Under the scheduling efforts of Tong Yue, Bai Ying quickly met with Liao Junhong, who had returned from his travels. They met In the private room of a café. Liao Junhong hadn’t even had time to change his clothes, and his tie was wrinkled, but it did not detract from his handsome appearance.

Bai Ying was more tolerant of such a good-looking and dignified man, and she said with a smile, “President Liao, did you bring all the documents?”

“I did, I did,” Liao Junhong hurriedly replied, taking out a thick file from his briefcase and carefully pushing it towards her.

Bai Ying had already heard about the current situation of the photography studio from Tong Yue and was still looking through the pages carefully. She ordered another cup of coffee without realizing it, which also eased Liao Junhong’s nervousness.

He had done this many times before; some people would not even look at the documents and would tactfully refuse. At least Miss Bai in front of him seemed serious, which meant a greater chance of success.

Liao Junhong had prepared the information very meticulously. He was a very sincere businessman, and the information Bai Ying had was all very real.

After finishing the last page, it was nearing noon. She called the waiter over to order lunch, and then she asked leisurely, “President Liao, I roughly understand your ideas, and I have no doubts in this regard. I just want to ask you one question: if, and I mean if, I ultimately do not choose to invest and you can’t find anyone else, what do you plan to do next?”

No one had ever asked Liao Junhong this question before. He was stunned for a while before he rubbed his face and said, “First, I’ll try to sell my car to at least pay off the salaries and compensation of my employees.”

At this point, he looked at Bai Ying, “Miss Bai, I bought that car at the end of the year before last. It hasn’t been driven much and is still well-maintained. If you’re interested, I can sell it to you at a discount. If you don’t like the black color, I can have someone change it to white or red…”

Bai Ying laughed, “President Liao?”

Liao Junhong took an embarrassed sip of his coffee, “Then I’m prepared to mortgage my house for a loan and try to keep going.”

Bai Ying was genuinely surprised, “You want to continue?”

“Yes,” Liao Junhong nodded and sighed deeply, “I can’t just accept defeat like this.”

What truly moved Bai Ying was this sentence. He couldn’t just accept defeat like this. If one were to give up so easily, life would be too uninteresting.

Bai Ying has always liked to pick the low-hanging fruit, and this time was no exception. However, she did not immediately agree but pondered, “I will give you a definite answer in half a month. If I am interested, I will contact you, and then we can find a lawyer to draft a partnership contract.”

Liao Junhong stared at her blankly for a moment.

“Huh?”

He quickly realized what she meant, and his eyes lit up with endless surprise, “Good, I will wait for your response! Anytime, 24 hours a day!”

…

After lunch, Liao Junhong left first, and Bai Ying slowly ordered a dessert and continued to study his documents from the beginning. When she was ready to leave, a waiter came to knock on the door and politely said, “Hello, there is a lady who says she is your friend.”

A young woman with curly hair came in from behind him, “Bai Ying, it’s me!”

Bai Ying was somewhat surprised and nodded to the waiter, who then left. The young woman entered the private room and took off her coat.

“It’s a coincidence. I was buying milk powder for my baby across the street, and I thought the car parked across the street looked familiar. I took a closer look and realized it was you.”

“Your eyesight,” Bai Ying teased, “has really been trained.”

The young woman understood her insinuation and said with feigned annoyance, “Are you making fun of me?

The young woman’s name is Lin Jing, and her husband is Shen Jin’s right-hand man. They became friends who are neither close nor distant after dining together a few times.

Zhao Minghai, following Shen Jin, has also undergone a transformation. With inevitable social engagements when out and about, Lin Jing keeps a close eye on him, needing to check in constantly to feel at ease.

Bai Ying raised her hand in surrender, “No, it’s not a joke, this is genuine praise from the heart.”

Regardless of what others say about Lin Jing, Bai Ying feels that Lin Jing is not as she appears; on the contrary, this woman is very clear-headed. In fact, Zhao Minghai is quite taken with her approach, happily entrusting his entire fortune to Lin Jing’s management.

After ordering an orange juice, Lin Jing spoke admiringly, “You’re going abroad soon, right? Congratulations! Before you leave, we must throw a few parties to celebrate properly! I’ll tell Zhao right now, we’ll raise Xiao Bao just like you, to be a top student and send her abroad for studies too.”

Bai Ying was stirring her coffee with a spoon and paused upon hearing this. She lowered her gaze and continued to stir nonchalantly, “Zhao Minghai really tells you everything, you should trust him by now, right?”

Lin Jing scoffed, “Trust what? I only trust what I can hold onto.”

She sighed, “But you’re different from me. You’re well-educated and about to study abroad in America. I think by then, it will be President Shen who can’t let go of you.”

Bai Ying smiled, “You mean you and your husband talk about me behind my back?”

