Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Magic Failed
That morning, Cheng Yin's phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number: "Hello Ms. Cheng, this is Anna from the headhunting firm Kelly Services. I'd like to discuss a CFO position with you. Is this a convenient time?"
Cheng Yin frowned and replied, "Where did you get the contact information?"
The other party quickly replied: "Your former supervisor at Ernst & Young recommended you, saying that you performed exceptionally well during your time at Ernst & Young."
Cheng Yin hesitated for a moment, then scheduled a phone call for the next morning.
It was late at night, and Li Yaodong had not returned.
Cheng Yin lay in bed, listening to the ticking of the wall clock. This was the first time Li Yaodong had stayed out all night since returning from Siam.
No text messages, no phone calls, it was as if she had suddenly disappeared from her world.
The headhunter called right on time the next day.
The other party introduced a position as the CFO of a company called Wushan Technology, with an annual salary 50% higher than my current one.
Before ending the call, the headhunter said enthusiastically, "Mr. Li speaks very highly of you!"
Cheng Yin's fingers froze: "Mr. Li?"
"Ah, it's from the Li Group..." The headhunter seemed to realize he'd let something slip and quickly corrected himself, "Anyway, we'd love to hear your resume!"
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Yin sat on the edge of the bed, sunlight streaming through the gauze curtains onto her pale face.
Was Lai Yiu-tung arranging for her to leave? Was it because of the tax bureau matter? Or... was it because of that statement that the debt had been cleared?
My phone vibrated; it was an email from Lin Shirong: "The quarterly report has been delayed; it can be completed this week."
Cheng Yin replied "Received," hesitated for a moment, and then sent another message: "Where is Li Yaodong?"
A reply was delayed. It wasn't until evening that Lin Shirong finally replied briefly: "On a business trip, return date uncertain."
Cheng Yin walked into the dressing room and found that Li Yaodong was missing several suits and his usual suitcase.
Was he really away on a business trip? Or... was he deliberately avoiding her?
The headhunter called again, this time with an offer from a listed company in Yingzhou, with even more favorable terms.
Listening to the numbers and benefits, Cheng Yin suddenly asked, "Was this arranged by Li Yaodong?"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone: "Ms. Cheng, this opportunity is really suitable for you..."
Cheng Yin hung up the phone, walked to the liquor cabinet, and poured herself a glass of whiskey. The amber liquid swirled in the glass, like her chaotic thoughts at that moment.
Why did Li Yaodong do this? If he wanted her to leave, wouldn't he have just said so? Why go through all the trouble of arranging for a headhunter?
She put down her wine glass, opened her laptop, and began organizing her resume.
The sound of the door lock turning suddenly rang out.
Cheng Yin looked up and saw Li Yaodong standing in the doorway, his suit wrinkled and his eyes bloodshot. He looked exhausted, as if he had just gone through a long journey.
"You're back." Cheng Yin closed her laptop.
Li Yaodong's gaze swept over her notebook, his lips tightening: "Busy?"
"I'm working on my resume," Cheng Yin said calmly. "A headhunter contacted me."
Li Yaodong took off his coat and tossed it onto the sofa. "Good news." He walked to the liquor cabinet, poured himself a glass of wine, and asked, "When is the interview?"
"Next week." Cheng Yin watched him tilt his head back to drink, his Adam's apple bobbing as the liquor slid down his throat. "You know about this?"
Li Yaodong put down his wine glass, his eyes cold: "What?"
"A headhunter." Cheng Yin looked him straight in the eye. "Did you arrange this?"
Li Yaodong's expression remained unchanged: "Why should I make arrangements?" He sneered, "The debts are cleared; you can leave whenever you want."
These words were like a knife, piercing Cheng Yin's heart with pinpoint accuracy. She pursed her lips: "I understand."
Li Yaodong turned and walked towards the bathroom: "Get some rest." The sound of water soon began, cutting off their last conversation.
The bathroom door opened, and Li Yaodong emerged, steaming from the water, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Water droplets slid down his chest, and the gunshot wound on his shoulder blade had scabbed over, leaving a gruesome scar.
Cheng Yin recalled how he comforted her even though he was trembling with pain at the clinic in Siam.
"Does the injury... still hurt?" she asked softly.
Li Yaodong picked up his pajamas, turned his back to her, and put them on: "It doesn't hurt." His tone was as indifferent as if he were talking about the weather.
Cheng Yin's fingers tightened around the corner of the blanket: "The headhunter said it was you who recommended him."
Li Yaodong paused in buttoning his shirt. "Um, it was nothing." He pulled up his pants, picked up his phone, and said, "I have things to do at the company. You go to sleep."
"Li Yaodong," Cheng Yin called out to him, "If this is what you want..."
"What I want isn't important," Li Yaodong interrupted her, his voice low. "What matters is your choice." He turned and walked towards the door. "Goodnight."
The door closed, and Cheng Yin sat on the bed, listening to his footsteps fade into the distance.
She knew very well that Li Yaodong wouldn't be coming back tonight, just as she knew who was behind those headhunter calls.
As the morning light streamed through the curtains, Cheng Yin had already packed her luggage.
She didn't take any of the luxury goods that Li Yaodong gave her. They were neatly hung in her walk-in closet, like museum exhibits—beautiful but lifeless.
My phone lit up with a text message from a headhunter: "Ms. Cheng, the HR director of Vanke Yingzhou would like to meet with you today. Is that convenient?"
Cheng Yin replied "Okay" and put down her phone.
Outside the window, the sky over Haojiang was a clear, bright blue, without a trace of gloom.
The doorbell rang. Cheng Yin opened the door; it was the deliveryman: "Ms. Cheng, your documents."
Cheng Yin looked at the letter and thought of the unsigned gifts in the dressing room and office.
L could be either Lam Sai Wing or Lai Yiu Tung.
But now, that doesn't matter anymore.
She picked up her phone and dialed the headhunter's number: "I accept the offer. I'll go to Yingzhou tomorrow."
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Yin looked around the mansion, the home that belonged to Li Yaodong. It used to be like a magnificent cage, but now it was so empty that it made her feel uneasy.
The phone rang again. This time it was Xu Chen: "The sixth installment payment has been transferred ahead of schedule, so I can pay a little more next month."
Cheng Yin looked at the text message and suddenly smiled.
Xu Chen is trying to pay off her debts, while Li Yaodong is trying to push her away; everyone is doing what they believe is right.
She was the only one standing at the crossroads, unsure of which way to go.
But she will leave because that's what Lai Yiu-tung wants.
Cheng Yin picked up her luggage and took one last look at the room.
Sunlight shines on the diamond necklace, refracting into colorful spots, like a fleeting and illusory dream.
The door closed very quietly, almost inaudibly.
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