While they had come here via a secret passage, when they went back, the two openly went back in through the stairway. Seeing this situation, those who had been keeping a watch on them could not figure out how this had happened. They had been watching them closely, so how did they slip away?
It was only after they went for a patrol that they realized there was a lapse in the design of the stairway.
They did not know for how long they had gone out and what they had been doing during the time they were gone.
To avoid getting scolded, they did not report this to their superior.
When they reached home, the two of them returned to their own rooms to rest.
An Xiaoning had to soak in a bathtub every day if the circumstances allowed for it to make herself feel much more comfortable.
After she was done washing up, she felt rather thirsty so she went out in her bathrobe to grab a bottle of mineral water to drink. When she passed by Donggong Lianzhi’s bedroom door, she heard the sound of faint sobbing. It seemed as if he was trying his best to control his emotions.
An Xiaoning took the water and then used the lightest footsteps she could to return to her room. As she sat on the bed to drink water, she thought of everything that had happened tonight.
It was really a huge joke.
They still had a tough war to fight tomorrow, and although it was nothing much to her, to Donggong Lianzhi, it probably would be an extremely tough day.
Especially when he already knew what was going to happen.
At present, the only reason that was preventing her from getting sleep was the fact that Henry had disappeared.
Where on earth had he gone to?
——
“Xianxian, eat something. How can one not eat anything?” Mrs. Bu walked in with food in her arms and placed it by her bedside.
Bu Xianxian was lying on the bed straight like a corpse, her eyes wide open and staring blankly. “Mother, take it away. I’m not eating.”
“You haven’t eaten last night or this morning. If you still don’t eat anything at noon, it will be bad for your stomach.”
“Just let me starve to death. Is there still any point for me to live on?”
Hearing her say this, Mrs. Bu couldn’t help but lament, “Xianxian, is the life we’re living now not good? We’re so much better off than we used to be. Xianxian, don’t be so discontented. Father and Mother only have you as our daughter. We have all our hopes pinned on you. If you don’t want to live anymore, Father and Mother will die together with you. I’m not joking with you, I’m serious about it.”
Bu Xianxian sat upright. “You always say the same thing.”
“Quick, hurry and eat some of this.” Mrs. Bu passed her the food. “It’s very tasty.”
It was only at this point that she took the food from her mother. Actually, she had been hungry since morning and had been suppressing her hunger until now.
Seeing her finally eating, Mrs. Bu could finally rest assured. “Since you’ve signed the contract and returned the 500 thousand dollars, from how I see it, it’s already good enough that Nick won’t pursue responsibility from us for this matter. After all, you were the one who first harbored evil designs on him and even injured his head. Nick is very magnanimous already. Xianxian, you never listened to my words, but I really hope that you’ll seriously think about it. Stop creating a fuss about it already. If you violate the contract, we won’t be able to afford the compensation. What if they put you in prison?”
“Aiya, Mother, I know. I’m more clear about this than you are. So, rest assured. I… I’ve given up.”
“You always say that you’ve given up, but you never really mean it. Mother doesn’t even know if you’re telling the truth or not.”
“I’m not stupid. Violating the contract will mean that I have to pay a huge amount of compensation. We won’t be able to afford it even if we sell everything that we have.”
Mrs. Bu nodded. “It wasn’t easy for us to get Nick to finally get you a job at the company. Now, it’s gone down the drain too.”
“That wasn’t that good of a job either. I wouldn’t earn that much from it every month.”
“But no matter what, you’d have needed qualifications to get in, right?”
“Mother, other than nag, can you do something else? My ears are tired from hearing these things.”
Mrs. Bu responded helplessly, “Mother always does this for your own good. Other than your father and I, who else will care this much for you?”
Watching the figure of her mother fade away, Bu Xianxian felt a sudden urge to cry, because she knew that what her mother said was correct.
Other than her parents, who else would care about her?
Why was it that others could attain whatever she wanted easily but she wasn’t able to do so no matter how hard she tried?
Just thinking about it made her feel bitter.
Her tears came flowing down her cheeks as well.
She started crying while she ate.
When she was done crying and eating, she got down from the bed and went to the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw someone who wasn’t her original self.
“Xianxian!” Mrs. Bu shouted to her from outside the door. “Your friend is here to look for you.”
“Friend?” Bu Xianxian was about to go out but realized that the supposed friend had already entered her room. But it was a complete stranger to her.
“You’ve found the wrong person, right? I don’t know you.”
“It’s you I’m looking for. Bu Xianxian, you know this person, right?”
The woman showed her a picture, and she saw that it was Wen Lele printed on it. “I do know who she is.”
“Go and see her. I believe you won’t be disappointed.”
“What do you mean?” Bu Xianxian started to brush her teeth.
“You’ll know when you go. I’ll be waiting for you downstairs. Come down as soon as you get changed.”
Bu Xianxian wanted to say something, but the woman had already gone out.
After she had dolled herself up, she went downstairs quickly.
Once she came out of the stairway, she immediately spotted a car parked outside.
She went forward, pulled open the car door, and sat inside the car. “What exactly is the matter? I’m not even close to her, why is she looking for me?”
“You’ll know when we get there. Why ask so much?”
Bu Xianxian was at a loss for what to say. “I’m not going, that’s that.”
She turned away and got down from the car instantly. Seeing the situation, the woman hurriedly said, “She has a favor to ask from you. She said that you’ll be rewarded handsomely for it.”
Bu Xianxian stopped in her tracks. “A favor? What can I possibly help her with?”
“I’m not very sure about this either, so you’ll have to make a trip yourself to find out.” The woman’s tone softened significantly.
Bu Xianxian then got onto the car eventually and headed toward Wen Lele’s place with the woman.
It turned out that the woman was Wen Lele’s older cousin.
“Ms. Bu, you’re here. Have a seat.”
“I wonder what you wanted to see me for? I’m not capable, and it doesn’t seem like there’s anything I can help you with.”
Wen Lele shook her head. “No, there is. Ms. Bu, I would like you to help me with something. I’ll reward you accordingly, and you don’t have to bother about anything else.”
“What is it, exactly?”
Wen Lele looked at her, her lips quivering as she muttered, “I want you to help me…”
After Bu Xianxian heard her request, she hesitated for a moment. “How much will you pay me, then?”
“A million dollars.”
“I’ll think about it.” To Bu Xianxian, her request wasn’t anything huge, and it didn’t seem like it would involve her in something illegal either. Moreover, the remuneration was quite a lot, which made her rather tempted.
“I’ll give you a day to think about it. After you’ve thought through it, give me a call.”
“Alright.”
——
The sky was gloomy early in the morning in R Nation. It seemed that it would be hard to see any sign of a sunny sky today.
At past 6 am, the two had just woken up when the doorbell rang.
An Xiaoning’s first thought was that Donggong Lianzhi’s mother was here.
In reality, her guess was pretty accurate.
