No reconciliation, no forgiveness! Mr. Pei leaves with nothing.

Jiang Hua reacted instantly, forcefully pushing him away. Enraged, she raised her hand, wanting to slap him across the face, but he easily grabbed it. "After taking care of Miss Jiang for so long, I have to get some interest back."

"You filthy thing, who told you to kiss me! Let go of me!" Jiang Hua glared at him angrily.

Pei Zhan was already used to Jiang Hua's temper tantrums. "You have so much energy to curse. It seems you're cured. After you finish this bowl of noodles, I'll send you away tomorrow."

"go out!"

"I told you to get out!"

"Get out of here!"

Jiang Hua smashed the freshly cooked noodles again; she hadn't eaten a single bite in the past day and night.

No one could do anything about Jiang Hua, not even if they came.

After Pei Zhan left, Jiang Hua calmed down and tried to wipe her lips clean, but no matter what she did, she couldn't get the smudges off.

When night fell and all was quiet, the mountains were pitch black, and there was no way to find any direction.

I don't know where she got the courage, but Jiang Hua left alone with her own things.

There was only one way down the mountain, and perhaps even Pei Zhan couldn't have imagined that Jiang Hua would choose to risk her life to escape.

Fortunately, her luck wasn't that bad.

By the time she reached the town, Jiang Hua's foot was a bloody mess, and she felt no pain, unsure of what had cut it. Just as she collapsed from exhaustion, a car pulled up in the distance, its blinding headlights illuminating Jiang Hua's haggard face. Someone hurriedly got out of the car…

“Huahua…”

Jiang Hua fainted, but fortunately, Shen Yebai saved her in time.

For the two days since Jiang Hua disappeared, Shen Yebai mobilized everyone in Wuchuan to search for her.

Before she could wake up, Shen Yebai took her to the airport that very night and boarded a plane back to the capital.

...

The sky was just breaking through the dawn, a clear blue expanse stretching for miles.

Song Qingran woke up early and looked at the lady picking vegetables in the yard. "Aunt Cui, hasn't he come back these past two days?"

Aunt Cui said, "You mean Zhan? He should have gone to his grandfather's house. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

"Grandpa? You mean Wuchuan is where he grew up?"

"Yes, I thought you didn't know. Ah Zhan suffered a lot when he was young. He raised two younger sisters from a young age. I knew he would be successful when he grew up."

"He funded the construction of many places in Wuchuan, including roads and numerous buildings..."

"Speaking of which, you and my little sister look so alike. If my little sister grew up now, she would probably be just as beautiful as you."

Song Qingran: "Little sister? Who is she?"

"Her..." the woman was about to speak when she was interrupted by a voice.

Song Qingran had never known any of this. What Aunt Cui was saying was all too unfamiliar. Song Qingran thought that someone like him was born to live a life of luxury.

“Miss Song…” Outside the courtyard gate, Song Qingran heard someone calling her. When she turned around, she was surprised to find that the person who came was Zuo Xiangnan.

"Assistant Zuo, what brings you here?"

Zuo Xiangnan said, "President Pei, you want me to come pick you up, but time is tight. You only have ten minutes to pack your things. You need me to take you back to the capital."

"Then... what about Mr. Pei? Is he coming with us?"

Zuo Xiangnan: "President Pei will go back after he finishes his two-day work."

Song Qingran's originally worried face quickly turned into a smile. "That's great. I knew Mr. Pei wouldn't abandon the Jiang family."

"Assistant Zuo, I'll go pack my things now."

Song Qingran's leg was injured, but fortunately she was able to walk again in three or four days. It still hurts a little, but it has improved a lot.

Before leaving, Aunt Cui gave Song Qingran a lot of local specialties from Wuchuan to take back with her, including dried bamboo shoots, wild vegetables, and nuts.

After a two- or three-hour flight, Song Qingran returned to Fan Hua Si Jin at noon.

Upon seeing her return, the villa's servants came over one by one to help Song Qingran carry her things.

Chen Huifang stood to the side, her eyes filled with contemplation, looking at Zuo Xiangnan as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Only after Song Qingran entered the villa did she dare to step forward and say, "Assistant Zuo, there's something I don't know whether I should tell you or not."

Zuo Xiangnan: "What is it?"

Chen Huifang glanced at Song Qingran and, seeing that she wasn't being noticed, boldly spoke up, "Mr. Pei's wife seems to... know about Miss Song's existence. The day after Miss Song left, I received a phone call from a woman who claimed to be Mr. Pei's wife and inquired whether Miss Song and Mr. Pei were together."

"...Luckily, I reacted quickly and said that there was no such person, and then I hung up the phone."

Zuo Xiangnan frowned slightly. "I understand. I will tell President Pei to handle this matter. Just focus on your own work. There are some things you shouldn't know, so don't inquire about them on your own."

"Yes, yes, yes...of course."

After all, these maids knew perfectly well that no matter how much the man liked the person living here, it was still something that couldn't be seen in the light of day.

When Song Qingran returned to the villa, she asked, "Where's Aunt Du? Is she feeling any better?"

Aunt Du, also known as Du Hong, was found by the roadside on her way back to the Blooming Flowers area. She was covered in blood at the time.

After taking her to the hospital, they learned that she seemed to have a mental illness and had always treated her as her daughter, Ah Xu.

Song Qingran didn't know her background. The police had opened a case against her, but there had been no news since.

Song Qingran had no choice but to let her live with her. It was only after spending some time with Aunt Du that she realized that Aunt Du was sometimes lucid.

She only just learned that Aunt Du's daughter had been murdered by someone who stole her heart, and that after her death... she couldn't accept the shock, which is why she became mentally unstable.

"Ah Xu..." Du Hong came downstairs, looking at her with worry and anxiety. "Little sister, where have you been all this time? Do you know how worried your mother is about you when you're not home?"

"You go out to play without ever telling your mother."

Song Qingran had grown accustomed to the fact that she always mistook her for her deceased daughter.

Every time Song Qingran faced her, she always felt a strange sense of closeness.

She went along with her words, "I'm fine, Mom. I left in such a hurry that I didn't tell you. Mom... have you eaten? Can I eat with you?"

“Ah Xu, my good daughter, you were the most sensible when you were little. You liked that pink sweater, but I didn’t give it to you. But I knitted it for you. I… I’ll go get it for you.” As she spoke, Du Hong picked up the half-finished sweater from the sofa and gestured to Song Qingran, “Look, our little sister is the prettiest.”

“When Ah-Xu was in junior high school, she was the most popular girl among her classmates, teachers, and neighbors.”

"Mom... this is Qingran, she's not Axu." A voice came from outside the door. Song Qingran looked over and saw Zhou Yan outside the door. She didn't know when Zhou Yan had arrived, and she hadn't noticed.

"Sister, you are here."