Chapter 117 Exclusive Photos from Jinjiang
Su Ruyi's mind went blank. Blood rushed to her head, and she couldn't breathe for a moment. Her hand holding the photo trembled slightly, and her mind went completely blank.
She stared intently at the photo, her brow furrowing slightly before her bloodshot eyes quickly regained their composure.
"wipe!"
Su Ruyi couldn't help but swear.
"I almost fell for their scam!"
Su Ruyi was so angry that her teeth itched, and she poured herself a glass of red wine.
She occasionally enjoys a few drinks, usually preferring wine or other fruit wines, and likes that slightly tipsy feeling.
Su Ruyi carefully analyzed the photo. The angle was perfect; it really did look like a kiss.
However, as an amateur photographer, Su Ruyi was very familiar with forced perspective photography, and she had common sense, knowing the state of a person during a kiss.
This photo was deliberately taken blurry; you can roughly make out a person's face, but their expression is unclear.
Especially Lu Ting, who only showed a third of his face; if you weren't familiar with him, you wouldn't recognize him.
Su Ruyi was very familiar with Lu Ting, so even though the photo was blurry, she could still tell that Lu Ting sensed something was wrong the moment the shutter was pressed and was about to turn around.
Therefore, if you look closely, the angle is actually off. Although it looks like the two are kissing, anyone who understands photography and is familiar with the parties involved can see the trick.
Someone deliberately took this photo and sent it to her. I don't know what their purpose was, or who this person is.
What is certain at present is that the other party hopes that they will misunderstand each other and fall out.
Su Ruyi pondered, who was bothered by her dating Lu Ting?
Lu Ting no longer has any family. He is surrounded by a group of brothers, either good brothers like Cao Fei and Xu Dazhi, or good buddies like Shi Fengyi who served in the army or worked hard together.
His buddy Su Ruyi had all met her and had a very good impression of her, recognizing her as their sister-in-law.
As for herself, needless to say, no one would object to her decision, and everyone would assume that Lu Ting was her boyfriend.
Su Ruyi wasn't the type to ponder problems on her own; she called Lu Ting directly.
"Have you done something to offend me lately?"
Lu Ting was quite happy to receive the call, as Su Ruyi missed him as soon as they parted. However, upon hearing this sentence, he was dumbfounded.
"Why did you suddenly say something like that? What happened?"
Su Ruyi wasn't the kind of person to make trouble unreasonably. Although the two often joked around, it was definitely not in this tone.
Something must have happened for Su Ruyi to say that.
"Wait a minute, I'm coming to your house now."
Some things couldn't be explained over the phone, and Lu Ting wasn't one to leave problems unresolved overnight, so he insisted on coming over directly.
The two now live in the same neighborhood, so although they are both busy, they can always meet up and go on a date after work every day unless they are traveling for work.
Li Mei was quite nervous about this, fearing that they were young and impetuous and might do something wrong.
She also secretly called Su Ying and expressed her concerns.
Ms. Su Ying remained very calm and said, "They are all adults; they know what they are doing."
Especially after Su Ruyi returned home, Su Ying was even more relieved to see the changes in her.
Although she mentioned not to have children so early, she wouldn't do anything if it really resulted in someone's death.
Because Su Ruyi is already capable of taking responsibility for a life, she simply hopes that her daughter can enjoy enough freedom as a single person before considering these things, which is why she gave such advice.
After all, once a child is born, it can't be put back in, unlike other things where you can just throw it aside if you don't like it anymore, otherwise it would be a sin.
Ms. Su Ying herself only dared to do these things now after Su Ruyi grew up.
Because she no longer needs to take responsibility for Su Ruyi, even if she fails, she will be the one who is impoverished, without affecting the child.
Ms. Su Ying has always been easygoing, so when she saw that Tong Aihua wanted to return to the city, she agreed without him even asking. When two people's common goals are not aligned, there is no need to force them together.
No one is indispensable to anyone else; if there's a better path, then go for it.
All the requests Su Ying made were for Su Ruyi's sake; otherwise, she wouldn't have made them at all.
