“Oh. OK. Darling, I see. Don’t worry. I know what to do.”
Xia Ning hangs up the phone. She feels very guilty in her heart.
Yi Yunrui called her just now, telling her that the monitoring instrument was placed by Su Xueli. The reason is that Su Xueli takes some bribe from an editor who wants to steal information from her.
No wonder that the information spread so fast. It turns out to be done by people of the circle.
Because it got a lot of people involved, it was inconvenient for the army to deal with it. They decided that there wouldn’t be serious punishment for that. As for what the punishment was, Yi Yunrui didn’t mention.
Her husband won’t tell her the conclusion of the punishment. He must be afraid that she will be worried about him.
However, she blamed Jing Shu by mistake.
At the time, Gu Ruoruo brings the coffee. She puts it on Xia Ning’s desk, “Sister Xia, what are you thinking about? You look worried.”
Xia Ning hesitates. She takes up the coffee for a sip and then responds, “Ruoruo, I have some urgent things to deal with. I need to leave for a while. You may call me if anything happens. I am leaving now.”
“Oh…Wait. Sister Xia, where are you going?”
On the road.
Xia Ning drives her car. After some turnings, she arrives at the gate of a house. She takes out the address to check and says, “Right. Here I am.”
According to the information on Jing Shu’s resume, she is living here.
Xia Ning finds a place and parks her car. She gets off the car and walks to Jing Shu’s home.
She hasn’t arrived when she sees a taxi stop in front of the gate and someone gets off. It is Jing Shu.
Jing Shu takes some files in one hand and her phone in the other hand. She is talking about something.
Xia Ning pauses and hides herself. She feels confused, wondering if Jing Shu has found another job.
Jing Shu finishes the call. She checks the files in her hand. Then, she puts them down and gives a helpless sigh.
Sigh? It seems that she hasn’t found a new job.
Thinking about this, Xia Ning takes out her phone and dials Jing Shu’s number.
In few seconds, Jing Shu presses the answer button. She cries, “Sister Xia! It is you. God. I can’t believe it.”
It is obviously seen by herself. Jing Shu is not faking her pleasure, which makes Xia Ning feel guilty.
“Jing Shu…well, I wonder if you have got a new job.”
“No. No. Not at all. Ah. If I still can’t find any jobs, I am going to starve. Sister Xia, please kindly take me back, will you?”
Hearing this, Xia Ning feels amused, “Girl, you are exaggerating.”
“Not at all! Seriously, Xia Ning, I never lied to you! Please take me back. Will you?”
Jing Shu miserably begs Xia Ning. If this happens under other circumstances, Xia Ning will surely feel suspicious of her. But at this moment, she can only describe the scene with one word: cute.
Yes, Xia Ning finds Jing Shu a very cute girl.
“Don’t you blame me for firing you?”
“Firing? It didn’t happen! You just gave me some days off. I have been resting at home. I get enough rest now. I feel bored now. When can I go to work?”
Xia Ning laughs. Jing Shu just said that she would starve if she couldn’t find a job soon. Now, she says that she feels bored at home. That is really contradictory.
It seems that she is too happy to keep logical speech.
“Well…you may come back tomorrow. Anyway, I may tell you something now. Jing Shu, listen carefully.” Xia Ning says in a deeper voice, “I told you to have some days break. You can’t come back with complaints about that. After all, people will become inefficient at work when they have some emotional issues. In addition, I have got a lot of pressure at work. I don’t want to see your angry face every day.”
“No. It won’t happen!” Jing Shu responds with no hesitation, “I will work hard! I love working under Sister Xia.”
Xia Ning feels confused with her response. She always feels strange about something in Jing Shu.
“Well. Come back to work tomorrow.”
“Hum!”
Jing Shu hangs up the phone. She jumps up high. Then, she tears the files in her hand into pieces and throws them to the air! She hasn’t opened the door when she cries, “Mom, I am very glad today.”
After Jing Shu enters her house, Xia Ning walks out from the hidden place. She looks at the pieces on the ground. She picks up a piece. When she sees the words The Contract of Labor of XX Weekly, she feels shocked.
Jing Shu has signed the contract already. Why did she still lie to her that she hadn’t found a job?
World Era Weekly is famous in the industry and many people want to work for it. But Jing Shu’s reaction seems to be too exaggerative.
Xia Ning feels even more confused when she remembers that during the conversation, what Jing Shu kept mentioning is Xia Ning’s name. She heard it clearly. Jing Shu wanted to work under her.
Wait!
Something cracks loudly inside her brain. Xia Ning feels shocked!
God. Can Jing Shu come to her with any weird intentions?
No way. She has to figure it out first!
Xia Ning takes out her phone and dials Yi Yunrui’s number. She tells him about Jing Shu and asks worriedly, “Darling, do you think there is anything wrong?”
Yi Yunrui thinks for a while. He asks, “Sweetheart, are you outside?”
“Hum. I am right in front of Jing Shu’s home. I planned to visit her and make an apology.” Now, she feels a little worried.
“Ha. Ha. Ha…”
Suddenly, Yi Yunrui laughs at the other end of the phone. Xia Ning feels confused.
“Darling, why are you laughing?”
