The last thing I regret
Li Jia stretched her arms, her smile fading slightly: "I've traveled to many places and cities, going around in circles, working, earning money, saving money, and finally chose to open a shop in H City, closer to you all."
"Then why don't you contact us?"
Li Jia was silent for a moment, then said half-jokingly, "I'm afraid I won't be able to make it on my own and I won't have the face to see you. I'm also afraid I won't be able to help but rely on you again. When we were little, Duan Peng and I would run to you whenever we were bullied. We got used to looking for you. Now that we're grown up, we feel that we still have to rely on ourselves."
She sighed, and said with a hint of bitterness, "Ah, actually, I've always felt guilty about what happened back then..."
Nanqi nudged her arm. "Seriously? What are you blaming yourself for?"
"So many," Li Jia said, lowering her head, her eyes filled with guilt. "If I hadn't told you anything back then, none of this trouble would have happened..."
"Stop. According to your logic, you might as well say that I would be better off if you hadn't met me."
"Go away, would your childhood have been any more colorful without me?"
Nanqi was amused and nudged her again, "That's settled then! Stop with the sentimental stuff, you're not that kind of person."
"Tch~" Li Jia pursed her lips, somewhat speechless.
"Besides, you were just a victim in that incident. In the end, I was the one who caused your brother's leg injury. I kicked him because of myself. You forgot how nasty the things he said to me were, so I was destined to not be able to stop myself from kicking him."
"Do you regret helping me?" Li Jia looked at her intently and asked softly.
Without thinking, Nanqi blurted out, "Of course not! My biggest regret is that we weren't prepared enough. If we had called a car to wait by the roadside beforehand, we wouldn't have missed that chance to escape."
Li Jia's nose suddenly stung with tears. She looked at Nan Qi, paused for a long time, and then said in a hoarse voice, "My biggest regret is that I didn't run away sooner. By tolerating the harm my family did to me, they not only hurt me, but also you..."
“That day, in my yard, my dad beat you, he beat you so badly… For the first time in my life, I resented my family so much. I hated my dad, I hated my mom, I hated my brother, and I hated myself even more!”
She lowered her head, her eyes no longer looking at Nanqi, her voice becoming even more choked: "Duan Peng, he was clearly the weakest of the three of us, yet he dared to rush out to protect you. But what about me? I could only cower in the room, watching you get beaten. For a long time, I didn't know how to face you, or even how to face myself."
Seeing her tearful appearance, Nanqi put her arm around her shoulder and teased her in a lighthearted manner, "Who told you not to eat properly when you were little? You were as skinny as a bean sprout, and your arms and legs weren't even as thick as your mother's. If you dare to rush out, not only will you not be able to protect me, but you will also boost your father's morale, and he might even whip me a few more times."
Li Jia laughed at her words, raising her hand to wipe the tears from the corner of her eyes: "That's why I realized that people have to become strong themselves. So I ran away, and I'll never go back to that home again."
"You can come out if you want, but why do you have to avoid me? If you can't get over your little schemes, are you planning to hide from me forever?"
"No~" Li Jia said with a wronged look, "You were so badly injured back then, even if I'm shy, the first thing I thought of after I got out was to go see you. I guessed you would be recuperating at Song Zhao's place, but when I thought about the two of you together, I felt like I was superfluous. Now that I think about it, my feeling was really right."
She winked, her tone full of teasing.
"So you ran away from home so early?"
"Hmm, what's wrong?"
Nanqi patted her shoulder and said in a somewhat old-fashioned way, "I am so pleased!"
Li Jia glanced at her and continued, "Although I hesitated for a while, I still went to that neighborhood not long after. I happened to see Song Zhao go in that day, and I also saw your bicycle. Knowing that you have her taking care of you, I felt relieved and didn't go in to disturb you."
"She really took good care of me."
Sigh, she was only back for a day, no, less than an hour, and you still managed to catch her…
"After you left, did your parents look for you?" Nanqi continued to ask.
“Yes, they teamed up with all my relatives to look for me. Before, I would hide whenever they found me, and change cities or jobs. But now it's different. If they dare to come looking for me, I'll just call the police. Let's see who can outlast whom. Anyway, I owe them nothing now.”
"Hahaha!" Nanqi clapped her hands and cheered, "Hearing you say that makes me feel much better!!"
Li Jia changed the subject, saying, "By the way, did you receive the flowers I sent you while you were in the hospital?"
"You sent the flowers?!"
"Of course it's me, who else do you think it is!"
How did you know which hospital and which ward I was in?
"Have you forgotten my skills?" Li Jia said smugly.
