“A few days probably won’t be enough. Do you know how much a single dish at Ruyi Restaurant costs?”
Han Shixu said lightly, “These ten days’ worth of meals would cost at least tens of thousands.”
“Tens of thousands!?” Song Enya exclaimed in surprise, then felt somewhat embarrassed.
No wonder that old drunkard went crazy when he saw the box—just a few dishes were actually this expensive.
Besides, was the person in front of her crazy? How could he pretend to be wealthy to such an extent?
“Then how about we exchange phone numbers first? I’ll contact you when I have the money.”
“No, I don’t trust you. How about this—you two come back to Zhongdu with me. My family happens to need a housekeeper. Your mother can work at our house to pay off the debt, and the travel expenses will be deducted from her salary. What do you think?”
Song Enya was stunned for a moment.
His family was in Zhongdu?
A housekeeper?
Was he really wealthy?
Song Enya quickly realized that the other person wanted to help her.
The money they had painstakingly saved up had already been taken away by the old drunkard. If they wanted to save enough money to leave Jiangcheng, it would take at least a year or two—and that was only if the old drunkard didn’t find them in the meantime.
Before Song Enya could speak, Song Zhenxian flatly refused, “Zhongdu? We’re not going. Enya, we’re not going to Zhongdu.”
“Why?” Song Enya asked, her face full of disbelief. She couldn’t understand why her mother refused so quickly.
Han Shixu also frowned.
“Enya, let’s not go to Zhongdu. Listen to me this time, okay?”
Song Zhenxian then turned to Han Shixu and bowed, saying, “Thank you for your kindness, but Zhongdu isn’t a place for people like us.”
After saying this, she tried to pull Song Enya away, but Song Enya seemed provoked by her words and shook off her hand.
“What kind of people are ‘people like us’? Why can’t we go? Your legs are weak, and your hands are disabled—no ordinary job would take you. Now that someone is finally willing to help us, having a housekeeping job is already a stroke of luck. Don’t you understand?”
Song Enya was angry at her mother for willingly degrading herself!
“Enya… I’m sorry, but Zhongdu really isn’t a place we can go.” Song Zhenxian’s eyes were filled with tears and pleading.
“Why on earth not?! Why shouldn’t we go? Just because we’re poor, we don’tt even have the right to take a look!?”
Song Enya’s eyes reddened in an instant.
Since she was ten years old, she had been collecting garbage and selling bottles, working at least two odd jobs a day to support the family. This semester, she hadn’t even planned to continue her studies, even though her grades were good enough to get into a prestigious university.
But when there was clearly a chance to live a better life, just because they were poor, did they have to rot in the mud forever?
“Enya, we’ve never been to Zhongdu. It’s an unfamiliar place, and all our relatives and friends are in Jiangcheng. Going there won’t make things better…”
“Do we have relatives and friends in Jiangcheng? Who is willing to help us?”
The mother and daughter argued for a long time, both in tears.
Seeing that neither of them spoke anymore and just hugged each other, crying uncontrollably.
Han Shixu said calmly, “Even if you don’t want to leave the place you’ve lived in, how will you avoid that man? You saw the argument in the hospital room today. If he finds you again, it won’t end well.”
Song Zhenxian looked utterly hopeless, as if she had reached a dead end.
Song Enya cried, her face covered in tears, and held her mother’s hand, sobbing, “Mom, I hit him. Next time we meet, he’ll kill me.”
Song Zhenxian wept silently, and after a long while, she finally steeled her heart and nodded gently.
“Alright, let’s go to Zhongdu and never see him again.”
Zhongdu—
Inside the building, socialites and young masters flowed like a stream, with all kinds of precious jewelry displayed across the counters.
“What are we doing here?” Pei Jize asked, his eyes filled with impatience.
The assistant replied respectfully, “Di’an International’s school uniforms must be custom-made at the store. The old master ordered me to ensure you complete this today.”
Is attending this school really non-negotiable?
Pei Jize let out an ambiguous laugh and leisurely followed him.
Assistant Li surprisingly managed to lead him to the eighth floor without issue.
But once outside the store, Pei Jize started acting up again, stubbornly refusing to go inside and insisting on dragging him to browse every nearby shop.
“Young master, the old master is waiting for me to report back. It’s getting late, so why don’tt we just go into the store and take a look?”
Pei Jize weighed the watch in his hand and said nonchalantly, “Aren’t we already looking?”
Assistant Li was practically on the verge of tears.
They had already been wandering aimlessly for over two hours.
“Miss Jing, this way, please.”
Miss Jing?
Pei Jize straightened up and glanced ahead, unsurprisingly spotting a familiar figure on the phone with her back turned.
Then, unconsciously, the corners of his mouth lifted, as if he had discovered some prey. “What a coincidence, Jing Yuanxi.”
Assistant Li was racking his brains on how to persuade him further when he saw the young master actually take the initiative to walk over. Overjoyed, he immediately followed.
…
“Han Shixu is coming back tonight? Who said that?”
“He and Li Chengshuo really are close, telling him everything.”
Not knowing what was said on the other end, Jing Yuanxi unconsciously curled her lips into a cold smile.
She toyed with the pearls on the clothing beside her, her tone unusually calm. “He can’t be bothered with me. Since it’s his first day back, I won’t go and get in the way of Young Master Han’s sight. You all go ahead and have fun.”
On the other end of the phone, Bai Huina stiffened as she looked at the destination now right in front of her.
The words from the other side clearly indicated displeasure. Not knowing what had happened between them, she wasn’t even willing to attend the welcome banquet.
