Rivals of Rebirth

Chapter 55: Outburst

Zheng Jue sat in the car, feeling that his hands were trembling. Although that heart-wrenching feeling seemed to have passed, he couldn't understand why, upon seeing Han Jin with someone else, he could barely maintain his composure. Zheng Jue clenched his trembling right hand tightly with his left hand, feeling the scar in his palm, which seemed to burn.

Susie sat in the front seat, looking at Zheng Jue through the rearview mirror with concern. After pondering for a while, she couldn't bring herself to speak. She knew about the blind date Han Jin had, but she never thought that someone like Han Jin would take it seriously. She considered it mere gossip and didn't inform Zheng Jue about it. But today...

"Master Zheng, where are we going?" Susie finally asked, struggling with her thoughts.

Zheng Jue took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions a bit, and finally said, "Let's go back to the company." He realized that the only things in this world that wouldn't abandon him were those he held in his own hands; everything else was transient.

Susie sensed the despondency in Zheng Jue's tone, and though she felt uneasy, this was not the right time to say more. She simply nodded and complied with his request.

Back in the office, Zheng Jue locked himself inside, avoiding everyone. Susie was filled with worry but had to force herself to remain composed and deal with the various inquiries. The current Zheng Corporation was no longer the same as before; those two major deals they secured earlier had elevated Zheng Corporation to the top echelon in the market. And it was all thanks to Zheng Jue, who had managed to secure those deals through his channels. As a result, the high-level executives of Zheng Corporation were deeply concerned about Zheng Jue's every move.

Feeling exhausted, Zheng Jue leaned back in his chair and buried his face in his hands. At this moment, he couldn't comprehend his own feelings. He had decided to cut ties, so why was it that the person he couldn't let go of was Han Jin? 

Fear began to creep into Zheng Jue's heart as he realized that his feelings for Han Jin had reached a point where even his prized rationality couldn't keep him from the edge of collapse.

A slight tremor ran through Zheng Jue's body, and memories of Han Jin sitting with that girl played repeatedly in his mind. The scene was so harmonious and blissful. It suddenly dawned on him that even after Han Jin had left, he was still living well. The words spoken by Zhou Cheng'an that day felt like the most ironic utterances in the world, tearing his heart to pieces.

Zheng Jue knew he couldn't continue like this. If he did, he would go insane. Without hesitation, he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed Susie's extension. Making a swift decision, he said, "Book me the earliest ticket to Europe. There are still many matters pending there, and I need to go back."

Susie opened her mouth, thinking that all the matters in Europe had been taken care of. Why would he want to go back? However, recalling today's events, she refrained from saying anything and acquiesced.

On the other end of the call, Zheng Jue breathed a sigh of relief. It felt as if by doing this, he could escape from his current state of mind.

******

While Zheng Jue was once again contemplating leaving, things were a bit tense on Han Jin's side. He had just finished patting Miss Sun's head when Liang Shao walked in, greeting him with a cheerful smile, "Young Master Han, what a coincidence to meet you here."

Han Jin had never had a good impression of Liang Xu, so his expression turned somewhat impatient. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Ignoring Han Jin's tone, Liang Xu continued, "Oh, Young Master Han, you look quite angry. Just met Zheng Jue, and he left without saying much. What's going on..."

Before Liang Xu could finish his sentence, Han Jin interrupted him, his voice stern, "Zheng Jue was here? Where is he?"

Liang Xu looked puzzled, replying, "He... he left."

"Gone?" Han Jin muttered, "Where did he go?"

Seeing that something was off with Han Jin, Liang Xu quickly pulled him to sit down and asked in a low voice, "Young Master Han, what's wrong?"

Miss Sun, sitting across from them, also looked worried as she observed Han Jin's pale face.

On the other hand, Han Jin's assistant was quick-witted. As soon as he heard about Zheng Jue, he stood up, smiling, and intervened between Liang Xu and Miss Sun, saying, "Young Master Han, you have an important meeting coming up. Perhaps it's best if you..."

Miss Sun, being sensible, immediately stood up to take her leave. "Since you have business to attend to, Young Master Han, I'll excuse myself."

Liang Xu noticed Miss Sun had left and felt awkward staying behind, so he smiled and said, "Young Master Han, you're a busy man. I won't keep you any longer." He then left as well.

Once both of them had left, Han Jin still didn't raise his eyelids and remained sitting there, his face still pale, but his hands clenched tightly, causing his knuckles to turn white.

When the two people left, Han Jin finally stood up abruptly, startling his assistant, who quickly tried to stop him. "Young Master Han, please don't rush. Mr. Han is still watching you."

Han Jin gritted his teeth and glared fiercely at his assistant, his voice chilling, "You're trying to stop me?"

The assistant was anxious, sweating coldly. "Young master, I dare not stop you, nor do I want to. But think about Mr. Han. If he finds out, what kind of consequences will Zheng Jue face?"

Han Jin's face turned red from suppressed anger, and his eyes almost showed red veins. However, he managed to restrain himself, stiffly turning back, and coldly said, "Since you won't let me go, then investigate Zheng Jue's whereabouts for me."

