27. Recovered

◎Song Qinggui, you promised me◎

At seven o'clock in the morning, Zhuang Xiaomeng sat in the back seat of her Mercedes-Benz, her hands on her knees twisting together incessantly. Her palms were marked with the marks of her nails, and her fingertips were red.

Her feelings were complicated. She was filled with fear and despair, but deep within that fear and despair, a small flower of hope bloomed.

Last night, the Zhuang family caused quite a scene. Zhuang Zhong came home drunk and started smashing and breaking things around the house.

Mrs. Zhuang went up to persuade him, but Zhuang Zhong pushed her away, causing her to bump into the coffee table. Hearing the noise, Zhuang Xiaomeng came out of her room and started arguing with her father in order to defend her mother.

Zhuang Zhong casually picked up an ornament from the coffee table. Zhuang Xiaomeng had already covered her head, bracing herself for a beating, but Zhuang Zhong suddenly stopped, and the alcohol had sobered her up considerably.

He walked over and cupped his daughter's face in his hands: "Mengmeng, my good daughter, whether Daddy can turn things around depends on you."

Over the years, Zhuang Zhong, relying on the company the Xue family gave him, thought he was really rich. So he listened to the coaxing of some fair-weather friends and started investing in stocks.

Over the past ten years, the family's money has been lost, and the company is now just an empty shell.

As Zhuang Zhong lost more and more money, he became increasingly unwilling to accept the losses. At first, he took out loans from banks, but gradually the banks could no longer lend to him, so he resorted to high-interest loans. Now his family is heavily in debt.

Having exhausted all other options, Zhuang Zhong turned to his former employer, Xue Qielu, for help. Xue Qielu responded coldly, "Mr. Zhuang, I made mistakes when I was young, and you took the blame for me. I, Xue, have always been grateful. That's why after your release from prison, I gave you the best-performing subsidiary. Over the years, despite your poor management, the Xue Group has always supported you. I've reminded you many times that you're not cut out to be a stock trader. If you had just followed my advice and managed the company well, you could have been financially secure for at least three generations. But you refused to listen. Now you're gambling in the stock market and owing high-interest loans; it's your own fault, and I can't help you."

Driven to desperation by his debts, Zhuang Zhong stormed into Xue Qielu's room, yelling, "If I hadn't gone to jail for you back then, would the Xue family be where it is today?" "Have you forgotten all the scumbags you did when you were young? Do you believe I can expose them all?!" "Xue Qielu, I've been loyal to you, but all these years you've always favored Su Guangsen. I've done so much for you, and you want to get rid of me? You're dreaming!"

Saying all these things was tantamount to breaking off relations with Xue Qielu, and in the end, Zhuang Zhong was "invited" out by Xue's security guards.

Zhuang Zhong was desperate. The debt collectors said that if he couldn't pay back his debts by next week, they would take one of his hands.

He begged all his friends, even though they were the ones who encouraged him to enter the stock market, but now that things have come to this point, not a single one of them is willing to help him.

He drowned his sorrows in alcohol. After finishing his drink, he went to the company rooftop, intending to jump and end his life. But one look down at the ground below terrified him. He didn't want to die; he didn't want to die yet…

It wasn't until he got home and saw Zhuang Xiaomeng that he "came back to life." He wasn't completely broke yet; he still had a beautiful daughter. If she married into a wealthy family, the Zhuang family could survive. But he had to be quick; he needed to get some money first.

"My dear daughter." Zhuang Zhong looked at Zhuang Xiaomeng greedily. "You're of marriageable age now. Why don't you get married?"

"Dad, what's wrong? What happened?" Zhuang Xiaomeng was frightened when she saw Zhuang Zhong acting crazy.

"Dad's fine, Dad's doing great." Zhuang Zhong revealed a sinister smile: "Tell Dad, do you have someone you like, hmm?"

Zhuang Xiaomeng was terrified, but she still answered according to her heart: "Xue... Lawyer Xue".

"Lawyer Xue? Lawyer Xue is great!" Zhuang Zhong laughed even more wildly: "Then you should marry Lawyer Xue. The Xue family already owes us something. As long as you marry Lawyer Xue, at least half of the Xue family's assets will be ours!"

“But…but he’s married…” Although Zhuang Xiaomeng had long coveted Xue Lu, she finally admitted that Xue Lu was married.

However, Zhuang Zhong flew into a rage: "So what if you're married?! Everyone in the industry knows what kind of slut Song Qinggui is. What makes her think she can compare to you?!"

