Rebirth: Different Way [(重生) 殊途]

Chapter 71

The news of Shen Ji's dismissal from the company spread throughout Shen Group together with a statement from the board of directors. Although the statement did not mention specific reasons, everyone was shocked and linked it to the incident of Shen Cheng's misappropriation of public funds that had just broken out. People were speculating privately about the relationship between the two brothers, especially taking into account that after the incident, Shen Cheng was still the general manager of the company, but Shen Ji was expelled from Shen Group. This inevitably led to everyone muttering behind their backs.

Shen Ji carefully tidied up the personal items in his office until the last one was collected. He looked around the empty office with a perplexed expression. There was a really complicated feeling in his heart. Unlike the last time when he just changed the office, this time he was leaving Shen Group completely. After taking a deep breath, Shen Ji took one last look at the room, pushed open the office door and walked out.

There were quite a few employees coming and going along the way, and all of them nodded awkwardly when they saw Shen Ji passing by. Shen Ji nodded in response as usual, and walked to the elevator with a calm expression. The elevator doors closed in front of him but Shen Cheng still did not appear, and the mirror inside the elevator reflected Shen Ji's slightly self-deprecating smile. Shen Ji lowered his gaze. He had already done everything he could, and Ah Cheng could only rely on himself in the future.

When Shen Ji left Shen Group, Shen Cheng had just woken up from his hangover. The soft bed beneath him reminded him that he was not at home at the moment. In a daze, he got up and sat there, pushing the person in his arms away. His mind was in a state of confusion, his head throbbing with pain.

Shen Cheng subconsciously wanted to smoke. Since a few days ago, he found himself more and more addicted to smoking. Originally he would only occasionally smoke a cigarette on the spur of the moment, but now, in just a few days a pack of cigarettes had been almost finished by him.

"Pass me a cigarette." Shen Cheng squinted at the familiar figure on the sofa not far away, shaking his head in an attempt to wake himself up. Although he wanted to ask Shen Rong what he was doing sitting there, the thought of needing a cigarette now outweighed everything else.

A cigarette was soon handed over and Shen Cheng eagerly took it and inhaled fiercely. An unparalleled pleasure immediately swept through his body. He only felt his pores open instantly and any feeling of discomfort disappeared. After enjoying this sensation for a long time with his eyes closed, Shen Cheng was about to take a second puff when his body suddenly froze and he looked at Shen Rong with a shocked and angry expression, "What did you give me?"

Shen Rong looked innocent, "It's the cigarettes you usually smoke, I found it in your clothes."

Shen Cheng's eyes were full of suspicion. He violently threw the cigarette in his hand aside. Although the taste was as usual, he felt that something was wrong, this cigarette was obviously different. Although he was messing around outside, unlike Zhang Qiu, there were some things he would never touch.

Shen Rong's face looked aggrieved, and Shen Cheng was momentarily unsure whether what Shen Rong said was true or false. He waved his hand impatiently as Shen Rong walked out with his head lowered.

The moment Shen Rong turned his back, the corners of his mouth curved in a sneer. So what if Shen Cheng found out that something was wrong? A few days had passed and Shen Rong had just seen that there were not many more cigarettes left in the box, so Shen Cheng must have smoked a lot in the past days. Looking at him just now, it was obvious that he was enjoying it very much. Shen Rong did not believe that Shen Cheng would be able to endure it.

After Shen Rong left, Shen Cheng came to his senses completely and all the memories of last night came back to him. The board meeting, the argument, his father's disappointed expression, the drunkenness, the celebrating, and most impressive of all, the figure of Shen Ji leaving the hospital alone. The young man beside him pouted and leaned closer to him. Shen Cheng pushed him away in annoyance and the young man cowered away sensibly, not daring to disturb him again. His father's disappointment and the figure of Shen Ji leaving alone alternated in Shen Cheng's mind. After dressing haphazardly, Shen Cheng found his mobile phone and pressed the company's number.