A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

After hearing Gui'er's words, Miss Shen pondered for a moment and said, "My father once said that Director Wang was a corrupt person with the habits of Cao Mengde, and told me to stay away from him. Could it be that my mother-in-law is trying to please him?"

Gui'er didn't want to explain it too clearly, so she smiled and said, "Although I don't quite understand what you're saying, Director Shen is your father, and I don't think a father would harm his daughter."

Miss Shen nodded and said nothing more.

Gui'er looked around and found a post office across the street where she could make a phone call. She said to Miss Shen, "Sister-in-law, I've been out for so long and haven't called my second brother to let him know I'm safe. I want to go to the post office across the street and call him. Can you help me here?"

Miss Shen smiled and said, "We have a phone at home, why don't you call from home?"

Gui'er frowned and hesitated for a moment before saying, "You've just married into our family, so you might not know some things. Mother doesn't like my second brother, so I don't dare to hit him at home. Please don't tell my eldest brother and mother."

Miss Shen was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Don't worry, it's hard for you to worry about so many things at such a young age."

Guier happily turned around and went to the post office opposite. In fact, she didn't want to call Sha Yanxiao, because Ah Cheng would naturally pass on the message to Sha Yanxiao. She wanted to call Song Xichen.

After entering the post office, Guier looked back and saw Miss Shen still sitting in the snack bar opposite. She picked up the phone and dialed Song Xichen's office number with confidence.

Song Xichen answered the call. As soon as Gui'er said "Hello," Song Xichen recognized her voice and said excitedly, "Is that Gui'er? That's great! I finally have news from you. Are you safe now?"

Gui'er's nose felt a little sore, and she said, "I'm fine now."

Then she told Song Xichen everything that had happened since she came to Nanjing, as well as Director Wang's personality and quirks.

Song Xichen said, "You did very well. Be careful. Have you contacted Xu Wenjie?"

Gui'er thought for a moment and said, "I haven't had the chance to call him. Even now, I'm out with Miss Shen. I'm afraid that if I contact him and Miss Shen finds out, it will change the relationship between Sha Yanyao and Miss Shen."

Song Xichen said, "Xu Wenjie is a bit impulsive in his emotions, so it's better not to let them meet."

Gui'er said, "I understand. I'll go find Xu Wenjie when I get the chance."

Gui'er also told Song Xichen her current address, and Song Xichen repeatedly told her to be careful and pay attention to safety.

Afterwards, Gui'er and Miss Shen returned to their residence and saw Madam disciplining Yulan. She said patiently and gently, "Come on, don't look sideways when you walk. Act like a lady from a noble family. Don't show your teeth when you smile at people, and don't shake your head."

Yulan studied very hard and called them enthusiastically when she saw them come back.

In the evening, Mrs. Shen came running over proudly and announced that she had already invited several wives of people who were close to Director Wang to come over for a gathering.

Upon hearing this, Sha Yanyao said happily, "That's really great news. Thank you so much, mother."

Mrs. Shen said proudly: "Our Mr. Shen has been doing business in Nanjing for many years. Although he is not here now, he can still have a say."

Sha Yanyao said repeatedly, "Yes, yes, it's all thanks to my father's influence. I'm going to ask Director Huang right now. I think he'll be willing to come this time."

Sure enough, a few days later, Sha Yanyao came back and asked everyone to get ready because he would hold a banquet at home in two days.

This matter was related to Sha Yanyao's job search, so everyone put in their best efforts to prepare. The servants were even more diligent, as if they would also benefit if Sha Yanyao got the position.

The lady even told Gui'er, "You must wear new clothes that day. Didn't your second brother buy you quite a few? Pick out something nice and wear some jewelry. Don't bring shame to the Sha family. Oh, and please lend your jade jewelry to your sister Yulan for a while."

Gui'er was very reluctant when she heard this, but she had no choice but to take it out and give it to Yulan. She didn't want to wear it too ostentatiously, so she opened the box that Sha Yanxiao sent her and let it go for a while. She found a piece of clothing in it that looked like linen, but actually had a little luster, which could not be seen without careful observation. It should be a very luxurious fabric, but because it was gray, it was relatively low-key.

Guier chose this one and added a pearl necklace. Dingxiang said, "Miss, why did you choose such a plain and rustic dress? It's not luxurious at all. If the lady saw it, she would definitely say something."

Gui'er said, "This dress is not tacky at all. Look at the dark patterns on it. It's made of very expensive fabric, but the color might not be the best choice. Besides, they have important guests coming, and it wouldn't be nice for a little adopted daughter like me to dress too conspicuously. I should let the host shine a little brighter."

Guests arrived one after another that afternoon. The lady specially invited a chef from outside. In addition to Nanjing's local specialties, there were also famous dishes such as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Eight Treasure Duck, and red wine and Maotai. Mrs. Shen entertained the guests with ease, as if she was the host of the house.

In the evening, the legendary Director Wang finally arrived. Because Gui'er had heard the discussion between his wife and Sha Yanyao before, she thought he was a disgusting, greasy middle-aged man. Unexpectedly, he had a slicked-back hair, wore a Zhongshan suit with a pen stuck in the pocket of the suit, had a ruddy complexion, and was of medium build, looking a bit like a modern successful entrepreneur.

As soon as Director Wang arrived, everyone's attention was on him. Sha Yanyao and his wife hurried to the car and opened the door for him personally. After he got out, the guests around him came forward to greet him, but he seemed to be accustomed to such scenes and just smiled faintly and nodded.

Mrs. Shen stepped forward with a familiar smile and said, "Hello, Director Wang."

Director Wang was stunned for a moment and asked, "Who are you?"

Mrs. Shen smiled awkwardly, a little at a loss. Sha Yanyao quickly said, "This is my mother-in-law, the widow of Director Shen from Shanghai."

After hearing this, Director Wang said lightly: "Oh, it's you." and said nothing more.

Sha Yanyao quickly introduced his wife, Miss Shen, Yulan, and Guier to him. Director Wang glanced at his wife and nodded, smiling politely. Seeing Miss Shen, his eyes lit up and he extended his hand to shake hers. He smiled and said, "I've always heard that Director Shen's daughter is beautiful and intelligent. Today, she really lives up to her name."

Miss Shen deliberately lifted her hair from her forehead, revealing a scar on her brow bone from a fall from a cliff. She smiled and said, "Director, thank you for your compliment. Welcome to our place."