Chapter 400: Doubts
Chapter 400: Doubts
Lu Jiaxin called Su Hongying before returning to Hong Kong and expressed her desire to visit her.
Upon hearing of her intention to come over, Su Hongying hesitated and said, "Jiaxin, I have something planned for tomorrow. I've already committed to someone else, so it's difficult to back out."
Lu Jiaxin found this strange. If she already had plans for tomorrow, why the hesitation? However, she didn't think too much into it and replied with a smile, "It's alright. I'll visit you next time I'm back."
Unexpectedly, at eight o'clock in the evening, she received another call from Su Hongying, who said that her plans for the next day had changed, and there was no need for Lu Jiaxin to go.
The next day, when Lu Jiaxin met Su Hongying, she noticed that she was wearing makeup. On their previous encounters, Su Hongying had always been barefaced. This sudden change in appearance felt odd to Lu Jiaxin.
As they sat down to chat, Lu Jiaxin noticed that Su Hongying's speech sounded weak and lacking in energy. Concerned, Lu Jiaxin asked, "Aunt Su, why do you sound so weak?"
Su Hongying offered an explanation with a smile, "I had a bad case of the flu half a month ago, and it's only been a couple of days since I started feeling better. Sigh, my body is just not what it used to be."
Lu Jiaxin felt that something wasn't adding up. If it was just a case of the flu, there was no need for Su Hongying to make excuses and avoid meeting, and then suddenly start wearing makeup.
Su Hongying brought up the topic of Su Heyuan's engagement, "My brother is very pleased with Miss Bai. He says that if Heyuan can marry her, it will be his good fortune."
Hearing this, Lu Jiaxin couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness, "Aunt Su, I haven't even met Miss Bai yet!"
Su Hongying was taken aback, "You haven't met her? How is that possible?"
Lu Jiaxin assured her that it wasn't Su Heyuan's fault, "Heyuan has made plans for us to meet three times, intending to introduce me to Miss Bai, but each time something came up, and we couldn't make it."
Upon learning about this, Nie Zhan had told Lu Jiaxin that three times was enough, and if they still hadn't managed to meet, perhaps their compatibility wasn't meant to be. Lu Jiaxin didn't believe in such things and thought it was merely a coincidence, similar to how her dates with Nie Zhan often ended up being disrupted. However, Su Heyuan took his words to heart and stopped arranging meetings between the two women.
Su Hongying found the situation amusing yet frustrating, "That's quite a coincidence. Don't worry, you'll definitely be able to meet her at the engagement ceremony."
"Aunt Su, will you be going to Hong Kong City for Heyuan's engagement?" Lu Jiaxin inquired.
Given Su Hongying's current status, it would be inappropriate for her to go to Hong Kong City. However, Su Heyuan would be returning to Si Jiu City at the end of the year to hold the wedding banquet, and that would be an opportunity to meet the bride.
Lu Jiaxin gently suggested, "Miss Bai has always lived in Hong Kong City. Asking her to come to Si Jiu City in the depths of winter for the wedding banquet might be a challenge for her."
Su Hongying smiled and explained, "The dates for the banquet were decided after discussions between my eldest brother and Miss Bai's family. I only found out about them after they were finalized. But it's fine, the hotel has heating, and as long as we don't go outside, it won't be too cold."
Besides, they weren't children anymore; they could endure a little cold.
As the two women chatted, Xie Kaixiao returned home, and Lu Jiaxin followed him into the study. Their conversation lasted for nearly two hours, leaving Lu Jiaxin's throat feeling parched.
Before leaving, Lu Jiaxin briefly mentioned the situation in Rong County, "Uncle Xie, if places like Rong County don't improve the way they handle things, who would dare to invest in the mainland in the future?"
The four special economic zones were thriving, and the mainland market was gradually opening up. However, if places like Rong County continued to be lackadaisical and perfunctory in their dealings, no one would want to invest there.
