Chapter 19: His Warning
Chapter 19: His Warning
Cheng Huan, holding a cardboard box, sways on the street. Having lost her job, she seems to have lost her soul as well. Her usually radiant eyes are now dull and lifeless. She walks like a wandering soul, without a goal, without direction, and without strength.
"Hurry up, it's going to rain!" Suddenly, pedestrians around her start to rush, someone shouts loudly. Soon, the street becomes chaotic, many people are running. A mother brushes past Cheng Huan, bumping into her. When she snaps back to reality, she sees a child crying ahead, searching for his mother. The child's face is full of panic and helplessness. A middle-aged woman quickly rushes to his side, crouches down, and tightly hugs him, soothing him softly. The child's crying gradually subsides, and the anxiety fades from his face. He holds his mother's hand tightly, smiling as they walk away.
This scene is heartwarming and touching. At least, Cheng Huan cried. Tears roll down her graceful cheeks, and in this sultry and oppressive afternoon, they reveal the scars of her childhood. When feeling helpless and panicked, who is there to hold her hand and comfort her?
From childhood to adulthood, she learned to be strong, to make herself live happily not because she was alone but to find some solace for herself, to make her heart unafraid. However, after persisting for so long and thinking she had found the purpose of life, it all crumbled in a trivial joke. The newspaper torn apart by Lan Pinyu seemed to tear away her beauty as well.
"Damn it!" Cheng Huan wipes away her tears, and her eyes gradually clear. Suddenly, a cool raindrop falls on her fair face. She looks up at the sky, and a muffled thunderclap echoes in the distance. Then, pea-sized raindrops begin to fall, causing screams and chaos among the pedestrians.
Cheng Huan lowers her delicate face, and the gloom in her heart is like the dark clouds, instantly enveloping her. She bitterly thinks, it turns out that even the heavens pity themselves!
Hurriedly, she rushes into the nearest ice drink shop. The cardboard box in her hand is already wet, and many of her personal items inside are also covered in water droplets. She lets out a disappointed sigh, shakes off the rainwater from her hair, and says to the shop owner, "Give me a glass of juice!"
The owner of the ice drink shop is a young woman. She quickly brings the juice to Cheng Huan's table. However, she shows no intention of leaving and just stares at Cheng Huan with a pair of curious eyes.
Cheng Huan, who has been stared at all day, is somewhat sensitive. She quickly raises her head, meeting the woman's gaze. Perplexed, she asks, "Is there something else?"
"Aren't you the young lady from the newspaper?" The ice drink server says uncertainly, her expression carrying a hint of inquiry.
Cheng Huan is almost choked by the juice, causing her to cough for a while. Shaking her head and struggling to speak, she says, "I think you've got the wrong person. That's not me!"
However, the server becomes even more curious because of Cheng Huan's explanation, and her gaze at Cheng Huan gains a few more colors.
Cheng Huan took a deep breath, intending to quickly finish the juice in her hand and then leave this unsettling place as fast as possible. Just because of a newspaper article, is she going to become infamous? Oh heavens, is she really being pushed to a dead end?
As Cheng Huan was nervously trying to gulp down the juice, her phone suddenly rang. She quickly picked it up and heard a very fluent Mandarin-speaking man on the other end saying, "Miss Cheng, right? I think we should meet and talk!"
Hearing this voice, Cheng Huan quickly thought of the assistant, Zhang Tian, who had come to find her last time, and in the next second, she confirmed it was indeed him.
"Uh... I don't have time right now, let's talk another day!" Her emotions today have plummeted to the bottom; who has the energy to discuss anything?
"But there are some matters that need to be discussed as soon as possible. Where are you? I'll come find you!" Zhang Tian insisted.
Cheng Huan's face turned somewhat stern. She replied, suppressing her voice, "You won't find me. Just wait for me outside my house, I'll be back soon!"
Cheng Huan had already guessed what urgent matter he wanted to discuss, surely related to that newspaper article. If they were to talk, it would be better to find a place where no one could eavesdrop. She couldn't bear any more disdainful gazes.
If, in the past, she lived in the sunlight, now her life is like living in perpetual darkness. Where is the way out? What should she do? With no one to help her, she can only flee like a deserter.
Cheng Huan practically rushed out of the ice drink shop and hailed a taxi to head towards her villa.
At the entrance of her home, there was a black sedan parked. Cheng Huan's heart began to pound. She pressed her voice down and said, "You won't find me. You'd better wait outside my house, I'll be back soon!"
Cheng Huan had already guessed what urgent matter he wanted to discuss, surely related to that newspaper article. If they were to talk, it would be better to find a place where no one could eavesdrop. She couldn't bear any more disdainful gazes.
If, in the past, she lived in the sunlight, now her life is like living in perpetual darkness. Where is the way out? What should she do? With no one to help her, she can only flee like a deserter.
Cheng Huan practically rushed out of the ice drink shop and hailed a taxi to head towards her villa.
At the entrance of her home, there was a black sedan parked. Cheng Huan's heart began to pound. She pressed her voice down and said, "You won't find me. You'd better wait outside my house, I'll be back soon!"
Cheng Huan appeared in front of Zhang Tian with a cardboard box. He seemed calm, waiting for her to arrive. Cheng Huan's face turned a bit anxious as she opened the door, inviting him in.
"What are you carrying in this box?" Zhang Tian asked curiously.
Cheng Huan forced a grim smile and spoke honestly, "I lost my job."
"Oh, I forgot you work for the government. In those situations, losing your job is quite normal!" Zhang Tian chuckled, seemingly oblivious to any insensitivity in his words.
Cheng Huan started to view this well-dressed man in a different light due to this. She replied with a slight displeasure, "If you knew how important that job was to me, you wouldn't be mocking me like this!"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to mock you." Zhang Tian paused, sat on the sofa, and motioned for Cheng Huan to join him.
"Do you have something to discuss with me?" Cheng Huan sat down, her face a bit tense.
"I'm here on behalf of President Leng. To be honest, he is very upset about today's incident. He hopes that, in the next two years, you can control your personal life and avoid situations like today. Such circumstances are very embarrassing," Zhang Tian conveyed Leng Yuzi's intentions entirely.
Cheng Huan listened quietly and, of course, wasn't thrilled. With a tense expression, she retorted, "Our marriage is just a transaction. It shouldn't be restricted to this extent, should it?"
Zhang Tian remained composed and insisted, "Your trade isn't just about marriage; it also involves President Leng's reputation. If his family sees this newspaper, what consequences do you think there will be?"
"I don't know, and I don't want to know. Have you finished saying what you needed to? If so, please leave!" Cheng Huan was gradually disliking this conversation style, feeling like she was a puppet being manipulated.
"This is President Leng's warning. Don't let this happen again, Miss Cheng. I hope I haven't made a mistake in finding you. Goodbye." Zhang Tian finished speaking and walked towards the exit.