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In the following days, Ma Jianguo used all his connections to try and find out the details of Suning.

As the investment director of the energy group, he has been with the company for many years, has extensive connections, and is adept at various methods.

But this time, he ran into a wall.

First, he asked one of his analysts, Xiao Liu, to "bump into" Suning.

Xiao Liu chose to sit in the cafeteria at noon, carrying his tray, opposite Suning: "Hi, you're new here, right? I'm Xiao Liu from the energy group."

"Hello, I'm Su Ning from Group 4." Su Ning nodded politely.

"I heard you got in with special permission from CEO Jun? That's impressive!" Xiao Liu feigned envy. "Which school did you graduate from? Were you an overseas returnee?"

“He’s either a returnee from overseas or has an ordinary background,” Su Ning replied with a sneer.

"Someone with an ordinary background can get special approval?" Xiao Liu was skeptical. "You must have some extraordinary abilities. By the way, where did you work before?"

“I did some odd jobs before,” Su Ning smiled. “That’s all in the past.”

"Scattered jobs?" Xiao Liu became even more interested. "What kind?"

Su Ning glanced at him: "Just a regular job. Brother Liu, your chicken cutlet looks good, where did you get it?"

The topic was glossed over.

Xiao Liu tried several more times, but Suning blocked him each time without leaving a trace.

After the meal, besides knowing that Suning's name was Suning, that he was in the fourth comprehensive group, and that he was a newcomer, I didn't get any other information.

In the afternoon, after listening to the report, Ma Jianguo frowned: "This kid is quite tight-lipped."

“Mr. Ma, there’s definitely a story behind him,” Xiao Liu said. “When I asked about his education and work experience, he avoided talking about it. A normal person wouldn’t act like that.”

"Understood, keep an eye on it."

The next day, Ma Jianguo tried a different approach.

He instructed a manager from the administration department to go to Suning to fill out forms under the pretext of "improving employee information."

The supervisor approached Suning with the form: "Suning, the company system needs to be updated. There are a few things we need you to add."

In addition to basic information, the form also includes columns for education, work experience, and family background.

Su Ning glanced at the form: "Didn't I fill out this information when I joined the company?"

"The system is being upgraded, and data needs to be re-entered," the supervisor lied without batting an eye.

"Oh." Su Ning picked up the pen and filled in only her name, age, and contact information, leaving the other fields blank.

“These…” the supervisor pointed to the blank areas.

“Mr. Gao said we don’t need to fill in this information.” Su Ning handed the form back. “You can ask Mr. Gao.”

The supervisor was rebuffed and had no choice but to return with the half-empty form to report back.

Ma Jianguo was even more furious.

He also tried other methods: he had the HR assistant pretend to check the "social security payment records" with Suning, but Suning turned him away with "please find General Manager Gao"; he had the finance department try to get information from him under the pretext of "checking salary information", but Suning said "just do it according to company regulations".

All inquiries yielded no results.

Ma Jianguo realized that Suning was not only tight-lipped, but also very familiar with company procedures and knew how to use Gao Yue and company regulations as shields.

"President Qu, that kid Su Ning is no simpleton." Then Ma Jianguo reported to Qu Zhonghui, "He's completely unresponsive and keeps pushing all the questions to President Gao."

"What about Wu Kezhi?" Qu Zhonghui asked.

“We tried,” Ma Jianguo said. “I had someone invite Wu Kezhi to dinner and subtly inquire about Su Ning. Wu Kezhi only said ‘newcomer, quick learner,’ and knew nothing else. Lin Yuming was the same; he kept his mouth shut.”

“It’s obvious they’re in cahoots,” Qu Zhonghui sneered. “Wu Kezhi definitely knows the inside story, but he just won’t tell us. Now even Gao Yue has started to betray me.”

"What should we do now?"

Qu Zhonghui thought for a moment and said, "Since we can't get any information from him, let's try another method. Have someone keep an eye on Su Ning's work performance, especially when he makes mistakes. As long as he makes a mistake, we'll have a reason to intervene."

"clear."

……

Next, Ma Jianguo assigned two people from his team to secretly observe Su Ning.

But after observing for a few days, the reports he received only confused him more.

"Mr. Ma, this Suning is very hardworking and has an exceptionally strong learning ability," the subordinate reported. "When he first came, he really didn't know anything, but he learned very quickly. Now he can handle all the daily work of the project team."

"Has any mistake been made?"

“He makes minor mistakes, such as incorrect formatting or misuse of terminology, but these are common mistakes for newcomers and are not major issues. Moreover, he corrects them quickly and doesn’t make the same mistake twice.”