"Oh, right, you're a master at finding out things. It's a shame you're not a paparazzi."
"I wouldn't do that, it's so annoying." Li Jia snorted, then suddenly remembered something and said angrily, "When those people online were cursing Song Zhao, I even argued with them for several days!"
"So, did you win the argument?"
Li Jia looked dejected and aggrieved, saying, "No, there are just too many people attacking me. Every time I reply, hundreds of people swarm me and hurl insults..."
"You didn't even win the argument, so what else is there to say?" Nanqi said with a look of disgust.
“I may not have made any great contributions, but I certainly put in a lot of effort!” Li Jia retorted indignantly. “You only look at the results, but you should also pay attention to the process.”
"Yes, yes, thank you for your hard work. How about I treat you to a movie as a reward?"
"That's more like it!" Li Jia's face immediately lit up with a smile. "I'm driving, so I'll take you for a drive after the movie!"
That afternoon, Nanqi and Li Jia went to see "Despicable Me." They ate popcorn and drank iced cola, laughing from beginning to end.
As the party ended, Nanqi looked at Li Jia, whose face was still beaming with smiles, and suddenly felt a little sorry that Duan Peng had gone back to school. If he saw how Li Jia looked now, he would definitely be proud of her too. The three of them could get together and go sing karaoke, just like when they were kids.
Before she knew it, it was that time of year again when she was so busy she barely had time to breathe. Nanqi had been racking her brains for reasons to ask for leave these past few days, but every time she went to Li Li, Li Li would always manage to bring up the video first, leaving her unable to utter a single word of leave.
Tomorrow we'll be hosting clients from that multinational corporation, so Li Li held a meeting with their middle management team beforehand.
"The company leaders from Vitoria are here this time, so everyone is on high alert..."
Nanqi's hand holding the pen suddenly stopped, and she froze.
Vitoria, my father-in-law! What a coincidence…
After the meeting, she rushed to the front desk to check the registration list, and Song Hui's name was prominently listed, followed by a string of tongue-twisting foreign names.
"What's the panic? He doesn't know me. Just treat him like a regular customer. Stay calm." Nanqi took a deep breath and encouraged herself.
After preparing herself mentally, she went to reorganize the security team.
The next day at noon, the hotel entrance was quite impressive. Security guards in uniform stood ramrod straight on both sides; reception staff were already in place, impeccably made up, ready to guide guests at any moment. For safety, each reception group was led by two receptionists, with the guests in the middle and two security guards bringing up the rear for security.
As expected, the guests were all important figures. As the group went in and out, their company's publicity staff followed behind with cameras, constantly taking pictures.
When Song Hui got out of the car, everyone's eyes fell on him. He was wearing a well-tailored black suit, had a tall and straight figure, and walked with a brisk pace. He looked to be at least 1.9 meters tall, much taller than the people following him.
His eyes and brows were sharp as knives, and he exuded a coldness that kept strangers at bay. Unlike the handsome and gentle "good man" image on TV, he was always serious and unsmiling in real life, giving people a sense of superiority and pressure.
Nanqi recalled Song Zhao's description of him, and thought about how Song Zhao faced such a cold and hard face every day during her adolescence. It was already quite an achievement that she didn't grow into a rebellious and eccentric problem girl. Yet she still worked so hard to become so outstanding. She was truly amazing!
"Mr. Song, this way please." Li Li personally greeted him, a perfectly timed smile on her face, and exchanged pleasantries with Song Hui. Accompanying her was Yu Xin, the "face" of the Vance Hotel, who, wearing nearly 20-centimeter high heels, could barely meet Song Hui's gaze.
Nanqi followed at the back, not saying a word, afraid that her father-in-law would suddenly turn around and say something to her. Fortunately, Song Hui didn't turn around or pay any attention to her.
"Wow, he's so much more handsome in person than on TV!" As soon as she saw the group into the conference room, Yu Xin excitedly grabbed Nan Qi's arm and shook it.
Nanqi glanced at her sideways, looking unconvinced. He thought to himself: Of course, if he wasn't handsome, how could he have fathered such a beautiful wife like me?
"Captain Zhang, do you have a celebrity in your family now? You don't even feel anything for business elites anymore?" Yu Xin joked.
Nanqi shrugged, somewhat disappointed, and said, "What's the point of a working-class person looking at a rich man? He's not going to give me any money."
Yu Xin reluctantly let go, pouting and sighing, "Look at my brain, I forgot you're not into handsome guys. Talking to you like this is like casting pearls before swine."
As the two chatted and laughed, they turned back to the door to prepare to welcome the next group of guests.
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