“No. Nothing.” Yi Yunrui takes some effort to stop laughing and says, “Jing Shu didn’t go to you with weird intentions. Don’t worry.”
“Oh?” Xia Ning hesitates, “Are you sure?” Actually, she wants to have some evidence so that she doesn’t need to be worried.
“Hum. I am sure about that. Jing Shu’s background is not complicated. Her hobbies are also normal. She was very popular when she was in college. She may at most be distinctive in personality. Sweetheart, since you have arrived at the door of her home, why not go inside to have a seat? You may find some answers at her home.”
Since her lovely husband tells her to contact Jing Shu unworriedly, she doesn’t need to worry at all. Thinking about this, Xia Ning responds and hangs up the phone.
Then, she buys a lot of things. Considering that there may be old people in the house, she also buys quite some health care medicine. Carrying a lot of bags in her hands, Xia Ning knocks at the door of Jing Shu’s house.
The bell rings for quite a while before the door is opened. It is an aunt in her forties opening the door.
“Hello, Aunt, my name is Xia Ning. I work with Jing Shu in the same company. May I come in?” Xia Ning politely asks. She thinks that this aunt must be Jing Shu’s mother.
Surprisingly, the aunt doesn’t invite her to go in or speak to her. Instead, she stares at her, as if she is looking at something very strange.
Xia Ning blinks her eyes. She glances at herself and asks, “Aunt, what’s wrong? Well. Are you Jing Shu’s mother?”
“You… It is you…” Suddenly, the aunt sticks out her finger to point at Xia Ning. Her voice trembles. She says, “It is you. Yes. I remember. Ah. We meet again. Oh, what’s your name?”
Xia Ning feels embarrassed. She keeps smiling, “Aunt, my name is Xia Ning.”
“Yes. Miss Xia.” She draws Xia Ning’s hand, “Come on in. Shu is having a bath. Please come in to have a seat.”
The house is not big, with two bedrooms and a living room. However, it is arranged delicately. It makes Xia Ning feel warm in her heart.
The aunt goes to make the tea at once. She brings all kinds of fruit and snacks to Xia Ning. Seeing the aunt treat her with great hospitality, Xia Ning feels shy.
“Aunt, please sit down. You don’t need to be so polite. I only drop by. I am leaving soon.” Xia Ning stops the aunt who is going to fetch more things.
“Mom, I am OK. Who is visiting us?”
Jing Shu’s voice comes out from the bathroom.
“Shu, come out. Miss Xia is here to see you.”
“What?” Jing Shu is heard raise her voice. Then, the door of the bath room is opened at once. Jing Shu runs out with only a bath towel on her. She cries, “God. Sister Xia, why do you come here?”
Jing Shu’s hair is still dripping water and she has only a bath towel on her. Xia Ning frowns, “Shu, you may change your clothes first.”
“Oh? Ah. Excuse me.” She turns around and runs back to the bathroom, “Sister Xia, please wait for me for a little while.”
Xia Ning feels speechless. At the time, she finds that Jing Shu’s mother looks at her with a very gentle smile on her face.
“Aunt, how should I address you?”
“Me…” The aunt thinks for quite a while and responds, “My surname is Ling. My given name is Rou. Shu often calls me Rourou.”
Xia Ning blinks her eyes. Based on Aunt Ling’s behaviors, it seems that she has some symptom of … Alzheimer’s disease.
“Aunt Ling, sorry to disturb you. Next time, before I come, I will call Shu first.”
“It is fine. Miss Xia, we haven’t got any visitors here for a long time. You are a rare guest. You are a distinguished guest to us.”
No visitors for a long time? Doesn’t Jing Shu have any friends?
Xia Ning finds that Aunt Ling quietly stares at her again. She can’t help asking, “Aunt Ling, you said just now that we met again. Did we ever…meet before?”
“Yes, we did.” Aunt Ling responds with no hesitation.
Xia Ning wants to ask other questions when Jing Shu comes out. She has just dried her hair which hangs down to her shoulders.
“Sister Xia, what do you like to eat? Well. Let me peel a red delicious apple for you. I know it is your favorite.” Jing Shu takes up a red delicious apple and peels it.
“Shu, how do you know that I like red delicious apples?” Xia Ning feels surprised.
“What you put in your bag most is red delicious apples.” Jing Shu practically finishes peeling the apple and passes it to Xia Ning, “Sister Xia, have a taste to see whether it is sweet. Mom, you like pears. Let me peel a pear for you.”
Xia Ning bites the apple when looking at Jing Shu who is pealing the pear. She can tell from Aunt Ling’s eyes that Jing Shu is an excellent daughter.
Xia Ning glances around the house but fails to see Jing Shu’s father. She asks, “Shu, where is your father?”
“My father passed away.” Jing Shu responds in a bright voice.
“Oh. Sorry. I should not mention it.”
“It is fine. My father died when I was a kid. Well. It is office hour. Why do you come to see me at this time?”
Xia Ning hesitates for a while. She feels quite embarrassed, “Actually, I come here to say sorry to you.”
Jing Shu pauses, “Say sorry? Sister Xia, you didn’t do anything wrong. Why do you want to say sorry to me?
