“Did they find Sister Zhou Yi?”
Xia Xiaolan leaned forward on the sofa. Sure enough, if the Zhou family put their minds to searching, Zhou Yi and Yuan Han weren’t trained special agents – they were bound to leave traces.
Guan Hui’e’s mood soured at the mention of this matter.
“Your Uncle is angry. The people he sent out turned the Yuan family’s affairs upside down and kept monitoring their movements. Yesterday news came back that Zhou Yi was hiding at the home of one of Yuan’s distant relatives, in a rural area without even electricity. No wonder we couldn’t find her before.”
Guan Hui’e couldn’t help but be shocked that Zhou Yi, who had never experienced any hardship, could stay in such an impoverished village for so long.
Zhou Wenbing had originally decided to arrange a grand marriage for Zhou Yi and keep Yuan Han firmly under control, to see if Zhou Yi would eventually come to her senses. When he heard that Zhou Yi and Yuan Han were hiding in the countryside claiming to be newlyweds and even sleeping together – the Zhou family’s eldest daughter abandoning her status to live a harsh life as a village woman – he flew into a rage.
“So Uncle’s intention is not to bring Sister Zhou Yi back for now?”
Zhou Yi had indeed taken the worst possible step. The issue wasn’t that they had already slept together – the real worry was that even if they brought her back, her heart would still be stuck on Yuan Han.
Xia Xiaolan was utterly speechless. Even if Zhou Yi was just after good looks, couldn’t she have found a handsome man with a respectable background?
Guan Hui’e nodded, “I think he doesn’t want to find her. As long as they know where Zhou Yi is and that she’s safe, that’s enough. The people sent there didn’t alert Zhou Yi to their presence. If Yuan Han and Zhou Yi try to change locations, the Zhou family will know immediately.”
Xia Xiaolan considered this. “If the Zhou family rushed to bring Sister Zhou Yi back, Yuan Han would become reckless. If the Zhou family shows no reaction, Yuan Han will get anxious. I guess once Sister Zhou Yi becomes pregnant, Yuan Han will bring her back to Beijing himself… but are Uncle and Aunt willing to let things go this far?”
Of course, they weren’t willing.
When Zhou Wenbing learned the two had consummated their relationship, he immediately wanted to charge Yuan Han with a sex offense. No matter how much Yuan Han tried to explain himself, he would end up in prison.
But Jiang Hong refused. If word got out that Zhou Yi had been “forced,” the whole family would lose face. Though she had hated Yuan Han to death before, she now firmly blocked Zhou Wenbing’s actions.
Guan Hui’e felt that her sister-in-law cared too much about her face and didn’t know how to evaluate the situation. She spoke vaguely: “You’ve already shared your thoughts with the Old Master, and you’ve considered all possible solutions for Zhou Yi. If we meddle too much, your aunt might not be happy.”
Jiang Hong had always been very resistant to their family, always thinking they would mock them and believing that Guobin would compete with his brother for resources. Before Zhou Yi’s incident broke out, Jiang Hong had asked for her help.
She had declined, and Jiang Hong was very unhappy.
Guan Hui’e felt both sympathy and helplessness toward Jiang Hong.
Xia Xiaolan was also at a loss. In handling any situation, the worst thing was when people weren’t unified in their stance.
Some wanted to cut through the mess quickly, while others hesitated and worried. How could there be a solution that both saved face and took care of everything?
Soft approaches had no effect, but they weren’t willing to use harsh methods. They could only let Yuan Han stick around like a piece of chewing gum. Xia Xiaolan had a feeling that Zhou Yi’s matter would drag on.
Guan Hui’e confirmed with Xia Xiaolan about Liu Fen’s relationship with Tang Hong’en, and also told her what she had heard afterward: “Ji Ya’s wedding was halted immediately. After Mayor Tang left, most of the guests dispersed. I think Ji Ya is also someone who bullies the weak but fears the strong – she probably won’t dare to retaliate against Mayor Tang, since her family wasn’t in the right to begin with… but unable to deal with Mayor Tang, she might take it out on you and your mother. You still need to be careful.”
