Chapter 48
"Chen Zhiyu, stop being so narcissistic. I wasn't thinking about you at all."
“Okay, leave the rest to us, don’t worry.” Josh said calmly into the phone. “It’s no trouble at all. Aunt Li often helps us out; it’s what we should do.”
She then hung up the phone and turned to look at Aunt Li sitting on the sofa.
Aunt Li looked flustered, her face was pale, and she slumped dejectedly in a corner of the sofa.
Josh quickly walked over and sat down next to Aunt Li, patting her hand gently to comfort her, "Don't worry, this will definitely be resolved. Luckily, you realized in time that it was a scam. Apart from the skincare products you bought, the loss is not significant."
"After all, our health is the most important thing, isn't it?"
"Yes, yes." Aunt Li nodded frantically. She was so nervous that her mind went blank, she felt dizzy and her legs were weak when she came looking for her. She grabbed Josh's hand and asked in a tearful voice, "Josh, what about my friend?"
Although she admitted to being scammed because of a friend's introduction, she wouldn't put all the blame on her friend. Her friend was even more deeply involved, and she feared her friend might have already paid the money.
Aunt Li wanted to call and remind her, but from the very beginning, she had been experiencing palpitations and chest tightness, and almost couldn't breathe. If Chen Zhiyu hadn't been there to support her in time, she would have almost lost her balance.
Josh and Chen Zhiyu helped Aunt Li to the sofa to rest, and Josh took care of calling the police afterwards.
"Don't worry, I informed the police when I called them. They will definitely take timely measures and contact the elderly person's family." Josh thought about it. After listening to Aunt Li's explanation, she realized that her friend was already too deeply involved, and calling her rashly might backfire.
It's safer to leave it to professionals.
To put Aunt Li's mind at ease, Josh called Aunt Li's two children, who said on the phone that they would try their best to get back.
Being scammed is a minor issue; the real concern is that the elderly person might not be able to handle the stress and could experience health problems. In such cases, it's best for family members to be by their side at all times.
Aunt Li was still deeply remorseful, "I'm so old, how could I have been fooled?" She had lost tens of thousands of yuan in total, and now that she realized what had happened, how could she not feel heartbroken?
Just then, Chen Zhiyu brought over Aunt Li's blood pressure medication from next door and poured her a glass of warm water, saying, "Auntie, take your medicine first."
After taking the medicine, Aunt Li was still shaken and said gratefully in a trembling voice, "Thanks to you two, otherwise I would have really been persuaded."
Afterwards, Chen Zhiyu and Qiao Xi stayed at home with Aunt Li, waiting for the government officials to arrive. The blood pressure medication gradually took effect, Aunt Li's complexion improved slightly, and her emotions stabilized somewhat.
It was quite late by the time the statement was taken. Josh was worried about leaving Aunt Li home alone, so she stayed to keep her company.
Since both of them had to go to work early the next morning, Chen Zhiyu sat with them for a while before going home by himself.
Although those health products may not have the effects advertised, and are at most considered false advertising, they are still instilling investment ideas in the elderly, which changes the nature of the problem.
The next update on the case was when Aunt Li excitedly told Josh that there was hope of recovering the money. By then, it was already the fourth day of Chen Zhiyu's business trip.
Before leaving, Chen Zhiyu gave her countless instructions and reminders, and afterwards he wanted to call her eight hundred times a day to contact her every moment.
When Chen Zhiyu called, Qiao Xi was eating breakfast. She didn't have much of an appetite that morning, so she just made herself a bowl of oatmeal without adding anything else.
As soon as Josh answered his call, he joked, "Aren't you afraid that Boss Liu will deduct your salary under the pretext of not working hard enough if you keep your phone in your hand all the time?"
Chen Zhiyu seemed nonchalant, jokingly saying, "There wasn't much to begin with." Afterwards, he asked her, "Did you eat breakfast on time?"
Josh finished the last sip and mumbled, "I ate it, I ate it."
Chen Zhiyu was relieved. "That's fine then."
Time was tight this morning, so the two chatted briefly before heading off to work. The temperature had plummeted since last night, and this morning the sky was overcast with a strong wind.
Sure enough, it started snowing after that. At first, the snow wasn't heavy, and it would scatter with the wind, barely forming any piles on the ground.
She's been home alone these past few days, and Josh hasn't bothered to prepare lunch, so she's been ordering takeout with her colleagues.
It was almost lunchtime, and Josh looked out the window at the sky.
Looking down from the window on the 31st floor, snowflakes drifted down from the sky, accumulating a thin layer on the ground. The fragile snowflakes, trampled by passersby, were squeezed into puddles of slush, which quickly froze into ice crystals in the sub-zero temperatures.
Considering the slippery roads due to snow, the group decided not to order takeout and planned to go out to find food instead.
Actually, there was a food street behind the office building, a place that was new to Josh. She had never been there before, and had no idea that such a place existed nearby.
The food is plentiful and the atmosphere is lively. You can see the warm, steaming aroma emanating from the steamed bun shop from afar, and the restaurant signs all catch Josh's eye.
