Lin Qingtong's heart tightened as she heard Jiang Hao's next words on the other end of the phone.
"Grandpa is missing, please come back quickly."
At first, Lin Qingtong was a little nervous, but after she stood up, she suddenly realized that something was wrong.
She kept scrolling through the surveillance footage on her phone and discovered that before leaving, the old man of the Shen family had told Madam Jiang that he was going to visit someone, and then got into his car.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, Jiang Hao continued to put on an act.
"Come back quickly and check on Grandpa. If anything happens to him, you just wait."
Lin Qingtong crossed her arms and scoffed, "Could your acting skills be any worse?"
"Have you forgotten that there are security cameras in the house? I can see exactly what happened before."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Hao on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and spoke.
"Whether Grandpa is alright or not, you better come back right now!"
Lin Qingtong's lips curled into a mocking smile as she directly refused.
"Dream on. The more you act like that, the less I'll go back."
She recalled the scene when Jiang Hao brought Lin Jiaorui home, and her heart filled with coldness.
Why should I listen to Jiang Hao and insist on going home? Nothing good is coming my way.
Jiang Hao, who was on the other end of the phone, seemed unable to win the argument with Lin Qingtong, so he softened his tone and pleaded.
"Come back quickly, I need to talk to you about something. We're husband and wife after all, can't we talk things out?"
A glint flashed in Lin Qingtong's eyes. Her tone, equally indifferent, returned as she answered.
"I'm still at work. We'll talk when I get back."
She hung up the phone and sat back down to continue drawing the design, but her mind was in turmoil.
Jiang Hao called me back. What did he want? Could something have really happened?
Not long after, Jiang Hao called again.
Lin Qingtong initially didn't want to accept the offer, but then she thought that she had to handle the matter properly, otherwise, it wouldn't be good to keep making a fuss.
So Lin Qingtong answered the phone and put it aside.
Jiang Hao's exasperated voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Lin Qingtong, you better come back right now. How can a married woman keep showing her face in public like this?"
"As long as you come back soon, the divorce is negotiable."
Lin Qingtong gave a cold laugh. What makes this person think she doesn't want a divorce?
In reality, she couldn't wait to divorce Jiang Hao and live a free and unrestrained life.
Jiang Hao insisted on completing the investment before agreeing to a divorce, but it didn't matter. After I collected all the evidence and destroyed his cooperation, it would be the same.
"I'm not going back, and don't call again."
Lin Qingtong hung up the phone immediately, then suddenly noticed a gaze falling on her.
She looked up and saw Shen Tinghe staring intently at her from inside the office.
Seeing this, she felt a surge of interest, cupped her cheek with her fingers, looked at Shen Tinghe, and gave him a charming smile.
"Mr. Shen, why are you staring at me like that?"
Shen Tinghe calmly withdrew his gaze and replied, "Come in."
Inside the Jiang family villa, Jiang Hao dialed Lin Qingtong's number again, but no one answered.
He instantly realized that the other party had blocked him.
Jiang Hao paced angrily around the villa, intending to go to the company to find Lin Qingtong.
Just then, his phone kept ringing, and Shen Tinghe's name popped up on the screen.
Jiang Hao was taken aback. Why was his uncle calling him at this time?
But he still answered the phone.
As soon as the call connected, Shen Tinghe casually uttered a sentence.
"The cooperation can continue to move forward."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Hao's face was filled with ecstatic joy, and his entire face turned red with excitement.
He looked at Madam Jiang beside him, who was gesturing excitedly.
"Uncle, don't worry, I will deliver the information to you in a timely manner."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Hao excitedly shared the news with his wife.
Upon hearing this, the other person immediately clapped their hands happily on the spot, their eyebrows and eyes beaming with joy.
"That's great! As long as your uncle is willing to invest in your company, our family's assets will multiply several times over. Son, you're amazing!"
Jiang Hao's smile grew even brighter after receiving praise from Madam Jiang, and he was filled with pride.
The two were envisioning a bright future when Shen Tinghe, on the other end of the phone, hung up, slowly turned his head, and looked at Lin Qingtong with deep eyes.
"Are you satisfied now? When are you moving in?"
Lin Qingtong's almond-shaped eyes sparkled with a bright and dazzling light as she smiled charmingly.
"Let me see when would be a good time."
She stood up and slowly backed away, then added, "But I don't think I have time to move there right now."
Lin Qingtong left the office with a cheerful stride and went to a crowded place.
Seeing this, a hint of helplessness flashed across Shen Tinghe's eyes. He had fallen for Lin Qingtong's trick again.
Lin Qingtong walked around outside for a while before returning home, where she sat down and began drawing design drafts.
She was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even notice Lin Jiaorui watching her from not far behind.
Lin Jiaorui clenched her fists, cursing inwardly: "I can't even get in touch with that unreliable guy. Now I can only rely on my own methods to come up with a good design."
Then, a cold smile appeared on her lips as she dialed a number and spoke pitifully.
"Mom, you have to help me this time."
Lin Qingtong was unaware of everything Lin Jiaorui had done; she only received a phone call from her mother, Su Wanjun, when she was leaving get off work.
As soon as the call connected, Su Wanjun's earnest voice came through.
"Tongtong, I'm sorry about what happened before. Please don't be angry with your mother. Are you free to come home for dinner tonight? I'll make your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs."
Lin Qingtong sat there with her eyes lowered, not pointing out what Su Wanjun had said, but simply smiled and agreed.
"Okay, I'll be right back."
The person who likes sweet and sour pork ribs the most is not her, but Lin Jiaorui.
Lin Qingtong felt a bitter taste rise in her mouth, but she quickly suppressed it.
It doesn't matter, as long as it's made by Mom.
My mother took meticulous care of me from childhood to adulthood, and everything was normal.
But everything changed dramatically when her father openly brought Lin Jiaorui and her daughter back.
From then on, it seemed that nothing Lin Qingtong did went smoothly, and she always encountered many setbacks. Her mother also stopped understanding and protecting her.
Based on her achievements a few years ago, she could easily have become an internationally renowned designer.
But her mother insisted on forcing her to get married, threatening to kill herself if she didn't.
She tried to resist, but seeing her mother lying there, her body covered in medical equipment, barely clinging to life, she was overwhelmed with heartache.
Despite her outward strength and excellence, she couldn't bear to go against her mother's wishes.
Lin Qingtong packed her things, put on her high heels, and left the company with a cool and aloof expression, returning to the Lin family home.
The moment Lin Qingtong stepped into the Lin family home, she saw her mother busy in the kitchen.
Lin Jiaorui sat on the living room sofa, watching TV while giving Su Wanjun orders without any politeness.
"I want to drink water."
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