Chapter 54 Exclusive Clue from Jinjiang

Lu Ting finally relented and followed Su Ruyi to a newly opened Western restaurant.

Su Ruyi saw this in the newspaper. It was said that the chef was specially hired from France and the ingredients were all air-freighted from abroad. It was considered high-end consumption in Zhaoguang City.

Su Ruyi doesn't actually have much of a fondness for Western food; she has a Chinese palate and only likes Chinese cuisine. She can appreciate foreign food and is willing to try different flavors, but it's more of a treat—she enjoys it occasionally.

Despite Su Ruyi's skepticism about whether the restaurant's claims were exaggerated, she still wanted to give it a try.

Even though she used to frequently follow various online influencer recommendations and make mistakes, she still enjoyed it immensely. She simply didn't have much talent when it came to exploring food and could only rely on others to guide her.

Western food is still quite novel for many Chinese people, and Su Ruyi also wanted to take Tong Yunyun to broaden her horizons. It wouldn't be embarrassing to treat guests to a meal in such a place.

Although she was prepared for a high cost, she was still somewhat stunned when she saw the bill of 1,532 yuan.

It's true that no matter the era, there's no limit to how much money you can spend; you can never have too much.

However, this feeling was fleeting. She knew it wouldn't be cheap when she looked at the menu, so she calmly paid the bill.

But when she paid the bill, the waiter's gaze towards Lu Ting was very subtle, as if he were looking at a pretty boy trying to seduce a young girl.

Lu Ting looked up at the sky and drank tea to cover his embarrassment.

When he's with his buddies, he usually pays the bill. But when he's eating with women, unless it's for business, he would never let them pay.

This time, the expenses were so high, yet a little girl was paying for them. It's really... a novel feeling.

Seeing this, Su Ruyi laughed: "Do you never want to come here again?"

Lu Ting coughed lightly: "How could that be? This shows that you are capable, and those people just don't understand."

Tong Yunyun was completely oblivious to the anxieties of adults, and contentedly ate the ice cream that was supposedly imported from Italy.

She usually enjoys those cheap popsicles in syrup that cost only a dime, but now, eating this ice cream piled high with all sorts of delicious ingredients and carefully matched, she feels like she's in heaven.

If Su Ruyi hadn't stopped her, she could have replaced the steak and shrimp she just ate with ice cream!

Although she loves eating meat, she still prefers ice cream to other types of ice cream.

When Tong Yunyun walked out of the restaurant, she was swaying unsteadily.

In the small courtyard.

Yao Sanmei and Yao Simei haven't left the house for three days. The food that Su Ruyi left behind before she left is enough for them to eat their fill.

These three days were the first time the two sisters had felt so at ease and peaceful. If possible, they truly hoped that these days could continue forever.

A safe, draft-free, and rain-free room, comfortable beds, and plenty of food—these were experiences the two sisters had never had in their lives.

"Sister, they're coming today." Yao Simei looked at everything in the room, feeling very reluctant to leave.

Although it was only for three short days, she truly treated this place like home, and she loved every corner of it.

Even though they knew this wasn't their final home, they still cherished the days they spent living there.

Yao Sanmei pursed her lips, seemingly lost in thought.

"Third Sister, should we follow their arrangements?"

The two sisters have been pondering this question for three days, and they still don't have an answer.

They were unsure whether they could trust Su Ruyi and the others, but if they didn't accept their help, they would easily continue to be targeted if they ventured out on their own.

In order to make the two girls obedient and prevent them from having any intention of running away, Zhang Weizi once took them to see the miserable lives of those homeless children.

Many homeless children are controlled by others. Some even break their hands and feet to make it easier for them to beg, in order to gain the sympathy of passersby.

Girls as young as Yao Sanmei were often sold to red-light districts and forced to work as prostitutes.

But if Su Ruyi wasn't a good person, then the fate of the two sisters wouldn't be much better.

