FLBOTCP Chapter 73.1
Full Level Bigshot Only Takes the Career Path Chapter 73.1
It was probably during the peak of winter when both of them got carried away with their play. The next morning, when they woke up, Pei Mingzhan had indeed caught a cold, confirming Wang Shu’s warning. His throat was quite hoarse. Although they didn’t take things further than some light teasing to cool off, it might have been due to the water in Pei Mingzhan’s lukewarm bath turning colder. Today, he didn’t seem quite himself.
When Zhao Yao woke up, he intended to share an affectionate moment, but Pei Mingzhan avoided him and his voice was hoarse. Zhao Yao immediately noticed Pei Mingzhan’s condition. “Did you catch a cold?”
Pei Mingzhan furrowed his brows slightly and couldn’t muster much energy. “Maybe. Keep some distance, we don’t want it to spread.”
Uncle Wang brewed some ginger water to drive away the cold. He set it on the dining table and encouraged Pei Mingzhan to have something to eat before drinking the hot ginger water. “The flu is quite prevalent recently. Mr. Pei, you should make sure to dress warmly, pay attention to proper ventilation at your workplace…”
Zhao Yao sat on the other side, and when he saw Pei Mingzhan finishing his meal and putting on a mask, he said, “How about taking a morning off today and not going to work?” Given the recent workload at the company and his late nights coupled with yesterday night, Pei Mingzhan ended up catching a cold.
“Uncle Wang, where did he put the clothes he wore last time? Do we have something thicker?” Zhao Yao frowned slightly thinking that Pei Mingzhan’s suit seemed a bit thin. He knew that young people like Pei Mingzhan often preferred thin clothes to appear slimmer. Considering Pei Mingzhan’s years in the entertainment industry, he might be concerned about his appearance.
Pei Mingzhan had just finished drinking the hot ginger water, making his stomach feel comfortably warm. He replied, “You don’t have to trouble yourself so much.”
“We might not have thicker clothes,” Uncle Wang pondered for a moment and responded.
Zhao Yao’s expression worsened upon hearing this. He went straight to the cloakroom to get a longer and thicker overcoat. “This one is thicker. Try if you can put it on and wear a scarf as well.”
Pei Mingzhan saw how serious Zhao Yao was and reluctantly let him take care of his attire. When he arrived at the company wearing the overcoat and a scarf, many of the employees gave him curious looks as he passed through the employee area.
The company had heating to regulate the temperature. The secretary who brought in some documents was taken aback when she saw the boss, who had just arrived at work, wearing such thick clothing. Today, the sun was quite strong outside, and the temperature had increased by a few degrees compared to the previous week. Why was the boss dressed like this?
But Pei Mingzhan didn’t mind. He took off his coat and said, “Today’s outdoor appointments have been rescheduled for the afternoon, and the meeting is postponed by an hour.”
His secretary then noticed the unusual tone in his boss’s voice, and after leaving the room, quickly returned with a cup of tea and some throat lozenges. “Boss, there are throat lozenges in this box. If you’re feeling uncomfortable with your throat, you can have some to soothe it.”
Pei Mingzhan glanced at him and took the box out of his coat. It was handed to him by Zhao Yao before he left.
He replied simply, “Thank you, but I have one.”
The secretary nodded, wondering why he felt like the boss was in such high spirits today, even though he clearly had a cold??
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Soon, it was time for Pei Mingzhan to take a break. He delegated his work matters to his trusted subordinate and prepared to take a flight back to H City with Zhao Yao. When he arrived at Zhao Yao’s house, he found another man in the living room whom he recognized—Zhao Yao’s older brother, Zhao Changshuo.
“You’re here. Have a seat and wait for Uncle Wang to finish packing, then we’ll leave,” Zhao Yao saw Pei Mingzhan coming over and gestured for him to sit beside him.
Zhao Changshuo had come over to this side for a few reasons. One was to hand over the information about Bai Chengxue that he had given to Zhao Yao a few days ago. He had thoroughly checked this matter over the past few days and quickly identified the people involved. Apart from those who openly associated with Bai Chengxue, he also uncovered some clues, revealing that beneath the calm surface of the Zhao Group, there were individuals colluding from inside and outside, harming the interests of the group.
On the other hand, it was also about inviting Zhao Yao to celebrate the New Year at the old house. Their relationship had not been good in the past. Zhao Yao used to avoid listening to his explanations. So in recent years, he received fewer and fewer phone calls from him.
But for some reason, things seemed to have improved between them this year.
“Regarding the matter of Bai Chengxue, I heard that you’ve already controlled their raw material input. If you need any help, feel free to reach out to me,” Zhao Changzhuo said before adding, “Once all the evidence on this side is gathered, I’ll transfer everything that requires legal action, but that might have to wait until after the New Year.”
What would happen after the New Year was something both of them understood without speaking it aloud. Aside from internal personnel changes within the group and Zhao Zhikai’s ambitious plans, there was also the matter of the person in the overseas sanatorium. Whether they could make it through the year was still uncertain.
In reality, Zhao Yao didn’t really care about these matters. He wouldn’t have discussed these issues with Zhao Changzhuo if it weren’t for Zhao Zhikai and Zhao Qizhen repeatedly bothering him. Ultimately, he didn’t have much of a connection to these people and their conflicts. But given the trouble they had caused him in the past few months, especially now that he had been investigating, many of the troubles that Huihua had faced were related to Bai Chengxue and her son privately causing problems.
