Sole decision

Zhou Ce's rise to power was accompanied by the downfall of the two brothers of the Zhou family, which became an established fact amidst a cloud of clouds.Not only did he have to deal with his two older brothers, but also his father who had just passed away.

After everyone dispersed, he went to Zhou Xiangyun's office alone. Now, this place belongs to him.

There hasn't been any major events in Lucheng these years, but today's big news is one after another.The newspapers outside would write that the two Zhou brothers had been assassinated, and that the family infighting had escalated into a gang feud.The news of Zhou Xiangyun's death could not be concealed, and the Zhou family was in chaos, completely in chaos.Lucheng, which was originally unstable, is about to face a new power structure, and people are panic-stricken. No one knows what will happen in the future.

Everyone is discussing family gossip, company stocks, and business opportunities, all of which are related to Lucheng.Whether it's Zhou Xiangyun or Zhou Jian and Zhou Ling, they are the ultimate symbols in Lucheng's business world. No one cares that they are someone else's family, father and son.

No one cares that Zhou Ce lost three close relatives in one day.

Maybe some people feel sorry for him, he is obviously a youngest who doesn't understand anything, and was forced to be pushed into this position.Some people also think that he is lucky. He obviously knows nothing, but he can sit on the throne that his elder brother and second brother didn't earn until their death.

Everyone habitually ignores the third brother Zhou Ang. On the one hand, he missed the meeting that day because he was imprisoned, and on the other hand, because of his incompetence, if he is allowed to sit in this seat, the Zhou family may not really be doomed.At least Zhou Ce has completed two degrees, at least his brain should be bright.

The funeral of the Zhou family was very simple, but all the dignitaries from Lucheng were present. Zhou Ce looked haggard and struggling in front of people. He stood in the position of the mourner to accept the condolences of every guest. Never appeared.Pei Zhaoxue still had that indifferent look, but a little disappointment could be seen in her eyes.Zhou Ce thought to himself, maybe his feelings for his father and brother were not as deep as Pei Zhaoxue's, otherwise he would not be in such a situation now.

On the day of the incident, Pei Zhaoxue and him went separately to get the Mantra and Law Saber. Zhou Xiangyun entrusted Pei Zhaoxue to keep it, and handed it over to Zhou Ce at the right time to keep him in the position.Pei Zhaoxue hid the knife under the altar of the church, so Zhou Ling couldn't find it after digging three feet in Zhou's house.It's sad to say that when he died, he didn't know that he was being tricked by his own father.

Zhou Ce couldn't help but think deeply about Pei Zhaoxue's inner world. Does he know the cause of death of Zhou's father and son?No matter how you think about it, this question is very tangled. If he really knows, why should he feel sad now?If he didn't know, why did he help Ah Fei hide his whereabouts afterwards?

Pei Zhaoxue always stood by Zhou Ce's side, and Zhou Ce looked back at him. Pei Zhaoxue was dressed in a solemn black suit, her hair was black and shiny, she lowered her head and frowned slightly.In Zhou Ce's eyes, this appearance only felt embarrassing. In any case, Pei Zhaoxue was not an innocent person who stayed out of the matter. His sins were no less than his own, but in the end he was able to pretend to be innocent.This sanctimonious attitude only made Zhou Ce's hands itch, and he wanted to tear him apart with his own hands.

He wanted to see what color of blood and heart was contained in Pei Zhaoxue's unattainable body.

After the body is cremated, it turns into handfuls of dust, and people bid farewell to this world. If there is fate, they can only meet each other in reincarnation.Pei Zhaoxue went to handle the follow-up matters, Zhou Ce waited outside, and all the guests left.Zhang Wenjie patted Zhou Ce on the shoulder, and Zhou Ce gave him a subconscious look. Zhang Wenjie quickly took a step back, waved his hand and said, "It's me."

Zhou Ce didn't speak.

Zhang Wenjie didn't know how to chat with Zhou Ce in this situation. He didn't know how to accept such a sudden change in life for a friend he hadn't seen for a long time.Looking at Zhou Ce's calm face now, although he looked haggard, he couldn't see any pain or sadness.Zhang Wenjie couldn't help sighing, feeling that Zhou Ce had matured a lot and would never show his emotions anymore.

"I... Hey!" Zhang Wenjie scratched his hair and said, "I don't know what to say, but if there is anything I can do to help, you must tell me."

"Okay." Zhou Ce asked Zhang Wenjie instead, "What have you been doing lately? I haven't heard you gossip with me for a long time."

"What can I do? It's a troublesome thing to say." Zhang Wenjie said, "My dad doesn't know which muscle is wrong. He doesn't want me to work at home anymore. He wants me to work in the city hall. He also unblocks it for me. It’s a relationship. But there are exams and audits that should be done. I’ve been reading for the past few days, and my head is getting big.”

Zhou Ce was surprised by this news. He paused for a moment, patted Zhang Wenjie on the shoulder and said, "Then you take the exam hard and don't embarrass your father."

"Going in is also a job of serving tea and water." Zhang Wenjie said, "It's better to watch the case at home."

Zhou Ce said, "Maybe it will be different?"

After the two chatted for a while, Pei Zhaoxue came out, greeted each other and said goodbye.The ashes were placed in the Zhou family's cemetery on another day. It was raining that morning, and a group of people stood in front of the tombstone with umbrellas in the dark, watching Zhou Ce fulfill his last obligation.When parting, Pei Zhaoxue was at the end, Zhou Ce slowed down and waited for him, but saw that a tear seemed to fall from Pei Zhaoxue's eyes, like the rain at this time.

