34: Chapter 34 Bund 18: A Fleeting Glimpse

January 15th, the tenth day of the lunar new year.

10:00 AM, in the boys' dormitory.

Shen Du stood in front of the mottled half-length mirror.

He buttoned the last button of his black Tom Ford haute couture suit.

The tailored waist and dark floral velvet fabric accentuated his inherent aggression.

"Creak—"

The paint-peeling wooden door was pushed open.

Xu Hao walked in quickly, clutching a gold-stamped black envelope, and handed it to Shen Du.

"Brother Shen, an invitation just arrived from Qin Tiankuo's side."

Shen Du took the envelope with one hand.

He tore open the seal, pulled out the hard card inside, and glanced at it.

It had a few lines printed on it.

Organizer: Young Master Jie.

Location: Bund 18, rooftop terrace.

Time: 12:00 PM.

Shen Du tossed the card onto the messy desk.

He raised his left hand and glanced at the Richard Mille RM011 on his wrist.

Then he shoved his hand into his suit pocket.

"Snap."

Shen Du pulled the Mercedes key out of his inner pocket.

It traced a parabola in the air and landed in Xu Hao's arms.

"Xu Hao, let's go."

Shen Du ignored Xu Hao's fumbling attempt to catch the keys.

He strode out of the dormitory, his cold, hard voice echoing in the hallway:

"Don't let this Young Master Jie wait too long."

The two arrived downstairs.

The pitch-black Mercedes G55 AMG was parked on the side of the road.

Xu Hao hurried forward, just about to pull open the driver's side door.

His gaze swept over the blue license plate at the rear of the car.

His movements froze, and he stood rooted to the spot.

"7... 78910?"

Xu Hao widened his eyes, unable to help but reach out and touch the numbers.

His voice trembled:

"Brother Shen, Red Phoenix's gesture is too grand."

"This is a straight-sequence plate!

A five-digit sequence like this—just the value of this license plate in Shanghai is probably enough to buy another one of these cars!"

He turned back to look at Shen Du:

"Wei Ziang used to drive that Range Rover and always thought he was hot stuff, but compared to this, it's pathetic."

Shen Du walked to the passenger seat and opened the door.

His tone was flat:

"I don't have a driver's license, so this car will eventually be a benefit to you, kid."

He tilted his head to look at Xu Hao, his tone casual:

"Alright, stop staring, get in.

Once we've established a foothold here, I'll just transfer this car to you."

Xu Hao's breath hitched upon hearing this.

He circled to the driver's seat, climbed into the cabin with nimble movements, and replied repeatedly:

"Brother Shen, I'm definitely clinging to your leg!

I'll definitely take good care of this car for you, I promise I won't let you down!"

Xu Hao turned the key.

The V8 supercharged engine erupted with a low roar, and the alarms of several cars nearby began to sound.

The pitch-black G55 AMG slowly drove out of the gate of Huahai University of Finance and Economics.

Inside the cabin, Shen Du leaned back against the leather seat and pulled the seatbelt over to fasten it.

Watching the streetscape receding outside the window, he turned his head toward the driver's seat and asked casually:

"Living in the dorms forever isn't a long-term solution. Have you checked out the house?

Can the four of us fit in it?"

Xu Hao, who had just driven onto the main road, tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

He raised his voice and replied repeatedly:

"I checked it! I went to see it as soon as I got the keys yesterday!"

He turned his head:

"Brother Shen, let alone the four of us, even if four more people moved in, it would still be spacious!

That flat is over eight hundred square meters!"

At this point, Xu Hao swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He tentatively confirmed: "Brother Shen, do you really want all of us to move in?"

Shen Du looked at Xu Hao's expression and nodded.

His tone was natural:

"Of course. You all have your own strengths; staying cooped up in the dormitory is a waste."

He adjusted his sitting posture, watched the traffic ahead, and laid his cards on the table:

"Fatty Chen has a quick mind and is a know-it-all.

In a while, I'll send him to Red Phoenix to take over and keep an eye on the situation outside for me."

"As for Lin Zimo..."

Shen Du tapped his fingers on the armrest, his tone certain:

"He can code stock trading software himself; his technical skills are impeccable.

In the future, he will be the backbone of the company's technology department."

Xu Hao was driving, listening intently to the arrangements for Chen Fei and Lin Zimo.

He held his breath for a long time, but didn't hear his own name mentioned.

He grew anxious.

