Chapter 136: Chapter 134: Persuading Him to Stay

Su Xinyao held her breath the moment she saw Zhou Rui.

“Young Master Zhou.”

The doorman’s attitude did a complete one-eighty. He bowed so low his back curved like a shrimp.

The man didn’t respond. He just nonchalantly swept his gaze around the room, his eyes pausing for a fraction of a second as they passed over Su Xinyao.

Su Xinyao’s heart began to pound. ’In her past life, Zhou Rui never looked at her like this.’

She swallowed the lump in her throat and suddenly remembered what she looked like right now.

Her coarse clothes were dusty from travel, and her hair was disheveled from days on the road.

“Move.”

The man finally spoke. His voice was deep and husky, a stark contrast to Mu Tianrui’s gentle tone.

Two burly men immediately stepped forward and shoved Su Xinyao unceremoniously aside.

She stumbled but managed to steady herself, watching his tall, straight back disappear into the Paramount.

The Paramount’s revolving door was still slowly turning. She straightened her collar, took a deep breath, and approached the doorman again. “I’m looking for Young Master Zhou.”

This time, the doorman didn’t stop her, likely figuring that anyone who could address Young Master Zhou so directly must be somebody.

Su Xinyao spotted Zhou Rui at the bar right away. He had his head turned, listening to the person beside him, his fingertips toying with a crystal glass. His profile flickered in and out of view in the shifting light.

As she walked over, her steps trembled slightly.

“Zhou Rui.”

She called his name softly, but her voice was swallowed by the music.

The man didn’t turn around.

Su Xinyao raised her voice, adding a hint of the playful pout he had once adored in her past life. “Zhou Rui, don’t you recognize me anymore?”

Only then did Zhou Rui slowly turn his head, his brow furrowed slightly.

He sized up Su Xinyao, his eyes filled with pure, unadulterated unfamiliarity. “Who are you?”

Su Xinyao’s heart sank.

’He doesn’t recognize me.’

’Of course. He hasn’t met me yet in this life, so naturally he wouldn’t remember some woman who just popped out of nowhere.’

“I’m Su Xinyao.”

She straightened her spine, trying her best to appear composed.

“I know you’ve been looking for a shipment of Western medicine recently. I have a source.”

This was a piece of information she had dredged up from the depths of her memory. In her past life, Zhou Rui had once mentioned to her that when he was younger, he had gone to great lengths to find a scarce batch of Western medicine to build his connections.

A flicker of something unreadable passed through Zhou Rui’s eyes before he reverted to his indifferent mask. “I don’t know you.”

“Well, you know me now, don’t you?”

Su Xinyao smiled and tilted her head slightly, mimicking a gesture he had loved in her past life.

“Tomorrow at eight p.m., I’ll be waiting for you at the warehouse by the docks. Bring enough money, and I’ll give you the goods.”

She knew Zhou Rui would come. A man as ambitious as him would never pass up any potential opportunity.

After spending so long with him in their past life, Su Xinyao knew his personality.

This was the only way she could trick him into showing up.

But apparently, her words weren’t very convincing, because Zhou Rui didn’t seem moved at all.

Seeing Zhou Rui’s back as he turned to leave, Su Xinyao’s heart tightened, and she rushed a step forward.

“This shipment of medicine is the latest batch from Bayer in Germany. It’s thirty percent more potent than what’s currently on the market, and I can guarantee it’s a direct import that hasn’t passed through any other hands.”

Zhou Rui stopped in his tracks.

The clamor of the bar seemed to fade away in an instant. The crystal glass in his hand froze mid-air, and the lines of his profile looked even harder and colder under the neon lights.

“How did you know I wanted Bayer?”

He finally turned around, a hint of inquiry now mixed with the unfamiliarity in his eyes.

“I have my sources.”

She avoided his gaze, looking out at the twirling couples on the dance floor.

“Eight p.m. tomorrow, Warehouse Three at the docks. If you don’t come, I’m sure someone else will be willing to pay a higher price.”

She was betting on Zhou Rui’s ambition.

In their past life, he’d told her that if he hadn’t obtained that shipment of medicine that winter, it would have taken him at least three more years to establish a firm footing in the concession.

Zhou Rui fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly. “How much do you want?”

Su Xinyao’s heart leaped, and she almost burst into tears.

’I won. At least for this moment, the gears of fate are beginning to turn just as I planned.’

“Fifty gold bars.”

The price she quoted was half of what he had actually paid in their past life. This was her bait.

A flicker of ridicule crossed Zhou Rui’s eyes, as if mocking her for her audacity.

“And why should I believe you?”

“Because I know you need this medicine to save Mr. Gu Sr. of the Gu Family.”

Su Xinyao met his gaze, speaking each word deliberately.

“Mr. Gu Sr.’s chronic illness, the one that makes him cough up blood, can only be suppressed by this specific drug from Bayer.”

Her words were like a key, unexpectedly unlocking the tension that held Zhou Rui taut.

He lunged a step closer, and the scent of cedar from his clothes washed over her.

“Who in the hell are you?”

His voice was dangerously low.

Su Xinyao forced herself to remain calm, even tilting her chin up slightly to expose the slender column of her neck.

’That was the part of her he had been most obsessed with in their past life.’

“I told you, I’m Su Xinyao. A person who can solve your problems for you.”

She deliberately slowed her speech, letting the end of her words trail off with a subtle, alluring hook.

“Tomorrow night at eight. I’ll be waiting.”

With that, she turned and walked away, not daring to spare him another glance.

The decadent music played on behind her, and the shifting lights flickered across her face.

’In this life, she would never again wait until he had done everything for the Gu Family, only to be cast aside like a useless pawn.’

Back at the bar, Zhou Rui wore a thoughtful expression.

His assistant leaned in and asked in a low voice, “Young Master Zhou, should we run a check on her?”

“No need.”

Zhou Rui tilted his head back and drained his glass. “We’ll go take a look tomorrow night.”

’He was curious to see just what tricks this Su Xinyao who had appeared out of nowhere had up her sleeve.’

The night grew deeper. Su Xinyao walked slowly along the riverbank.

The river wind lifted the hem of her coarse dress, and the whistle of a steamship echoed in the distance.

She remembered the despair of being pushed into the river in her past life, and she remembered Zhou Rui’s cold, dismissive comment upon learning of her death.

Her chest felt tight, as if blocked by something, and it ached with a dull pain.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a car engine behind her.

A black car pulled up slowly beside her. The window rolled down, revealing Zhou Rui’s stern, handsome face.

“Get in.”

His words were concise, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Su Xinyao froze.

“About tomorrow night. I need to know the details in advance.”

Zhou Rui’s gaze swept over the dusty hem of her dress, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

“Or would you rather stand here all night and get questioned by the patrols?”

Su Xinyao looked into his deep eyes. They still held none of the familiar warmth she remembered, but now they contained a complex emotion she couldn’t quite decipher.

She pulled open the car door and got in. The car was deathly silent, save for the low hum of the engine.

Su Xinyao risked a glance up and saw Zhou Rui staring at the streetscape flying past the window, the outline of his profile exceptionally sharp under the streetlights.

’She suddenly remembered how, in their past life, he always liked to play a certain piano piece in the car. Back then, he would hold her hand and make idle small talk.’

“You…”

She had just started to speak when Zhou Rui cut her off.

“Quiet.”

“Until I can confirm you’re telling the truth, you’d best not annoy me.”

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