spring bite mark

Chapter 188 The gossip is like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger.
That night, Yan Changye had just put the two children to sleep when he received a message from Jiang Manman:
Jiang Manman: [Even your Assistant Shen has his unreliable moments]

Yan Changye immediately sent a video call back.

Jiang Manman hadn't showered yet, and was wearing a simple T-shirt and skirt with a youthful makeup look. Yan Changye stared at her for a long time, then clicked his tongue and said, "Madam, have you been playing the gentle beauty for too long and want to go for a hot and sweet look?"

"It's so convenient to travel around the city like this," Jiang Manman said, letting down her ponytail as she prepared to wash up.

“From now on, Madam can change her style like this every now and then while she's in the capital.” Yan Changye smiled meaningfully. “She looks so adorable.”

Jiang Manman ignored him.

Yan Changye returned to the main topic: "What happened to Shen Zongqian?"

"The information he posted about Chongqing was seriously distorted."

Jiang Manman briefly mentioned the information she had gathered over the past two days to him.

After listening, Yan Changye remained silent for a long while before trying to explain to his assistant:
“When we were investigating this matter, Shen Zongqian, as Xie Yunxi’s assistant, was in Hong Kong with me. We just found some people to do a simple investigation. Later, he went to Chongqing in person, focusing mainly on the authentication, without deliberately investigating the credibility of the information.”

Jiang Manman did not blame Shen Zongqian:
"So, I was quite surprised these past two days."

"From what I've learned from Madam, they seem to be reliable parents." Yan Changye pondered, "Madam, are you planning to acknowledge them as relatives?"

“I have one last concern,” Jiang Manman replied softly, “They’ve both remarried; will their new spouses be willing to accept my return…?”

She didn't want to establish a kinship with her parents at the expense of their two newly formed families.

"Has the lady met their other half?"

"Not yet." Jiang Manman smiled noncommittally, "But we should see him in the next couple of days."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Manman was not sleepy.

She soaked in the bathtub, thinking about Huo Mingcai, Huo Yungui and Wang Ying whom she had met in the past few days. Each of them was different from what she had read in the information, but without a doubt, the situation was developing in a positive direction.

No. 1 Mansion.

Yan Changye leisurely made a phone call to Shen Zongqian.

Shen Zongqian cautiously asked, "Boss, is it urgent in the middle of the night?"

"It's nothing urgent, just pure curiosity." Yan Changye's gossip instincts were aroused, and he casually asked, "How did you determine that Wang Ying has a daughter named Wang Xiaoxiao?"

Shen Zongqian thought for a moment: "I made some simple inquiries among some long-time residents of Jiaheng Community. Eight years after Madam Wang disappeared, Wang Ying bought a little dress and brought it home. Then, the neighbors across the street saw a sturdy little girl of about seven or eight years old wearing that dress wandering around the living room that day, constantly calling for her mother. They saw her a few more times after that, but as she got older, Wang Xiaoxiao became increasingly reluctant to see people. Now, she is only seen occasionally late at night, dressed in flashy clothes..."

Yan Changye had a rough idea in his mind. Perhaps Wang Ying missed her daughter and couldn't help but buy a dress for her son to wear to ease her longing, but unfortunately, the neighbor saw them. Also, since Huo Yungui only broadcasts at night now, there's no such person as Wang Xiaoxiao during the day. With so many people spreading rumors, it's normal for a new daughter to appear.

"And what about remarriage?" Yan Changye chuckled. "That's not just hearsay, is it?"

“Huo Mingcai and Wang Ying have a divorce certificate. A neighbor accidentally saw it.” Shen Zongqian was quite certain of this. “At that time, his wife had just been lost. The couple argued every day. The neighbors all came to persuade them, but not long after, they went to the Civil Affairs Bureau. When they came back, Wang Ying was holding the divorce certificate.”

"It would be best if what you say is true." Yan Changye smiled meaningfully, "Otherwise, if the Madam settles scores later, I won't be able to protect you."

