RIVALS OF REBIRTH 71

Chapter 71: Extra Chapter Three

After dealing with a group of men and women, Han Jin left the somewhat noisy private room. This time, the plan regarding Wen Hua’an went perfectly, but for him, it felt somewhat frustrating. He had to personally deal with Lin Su, that hypocritical woman, even though he was only dealing with Wen Hua’an.

Han Jin stood on the dimly lit steps outside the nightclub and lit a cigarette. The swirling smoke danced before his eyes as he carefully considered the plan, wondering if there were any overlooked details.

At that moment, he suddenly saw a man being thrown out of the nightclub by the bouncers. He seemed to have had too much to drink, his clothes were rumpled, and under the influence of alcohol, his handsome profile carried an unusual allure. Han Jin’s heart seemed to skip a beat, and he felt momentarily dazed.

The man was thrown onto the street and stumbled to his feet. His expression was cold as he walked away. Han Jin continued to gaze at the man’s departing figure, not even noticing when his cigarette burned down to his fingertips, causing a faint stinging sensation. He involuntarily recoiled his hand, feeling somewhat lost.

The next morning, Han Jin was rudely awakened by a phone call from Zhou Cheng’an. He angrily pushed aside a naked woman beside him, threw a wad of money on the bedside table, and left the hotel without looking back.

When he arrived at the Zhou residence, Zhou Cheng’an was looking at a contract with great enthusiasm, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

Han Jin frowned as he looked at it. He knew Zhou Cheng’an better than anyone else, and if he was wearing that smile, it meant someone was about to have a run of bad luck.

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Tl vssj vbl qkzl qasx Hbsw Ubldt’yd’p byde, yde kv nsdvykdle vbl zkql pvsau sq y rlapsd.

Hbldt Kwl, vbkp dyxl oyp dsv wdqyxkzkya.

Hbsw Ubldt’yd pxkzle yv Tyd Kkd. “Ebyv es usw vbkdj sq vbl ‘Qszeld Jsu sq Tsdt Ukvu’ obs pvszl uswa tkazqaklde? Rdvlalpvle?”

Tyd Kkd qwaasole bkp caso. “Rq bl byp lulp qsa Nkd Fw, bkp vypvl kp iwkvl rssa. Jlpkelp, bl nyd’v alyzzu cl nyzzle vbl ‘Qszeld Jsu sq Tsdt Ukvu’ yduxsal. Tl pwqqlale y xyfsa plvcynj kd vbl pvsnj xyajlv, yde bkp ypplvp byhl elnalyple cu yv zlypv y vbkae vbydjp vs Eld Twy’yd’p pvsnj xyajlv xydkrwzyvksd.”

Hbsw Ubldt’yd nbwnjzle. “Kwpv yp lmrlnvle sq Tyd Fbys, uswa fwetxldv kp pbyar. Rdelle, bl’p dsv vbl pyxl yp clqsal. Tkp qwdep byhl rzwxxlvle kd vbl pvsnj xyajlv, bkp nsxrydu’p qkdydnkyz pkvwyvksd kp ekal, yde kv pllxp bl’p sd bkp zypv zltp.”

Tyd Kkd vspple vbl qkzl sdvs Hbsw Ubldt’yd’p elpj, bkp caso pvkzz qwaasole. “Rq bl’p yzalyeu qkdkpble, obyv’p vbl wpl sq vbkp qkzl?”

Hbsw Ubldt’yd pxkzle pssvbkdtzu. “Psd’v cl kd pwnb y bwaau. Gzvbswtb bl byp qyzzld qasx taynl, bl pvkzz bszep y pbkdu vkvzl vbyv’p hyzwyczl vs wp.”

Tyd Kkd aykple yd lulcaso. “Zsw oydv vs wpl bkx yp y pvlrrkdt pvsdl?” Tl bye tasod wr okvb Hbsw Ubldt’yd yde nswze wpwyzzu elnkrbla bkp kdvldvksdp iwkvl olzz.

Zhou Cheng’an nodded with a smile. “Currently, Wen Hua’an is still quite wary of you. If we want to succeed, we must take some action. This Mr. Zheng is the perfect choice.”

Han Jin picked up the file again, flipping through it carelessly. There were no photographs; only a few lines of text. In reality, these people were nothing more than ants to them. Their appearance didn’t matter; it was the information that counted.

