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

Xu Zhoulan didn't miss a single subtle expression on the man's face. Having known him for several years, both of them were cunning and shrewd, like foxes that had been around for a thousand years. Xu Zhoulan couldn't see any of that in him, which was no wonder he was so secure in his position.

"How did Director Xu find out about this?"

Xu Zhoulan said, "Unfortunately, when Chairman Jiang came to the company, I was sitting in my car in the underground parking lot, smoking a cigarette, and I overheard it by chance."

Pei Zhan handed the signed document to him, saying, "If you want to know so much, why don't you just ask Chairman Jiang? It's working hours now, Director Xu, don't forget your responsibilities. We're paying you such a high annual salary, not so you can come here and discuss these trivial matters."

Xu Zhoulan smiled and nodded, "President Pei is right. I'm willing to go to HR and have half a year's bonus deducted."

When Jiang Hua returned home, the messages in the group chat on her phone were still not finished. She had set the chat to Do Not Disturb mode, but there were already thousands of messages. Even after she got home, Shen Wanrou was still sending messages at a high speed.

"Young Miss, you're back?" The familiar voice filled Jiang Hua with a sense of warmth; it had been so long since she had seen Aunt Xu.

After Jiang Weiguo was discharged from the hospital, Xu Qiulan naturally came over.

“Aunt Xu, you’ve worked so hard these past few days. Why don’t you take a few days off? You can teach other people to do anything.”

Xu Qiulan: "Yes, Miss."

Jiang Hua went there. Pei Zhan used her phone in his study. The publisher needed to order another edition of a book about jewelry restoration. During this time, she also received royalties from the publisher. The amount was not high, only tens of thousands of yuan. However... what surprised Jiang Hua the only thing was that her first published book had been collected by the China Museum and included in the category of rare books. She received another bonus.

These prizes weren't much, but they had a different meaning for her.

...

The emotional reaction caused Song Qingran to unintentionally aggravate her wound, resulting in excruciating pain. Her internal organs felt like they were spasming and convulsing. Although the wound had healed, it was still somewhat unstable. The pain only lessened after she received another IV drip.

Song's mother stayed to keep her company at the hospital, while Madam Bai and Xia He went back first. Xue Ruyao and Xiaoyu also came to the hospital, bringing a lot of things.

Xue Ruyao: "Qingran, I'm sorry, we didn't expect this matter to implicate you."

Xiaoyu: "Yes, Qingran... all we know is that the other party was dissatisfied with the jewelry we repaired, which is why they attacked you. But do you know who attacked you?"

"We can't just let this go after beating you up like this."

Song Qingran was also confused about the matter and shook her head. "I don't know who the other party is either. Brother Xiang Nan just told me not to worry, that Mr. Pei would handle it, so I didn't interfere."

"Brother Xiang Nan just made me sign a confidentiality agreement, telling me not to tell anyone about these things, so... Xiaoyu, I really don't know what happened!"

Song Qingran only remembered that when she was called into the reception room, the other person only asked her if she knew Mrs. Mo. Song Qingran answered truthfully, but before she could react, the other person attacked her... At that time, her mind was still a little dazed. After she hit the table, she felt a sharp pain, and after that, she knew nothing.

When she woke up again, she was surprised to find herself in the hospital.

"It must be Jiang Hua!" Xue Ruyao blurted out without thinking.

Xiaoyu quickly covered her mouth, looking at her apologetically with a smile, "Qingran, you should rest well. It's getting late. We'll come see you again tomorrow."

"Um... don't listen to her, she's talking nonsense."

Song Qingran looked at them in confusion. Xiaoyu quickly dragged Xue Ruyao out into the hospital corridor. "Are you crazy? Why did you say these things to Qingran! This whole thing is our fault. Don't forget that USB drive; we secretly copied it from Jiang Hua."

"Professor Guo still believes that the contents of this USB drive were resources given to us by Jiang Hua, which is why he didn't pursue the matter."

Xue Ruyao said with a disdainful look, "Anyone who doesn't know better would think that the contents of this USB drive are hers. It's clearly the teaching materials that the school gave her. Since it was given to her by the school, what's wrong with us taking a look and learning from it?"

