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

Pei Zhan fastened his watch, dressed in a black suit, and sat down in front of the chessboard. "I'll keep you company."

“Okay.” Jiang Hua cleaned up the chess pieces on the chessboard again. He was dressed in a suit and looked very presentable. Today, Jiang’s jewelry was going to be exhibited at the Imperial University. Zuo Xiangnan was personally overseeing the event. As the president of Jiang’s, Pei Zhan was extremely busy every day. He was a man who only cared about profit and business. Jiang Hua did not believe that he would waste his time with her here.

Pei Zhan might have thought that Jiang Hua would only tell him to get lost with disgust after hearing such a hypocritical remark, but he didn't expect her to be willing to let him stay.

"How to play?"

"You don't even know how to play Gomoku? Are you useless?" Jiang Hua explained the rules to him. "As long as five pieces are in a line, I can capture one of your pieces. After capturing one, you can place your piece again. In the end, it depends on the opponent's hand. Whoever captures the most pieces wins."

Pei Zhan: "Okay."

He knew that asking that question was simply a way of wanting to hear her talk.

They haven't sat down like this, getting along harmoniously to do something for a long time, since they've done so.

Pei Zhan's sharp and flexible thinking made him a match for Jiang Hua. At first, Jiang Hua was able to win a few times, but Pei Zhan was running out of time. Ten minutes later, Pei Zhan's phone rang twice, but he hung up on both calls and put it on silent.

Jiang Hua only won for ten minutes, but Pei Zhan took complete control of the situation in just five minutes. The layout in front of her made Jiang Hua a little dizzy. In the end, her opponent had no pieces left. When it came time to count, Jiang Hua was just one piece away from losing to him.

"Pei Zhan, you bastard, you deliberately beat me by one move, is that fun? Are you just trying to humiliate me?"

"This round doesn't count as a restart."

Pei Zhan's tone softened, "I'll spend time with you next time. I'll be a bit busy today, but I'll come back as soon as possible."

"Get out of here!" Jiang Hua angrily slammed the remaining chess pieces on the chessboard. Several pieces fell to the ground. The servants, not daring to provoke this tyrant, carefully picked up the fallen pieces, stood up, cleaned them up, and put them back.

Jiang Hua angrily went upstairs, holding onto the handrail, and stood at the top of the stairs. "Go and put that sign in the yard up at the entrance."

Maid: This…

The maid replied helplessly, "Yes, Miss."

Imperial University has a secure defense system inside and out. Bodyguards in black suits carry military-style cases. These jewels are placed in tempered glass display cases by designated personnel. Underneath the display cases are infrared alarm systems that will sound an alarm if anyone touches them.

Surveillance cameras were installed all around, leaving no blind spots unchecked.

As the vice president of the jewelry association, Song Qingran discussed the placement of the jewelry with the other members of the association.

The Jewelry Restoration Association has more than a dozen members, with five core members who are truly talented and skilled, including Jiang Xue.

Of the remaining four, two are associate professors from overseas jewelry design academies, and it will take them some time to get here.

The other two have always worked alongside Jiang Huai.

The exhibition doesn't start until tomorrow, but quite a few people have already come today to start making preparations.

Aside from core members, no one can enter without a license.

However, no one expected that at this crucial moment of preparation, Jiang Huai would appear at the exhibition setup site with his entourage, followed by two members of the Jewelry Restoration Association.

Song Qingran was dressed in a fresh and simple shirt and skirt outfit, with an access pass hanging on her chest. Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Song Qingran immediately rushed forward to welcome him, "Grandpa Jiang, you've arrived."

Jiang Huai's eyes swept around, as if searching for something. "Are you the only ones here today to do the preparations?"

Song Qingran followed his gaze, looked at the busy people behind her, and nodded, "Everyone from the association is here." Something seemed to displease Jiang Huai; he frowned, his expression darkening, and then the person in front of him asked, "Where's Jiang Hua?"

Behind Song Qingran, many ears were perked up to listen. Xue Ruyao wanted to go forward and say something, but Xiaoyu held her back.

"None of us can get in touch with Senior Jiang. She... hasn't been to school for a long time."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huai looked extremely embarrassed.

