Leaving the office, Yu Lian only brought Xiao Xu with her. When they arrived at the house and knocked on the door, they found only an elderly person and a child inside.

Facing Jiang Qingke's mother-in-law, Yu Lian didn't say much, only instructing the old woman to let her know if the person returned.

Yu Lian had the key to the old house in her bag. She opened the door and invited Xiao Xu in to sit for a while.

"Wow, Nian-jie, you used to live here?"

Faced with Xiao Xu's words, Yu Lian didn't know how to answer. She rarely stayed here, or rather, she had never stayed here before.

"No, I live elsewhere."

"I see. Mr. He's parents are quite open-minded; they actually let you move out."

Yu Lian found it amusing—few people around her knew the truth about her marriage with He Lin, and assumed that their previous divorce was simply due to a marital crisis.

"Hmm, it's alright. Let me see if we have any tea."

Yu Lian went to the kitchen, but she wasn't very familiar with the place and couldn't find what she wanted after searching for a long time.

I might as well go out and buy some; there are grocery stores right by the roadside anyway.

"Xiao Xu, sit down and rest for a while. You've been working hard all morning. I'll be right back."

"Okay, Sister Nian, I'm going to take a nap."

Yu Lian carried her bag out the door and walked to the store she remembered.

To her surprise, the person standing in front of the counter was none other than Cai Guizhi, whom she had been looking for.

Cai Guizhi was taken aback when she saw Yu Lian.

Then, Yu Lian quickly stepped forward and said, "Two ounces of green tea, please."

Cai Guizhi nodded, quickly wrapped the tea leaves, handed them over, and gave them change.

Yu Lian took the tea, but the customers queuing behind her had already rushed forward impatiently to take her place.

A certain intuition told Yu Lian that she should speak up.

She said, "Cai Guizhi, if you have time, I'd like to have a chat with you."

"Okay, around 11:30. If you have time, wait for me at the entrance."

Yu Lian agreed and went out the door, then turned left and bought some more food.

She carried all her bags back home, but still didn't see anyone from next door return.

Back at the old house, Yu Lian put her things down.

Although the house was professionally cleaned, there were actually no rooms available for resting. Since people didn't come back to live there, most of the bedding was either given away or thrown away if it was no longer needed.

Xiao Xu could only rest on the sofa.

After placing the packed food on the table, Yu Lian brewed a pot of hot tea.

"It smells so good."

Xiao Xu opened her eyes naturally upon smelling the aroma: "Sister Nian, can we eat now?"

Yu Lian nodded, telling her to eat more.

Looking at the gaunt Xu, Yu Lian felt a pang of pity and asked, "Xiao Xu, do you regret coming to Yuncheng?"

"I don't regret it. Sister Nian, you don't need to blame yourself. It was indeed troublesome here, but if I hadn't come to Yuncheng to follow up on this project, I wouldn't have learned things that I couldn't have learned in the office."

"Xiao Xu, don't worry, it will be over in less than half a month. Then you can go back with the team, and you'll all get your bonuses this time."

Upon hearing the word "bonus," Xiao Xu couldn't stop laughing: "Sister Nian, there's a bonus? I thought it was just for training us."

Yu Lian retorted reproachfully, "Am I a skinflint? Besides, when have I ever mistreated you?"

"Yes, yes, yes. To be honest, Sister Nian, if—I mean if—one day our company's employment contract and the family's employment contract are placed in front of me together, I will still choose our company without hesitation."

"Why?" Yu Lian asked, following her words.

"Although Hejia is a large company, and walking in makes me feel like I'm bringing glory to my family, our company is just as impressive. Sister Nian, you have no bossy attitude at all, and you can manage thousands of people so well. I really admire you. Moreover, the way our company treats its employees is unmatched by any other company. If I had to deal with a cold-faced boss like President He all the time, I would be even less happy at work."

Yu Lian laughed so hard she almost fell over. It was the first time she had ever heard Xiao Xu so relentlessly criticize He Lin.

"Indeed, but he just looks cold and unapproachable; he's actually a nice person."

dong dong dong-

"Keep eating, they've probably come looking for you from the side."

Xiao Xu put down his chopsticks and followed them out.

Upon seeing that the visitor was Cai Guizhi, Yu Lian told Xiao Xu to go back and walked to the door alone.

"Let's talk as we walk."

"Um."

Yu Lian walked out and followed behind Cai Guizhi, who led the way.

At first, neither of them spoke. This wouldn't have been the case a few years ago, but this time something seemed to be standing between them.

"You and your husband... are you doing well?" Cai Guizhi finally spoke after they walked to a quiet, secluded spot.

"good."

Cai Guizhi turned around and sat down by the roadside, very casually; she was even sitting on a stone placed by the roadside.

"Do you still remember how we hit it off so quickly, and how we did it from beginning to end?"

Yu Lian clearly remembered that unusual night.

"I remember. But why are you asking about this? There have been some issues these past few years, and I'll make up the money for you."

Cai Guizhi waved her hand in refusal: "I agreed, but not for the money. I'm doing quite well now, and I don't need any extra money to support my family. My mother passed away a few years ago."

Yu Lian was somewhat surprised: "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. We were in the same boat back then, with nowhere else to turn. But now we're clearly not on the same path anymore..."

Cai Guizhi's change left Yu Lian completely bewildered.

"You have something to say to me, right? There's no one here now, so feel free to say whatever you want."

Cai Guizhi hesitated for a moment, then finally shook her head: "No. I just wanted to tell you that you don't need to feel guilty. After all, that day... that day things were a bit complicated, and you did nothing wrong."

Despite Yu Lian's repeated calls, Cai Guizhi left without looking back.

Yu Lian already sensed something was amiss, and now Cai Guizhi's attitude and ambiguous words plunged her into a state of wild speculation.

She walked back to the He family's old house, only to find Xiao Xu already standing at the neighbor's door.

"Sister Nian, you're here. I saw her go in just now, but she didn't answer the door."

Yu Lian heard the sound and went over to knock on the door.

Indeed, no one agreed. They probably already knew they were getting themselves into trouble and dared not confront them.

"Comrade Jiang, please come out now. If you don't, the consequences will only be more serious than last time."

Jiang Qingke, trembling inside the room, never expected that her methods, which she thought were foolproof, would be discovered so quickly.

"Qingke, what have you done? Get out of here right now."

Her mother-in-law tried to persuade her, but Jiang Qing still didn't dare to go out.

She knew the consequences, but she was still determined to get revenge. Now she still had her trump card up her sleeve, and she was about to be caught; she was unwilling to accept it.

"Mom, it's okay. You stay home and take good care of the kids. I'm going out for two days. Don't tell Fang Zhizhang anything. Let him go to work in peace. Just tell him I'm going back to my parents' house."

As Jiang Qingke spoke, she secretly packed her things and left through the back door.

The mother-in-law walked to the door, wanting to find out the reason.

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