Han Jin examined Zheng Jue’s background, his complex relationship with Wen Hua’an, and the hardships he had endured while climbing up from the bottom over the years. He flicked the cigarette ash from his fingers and nodded.

The subsequent events seemed to fall into place naturally. Han Shao and Zheng Sheng became enemies over a woman, and the Han family squeezed Zheng Jue out in various fields, from the stock market to industry. Han Jin watched as all the businesses Zheng Jue had built crumbled overnight, but ironically, they never met face-to-face.

The only time Han Jin saw Zheng Jue was in a tabloid photo that seemed staged. Zheng Jue leaned against a hotel wall, only showing a weary side profile, too blurred to make out his features. The small newspaper cared more about his apparent despair than his appearance, with large letters on the front page reading, “The End of the Stock Market Golden Boy Myth.” It felt like a sharp thorn, leaving Han Jin with an inexplicable sense of discomfort.

While Han Jin dealt with Zheng Jue, he also made every effort to find the man he had encountered that night. He couldn’t explain why, but he felt restless, as if not finding him meant something he couldn’t quite put into words. Subconsciously, he urgently wanted to see him again, even if it was just to say hello or to acknowledge that they had crossed paths.

Whatever it was, he just wanted to say a few words to him.

Regrettably, in such places, the bartenders and nightclub staff didn’t recognize faces; they only recognized money. Nightly, they carried numerous drunks out of the club, and no one would remember a person who had left a mark in his heart.

Han Jin had been particularly agitated these days, not only because of the setbacks he faced in finding that person but also because of issues in his interactions with Lin Su.

He truly despised Lin Su—she was pretentious, shallow, and laughable. If it weren’t for Zhou Cheng’an, he would never stoop to these actions. But Lin Su was peculiar; whenever he ignored her or did something she didn’t like, she would bring up her ex-boyfriend.

“How would Zheng Sheng treat me…”

“Zheng Sheng would do this in such situations…”

“Zheng Sheng would never treat me like this…”

She said these things, but Han Jin found them ridiculous. If Zheng Sheng was so great, why did you deceive him to such an extent? Why did you make him lose everything for you, causing him to fall into ruin?

Han Jin’s disdain for Lin Su grew stronger, but his interest in the man she spoke so highly of, Zheng Sheng, grew as well. In Lin Su’s words, Zheng Sheng was almost perfect—gentle, sincere, like a complete opposite of himself, a new and ideal man.

However, Han Jin knew that he wouldn’t have a chance to meet Zheng Jue again. Just at this moment, the Wens suddenly faced a major crisis. The Wen brothers had attempted to bring in foreign investment and gain control of the Wen Corporation. Unsurprisingly, they failed. Wen Hua’an was a seasoned fox and couldn’t be easily shaken by these inexperienced youngsters.

The foreign investment the Wen brothers had brought in had long been prepared by Wen Hua’an. He effortlessly defeated the two brothers and completely ousted them from the Wen Corporation. Now, Wen Corporation was firmly under Wen Hua’an’s control.

It was precisely at this time that Zhou Cheng’an found Han Jin. The current situation was extremely complex, and Han Jin couldn’t afford to dawdle any longer. He needed to act decisively to gain Wen Hua’an’s trust.

However, just at this moment, Han Jin hesitated. He thought of the Zheng Sheng mentioned by Lin Su, and for the first time in his life, he felt a pang of guilt. He remembered the disoriented side profile in the newspaper photo, and his fingertips, which had been burned by the cigarette ash earlier, stung slightly.

Seeing Han Jin’s sudden distraction, Zhou Cheng’an couldn’t help but furrow his brows. “What’s the matter with you?”

Han Jin snapped back to reality from his reverie, and he forced a faint smile. “Don’t worry; I’m fine.”

Zhou Cheng’an finally breathed a sigh of relief, patting Han Jin’s shoulder lightly. “If it weren’t for this situation, I might have actually appreciated this Zheng Sheng. But we have to proceed with this, and we have to apologize to Zheng Sheng.”

A sudden sense of anxiety welled up in Han Jin’s heart. He rudely interrupted Zhou Cheng’an, saying, “Alright, I got it. I’ll handle this. Don’t worry.” With that, he turned and left Zhou Cheng’an’s office.