Just then, Pei Zhan walked in from outside. "Huahua is not feeling well and is resting at home. She will not be participating in this jewelry exhibition." A voice suddenly rang out, and everyone looked in the direction from which the voice came. They saw Pei Zhan walking in like a star surrounded by the moon, and all eyes were drawn to him.

Pei Zhan was not the only one who came with him; Zhou Yan, who was by his side, was also with him.

"Sister," Song Qingran called out.

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded at her, then took a step forward, walked up to Jiang Huai, and extended her hand. "President Jiang, it's an honor to meet you here. I am the head of the design department of King Group. My name is Zhou Yan."

"No need for a handshake." Zhou Yan revealed her identity, but Jiang Huai, being a highly respected figure, did not give her that courtesy. His gaze was arrogant and haughty, and he would only lower his eyes and never look down at people.

Zhou Yan, feeling somewhat embarrassed, didn't say anything, but simply smiled slightly and gently withdrew her hand. "It's alright if Chairman Jiang doesn't give me face. After all, it's rare to see such a big shot as Chairman Jiang. I applied to headquarters for a joint exhibition with the Jiang family for this jewelry exhibition, and we won't steal the limelight from the Jiang family. King Group can cooperate with all the booth placements."

As she spoke, all of Zhou Yan's bodyguards rushed over and quickly added a few more display cases.

The display of all of Jiang's rare jewels was already stunning enough, but no one expected to see a jewelry exhibition from the King Group here. The students from the jewelry design department all had their eyes shining.

The collaboration between Huo's King Group and Jiang's Group is a rare sight, and... these jewels are rarely seen not only in textbooks but also on the market, let alone for ordinary people like them to see such rare treasures.

"The Huo Group only hired someone as unruly as you? I really should have a good talk with Huo Tingshan sometime."

Everyone knows that Huo Tingshan is the head of the Huo Group, but he later left the capital for France, and no one knows why he left.

Suddenly, Pei Zhan's gaze fell intently on Jiang Huai...

Zhou Yan disagreed, saying, "Whether it's the Huo Group or its subsidiaries, I believe the chairman is a person who clearly distinguishes between public and private matters. After all... no matter where you are, the Huo Group relies on its strength. The exhibition hasn't started yet, so Chairman Jiang can go back first and leave it to us."

“It’s good that young people are confident, but I’m afraid you can’t handle it and are not worthy of the position you’re in now. I’ve seen your design, and it’s a complete mess. If the Huo family is out of talent, I can recommend some of my students.”

"Replacing you is no problem."

"It's a cooperative relationship, but also a competitive one. Keep your eyes open." The last sentence was said to Pei Zhan, who lowered his posture and replied, "I will remember."

After saying this, Jiang Huai turned around and left the venue.

The situation was unclear, but fraught with tension. It all stemmed from King Group's desire for jewelry design sketches in Jiang Huai's possession. These sketches, of extraordinary origin, meticulously documented ancient jewelry-making techniques from centuries past. These techniques had been tightly guarded by the Jiang family, never to be revealed. Zhou Yan offered an exorbitant price, but Jiang Huai refused to budge…

...

When Jiang Hua arrived at the Xiangweiju private room, the dishes on the table had already been ordered, and they were mostly her favorites.

Upon seeing the people who had arrived, Xie Huai took the initiative to leave the private room, closing the door behind him and leaving the two of them alone.

"The materials to be submitted will take a few more days to produce a result."

"I know, I'm not in a hurry." Shen Yebai handed the cleaned chopsticks to Jiang Hua. Jiang Hua hesitated for a moment before taking them. She knew that Shen Yebai was a clean freak, but she didn't expect him to be this obsessive. The hygiene conditions at Xiangweiju were always good, so she guessed he was just worried about it.

"I'm leaving the capital." Jiang Hua took a bite of the food on the table and suddenly said this.

Shen Yebai: "You...are leaving?"

"Does Uncle Jiang know?"

Jiang Hua said casually, "I haven't told anyone, except you so far."

"I've been looking for Ji Liangchuan all these years. The last time I went to Yueshan Village, it was only because I suddenly learned of his whereabouts from someone else that I went there."

Shen Yebai's hand, gripping the jade porcelain teacup, slowly tightened. He spoke calmly, "Have you found it?"