What do his other colleagues think of him?

"There weren't many people in the fourth group to begin with, so naturally everyone had a good opinion of him, saying he was diligent, eager to learn, and didn't cause trouble. Lin Yuming valued him highly and had already started involving him in project work."

Ma Jianguo reported these findings to Qu Zhonghui.

After listening, Qu Zhonghui remained silent for a long time. "Strange! Who on earth is this?"

“I don’t believe it either,” Ma Jianguo said. “He must be hiding something.”

“Keep investigating,” Qu Zhonghui said. “If we can’t find him, we’ll investigate the people around him. He must have friends and family, right?”

“This…” Ma Jianguo hesitated, “With President Jun and President Gao protecting him so much, if we investigate privately and get caught…”

"Just be careful," Qu Zhonghui said. "I don't believe that a living person can be completely without any trace."

That being said, Ma Jianguo knew this was a difficult matter.

The people were personally arranged by Boss Jun to conduct the investigation privately. If they are discovered, the consequences will be severe.

But he couldn't disobey Qu Zhonghui's orders.

Just when Ma Jianguo was having a headache, an opportunity came.

The company is holding its annual meeting, and each department needs to put on a performance.

The administration department collects employee information and needs to create contact lists and seating charts.

This time, the director of administration went directly to Gao Yue: "President Gao, the annual meeting directory needs complete information on all employees, including their education and alma mater. The Suning section is empty, it doesn't look good."

Gao Yue had anticipated this: "Jun Zong had instructed me to write 'Information to be supplemented' on his information."

"This...isn't that against the rules?" the administrative director said, troubled. "All the other employees have complete information, but he doesn't. People will ask about it."

“Then let them ask President Jun.” Gao Yue’s attitude was firm.

The administrative director was met with a rebuff and had no choice but to comply.

At the annual meeting preparation meeting, the seating chart was distributed, and all the department directors were present.

Ma Jianguo immediately noticed that Suning's information section stated "Information to be supplemented".

He deliberately asked loudly, "Who is this Su Ning? Why is the information incomplete?"

All eyes turned to Gao Yue.

Gao Yue remained expressionless: "It was a special approval from President Jun for my employment. The information is not yet complete and we are supplementing it."

"Special approval?" another director asked curiously. "What kind of background would require special approval?"

"I don't know about that; it was arranged by President Jun."

"Even you, the HR director, don't know?" Ma Jianguo pressed. "Isn't this against procedure?"

Gao Yue looked at him and said, "If Mr. Ma has any questions about the process, he can go directly to Mr. Jun. I am just following Mr. Jun's instructions."

The atmosphere was a bit tense.

In the end, Qu Zhonghui smoothed things over, saying, "Alright, since it was arranged by President Jun, let's do as President Jun says. Let's continue the meeting."

After the meeting, Qu Zhonghui called Ma Jianguo to his office.

"It seems Gao Yue is determined to protect Su Ning."

"What should we do then? Really go to see President Jun?"

“Not for now,” Qu Zhonghui said. “It’s almost the end of the year, and President Jun is very busy. I’ll ask him again after the New Year.”

"What about Suning..."

“Keep observing,” Qu Zhonghui said. “A fox will always show its tail eventually. I want to see how long it can hide.”

……

Meanwhile, in the office of the fourth comprehensive group, Wu Kezhi was listening to Lin Yuming's report.

“Ma Jianguo’s men have been loitering around here these past few days,” Lin Yuming said. “They’re definitely trying to find out about Suning.”

“As expected,” Wu Kezhi said. “President Qu won’t let this go so easily.”

"Should we remind Su Ning?"

“No need,” Wu Kezhi shook his head. “Since he was able to handle the previous probing, it means he knew what he was doing. It would be better for us to get involved.”

“That’s true.” Lin Yuming thought for a moment. “But boss, to be honest, I’m also curious about Su Ning’s background. His learning ability is definitely not that of an ordinary person.”

"Be curious, but don't investigate," Wu Kezhi warned. "There must be a reason why President Jun and President Gao made these arrangements. Just do your job."

"understood."

As he was leaving get off work, Lin Yuming couldn't help but subtly ask Su Ning, "It seems like someone's been asking about you lately. Have you noticed?"

Su Ning was organizing documents, not even looking up: "I've sensed it. People from the administration department, finance department, and other groups have all come to ask."

"Aren't you worried?"

“What’s there to worry about?” Su Ning smiled. “I’m just a newbie, I’m just following the rules. If they have any questions, let them go find General Manager Gao.”

Looking at his calm demeanor, Lin Yuming became even more puzzled.