Some restaurants go even further, their entrances plastered with plasters and menus, so varied that they could be pieced together to make two Manchu Han Imperial Feasts.
Surprisingly, there are two such companies.
The most interesting thing is that each of the two families even put up signs on their doors: one saying "The neighbor copied us," and the other saying "The neighbor is a fake."
I don't know if it's genuine hatred or just a way to attract customers.
Xiao Yao noticed that, following Qiao Xi's curious gaze, she saw the two stores and then pouted, tugging at her sleeve, "Don't look anymore, neither of these is very good."
Josh looked away and asked in confusion, "Have you all eaten here?"
Xia, who was in front, gave him a wistful look and said, "We were just curious, so we all went to eat."
How does it taste?
"Each one tastes worse than the last," the two said in unison.
The group eventually decided to go for braised pork rice. Xia and Yao seemed to be regulars, as they easily found their way around and ordered. Josh simply ordered the same thing from their menu.
While waiting for his food, Chen Zhiyu sent another message. He was also having lunch and posted a photo of his meal, which looked like it was taken in a cafeteria.
When the food arrived, Josh sent it to him before picking up her chopsticks. She had never really been comfortable with this way of communicating, but with Chen Zhiyu's persistent gentle persuasion, she was slowly changing.
After lunch, it's still early, so I can go back and rest for another half hour. Ever since Josh came back from his vacation, I haven't felt quite used to it, and I try to make the most of my lunch break every day.
Everyone chatted and laughed as they got up to leave, discussing the new collaborative work that would begin tomorrow and the materials they would need to prepare back home. Josh listened to their conversation, then suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at the somewhat deserted street.
The snow fell heavier and heavier. Because of the cold weather, it was no longer a bustling mealtime, and the streets were much quieter.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Yao asked with concern.
"It's nothing." A sense of unease welled up in Josh's heart. He looked around but didn't notice anything unusual. He figured it was probably because of Gu Lian's influence that he was seeing threats everywhere.
During his lunch break, Josh took the opportunity to rest before resuming his work.
Speaking of the work that had just ended, headquarters ultimately decided to use parts from Factory Director Zhou's factory. The police investigation has concluded that Gu Lian's matter had nothing to do with him. As for his strangely attentive demeanor, it was indeed partly due to Gu Lian's instigation.
Josh didn't want his months of hard work to go to waste because of Gu Lian.
She didn't have a moment's rest in the afternoon. The new partner company would be sending people to hold a meeting tomorrow, which would take all day. Josh made thorough preparations for tomorrow's meeting, busy organizing some data based on the background check, and worked until the end of the day.
Due to the slippery roads caused by snow, most buses were delayed, and it was also rush hour, resulting in traffic congestion and slow vehicle movement.
There was no use in rushing at this point. Josh found a place to sit down, put on his headphones, and prepared to take a nap.
The bus was stuffy and suffocating, and Josh endured it for over an hour.
A few minutes before arrival, Josh was woken up by his alarm clock. Still half asleep, he prepared to get off the train. As soon as his feet touched solid ground, a gust of cold wind blew him straight through.
The streetlights shone dimly, neon lights flickered at the shop entrances, and the place was bustling with activity. The aroma of chestnuts and roasted sweet potatoes wafted from afar.
Josh sniffed, the sweet aroma filling her stomach, and her mood suddenly plummeted. She glanced at the entrance of the residential complex not far away, sighed, and walked towards the complex. She suddenly missed Chen Zhiyu so much.
I was delayed on the way home today and got home half an hour later than usual. Josh strolled along slowly and casually.
Anyway, I'll be alone when I get home.
The streetlights along the paths in the residential area lit up, their orange glow illuminating the snow on the ground. It was late, and it was still snowing, so the neighborhood was quiet except for the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow.
Josh stomped his feet hard to clear the snow off his shoes, then stepped up the stairs. Halfway up, he looked out the window again. The snow was falling harder and harder, obstructing his view. The sky and the ground were a vast expanse of white.
Josh looked away and went home.
The house was empty, but thankfully the warmth welcomed her. Josh found some wontons in the refrigerator, then skillfully took out some cilantro and dried shrimp, and turned to go to the kitchen.
Hot water, bring to a boil, then add wontons.
Today is the last day, and she is still all alone. Josh just wants to finish her meal and get some rest.
Suddenly, her cell phone rang in the living room. Josh was delighted and ran out of the kitchen with her chopsticks still in her hand. Seeing the caller ID, she quickly answered the phone.
"We're home, we're home."
"Chen Zhiyu, stop being so narcissistic. I wasn't thinking about you at all."
"I just haven't been thinking about you. I'm perfectly fine on my own."
"You dare not come back! If you don't come back, then don't ever come back."
Even Josh herself probably didn't realize that her voice was high-pitched, filled with undisguised joy. She turned and went back to the kitchen, vividly describing her dull day to Chen Zhiyu.
Joy spread outside the door.
The motion-activated lights in the stairwell turned on and off repeatedly.
The wind outside the window was howling so fast it swallowed up all other sounds.
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