The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Yao Jing, as usual, prepared breakfast for Wu Zhiming. Wu Zhiming ate earnestly, noting that today's breakfast seemed more abundant than usual. It was clear that their relationship had softened a bit, though it remained relatively lukewarm without significant progress.
After finishing their meal, they left the house together.
As soon as they stepped outside, they were hit by an unpleasant odor. Several garbage bags were piled just over a meter in front of their door. The bags were large and tied shut, but it was summer, and the smell was overwhelming, lingering right outside their door.
Wu Zhiming didn't need to guess to know whose trash it was. It belonged to the occupants of apartment 1001.
He glanced at the door opposite theirs. The property management regularly collected garbage as long as residents left it outside their doors. Apartment 1001 dutifully put their trash out but always placed it right in front of Wu Zhiming's door.
In the past, Yao Jing had argued with the residents of 1001 about this, but the arguments rarely ended in her favor. The people in 1001 had fiery tempers and would resort to swearing almost immediately. Yao Jing, being more refined, found it hard to continue after a few harsh words were thrown her way.
The family in 1001 reportedly ran a small, bustling eatery, and every summer, they would go on vacation for a while, suggesting their business was quite profitable. As a result, their trash often contained rotting food scraps, which emitted a particularly horrendous smell in the summer and attracted flies. The property management had spoken to them about it, but it was to no avail, and the issue was eventually left unresolved.
Wu Zhiming walked over to the garbage bags, picked them up, and carried them to the door of apartment 1001. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Presumably, the family had left early to open their eatery, dumping their trash in front of his door before they went.
Seeing no one answered, Wu Zhiming didn't get angry. Instead, he calmly opened the garbage bags and dumped all the contents right in front of their door.
Yao Jing watched from a distance and didn't intervene. She was pleased to see Wu Zhiming taking charge for once. She was not worried about a potential confrontation with the residents of 1001; with Wu Zhiming standing firm, she felt she could follow his lead.
In their four years of marriage, this was the first time Yao Jing felt like there was truly a head of the household, someone who could handle many issues that previously required her intervention.
After dumping the trash, the stench became unbearable, filling the entire corridor with the foul odor of overnight slop.
"Don't come back home today," Wu Zhiming advised Yao Jing.
Yao Jing nodded in agreement. The smell was so strong it would probably linger for the entire day. Wu Zhiming's actions were a double-edged sword, but she couldn't help but feel pleased.
They took the elevator downstairs together. Wu Zhiming walked to the security office and informed the guard, "The trash for 1002 and 1001 has already been taken out. No need for the property staff to collect it."
"Got it!" The security guard nodded.
"You sure have a devious plan, letting that garbage ferment at their door for a whole day?" Yao Jing asked.
Wu Zhiming smiled and replied, "Of course. Otherwise, if the property staff cleaned it up later, it would only inconvenience them."
With that, they both exited the building.
Li Sina was already waiting by the car. Seeing them approach, she opened the door. Yao Jing and Wu Zhiming got in, and they headed towards the Wu Group.
The Wu Group had been extremely busy lately. The new residential project near the school district was officially underway, and several other housing developments were breaking ground. This was the largest construction project in Haixia City in years. Even Wu Zhiming, who usually stayed out of the company's operations, had to visit the construction sites occasionally.
However, today, Wu Zhiming's focus wasn't on the school district project.
Today was Song Jingsheng's birthday. The birthday banquet was at noon, so after spending some time at the company handling a few matters, Wu Zhiming left for the Hilton Hotel.
Li Sina drove, occasionally glancing at Wu Zhiming through the rearview mirror.
Despite working for him, Li Sina felt she barely knew this employer. She still couldn't understand what gave him the confidence to pay her an advance salary of one hundred million yuan. Did he not fear she might run off with it?
Over the past few days, she had heard many rumors about Wu Zhiming, including tales of his former cowardice and recent rise. Her curiosity about him grew. She wanted to know how he could endure for so long and whether there was someone supporting him behind the scenes.
There was considerable debate about whether Wu Zhiming had someone backing him. Since his speech at the succession ceremony, such debates had dwindled, but some still believed he had someone powerful behind him. Li Sina was one of those who felt that Wu Zhiming looked like he had someone supporting him from the shadows.
