Christopher is Alive

The location he gave me was quite remote. I drove for an hour and a half, far beyond the outskirts of NorthSea City, before the GPS indicated I had arrived.

 Getting out of the car, I surveyed the surroundings. It was a bit unnerving. The place looked like a fish pond, isolated with no villages or shops nearby, just a dilapidated steel building. The air was filled with a foul stench.

 Cautiously, I approached the building, feeling a bit nervous, doubting if I had come to the right place.

 Perhaps hearing my car, someone emerged from the shed-like structure. I squinted to see that it was Gabriel.

 The sight of Gabriel made my heart finally settle, and my pace quickened.

 Seeing me, Gabriel, in his usual nonchalant manner, raised an eyebrow and whistled. If I didn't know him well enough, I'd have thought he was up to no good.

 I hurried towards him, suspiciously asking, "Don't tell me Christopher is here!"

 As soon as I finished speaking, another person stepped out from the shabby house.

 I stopped dead in my tracks, my eyes glued to the person. If it weren't for his distinctive face and deep-set eyes, I wouldn't have recognized him as the Christopher I knew so well.

 The Christopher I knew was tall, handsome, and energetic, always exuding confidence as if nothing could faze him.

 But the Christopher in front of me now… He was dark and gaunt, his body slightly hunched. His familiar face bore a ghastly scar, his cheekbones protruding, and his cheeks sunken. Only his deep eyes remained unchanged, though they had lost their spark.

 I stood there, frozen, staring at the man in disbelief, my mind in turmoil.

 After a long moment, I slowly turned to Gabriel, seeking confirmation with my eyes.

 The man I had been staring at for so long suddenly had tears welling up in his eyes, but they cleared quickly, a flicker of light passing through them.

 "Chloe!"

 He spoke first, calling my name. In an instant, I rushed over and grabbed him, heedless of everything else. "Christopher, is it really you? Christopher, how did you end up like this? You..."

 I broke down in tears, choked with emotion, unable to continue.

 Christopher's mouth twitched as he looked at my tear-streaked face, turning away, unable to meet my gaze.

 "Well, well, you two really are kindred spirits," Gabriel chimed in, still adding fuel to the fire. "But you both ran pretty fast; even the Grim Reaper couldn't catch you!"

 Christopher patted my sobbing form, pointing to a bench outside. "Come on, sit down! Stop crying!"

 I still clung to him, unwilling to let go, unwilling to believe the reality in front of me. "Christopher, how did you end up like this? What happened to you?"

"It's a long story. Sit down and stop crying! Be thankful I'm still alive, that you can see me alive!"

 Christopher's tone was indescribable—there was a mix of resignation, sighs, sorrow, helplessness, and the joy of having survived.

 Gabriel kicked a wooden stool towards him and sat down heavily, while Christopher guided me to sit on the bench, then turned over a plastic bucket to sit on.

 My eyes stayed fixed on him, searching his familiar face for even a trace of the past.

 But all I saw were signs of hardship, scars, and illness.

 I couldn't imagine what he had gone through in the past two years. Gabriel spoke first.

 "Save your strength, sis! Crying won't change anything. Focus on the present. You both escaped death; tears won't solve anything, right?"

 I sniffled, still staring at Christopher. "Christopher! What happened to you? Tell me, does it have anything to do with me?"

 The moment I saw Christopher, I had a bad feeling. His ordeal must be related to me or to Danfeng.

 Christopher gave a wry smile at my question, avoiding my insistent gaze, and began to speak slowly.

 His tone was calm, devoid of emotion. "How should I put it? It does, and it doesn't."

 I pressed on urgently, "What do you mean it does and it doesn't? Just tell me straight. I can handle any truth. I've been to the brink of death myself; surviving left me with nothing but vengeance. Tell me the truth. I need to know."

 Hearing this, Christopher looked at me, stabilizing his emotions before continuing. "What I went through is directly related to the Deng family. I was framed by the Deng brothers and later expelled from Danfeng Group. But the story doesn't end there."

 "Start from the beginning! I need to know everything."

 I was desperate to know what had happened to Christopher back then. He lowered his eyes, rubbing his hands anxiously, as if unsure where to begin, as if the past was too painful to revisit.

 After a long pause, he finally lifted his gaze and began to recount, "When you handed Danfeng over to Sean, he was initially very earnest, treating us high-ranking officials with great respect.

 At that time, Sean was humble, personally involved in every task. Once he got familiar with the company, he went on site visits, with Elena always by his side. They met all the suppliers, sales agents, and customers!"

 I listened intently, eager for these details.

 "But when they returned, things started to change."

 Christopher's expression showed a hint of disdain.

 I understood then; Elena had taken over.

 "The first to suffer was Jack from finance. All the funds going in and out were controlled, with Sean taking over the approval authority, enforced by Elena.

 Of course, this wasn't standard practice. Jack objected and had several discussions with Sean, but nothing could stop Sean's arbitrary decisions.

 Later, an error occurred in a financial transaction, and Jack was dismissed on a pretext. Jack was dissatisfied and went to the board, but was beaten up that same night."

 Christopher clenched his fist. "You know Jack is a very stubborn person, very serious. Otherwise, I wouldn't have recommended him to you back then."