She doesn't feel like she lost out, because she already got what she wanted while they were together. She may have lost something, but she won't resent or regret it, because she will embrace a new life.
Ms. Su Ying was only hesitant about matters concerning her children; she didn't think anything else mattered, which is why she said those things to Su Ruyi.
Upon learning of Su Ying's attitude, Li Mei said nothing more.
Li Mei wasn't one to meddle in other people's business, but since Su Ruyi had come to her for help, she felt responsible for Su Ruyi.
Since Su Ying was reassured and Li Mei still trusted Lu Ting's character, they didn't bring up the matter again.
If someone dies, we can just get married.
Lu Ting arrived quickly, still smelling of soap from his recent shower.
Su Ruyi wasn't in a hurry to explain, and instead asked him if he was hiding something from her.
Su Ruyi knew a lot about Lu Ting and the people around him. The two often shared things with each other in private, whether it was about work or the people and things they had met.
Despite being a grown man, Lu Ting actually enjoys gossiping and criticizing. He initially kept it to himself, not wanting Su Ruyi to think he was being overly sentimental.
But as time goes on, their true nature is revealed.
Sometimes, venting about something or someone together can really strengthen a relationship.
Although the photo shows that the kissing scene is just a trick of perspective, the two people are actually quite close, suggesting they know each other.
Whenever a woman appeared in Lu Ting's life, he would always explain the situation to Su Ruyi. However, Su Ruyi had never seen this woman before, nor had she ever heard Lu Ting mention her.
Lu Ting was taken aback at first, then quickly realized what was happening.
"Could it be that someone is gossiping about me behind my back, saying that a girl has appeared next to me?"
Su Ruyi narrowed her eyes: "So it's true?"
“I originally wanted to confirm it before bringing it up with you, but now it seems there’s no need to confirm it anymore. That girl definitely has a problem.”
Lu Ting didn't hide anything and explained everything that had happened recently to Su Ruyi.
A few days ago, when Lu Ting was driving, someone suddenly crossed the road and was hit by Lu Ting's car, and then passed out.
Although it was the woman's fault, he couldn't ignore the situation, so he took the girl to the hospital.
"The doctor said she fainted because of low blood sugar and being frightened. Luckily, it was a turn, and I slowed down, otherwise, if she had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, who knows what might have happened."
Lu Ting was startled at the time, but luckily he turned the steering wheel in time.
So it was just a knockdown; it didn't actually hit anyone.
At first, Lu Ting thought the other party was trying to scam him, otherwise they wouldn't have suddenly rushed out like that. If he had reacted a little slower, it was very possible that someone would have died.
Unexpectedly, after the girl woke up, she not only didn't blame him, but was also very grateful to him.
"She said her family wanted her to marry a man who was almost fifty years old. When she disagreed, they locked her up and didn't give her any food. She managed to escape today, but because she was so afraid of being caught and taken back, she wasn't paying attention to the cars and gave me a fright. But because she ran into me and drove her away, her family didn't chase after her."
Su Ruyi stroked her chin: "From what you're saying, it seems like there's no problem."
Over the years, Su Ruyi and Lu Ting have helped many people, mostly women, such as the Yao sisters from Xinghua Village.
Some of the female victims rescued by the anti-trafficking team have left the places where they were imprisoned, but they are still unable to go home.
Their families didn't pity them for their suffering; instead, they felt ashamed of them and believed that once married, they had to accept their fate.
Su Ruyi and Lu Ting both tried to help these people start over, and under the same conditions, they would give priority to hiring such women.
Judging from Lu Ting's tone, he had been suspicious of this girl from the very beginning.
Lu Ting shook his head: "It's different. A girl who has her own opinions and ideas and wants to escape her predicament and be reborn doesn't have that kind of vision."
Although the girl always behaved very appropriately, her deliberate act of feigning weakness and showing off her beauty was different from that of a girl who was truly in distress.
Although Lu Ting is a straight man, it doesn't mean he doesn't understand anything.
Back when I was a black marketeer, there were plenty of people along the way who wanted to use their charms to seduce others.
