Chapter Thirty-One: Why Didn't You Reply to My Message?

"Huh?"

Assistant Chen was puzzled as to why her boss would suddenly ask about this. She replied truthfully, "I'm not sure. Would you like me to check?"

Liang Yuxiu pondered for a moment. "No need. Go back to your work."

"Understood, Boss."

Assistant Chen left, clutching her documents.

Before long, billowing black clouds swept in, shrouding the entire sky of Yancheng as thunder roared and lightning streaked across the dark expanse. Liang Yuxiu’s lips were pressed into a thin line; deep within his dark eyes, worry and unease were churning.

He pulled out his phone and opened the project coordination group, where he saw the updates and photos of Wen Jianan taking her team to the suburbs today. He tapped on her familiar profile picture, but before he could finish typing his message, a call came in from the R&D department, asking him to come up and discuss a product issue.

"I'll be right there."

Liang Yuxiu hastily finished his message, sent it, tucked his phone away, and headed upstairs.

"Sister Nan, the weather doesn't look right. We need to hurry."

Xiao Jiang ran outside the factory, took a look, and returned with a serious expression. It had only been overcast when they arrived that morning, but the weather had taken a drastic turn in just a few hours.

Wen Jianan was holding her phone, looking bewildered at the aimless, progress-inquiring message Liang Yuxiu had just sent. Hearing Xiao Jiang’s words, she snapped out of her thoughts and nodded, her expression grave. "Help Xiao Li pack things up. We’re about ready to leave. If we’re lucky, we can make it back to the city before the downpour starts."

This wasn't a reckless choice; it was a decision Wen Jianan had made after consulting with their driver. As for Liang Yuxiu’s message, Wen Jianan hesitated and decided not to reply. She planned to respond in the group chat once they were back in the city.

Soon, the three of them, carrying their bags, climbed into the car. By then, the rain was growing heavier.

When Liang Yuxiu stepped out of the R&D department, the lights throughout the entire floor had been switched on. The sky outside the windows was indistinguishable from the dead of night. Gales and torrential rain swept past the high-rise, lashing against the glass so violently it felt as if it might shatter and break through at any second.

There were very few pedestrians on the roads, and the municipal departments had already implemented flood prevention measures. In weather like this, driving was nearly impossible, let alone navigating the mountain roads to the suburbs, which doubled the danger.

The message he had sent remained unread, and a sense of agitation washed over him, mirroring the storm outside, impossible to calm. As he walked back to his office, he continued to type out another message.

Just as he entered the elevator, a breaking news alert popped up on his phone: [Heavy rains have caused a landslide on Qingping Mountain in the northern suburbs an hour ago. The mountain road is damaged and blocked. The area is temporarily closed to traffic. Our city's mayor and party secretary have rushed to the scene to organize rescue and relief efforts. Citizens are advised not to travel to this area!]

"Axiu, where are you going?!"

As the elevator arrived at the basement parking lot, Liang Yuxiu strode out, completely ignoring Jiang Wenfei, who was standing nearby. Jiang Wenfei called out to him instinctively, but Liang Yuxiu only glanced back and threw two words over his shoulder: "Something came up."

He didn't even slow his pace.

A gloomy look gathered between Jiang Wenfei’s brows. Moments later, she also received the breaking news alert on her phone. She knew Wen Jianan had taken her team to the factory in the northern suburbs today, and realizing what Liang Yuxiu might be intending to do, she immediately tried calling him. As expected, the call did not go through.

Desperate and at a loss, Jiang Wenfei pulled up a contact and made a call.

-

Liang Yuxiu was stopped several hundred meters away from Qingping Mountain. Someone knocked on his car window.

Liang Yuxiu stepped out of the car. His anxious, tense state had not eased in the slightest, and his face was grim. The man standing before him was dressed in a crisp suit, looking somewhat disheveled and damp from the rush, yet he still instinctively tilted his umbrella to cover Liang Yuxiu.

"Yuxiu, you cannot go further."

Liang Yuxiu’s breathing was heavy. "Are there any casualties or missing persons?"

There were no reports online, and Wen Jianan and her team hadn't replied, which only fueled his suspicion and dread. He hadn't stopped to think; he had only been desperate to get here for an answer.

"No," the man replied.

Liang Yuxiu didn't seem to believe him. The man gave a more solemn assurance, "I can guarantee that there are zero casualties. Some people are trapped, and we are currently working on rescue efforts. You need to turn around and go back now. Don't get in the way here; otherwise, if your father finds out, even I won't be able to help you."

Reassured, Liang Yuxiu began to calm down, gradually regaining his usual cold, steady composure. However, he was still not entirely at ease.

"Even if I let you pass, the mountain road has collapsed and is completely blocked. Unless you can fly, you aren't getting through," the man added, effectively extinguishing any lingering hope Liang Yuxiu had. "It’s dangerous here. Go back, now!"

Though pushed back into his car, Liang Yuxiu didn't leave immediately; he searched for any other possible routes to the factory in the northern suburbs.

Suddenly, a message popped up in the coordination group. Beneath a flood of messages asking if everyone was safe, Wen Jianan finally checked in.

Back at a hotel outside the northern suburbs, Wen Jianan and her team were horrified to see the reports about the landslide on Qingping Mountain and felt a surge of relief. Not long after they had set off, the rain had become so intense that the road was barely visible. After consulting with the driver, they had decided that, for the sake of safety, they would stay at a hotel for the night and return once the rain stopped.

They had been delayed on the way back to the suburbs, and their phones had run out of battery, which was why they hadn't replied to the group messages sooner.

"Thank goodness, otherwise we probably would have been trapped on that mountain road," Xiao Jiang said, patting her chest in lingering fear.

Wen Jianan was even more shaken; after all, a landslide was a terrifying prospect. Being stuck on the road would have been lucky; if their luck had been worse, they might have been buried by the collapse. She stood by the window as it grew dark, looking out at the thick curtain of rain, hoping the storm would cease soon.

*Buzz.*

Amidst the pattering of rain, her phone vibrated gently.

Wen Jianan was feeling restless. As soon as she saw who was calling, her actions outpaced her brain, and she tapped to answer.

There was silence on the other end, save for the sound of heavy breathing and the muffled roar of the rain.

"Mr. Liang, is something wrong?" Wen Jianan broke the silence first.

"Why didn't you reply to my messages?"

This wasn't the first time he had asked, but he was usually a man of no temper, cool and detached toward everything. Now, however, his tone carried an unmistakable resentment and annoyance.

When he received no response, Liang Yuxiu took a ragged breath and asked again, "Why didn't you reply to my messages?"

"Huh? I replied to the messages in the coordination group. Did you send me a private message? I didn't see it, I'm sorry."

Wen Jianan responded a beat too late, dodging the question and playing dumb, hoping to brush it off. Sensing her evasiveness, a nameless fire flared in Liang Yuxiu’s chest, but he could find no outlet to vent it.

After a long silence, he sighed. "Forget it. It's nothing."

With those cold, gloomy words, he hung up.

Wen Jianan stared at her phone, feeling bewildered, but she didn't dwell on it and quickly pushed the matter to the back of her mind. As for the WeChat message Liang Yuxiu had sent, she felt no guilt in leaving it unread.

"Sister Nan, look, is that Mr. Liang?"

Behind her, Xiao Jiang suddenly pointed at the news report on the television, her tone filled with surprise.

Wen Jianan glanced at the screen, and to her shock, she saw Liang Yuxiu in the footage. But that was near the Qingping Mountain area—why would Liang Yuxiu be there?

Wen Jianan recalled the phone call, his heavy breathing, and his obvious emotional volatility.

So, he had just been...