Zhuang Xiaomeng bit her lip and remained silent, but Mrs. Zhuang stepped forward: "Song Qinggui was able to win over Cheng Wuliang and Yan Fengqian one after another, and now she's married into the Xue family. She's definitely not a simple woman. Moreover, I heard that Lawyer Xue has feelings for Song Qinggui..."

"Then let your daughter become Xue Lu's mistress!" Zhuang Zhong roared. "Xue Qielu has so many wives, and all of Xue's sons are playboys! Do you think Xue Lu is a heartbreaker?! Besides, what cat doesn't steal fish? As long as your daughter is willing to go all out and make it a fait accompli, why would she be afraid of not being able to get a man?!"

Mrs. Zhuang knew the family's financial situation, and although she was upset to hear her husband say this, she remained silent.

She knew this was unfair to her daughter, but it was better than the whole family dying together. Besides, Xue Lu was already a top-notch man in the wealthy circle, with impeccable wealth, looks, and interpersonal skills. Being his mistress might not be worse than being someone else's legal wife.

"Mengmeng." After struggling for a while, Mrs. Zhuang grabbed Zhuang Xiaomeng's hand. "Now that things have come to this, your father and I won't hide it from you anymore. Our family... our family's situation isn't good. If we can't come up with the money for an emergency, your father and I will have to jump off a building. Mengmeng, since you really like Xue Lu, please help your father and us, okay..."

Looking at her deranged father and her unprincipled mother, Zhuang Xiaomeng felt that they had both gone mad.

Despite her rational outburst of grievance, she felt so wronged that she wanted to scream, "You made me a mistress! Are you even my parents?! Are you even human?!"

At the same time, her emotions were also being manipulated. Someone like Xue Lu would definitely take responsibility once she got involved with him. If she could have him and be with him for life, did having a marriage certificate really matter?

The whole family stayed up all night. Zhuang Xiaomeng finally realized that she was no longer a rich heiress. More than that, if things continued like this, she wouldn't be far from losing her family and everything.

Zhuang Zhong's idea was to sell the two houses in his hometown town first, get a few hundred thousand yuan, and appease those who were threatening to kill him and demanding repayment.

As for Zhuang Xiaomeng, she needs to get close to Xue Lu first to have a chance to win him over. She might as well go to Jingtian Group and ask for a job. After all, they grew up together, and Xue Lu wouldn't refuse even this small request.

Zhuang Xiaomeng nodded in a daze, while Mrs. Zhuang held Zhuang Zhong's hand and said, "Old Zhuang, you absolutely must not put the money from selling the house into the stock market."

Zhuang Zhong's eyes were bloodshot: "I know. As long as Mengmeng does well, we can get much more money than we would from playing the stock market. I know what I'm doing."

...

As usual, Chen An arrived at the Jingtian Group headquarters lobby at 8:50 a.m. sharp, carrying a cup of coffee.

He didn't notice Zhuang Xiaomeng, who had entered the Jingtian Building right after him. At that moment, there was an argument at the front desk, and Chen An's attention was completely drawn to them.

Seeing Chen An enter, the receptionist breathed a sigh of relief: "Assistant Chen! Assistant Chen!"

Chen An responded to the sound, "What's wrong?"

The young woman looked troubled: "This gentleman didn't make an appointment, but he insists on seeing Mr. Xue, saying he has something to give him."

Chen An's gaze shifted to the young man, who was wearing jeans and a jacket and looked clean-cut, not like someone who would cause trouble.

Chen An looked down again. He was carrying a black paper bag with a matte brand logo on it—"The Mundane World".

Chen An raised an eyebrow. This was a very niche custom-made suit brand, located on Cangwu Mountain in Lancheng. The owner was an elderly man in his seventies. The shop had been making suits since the owner's grandfather's generation, and every suit was handmade.

Compared to many brands, Sushi's suits are not expensive; in fact, they can be considered good value for money. However, the owner is getting old, and there's only one apprentice, so production is limited. Nowadays, people are vain and buy clothes targeting big brands; not many know about Sushi.

The Xue family's ancestral hall is located on Cangwu Mountain. Xue Lu once happened to pass by the store and became friends with the owner despite their age difference. He also became a regular customer of the store, buying two outfits from the store every year to match with cufflinks he had collected from all over the world, thus achieving a sophisticated look.

It's surprising that this young man knows this brand.

"Hello sir, I'm Mr. Xue's assistant," Chen An said. "Mr. Xue hasn't been feeling well lately, so he won't be coming to the company for the next few days. Is there anything you'd like to give him that I can pass on?"