"Screech—"

Xu Hao didn't control his foot strength well and tapped the brake.

The massive, heavy body of the G55 jerked.

He turned his head using the excuse of checking the rearview mirror and shouted urgently:

"Brother Shen! Brother Shen!"

"You've arranged everything for Fatty and Zimo, but please don't forget about me, Xu Hao!

What about me?"

Seeing Xu Hao so anxious that his neck had turned red, Shen Du leaned back against the seat and let out a light laugh.

He stopped keeping him in suspense and directly revealed the division of his core team: "Chen Fei and Lin Zimo, one handles intelligence, one handles technology."

Shen Du paused.

His gaze met Xu Hao's eyes through the rearview mirror, his tone calm:

"And you, you are my plenipotentiary agent on the outside.

What else do you want to do?"

"Pl... Plenipotentiary agent?"

Xu Hao's hand on the steering wheel shook.

He was stunned for two seconds as he chewed over the weight behind this title.

This meant that in the future, on the Shanghai scene, he, Xu Hao, would be the sole person in charge at Shen Du's table.

"Phew—"

After confirming his position was higher than the other two, Xu Hao breathed a long sigh of relief.

He freed one hand, patted his chest, and complained loudly:

"Brother Shen! My dear brother!"

"Can you not leave such long pauses when you speak next time?

My heart almost stopped just now!"

Shen Du chuckled lightly and didn't respond.

He turned to look at the streetscape outside the car window.

During the conversation, the pitch-black Mercedes G55 AMG, with the dull roar of the supercharger, drove over the speed bump at the intersection and stopped steadily at the parking area outside the main entrance of Bund 18.

At the first floor of Bund 18, two doormen wearing white gloves stood on either side and pulled open the two intricately carved bronze doors.

Accompanied by the sound of the door hinges rubbing, the early winter sunlight and the river breeze poured in together.

Shen Du, dressed in a black Tom Ford haute couture suit, had one hand in his trouser pocket.

He stepped over the threshold unhurriedly, his leather shoes treading on the century-old marble floor tiles.

The originally noisy lobby fell silent in that instant.

The spacious lobby was crowded with the second generation of Shanghai's elite holding champagne.

As Shen Du entered, the crowd seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, unconsciously parting to create a path.

At the end of the path, in the core area in the center of the lobby, stood three young men.

Wu Jie stood in the center, Zhou Wennan was half a step behind, and Zhu Shuyan was hidden to the side and rear.

Almost at the exact second Shen Du stepped through the door, these three "local heavyweights" of Shanghai seemed to sense something and turned their heads in unison with a "whoosh."

Three scrutinizing gazes crossed the crowd and locked onto Shen Du.

Taking advantage of the gap while Shen Du was still approaching, Zhu Shuyan, who was standing at the back, felt his hand shake in his inner suit pocket.

He calmly took out a folded, worn-out old photograph.

That was the military uniform photo of the eldest son of the Shen Family—the one with the most solid political standing—which he had gone to great lengths to obtain.

Zhu Shuyan lowered his head, his gaze switching back and forth between the photo in his hand and the Shen Du who was walking steadily toward them.

His pupils contracted, and his knuckles gripping the photo turned slightly white.

"This kid... something's not right."

Zhu Shuyan squeezed out a whisper from his throat.

He looked at Shen Du's silhouette and the arrogant temperament unique to the Shen Family in his every gesture, and his heart felt as if it had been struck.

Although Shen Du had a slightly longer hairstyle at this time, he instantly completed a visual reconstruction in his mind: If Shen Du's hair were shaved into the buzz cut in the photo, and he were put into that crisp military uniform... The similarity was at least sixty percent.

"How can they be so alike?"

Zhu Shuyan turned his head, leaned into Zhou Wennan's ear, his voice trembling:

"I've never heard of the Shen Family having any illegitimate children overseas..."

Zhou Wennan heard the whisper behind him, and his heart jolted.

Before Zhu Shuyan could put the photo away, he snatched it over and stared at it intently.

A chill ran up Zhou Wennan's spine, and his fingertips holding the photo trembled subconsciously.

"Hiss—"

Zhou Wennan gasped, and with lightning speed, stuffed the photo back into his inner pocket.

He took two quick steps, leaned into Wu Jie's ear, and whispered urgently, his voice strained:

"The resemblance is striking!

Although I don't know why this kid is doing investments, they are family. This matter is already a done deal!"