Watching Han Jin’s somewhat hurried departure, Zhou Cheng’an couldn’t help but feel worried, his brows furrowing.

Once Han Jin left Zhou Cheng’an’s office, he finally found a moment of relaxation. He took out his phone, dialed the private investigator who was helping him find someone, and said in a serious tone, “I’ll add another ten thousand. You must find that person for me.”

The private investigator had been waiting for these words. Holding the file with Zheng Jue’s picture, he smiled and replied, “Don’t worry, Han Shao. I’ll have an answer for you in a month.” When it came to these rich kids, you had to dangle the carrot to secure their cooperation and make some easy money.

After hanging up the phone, Han Jin’s initially anxious mood finally eased somewhat. He looked at the skyscrapers speeding by outside the window and silently comforted himself. Just a few more days, and everything would be fine… 

After returning from the Zhou Corporation, Han Jin once again struck a blow to Zheng Jue, who had already lost everything. The Zheng family fell apart, Zheng Jue ended up impoverished, and even when Wen Hua’an arranged for someone to poison Zheng Jue’s food, Han Jin pretended not to know. He was desperate to get through the next month, eagerly anticipating a reunion with that person after a month.

Finally, the renowned stock market prodigy fell from grace. Under the combined pressures from the Han family and the Wen family, he was devoured by the financial giants of the city. Meanwhile, Zheng Sheng, as reported by tabloid media, had fallen to such a state of destitution that he was living in a cheap hostel in a poverty-stricken area. Han Jin felt no excitement or elation but instead a profound emptiness gnawing at his heart.

On the day before the end of the month, he almost fainted in his office. His heart had been harboring an immense fear, one that left him with an indescribable sense of dread.

Finally, on that last day, the private investigator faxed over all the information. Han Jin stood before the fax machine, staring fixedly as the paper emerged from the machine.

He scrutinized the photo at the top bit by bit, and it was indeed the person he had once encountered. Han Jin’s heart filled with wild joy. He had finally found him.

Han Jin eagerly pulled the paper from the fax machine.

Suddenly, he froze.

He stared at the name printed on the paper—Zheng Jue.

How could it be Zheng Jue?

Han Jin felt a sudden panic. He tossed the document as if it were a hot potato, pacing the office rapidly. Hearing the commotion, his assistant entered, picked up the fallen document, and looked at Han Jin with confusion. “Han Shao, why do you have a file on Zheng Sheng?”

Han Jin nearly lost his temper as he grabbed his assistant’s collar. “He’s not Zheng Jue!”

The assistant appeared perplexed. “But he is Zheng Sheng…”

“Really him…” Tears welled up unexpectedly in Han Jin’s eyes, carrying a strange sense of grievance.

Pushing aside his assistant, Han Jin hurried to his car. The information from the document suddenly became vivid in his mind. He knew where Zheng Sheng was now…

Yes, all he needed to do was apologize, and if Zheng Sheng forgave him, they could still be together. Han Jin’s heart was gripped by a sudden sense of joy.

He drove rapidly, entering a part of the city he had never set foot in before—the slums. The roads here were narrow. Han Jin abandoned his car and ran towards the small hostel. His heart was filled with a mixture of bitterness and anticipation. He wished he could be by Zheng Sheng’s side right now, telling him he had made a mistake. Perhaps… perhaps the perfect Zheng Sheng Lin Su had spoken of would forgive him?

Han Shao, using his lifetime’s unprecedented speed, sprinted toward the small hostel. As he ran down the narrow alley, a glimmer of light appeared ahead. He burst out of the alley and was met with a sea of white – white ambulances, doctors in white coats, and the top of a vehicle with its glaring red lights.

Standing there, Han Jin’s eyes widened as he saw a stretcher being carried out with a person on it. Their face was concealed by a white cloth, but a hand reached out from the edge of the cloth, wearing a wristwatch identical to the one in the photo. In the sunlight, it reflected a dazzling light.

Han Jin felt as though a giant hand had grabbed his entire being. He slowly bent over, a sharp pain radiating from his heart. His soul seemed to float in mid-air. All his emotions, joy, sorrow, pain, and regret converged at that moment. The agony and remorse consumed him, and the light in his vision dimmed.

Han Jin slumped against the wall, his eyes vacant.

Everything was… too late.