The young man frowned and said in a deep voice, "Then I'll come back in a few days."

After saying that, he turned and left.

As Chen An watched him leave, he felt a strange mix of emotions. He felt a sense of familiarity about the young man's features.

As the young man turned to leave, he brushed past Zhuang Xiaomeng and bumped into her shoulder.

Zhuang Xiaomeng glared at him with some displeasure, then stepped forward to greet Chen An: "Is Lawyer Xue sick?"

Chen An then noticed Zhuang Xiaomeng, and alarm bells immediately went off in his head. Old Master Xue always doted on Xue Lu, and would never bother his son with anything he could handle himself, but he didn't care about them, the working class.

After Zhuang Zhong caused such a scene at the Xue family, Chen An and Xue Tan's assistants received the news and were instructed to keep a close eye on the Zhuang family and prevent them from causing trouble in Tianlan and Jingtian.

Chen An became defensive, but remained outwardly polite and gentle: "Yes, Mr. Xue has caught a cold and has taken a few days off. Miss Zhuang, why don't you go back first, and I'll have him contact you when Mr. Xue returns to work?"

"No need." Zhuang Xiaomeng smiled awkwardly, "I...I'm here for a job interview."

Chen An frowned: ?

Zhuang Xiaomeng: "I saw your job posting. The headquarters is currently recruiting a Marketing Director, which is what I studied, so I'm applying."

Chen An started to have a headache.

The dealer did have financial problems, but he neither declared bankruptcy nor made any social news. As a mere assistant, he had no right to break ties with Zhuang Xiaomeng on behalf of his boss.

But her asking for the position of marketing director shows a complete lack of self-awareness.

Chen An gave a professional smile: "Ms. Zhuang, the marketing director is a high-level management position, and I, as a mere assistant, cannot make this decision. I will report to General Manager Xue when he arrives at work. If you are in a hurry, you can submit your resume to our human resources department first, is that alright?"

Zhuang Xiaomeng knew that Chen An definitely wouldn't agree on behalf of Xue Lu, so she didn't insist on anything and went to Jingtian's HR to register.

...

At home, Xue Lu was scrolling through emails. His fever had long since subsided, his sore throat was gone, and he had several days' worth of work to catch up on.

By the time he finished replying to all the emails, it was already dark. His phone was flooded with news from social media, all about the recent cross-provincial transfer of a cardiac teratoma. He quickly skimmed through them, then glanced at the media outlets listed at the end of the articles—all of them had previously collaborated with Jingtian.

The most viewed video is an in-depth follow-up by "Lancheng Youth," which has garnered over 300,000 likes. The video, a full 25 minutes long, clearly explains the ins and outs of the incident, includes assessments of normal transfer costs by experts from Beijing and Shanghai, and interviews with two families who were willing to speak out about their experiences with cross-provincial transfers.

Once the video was released, public opinion instantly reversed, with people speaking out in support of the hospital and condemning the patient's family for betraying their trust.

Xue Lu's lips curled up. It was clearly Song Qinggui's doing. Once this woman was on the battlefield, every step she took was a deadly move.

Xue Lu walked out of the bedroom and turned on the living room light.

The fingerprint lock's music started playing at just the right moment, and the instant the light came on, Xue Lu happened to see Song Qinggui returning home from get off work.

"Did you have a fever again today?" Song Qinggui asked, feigning calmness.

"without."

"Where's the medicine?" Song Qinggui changed into slippers and pretended to go to the open kitchen island to get a drink of water.

Xue Lu also walked towards the island platform: "I've eaten."

Song Qinggui leaned against the stove, standing face to face with Xue Lu. She took a sip of water and said, "Mmm."

Xue Lu stared at her, his gaze deep: "Tell me."

Song Qinggui knew he must have seen the news on social media and assumed he was asking about the hospital dispute: "I'm the one who contacted the media..."

“That’s not what I’m asking,” Xue Lu interrupted her.

Song Qinggui looked up in confusion, meeting Xue Lu's eyes.

Xue Lu approached her, getting closer and closer, until he braced his arms on the stove, encircling the trembling Song Qinggui.

“Lawyer Xue…” Song Qinggui was extremely nervous, but she had nowhere left to retreat.

Xue Lu's breath hit her forehead: "What I'm asking about is obligation."

Song Qinggui's palms were sweating as he held the cup.

She remembered what he had said to Xue Lu: that once he recovered, she would fulfill her duties as a wife.

[Author's Note]

The next chapter will return to the main couple's romance.