Yudu International Hotel.

Early in the morning, the bodyguard came to report to Jiang Manman:
“Madam, we spent the entire night staking out Mr. Huo’s Hanyueting and Ms. Wang’s Jiaheng Community, but we didn’t find any trace of a female homeowner in Mr. Huo’s house, nor did we find Ms. Wang’s husband who was rumored to be returning home late at night.”

Jiang Manman: "..."

She only planned to meet a relative, but a series of unexpected events made her feel like she had entered a suspense theater.
Jiang Manman made a decisive decision, "I will investigate this matter personally." During the day, Jiang Manman made an appointment with her third client, in the same residential area as the wealthy young lady from the previous client.

The client's surname is Chen, and he lives in a large villa.

When Jiang Manman went in, a rather dignified young man was waiting for her in the living room.

"Greetings, Mr. Chen. This is the dress you ordered." Jiang Manman greeted him politely, instructing the two bodyguards who had followed her in to open the custom-made case and display the peacock blue dress.

Young Master Chen hummed in agreement, stared at the dress for a while, then at Jiang Manman for a while, and nodded: "It's all good."

"If it's convenient, I'd like to try this dress on now, and I'll make final adjustments based on the fit," Jiang Manman reminded.

"Then wait a moment." Young Master Chen didn't refuse and picked up his phone to make a call.

After being hung up on three times in a row, Young Master Chen's expression darkened. He sent a threatening message to the other party, and only answered on the fourth attempt.

"Sisi, what are you doing? Don't you have a very important performance these days? I ordered a dress for you. Come and take a look, or I'll deliver it to you myself?"

After hearing what was said on the other end, Young Master Chen's expression turned even uglier: "Don't want it? Lan Sisi, get this straight, didn't you casually mention last time that Mu Chan's dress was kind of pretty? Would I spend hundreds of thousands to order it for you? You don't want it now, are you trying to break off our friendship?"

The caller hung up abruptly. When I tried to call back, they had blocked me.

Young Master Chen cursed under his breath and asked his assistant with a cold face, "Find out where Sisi is."

The assistant looked down at his network of contacts for a moment and said, "Young Master Chen, Miss Lan is away on a business trip and won't be back until the day after tomorrow."

“Then I’ll wait until she gets back and go find her myself.” Chen Shao turned to Jiang Manman, his tone softening slightly, and took out his phone. “Little sister, I’ve accepted the clothes. Let’s add each other on WeChat, and I’ll transfer the remaining payment to you later. I’ll also let you know if there are any adjustments needed.”

Jiang Manman politely declined: "Young Master Chen can add my bodyguard on WeChat. You can communicate with him about anything."

After saying that, he pointed to the tall and burly bodyguard next to him.

Chen Shaowei said with a hint of disdain, "Little sister, you're so pretty. I just want to be friends with you. It's not fair of me to push a grown man onto me."

“If you don’t like it, you can change it,” Jiang Manman said slowly. “There are fourteen more at the entrance of Chen Shao’s villa.”

Chen Shao suddenly looked at his assistant.

His assistant nodded silently, indicating that what Jiang Manman said was true.

A woman with more than a dozen bodyguards...

Chen Shao, feeling wary, stopped pressing the matter and, displaying the air of a wealthy family, readily paid the remaining balance.

Jiang Manman got up to say goodbye. Behind her, Chen Shao watched her retreating figure with great regret, and then asked his assistant, "Is Sisi still fooling around with that Huo guy?"

"I heard that Miss Sisi had dinner with Huo Yungui the night before she went on her business trip, and then stayed at the hotel for a few hours."

Chen Shao slammed the cup on the coffee table onto the floor.

Jiang Manman had already left the house, but Chen Shao didn't hide his conversation from her, and the brief exchange clearly reached Jiang Manman's ears.

Lan Sisi?
Her first client in Chongqing was a music creator.
She paused slightly and whispered to her bodyguard, "Go again and investigate the relationship between Lan Sisi and Huo Yungui."

(End of this chapter)