Chapter 3: A Heartbeat Lost to Disarray

Shengcheng Group is headquartered overseas, and the Lou family’s assets are entirely located abroad. It was only last month that they established a branch in the country.

With the company newly opened, Lou Xizhou returned with his trusted aides to take charge.

"Mr. Lou, the arrangements for the interview with the Beicheng Business Daily have been made. You have a half-hour slot tomorrow morning," Secretary Xing said over the phone.

Lou Xizhou reached out to flip through the calendar on his desk. "Book a private room for lunch tomorrow. I’ll speak with the people from the newspaper then; there’s no need to clear time in the morning."

"Understood, Mr. Lou." Secretary Xing hung up.

The next day.

Tang Yu, who had been anxious all night, arrived at the newspaper office feeling lethargic. Just as she sat down, Editor-in-Chief Li sent her a message: Lou Xizhou was hosting an interview banquet at the Peony Room of the Xiangjiang Restaurant at noon.

Tang Yu was instantly energized, but the first person who came to mind was Yu Shuang. She was certain Yu Shuang had asked Zhou Ruancheng to dig up information on Lou Xizhou and would be waiting there in advance upon receiving the message from Editor Li.

In reality, Tang Yu didn’t even need to look up personal information on Lou Xizhou, the heir to the Shengcheng Group, because she knew there wouldn't be any. The Lou family was far too low-key—so low-key that only industry insiders knew of their existence. Because they possessed immense power, they had the confidence and poise to avoid chasing fame and fortune, and they were even more averse to being in the public eye.

But why, then, had he suddenly agreed to an interview and arranged such a high-profile banquet? She was a bit bewildered.

Tang Yu tapped her fingers on the desk, lost in memory. She had actually wanted to interview him a year ago, but had been rejected repeatedly. At that time, after Zhou Ruancheng called off their wedding for the first time, she happened to receive a tip about the whereabouts of the Lou family heir. In a fit of temper, she broke up with him and fled abroad—partly to see if Zhou Ruancheng would follow her, and partly to see if she could corner the Shengcheng heir.

The result was that Zhou Ruancheng did not follow her, and she failed to find the heir. In the middle of the day, she bought a pile of alcohol and sat on a park bench drinking alone. When she was slightly tipsy, a man came over and asked to share her drink, and they ended up sitting on the bench together, drinking and talking.

She drank until she blacked out. When she woke up, she was in a hotel room with a note from the man, thanking her for the drink and saying he had booked the room for her to rest. She didn’t remember what the man looked like, but she knew he was a good person