Many people think that beautiful women are throwing themselves at them, but they end up being preyed upon while they're asleep. Some only get money, while others lose their lives.
Therefore, Lu Ting has always been very cautious and never underestimates anyone.
Since Lu Ting became rich, he has been surrounded by many women of all types. Just because he hadn't dated anyone before doesn't mean he's a clueless young man.
Not to mention that he now has a girlfriend and is even more knowledgeable about relationships between men and women.
Lu Ting could clearly sense the seductive aura emanating from the other party.
Imagine, how could someone who has just escaped a difficult situation and is still uncertain about the future fall in love with a stranger so quickly?
Su Ruyi laughed and said, "Why is it impossible? The story of a hero saving a beauty and a beauty falling in love with a hero has been a popular topic of conversation from ancient times to the present."
These days, how many people can afford a car? He's obviously a rich man, and tall and handsome too, so it's no wonder the little girl fell for him at first sight.
Su Ruyi was initially attracted to Lu Ting because of his good looks.
"Anyway, it's different, but I can't really explain it." Lu Ting scratched his head, unsure how to explain.
Human intuition is subtle and not without basis; it's just that sometimes we can't quite put our thoughts into action.
However, Lu Ting was not sure either, so he did not show any unusual behavior or deliberately avoid the situation, wanting to confirm his guess.
Before he could even make a move, Su Ruyi already knew the news.
"So you met with her again in private to investigate her?"
Lu Ting quickly denied it: "No, if she really had something to do, she would naturally reveal herself without me having to do anything. If she has nothing to hide, then I would have been doing something unnecessary."
"real?"
"It's both true and untrue."
"What's the meaning?"
"It's true, I didn't do anything. No, it's true, I did see her again. I was eating at a restaurant yesterday, and she was working there as a waitress. When we were leaving, she even came to my private room to thank me. But she accidentally spilled her wine and almost got it on me."
Lu Ting said with some disdain, "How can someone be so clumsy?"
When she went to express her gratitude, did she change into her own clothes?
Upon seeing the photo, Su Ruyi knew exactly where it was.
The two of them really enjoyed eating at that restaurant, not only because the food was delicious, but also because it offered a high level of privacy, making it a great place for both private gatherings and business meetings.
The service there was excellent, and the staff all wore special uniforms.
Lu Ting paused for a moment, then thought back: "It seems that I wasn't wearing a waiter's uniform."
He had been drinking a little and didn't have the habit of staring at girls, so he didn't really notice any of that.
It was precisely because of this coincidence that Lu Ting felt there was something wrong.
Upon hearing this, Su Ruyi stopped beating around the bush and took out the photo.
When Lu Ting saw it, he was so startled that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
"No, I didn't! This, how is this possible! I've never kissed anyone but you!"
Lu Ting stared intently at the two people in the photo. He had drunk some alcohol at the time, but surely he wasn't so drunk that he wouldn't know what he was doing?
But the person in the photo was indeed him. Lu Ting was speechless and couldn't explain himself.
Lu Ting felt extremely wronged, but the evidence was conclusive, and he didn't know how to defend himself.
No wonder he seemed to hear some noise that day, but when he looked outside he couldn't see anything. It turned out someone was taking pictures of him secretly!
Since nothing happened, he was puzzled but didn't take it to heart. He just became more careful and never thought that he would be secretly photographed, let alone have such a photo taken.
Lu Ting's eyes turned red with anxiety. "Impossible! I didn't do it! I really didn't do it!"
"Don't get excited, it's just a camera trick." Seeing that he was about to go crazy, Su Ruyi didn't dare to tease him anymore and quickly explained.
Lu Ting suddenly looked up. "A misaligned shot?"
"Yes, this is a technique used in photography and videography. Nowadays, many intimate scenes in TV dramas and movies are not real; they are filmed using perspective tricks. In reality, the actors are not even touching each other."
Lu Ting was still a little dazed. Normally he would have realized it long ago, but now that it was related to him, he couldn't quite process it.
"What you see may not necessarily be the truth."
Lu Ting snapped out of his daze and hugged Su Ruyi with a wronged expression.