Whether they are sold to the mountains or forced to commit illegal or criminal acts, it won't be much better than being under Zhang Weizi's control.

Although Su Ruyi is currently treating the two sisters very well, some villains will pretend at first, but once they take the bait, they will show a completely different face.

If it were just her alone, that would be one thing, but she also has a younger sister with her, who is so young.

Yao Sanmei was extremely conflicted, worried that her wrong choice would put both of her sisters in danger.

"Fourth Sister, what are you thinking?"

Yao Simei said earnestly, "Third Sister, I want to test whether what they said is true."

Although Su Ruyi didn't make any grand promises to them, for Yao Simei, taking them in, giving them official status, allowing them to escape everything here, and enabling her to continue her studies was already a very bright future.

"Sister Ruyi doesn't seem like a bad person."

Lu Ting looks a bit scary, but he's just tough, not the kind of person who's evil.

"What if you lose the bet?" Yao Sanmei asked worriedly.

Having experienced too much hardship, Yao Sanmei is prone to negative emotions.

Yao Simei: "Then let's find a chance to escape again. We've already died once, so we're not afraid of dying again."

The two nearly drowned in the water, as if they were being pulled down. The feeling of helplessness still terrifies them when they think about it now. The horror of that body of water is proven by the lives lost.

"Okay! Let's take this gamble! If what she said is true, we'll definitely repay her when we grow up and can earn money on our own."

The two sisters finally made up their minds to follow Su Ruyi's arrangements.

Su Ruyi was not surprised by the sisters' decision, so she asked Lu Ting to make arrangements for the sisters and gave her her contact information to Yao Sanmei.

"Remember my number, you can contact me if anything happens."

Since she had already offered to help, Su Ruyi didn't mind doing more.

Yao Sanmei held the note tightly, memorizing the number on it.

"Sister Ruyi".

Just as Su Ruyi was about to leave, Yao Simei called her back.

"What's wrong?"

Yao Simei: "Yunyun just said that you are organizing a hula hoop competition, right?"

Yao Simei and Tong Yunyun are about the same age; the two little girls went to play by themselves just now.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Tong Yunyun was very happy to receive the consolation prize, and couldn't help but show it off to Yao Simei, so she revealed it to everyone.

"Did you also put up the missing person notice at the stadium entrance?"

Su Ruyi's expression immediately turned serious: "Have you met the people from above?"

Yao Sanmei said urgently, "Fourth Sister, don't talk nonsense."

"Third sister, I'm not making this up. I've seen the child up there."

Now both Lu Ting and Su Ruyi's attention was focused on Yao Si Mei. Su Ruyi suppressed her excitement and asked:

Where did you see him?

Yao Simei frowned, lost in thought.

She recognized the face, but couldn't quite place it.

Yao Sanmei looked blank. She and her sister had always been together, and she had no recollection of the child at all.

Worried that Yao Simei might misremember and become disliked, she asked:

"Fourth Sister, how come I've never heard you mention this before?"

Yao Simei said, "I felt it looked familiar before I looked closely, but I didn't look at it carefully at the time, so I didn't remember it."

Tong Yunyun was in a state of excitement after receiving the reward and having a big meal. Being a chatterbox, she chatted with Yao Simei about many random things in a short period of time.

Tong Yunyun also told Yao Simei about Li Niannian and showed her the missing person notice for Li Niannian.

Lu Ting not only posted missing person notices at the main entrance, but also affixed their photos to the merchandise. This made it much easier for the notices to spread.

The idea came from Su Ruyi, and Lu Ting implemented it as quickly as possible.

Because it was just an extra piece of paper, and it didn't need to be stuck on securely, it was easy to tear off completely. So when the competition ended, the missing person notice was pasted on the items sold to the public and the prizes given to the contestants.

Tong Yunyun tore the missing person notice off the prize and stuffed it into her pocket. She took it out when the topic came up.

This was also the first time Yao Simei had looked at the child's photo so carefully. Although there was such a large picture hanging there before, she and Yao Simei were still trapped in Zhang Weizi's hands at the time and had no mind to look at these things, so they only glanced at it briefly.

