Chapter 6: Eternal Dream

  After Peng Haoming left, Lin Chaohui emerged like a ghost. He looked at the back of Peng Haoming who was leaving in the distance, and his inner hatred swallowed up his last line of defense like a venomous snake...

  But Lin Chaohui now is not the same as ten years ago, he has learned how to hide himself, he pretended nothing happened and lightly knocked on Zhu Meier's bedroom door: "Mei Jie, you wanted me for something?"

  "Come in." A lazy voice came from inside the house, belonging to Zhu Meier.

  Lin Chaohui pushed open the door and walked in, his hands hanging respectfully by his sides, without saying a word.

  "This time's commotion is quite big." Zhu Meier's words were tinged with displeasure.

  "Something unexpected happened, those two cops somehow found their way there, I suspect it might be Wang Licheng..." Lin Chaohui replied.

  "Even if I had ten times more courage, I wouldn't dare."

  "It's a coincidence perhaps, but recently the rules over there have indeed been very strict. When we withdrew, they attacked another group of colleagues."

  "Huh? Why didn't you tell me about this?" Zhu Meier had the impression that Lin Chao Hui hadn't mentioned this matter before.

  "I think it's not worth troubling Sister Mei with such a small matter, besides, it's not our own people...” Lin Chaohui didn't finish speaking before Zhu Meier waved her hand to stop him from continuing, and Lin Chaohui shut his mouth.

  Zhu Meier thought for a moment and said: "The route over there is very unsafe, do you have any better methods?"

  "Not for now, but Wang Licheng told me yesterday that he has a lead, it should be safe..."

  "Should?!" Zhu Meier snorted: "You should also guarantee that this time is foolproof, but isn't it still a failure?"

  Lin Chaohui could only respond with silence, he felt that Zhu Meier was becoming more and more unreasonable.

  "Do you trust Wang Licheng?" Zhu Meier seemed to think that her previous words were a bit too much, so she said something to ease the atmosphere.

  "I don't trust him, he's Peng Haoming's man. I think Peng Haoming is suspicious and..." Lin Chaohui thought for a moment, perhaps this was a good opportunity to strike at Peng Haoming.

  "And what?" Zhu Meier seemed not to be annoyed at all.

  "Mei Jie, Zhao Gongfu I've been trying to figure out a way to get him over here, but it's never worked. But Peng Haoming was able to bring him over so easily, don't you think that's suspicious?"

  "What do you mean?" Zhu Meier didn't want to beat around the bush.

  "Being able to buy off so many checkpoints, evade the surveillance of that side for 24 hours, Peng Haoming is not an ordinary person. I think, since he has such skills, why bother being a lumber merchant?"

  "So he wants us to make a bigger deal." Zhu Meier felt that Lin Chaohui was a bit too sensitive: "Some things, you can't do, it doesn't mean everyone else can't do them either."

  Lin Chaohui felt that if they continued on this topic, the conversation would become even more unpleasant. He changed the subject and said: "The factory side has been relatively calm recently, but I think Xinyi..."

  "This doesn't concern you, I plan to hand over the processing plant to Peng Haoming..." Zhu Meier said calmly: "With him as a buffer, I think Xin Yi won't come looking for me for trouble for the time being."

  "Hand it over to Peng Haoming?!" Lin Chaohui couldn't help but feel a little anxious: "Mei Jie, you have to think this through..."

  "I've thought it through, I'll set up a processing factory in the name of Peng Haoming, and continue to do distribution. Even if Xinyi wants to cause trouble, he'll point his spearhead at him first." Zhu Meier was very confident: "This isn't the time for us to cut ties with Xinyi yet."

  "Alright..." Zhu Meier's words stopped there. Lin Chaohui tried to persuade her again, but it was no use: "That channel... I'll look for it again."

  "Let's do it this way, Peng Haoming has a channel in Country Y, I think there is a portion of goods that should still be handled by him." In Lin Chaohui's ears, the meaning of this sentence was - I have already made up my mind, you just follow suit.

  Lin Chaohui felt neglected, before Zhu Meier was sometimes unpredictable, but on some important issues, still respected his opinions, now, that discussion seemed more like telling himself a decision, he only had to accept this choice!

  Lin Chao Hui couldn't help but think of Peng Hao Ming's handsome face, this uninvited person had disrupted all his plans and...and also took Zhu Mei Er's heart away. His ten years of hard work couldn't compare to Peng Hao Ming's few casual words. Thinking of this, Lin Chao Hui felt a pang of bitterness in his heart and said: "Mei Er, it wasn't easy for us to get to where we are today, now is the crucial period..."

  Zhu Mei'er abruptly interrupted him: "I've told you before, don't call me Mei'er, I don't like it when you call me that!"

  "Sorry, Mei Jie." Lin Chao Hui saw Zhu Mei Er, who was still lying lazily on the sofa just now, suddenly sit up straight, staring at her with eyes wide open, and her chest heaving violently due to excitement. He couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy and immediately apologized.

  "I've thought about what you have, this time you've worked hard and brought back so much cash, enough for us to hold on for a while longer. As long as Zhao Gongfu's new product comes out, we can get rid of Xinyi's control." Zhu Meier also felt that she had been a bit out of line earlier, after all, Lin Chaohui was doing it for her own good.

  Zhu Meier deeply believed that anyone could betray themselves, but Lin Chaohui wouldn't! However, Zhu Meier couldn't get over the hurdle in her heart. She had seen how hard Lin Chaohui worked and how he treated her all these years, yet every time Lin Chaohui tried to get close to her, she would instinctively resist violently.

