He assumed Xie Anming had run into someone he knew, so he didn’t go over and interrupt them.
Su Qingzhi strode over and reached out to help Rong Shu up.
But Xie Anming stopped him. “Brother Qing, leave her alone. She deserves it.”
Su Qingzhi helped her up anyway and asked, “Are you all right?”
Rong Shu was in too much pain to speak. Without looking up at the man in front of her, she shook her head and limped toward the insulated lunch box that had been flung away.
Su Qingzhi looked at Xie Anming. “Didn’t you see she’s pregnant? This is Tingchen’s company. What if something happens?”
Xie Anming looked at Rong Shu’s broad, burly back and sneered. “She looks perfectly fine to me. If something really did happen, it’d be just as well if she miscarried.”
At his words, Rong Shu stiffened, and pain clenched around her heart.
If Xie Anming could say something like that, then Sheng Tingchen must not want this child either.
Su Qingzhi frowned.
Just then, a clear, melodious voice called, “Brother.”
Su Qingzhi came back to himself and looked up. An Qingyue was running toward him. She wore a beret and a beautifully textured wool sweater with a pleated skirt. White boots covered her slender legs. She looked youthful and sunny, radiantly beautiful.
A handsome man followed behind her, carrying her coat over his arm as he watched her with a tender, indulgent gaze.
“Why are you running so fast? What if you fall?” Su Qingzhi scolded.
An Qingyue looped her arm through his and said playfully, “I’m not a little kid. It’s not that easy to fall!”
Xie Anming came over. “If Eldest Miss An fell, our President Sheng would probably tear the whole company down and rebuild it.”
An Qingyue’s cheeks turned faintly pink. She gave a little huff. “Brother Anming, what are you talking about?”
Sheng Tingchen walked over. “Come on. Let’s get something to eat first.”
Xie Anming and Su Qingzhi had come here to wait for Sheng Tingchen and An Qingyue.
An Qingyue released Su Qingzhi and took the hand of the man beside her.
The group headed for the entrance.
There they saw Rong Shu struggling to crouch down and lift the insulated food container.
Sheng Tingchen’s expression was impassive.
An Qingyue glanced at him instinctively, then quickly looked away.
The group walked straight out of the company.
The cars pulled up slowly.
A security guard came forward and opened the car door.
Sheng Tingchen carefully helped An Qingyue into the car.
The two cars drove away.
Rong Shu turned around miserably, carrying the insulated lunch box, and slowly made her way toward the elevator.
Back at her workstation,
Rong Shu had no appetite at all. She sat motionless, staring blankly ahead. She hadn’t wanted to cry or feel sorry for herself. She had always been strong; she had never wanted anyone to see her at her worst.
But right now, she really wanted to cry. She wanted to let it all out.
After lunch, Sheng Tingchen and the others went to a golf course.
Su Qingzhi sat in a chair in the lounge, gazing at the pocket watch in his hand. Inside it was a photograph of a girl who looked about ten years old. Wearing a woven hat, she stood by the sea with a conch in her hand, smiling brightly.
“Looking at your little sister’s photo again?” Sheng Tingchen’s voice came from nearby.
Su Qingzhi closed the watch, slipped it into his breast pocket, and took a small sip of tea. “It’s nothing.”
He didn’t know why, but thinking of the pregnant woman Xie Anming had bullied left him with a strange, indescribable feeling.
Sheng Tingchen looked at Su Qingzhi. The two had met while studying abroad and had founded a private equity fund together.
After all these years, Sheng Tingchen knew that Su Qingzhi had a biological younger sister. He always carried her photograph with him; it was clear how much he missed her.
The year his divorced mother took him with her and married into the An family in Haishi, the An family was one of the city’s most prominent clans. Su Qingzhi took his mother’s surname, and Chairman An had spared no effort in grooming him. Now he was executive president of MK Group.
“Now that you’re in Jing City, aren’t you going to look for her?”
Su Qingzhi shook his head. “Seeing her would only make me sadder. Maybe she doesn’t even remember me as her brother anymore.”
The year his mother took him away, she was only nine. More than ten years had passed since then. In Xiaoshu’s heart, he had probably become little more than a vague memory.
Even if they met, they would be nothing but familiar strangers. What would be the point?
“Don’t you want to know what she looks like now?”
Su Qingzhi’s gaze settled on An Qingyue in the distance. As if imagining someone else’s face through hers, he smiled faintly. “I suppose she’d look a lot like Qingyue. I wonder which little punk will end up getting lucky with her.”
