A burning pain shot through her face, and her whole body went numb and dazed. She stood silently by the river for a long time. After a struggle with her thoughts, she wiped away her tears and went to the Dream Capital Residence. She walked around the empty room a few times.
She walked clumsily to the mirror, the red finger marks still on her face. She turned on the cold water and tried to wash them off, but she couldn't get them off. She pretended to calm down and went to the dressing table to carefully apply makeup while looking in the mirror.
She applied makeup to her bruised and red cheeks until she was satisfied, then put on bright lipstick and changed into a dress she liked before she was willing to go out.
Wearing high heels, she felt extremely uncomfortable. She didn't know if being with him was the right choice, and perhaps she really needed time to get used to being by his side.
She knew he had been very busy these past few days, and from his daily reports, she could tell that he had been staying in Nancheng. However, she still didn't want to call him first, and came to Yunshang Garment Company with a sad and hazy heart.
When she arrived at the company reception, she was stopped, and a young woman politely asked:
"Hello, who are you looking for? Please do not enter if you are not a company employee."
She smiled slightly, pursing her lips: "I'm looking for Lin Moxiao."
"Are you talking about General Manager Lin?" the man asked.
"Yes, find him."
"Okay, please wait a moment, I'll call the office." He looked up and asked again, "May I ask your surname?"
"My surname is Jiang," she replied.
A moment later, the man smiled and gestured for her to wait in his office.
As before, those people stared at her with a chilling intensity that made her feel uneasy.
When she arrived at his office again, a refined-looking young man brought her a cup of coffee.
"Hello, I'm Assistant Lin. Please wait here a moment; he's in a meeting and will be right there."
She politely accepted the coffee, and the boy quickly left. She stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing into the distance, and suddenly realized why she had come to find him, and what she should say to him. Should she ask him if he was still willing to marry her?
Was she going to vent about what happened today to him? Was she trying to gain his sympathy? What was she doing? In a panic, she put the half-finished coffee back down.
She was both panicked and heartbroken. The breakdown of her family ties and the loss of her marriage made her desperately need a safe haven. Clearly, this wasn't the place for her. She thought it shouldn't be. After a few seconds of hesitation, she opened the door and walked out without a second thought. Her inner unease made her urgently need a quiet place to heal, but this was definitely not it.
"Shuya, Shuya."
As she walked down the corridor in the company, Lin Moxiao called out to her. She stopped, turned around to look at him, and forced a smile.
He rushed to her: "Shuya, why didn't you call before you arrived? Did you miss me these past few days?"
As he spoke, he grabbed her wrist, wanting to pull her into his arms.
"Don't be like that, they're all watching. I'm fine, you can go back to your work."
Jiang Shuya straightened his shirt and tie and noticed that he looked much more haggard, with obvious dark circles under his eyes. She tried her best to appear natural.
Seeing her initiative to make friends, Lin Moxiao was delighted and said in a childlike tone;
"You didn't reply to a single message I sent you, which dealt an unprecedented blow to my pride. You have to make it up to me when we get home tonight."
Jiang Shuya blushed instantly upon hearing this:
"Okay, that's fine. Go ahead and get busy. Don't keep them waiting. I have other things to do."
She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm, staring into her eyes: "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Lin Moxiao always felt that she wasn't simply thinking about him, but had something else on her mind.
"You're all dressed up so nicely today, are you really alright?"
Meeting his deep, affectionate gaze, Jiang Shuya suppressed her pounding heart and said nonchalantly:
"I'm really fine, I'm okay. I just wanted to come see you. I had a nightmare last night, and you weren't here, so I just wanted to come and check on you."
At this moment, the assistant walked over:
"Mr. Lin, Mr. Xu is waiting for you in his office."
Watching Jiang Shuya's departing figure, Lin Moxiao felt an indescribable sadness in his heart.
She clearly has something on her mind, but she won't tell me. Am I really that untrustworthy to you?
As Jiang Shuya emerged from the building, she calculated her remaining balance. After the demolition, she had invested one million in the restaurant, given two hundred thousand to Li Dalan, and transferred six hundred thousand to Huang Minghao. She only had less than one hundred thousand left, but thankfully, she could afford to go on a trip.
Upon arriving at the store, I packed a few clothes, took my luggage, and planned a long trip.
She found Sun Qi and told her about her plans. She didn't want others to know that she was going on a long trip. She currently has three stores with a stable customer flow. She posts the updated menu for the next day outside the stores in advance every day to attract the curiosity of more residents in the surrounding area. She also makes improvements according to their preferences. Soon, Sun Qi found that many parents brought their children to the stores to sign up for membership cards. The children would come directly to the stores to swipe their cards and dine as soon as they got out of school.
Jiang Shuya stared wide-eyed at the enormous daily food expenses in her hand; "We have to make hundreds of different dishes every day, can we really sell them all?"
Sun Qi nodded and scratched his nose:
"Some of our most popular dishes can only be sold for one meal; by the afternoon, there's hardly anything left. But we don't make large batches. Sister Hui's team has always refused to cook in large quantities, insisting on cooking each dish individually, which is the most tiring for them. So, I gave them a larger bonus these past two months."
"Of course, let's do it her way. I'm a layman when it comes to cooking, so I'm not qualified to comment. I have no objection to giving them a raise." Jiang Shuya said, realizing she was getting hungry. Ever since returning from Lin Moxiao's place, she had been planning where to go for a trip.
Sun Qi rubbed his hands together, looking a little nervous. Jiang Shuya had already picked up the tray, selected a few dishes, and started eating.
"Sister-in-law, um, I have something to tell you. I heard Huang Tao is back, but I haven't seen him yet. Because of the demolition, his father seems to have contacted him, and I'm afraid he'll retaliate. You have to be careful lately."
Upon hearing this name, Jiang Shuya nearly dropped her chopsticks, her eyes widening in shock.
"Shouldn't the Jiangdao Public Security Bureau arrest him? We should call the police immediately."
Sun Qi shook her head. "He's very cunning. The police heard rumors and launched a search on Jiang Island, but found nothing. I heard Brother Hao has been looking for him recently too. The first phase of demolition on Jiang Island is almost complete. I suspect Huang Tao might be secretly living in a very secluded corner, or in some illegally constructed building among the ruins."
Jiang Shuya carefully searched her mind for Huang Tao's memories of his past life, and she lightly tapped the table, saying:
"I know where Huang Tao is hiding. He's on that high hillside in the reeds by the river. Have all the graves been moved? The area is now full of potholes, some with large pits big enough to fit several people. This clue can be provided to the police."
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