Zhao Yao furrowed his brow slightly and asked, “Will you handle the matter with Bai Chengxue?”
Bai Chengxue’s involvement had deeper implications, and most of the key evidence was with the Zhao Group. If Zhao Yao had to take action in any way, it would likely have to go through Zhao Changzhuo. If Zhao Changzhuo chose to let Bai Chengxue off the hook for the sake of their friendship, then many of his preparations would be in vain.
It’s not that he couldn’t handle Bai Chengxue entirely, but it would require more time and effort. However, Zhao Yao didn’t want to go down that path because it would be too draining.
Zhao Changzhuo knew that Zhao Yao would ask about this matter. From the time he revealed the incident of Bai Chengxue conspiring with outsiders to leak company secrets, he knew that Zhao Yao was also evaluating his decision. He said, “No, the Zhao family has never protected anyone. When she conspired with outsiders to damage the family’s interests, she was no longer considered part of the Zhao family.”
“From a perspective of self-interest, exposing this matter is equivalent to completely ruining Zhao Qizhen.” Zhao Yao said simply, “It’s also like removing an obstacle for you, but this matter is still uncertain. Be cautious about Zhao Zikai and other issues.”
Dealing with Bai Chengxue isn’t a problem. The critical point is that Bai Chengxue and Zhao Qizhen are mother and son. If something happens on this side, it will inevitably involve Zhao Zikai. Then it becomes a choice for Zhao Zikai, protecting Bai Chengxue and her son keeps Zhao Qizhen as their pawn, but if he abandons Bai Chengxue, all of his schemes would fall apart.
People like Zhao Zikai, once word of his actions reaches abroad, things might get chaotic.
Seeing Zhao Yao mentioning this in front of Pei Mingzhan, Zhao Changzhuo hesitated briefly. He had heard about Zhao Yao’s good relationship with Pei Mingzhan, but he didn’t expect Pei Mingzhan to come here at this particular time, as if he had arranged something with Zhao Yao. He asked, “Do you have plans?”
“We plan to visit H City for the New Year. You should wrap up the matters in the group, and it will be Bai Chengxue’s last good year.” Zhao Yao’s expression remained calm as he poured a cup of tea for Pei Mingzhan. “Is there anything else you came here for today? If not, we have a flight to catch later.”
When Zhao Changshuo heard about H City, he thought of Zhao Yao’s maternal family, the Zheng family. But since Zhao Yao didn’t mention it, he didn’t press further. Celebrating the Chinese New Year was not something that could be forced, and Zhao Yao hadn’t gone home for the New Year for many years. It primarily depended on his willingness. Zhao Changshuo added, “Other than that, you’ve helped me out a lot this time. If there’s anything you need help with, just let me know.”
Zhao Yao nodded, taking advantage of the goodwill that was offered, “Alright.”
Suddenly, Zhao Changzhuo noticed that the position where Pei Mingzhan was sitting was too close to Zhao Yao. He also noticed that Pei Mingzhan was holding Zhao Yao’s other hand, and Zhao Yao seemed entirely unfazed. He paused for a moment and wondered, are these two so close in the past?
Pei Mingzhan had very limited contact with Zhao Changzhuo, the elder son of the Zhao family. They would occasionally meet at certain events, but their interactions were mostly formal and brief. He listened to Zhao Changzhuo and Zhao Yao discuss matters related to the Zhao Group. In his spare time, Pei Mingzhan would often give Zhao Yao hand massages. He had recently noticed that Zhao Yao particularly enjoyed having his hands massaged, and on occasion, he would even extend his hand voluntarily.
But Pei Mingzhan realized that while massaging Zhao Yao, Zhao Changzhuo, who was talking with Zhao Yao would occasionally cast his gaze in his direction, as if his attention was focused on him.
As Zhao Changzhuo was about to leave, Pei Mingzhan noticed that his gaze was still fixed on him. Taking advantage of the moment when Zhao Yao went back to his study to handle some documents, Zhao Changzhuo took the initiative and said, “Are you used to being in S City during this period?”
Pei Mingzhan knew that he was asking about work-related matters, so he replied, “I’m doing fine. Thanks for your concern, Mr. Zhao.”
After speaking, he noticed that Zhao Changzhuo was giving him a somewhat peculiar look, so he asked, “Mr. Zhao, is there something else?”
Zhao Changzhuo glanced briefly at Pei Mingzhan’s hands and then looked away. He said, “You have a good relationship with Zhao Yao. Quite good.”
In fact, he held a high opinion of Pei Mingzhan, the young man. He saw him as someone with strong principles and remarkable capabilities. Moreover, during this time, there had been discussions about him in S City’s social circles. Despite his young age, he entered the entertainment industry, achieved great success, and then withdrew to invest in his own business. Whether it was his courage and determination or his company management skills, many people in the industry admired him for it.
Zhao Changzhuo also admired Pei Mingzhan. However, he couldn’t shake the strange feeling he had. Seeing Zhao Yao coming downstairs, Zhao Changzhuo said, “I’ll take my leave for now.”
Zhao Yao handed him another document, “En.”
Zhao Changzhuo fell silent for a moment and then said, “I’ll just say it in advance, Happy New Year.”
Zhao Yao was momentarily surprised and replied, “Happy New Year.”
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