Chapter 700 466: Zhou Cha's Visit

If you cry too much, your eyes will become red and swollen. When exposed to bright light, you'll feel a throbbing pain and dizziness.

Stepping out of the detention center, Jiangg Yao instinctively raised a hand to block the harsh sunlight. She was still clutching a tissue, her small face smudged from what must have been a torrent of tears.

Lawyer Gu, pushing the wheelchair, was constantly consoling them.

"It's all in the past, so don't dwell on it. Once your mother is out, we'll give her a proper welcome-home party. Then you can face your new life with a smile and never speak of this again."

"Wanqing, thank you so much for everything. You've been running around for us, and it's taken up so much of your time. I really don't know what I would have done without you." Jiangg Ning's eyes were filled with sincerity as she gripped her friend's hand tightly.

"We're best friends, Ningning. Don't be so formal. We promised back in college to be friends for life, and besides, I really didn't help all that much."

"That just makes me feel even more guilty."

A little while ago inside the detention center, in their shared moment of hardship, the mother and her two daughters forgot all their past unhappiness.

If not for the iron bars between them, they probably would have collapsed into each other's arms, weeping.

Ningning and Yaoyao could hardly believe it. Their mother, who once ensured that not a single strand of hair was out of place, was now so haggard. Not only was she without a trace of makeup and pale as a ghost, but her hands were covered in mottled scars. And that wasn't to mention the cautious, frightened expression that would occasionally surface on her face.

It was a truly heart-wrenching sight.

Moreover, when she heard with her own ears that the debt was fully paid and she would be released soon, Jiangg Ruxue's long-suppressed emotions finally broke through. Tears and snot streamed down her face as she collapsed to the ground, apologizing profusely to her two daughters.

She said she finally understood how many mistakes she had made, how she had forced her daughters into such a difficult situation and made them share her fear. She had even squandered their inheritance with her own hands, leaving them with nothing, and was utterly unfit to be a mother.

Now, most people understand the saying "even a crocodile sheds tears," but when the two sisters heard their once imperious and hostile mother apologize over and over, they were completely moved.

Girls are, after all, more sentimental.

The tears were uncontrollable. Happy people are healed by their childhood for a lifetime, while unhappy people spend a lifetime healing from their childhood. For them, family wasn't an ordinary bond that brought infinite warmth, but one filled with pain. It was something that, even at their age, still ensnared them.

If this incident could finally repair their long-fractured family relationship, then no matter how much money was spent, it would surely be worth it in their eyes.

However, after leaving the detention center and finishing up with the matter, Jiangg Ning didn't go back with Yaoyao. Instead, she told Lawyer Gu to take Yaoyao back first, saying she had something to do.

"When you get back to the hospital, don't tell Chen that I went out. I'll be back in two hours at most. It'll save him from getting upset if he finds out."

Jiangg Ning whispered to her sister just before she got in the car.

"Sis, where are you going?"

"The real estate agency has been contacting me for a few days. They said a buyer wants to see the house. I really have to go. The sooner it's sold, the sooner I can stop worrying about it," she explained.

Chen Yuan didn't want her to go because her hand was injured and she should be resting at the hospital. He had mentioned before that she didn't need to worry about the money, and if she was insistent on selling, he would find someone to help her with it.

Jiangg Ning had agreed on the surface, but deep down, she didn't want Chen Yuan to keep worrying about her problems.

'We're boyfriend and girlfriend, not father and daughter... He helps me with everything.' Ningning felt a little bad about it.

Besides, given her age, she should be the one taking care of him. She never expected that after all this time together, their roles would be reversed.

"You're way too concerned about your little boyfriend's feelings, honestly..." Lawyer Gu couldn't help but comment after overhearing the sisters' conversation.

"It's not that. It's about empathy," Jiangg Ning explained.

She quickly shut the car door and gestured for them to leave first. Then she hailed a taxi and headed for the other side of Mingzhu City.

...

Around one in the afternoon, as people filed out of the high-rise conference room, the once crowded and noisy space fell quiet. A few of the leaders stretched their backs or massaged their legs. Even a young man like Chen Yuan couldn't take it anymore; his legs and spine ached. Being forced to sit for an entire morning without moving was several times more exhausting than a five-kilometer run with a weighted pack.

Not only was his back exhausted, but his stomach was also growling with hunger.

"Alright, we've heard all the reports we needed to. Shall we head back for now and discuss the project this afternoon?" Mr. Li, the District General Manager, asked for Chen Yuan's opinion.

"Let's take a break," Chen Yuan said with a wave of his hand. He turned to Pei Youwen, who had just walked in. "Is there still food in the cafeteria?"

"They can also make something fresh."

"Okay, let's go," Chen Yuan said, glancing at his watch. "We'll meet again at four."

However, after the others had taken their leave, Pei Youwen came over.

"Director Jiang, there's a call for you in the office. It's from Secretary Zhou."

"Secretary Zhou?"

"Zhou Cha," Pei Youwen clarified. "I answered earlier and told her you were in a meeting. She asked me to have you call her back when you were done. I imagine it's something important."

"Okay, I got it."

Zhou Cha's unexpected call made Chen Yuan abandon the idea of heading to the cafeteria first. He told the others to go on without him, then left the hallway and went upstairs toward his office.

