曲小姐.
曲茶.
魏冷的表弟.
他们只见过一次面,她已经在试图挑起事端了.
"黄先生——"
"黄先生!"
沈明刚要说话,黄先生的助理就冲了进来.
"沈小姐,对不起."
她走到一边.
"黄先生,区长来了."
助理把电话递了过来.
黄先生突然挂断了曲茶接听新电话.沈明听不见在说什么,但她看到黄先生——平时油腻而傲慢——像个被骂的孩子一样,不停地点头.
"是的,是的,当然.绝对.我马上就处理好.
沈明不想再偷听了,转身进了洗手间.
门外,黄先生彻底清醒了过来.这个电话像重击头部一样震撼了他.他看起来几乎吓坏了.
当他终于挂断电话时,他深吸了一口气.
"沈小姐呢?"
助理指着洗手间."她进去了."
黄先生一脸不安.吃晚饭的时候,他对酒水并不轻易——尤其是当涉及到沈明的时候.
他擦了擦脸,明显感到嘎嘎作响.
"怎么了,黄先生?"
黄先生差点骂骂咧咧."该死——这个沈明到底是谁?就连区长也打电话来询问她.
晚餐的其余部分出乎意料地顺利.
到了晚上,黄先生几乎握住了沈明的手.
"别担心.您的项目很可靠.我下周会把资金给你——不,这周.
他突然的态度转变让每个人都感到困惑.
就连沈明也不确定刚刚发生了什么.感觉就像一个陷阱.
黄先生笑着补充道:"沈小姐,如果有机会,请和区长替我说一句好话.他喜欢喝茶.我刚收到了一批新货——我的助手明天会给你寄一些.
区长?
她的同事惊讶地扬起了眉毛.沈明有那种联系吗?
在打车回家的路上,沈明静静地坐着,回放着脑海中的一切.
她不认识任何区长.
先是黄先生,现在是这个电话——感觉很不对劲.
她是对的.
她的电话响了.是卓航.
"Miss Shen, something's happened. Mr. Rong has been in a car accident."
The news hit like a bolt of lightning. The Rong family was thrown into chaos.
After the accident, Rong Zhaonan was discharged from the hospital and taken straight to the family estate.
Shen Ming hadn't seen him—not even once. She wanted to visit, but she had no good excuse.
Until Zhuo Hang called again, clearly upset.
"Miss Shen, have you no conscience? Our boss went out of his way to have dinner with that District Chief—for you. And then he gets hit by a car on the way back. It's been days and you haven't even come by to check on him. He's at the old family house now. What happens next is up to you."
Suddenly, all the pieces clicked together.
He was hit by a car... because of me?
Shen Ming couldn't ignore that tone. She had to come up with a plan.
She told her grandfather she wanted to come home for a few days, to spend time with him. The old man didn't seem too surprised—but Su Ning certainly was.
Gu Feng and Gu Changsong were away on a field project. They weren't expected back for a while.
Her timing was perfect.
Only the housekeeper came to meet her at the gate.
"Madam heard you were coming home. She waited at the door for quite a while, but didn't want you to see. Once she spotted your car down the street, she went back inside."
Shen Ming and Su Ning hadn't spoken in ages—not since their falling-out.
She had even ignored Su Ning's calls.
Even Su Yuyan had given up trying to mediate.
But now, Shen Ming was back. Tail between her legs.
If it weren't for Rong Zhaonan, she would never have swallowed her pride like this.
"I'm just staying for a couple of days," she said casually. "Uncle Gu and the others are still at home, right?"
"Mr. Gu and Young Master Feng are out at the experimental fields. They won't be back anytime soon."
That seemed... convenient. Was it Su Ning's doing?
The old man was delighted she was joining them for dinner and insisted on chatting for over an hour.
Even during the meal, he kept the conversation going.
"So, your lab doesn't lack talent—it lacks funding?"
Shen Ming nodded. "Exactly. That's why we're scrambling to raise money. The original project lost its vision. Even our lead designer quit."
Something about the project seemed to intrigue her grandfather.
"Well, that's easy to fix. I'll have Yuyan visit tomorrow and see what you need. Whatever it is, we'll take care of it. No need for all that red tape. That way, your project can move forward."
Shen Ming sipped her soup and chuckled.
"Oh, Grandpa. That's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. If it were really that simple, I'd have done it myself. I wouldn't need Su Yuyan."
"Alright then—what other problems are you facing?"
She wanted to continue the conversation, but glanced at the time. It was getting late.
Su Ning remained quiet during dinner but listened intently.
Shen Ming set her spoon down and wiped her mouth.
"There's a lot to unpack. We'll talk more later. I'm done eating—you guys go ahead and enjoy."
She had one destination in mind.
The Rong family estate.
She didn't bother hiding it, either.
Her excuse? She came to visit Rong Tianqi.
The housekeeper greeted her politely. "Second Young Master is away on a business trip."
Shen Ming lingered in the living room for a while.
"I see. Well, I'll be heading out then. I brought some fresh pears for Tianqi—just picked from the tree."
The housekeeper hesitated. "Second Young Master might not be back for a while. They'll probably spoil."
"That's fine," she said. "I brought them anyway. Maybe the Old Master can enjoy them."
"He doesn't eat pears—his teeth aren't what they used to be."
Shen Ming blinked. Not the most diplomatic response.
She decided to end the conversation with silence.
Thankfully, the family butler arrived just in time.
"Miss Shen, you're here to see the Second Young Master? The Old Master would like to see you—he's in the study."
Perfect timing. They always ate early, and she'd calculated her arrival down to the minute.
"Of course. I'll head over now."
In the study, the Old Master was admiring paintings.
The room was peaceful.
To her surprise, Rong Zhaonan was there too—sitting at the desk, painting with a brush in hand.
She'd almost forgotten that the eldest son of the Rong family had a bit of an artistic streak—something he inherited from his grandfather.
"Ah, Xiao Shen, you're here," the old man said warmly.
That nickname—Xiao Shen—always made her feel welcome.
She stepped in with a bright smile. "Just dropping something off. Too bad Tianqi isn't home. Oh? And Zhaonan is here too?"
She pretended to only now notice him.