Now that she looked closely, Yao Simei's memories were awakened.

She had seen the child before, but where exactly?

During her time as a homeless person, she saw many children of this age, and she needed to search carefully to find them.

"Think carefully, where have you seen him before? Don't rush, think slowly." Su Ruyi controlled herself and did not urge him.

Yao Simei stared at the photo, deep in thought.

"Ah! I remember now."

All eyes were on her, filled with anticipation.

"Sister, do you remember the clinic you took me to buy medicine when we first came out of the river because I caught a cold?"

Yao Simei nodded: "I remember."

Although it was summer, the river water was still very cold at night. The two were worried about being found, so they drifted a long way before daring to come ashore.

She almost lost her life again halfway there, and was frightened and caught a chill. Her health wasn't very good to begin with, and her clothes were still wet when she got ashore, so Yao Simei caught a cold and fever after being exposed to the wind.

She was burning up with fever and almost fainted, so Yao Sanmei carried her to find a doctor.

They were wandering around aimlessly, not knowing where they were, when Yao Sanmei discovered this village just when she was about to despair.

There was a small private clinic run by a doctor in the village, and Yao Sanmei took Yao Simei there for treatment, where she was given an IV drip.

If Yao Sanmei hadn't prepared the money in advance, Yao Simei wouldn't have received timely treatment, and it's hard to say what would have happened to her now.

"That's where I saw that little boy. He was also brought here for treatment, and after he got the medicine, he was taken away."

Su Ruyi asked eagerly, "What's the name of that village?"

Yao Sanmei's heart skipped a beat. "You had a high fever at the time, did you really see clearly? And why don't I remember having such a child?"

Yao Sanmei didn't think her younger sister would lie, but she was still young and sometimes made mistakes, mistaking her fantasies for reality. The more she looked at something, the more familiar it seemed, and she thought she had seen it before.

“You went out to buy me food and weren’t here. I saw him clearly. He looked sickly. The doctor said he was very ill and needed to be taken to a big hospital. If necessary, he would need an IV drip. The grandmother who brought him was unwilling to go, saying that any medicine would be fine and that the child wasn’t worth the trouble.”

I thought to myself, "This is a boy, how come his grandmother doesn't love him at all? If it were our family, we'd sell everything we own to get him properly cared for."

Yao Simei felt sorry for the child. He was a boy, so why wasn't he valued? That's why she took a few more glances at him.

She was sick at the time, so her memories were hazy and she needed stimulation to recall them little by little.

Lu Ting: "Whether it's him or not, we will be very grateful for the clues you provided. You don't need to feel guilty."

Hearing this, Yao Sanmei breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, Yao Simei was very ill at the time, and her eyesight was poor, so the probability of her seeing things incorrectly was very high.

Yao Sanmei told them the name of the village, but Yao Simei was still dizzy when she left and couldn't remember what kind of village it was.

"If that child really is the missing Li Niannian, once the child is found, we will make sure the child's parents thank you and give you the promised reward," Su Ruyi said.

Yao Sanmei quickly waved her hand: "No need, no need. It would be best if you could help us. We'd be happy to help you in any way we can."

The two sisters were initially worried that Su Ruyi and Lu Ting would set a trap for them, but now they don't have to worry anymore.

Both of them are people of status, and the fact that they are willing to help people who are not related to them by blood shows that they are not bad people.

After leaving the house, Lu Ting said, "Leave this matter to me. I'll have someone investigate."

“I will provide the funding.”

Lu Ting said helplessly, "Do you need to be so clear about things with me?"

"This is called cooperation. We're doing something together. I can't just do nothing, can I? Or do you not want to cooperate with me?"

"Absolutely not!"

"I never said you did any work, but I paid for everything."

This explanation was indeed very pleasing to the ear, and Lu Ting immediately felt relieved.