「On his way.」

'She's probably calling to ask if the Jiangg Family's matter has been resolved,' he thought.

Ever since their last meeting when he arrived in Mingzhu City, the two of them hadn't been in contact to avoid suspicion.

He really ought to thank Cha, but he just hadn't found the time, buried as he was under a mountain of work.

To Chen Yuan, his father's secretary wasn't an elder, but she was better than one. She was thoughtful and meticulous in everything she did, both personally and professionally, but never in a way that felt forced. Talking with her was completely stress-free; it felt like he could complain to her about anything.

This was probably the pinnacle of what a secretary could be.

Pei would probably never reach her level, even with another ten years of practice.

Emotional intelligence, sometimes, is just something you're born with.

Less than half a minute later, Chen Yuan was back in his office, returning the call.

...

"I know you were just in a meeting, but it's fine. I'll be at your office building in another ten minutes. Wait for me in your office."

「A moment later.」

Hearing Cha's voice on the phone, Chen Yuan was a little surprised.

"You're in Linzhou?" he asked.

"I'm here on business and had some free time. The chairman asked me to stop by and check on you."

"So my dad sent you... Alright, I'll have Pei come down and get you."

The call ended.

Chen Yuan then called Pei Youwen, who had already gone to the cafeteria.

「In the cafeteria.」

Pei Youwen had only just sat down when he got the call. He shot to his feet, told Mo Nana and the others to eat without him, and hurried off.

Ten minutes. It was an exact estimate.

He saw an executive sedan pulling up slowly to the company's main entrance.

"Secretary Zhou, President Jiang asked me to come get you." He opened the car door, nodding respectfully.

...

Chen Yuan finally had a moment to spare and quickly grabbed his phone to reply to Jiangg Yao's messages. He learned that the two sisters had left the detention center and were on their way back to the hospital.

「In the quiet office.」

Chen Yuan was holding his phone, sending a voice message to Yaoyao.

"I was in meetings all morning and didn't even touch my phone. I just got free and was about to get some food... Don't be so upset about what happened at the detention center. Even if I pulled some strings and asked for a favor, they can't possibly watch her 24/7."

"A detention center isn't like a prison. The supervision isn't as strict, and there's a lot of compulsory labor. I asked around. It's not necessarily that she was bullied by others, so don't overthink it."

He sent several long voice messages, then paused to think before adding another to comfort her:

"She'll be out in a few days. Forget about all the unpleasantness. And don't you cry anymore, baby..."

「Earlier that morning.」

He had put his phone on silent, and it was no exaggeration to say he hadn't glanced at it once.

Jiangg Yao had sent him more than a dozen messages. The gist was that she had seen the injuries on Jiangg Ruxue's hands and was worriedly asking him if her mother had been bullied inside, otherwise how could both her hands have gotten like that.

It was a difficult thing to say.

Chen Yuan had never experienced being locked up, and he couldn't exactly ask his new contact at the center for details.

'She's locked up, after all. You can't expect it to be a vacation with good food, good drinks, and people waiting on you, can you?'

But since this was the sisters' mother, he couldn't voice that complaint.

But one thing was certain.

He had undoubtedly matured a lot over the past year or so as he grew up.

He was gradually figuring out how to handle the two sisters.

In the past, he found it difficult to say such cheesy terms of endearment. Forget saying "baby" in a voice message to Jiangg Yao; even typing it felt embarrassing. Yaoyao had to pester him relentlessly for it.

Now that they were about to be engaged, the sense of shame wasn't as strong.

He had figured it out. For problems that could be solved with a bit of coaxing, there was no need to be overly serious. He just had to help her emotions get through the rough patch.

Getting along also required the right methods.

Sure enough, after his earnest consolation, Jiangg Yao replied that she understood and told him to hurry up and eat.

It seemed her bad mood had eased somewhat.

Then, he took the initiative to open his chat with Jiangg Ning.

It was plain to see that Chen Yuan's chat with Ningning was much more concise and clear. Most of the time, they discussed business. Their communication was very logical; every important statement received a response, without much emotion mixed in.

When it came to personal matters, however, Jiangg Ning tended to be a woman of few words.

But you couldn't call it perfunctory.

For example, that morning on his way to Linzhou, he told Jiangg Ning he had just left Mingzhu City.

Jiangg Ning replied: "Remember to catch up on sleep, or you'll be tired."

Then he sent: "Okay honey, thanks for worrying about me."

Jiangg Ning didn't reply.

The next message came half an hour later, when Jiangg Ning said she and Yaoyao were in the lobby waiting in line.

Then the two began talking in earnest.

Chen Yuan also told her to be sure to go to the records room and retrieve all the necessary files, so as not to leave any leverage for others in the future.

His last message was: "Remember to wait for me to have dinner together tonight. I'm about to get busy."

Jiangg Ning replied: "Got it."

There were no emojis or stickers exchanged in their chat history.

Hence, its conciseness.

But for some reason, one could still inexplicably feel an undeniable emotion between the lines.

Compared to with Jiangg Yao,

Chen Yuan was indeed more proactive in their chats; he was always the one to message first.

It wasn't a question of love or lack thereof.

It was simply because Chen Yuan knew that with Ningning, he had to be more proactive. Her personality was just too reserved.