But if Jing Yuanxi didn’t come, how could she stay here? Especially at a time like this when the two were clearly at odds.
Bai Huina took a deep breath and quickly made a decision. “Yuanxi, where are you now? I’ll come find you.”
Li Chengshuo and the others, who had been happily walking ahead, suddenly stopped in their tracks, exchanging glances.
The atmosphere grew somewhat quiet as they all turned their attention to Bai Huina.
“Just stay with them tonight.”
After these words came through the phone, the call was immediately disconnected.
“What’s going on? Isn’t Yuanxi coming?” Li Chengshuo asked.
“Yeah, something came up last minute. We’ll just explain it to Shixu later.”
Bai Huina put away her phone and continued happily walking inside with Li Chengshuo and the group, saying nothing more.
She didn’t dwell on whether Jing Yuanxi’s words held any deeper meaning. Jing Yuanxi had no reason to be polite with her; she just needed to follow instructions.
Seeing that Bai Huina didn’t turn to leave, Jin Mingzhu and the others immediately dismissed the extra thoughts in their minds.
Bai Huina had always followed Jing Yuanxi. If she was still attending the welcome banquet, it meant there wasn’t any major conflict between Han Shixu and Jing Yuanxi.
At most, it was just that little trouble from last time, which should have already been resolved.
…
After hanging up the phone, Jing Yuanxi finally turned her attention to the shop assistant who had long since approached.
“Hurry up. I don’t have much time to waste here.”
“Miss Jing, don’t worry, we’ll finish measuring soon.”
The shop assistant noticed her expression wasn’t great and quickly helped her take measurements, not daring to say another word for fear of upsetting her further.
Jing Yuanxi’s mood was indeed not the best at the moment.
Earlier, Bai Huina had told her that Han Shixu would return tonight, and Li Chengshuo and the others planned to hold a welcome dinner for him. Since school was about to start, they thought they might as well gather together.
Han Shixu clearly had time to contact Li Chengshuo, yet he repeatedly ignored her calls. For so many days, he hadn’t even replied to a single message.
Jing Yuanxi felt both irritated and vaguely uneasy.
She couldn’t forget that strange nightmare.
Most of the scenes in the dream were like shattered glass—hazy and blurred—except for a few frozen images that remained incredibly clear.
The anger of being publicly humiliated, the frustration and resentment of being abandoned on a deserted island.
Even though it was just a dream, she couldn’t completely ignore it.
Jing Yuanxi knew she had to confirm something to fully dispel the emotions in her heart.
But right now, she was furious with Han Shixu and absolutely unwilling to swallow her anger and attend his welcome dinner.
So, she wanted Bai Huina to help her see whether Han Shixu would really bring back two people tonight.
Two commoners trying to disrupt this peace!
“Meeting twice within a month, tsk. It seems the connection between us isn’t simple.”
A careless, mocking voice forced Jing Yuanxi to snap out of her deep thoughts.
Pei Jize walked into the shop with a smile on his lips, his amber eyes fixed intently on the young woman before him.
Assistant Li was momentarily stunned upon seeing the person in front of him. Only after glancing at the nameplate on the school uniform beside her did he realize this was the Miss Jing the police had mentioned.
His young master’s savior.
The young man had deep-set eyes and a wild, arrogant appearance, exuding an air of flamboyance. The curve of his lips was even more unrestrained and dismissive.
Jing Yuanxi recognized him at a glance.
She kept her gaze straight ahead, ignoring him.
Seeing that Pei Jize had no intention of leaving anytime soon, Assistant Li quickly seized the opportunity and asked the shop assistant to come over and take his measurements as well.
“We’re about to become classmates. Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
From the moment he entered the shop, Pei Jize’s gaze hadn’t left her, and a faint smile remained on his lips.
He tilted his head, staring at the young woman before him, trying to capture her attention. “Let’s get acquainted. After all, we’ve already shared a life-and-death bond, haven’t we?”
Jing Yuanxi curled her lips into a faint smile. “Judging by the haughty way you walked in just now, you must have completely forgotten the embarrassment from that night. But it’s fine—I’ll always remember it for you.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the smile on Pei Jize’s face instantly froze. “Hey, I just came over to say hello. Speaking so harshly really doesn’t suit your face.”
Jing Yuanxi sneered but offered no response.
Just then, the shop assistant finished measuring her. Jing Yuanxi picked up her bag and walked out without the slightest intention of staying.
Pei Jize was both amused and annoyed—it was the first time he had been ignored to this extent.
“Hey, Jing Yuanxi, you’re leaving without even asking for my name? Aren’t you curious about this young master’s great name?”
He took a step to chase after her, but Assistant Li, who had finally found a chance to complete his task, wasn’t about to let him go.
He sat down on the floor, using both hands and feet, clinging to Pei Jize’s leg as he began to wail.
Pei Jize tried to lift his leg twice but couldn’t break free. The person ahead walked away decisively without even a glance back, which made him grind his teeth in frustration.
“Seriously, how dare that girl be so arrogant!?”
“Young Master, have mercy on me. I still have a sixty-year-old mother to support. If I fail this mission, the old master will exile me, wuwuwuwu…” Assistant Li cried, tears and snot streaming down his face.
“Let go of me!”
“Wuwu, Young Master…”
Pei Jize said irritably, “You really are like a piece of sticky plaster. I’ll have the old master fire you as soon as I get back!”
Assistant Li wasn’t the least bit bothered. Instead, he changed his expression and cheerfully instructed the shop assistant to continue.
If the Young Master really told the old master to fire him, his career would be on a steady rise.