"I was so scared! I was just wondering if I had made a mistake, or if I had just drunk too much and lost my memory."
Su Ruyi couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Why are you so guilty about something you didn't do?"
"I was just afraid you'd misunderstand."
"Am I such an unreasonable person?"
"This isn't about being unreasonable; the photos are right here, and I don't even know how to defend myself." Lu Ting was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.
"This is also to teach you a lesson. Let's see if you dare to be alone with someone in a place again in the future."
Lu Ting nodded solemnly. To put it bluntly, it still gave people an opportunity to take advantage. He usually had someone with him, but yesterday he was entertaining government leaders. Xu Dazhi, that simpleton, was not suitable for this kind of occasion, so he didn't let him come along.
Cao Fei is clever, but now that he's in charge of engineering projects, he's lacking someone who can read the room.
Lu Ting's brothers are of all kinds, but those who follow him are all straightforward and guileless.
Those with quick minds have all gone off to manage their own affairs; intelligent people are often very ambitious.
Su Ruyi knew he was sensible, so she only gave him a brief reminder and didn't dwell on the matter. Instead, she said:
"The people who did all this are after us."
Lu Ting's face darkened: "I'll send someone to find that woman and get to the bottom of this right now."
Su Ruyi shook her head: "Although that girl was involved in this matter, she only said that she knew nothing about it, and there's nothing we can do about it. We are all law-abiding citizens, we can't force a confession out of us, can we?"
"I'll find out who she is and then follow the clues."
Su Ruyi nodded, but she always felt that the person behind it was prepared and wouldn't let Lu Ting find out anything.
Sure enough, Lu Ting brought back news the next day that what the girl said was true, and even worse.
"This girl is named Shen Yan. She has a younger brother, and her family is very patriarchal. Her brother has accumulated a huge debt due to gambling, and her parents want to give her to a fifty-year-old man as his mistress to pay off his gambling debts."
Everything else was the same as what Shen Yan said, and there were no flaws.
Perhaps Shen Yan was indeed a coincidence, and was simply used by the person behind the scenes. Trying to get to her would likely be very difficult, as it would be hard to find the person behind it all.
Su Ruyi received several more photos. One showed Lu Ting carrying the girl into the hospital, and another showed Lu Ting standing anxiously at the entrance of the obstetrics and gynecology office.
Su Ruyi: ...
This even includes a TV series.
If Su Ruyi had felt betrayed by Lu Ting after seeing that photo yesterday, seeing these two photos today would definitely make her think that Lu Ting had gotten into a murder.
"If I catch the person taking the photos, I'll beat him so badly his own mother wouldn't recognize him!" Lu Ting was extremely agitated.
Even though I know it's all fake, the feeling of being watched is still very unpleasant.
Su Ruyi frowned slightly. "The person behind this definitely wants to see us fall apart, so let's just do as they wish."
"What?!"
The news of Su Ruyi and Lu Ting's conflict spread quickly.
The two had a huge argument, and Lu Ting slammed the door and left, almost causing the building to collapse.
Lu Ting was clearly furious. He drove away late at night and went to drink with his buddies.
Su Ruyi looked terrible the next day, with red and swollen eyes.
Wang Huiting asked cautiously, "Big sister, what happened between you and your husband?"
"It's nothing. Couples always argue. Kids shouldn't pry into adults' business."
After finishing her sentence, Su Ruyi ignored Wang Huiting and went to the TV station to discuss the new program.
Aside from that argument, the two haven't had any major fights since, but they've also stopped going out together, indicating they've entered a cold war.
Whenever anyone asked, they all said the two of them were fine, but anyone with eyes could see that they were definitely not fine.
Lu Ting's advertisements are still running on the program that Su Ruyi invested in, and their collaborative projects are still ongoing. Su Ruyi is already planning the food street project, but the two don't communicate much in private, and when they meet, it's all business.
After they finished speaking, they each went their separate ways.
Since Lu Ting got together with Su Ruyi, whenever they were both in the provincial capital, Lu Ting would decline all his evening social engagements. If he couldn't refuse, he would go home before 10 p.m.
