When they got to the hotel, Nan Cheng helped to carry Zong Yanxi’s luggage up to her room. “Ms. Lin, please have a good rest. We’ll have time to discuss business matters over the next few days.”
“Thank you.” Zong Yanxi took the luggage from him.
Nan Cheng shot a look at her before turning around to leave. Zong Yanxi stood by the door but didn’t shut it immediately. Instead, she watched as the elevator doors shut behind Nan Cheng. At that moment, Gu Xian snuck out from a corner.
“Is he gone?”
Zong Yanxi dragged Gu Xian into the room. “Come on in, hurry up.”
She shook off her high heels and changed into slippers. After placing her luggage on the rack, Zong Yanxi sat down on the sofa and asked, “Well, any news?”
During this one year, Zong Yanxi had become bosom friends with Gu Xian. He had been carrying out some investigations within the country on behalf of Zong Yanxi.
“After your “death,” Jiang Mohan merged Jiangda Group and Wanyue Group into Hengkang Group. As for the will, I haven’t discovered who forged your handwriting and planted it at the scene of the fire.”
Zong Yanxi’s eyes narrowed. Back then, she was certain that the person who left the will at the scene of the fire was the same person who wished her dead—Jiang Mohan. However, she had no evidence to prove that.
Right now, the most important thing was to find evidence of his actions.
“You just returned to the country! Why don’t you rest for a while and go out for dinner with me? I’ll pay for everything,” Gu Xian said, smiling.
“I’m not up for it. I don’t want to go out right now. I think I’ll just make something for myself in the hotel room.” Zong Yanxi rubbed her neck tiredly.
“No, no! Let’s go out for dinner.” Gu Xian pulled her up from the sofa. “Come on, put on your shoes!”
Seeing Gu Xian’s enthusiasm, Zong Yanxi couldn’t bear to turn him down. Rather reluctantly, she agreed to go for dinner with him.
She put on her shoes, and they left the hotel for dinner.
When they got into the car, Zong Yanxi asked, “Where are we going?”
Gu Xian said, “Just you wait! I’ve arranged everything perfectly for you.”
As he spoke, he started the car and drove off gleefully into the night.
They pulled up in front of a high-class restaurant and got out of the car. Zong Yanxi used to come here all the time, so it wasn’t a fabulous surprise to her. She turned to Gu Xian and said smilingly, “Thanks for the treat. Your wallet’s going to take a hit.”
“You don’t come here everyday. Of course I have to treat you to something nice. Otherwise, how am I supposed to express my sincerity?” Gu Xian got out of the car and flung the car keys to the valet.
The two of them entered the restaurant. They chose a table in a quiet corner that was rather inconspicuous.
A waiter came over to them and asked for their order. Zong Yanxi was in no mood to order anything, so she asked Gu Xian to pick the dishes for her.
Gu Xian smiled. “I’m going to order what I like to eat, then.”
Zong Yanxi smiled. “Sure! You’re paying anyway.”
As she spoke, her eyes roved around the room and fell on two people who had just entered the restaurant. It was Jiang Mohan, and next to him was Ling Wei.
Zong Yanxi raised an eyebrow. The road for enemies was a narrow one. She had just returned to the country less than a few hours ago, and it was the second time she had bumped into Jiang Mohan.
The two of them sat down at a table next to the window.
Ling Wei picked a few dishes and sent the waiter away with their order.
When he left, Jiang Mohan asked, “What do you have to discuss with me?”
Ling Wei smiled mysteriously. “Let’s have dinner first.”
An impatient look crept onto Jiang Mohan’s face. “If you aren’t going to tell me now, we can discuss it next time.”
He got up to leave.
Ling Wei grabbed his hand immediately. In a low, pleading voice, she said, “Mohan, can’t you just have one meal with me?”
“I have something on…” Jiang Mohan turned her down for the umpteenth time.
Ling Wei said pathetically, “Mohan, I like you. I’ve liked you for a very long time. You’ve already been divorced for a year. Can’t you give us a chance?”
Jiang Mohan frowned, looking extremely perplexed. “Ling Wei, what are you talking about?”
“I said I’ve liked you for a long time…”
“Ling Wei!” Jiang Mohan cut her off. “You must have been knocked in the head.”
