In mid-October, several autumn rains fell in succession, and the weather turned cool.
Mrs. Zhao did not come to the coffee shop again. Xue Qiandai sent her two messages, but she did not reply.
At noon on the 20th, Zhao Jiening casually came to find Lan Shan to have lunch together, and Xue Qiandai then conscripted Miss Zhao. "Lan Shan, please help me order some takeout from Sanfen Huotuan. It's on me. Can I borrow your girlfriend?"
With that, Xue Qiandai shoved the person into the booth.
Zhao Jiening tossed her terraced hair, clearly resistant, "I don't want takeout. Miss Xue, when you ask someone for a favor, you should have the right attitude. I want a fancy meal."
Xue Qiandai pressed down on her shoulder, preventing her from getting up. "Miss Zhao, it's noon now. How can you have so much time for a big meal? For business people, time is life and efficiency is money, so takeout is the way to go."
Zhao Jiening stood up, but Xue Qiandai pushed her back down. "Isn't it romantic to eat takeout with your loved one? I'll only ask you a few questions, and then you'll be free, plus you'll get a free takeout meal!"
Zhao Jiening pouted, "Who cares?"
Lan Shan brought over two cups of coffee and placed them on the table. "Jie Ning, please help Dai Dai. She's been sighing and complaining for days."
Lan Shan was a meticulous person; she could always find something in the slightest clues. "For my boyfriend's sake," Zhao Jiening reluctantly agreed, "Go ahead and tell me."
“Miss Zhao, what has your stepmother been up to lately? She hasn’t replied to my messages.”
Zhao Jiening chuckled, "I didn't realize you and my stepmother got along so well. My dad took her on a trip. They should be back in the next couple of days."
This was good news, and Xue Qiandai felt a little relieved. "Um, Miss Zhao, could you take me to see Aunt Zhao?"
Zhao Jiening looked troubled. "I heard from my housekeeper that my stepmother is going back to the nursing home, which is inconvenient."
Mrs. Zhao once said that she didn't like nursing homes and didn't want to see a psychologist.
"Are visitors not allowed to visit the sanatorium?"
Zhao Jiening rolled her eyes. "The people living there are all either very rich or very powerful, or... leaders. The privacy is quite good."
Xue Qiandai was very frustrated and kept stirring her coffee with her spoon.
Zhao Jiening suddenly revealed a sly look, "I have an idea for you, ask my brother to take you in, he will definitely have a way."
She even created opportunities for her own brother to play minor roles!
Xue Qiandai pondered for a moment, then sneezed. Damn the weather, she was starting to feel like she was catching a cold.
Everything needs to be considered carefully.
*
Xue Qiandai was indeed ill.
When Huo Meiren learned of this, she took her to her villa in Yosemite and took care of her personally. However, she remained sickly.
That night, Xue Qiandai went to bed early, feeling drowsy. In the middle of the night, she had a dream in which she fell into an abyss, and her mother reached out to pull her out, but the gravity was too great, and she couldn't hold on.
The mother's face was blurry and indistinct; only her slightly downturned eyes glistened with tears. Then that face transformed into Madam Zhao's.
"Mom!" Xue Qiandai suddenly sat up, panting heavily, her forehead covered in sweat.
Huo Yunchao was startled awake by her. He turned on the light and saw the girl, who looked as frightened as a fawn. He was used to her unrestrained and flamboyant manner, but seeing her so helpless now broke his heart.
"Dai Dai, did you have a nightmare?"
Xue Qiandai gripped his arm, her nails digging into his skin. Still shaken, she feigned composure: "My beauty, I...I'm fine. Go to sleep."
Huo Yunchao touched her head; thankfully, it wasn't hot, though her face was flushed. He then pulled her down to lie in his arms.
In the darkness, Xue Qiandai stared at the ceiling, counting sheep. When she heard even breathing beside her, she tiptoed out of bed, threw on a robe, and went into the study next door. She turned on the light, took out paper and pen from the drawer, and began to draw.
Her usual drawings are cartoonish, and she wanted to draw her mother's face based on the photo Li Shen provided. However, as she drew, the face overlapped with Madam Zhao's.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking that since they were sisters, they must have some similarities. After finishing the drawing, she held it in her hand and examined it carefully.
It was already 2 a.m. But she couldn't contain her excitement and picked up her phone to dial Zhao Jiequn's number.
A roar came from the other end of the phone from Zhao Jiequn. "F**k, I'm sleeping in the middle of the night! Who's so rude as to disturb my peaceful dreams?"
So this is how Young Master Zhao gets angry.
Xue Qiandai covered her ears, holding the phone a long way off. "It's me."
She was sick, and her voice sounded different; it was hoarse and had a lot of character.
Zhao Jiequn realized something and asked, "Dai...Dai Dai? What's wrong?"
"I want to see your stepmother."
Can you act as a go-between?
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a voice said, "Okay, I'll take care of it."
Xue Qiandai smiled, and the corners of her mouth finally curved into a beautiful arc.
However, the smile froze on her lips. She saw Huo Meiren leaning against the doorway, like a peony lazily blooming in spring.
She suddenly crumpled the painting on the table into a ball and threw it into the trash can.
Then she stretched out her hands and, as if in a dreamlike zombie bride, walked toward the bedroom.
Huo Yunchao approached her and picked her up in his arms. "Good Dai Dai, get some rest."
Xue Qiandai didn't dare to say anything and let him do as he pleased. Because she had received Zhao Jiequn's promise, she felt relieved and slept very well afterwards.
The next day, Huo Yunchao got up early, went to his study, and retrieved the only crumpled piece of paper from the clean trash can. Looking at the person on the paper, he seemed lost in thought.
Huo Yunchao turned on the computer on his desk and immediately started searching for information about Madam Zhao. However, after searching with all the keywords, including "Zhao Sheng's first wife," he found only a few fragments of information online.
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