This thought flashed through his mind, and the security guard felt he was the most pitiful one.

An elegant lady, blocked the entrance of the residential complex late at night, saying she wouldn’t leave until she saw Mayor Tang.

If she waited all night, what kind of unpleasant rumors would spread tomorrow?

The security guard was worried for Mayor Tang’s sake!

“Then we’ll have to call the police station, comrade. Please understand our position.”

The security guard’s expression hardened.

If Ji Ya stayed all night without leaving, not only would Mayor Tang be subject to speculation and ridicule, but he would also be failing at his job.

The local police station was less than 1,000 meters from the residential complex. He thought he could have this lady “wait” at the police station.

Hearing about the police station, Ji Ya wasn’t scared at all.

She wasn’t just an ordinary citizen; such threats only worked on inexperienced people.

“I can go to the police station, but I can’t guarantee what will happen after I go there. Are you sure you want to do this?”

These words made the security guard hesitate.

No, better to keep her in the security office and notify Mayor Tang’s secretary or driver to handle it. If she went to the police station and started making accusations, the situation would spiral out of control.

The security guard immediately changed his tone:

“Comrade, you haven’t identified yourself, don’t have Mayor Tang’s phone number, and don’t have an appointment. It’s impossible to let you in at this hour. Look, it’s raining too. Why don’t you sit inside for a while, and I’ll try to contact someone for you?”

Ji Ya glanced at him:

“Tell him my surname is Ji, and he’ll see me. Don’t embellish anything, don’t try to be clever by having some secretary handle me.”

Even with her queen-like elegance, the guard wanted to strangle such a woman.

At this moment, Zhou Cheng was driving Xia Xiaolan home.

They had been out all day, even having dinner outside. It was already ten o’clock; if he didn’t get Xiaolan home soon, it would be difficult to face his future father-in-law.

As the car approached, Xia Xiaolan gently patted his hand:

“Look at that person by the gate, isn’t that Ji Ya?”

“It is.”

Zhou Cheng had good eyesight and could recognize people by their features.

Xia Xiaolan snorted: “I knew Ji Ya wouldn’t give up so easily, but I didn’t expect her to come looking for Uncle Tang at this hour.”

This was like admitting defeat to Uncle Tang.

Zhou Cheng was curious, “How do you know she’s here for Mayor Tang? What if she’s looking for you?”

“Impossible. Someone looking for me wouldn’t come to the municipal government complex. I don’t necessarily always stay here – even Xu Changle knows to find me at the company. Qihang’s phone number is easy to find. If they can’t find me at the company, someone would naturally notify me.”

Conversely, the mayor’s private home phone number wasn’t something just anyone could obtain.

Ji Ya was stopped by the security guard. Xia Xiaolan frowned; this woman was always so selfish.

Even when asking for help, Ji Ya managed to turn it into a threat.

Coming to the residential complex entrance late at night – it wasn’t good for Old Tang whether he came out or not!

“Let’s go in and tell Uncle Tang. Let him decide whether to see her or not.”

Zhou Cheng drove the car inside, and Xia Xiaolan rolled down the window:

“Uncle Huang, I know this lady. Could you let her wait in the security office? The weather’s so changeable, with wind and rain – it’s quite cold. Maybe get her some hot water?”

Ah, it was little Xia.

Mayor Tang’s daughter.

The security guard was delighted that Xia Xiaolan had provided a solution.

Now this was a polite young lady, unlike this older woman who wasn’t even as courteous as a young girl.

Ji Ya sneered, “Xia Xiaolan, I don’t need your pity.”

Xia Xiaolan was speechless:

“You’re overthinking it. I don’t have the energy to pity you. Are you completely unaware of the trouble you’re causing others? Never mind, there’s no point arguing with someone like you. Just wait here – I’ll take the message home. Whether Uncle Tang sees you or not, I’ll give you an answer.”

Zhou Cheng drove into the compound. In the rearview mirror, Xia Xiaolan saw that Ji Ya remained standing in place, completely ignoring her suggestion.

Ah, she really couldn’t find anything to like about this woman.

Hurrying upstairs with Zhou Cheng, at this hour, Liu Fen had finished her TV drama, and Old Tang was sitting with her on the sofa watching a series, also wondering when that rascal would bring his precious little cabbage home – when the sound of keys turning in the lock made Tang Hongen turn toward the door.

Zhou Cheng and Xiaolan entered.

Before Tang Hongen could speak, Xia Xiaolan was already making eye signals.

“Where did you two go today, coming home so late? If you have something to say, just say it properly. What’s with all the eye-rolling?”

Xia Xiaolan was taken aback.

Zhou Cheng glanced at Liu Fen, “Uncle Tang, it’s like this – when Xiaolan and I were coming back, we ran into Ms. Ji Ya at the complex entrance. She’s insisting on seeing you, arguing endlessly with the security guard.”

Tang Hongen’s brow furrowed then relaxed, and he turned to explain:

“I didn’t know she was coming.”

His ex-wife’s persistence wasn’t something Tang Hongen was proud of – it wasn’t a reflection of male charm, just trouble.

He had already said everything there was to say with Ji Ya.

Liu Fen nodded, “I know, she must have some business.”

Xia Xiaolan quietly raised her hand:

“May I speak? I guess Ms. Ji came to find Uncle Tang about the bank loan issue. If she can’t gather enough money for the loan tomorrow, the bank will take possession of her collateral – the Elegance brand and all its channels won’t belong to Ms. Ji anymore.”

Tang Hongen was speechless.

“Were there any irregularities in the bank’s handling of this?”

“Probably not, at least not in the repayment process. If there were any irregularities, it would have been in Sheng Xuan’s initial loan to Ji Ya. Now Sheng Xuan wants to correct her past mistake, recall the loan given to Ms. Ji, and transfer to work elsewhere… I think this is something that Sheng Xuan and Ms. Ji should negotiate between themselves.”

Xia Xiaolan explained the situation in a few sentences.

If this matter had anything to do with Xia Xiaolan, it indeed had some connection.

But the person pressuring Ji Ya was undoubtedly Sheng Xuan.

This made things quite awkward – Ji Ya was Old Tang’s ex-wife, and Sheng Xuan was his former admirer.

Old Tang didn’t want to get involved in this!

Liu Fen squeezed his hand, “With her temperament, she’ll probably stay at the gate and refuse to leave. Forcing her away would seem heartless. Why not meet her and hear what she has to say?”

Meet Ji Ya?

Tang Hongen looked out the window. This night was so similar to when he had once stood outside the Ji family home, just wanting to confirm whether his son Ji Jiangyuan had returned to the country.

That night, it was also raining.

The rain was even heavier than now.

Ji Ya had said if he dared to appear before Jiangyuan, she would take him back to America, making sure he’d never see his son again.

Then she closed the door right in his face.

His stomach condition hadn’t been operated on yet, and the shock of this caused him to collapse right outside the Ji family home. It was driver Wang who found him, carried him to the car, and took him to the hospital.

Should he now use the same attitude to take revenge on Ji Ya?