"Why should I need her consent? Jiang Hua is a slut who only knows how to please men with her body. She studied jewelry restoration just to get in touch with high society so that she can marry well and live a respectable life. I'm not going to let her have her way."

"Besides, what does this have to do with us? It's all Jiang Li and her group's fault. The materials they applied for from the school were problematic. We paid for those materials ourselves; each gemstone costs 60,000 yuan, and we could only afford one by applying for student loans. People who don't know any better would think the jewelry that person wanted repaired was some rare item. We've inquired in our group, and there's no such jewelry in the market or in the materials we've reviewed. We don't know anything about its origins, let alone whether it's some cheap item. They came to us deliberately to repair it and scam money. We've already lost tens of thousands of yuan this time."

Xiaoyu was still a little unsure and said, "If it's really not worth much, why would the owner of the jewelry call the police to look for the lost piece?"

"Ah Yao, so much time has passed, have you even asked Madam Bai who the owner behind the jewelry really is?"

"Are we in big trouble this time?"

"I don't know why, but I always feel uneasy."

The little fish clutched its chest, a little panicked.

Xue Ruyao: "No, what do you have to be afraid of? We returned all the money she gave us, and she was even detained in the police station for a few days, almost getting a criminal record. We didn't make a single penny, and we even lost 60,000 yuan. What else does she want?! Is this never going to end?"

Xiaoyu: "Now the studio is suspended, and even the association's affairs have been put on hold. Now the whole school is laughing at us."

"If Professor Guo comes back, he will definitely give us a good scolding."

Xue Ruyao didn't take it seriously at all: "These things can all be resolved before Professor Guo comes back. Don't forget, we still have Qingran. She has such a powerful godmother, and that Mrs. Xia... They have already promised us that they will definitely help us resolve these issues completely. Don't worry."

"I want to see what tricks that bitch Jiang Hua has up her sleeve this time."

"She's angered Qingran and caused her such serious injuries; she might as well just wait to die."

"While the two ladies may spare her, the president of the Jiang Group will not let her off so easily. Qingran is too soft-hearted and lovesick. She must not reconcile with Pei Zhan like this. Let him suffer a bit. Who told him to parade around with Jiang Hua time and time again, provoking Qingran!"

"No, I have to send a message to Qingran and tell him that I'm going to get back at him for all the humiliation I suffered at his hands."

Song Qingran immediately picked up her fully charged phone and dialed a number she knew by heart. When she called, she discovered that Mr. Pei's usual private phone number had been cancelled. She suddenly felt a faint sense of loss. This phone number was one that Song Qingran had saved when they first met.

"If anything happens in the future, just call this number. I will answer it no matter when."

Now...

A cold voice came through the phone again, "...Sorry, the number you dialed is not in service..."

Song Qingran's heart sank once again.

When she dialed another phone number, it was answered within half a minute.

The microphone crackled to life; footsteps echoed in the empty basement parking garage.

After two seconds of silence, a cold voice came from the other end: "Speak."

"Mr. Pei...it's me!"

"Hmm, what's wrong?" The tone was noticeably less cold.

“Mr. Pei, have I... caused you trouble again? I didn't know about the missing jewelry, why did this happen... I also believe that Ayao and the others wouldn't steal the jewelry; they understand the consequences of doing so, and... they worked so hard to get this company together…”

"Mr. Pei, your wife wants you to go back and bring back a chestnut cake."

A voice suddenly came through the phone, causing Song Qingran's heart to race with panic.

"Okay, I understand. Is there anything else you need?"

When Pei Zhan and the others looked at their phones again, the call had already ended.

"The hospital didn't explain things clearly?" The voice from the back seat immediately put pressure on Zuo Xiangnan.

"We only signed a confidentiality agreement temporarily. When I went in to see Ms. Song, her condition was not very good. The doctor said she couldn't be subjected to too much stimulation. As for the dismissal, I thought I would deal with it after Ms. Song was discharged from the hospital."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Pei, it was my decision that was made on my own."

Pei Zhan: "Only this once."

As a subordinate, he had no right to act on his own.

"Yes, Mr. Pei."

...

"Qingran, what's wrong? What did Mr. Pei say to you? Don't break your phone."

That word "Madam" felt like a needle piercing her heart.