  No one can clearly explain what this feeling is, Zhu Meier's explanation to herself is that Lin Chaohui will not betray himself, he betrayed Zhang Zhiqiang, perhaps in her lack of sense of security, she strongly feels that letting Lin Chaohui get too close, as long as there is a suitable price, he will also sell himself...

  Zhu Meier was also puzzled, whether she trusted or distrusted Lin Chaohui. This Zhang Zhiqiang, who had been following her for ten years and managing this small kingdom for her, sometimes seemed so familiar, yet at other times appeared so strange.

  Who can I trust now? Zhu Meier felt a dull ache in her head, and she said wearily: "Sorry, I'm a bit tired. You go out first."

  Now, Lin Chaohui didn't know what else to say, so he could only awkwardly say: "Alright, you should rest well first."

  At the moment when Lin Chao Hui closed the door, Zhu Mei Er couldn't help but burst into tears.

  She couldn't remember the last time she cried, was it when Zhang Zhiqiang was arrested? Or when she escaped here with nothing and struggled on the line between life and death? Zhu Meier really didn't remember, but now she just wanted to cry loudly, releasing all the grievances and hardships she had endured over the years, hidden behind her mask. At first, Zhu Meier covered her mouth, trying to hold back her sobs, but let tears flow freely. However, she soon felt it was futile, so she stumbled into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. The moment the door closed, her suppressed cries burst out. She leaned against the door, slowly sitting down on the floor. In this small space, she felt safe, with no one to disturb her, and she didn't need any pretenses, letting tears flow freely, wetting her clothes.

  Cry, cry, let the tears wash away the misty eyes of Zhu Mei'er. Perhaps only at this moment can Zhu Mei'er find her old self in her own tears...

  I don't know how long she cried, Zhu Meier was tired, she still leaned against the door and sat on the cold floor of the bathroom, at this time she was a lonely and weak woman, needing someone to give her a little sense of security, but for her, it was a luxury...

  "Mei'er... Mei'er... what's wrong with you... can't you turn back..." Zhu Meier's inner self was asking herself, but the Meier in her heart was desperately avoiding her, she seemed to see that terrified woman covering her ears and screaming at her: "Don't ask me, I don't know... I don't know..."

  Zhu Mei'er knocked her head against the door in pain, as if this could relieve her suffering. She suddenly hated Zhang Zhiqiang. If it weren't for him, she might already have a happy family now, or maybe even a clever child...

  Zhu Meier inserted her fingers into her mouth, biting them with her teeth. She wanted to use the pain to stimulate herself and wake up. The inner self that had just desperately avoided it was now eerily calm, telling her: "Don't be stupid, your fate is already sealed, any struggle is meaningless...meaningless..."

  Chu Mei'er, who had been crying herself to exhaustion, began to smile foolishly. Alas, was there still any point in turning back now? This small kingdom seemed powerful, but with just a slight carelessness, it would collapse and disintegrate in an instant, and her own ending might be to die without even a burial ground...

  Forget it, forget it, how did all this start anyway? Zhu Meier was a bit dazed, humming softly to the tune she was most familiar with: "Like a gentle rain falling into my heart, that feeling is so mysterious..."

  Zhu Mei'er hummed the song, over and over again, leaning against the bathroom door, dazed and confused. Everything in the past seemed to flash before her eyes like a speeding car. She was like an outsider, watching Zhu Mei'er in the picture change from a naive and lovely girl to an inscrutable black widow that no one could figure out...

  "Mei'er...... Mei'er......" In a daze, Zhu Meier seemed to hear someone calling her.

  In this place, only one person can call himself that, Zhu Meier was thinking hard about the name of this person... Zhang Zhiqiang? Impossible, he has been dead for many years, this man who once deeply loved and infinitely hated, now has long since turned into a handful of yellow earth, his soul? No! Impossible... He hasn't come to see himself for a very, very long time, so who is it?

  Zhu Meier was dazed and saw a handsome face, it was him... Peng Haoming, a mysterious person who made her heart tangled.

  She saw Peng Haoming stretch out his hand to hold her, Zhu Meier felt that the safety given by this arm was so long overdue. She leaned against his chest obediently and said vaguely: "Hold me tight... don't let go... I'm so tired..."

  When Zhū Méi'er woke up, she found herself lying on her own bed. She couldn't remember how she got there, but the sense of security at that moment was still vivid in her memory. Zhū Méi'er carefully sniffed the clothes on her body, trying to find a hint of the scent of the person who had given her that sense of safety...

  Zhu Meier didn't find anything, perhaps it was just a dream. Zhu Meier hoped that this dream would last forever...

  "Mei'er, are you there?" It was Peng Haoming's voice outside the door.

  "Come in..." Zhu Mei'er's heart was pounding, as if the person who gave her a sense of infinite security was about to appear.

  "About Zhao Gongfu's matter, I'd like to discuss it with you." Peng Haoming seemed not surprised at all by Zhu Meier who was half lying on the bed, and said so naturally.

  "Peng Haoming, what happened last night?" Zhu Meier's sparkling eyes looked at him, full of anticipation.

  "Your eyes are really beautiful." Peng Haoming's words were not flattery, and if it weren't for Zhu Meier's identity, her sparkling eyes would have been enough to make any man who glanced at them become infatuated.

  "What's going on?" Zhu Meier shouted with some indignation.

  "I don't know, why do you ask?" Peng Haoming smiled mysteriously.

  "Get out...!" Zhu Meier was furious, and she randomly grabbed a pillow and threw it at Peng Haoming.

  "Then... I'll wait for you outside." Peng Haoming picked up the pillow with a hint of a smile and placed it on the edge of the bed.

  Zhu Meier picked up the pillow and sniffed it carefully, trying to find a familiar scent on it...