With that, he shook off her hand and stalked out of the restaurant.
“Mohan!” Ling Wei got up and chased after him.
“Damn it! What sort of untimely coincidence is this? We managed to bump into him even at dinner,” Gu Xian said grumpily.
Zong Yanxi shot a look of amusement at him. “Your Chinese is improving. Look how you curse! Wait a minute—I need to go outside for a while.”
Ling Wei liked Jiang Mohan? How had I never noticed that before?
For a long time? How long ago did Ling Wei mean?
Zong Yanxi’s fingers curled into a fist. Ling Wei used to be her classmate and bosom friend.
“I’ll come with you,” Gu Xian said immediately.
Zong Yanxi patted his shoulder. “We might attract too much attention if we go together. I’ll go alone.”
With that, she walked briskly out of the restaurant.
Outside, Ling Wei was still running after Jiang Mohan as he walked away. “Mohan, you’ve spent all your time and energy on working over the past year. Besides, you never allowed anyone to bring up her name in your presence. Why? Is it because you actually fell in love with her?”
Jiang Mohan stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around and stared daggers at Ling Wei.
“She’s your enemy. She died because she committed suicide. Even though you divorced her, you aren’t to blame for her death! Besides, she deserved to die for all her crimes!”
“Shut up!” Jiang Mohan snapped, raising his voice. His expression looked extremely dangerous. “You are not to bring her up again.”
“Why not?” Ling Wei challenged, her eyes reddening. “Have you forgotten how your mother died?”
Jiang Mohan wrapped his fingers around her neck. Her words made him extremely furious. “Ling Wei, mind your own status.”
Ling Wei refused to believe that he was treating her like this. “Mind my own status? When you were wooing Zong Yanxi, I helped you ask for her interests and hobbies as her classmate and good friend! I did that so you could win her heart! I’ve done so many things for you. How could you tell me to mind myself?”
His grip around her neck loosened a little. “Since you were a friend of hers, you should know how inappropriate this is.”
“I would never have become friends with her if it weren’t for you! Everything I did was out of my love for you. Mohan, are you going to remain single for the rest of your life? Why do you hate me so much? I could close one eye in the past, but now that she is dead, can’t you give me a chance?” Ling Wei sobbed. “Are you so obsessed with her because she was the beloved heiress of a huge business empire?”
“You know I’ve never cared about status. I was born into an impoverished family myself.” Jiang Mohan let go of her. “Please never say these words to me ever again.”
“Mohan…”
Jiang Mohan got into the car and left.
Ling Wei stood rooted to her spot, watching the car speed off. She felt so horribly wronged.
Zong Yanxi leaned against a wall nearby, feeling extremely dazed after eavesdropping on their conversation. She had always thought of Ling Wei as a good friend, and had never expected her to befriend her with a motive in mind.
Worse still, Ling Wei had befriended her for Jiang Mohan’s sake.
Hahahaha!
There was nobody around her who treated her with genuine kindness. Jiang Mohan and Ling Wei, who were once lover and friend to her respectively, had gotten close to her to benefit their own causes.
The people she had invested so much care into had tricked her, harmed her willfully, and tried to wrest her family assets from her.
How could the world be so cruel?
Gu Xian walked over to her. “Are you alright?”
Zong Yanxi quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m fine.”
“Go in and have something to eat,” Gu Xian said.
She nodded in agreement.
When they sat back down at the table, Gu Xian asked, “What did you hear? Your expression looks pretty awful.”
He regretted his words almost instantaneously. Zong Yanxi was in a horrible mood as it is—if he continued to bring up the topic, she might lose her appetite completely.
“Haha. Let’s… Let’s have dinner first.” Gu Xian placed a few pieces of vegetables into her bowl.
“You should eat more too,” Zong Yanxi said, trying to cheer up a bit more.
After dinner, Gu Xian sent her back to the hotel and told her to rest well.
However, Zong Yanxi tossed and turned for a long time in her bed, unable to sleep. An image of Jiang Mohan’s cruel expression flashed in her mind again—the face of a man who had once professed his love for her!
He had forced her to divorce him, and nearly caused her to die.
Jiang Mohan!
She grabbed the corners of the pillow and pulled them viciously.
The next morning, Zong Yanxi put on a suit and arrived at Hengkang Group.