Sheng Tingchen chuckled softly and looked at An Qingyue as she approached them. “You’d better not let Qingyue find out you have another biological younger sister. If she knew how much you still missed her, she’d get jealous.”
Su Qingzhi said, “I don’t object to you dating Qingyue, but until you’ve sorted out your own affairs, I won’t allow her to live with you.”
A faint smile touched Sheng Tingchen’s lips, but he said nothing.
“Brother, what are you two talking about?”
Su Qingzhi smiled. “Nothing much.”
*
“Rong Shu, what do you think you’re doing? You really think you’re something special, don’t you?!”
Zhou Shan slammed a stack of documents down in front of Rong Shu.
Just moments ago, Zhou Shan had once again assigned Rong Shu work that wasn’t hers to do. This time, Rong Shu had refused outright.
Looking at Zhou Shan’s furious face, Rong Shu gave a scornful smile. “Secretary Zhou, if you can’t even handle your own work and have to get someone else to do it for you, maybe you should quit while you’re ahead.”
“…”
The other people in the office watched the commotion, stunned by Rong Shu’s words. She really had no intention of staying—she was throwing caution to the wind.
Hearing that, Zhou Shan angrily strode forward and raised her hand to slap Rong Shu.
Rong Shu snatched up the water glass on her desk and reacted first, throwing its contents at Zhou Shan.
Soaked in the face, Zhou Shan froze for a moment, then shrieked, “Rong Shu, you shameless, fat bitch!”
“What’s all this shouting?”
At the sound of Zhou Mu’s voice, Zhou Shan stopped herself from lunging forward. Zhou Mu strode over, looking at her disheveled state. “What happened?”
Zhou Shan took a deep breath. “I assigned Rong Shu some work, and she refused to do it.”
Zhou Mu frowned, displeasure rising in his eyes as he stared at Rong Shu. “What gives you the right to demand special treatment here? This is a company, not your home!”
Rong Shu pulled the employee badge from around her neck and tossed it onto the desk. Staring coldly at Zhou Mu, she said, “Then I quit. Is that clear enough?”
With that, she grabbed her bag, picked up the insulated lunch box, and left.
“Rong Shu!”
Zhou Mu’s face turned livid. He hadn’t expected her to dare go this far.
Rong Shu took the elevator downstairs. As soon as she stepped out, she ran into Sheng Tingchen, who was returning to the company. When he saw her, his expression turned cold.
Rong Shu saw him too. He was only coming back to the company now, after spending time with his little girlfriend. She lowered her eyes and looked away, biting her lip as she struggled to suppress her emotions. She kept walking, passed him without a word, and went straight out the company doors.
Rong Shu took a car to Qianshuiwan Villa. She was going to pack her things and move back home.
Back at the villa,
Rong Shu didn’t see the two housekeepers. She didn’t think much of it. She went to her room, took out her suitcase, and started packing.
She had lived here for more than half a year, and couldn’t move everything in one trip. She would take her essentials and clothes for now, then come back for the rest after she and Sheng Tingchen divorced.
As she finished packing and was about to leave,
Liu Lihua suddenly appeared in the doorway. Seeing Rong Shu with her suitcase, she said displeasedly, “What are you doing? Sir is coming home tonight. Where do you think you’re going? Hurry up and get ready to make dinner for him.”
Sheng Tingchen was coming home.
It was probably because she and Zhou Shan had clashed today and Zhou Mu had reported it to him. He was likely coming back to reprimand her.
Fine. She could clear things up with him too.
She stared at Liu Lihua and said coldly, “Which one of us is the housekeeper—you or me? Should I call Old Madam right now and tell her you want to be the lady of this house?”
“You… you…”
Liu Lihua’s expression changed. Rong Shu, who had once been meek and obedient, seemed like a completely different person now. She actually dared to speak to her like that. Wasn’t she afraid the young master would throw her out?
“You’re absolutely impossible. You’re crazy.” Liu Lihua gave a huff and turned to leave.
The door slammed shut.
Liu Lihua jumped, then angrily pulled out her phone and called Shen Yurong.
Rong Shu leaned against the back of the door and tipped her head back, breathing deeply.
Her pent-up hurt suddenly surged up, and tears streamed down her face.
That evening,
Sheng Tingchen returned to the villa.
Liu Lihua was the first to complain to him.