0082 The winds and clouds sway and shake; 082 The long journey to Changjing.

Qi Shuyao went to the Xuan Sha Club with a government-issued certificate of honor and a bonus.

This place has been closed for some time now, and the entrance is under renovation. The construction team manager is being very strict, making sure that Tu Mi doesn't go in before she comes out.

About two minutes later, Tu Mi ran out from inside, wearing an apron and a hat, covered in dust and paint.

She wiped the dust off her face with her only clean hand, coughed for a while outside, and then waved for Qi Shuyao to come in.

"Is it being renovated inside? Do you have to do the work yourself?"

"Wait, wait a minute, we're not going upstairs. The paint upstairs is toxic. Let's go to the basement first."

Tu Mi pushed Qi Shuyao down the stairs. The basement was dark, and the dusty staircase was half-submerged in darkness, making her afraid to step on it.

"I forgot, I forgot. I'm used to walking without turning on the lights."

Tu Mi ran up, found the switch on the wall, and pressed it. The light on the basement ceiling flickered twice before turning on, but it was still dim.

Overall, the area below was clean, but it looked messy. There was a small bed in the corner, with the blankets piled up in a ball.

Do you live here now? Where is your home?

“I gave up the house over there. Running back and forth was a waste of time. So I bought this place. I also knocked down the top floor. This whole building is mine now. Once it’s renovated, I’m going to turn it into the most successful clubhouse in the entire Jingyang City.”

"You still want to continue? Didn't Qi Yu say this place has already closed down?"

“That’s what he wanted, but he’s not my father. Why should I listen to him? I told you to go back and talk to him. I think he’s just been in office for too long. He speaks to everyone in a commanding tone, as if I owe him something. Oh, and this…”

She pulled an envelope from under her pillow and handed it to Qi Shuyao.

"The money in this card, plus the money you brought, together is the money he paid me to buy this store. I've returned it all to him, so he can't control me anymore."

Qi Shuyao didn't take it, and instead placed the certificate and bonus from her bag on the table.

“I will return his money to him when I get back. You can consider this as a gift from me.”

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Tu Mi neatly put everything away again, sat up straight, and looked at her with a sweet, obedient smile.

Qi Shuyao sat down next to her and leaned against the blanket.

"You said on the phone before that your father took you away. Who is that man?"

"Why bring him up? He's not my dad, and I'm not his daughter. Don't think you can make me acknowledge his ethics and morality with just a medical report. It's impossible. Whether he abandoned me or not is irrelevant. Now that I look like a decent human being, he comes out crying and wants me to acknowledge him. There's no such thing as a free lunch."

"Do you know who he is? What's his name?"

"I don't care what he's called. He even had the audacity to give me a name that follows his surname. I don't care. My name is Tu Mi. It's fine. What a beautiful name. What a pretty flower. No surname, no roots. I'm all alone. I have no attachments."

Qi Shuyao sighed softly and reached out to stroke her back, which was trembling with anger. She seemed to have lost weight again, and her bones were very noticeable.

Tu Mi thoroughly enjoyed the gentle caress. She threw off her apron, rolled over, and lay on top of Qi Shuyao.

Qi Shuyao twirled her hair with her fingers. She had recently permed her hair, and the strands were no longer as soft; they were stiff, just like her personality.

"Then why continue in this line of work? Wouldn't it be better to switch to something with less risk?"

"You also think my job is vulgar, right? But I don't think so. Everyone has their own ambitions. Besides, this is a career that I am fully capable of and that gives me a sense of accomplishment. So I'm going to continue doing it. I will definitely succeed on my own."

"Then you must be careful."

"Don't worry, this is my lifelong career, I can do it with ease."

"This whole building isn't cheap, is it? You haven't done anything stupid, have you?"

“Am I that kind of person? Well, I used to be, but I had no choice in the matter. But I’ve changed now. I didn’t learn anything else while I was at that hypocritical man’s house, but I certainly learned a lot. You have no idea how lucrative this line of work is now. My pockets are bulging.”

She spoke with great enthusiasm, radiating confidence and self-assurance, her every flutter of her eyelashes exuding charm.

Qi Shuyao seemed to be attracted, and without resisting, she went along with that idea and hugged her tightly.

Tu Mi nestled obediently in her arms, wrapping her slender arms around Qi Shuyao's waist, her little head nuzzling against her chest. She seemed to be smiling secretly, but for a moment, her emotions faltered.

"But I have only one regret: I don't even know what day I was born. Manager Chen used to celebrate my birthday on the day he found me, but he died, and I don't want to use that date anymore."

Actually, if Qi Shuyao wanted to, she could see Xu Mei again, but she didn't want to, or rather, she didn't dare. Just like Sister Xiaolan said, it's better to let some things pass by in a daze, and that's actually more happier.

They hugged each other for a while, then Tu Mi popped out and pushed her forward, saying that the place was too messy and unclean, and that she would come back after she had finished decorating everything.

Qi Shuyao stood outside the gate and said she would come to see her later. Tu Mi only poked her head out from inside the gate, said "little liar" and ran back inside.

It was early May.

Qi Yu wouldn't let her come out alone, nor would he let her return to Yangcheng. As soon as she came out from downstairs, the driver took her to Qi Yu's office.

Qi Yu wasn't in his office today; he came out to meet his guests.

After Qin Jiangzhi finished the operation, he rushed to the agreed meeting place. When he opened the door, he saw his cousin Liu Jiangyan sitting inside. He suppressed his surprise and unease and quietly walked over.

Liu Jiangyan and Qi Yu sat facing each other, drinking tea without saying a word. Liu Jiangyan put down his cup first, and after Qi Yu put his down, he poured him a cup of tea, then poured a cup for Qin Jiangzhi and pushed it towards him.