Xie Kaixiao's face darkened as he heard this, "Rest assured, I will handle this matter."
Sitting in the back of the car, Lu Jiaxin wiped the sweat from her forehead and said to Gu Wenfeng, "From now on, I should probably come here less often. Every time I visit, I feel like I'm going to lose a lot of hair."
Whether it was Grandpa Xie or Xie Kaixiao, she had to choose her words carefully when talking to them, which left her feeling exhausted afterward.
Gu Wenfeng understood that she was just venting her fatigue. If she truly didn't want to meet with these leaders, she could simply avoid visiting the Xie family. The fact that she came meant that she wanted to share her thoughts and ideas with them.
If Lu Jiaxin knew what Gu Wenfeng was thinking, she would tell him that he was overthinking things. She maintained her visits to the Xie family whenever she returned to Si Jiu City to nurture this relationship. This way, she wouldn't have to fear any ghosts or snakes when doing business in the mainland in the future. Just like with the Rong County incident, she had reported the issue to Xie Kaixiao, and the local leaders would likely be reprimanded for their mishandling. With the leaders in trouble, the Ding family's grandfather and grandson wouldn't get off scot-free either.
As soon as she returned home, Lu Jiaxin called Su Heyuan, "Your aunt looks unwell. She seems like she's been through a serious illness."
Su Heyuan immediately dismissed the idea, "I've spoken to my aunt several times on the phone over the past month, and she's always been at home. She didn't sound unwell at all."
Lu Jiaxin expressed her confusion, "That's impossible! I visited the Xie family today, and when I spoke to your aunt, she seemed very weak. Maybe she didn't want to worry you, so she didn't say anything about being sick."
Hearing this, Su Heyuan became anxious and abruptly ended the call without waiting for Lu Jiaxin to respond. However, she understood his reaction, as Su Hongying was not just his aunt but had also played the role of a mother and protector during his and his brother's formative years.
Afterward, Lu Jiaxin called Nie Zhan. He had been busy the previous two times she tried to reach him, but this time, he finally answered.
As soon as the call connected, Nie Zhan asked, "Jiaxin, I thought you mentioned that the groundbreaking ceremony would be on June 19th. Are you already in Peng City?"
Lu Jiaxin smiled, knowing that he must have been missing her to remember the date so accurately, "No, I'm taking the flight tomorrow. I'm still in Si Jiu City."
"When will you arrive?" Nie Zhan asked.
"The day after tomorrow. I'll be passing through the port, and everything has been taken care of there," she replied.
Nie Zhan immediately assured her, "I'll be at the port to meet you the day after tomorrow, and we can send your grandmother and aunt off to the mountains together."
After agreeing, Lu Jiaxin asked about his mother, "How is your mother doing? Her injuries should be healed by now, right?"
Nie Zhan paused before replying that she was doing well.
From his reaction, Lu Jiaxin could tell that something was amiss. Recalling what Nie Zhan had said before, she tentatively asked, "Nie, your mother hasn't... fallen in love again, has she?"
Nie Zhan remained silent for a moment before confirming her suspicions, "It's with a dentist this time. He's the younger brother of her attending physician."
Lu Jiaxin was astounded. It seemed that his mother was quite the charmer, finding love even while hospitalized, "We should look on the bright side. The fact that he's a dentist means he's probably emotionally stable, and it's unlikely that they would get into physical altercations."
Nie Zhan didn't want to discuss this matter with Lu Jiaxin, as he found it embarrassing. However, he knew he couldn't hide it from her, so he decided to come clean, "He's fourteen years younger than her."
Lu Jiaxin was speechless. Nie Manlin had given birth to Nie Zhan when she was twenty-two, so this man was only eight years older than her son. Nonetheless, the fact that she could attract someone so much younger proved that she still had her charms. As her son, all he could do was try to accept it and not let it bother him too much.
(End of Chapter)
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