A life of financial freedom

Chu Fang walked into the office and said, "Ms. Zhong, I need to go out for a while."

"Ah?" A hint of panic flashed in Zhong Tingyue's bright eyes, "Where are you going? Take me with you."

Without Chu Fang by her side, she felt insecure, surrounded by people like Ye Zhijie.

"I need to meet some friends; it's not suitable for you to come," Chu Fang explained.

He had social obligations.

When Zhong Tingyue went missing, Chu Fang mobilized many connections and searched through various channels. Relying on those connections, Chu Fang found Zhong Tingyue even before the police did.

Now that things had come to an end, Chu Fang naturally had to treat his friends to a meal to express his gratitude.

"You don't want to take me."

"It's not that," Chu Fang continued to explain, "It's just that those friends are very enthusiastic and hospitable. Aren't you unwilling to deal with those situations? That's what I was thinking."

Zhong Tingyue was a relatively reclusive and pure person. Compared to socializing, she preferred to bury herself in design.

"Alright," Zhong Tingyue thought for a moment, "Then come back early to pick me up from work."

"No problem," Chu Fang made an 'OK' gesture.

Watching Chu Fang's figure disappear, Zhong Tingyue pouted slightly, revealing a bit of a young girl's demeanor.

... ...

Chu Fang left the studio and soon arrived at a hotel.

Seeing Chu Fang, the doorman ran over, "Mr. Chu, the guests have already arrived."

He tossed the keys to the doorman and immediately headed inside.

At that moment, there were already many friends in the hotel, chatting and making a lot of noise.

As Chu Fang's figure appeared at the door, everyone joked:

"Old Chu, you've finally arrived."

"The host is late; that's not acceptable."

"That's right, that's right, you have to drink a few more cups."

"... ..."

"It's my fault, please forgive me, brothers," Chu Fang clasped his hands.

"Hey, where's your wife? Why didn't she come?" a friend asked.

"She just left the detention center and isn't feeling well," Chu Fang said with a smile, "She's very sorry and asked me to say 'sorry' to you all, hoping you'll forgive her."

"Oh, I see. Then let your wife take good care of herself." Many friends smiled.

With Chu Fang's arrival, the banquet began, and the hotel was bustling with activity.

Chu Fang, holding a wine glass, walked among his friends, thanking them for their help.

During the Ye Zhijie case, if it weren't for everyone's help, he wouldn't have been able to find Zhong Tingyue so quickly. He didn't even want to think about what would have happened then.

He was sincerely grateful to everyone.

After making a round, Chu Fang had drunk more than a pound of liquor.

"Brother Chu, take care of your health," Guo Yi walked over with his female companion.

Chu Fang nodded.

Guo Yi's female companion giggled, "Brother Chu has a good alcohol tolerance. We should drink together sometime."

Chu Fang: "Okay."

Hearing this, Guo Yi's female companion's eyes lit up, "Then how about tonight? I know a bar that's pretty good, good atmosphere, lots of beauties."

Chu Fang glanced at Guo Yi and said with a smile, "Okay, some other time."

After speaking, he then left.

"What's wrong with Brother Chu?" Guo Yi's female companion was a little puzzled.

"Shut up!" Guo Yi frowned and stared at his female companion, "If you don't want face, I still do."

Guo Yi had to ask for Chu Fang's opinion to invite him to drink, and the latter often declined. But his female companion actually spoke to Chu Fang in such a tone.

From the glance Chu Fang gave just now, Guo Yi felt like he had lost all his face.

"I'm warning you, don't interrupt again, don't have any ulterior motives, and don't think about crooked ways," Guo Yi said seriously, "I brought you here just to be a vase, to ease the atmosphere of the banquet, not to talk nonsense, let alone make connections. People need to know their position and role, understand?"

Guo Yi's female companion was stunned and said timidly, "I, I understand, Brother Guo."

... ...

The banquet lasted until night, and everyone then dispersed.

Chu Fang sat at the hotel entrance, looking outside at the drizzling rain.

"Mr. Chu, should I drive you home?" The hotel manager slightly bent over.

The hotel manager thought Chu Fang had drunk too much and couldn't drive, so he offered.

"I'll sit here for a while," Chu Fang waved his hand.

"Okay."

The hotel manager was also an astute person and knew that Chu Fang had something on his mind, so he didn't bother him anymore.

... ...

Drizzling... ...

The light rain was a bit chilly.

Inside the studio.

Zhong Tingyue stretched, revealing her graceful figure, as charming as a water snake.

"Ah, finally finished."

After staying in the detention center for a few days, she had a lot of work left to do in all aspects.

Now the studio is quite large, with dozens of employees. Zhong Tingyue not only has to handle design affairs but also manage the studio.

This is a big challenge for her.

However... Zhong Tingyue doesn't care.

She herself quite likes working; work is a way to realize her self-worth.

Zhong Tingyue turned her head to look outside. The large studio was empty at the moment. The employees had already left work, but the lights were still on, illuminating the entire studio.

Still not seeing Chu Fang's figure, Zhong Tingyue's tone was filled with depression: "Why hasn't Mr. Chu come to pick me up yet? We clearly agreed."

Then she called Chu Fang again, but no one answered.

"Forget it, I'll continue working." Zhong Tingyue didn't dare to leave the studio, so she had to continue working.

She worked until after nine o'clock in the evening.

"Why hasn't he come back yet?" Zhong Tingyue's beautiful eyebrows furrowed together, "Did Mr. Chu forget about me?"

Zhong Tingyue pondered for a long time and decided to go home herself.

She put on her coat and then walked out of the studio.

Coming downstairs, she realized it was raining outside, drizzling. The thought of going home was immediately dispelled.

She recalled that night, it was also raining when she was kidnapped by Ye Zhijie while taking a taxi.

The scene from that night was still vivid in her mind.

"Beauty." Suddenly, a flamboyant voice appeared in her ear, "I'll take you for a ride."

The flamboyant man then saw Zhong Tingyue's aloof face, deep eyes, and straight nose. Her body exuded an aura of 'keep away'.

The flamboyant man instantly understood that he couldn't handle such a cold beauty; he even felt a bit inferior to approach her.

"Sorry, I wasn't calling you," the flamboyant man explained quickly.

"Was it me?" The security guard at the entrance of the building pointed to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief.

At this moment, there were only three people in this building: Zhong Tingyue, the flamboyant man, and the security guard.

The flamboyant man: "... ..."

If there was a crack in the ground, he would really want to crawl into it.

Zhong Tingyue stood at the entrance of the building, looking at the night sky, thinking in her heart: "Where are you, Mr. Chu?"