Chapter 445 Come Closer
The food alley near the school was a lively place every night. After all, sustenance was the reason mankind was alive. The restaurant Zhang Heng chose served some of the best grilled fish around the area. Hence, the establishment was doing very well, with an almost perpetual queue waiting outside the restaurant every night. As Han Lu looked around for parking, Zhang Heng headed to the usher to get the number. More than 30 people were in line in front of him.
“Should we change restaurants?” Zhang Heng asked Han Lu.
“It’s fine. Let’s eat here,” Han Lu said. “I’m not in a hurry, anyway.”
It was a shame that those in the finance line didn’t hear what she said, or they would have probably died of shock. It was hard to imagine that the Han Lu, who always went, ‘My time is precious. Make your long story short. Don’t say anything unnecessary’ would even think of waiting in a thirty person queue.
She had always been like this, firmly believing that everything could be quantified in value. For her, work was an ongoing struggle, and as soon as she opened her eyes each morning, she would sort out they day’s business based on priority. Time would then be allocated to each task according to its value.
In other words, there could only be one possibility on why she was willing to sit and wait outside a small restaurant. She must have computed that the waiting was worthwhile and the time spent valuable.
“I haven’t stepped into school for a long time. Coming back here; it makes me feel a lot younger. It made me think back on my school days as well,” sighed Han Lu.
Truth be told, she had long forgotten the name of her class monitor, and neither did she care if her old classmates were dead or alive. Apart from meeting Mother Zhang when she studied abroad, she had literally no other friends she could confide in.
For influential people like Han Lu, getting benefits out of a new friendship was priority. To her, it was more about the exchange of interests and creating a win-win scenario. Friendship still mattered, but it didn’t matter much.
Han Lu wasn’t one to whine like little girls in romance dramas. She knew it was a fair world. There were gains and losses, and since she gained far more than she lost anyway, there was really nothing for her to complain about.
Of course, she would be happier if she could procure more than what she bargained for.
Han Lu took out her mobile phone. “Come closer, let’s take a photo,” she told Zhang Heng. “I want to prove to your mother that I’ve lived up to her trust.”
Zhang Heng had to lean against Han Lu again when he heard this. No matter what age the woman came in or what their occupation was, they had always been skillful at taking selfies. All too soon, Han Lu managed to find a perfect angle and captured the photo.
At that very moment, a text message came in on the phone.
It came from an unknown number. The first sentence displayed on the message was ‘Boss Han, it’s about the project supplementary information you mentioned…”
Han Lu clicked on the text message, but when it was open, she could no longer read the text. Instead, only an inexplicable picture was displayed. In the dim and dark photo, a shadow of a human seemed to lurk in the darkness. The shadow looked to have a pair of black wings as well.
Zhang Heng was quick to react. The moment he saw what it was, he instantly blocked the phone screen with his hand. However, it was too late.
“What the hell is that?” Han Lu frowned. “Is it a prank?”
“What time did you sleep last night?” Zhang Heng solemnly asked.
Han Lu was a little surprised. This was her first time seeing Zhang Heng being so severe. He gave her a calm and mature impression.
“I usually hit the hay before midnight, but a pharmaceutical company I invested in will initiate their first round of financial meetings next week. We still can’t agree on the valuation, which is why I worked late last night. I slept at about two in the morning, and I woke up at seven-fifteen. Why ask?”
“Because you might not be getting some shut-eye for a while,” replied Zhang Heng. “Huh?” Han Lu raised her eyebrows, obviously having no idea what Zhang Heng meant.
“This is kind of complicated to explain.” “It doesn’t matter. We have lots of time on our hands.”
Zhang Heng took out a lens from his pocket and handed it to Han Lu. “Place it in front of your eyes.”
Han Lu was puzzled by the item. She had been venturing the field of business for many years and met all kinds of men. They would all use all manner of methods to win her over, and she thought that Zhang Heng was probably pulling some tricks. That inexplicable photo might have something to do with him, after all. Yes, she was interested in Zhang Heng, but it surely didn’t mean she would lose her mind when she was with him.
Han Lu had always believed that even the most perfect man would eventually make a mistake. However, she undeniably enjoyed what was going on right now, and even if this wasn’t what she expected, she wished it would last longer.
When Han Lu put the lens in front of her eyes, however, jaw fell open in shock.
“Is this some black-market technology?! This is incredible. Apart from clearer vision, the brightness is adjusted as well. If I can mass produce this, the profits will be unimaginable! This could find many applications in countless fields. What you need right now is a professional team to help you promote this item. I can provide you with such a team, as long as you make me your top investor. Oh, sorry, occupational hazards…” Han Lu laughed at herself. “I feel the urge to invest when I see a good item. Considering the good relationship between your mom and me, I don’t mind if you reject my proposal. I’ll still help you with it.”
“Unfortunately, this item cannot be mass-produced,” Zhang Heng said. Zhang Heng was cautious with the words that he used. Han Lu was the overly practical and logical kind of woman, and It wasn’t easy to change the way she viewed this world. At the same time, he also needed to abide by the rule of not revealing his player’s identity to others. It wasn’t easy to just explain things as it is.
Han Lu lost most of her enthusiasm the moment she discovered that she would yield no benefits from the item no matter how valuable it was. As quickly as her business intuition struck her, she suddenly realized something and quietly waited for Zhang Heng’s explanation. “Below the surface of this ordinary world… are some supernatural things.”
“Well, is this part of your mom’s research? When we were studying together, I knew your mother majored in theology. As far as I know, she doesn’t really believe in these things. It is all fairy tales to her,” said Han Lu.
“This has nothing to do with my mother, and she doesn’t know the existence of those… things. I know it can’t be easy to accept new truths, but what I’m going to say next is very important. From now on, you have to make sure that you don’t close your eyes. Don’t sleep, or take a nap… not until I find a solution.”