When Song Qingran saw the person returning, she quickly pretended that nothing was wrong and smiled, saying, "It's nothing. I was just afraid that Mr. Pei would misunderstand something and it would affect my work at the company."

"Mom, I told you, you don't need to go through all this trouble to buy it for me. I can eat anything."

Song's mother placed her phone on the bedside table. "Come and eat."

"You and Mr. Pei haven't reconciled yet? If there's anything you need to discuss, you can talk it out face to face."

Song Qingran said, "Mom, he really is married now. Please stop saying things like that. Over the years, he has done so much for our family. I only ever see him as my brother. I... I have never thought about anything else."

"Brother Yuanzhou will be back soon..."

"I…"

"The person I like has never changed."

But seeing her daughter like this, how could Song's mother not understand her thoughts?

"Alright, alright, Mom understands everything. Let's focus on healing your injuries first, and we can talk about the rest later. It's not that Mom forbids you from being with Yuanzhou."

After a week in the hospital, Song Qingran was finally discharged. To welcome her back, Xia He went to Qianqiu Villa and prepared a banquet for her, also inviting several of her closest friends.

"We're only able to dine at such a luxurious place today thanks to Qingran. I heard... it's very expensive here." Xiaoyu took Qingran's arm and walked into the picturesque villa, climbing one stone step after another.

"I've also heard from others that this place is a geomantically auspicious place. The people who can come here are all wealthy and powerful officials, as well as some prominent families who are well-known in the capital. Moreover... it's not a place you can come to just because you have money."

"Qingran... just who is this Madam Xia you know? Everyone in this manor seems to treat her with utmost respect. Could it be that she owns Qianqiu Manor?"

Song Qingran shook her head blankly. "I don't know."

"No way, Qingran... Let me tell you..."

“Previously, our studio was shut down by the supervisory bureau by Jiang Hua using some unknown means, and our association was also suspended. Just yesterday… one of Madam Xia’s bodyguards or butlers came to tell us that our studio can operate normally again, and… she also said that we can apply to her for the jewelry needed for the repair, and that she can find the raw materials.”

"At that time, we won't need to go through you to get orders for the studio."

Xue Ruyao, who was standing nearby, said, "My God, look at the group chat! They said a huge order suddenly came in. It's from Madam Xi, who owns the Royal Hotel, a chain of five-star hotels. She wants us to repair a set of jade jewelry worth tens of millions of yuan, and she'll even offer us 300,000 yuan as a reward."

Xiaoyu: "This...really? No way. I thought that after something like this happened to our studio, no one would come looking for us anymore."

"I'm terrified."

After Xiaoyu saw the message, sure enough... someone had already sent the signed contract to their group, along with the signatures of both parties, so there was no mistake.

"Qingran, this is wonderful! You are truly our lucky star. With you by our side, no matter what difficulties we encounter, we can overcome them all. You are amazing!"

Song Qingran was so tightly hugged that she could hardly breathe.

"Cough cough, Little Fish, I... I can't breathe!"

Xia He was walking ahead, with Bai Rui beside her. When they heard the sound, the two of them looked back.

Xia He: "What's wrong, Qingran?"

The two quickly released her.

Song Qingran: "It's nothing, Aunt Xia."

Xia He: "It's good to be young, you have the energy to play around."

"I heard from your mother that the engagement banquet, which was supposed to be going well, is suddenly going to be canceled?"

Bai Rui pretended to be calm and said, "It's my fault. I... I received an invitation to perform with the Royal Symphony Orchestra. The timing just happened to clash, so I had to cancel it for now. I'll talk about it when I get back."

"That's true. Besides love, career is also very important for women. Wen Qian doesn't have any objections?"

"Yes, he supports me too."

As the manager of Qianqiu Manor led them into the lobby, they were suddenly confronted with a farce…

Jiang Hua threw the documents in her hand directly in front of Jiang Huai, and countless sheets of paper fluttered down. "If you don't agree, then don't make so many suggestions. What kind of person are you!"

"At worst, I'll just not do it."

Shen Bao'er quickly grabbed Jiang Hua, "Hua Hua..."

Jiang Huai frowned, furious. "Is this how you talk to me!"