Su Ruyi smoothed Lu Ting's hair and prepared to say goodbye.

"I'll take the bus back early tomorrow morning. See you again sometime."

Lu Ting felt dejected. Although the two were not far apart, it was still not easy for them to meet.

He was considering whether there were any business opportunities to expand into Liulin County.

Are you planning to stay in Liulin County indefinitely?

"Of course not, I definitely want to live in a big city." Su Ruyi tilted her head. "Didn't I tell you that before?"

Su Ruyi is a staunch supporter of urban life, after all, life and transportation are more convenient in big cities.

Even if she's going to stay home, she'll stay in a bustling area so that she can go wherever she wants.

Otherwise, living in a small county town and flying back from another place would require taking a car or train home, which would be too much of a hassle.

She also enjoys attending various events and concerts in the city.

Lu Ting's previously slumped heart leaped with joy:

"The provincial capital has a bright future. If you come here, you'll have even more opportunities. I have plenty of people under me, so if you run into any trouble, I can help you sort it out."

There are indeed many opportunities now, but the environment is also very bad, with many lawless thugs.

"I'll consider it."

Su Ruyi had a good impression of the provincial capital, the only thing that bothered her was the original male and female protagonists.

She hasn't had any interaction with the male lead in the original story so far, and the plot has gone in a different direction, so there shouldn't be any problems, right?

She is merely a woman who appears in memories; although she frequently appears in the novel, she is not a necessary character.

The novel also features other awful female supporting characters who constantly obstruct the male and female leads, only to be thoroughly humiliated in the end.

Compared to the male protagonist's deceased wife, she is nothing.

Su Ruyi discovered that there seemed to be no master plot controller in this world who could force people to follow the plot, thus preventing any of these events from happening.

However, Su Ruyi couldn't guarantee what the future held. For now, she would focus on building up her bodybuilding leggings business and deal with other things later.

Back at the hotel, as they were about to go to their rooms, Su Ruyi realized she had forgotten something.

"By the way, what's the deal with Xu Lili? How is she doing now?"

Lu Ting frowned: "That's a long story."

There was actually a story behind it all, and Su Ruyi was somewhat intrigued. She was leaving tomorrow, and if she didn't find out soon enough, the gossip wouldn't be fresh anymore.

Tong Yunyun: "Big sister, you go chat with Brother Lu. I'm going back to my room to do my homework. I'll be good and won't leave the room or open the door for strangers."

Lu Ting gave Tong Yunyun an approving look; this child was truly intelligent.

Su Ruyi hesitated; she was still a little worried. After all, she was the one who brought the child out, and it would be troublesome if something happened.

Lu Ting: "We were just chatting in the lobby. There's only one entrance to the hotel, so if she wanted to go out, we could see her."

Upon hearing this, Su Ruyi immediately stopped hesitating and told Tong Yunyun to go do her homework while she inquired about the matter with Lu Ting.

"How is she now? Is she sick? It was really scary back then."

Xu Lili later vomited bile that contained traces of blood.

"I'm fine now, but my throat was dry from running all the way, and there was blood in my vomit."

"That's good. Tell me quickly, what happened?"

Lu Ting smiled and said, "Don't rush, let's order some drinks first."

The hotel not only offers accommodation but also has a restaurant. Breakfast is a free buffet, and the food is quite good with a wide variety of options. Su Ruyi felt that she was getting her money's worth just for the breakfast alone.

We've both been busy these past few days, so we don't get to see each other often, and there's always someone else there to be a third wheel.

Now that they finally have some time alone together, Lu Ting doesn't want it to end so soon.

Su Ruyi was also a little thirsty, and chatting about gossip without eating anything really wasn't fun, so she called and ordered some braised food to be delivered.

Since she couldn't go to the night market before, Su Ruyi found a braised food shop nearby that delivers takeout.

The braised food at the shop was pretty good; it was different from Li Mei's, and it was spicy.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Su Ruyi asked somewhat embarrassedly.

