Chapter 37: A Letter
Li Fengyu told Chen Yuxuan to get some rest and closed the door behind him. Li Sen had been waiting outside for quite a while; seeing that Li Fengyu and Chen Yuxuan were deep in conversation, he had not wanted to intrude. Li Fengyu gestured for Li Sen to head back. As the two reached the hospital entrance, Li Fengyu stopped and looked up. It was night, and the stars were twinkling in the sky, with the Big Dipper arranged in its sequence. Pointing to the brightest star, Li Fengyu asked, "Li Sen, do you think that star is beautiful?"
Li Sen followed the direction of his finger and replied, "It is. I wish I could be a star too." Li Fengyu did not respond, his gaze fixed intently on the brilliant star, lost in thought. He was reminded of his own ambitions and grand plans; since childhood, he had aspired to be a star in the firmament, a figure for all to gaze upon yet remain forever out of reach.
The longer he stared, the more entranced he became, his eyes even glistening with tears as he was overcome by emotion. He reflected on how, just a few months ago, he had been an ordinary vocational student. Now, he was the second-in-command at the Xinmin Group, chauffeured in a Bentley, yet his life hung in the balance at every moment. He wondered how he had arrived at this point, feeling nothing but a profound sense of lament and helplessness.
Li Sen watched Li Fengyu, choosing not to break his reverie. He simply took out his phone to call the driver to the municipal hospital. A cold wind began to blow, carrying a sense of desolate loneliness, much like the verse, "Last night, the autumn wind came from ten thousand miles away; the moon climbed the screen, the chill seeping through my sleeves." Just as Li Fengyu finished his silent musing, the sound of a car horn signaled their driver’s arrival. They got into the vehicle.
Li Sen said, "Driver, home." Li Fengyu countered, "Take me to the office." Li Sen looked at him, perplexed. "It’s past ten o’clock. Why are you going back to the office? Don't you need to eat or get some sleep?" Li Fengyu replied thoughtfully, "I still have some official business to attend to." Hearing this, Li Sen said no more and instructed the driver to drop Li Fengyu off first.
Upon arriving at the company, Li Fengyu noticed the lights were still on in his office. He walked to the door and peered inside to find Ye Chen waiting for him. Li Fengyu stepped into the room and opened the door. Ye Chen, who had been on the verge of dozing off, jumped to his feet, wiped away some drool, and said, "Vice President, you're back." Li Fengyu tossed his coat onto the sofa and asked, "Why haven't you left yet? Is something the matter?"
Instead of answering immediately, Ye Chen handed him a letter. "Vice President, after you left at noon today, someone gave this to the security guard, who then passed it to me. The person insisted that it be delivered to you." Li Fengyu took the letter with a look of surprise. It was an ordinary envelope, but upon opening it, he found only a blank sheet of paper inside.
He checked the back; it was also blank. Just as he was feeling puzzled, Ye Chen suddenly realized something. "Vice President, it must be alum." Hearing this, Li Fengyu quickly poured a glass of water onto the paper, and sure enough, characters began to appear.
After reading the content, Li Fengyu nearly cried out in shock. He quickly ordered Ye Chen to turn off the lights, check if anyone was outside, and lock the door tight. Though Ye Chen didn't understand what was happening, he followed the instructions. Li Fengyu then turned on his phone’s flashlight and signaled for Ye Chen to crouch down. They huddled together under the desk, a precaution Li Fengyu took to ensure there were no eavesdroppers. What, then, was the secret written on that page?