Chapter 11: Please, Come Back

In April, at nine in the morning, Shu Fen walked into the lobby of the Su Group tower and asked to see the Chairman.

The receptionist asked whether he had an appointment.

He said no, and that he was Shu Fen of Fen Group, and that the Chairman's office had stopped returning his calls.

"Please wait," she said, and picked up the phone.

Shu Fen waited by the roses, which were plastic now.

He looked thinner.

Li Lu stood two steps behind him in a grey coat, holding a tablet to her chest.

He had come, Su Ye learned later, to beg for the investor who had vanished.

For two years a "family friend" had sent Fen Group contracts every time it was in trouble.

Since December the contracts had stopped, and the trouble had not.

The lift doors opened.

Su Ye stepped out in a pale blue shirt, one hand resting lightly on his stomach.

He was four months along, and the shirt was loose on purpose.

Lu Chen walked beside him with the black briefcase.

Every guard in the lobby straightened.

"Good morning, Vice President Su," said the receptionist, loudly.

"Good morning, Vice President Su," said the guard by the door.

"Good morning, Vice President," said the cleaner, who had no reason to.

Shu Fen turned around.

For a moment he looked completely lost.

"Vice President," he said. "Su Ye?"

"Hello, Shu Fen."

"You work here?"

"I own a very small piece of it," said Su Ye. "My father owns the rest."

Silence.

"Your father runs a noodle stall."

"My father runs Su Group. The noodles were a joke." Su Ye considered. "Mostly."

Shu Fen's mouth opened and closed.

Behind him Li Lu's face had gone blank, with the stillness of someone doing sums.

"The family friend," Shu Fen said, in a thin voice. "All those contracts. That was..."

"That was me," said Su Ye. "I asked at dinner. Then I went back to my nap."

Shu Fen took a step toward him.

"Su Ye."

Lu Chen stepped in front of Su Ye with one smooth movement, and the briefcase swung at his side.

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