Ming himself stayed cool, not showing much. He waved his hand: "Let’s go, let’s greet them." Then, leading the way, he took all the junior managers out with him.
As they walked, people behind him whispered, "Eternal Night Construction sure has a big ego—making Zhu wait, and now he has to greet them in the parking lot?" The whispers weren’t exactly quiet—really, it was just sucking up to the boss.
Someone else chimed in, "Yeah, Eternal Night Construction? Never even heard of this new company. As a bidder, they don’t even know how to act humble. Totally clueless." No doubt, that was just more brown-nosing.
But not everyone liked to brown-nose—some were genuinely loyal. A man stuck close to Zhu Ming; it was that background guy. He whispered, "I’ve dug up some info—Eternal Night Construction’s people are a big deal. The group itself is new, but they’re already a powerhouse in Hong Kong. The other tycoons there are all on edge. The guy coming today is a senior director, senior supervisor, and also the top decision-maker at Eternal Night Entertainment."
"Eternal Night Entertainment?" Zhu Ming frowned. "That monopoly entertainment company?"
"Yeah, that’s the one! So today’s guy controls more money than you can count, and has the power of life and death over everyone in news and entertainment!" The background guy looked nervous—he couldn’t help it. "This kind of big shot is practically legendary. When it comes to hype, blacklisting, making stars, or tearing them down, he can do in a day what would take me ten years! If you can get in with him, it’s a golden ticket. Let those idiots in the back pull faces if they want—we need to play nice!"
"Got it." Zhu Ming’s eyes flickered. "So what kind of person is he? Name? Hobbies? Taboos?" Now he was interested.
"No idea. This new entertainment mogul is super mysterious—never appears in public. Nobody knows his age, looks, or even his full name. All I found out is his surname’s Yang. I tried to get close to some Eternal Night people the other day and finally got a tip: inside Eternal Night, they like to call him—" The background guy leaned in and whispered in Zhu Ming’s ear, "Prince."
"Prince?" Zhu Ming frowned. That nickname was something else.
"Yeah. I never thought someone that important would bother with this place—makes you wonder what’s really going on. If I’d known he was coming, I would’ve been nicer to Eternal Night before." The background guy was kicking himself. "If you can get on his good side, then have the higher-ups work their magic, you’ll be set for life! You’ve got to grab this chance!"
"Got it." Zhu Ming kept his cool, striding toward the VP parking lot. It was October, but the sun was still blazing, and standing outside in a suit for a few minutes was enough to make you sweat buckets. People behind him were already complaining, but Zhu Ming stayed calm and steady. In the parking lot, Eternal Night’s senior managers were getting out of their cars, each in their own rank and position.
Someone opened the door of a stretch Rolls-Royce, and Bobby Brooks was the first to step out.
"Mr. Brooks!" Zhu Ming was first to reach out, greeting Bobby with a big smile.
"Oh, Minister Zhu, we meet again." Bobby was cool and noncommittal. He could tell Jack Young was in a weird mood today, so he decided to keep his own attitude in reserve and see how things played out.
Usually, Minister Zhu was reserved and aloof, but suddenly he was all enthusiasm. And Bobby, who used to grin like a meatball, was suddenly cold. The crowd wasn’t sure what to make of it, and some were already preparing to switch sides. Zhu Ming’s mind raced, but he couldn’t figure out the problem, so he just smiled even bigger. "Mr. Brooks, I heard a big shot from Eternal Night Holdings is coming today—where are they?"
"Ha, look at me." Bobby walked to the other door, and everyone naturally followed. Honestly, this kind of showmanship was over the top, but everyone had to plaster on their best smiles—and Zhu Ming’s was the friendliest of all.
Ever since he’d slimmed down from that big fat guy to how he was now, Zhu Ming hadn’t put on such a fake smile in ages.
But this time, the smile was worth it.
"Prince, please." Click—the car door opened, and Bobby held it for him.