“Madam, you cannot see Mr. Jing right now,” Yan Zhou said, avoiding the questioning gaze directed at him, and lowered his head slightly.

Chu Wuyang shifted his feet slightly.

Yan Zhou's hands also unconsciously waved, as if trying to stop him.

"President Jing is handling extremely important matters and has instructed that no one should disturb him."

If you go to see him now, it might... affect his decision on this important matter.

After Yan Zhou finished speaking, he carefully wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced guiltily at Chu Wuyang's face.

His eyes were full of pleading, hoping she could understand.

Chu Wuyang narrowed her eyes, a flash of displeasure crossing them, but she didn't react.

She straightened her posture, parted her lips slightly, and spoke in a sharp voice.

"Okay, I won't see him, but please ask him for me what he means by this? When will he let me out?"

Chu Wuyang knew that making things difficult for him was pointless; without that person's orders, he wouldn't have been so perfunctory.

—

In the spacious master bedroom, the place that Chu Wuyang had smashed that day has been restored to its original condition.

Jing Min lay quietly in the recliner, his eyes slightly closed, one hand casually resting on the armrest.

Holding the diamond ring in his other hand, he examined it closely in the soft light filtering through the curtains.

His gaze slowly moved down to the men's wedding ring on his hand.

He gently rubbed the men's ring, as if it still held the warmth of the hand she had placed on it during the wedding exchange ceremony.

He removed his men's ring and placed the two wedding rings side by side. The diamonds still shone brilliantly.

But now it seemed incredibly cold, as if it had lost its former luster.

Yan Zhou gently pushed open the door, entered with light footsteps, and asked cautiously.

"Mr. Jing, are you... alright?"

Jing Min didn't answer immediately, but slowly put away the women's ring and put the men's ring back on.

He looked up, his eyes filled with exhaustion.

"Sent them away?" The voice was low and husky.

He frowned, pressed his temples, and slowly sat up.

"Yes, they've been sent away."

Yan Zhou approached and tidied up the teacups on the table. He glanced at the soft stool next to the recliner and hesitated.

"Should we invite someone over again tomorrow?"

Jingmin lifted the thin blanket covering him.

He casually said, "Please!"

Yan Zhou stood with his back to him, pausing without making a sound.

Jingmin got up, picked up the documents on the table, flipped through a couple of pages, and seeing that the person didn't move or leave, he turned around and looked at them suspiciously.

"What's up?"

Yan Zhou stammered as he recounted his encounter with Chu Wuyang in the garden, adding that he wasn't sure if his wife had seen the person in the car.

Jingmin paused, holding the document.

Yan Zhou tentatively offered words of comfort.

"It's been so many days, Madam should know she was wrong. Why don't we just let it go?"

Jing Min lifted his eyelids, and with a "clink," a diamond ring was tossed directly into the empty crystal ashtray on the table.

A cold, gloomy voice fell into Yan Zhou's ears.

"Is this how you admit you're wrong? You even want to betray me?"

Yan Zhou looked over and realized that he had already made a mistake in pleading for Maria's betrayal yesterday.

President Jing has always been ruthless towards traitors and will not let them off easily.

However, she didn't want President Jing's temper to escalate, and since Maria was only acting out of greed and hadn't caused anything irreparable, she figured she could just get rid of her.

He hadn't expected that President Jing had reached a level of trust he could rely on. He remained silent, not daring to make any further judgments.

Seeing that he wisely shut up, Jingmin turned her head away and stopped looking at him.

He simply flipped through the documents in his hand, circled some points with a pen, and handed them to Yan Zhou.

"Fire all of these people!"

Yan Zhou took it and glanced at it; it was a list of bodyguards and servants, all marked as having served less than a year.

"OK"

Jingmin then pulled out another list and handed it to him.

"The remaining background information needs to be verified in more detail, and the family situation needs to be clearly rewritten, including personality traits."

Yan Zhou slightly opened his mouth in surprise, inwardly thinking, "Does it have to be this exaggerated?"

These people were all servants and some peripheral security personnel in the villa; they had no chance to betray them.

Their core personnel could never be recruited from outside; they were all trained and trusted individuals to whom they would risk their lives.

President Jing's entourage made it seem as if their business scope had reached the level of state secrets.

However, he dared not question the exit, but thinking about Maria's situation, he could understand.

After receiving the order, Jing Min frowned when he saw that the man was still motionless. "Is there anything else?"

"Don't you plan to meet your wife and explain things to her?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jing Min paused in his hand holding the lighter, and glanced at him sideways.

"Get out!" The tone left no room for argument.

——

In the evening, after dinner, Chu Wuyang strolled in the garden, but as expected, she didn't receive a reply from Yan Zhou.

She stood alone there, gazing at the white roses that bloomed like clusters of clouds throughout the garden.

Her state of mind was the same as at the wedding two years ago. To her, the garden full of white roses no longer represented pure love, but rather a funeral that buried her hopes.

Her brows were furrowed, and her eyes blazed with fury.

An irresistible urge was driving her to erupt; suddenly, she raised her hand and reached for the delicate flower.

As soon as she touched the petal, she instinctively pulled back.

But soon she reached out again and grasped the rose stem tightly.

The sharp spikes pierced her skin, and for a moment she actually felt a sense of relaxation throughout her body.

It was as if she had done something like that before; she felt a sense of relief and pleasure.

But then she wasn't satisfied. With a sharp pull, she plucked the rose from the tree.

The thorns also cut deep but numerous wounds along the skin of my wrist.

Crimson blood gushed from the wound, staining the pure white petals red—a shocking sight.

The forceful pulling of the flower branches seemed to have startled the servants who were working.

"Who?" someone called out tentatively.

Someone nearby chimed in.

"It's probably squirrels again. They keep coming over to steal the flower seedlings, and I can't get rid of them all. They're so annoying," she said, her tone full of complaint.

Others urged,

"Hurry up and finish so you can get some rest!"

Chu Wuyang felt a sense of weariness, as if she had been disturbed, and her interest waned.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard them start whispering again.

Without realizing it, I moved to the side and stood still.

A young maid said

"That was close today, I almost got fired. Luckily, my tenure requirement was only a month over." Her tone was filled with relief after the ordeal.

The others chimed in, "Me too!"

"Me too"

They say the pay and benefits here are good; if it weren't for their own difficult family circumstances, who would want to do this kind of servant work?

This place is so much better than other places. The family only comes here a few times a year, and each time they stay for three or four days.

They only need to put in their best effort during these few days, and they can easily collect their money the rest of the time.

Someone added, "But Maria wasn't so lucky," expressing regret.

Chu Wuyang's breath hitched; he held his breath and listened intently.

The group fell silent for a moment, and just when Chu Wuyang thought they wouldn't say anything more,