Xia Xiaolan was mentally prepared: “Even without this incident, Ji Ya wouldn’t give up causing trouble for me. Now we need to be careful about her targeting my mom.”
Zhou Cheng had always told Xia Xiaolan to be careful about her safety. Xia Xiaolan felt quite safe staying at school and wasn’t worried about herself, but she was quite concerned about her mother. While clothing store staff could be recruited, she didn’t know anyone trustworthy with good fighting skills. At this point, Xia Xiaolan simply asked Guan Hui’e for help: “Are there any female veterans who could work alongside my mom, someone who could help with the business while inconspicuously protecting her safety?”
Male bodyguards would be easy to find – at most, they could ask Bai Zhenzhu to introduce another martial brother.
However, suitable female bodyguards were hard to find, though they would be more convenient as they could live and eat together!
“Let me ask around and get back to you in a few days.”
Though Guan Hui’e readily agreed, her help ultimately wasn’t needed.
Because Tang Hong’en recommended a woman, around thirty years old, surnamed Min and called Min Xiaoju. He said Mayor Tang felt sorry for her being widowed at such a young age and wanted to find her a job helping Liu Fen.
“I follow Mayor Tang’s words.”
Min Xiaoju spoke with a Lu Province accent and had a dark, stout, rustic appearance.
Liu Fen didn’t understand what kind of help she meant. When Tang Hong’en called Liu Fen, he occasionally led the conversation, and Liu Fen dazedly agreed. When she asked Min Xiaoju what she could do, Min Xiaoju rubbed her hands:
“I won’t let anyone bully Big Sister.”
Min Xiaoju wasn’t there to be a housekeeper – she couldn’t even cook.
But she ate an enormous amount. Her arms were as thick as Xia Xiaolan’s legs, and she could eat two jin of meat in one meal – truly pitiful, as most families simply couldn’t afford to feed someone like her!
Xia Xiaolan pulled her mother aside, “Just keep her. This should be a bodyguard Uncle Tang arranged for you.”
Liu Fen hesitated, “Why would I need a bodyguard?”
Xia Xiaolan shrugged, “I know you’ve cleared things up with Station Chief Ma. Uncle Tang might be worried about you handling large amounts of cash every day.”
He might also be worried about Ji Ya causing trouble, but there was no need to frighten her mother with that thought right now.
That made sense.
Station Chief Ma had been very enthusiastic before. Now, to ask for his enthusiastic help again while not wanting to be with him would be taking advantage of him.
Liu Fen couldn’t do something like that.
Tang Hong’en had thought things through carefully. Liu Fen blushed and decided to keep Min Xiaoju.
While Min Xiaoju hadn’t yet shown her abilities, Xia Xiaolan wasn’t worried. Ying Jinchuan, whom Tang Hong’en had recommended to work at Qihang Real Estate, appeared very easygoing but was quite capable in his laid-back way.
With Min Xiaoju by her mother’s side, Xia Xiaolan felt much more at ease.
She would wait and see what demons might emerge.
However, before that, her thesis based on the Nanhai Hotel renovation plan was officially published in a journal, and they sent her a sample copy.
Ning Xue was the first person to publish a paper, and Xia Xiaolan was the second from the Class of ’84 in the Architecture Department.
After reading the paper, the department head finally understood why Xia Xiaolan could attend the architectural creation symposium in Jiangcheng, and why Mao Kangshan wanted to take her as his disciple.
“We must connect her with a good school. Such a promising talent shouldn’t waste their time.”
When news of Xia Xiaolan’s published paper spread from Room 307, even Ning Xue was startled – due to the sudden incident at the wedding, Xia Xiaolan had left with Mayor Tang, and she hadn’t been able to see the specific details of Xia Xiaolan’s Jinsha Pool project.
The Xiangmi Lake Resort was close to Jinsha Pool. To ensure privacy, the resort had planted many trees, and the construction site was blocked by walls. Standing on top of the resort building, Ning Xue couldn’t make out anything significant.
“Is she doing this deliberately?”
Ning Xue couldn’t help muttering to herself.
Just as her grandfather had said, had Xia Xiaolan made her into an imaginary enemy, a competitor?