A Scholarly Family and a Small Fortune

Fu Hanjiang returned with a tray of food. Instead of sitting on a sofa, he chose to sit on the armrest of Sheng Xiangsi's seat.

His reason was very simple, "I'll hold the tray for you so you can eat comfortably."

Sheng Xiangsi didn't bother to argue, she picked up a piece of seared salmon and popped it into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out adorably.

So cute.

As Fu Hanjiang silently admired her, he cautiously asked, "Did you see Zhong Pei?"

"Hmm?" Sheng Xiangsi was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head blankly, "No, did he come too?"

"He did," Fu Hanjiang even pointed in Zhong Pei's direction, "Look, over there, do you see him?"

"Oh," Sheng Xiangsi nodded, her expression unchanged.

Fu Hanjiang smirked, "Did you see the girl next to him?"

Sheng Xiangsi glanced at him, "I saw her, what's up?"

Could it be that he recognized Qi Yunjia as the person who kidnapped her that day?

Apparently not.

"Her last name is Qi."

Fu Hanjiang squinted his eyes, hiding a deep and obscure emotion, "I don't remember her full name."

Mostly because he couldn't be bothered to remember.

"Her father is a professor and dean at Jiang University, her mother runs a chain of supermarkets. They're a scholarly family with a small fortune, well-matched with Zhong Pei."

Sheng Xiangsi smiled slightly, "Indeed."

He knew quite a lot.

What a perfect match!

Back then, when Qi Hongsheng met her mother Qiao Shutong, Qi Hongsheng was just a poor university student facing the prospect of dropping out. Qiao Shutong, despite being a woman, had a good head for business. She was running a small convenience store that was quite profitable at the time. They fell in love at first sight, and after that, Qiao Shutong used the earnings from the store to support Qi Hongsheng through his studies. They bought their house and car with her earnings, and even after they married, she continued to support his studies until he graduated with a Ph.D. and stayed on at the university. Meanwhile, Qiao Shutong's business grew from a small convenience store to a supermarket, and then expanded to multiple branches. Eventually, they had a daughter, Xiangsi. Life seemed to be getting better and better, until the day Qiao Shutong's sister, Qiao Xiutong, stood before her with a pregnant belly, crying...

"Xiangsi, Xiangsi?"

Fu Hanjiang waved a hand in front of Sheng Xiangsi's face, his expression unhappy, "What's wrong? Are you upset that Zhong Pei has a girlfriend?"

"How could I be?" Sheng Xiangsi snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him, "I just feel like that girl looks familiar."

"Familiar?" Fu Hanjiang frowned and glanced in Qi Yunjia's direction, "Nowadays, girls all look the same with makeup."

He held Sheng Xiangsi's hand, her fingers were slender and soft, very pleasing to the eye.

"You're different, you're prettier than all of them."

Sheng Xiangsi's cheeks warmed. She pushed him and pointed at the tray, "This salmon is good, get some more."

Fu Hanjiang saw the tray was empty, laughed, and stood up, "Okay, wait here."

Once he left, Sheng Xiangsi's smile faded.

This didn't feel right. From Fu Hanjiang's words, it sounded like Zhong Pei and Qi Yunjia were dating?

She wasn't jealous.

She felt it was unfair to Zhong Pei.

Setting aside Qi Yunjia's parents, Qi Yunjia had kidnapped and threatened her for selfish reasons... What kind of person does that make her?

Did Zhong Pei know her true nature? Did he like her despite it, or was he completely in the dark?

Should she intervene?

Sheng Xiangsi was troubled and conflicted, unable to decide.

...

Early in the morning, Sheng Xiangsi arrived at the dance troupe.

Before she could change her clothes, she was called to the director's office.

"Xiangsi, Director Gu is here, she wants to see you."

"Okay, I'm coming."

Gu Shaohua had been resting for quite some time. She was seriously injured during the Philadelphia incident, and it takes at least a hundred days to recover from injuries involving bones and muscles. She was still in semi-recovery.

"Ms. Gu."

Knocking on the door, Sheng Xiangsi entered the office and stood respectfully, "You came today? Is your injury better?"

"Getting there."

Gu Shaohua pointed at her leg, "These things take time."

She was here today for business.

"Come, sit down."

"Yes," Sheng Xiangsi obeyed and sat down, "Ms. Gu, is there something you need from me?"

Gu Shaohua started, "Xiangsi, I want to send you to be a mentor on a dance variety show for the TV station."

"?" Sheng Xiangsi was taken aback, truly surprised.

"But Ms. Gu, the dance troupe has been on a break for over a month, shouldn't we be preparing for a performance?"

"Not just yet."

Gu Shaohua sighed, "The troupe was hit hard this time, some dancers won't be able to dance again."

Sheng Xiangsi had heard about this.

For dancers, injuries involving bones and muscles are the worst. For ordinary people, as long as it doesn't affect daily activities, it's not a big deal. But for dancers wanting to return to the stage, it's another story.

Two lead dancers from the troupe could no longer perform.

Of course, Gu Shaohua had quickly selected new successors upon hearing the news.

Now, the troupe was mostly made up of new talent, so naturally, their box office appeal was significantly reduced.

Gu Shaohua continued, "Xiangsi, I need you to leverage this opportunity to build a reputation for the troupe, do you understand?"

In today's world dominated by traffic and influence, Gu Shaohua was not old-fashioned and understood that traffic is a double-edged sword.

"Xiangsi, I trust you, I believe in your love for the stage, do you understand?"

The entertainment industry is a colorful world. Going on a variety show is like having one foot in the door of the entertainment industry. If one's mindset isn't steady, they might get swayed.

To put it plainly, Gu Shaohua needed someone reliable. Otherwise, if they went on the show and decided to enter the entertainment industry, it would be a loss.

Sheng Xiangsi nodded, "Ms. Gu, I understand. I'll follow your arrangements."

"Very good." Gu Shaohua smiled with satisfaction, "I'll pass your information to the show, and someone from their side will contact you."

"Alright, Ms. Gu."

In the afternoon, Sheng Xiangsi received a call from the show.

Today was Friday, and they scheduled a meeting for next Monday to discuss details.

At five o'clock, snowflakes began to fall.

Sheng Xiangsi received a message from Fu Hanjiang.

[I'll be at the entrance of the dance troupe in ten minutes.]

He had social engagements the next day and couldn't accompany Sheng Xiangsi, so he ended work early today.

Sheng Xiangsi was secretly pleased. With him occupied, she had time to spend with Junjun.

Perfect for taking Junjun shopping for new clothes. Junjun had grown a lot recently, and many of his clothes were getting too small.

After changing clothes and packing her bag, Sheng Xiangsi left the dance troupe.

As she reached the entrance, her phone rang.

She thought it was Fu Hanjiang, but when she looked, it was an unknown number.

Who could it be?

Curiously, she answered, "Hello, who is this?"

"..."

The other end was completely silent.

What's going on?

Sheng Xiangsi frowned and raised her voice, "Can you hear me? Who is this? Who are you looking for?"

The other end remained silent.

"Hello?"

A sense of unease crept up on Sheng Xiangsi, and suddenly.

"Ah!"