Although Lu Ting hasn't said it yet, there must be a story behind what made him say those words, and it probably isn't anything good.

It seems disrespectful of them to treat other people's suffering as gossip.

"Shall we talk about something else?"

"Never mind, let's continue with this."

Su Ruyi decided not to waste her time on internal conflicts.

Lu Ting chuckled: "Don't feel guilty. Xu Lili also hopes that her story can be spread."

"What happened?"

The drinks they ordered arrived, and Su Ruyi sat up straight, her bright eyes staring directly at Lu Ting.

Lu Ting was drawn to those eyes and had to look away for a moment before he could speak normally.

"Xu Lili was locked up at home, so she almost missed the competition."

"Huh? Why? Don't they know that Xu Lili is very likely to get first place and win a thousand yuan?"

"I knew, that's why I locked her up."

Su Ruyu exclaimed in surprise, "Are there still people who turn down money these days?"

"Her stepmother is the one who's keeping her in custody. She's afraid that once she wins an award and gets money, she'll run away."

Su Ruyi's first reaction: "Her father is dead?"

It's often said that having a stepmother means having a stepfather, but the real issue is the father's attitude, not blaming everything on the stepmother.

If a father truly loves his daughter and is resolute in his stance, he will not allow his stepmother to bully her, nor will he be influenced by her.

Li Mei is a typical example. Although now it is because her mother and she can help Li Mei and become Li Mei's support, she treats her stepdaughter very well.

However, this does not contradict the fact that Tong Aihua's attitude towards her biological daughter, Su Ruyi, also influenced her.

There are also cases where the woman is stronger than the man, making it impossible for the man to make decisions. But this is also because the father is not supportive. If he had any consideration for his daughter, the marriage would not have taken place.

Xu Lili was bullied like this because her father died—either physically or mentally.

"While she was alive, he already disliked her because she was a daughter. After remarrying and having his own son, he neglected Xu Lili even more."

Xu Lili's experience fits the stereotype that "having a stepmother is a miserable experience." However, when she didn't have a stepmother, she started working at a young age and was often beaten and scolded.

Her mother died by drinking pesticide. Because she couldn't give birth to a son, she felt ashamed and was constantly beaten and scolded by her husband, who called her a useless hen that wouldn't lay eggs. In her pain, she drank pesticide and died.

As a result, all the housework fell on Xu Lili's shoulders.

The person was barely taller than the bucket when they started doing laundry and cooking.

Xu Lili raised all the children born to her stepmother and father, while the couple lived a carefree life outside.

"Xu Lili's stepmother wants her to marry one of her mentally challenged cousins, but Xu Lili is unwilling. She wants to leave Zhaoguang City, but she doesn't have a penny to her name. She is usually prevented from going out to work. At this critical juncture, she will not be allowed to find work outside."

After learning about the hula hoop competition, Xu Lili decided to give it a try and signed up along with the others.

There were many participants in the competition, and although everyone was eyeing the prizes, most of them were just looking for fun.

This thing isn't particularly difficult, the competition rules are simple, and it doesn't take up much space to practice, so Xu Lili decided to give it a try.

She would secretly borrow other people's hula hoops to practice without her family finding out.

Unexpectedly, Xu Lili was indeed very talented and won first place despite having very few practice sessions.

The rankings were posted on the bulletin board, and someone saw them and told her stepmother.

The stepmother didn't say anything at first, but locked him up on the day of the competition.

Xu Lili's stepmother was not only worried that Xu Lili would run away after winning the award and taking the money, but also worried that if she won first place, she would become a celebrity, and then she would be hard to control.

Therefore, she would rather lose that thousand yuan than let Xu Lili stand out.

As for Xu Lili's biological father, it's as if he's dead.

"I bumped into her stepmother when I left the hospital," Lu Ting recalled with a sneer.

"Looks like there's a story behind this?"

Lu Ting stroked his chin: "Her acting skills are excellent. If I invest in film and television in the future, I can consider having her act in a film or television series."