The assistant saw that Han Jin's expression had returned to its usual coldness, and he breathed a sigh of relief, cautiously saying, "Rest assured, Young master, I will handle it properly. But for the next few days, you must remain stable.”

Han Jin sneered, "I don't need you to meddle in my affairs. Just focus on your own mouth. Remember, there are things you can say, and there are things you can't."

The assistant sighed inwardly. Now he had managed to displease both sides, but he still maintained a respectful demeanor, saying, "Young Master Han, you can rest assured."

Han Jin glanced at his assistant, his eyes frosty, causing the assistant's back to turn cold. He then turned and left, his hands still tightly clenched in his pockets, everything else about him was the same as when he came in.

The assistant watched Han Jin leave and felt a chilling sensation in his heart. When did Young Master Han Jin become like this? He had been with him every day, yet he still couldn't fathom his thoughts.

**

Han Jin's assistant was quick with his actions. Just after Susie booked the flight to England for Zheng Jue the next morning, Han Jin's assistant got hold of the information through the airline company.

When Han Jin saw the assistant's investigation, his face looked terrifyingly grim. The assistant was scared to even raise his head, remembering the scene when Zheng Jue left last time. If Zheng Jue left again, he had no idea what Han Jin might do.

However, Han Jin suddenly chuckled, his smile carrying a hint of coldness. "He's leaving again...?"

The assistant shivered involuntarily, hastily suggesting, "Young Master Han, perhaps Zheng Jue has work in Europe. He saw you with Miss Sun yesterday; maybe he's..."

The assistant's unfinished words caught Han Jin's attention. His initially ugly expression eased slightly, and he furrowed his brow. "Have you found out which flight he's on?"

The assistant quickly presented the information, and Han Jin glanced at it, his eyebrows raising slightly. "Is it today's flight?"

"Yes, yes!" the assistant hurriedly answered. Finally, they had reached the point. Zheng Jue was obviously acting out of frustration.

Upon hearing this response, Han Jin's face visibly improved, and a glimmer of delight flashed in his eyes. However, in the next moment, his resentment returned. Regardless of the reason, Zheng Jue had already left once and now wanted to leave again. But this time, Han Jin wouldn't let him go so easily.

**

Zheng Jue had no idea about Han Jin's plans. He barely unpacked his luggage and, holding the plane ticket given by Susie, headed straight to the airport the next day.

Unfortunately, nothing went smoothly on his way. The main road to the airport was blocked, so Zheng Jue asked his driver to take an alternative route. However, just after a short distance, they were blocked by two cars on the side of the road.

Seeing the scene, Zheng Jue knew something was wrong. He quickly went through a list of his enemies in his mind. Though Wen Hua'an topped the list, he was currently embroiled in a criminal lawsuit and might even end up in prison. He probably didn't have the time to personally block Zheng Jue's way.

Zheng Jue couldn't figure out who had such capability to ambush him. He wanted to stall for time, but before he could say a word, the assailants swiftly got out of their cars, pried open his car door, and dragged him out. With a single blow, they knocked him unconscious.

When Zheng Jue woke up, he felt a throbbing pain at the back of his neck. Frowning, he sat up on the bed and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. The room was small with only a bed, a table, and a chair, but the quality of the furnishings was surprisingly good.

A glint of coldness flashed in Zheng Jue's eyes. Who held such a deep grudge against him? They went to great lengths to kidnap him, blocking the main road in the city just to lure him to a desolate path. It seemed nearly impossible to find more than a few people in the country capable of orchestrating such a plot.

As Zheng Jue was pondering, the room's tightly shut door finally opened.

Seeing Han Jin standing outside the door, Zheng Jue didn't know whether he should be relieved or surprised. His expression must have been quite complicated.

"So, you figured out that it's me?" Han Jin's smile held a hint of sarcasm. Not seeing Zheng Jue's astonishment, he felt somewhat peculiar.

Zheng Jue sighed softly, lowering his eyes. He tried moving his wrists, which were tied to the bed, and spoke in a low voice, "Vi, what do you want?"

Han Jin's lips twitched; he seemed like he wanted to say something but eventually replied with a mocking tone, "What do I want? Shouldn't that be the question for you to answer, Zheng Jue? You left last time without a word. Do you want to repeat that this time?"

Hearing Han Jin's tone, Zheng Jue felt a slight discomfort. The person in front of him was vastly different from the Han Jin he knew before. Looking at him, he felt a tinge of bitterness in his heart.

Suppressing his unease, Zheng Jue continued, "Han, you already have a fiancée now. Whatever grudges we may have, it's time to let it go."

"Let it go?" Han Jin suddenly burst into laughter, his voice carrying a strange fierceness. "Do you think we can just let it go? Zheng Jue, you know very well how much you owe me! How can you still have the nerve to suggest we let it go? Do you even have a conscience?"

Zheng Jue sat on the bed, staring at Han Jin, whose expression seemed a bit insane. He was momentarily at a loss for words.