Chapter 16: To Di Du City, or Ning City?

Xia Zhi had arrived at the company, and she first explained her situation to her best friend Ruan Shishi, who warmly invited her to join her.

At noon, she went to check on the retail space and the small two-bedroom, one-living room apartment her mother had left behind. As expected, the retail space was already rented out, but the apartment was not; she wasn't sure if it had been repossessed or had simply never been rented. She decided to talk to Zheng Qiuyue to find out when the lease would expire and to handle the handover.

After work in the evening, she went home to pack her luggage—a "simple" pack still filled an entire small suitcase. There was no helping it; a girl spending the night away from home just needs more stuff.

Ruan Shishi was thrilled to have her stay over and arranged to go out for dinner at a spicy hot pot restaurant.

The two arrived one after the other, picked out a full tray of skewers, and tossed them all into the spicy pot at once.

While sipping plum juice, Xia Zhi looked around curiously.

"What are you looking at?" Ruan Shishi inquired. "This place is newly opened and the flavor is quite authentic."

Xia Zhi smiled and said, "He Jinnan has a friend who's in the restaurant business. Yan Family Hot Pot and Zi Guang Garden are both his. I was just wondering if this hot pot place might belong to his friend, too?"

"You think too much," Ruan Shishi commented as she picked up a piece of cooked tripe. "Those big fancy restaurants wouldn't bother with a place at our level."

Xia Zhi laughed and picked up a skewer, "I was just making a playful guess, who knows."

"How's married life? How does his family treat you?" Ruan Shishi asked as she ate.

Xia Zhi thought of every face in the old mansion and candidly said, "Apart from He Jinnan's younger sister, the rest of them don't take too kindly to me."

"I figured as much, but that's to be expected," Ruan Shishi consoled her. "Don't take it to heart. As long as you and He Jinnan are good, it doesn't matter what they think."

Xia Zhi bowed her head, thinking to herself that she did care somewhat, not only for her sake but also for He Jinnan's. She didn't want him to be looked down on because of her, but at the moment, she felt powerless to do anything about it.

"How about your dad? Has he settled down recently?" Ruan Shishi asked with concern.

Xia Zhi, feeling helpless, recounted the incident of her parents coming to return her dowry.

"Your husband is really assertive," Ruan Shishi remarked. "Well, it's good that you could get back what you could. But, they're probably still going to hassle you; they can't just cause a loss and lose face without further consequence."

"That's why, just thinking about it gives me a headache," Xia Zhi said, pretending to hold her forehead.

Ruan Shishi chuckled, "Stop pretending and eat up; I've bought movie tickets."

"Oh? What movie?" Xia Zhi asked curiously.

"You'll see when we get there," Ruan Shishi replied, playing coy.

After leaving the hot pot restaurant, they headed to a movie theater in a nearby mall, bought popcorn and cola, and were just waiting to have their tickets checked.

Ruan Shishi had picked a comedy, and just as Xia Zhi was looking at the movie synopsis on her phone, a shadow loomed in front of her, blocking out the light. She looked up, puzzled.

"Big brother?" Standing before her was He Jinhong, holding a cup of cola and smiling at her.

Xia Zhi stood up and smiled: "What a coincidence! You're here to see a movie too?"

He Jinhong said, "Yeah, I came with An Ruo. You know, you two haven't met yet."

He looked around and then motioned someone over.

Following his gaze, she saw an extraordinarily beautiful, stylishly dressed woman walking towards them with a smile.

Xia Zhi couldn't help but admire: She looked stunning, with eyes like autumn waters and delicate features like a movie star.

Ruan Shishi, sitting beside her, was equally astounded.

"An Ruo, this is the new Mrs. He Jinnan has married, Xia Zhi," He Jinhong introduced.

"Xia Zhi, this is my fiancée, Qiao Anruo," he said, turning to introduce her.

Qiao Anruo seemed to have far more poise than Fu Yunshan and He Jiabi, with a clear and bright gaze and a slight smile on her lips. She extended her hand first and said, "Hello there."

Xia Zhi shook her hand graciously, replying with a "Hello."

"With a friend?" He Jinhong glanced at Ruan Shishi and teased: "Why didn't you have He Jinnan accompany you?"

Xia Zhi replied, "He's on a business trip today."

Upon hearing this, He Jinhong's eyes subtly darkened, and he jokingly slapped his forehead, "Look at me, I totally forgot. Indeed, I arranged for him to go on a business trip to Di Du City."

"Hm?" Xia Zhi looked puzzled, "He went to Di Du City?"

He Jinhong's smile carried a hint of teasing, "Doesn't the younger sister-in-law know where he went for his business trip?"

Xia Zhi licked her lips, about to speak, when they announced it was time for her movie to start.

Ruan Shishi waved at her from a short distance, signaling that she could end the conversation.

"Big brother, they're starting to check tickets for my movie; I'm going in," she said, and then smiled at Qiao Anruo again.

"Okay," He Jinhong simply replied, watching her enter the theater.

His lips curled into a sly smile, though his eyes held a cold chill.

During the movie, Xia Zhi was somewhat distracted, wondering if he had really gone on a business trip to Di Du City or to Ning City. There hadn't been any calls or messages that night, and when she had asked if he had landed, he didn't respond. This left her feeling uneasy.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated—He Jinnan had sent a WeChat message: Arrived safely at the hotel, don't worry.

His response eased her concerns. She then strategized to herself, Di Du City or Ning City, what does it matter? Whichever it might be, it was still a business trip. As a vice president, it's not uncommon for him to travel, so why bother herself with it? It seemed they weren't quite at that point in their relationship yet.

"Lol—" the theater erupted with laughter again.

Xia Zhi collected her thoughts, replied with a simple "Got it" to He Jinnan, and focused on the movie.

After leaving the theater, they drove towards Ruan Shishi's place.

"Was that He Jinnan's big brother?" Ruan Shishi inquired, "The two brothers don't seem to look too much alike. Could it be they have different mothers?"

Xia Zhi hissed, "I mean, are you reading too many wealthy family novels or what? Don't talk nonsense."

Ruan Shishi wisely dropped the subject and they chatted about other things.

Back home, after a tiring day, Xia Zhi freshened up and climbed into bed. She hesitated for a moment before sending He Jinnan a WeChat message.

"Had a spicy hot pot dinner with Shishi tonight, saw a movie, and ran into your big brother and his fiancee at the cinema."

A few minutes after the message was sent, a video call came in on her phone—it was He Jinnan. Xia Zhi immediately sat up and answered.