This composure and calm demeanor are definitely not qualities one would expect from a young person who works at a convenience store.

But since Su Ning wouldn't say, he couldn't force her to tell him.

We can only wait for time to reveal the answer.

……

Two months later, one evening, Suning had just finished get off work and walked out of the Jinchen Capital building when he saw a familiar figure standing by the roadside.

Wang Xiuying, his adoptive mother.

She had lost a lot of weight, her hair was half white, she was wearing a faded old cotton-padded jacket, and she was carrying a tattered cloth bag.

Standing on the bustling streets of Pudong, he seemed out of place.

When she saw Su Ning come out, her eyes lit up, but then she timidly lowered her head, not daring to go forward.

Su Ning paused for a moment, then walked over anyway.

"Mom." The word slipped out, and he only realized it was wrong after he said it.

What should I call her now? Aunt Wang? Or Wang Xiuying?
Wang Xiuying looked up, tears welling up in her eyes: "A-Ning..."

The two stood facing each other, speechless for a moment. Su Ning looked at her haggard appearance, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

This woman stole someone else's child, broke the law, and went to jail.

But they did raise him with great care and hardship, providing him with education and giving him the best of everything.

Benefactor? Enemy? He himself couldn't say for sure.

"How did you find me?" he asked.

“I asked…I asked your colleagues at the convenience store,” Wang Xiuying’s voice trembled. “They said your biological parents found you and took you back to Shanghai. I also asked the police station, but they said they couldn’t disclose any information, but I begged them for so long…”

"Don't stand here," Su Ning interrupted her. "Let's talk in the car."

He led her to the parking lot and opened the door of the BYD car.

Wang Xiuying stared at the new car for a moment before carefully getting in.

As the car drove out of the parking lot, Suning didn't know where to go.

Finally, he drove to a less crowded section of the Pudong Riverside and stopped.

The car was eerily quiet.

Wang Xiuying spoke first, her voice trembling with tears: "A-Ning, Mom is so sorry... Mom really knows she was wrong... Back then, I was blinded by greed. I thought you were so cute, so I wanted to take you home and raise you myself... I didn't think about the consequences..."

She spoke while crying, her thin shoulders trembling.

Su Ning gripped the steering wheel, looking at the boats on the river ahead, without saying a word.

"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness," Wang Xiuying said, wiping away her tears. "I deserved to go to jail. I just wanted to see you again, to see if you were doing well..."

“I’m doing fine,” Su Ning finally said. “My biological parents treat me very well. They arranged a decent job for me and bought me a car.”

"That's good, that's good." Wang Xiuying nodded repeatedly. "I'm relieved that you're doing well."

There was another moment of silence.

"A-Ning..." Wang Xiuying asked cautiously, "Do you still recognize me?"

Suning did not respond.

Wang Xiuying's eyes dimmed: "It's understandable that you don't acknowledge it... I made such a huge mistake, causing you to be separated from your biological parents for more than twenty years..."

“But you’ve raised me for over twenty years,” Su Ning suddenly said. “That’s also a fact.”

Wang Xiuying froze, tears welling up again: "A-Ning, I know I shouldn't say this, but... the kindness of raising you is greater than the kindness of giving you life! Although I'm not your biological mother, for over twenty years, I've truly loved you like my own son..."

"Stop talking," Su Ning interrupted her.

He took out his bank card from his wallet; it was pocket money Su Jianguo had given him, with over 300,000 yuan left.

"Here's a card for you. The PIN is my birthday." He handed over the card. "There's enough money in it for you to live on back home."

Wang Xiuying looked at the card but didn't take it: "I don't want the money... I just want to see you..."

"Take it." Su Ning shoved it into her hand. "Don't come looking for me again."

Wang Xiuying's hands trembled violently: "A-Ning, you...you don't want your mother anymore?"

“I don’t know how to face you,” Su Ning said honestly. “You are the one who raised me, but also the one who caused me to be separated from my biological parents. Every time I see you, I am reminded of these conflicts. I can’t handle it.”

"Mom knows...Mom knows..."

“Go back to Jiangxi,” Su Ning said. “Settle down in your hometown and live a good life. If you need money, you can call me. But… don’t come looking for me again. Fu Changlian’s words are nonsense; I’m worried they’ll find a way to retaliate against you.”

"No...it can't be right?"

"Believe me! The conscience of the rich..."

Wang Xiuying held the card, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Ah Ning, let me ask you one last question... What's your name now? Is it still Su Ning?"

“My name is still Su Ning, but my identity information has been changed. Now I am the son of Su Jianguo and Li Xiuqin.”