Lin Jing laughed heartily, “Not at all. It was during Xiao Bao’s first birthday, you know, the ‘grabbing’ ceremony. She grabbed a book, and Zhao was so happy, he just mentioned it in passing.”

Bai Ying smiled faintly, calculating the time. During Lin Jing’s daughter’s first birthday, Shen Jin’s grandmother’s seventh-day memorial hadn’t passed yet. According to their hometown customs, it wasn’t appropriate to attend others’ celebrations, so Shen Jin didn’t go, and naturally, neither did she.

So, why would Zhao Minghai tell Lin Jing that she would be going abroad soon? Knowing Zhao Minghai as she did, if these words didn’t come from Shen Jin, how could he possibly say them?

The two quickly moved on to other topics, and after finishing the orange juice, they said their goodbyes. Bai Ying wasn’t in a hurry to leave, slowly savoring the small dish of cake until the sweetness turned bitter in her mouth.

If she hadn’t run into Lin Jing by chance today, she might have unknowingly fallen into Shen Jin’s plans. She returned to Shen’s house in silence, not rushing to question Shen Jin, but sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, pondering how she could probe his thoughts without arousing his suspicion.

As dusk fell, she dialed the overseas number Shen Jin had left, waiting quietly for him to answer. When she made the second call, it was Shen Jin, just returned from outside, who answered.

He had just called her name when she softened her voice, barely concealing a sob as she questioned him, “Did you plan to send me abroad all along?”

Without giving him a chance to speak, she laid out everything that happened today, “Don’t lie to me anymore. You’ve already made plans, so why even ask me? Why not just arrange it directly?”

Across the vast distance, Shen Jin heard her near tears and quickly comforted her in a low voice, “No, I didn’t plan that.”

“You’re still lying to me?!” Bai Ying raised her voice, “Everyone knows I’m going abroad, except me! Will I only find out when I get to the airport? Since you’ve already thought about it, why do you still tell me I can stay with you… here?”

Hearing her plaintive accusation, the weight in Shen Jin’s heart lifted. His temperament, honed over the years, had become calm and collected. After patiently listening to her, he spoke gently, “Please, listen to me. I never thought that way. I was inconsiderate before, letting too many people know about your existence, which isn’t good for you. So, I planned to spread the news of you going abroad, letting them think you’ve already left, to keep you safer in the future.”

Bai Ying’s heart grew heavier.

She would have preferred him to say “yes” rather than “no.” If he said yes, at least she could leave easily, but his current actions told her he had already made arrangements—asking her opinion was just his firm belief that she would listen to him.

When “Bai Ying” goes abroad, who will she become?

Bai Ying’s face remained calm, but she still trembled as she asked him, “You really won’t let me leave? Don’t lie to me.”

Shen Jin soothed her, “No, rest assured.”

“Really?”

She asked repeatedly like a child who had lost her sense of security.

Shen Jin used all his patience on her, affirming again and again, “No.”

After finally calming her and hanging up the phone, Shen Jin pressed his forehead and called his subordinate, instructing him to buy new jewelry. He planned to pamper her again when he returned to the country.

This call made Bai Ying see her current situation clearly. The choice was not in her hands, which frustrated her. It proved that there’s no such thing as a free lunch; high returns always come with great risks. Did she accept it? Of course not. Even if given another chance, she would still choose to meet Shen Jin.

But since she and Shen Jin were destined not to part ways peacefully, it was best for her to leave before he returned.

–

Meanwhile, Jiang Mocheng also received a call from home. He was only responsible for managing the global business, but there were still some thankless tasks that his sister-in-law and cousin would force upon him.

A piece of land in Ning City was expropriated by Yuan Guang for a new factory, but disagreements arose, and someone had to play the bad cop. Jiang Mocheng knew only he could do it, and after much thought, he agreed under his sister-in-law’s veiled threats.

The two met again late that night, and Jiang Mocheng said helplessly, “I have to leave the day after tomorrow at the latest. There’s something important waiting for me to handle.”

Bai Ying couldn’t muster any enthusiasm, preoccupied with Shen Jin’s return and not really listening to him.

Seeing her downcast, he softened, gently stroking her hair and whispering, “So, you can either stay here and wait for me to come back after I’ve dealt with everything. And don’t worry, I will definitely come. Remember to call or message me, you can reach out to me for anything, and I’ll come to pick you up as fast as I can.”

Bai Ying hummed lazily.

“Or,” Jiang Mocheng was actually more reluctant to leave her, frowning at the thought of going away and not seeing her for a while, “Or come with me now. I’ll take you to Ning City for a change of scenery. Just eat, drink, and have fun. After I’m done, we’ll come back.”

Bai Ying’s attention was caught by his last sentence, and she looked up at him nonchalantly.

The light above his head was hazy, and for a moment, she saw Shen Jin’s composed face, then his.

Jiang Mocheng felt her hesitation and held her tight, “Let’s go together, shall we?”