Zhou Ce saw it, and the idea of ​​tearing Pei Zhaoxue apart came to him again, even more violently.He hates being deceived, obviously Pei Zhaoxue is a liar to him, so he naturally loathes Pei Zhaoxue, even this tear feels absurd and hypocritical.

It was as if mocking Zhou Ce for being ruthless and cruel.

After the funeral dust settled, Zhou Ce had time to sort out the company's internal affairs.Liu Rui also planned to hold a succession ceremony for Zhou Ce in order to sweep away the haze of the past few days. It was also to show the strength of the Zhou family to the outside world and tell everyone that the Zhou family still had the right to speak in Lucheng.

Zhou Xiangyun's office is on the top floor, with a lot of space and a fairly wide open-air platform.Zhou Xiangyun planted a lot of green plants there, and he often drank tea and talked with people there, and he had a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery of Lucheng.

Zhou Ce sat on a bench on the platform and looked out. It was already evening. It had rained in the morning. Although the clouds had not completely dispersed, the sky had cleared up. The rays of the setting sun hit the clouds, and the sky was on fire, glowing red. of a slice.He was bathed in the firelight, and his body was also encrusted with a golden border.

There was the sound of leather shoes stepping on the wooden floor behind him, Zhou Ce moved a bit, and heard the person behind say: "I knocked on the door and came in, but there was no one in the office, so I came to see, so you are here."

Zhou Ce turned around and saw Pei Zhaoxue standing not far away with a large stack of documents in his arms.He waved to Pei Zhaoxue, and Pei Zhaoxue came over and put the documents on the coffee table in front of Zhou Ce.

"This is Zhou Ling's change plan for all overseas assets at that time." Pei Zhaoxue said, "It has been put on hold now, you can see if there is anything missing. Also, there is an appointment with Ms. Lu tonight, tomorrow morning Want to try on a new custom suit..."

"Okay, I see." Zhou Ce interrupted Pei Zhaoxue's work report and asked, "Did you do the same when you were working with my dad?"

Pei Zhaoxue nodded.

"No wonder he said that you are a right-hand man who can do everything." Zhou Ce laughed, "But don't be so tense all the time, and relax occasionally. Come, sit down and look at the clouds together."

Pei Zhaoxue sat beside Zhou Ce, looked at the distant sky, and said, "It's beautiful."

"It is very beautiful." Zhou Ce replied, "But it is still much inferior to the sunset in Pearl Manor."

Pei Zhaoxue asked, "Why do you like it so much?"

Zhou Ce seems to be in a good mood today, and he is willing to share some personal matters with Pei Zhaoxue, so he said: "When I was very young, our family often went to Pearl Manor for vacation. The climate there is pleasant, the sky and sea are blue, the manor There are so many memories that are very precious to me."

He talked about the happy time at that time, as if no matter how long it took, no matter what kind of person he became, there was a pure private place in his heart, where he kept his best side.On that quiet summer night, he saw a girl like an angel. She was wrapped in white gauze. Although she couldn't see her face clearly, she landed on the balcony with the quiet sea and moonlight behind her. It felt as if she was Aphrodite came from the sea.It was a flashing picture, and when he came back to his senses again, the angel had disappeared.

To this day, Zhou Ce can't tell whether that scene was a childhood fantasy or a reality, but he always believes that it is a kind of destiny, and all his pursuits and preferences for love have been established since then.

For Zhou Ce, the Pearl Manor has been beautified into a holy and pure palace after reviewing his memory over and over again for many years.

"You may not know how wonderful it is after talking so much." Zhou Ce said, "It's a pity you haven't been there." He also didn't intend to let Pei Zhaoxue go and see it for himself. To him, Pei Zhaoxue is not qualified .

Unexpectedly, Pei Zhaoxue said, "I've been there before, and I have some impressions."

"What?" Zhou Ce looked at Pei Zhaoxue in surprise, "Have you been there?"

"Yes, when I was very young." Pei Zhaoxue said, "I don't remember very clearly, I just remember that when my father took me abroad, one night he seemed to have something special to do, so he temporarily put me there , He said it was the Zhou family, Aunt Zhou—that is, your mother, she will take good care of me. "

Father asked Pei Zhaoxue to stay peacefully at Pearl Manor for one night, and they picked him up at dawn.It was already midnight when we went there, Pei Zhaoxue was very sleepy, leaning on his father's shoulder, he heard the sound of waves after another, and could smell a little bit of the sea in his nose.He slept in the room until he didn't know when, it was not dawn, but he was hungry, so he sneaked out of the room to find something to eat, and then got lost in the manor.

Before he knew it, he came to a large open-air balcony. Through the white gauze, outside the fence was the endless sea, and a bright moon hung in the sky, which was too beautiful to behold.

Zhou Ce's expression gradually froze as he listened to Pei Zhaoxue's narration.Pei Zhaoxue's words gradually merged with the memories in his mind, and he asked stiffly, "You...have you always had long hair when you were young?"

Pei Zhaoxue nodded.

Zhou Ce asked again: "What clothes did you wear the day you went to Pearl Manor?"

Pei Zhaoxue shook his head, it was too long ago, he couldn't remember.It's just that he saw something wrong with Zhou Ce's expression, and asked instead, "Zhou Ce, what's wrong with you?"

"No...it's okay..."

This was the first time in a long time that Zhou Ce showed a bewildered expression. He ordered himself to calm down, but the fortress of memory began to collapse in his mind.Numerous fragmented pictures emerged like crazy, a silhouette that has been repeated thousands of times, a shadow that has turned into obsession, his sea pearl, his Aphrodite, everything in his life See the most beautiful picture...

How can this be?