“Su Jianguo…Li Xiuqin…” Wang Xiuying repeated these two names, “Are they really good to you?”

"pretty good."

"That's good...that's good..." she murmured, "I ruined the first half of your life, but thankfully the second half will be good..."

"Let's not talk about that." Su Ning checked the time. "Where do you live? I'll take you home."

"No need, no need, I'm staying at a small hotel near the train station," Wang Xiuying quickly said. "I can go back by myself."

"I send you."

The car drove to the vicinity of the train station and stopped in front of a simple inn.

Before getting off the bus, Wang Xiuying took out a plastic bag from her cloth bag: "This is the chili sauce you loved when you were little. I made it myself... Take it."

The plastic bag contained two bottles of chili sauce; the bottles were old, but very clean.

Su Ning took it: "Thank you."

“A-Ning…” Wang Xiuying stood outside the car window, looking at him one last time, “Mom’s biggest mistake in this life was taking you away, but my greatest blessing was also raising you. You… take care of yourself.”

"Take care of yourself too."

Wang Xiuying nodded and walked into the inn, glancing back every few steps.

Suning sat in the car for a long time before starting the car and leaving.

In the rearview mirror, he saw Wang Xiuying leaning out of the hotel window, staring at his car.

He stepped on the gas and sped away.

……

Back at his home in Jing'an, Su Ning was visibly downcast.

During the meal, Li Xiuqin noticed, especially the chili sauce in Su Ning's hand.

"Ningning, what's wrong? Is work not going well?"

"It's okay, just a little tired."

Su Jianguo gave him a meaningful look: "If you're tired, get some rest. Don't work too hard."

"okay, I get it."

Back in his bedroom on the third floor, he stood by the window, looking at the chili sauce in his hand.

This is what he loved to eat most when he was a child, as he remembers it.

Because her family was poor and couldn't afford vegetables, Wang Xiuying made her own chili sauce, which she mixed with rice so she could eat an extra bowl of rice.

Perhaps this is the daily life of people from Jiangxi: they love spicy food and are not afraid of it.

Looking back now, those days were poor, but simple.

Now, he has a mansion, a nice car, and a respectable job, but he feels a void in his heart.

Each time someone is transported to another world, the system arranges for them to inherit everything from the original body. Perhaps this is the biggest drawback of traversing countless worlds.

The phone rang. It was a text message from Wang Xiuying: "Aning, I've accepted the card, thank you. I'm going back to Jiangxi tomorrow, and I won't bother you anymore. Take good care of yourself and live a good life. Mom will always love you."

The text message ended with a smiley face emoji.

Suning stared at the text message for a long time, but ultimately didn't reply.

He didn't know what to say.

He couldn't bring himself to say "I love you too."

Saying "Have a safe trip" is too cold.

I'd rather say nothing at all.

He put the chili sauce in the refrigerator, washed up, and went to bed.

I lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep no matter what I did.

Two images kept replaying in my mind: one was Wang Xiuying working in the fields, carrying him on her back, humming a song; the other was Su Jianguo and Li Xiuqin in court, watching Wang Xiuying being taken away, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

Kindness and enmity, right and wrong, blood ties and upbringing.

There are no standard answers to these questions.

He had no choice but to move forward and not look back.

……

The next day at work, Lin Yuming noticed something was wrong with him: "What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"Kind of."

"Should I take a day off to rest?"

"No need, go to work."

At noon, Lin Yuming dragged him to lunch and even ordered two of his favorite dishes.

"No matter what, you have to eat well," Lin Yuming said. "Health is the foundation of everything."

Su Ning smiled gratefully: "Thank you, Manager Lin."

"Don't mention it." Lin Yuming patted his shoulder. "Remember, you're not alone. If you have any difficulties or troubles, you can talk to your brother."

"Ah."

In the afternoon, Suning threw himself into his work, using busyness to numb himself.

It's working well; at least for now, I won't be thinking about those complicated relationships anymore.

When he got off work, he received a text message from the bank that 50,000 yuan had been withdrawn from his card.

Immediately afterward, Wang Xiuying sent another text message: "A-Ning, Mom withdrew some money to buy train tickets and settle down. I won't touch the rest of the money. The card is at our hometown; you can take it back if you need it."

Su Ning looked at the text message and sighed.

This woman was still thinking of him even at this point.

He replied with two words: "Take care."

This is all he can say right now.

The car drove into the night, and Shanghai's neon lights flickered.

Everyone has their own path to take.

Some roads can only be walked alone.

Some choices are simply yours to make.

Suning's choice is: look forward, don't look back.

...(End of chapter)