The room was quiet until Qin Jiangzhi finally lost his composure. He didn't even drink his tea, and he even stood up.

“Secretary Qi, I will take responsibility for my own mistakes. This matter has nothing to do with him.”

Qi Yu didn't speak, but Liu Jiangyan spoke first.

"Brother, you're wrong. Secretary Qi has been promoted and is now Vice President Qi. That old Qian has finally been replaced."

"Vice President Qi, I..."

Qi Yu waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to say anything more and should sit down first. He then took another sip of tea before slowly speaking.

“Before, Dean Qin came to beg me in this very room. He said that his younger brother was nothing special, but today, he is asking you on his behalf.”

"No, no, no, I'm not trying to plead for him. This matter had nothing to do with him in the first place..."

“Brother—” Liu Jiangyan interrupted Qin Jiangzhi with a long voice, “We are brothers, family, and we are all tied together.”

He seemed relaxed, and Qi Yu across from him said nothing, watching a scene of deep brotherly affection unfold with a half-smile.

"What does Dean Qin think I should do?"

"Shut down the hospital and revoke its license."

"Then why don't I just expose it in the news? Wouldn't that have a greater impact?"

"Perhaps you have other plans."

"Actually, it's quite normal to find more than a hundred unprocessed corpses and some scattered body parts in the hospital, right, Minister Liu?"

"Yeah, a young director with a little spare cash can go out and gamble a couple of times in his spare time to relax, right? A little gambling is harmless fun."

Liu Jiangyan and Qi Yu clinked their teacups together, their smiles knowing what was going on between them.

Qin Jiangzhi was completely exhausted, slumped to the side, his whole body covered in cold sweat.

"However, even though the environment is like this, there are still good seedlings that sprout from the mud. Take my eldest nephew, for example. He's like a straight, unyielding bamboo, smooth and shiny. I said, brother, there's not much place in the country where he can really make a name for himself right now. So let's send Xiao Han abroad to train first. It's good that he doesn't want to see you, and you're too embarrassed to see him. It's good for you to be separated and calm down. When he grows up, he'll understand you."

Qin Jiangzhi bent over, and even the upright dean shed tears of regret. Liu Jiangyan, however, offered no comfort, instead continuing his conversation with Qi Yu.

"Vice President Qi's move was brilliant, very clever."

"Dean Qin has helped me a lot. If he hadn't come to me, I would have searched the whole of Jingyang and still wouldn't have been able to find the Lin siblings."

"Who is this?"

"Guan Xiang's ex-lover, Lin Ya, and her troublemaking yet cowardly younger brother, Lin Shang, have always been kept in the hospital's special care area by Dean Qin and are being taken good care of."

“For my brother, reputation was more important than crime.”

"Then I would also like to ask Dean Qin to make sure that my people are taken care of in the same way as these two people."

"Okay, okay, Vice President Qi, don't worry."

Qin Jiangzhi left, his back no longer standing straight, and he kept wiping away sweat.

As soon as he left, the conversation between the two inside the room changed. Liu Jiangyan stopped his sarcastic and loud voice and his expression became serious.

"If we can hide our identities by changing our appearance, then others can too. In this scheme, there might be people you never thought of who are connected in a line."

"Then don't trust anyone." Qi Yu sat up straight and straightened his clothes. "You still don't have a woman who looks like that minor celebrity by your side?"

"That An Yuan? I saw what she looked like before her plastic surgery. I really don't know anyone like that."

"That's good, it saves us a lot of trouble."

"What a load of crap! I don't know who set this up. They didn't even include me. Do I look like someone without ambition? They didn't even bother to acknowledge me."

"Any other news lately?"

"Yes, my younger brother, Zhu Jiangxiu, has been doing some international business lately. I've been looking into it for him. You know how complicated things are in this business. It's all about wealthy people messing around with their assets. We recently discovered someone we know."

He took a bag of documents out of his bag and placed it on the table. Qi Yu picked it up and opened it. Inside were records of some of Shen Yan's property transactions.

"Is he transferring assets?"

“It’s not just a transfer, it’s a back-and-forth. He not only transferred domestic assets abroad, but also brought some of them back. The amount back and forth is about the same. What went out was under Shen Yan’s name, but what came in all went into the name of a person named Shen Guang.”

“Sinking light…”

"It's a woman, not yet thirty, I heard she's his sister."

"He has a younger sister?"

"You know what, you should pay special attention to the Shen family. From head to toe, they're all fake."

"What's the background of this Shen Guang?"

"It's nothing, I'm not too sure either. You have to investigate this kind of thing yourself, it's related to your major. I just know that she hadn't been in China before and only recently came back. Her family can explain that she brought these assets back with her. She's been active in Xiayang lately and has been interacting a lot with a man. Guess who it is."

"A man? Another arranged marriage?"

"What they did is not important; what matters is the man's identity."

Liu Jiangyan downed a whole cup of tea in one gulp, glancing back at Qi Yu's eyes as he looked at him, leaving him wanting more.

"Speak quickly."

"Alright, alright, do you remember when the Lin family's property was seized, Old Lin's second son had an adopted son who ran away?"

"Found it?"

“Found them. Shen Yan found them. He even sent his sister Shen Guang to seduce him. The two of them are in Xiayang now.”

"The Lin family is back, and they've gotten involved with the Shen family again. This situation is even more interesting now."

"Whatever kind of medicine they're selling, let's put that aside for now. Do you have time next week? My brother is getting married, bring your daughter along."

"Who will you marry?"

"Isn't that obvious? She's his fiancée."