"Boss," Li Sina suddenly spoke up.
"Hmm?" Wu Zhiming, gazing out of the window, responded nonchalantly.
"You don't seem interested in my past at all," Li Sina remarked.
"Your past? Why should I be interested in your past?" Wu Zhiming asked, turning to look at her.
"Previous employers, after seeing my eyes, always asked why I'm blind in one eye, but you never did," Li Sina said.
"I'm not a curious person. I don't pry into things that don't directly concern me," Wu Zhiming replied calmly.
"Oh…" Li Sina murmured, falling silent again.
"By the way, I might take a little vacation soon," she added after a pause.
"We'll discuss it when the time comes," Wu Zhiming said.
"I'm just giving you a heads-up. Don't worry, I won't run off with the money I asked you to advance. I'll definitely pay it back!" Li Sina assured him.
"Okay," Wu Zhiming nodded.
Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the Hilton Hotel.
A number of people were gathered at the entrance, including Song Jingsheng's grandson, Song Desheng. Today was Song Jingsheng's birthday, and Song Desheng was in charge of welcoming the guests.
Song Jingsheng was a prominent figure in Haixia City, with many friends, both local and from out of town. Having Song Desheng greet the guests showed the importance they placed on this event.
Luxury cars were coming and going at the hotel entrance, and Wu Zhiming's Bentley didn't particularly stand out.
However, as his unregistered blue Bentley Continental pulled up, many eyes were drawn to it because everyone knew there was only one such car in Haixia City—Wu Zhiming's.
Wu Zhiming stepped out of the car.
In front of him stood several elegantly dressed figures from Haixia City's high society.
Wu Zhiming smirked slightly. These were the same people he had once barred from entering the Wu family's home. To him, the so-called high society figures were nothing more than individuals who couldn't even set foot in his house.
Yet, these high society people carried themselves with an air of superiority. They looked at Wu Zhiming with disdain, as if to convey that he was no better than someone they considered beneath them.
Wu Zhiming checked his watch. It was exactly 11:30 AM, the time he had arranged to meet Zhou Wenwei. Yet, Zhou Wenwei was nowhere to be seen.
Just then, a Mercedes pulled up beside him, and Zhou Wenwei stepped out.
"What happened to your face?!" Wu Zhiming exclaimed upon seeing the scratches on Zhou Wenwei's face, which looked like they were from a woman's nails.
"Just some family trouble. Nothing serious," Zhou Wenwei said awkwardly.
"Who knew He Shuhui had such a temper? Did she catch you cheating?" Wu Zhiming joked.
"No, no, nothing like that. Let's not talk about it. Wu, shall we go inside?" Zhou Wenwei suggested.
"But you should've at least covered up with some powder. It looks bad," Wu Zhiming shook his head, then turned towards the hotel entrance.
As they walked, a smile spread across Wu Zhiming's face.
"Did you bring the gift?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"Yes, I have it in the bag!" Zhou Wenwei replied seriously.
"Good!" Wu Zhiming nodded with a smile and then turned to greet Song Desheng, "Brother Song, congratulations!"
Song Desheng frowned slightly and asked, "Mr. Wu, what's the occasion?"
"A home with an elderly person is a treasure. It's Mr. Song's 80th birthday today. Isn't that a reason to celebrate? I heard about the celebration and came to offer my congratulations!" Wu Zhiming said with a smile.
As soon as he spoke, the nearby high society figures began to sneer and laugh in disdain.
Previously, Wu Zhiming had arrogantly shut them out of the Wu family, and now, despite not being invited, he had shown up to offer congratulations at the birthday of a leading figure in their social circle. To them, he looked pitifully sycophantic.
It was well-known that Song Jingsheng hadn't invited Wu Zhiming. The Song family had
informed the other high society members in advance about this. The elite of Haixia City couldn't be more delighted, thinking: "Let Wu Zhiming show off as much as he wants. We, the entire high society, refuse to engage with him. How much more can he boast now?"
"Mr. Wu, it's very thoughtful of you. We initially planned to send you an invitation, but it seems you don't think much of us, so we didn't. Unexpectedly, you came uninvited. That's really surprising. It's said that Mr. Wu is very good at enduring insults and hardships, and now I can see it's true!" Song Desheng said with a smiling face.