But now he's just like before he was in a relationship, often going out drinking.
But if you ask them what's wrong, they'll say they're fine and nothing's wrong.
This situation lasted for more than half a month, and there was still no improvement; in fact, the relationship became even more distant.
Although neither of them mentioned it, if things continued like this, they would break up.
Unfortunately, they are all very opinionated people, and outsiders can't get a word in edgewise. As soon as someone starts talking, they are quickly silenced.
Tired of being nagged, the two of them simply went on a business trip to another city.
When Su Ruyi returned to Liulin County, the denim fabric produced by the textile factory met her standards in both quality and price, so she decided to cooperate with them.
The textile factory had already produced several batches, but none of them met Su Ruyi's requirements, either because the cost was too high or the quality was too poor.
Su Ruyi rejected them all. She was a businesswoman; a little support was acceptable, but her interests couldn't be sacrificed entirely.
Seeing her resolute attitude, the textile factory realized that she was not someone who would compromise, so they could only further optimize the process, and it wasn't until now that they had finally spun the fabric that Su Ruyi needed.
Prior to this, Su Ruyi hired a designer at a high salary to design and create a series of denim clothing.
The overall concept is to be more youthful and energetic.
In the next phase, denim apparel will become a key product for Ruyi Apparel to promote.
Compared to traditional denim, this batch of denim from the textile factory is softer and more comfortable to wear.
"Ruyi, come and see our textile factory's latest research results!" Zeng Guoqin said excitedly.
Zeng Guoqin has now returned to the power center of the textile factory, becoming the deputy factory director in charge of sales.
Because of Zeng Guoqin, Su Ruyi's cooperation with the textile factory became more harmonious.
Su Ruyi's eyes lit up when she saw the fabric, and after touching it, she exclaimed in surprise, "It's stretchy?"
"Yes! There are almost no denim fabrics in China with such great elasticity, so we definitely have an advantage in this area."
Stretch denim fabric, when made into trousers, better accentuates a woman's curves, and even when fully covered, it won't feel uncomfortable.
"Godmother, you've really given me a wonderful surprise!"
Zeng Guoqin sighed, "Our textile factory has always been learning and reforming, and we don't want to follow in the footsteps of other factories."
In recent years, textile factories across the country have faced tremendous challenges, with many old factories closing down, which has made the leadership of textile factories feel a great sense of urgency.
They strive to keep up with the times and do not want to be left behind by the times.
Although there are still many problems within the textile factory, it has been working hard on product development, and no one dares to lag behind in this area.
Su Ruyi is a window; once Ruyi Clothing gains a reputation, it will also boost their sales.
“I’ve watched all the shows you invested in, and they’re really good. Some people in the factory used to think you were making a fuss, but after watching those shows, they were speechless.”
Su Ruyi's investment acumen silenced the doubters.
"Happy Club" has become a phenomenal program and is very popular in small counties. Everyone can recite the advertising slogans from memory.
Everyone knows that Su Ruyi has this publicity department now, and they are paying more attention to her needs than before.
After finalizing the contract with the textile factory, Su Ruyi returned to Old Li's house.
She has now returned to the county and is still living in Old Li's house; that room was specially reserved for her.
Old Li originally intended to give the room and the storefront outside to Su Ruyi, but Su Ruyi firmly refused.
So Old Li decided that they would not charge rent for either of these places from now on, and let Su Ruyi treat it as her home in Liulin County.
Su Ruyi did not refuse, as it would only make the family uneasy.
For the past two years, Li Yunyao has been taking clothes from Su Ruyi's factory to sell, with Su Ruyi guaranteeing that she can take the goods first and then pay later.
Li Yunyao always settled accounts very promptly, worked very hard, and kept running around, earning a lot of money.
Li Xiaobao and Li Niannian are now well-fed and chubby, and you can't tell that they suffered before.
Li Yunyao was home today, which was rare for her. After dinner, she went to talk to Su Ruyi.
"Ruyi, I want to move to the provincial capital with my parents and two children."
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