Jiang Hua shook her head. "He was just someone with the same name. He wasn't in Yueshan Village. Later... I went to Qingcheng to pay my respects to my grandmother."

She still couldn't forget him.

Shen Yebai: "I've been searching for Ji Liangchuan's whereabouts. You didn't need to go in person..."

She had never told anyone about this; Shen Yebai was alone.

“I always felt that he was still abroad. I knew he was coming back, but I just didn’t understand why he wouldn’t come back to find me. Back then, my father only told me to let him study abroad and said he would come back in three years. But I knew that if he had left back then, my father would never have let him come back.”

“If it weren’t for him, I would have died in Wuchuan when I was five or six years old. He was always with me. No one can understand what meeting him meant to me after being locked in a dark room for half a year.”

"It's all because I lost him, and I want to find him again."

"No matter what happened to him over the years, whether he remarried or not, I... still want to find him."

Shen Yebai said, "The matter with the International Association for Jewelry Restoration is already in the approval process. In a few days, once it's approved by the committee, you can complete what you want to do. You…"

Jiang Hua lowered her eyes, and her mood also dropped. "Nothing is more important than him."

In her previous life, Jiang Hua couldn't find him. This time... no matter what, no matter the price, whether he's doing well or badly, Jiang Hua wants to know how he's doing.

In her past life, she thought Ji Liangchuan was a heartless person who would leave without a word and never look for her in decades, not even replying to her emails.

Jiang Hua acted on impulse and resolutely refused to mention anything about him again.

Even Pei Zhan was unaware of Ji Liangchuan's existence.

In one sentence, even Shen Yebai's escape route was cut off. He never imagined that Ji Liangchuan's existence would occupy Jiang Hua's heart so completely. She had never been so determined to do anything, even... she was willing to give up her mother's hospital.

Shen Yebai remained expressionless and asked calmly, "What suddenly made you change your mind? Can I know?"

"It's because of someone, he told me..."

That day in the classroom, the man held her hand and said, "If life has to have meaning, why can't you do what you want to do? The association you've been so eager to create is to fulfill your mother's wishes."

"And what about you? What do you want to do...?"

She wanted to...

That day, Jiang Hua did not tell him the answer.

However, all Jiang Hua could think about and imagine was one person.

"When are you leaving?"

Jiang Hua: "Once I finish what I'm doing now, I'll immediately book a plane ticket to France. No matter where he is, or where he went back then, I'll find him no matter where I go."

"And... it won't interfere with what I need to do."

Jiang Hua has finished revising the second volume and is just waiting to put it on the shelves for publication. There is also the last version of the third volume. After she is completely finished, she will immediately fly to France, regardless of whether her body can handle it. That's just how Jiang Hua is. She just wants to know who in France is more important than her and more ruthless than Pei Zhan, who has never come back to see her in the decades of her previous life!

"Does Uncle Jiang know?"

"I didn't tell anyone, I only told you." This sentence showed Jiang Hua's complete trust in Shen Yebai.

Shen Yebai's hand rested on his knee under the table, slowly tightening its grip. "Okay, no matter what, I will stand by your side."

"Brother Ye Bai, you're much more reliable than that country bumpkin Pei Zhan."

"Here's a chicken leg for you." Jiang Hua picked up her chopsticks, stood up, and handed the chicken leg to Shen Yebai.

Jiang Hua had calculated the time carefully; it would only take five months. Once she resolved everything in the capital, she would go find Ji Liangchuan. No matter where he was, Jiang Hua wanted to find him. Even if she had prepared for the worst—that Ji Liangchuan was dead—she would bring his ashes back to the capital…

If the car accident that led to her rebirth really left her with less than two years to live, Jiang Hua wants to use her last moments to find him.

Nothing is more important than Ji Liangchuan.

As long as she doesn't divorce Pei Zhan, her father won't worry anymore that no one will take over the Jiang family business in the future.

My father said he would agree to anything she asked, except for not getting a divorce.

From the next private room, a sudden noise came, as if a blanket had rolled off the table and onto the floor. Shen Yebai's gaze fell on the shadowy figure behind the central partition, but Jiang Hua, with her back turned, didn't seem to notice...