Half an hour later, the helicopter arrived at the five-star hotel in Qingxi Village.
As Lin Xingwan helped Xue Manting off the helicopter and looked at the hotel she had visited not long ago, Lin Xingwan suddenly felt a sense of change.
At that time, she was also angry with Zhou Jinbai, completely unaware that Dongfang Junze, who had been protecting her all along, was the man who made her angry.
It seemed that every time she came to Qingxi Town, it was because her relationship with Zhou Jinbai had problems.
After checking in, she took Xue Manting upstairs.
As soon as Xue Manting entered the room, she collapsed on the bed. Lin Xingwan took out a map and began to plan to find Ding Xinrong in Anlong Village the next morning.
"Lin Mei... Lin Mei..." Xue Manting moaned weakly. Lin Xingwan had to walk to the bedside and ask, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Xue Manting held Lin Xingwan's hand and pressed it to her chest. "I... I don't feel well. I'm so uncomfortable. Why... why did it turn out like this? I don't want to be Su Mo Yao's mistress, I don't..."
"Mistress? What mistress? Aren't you Su Mo Yao's girlfriend?" Lin Xingwan hadn't met Xue Manting many times, but most of the time Su Mo Yao had been by Xue Manting's side.
Although Su Mo Yao was not talkative, every time Lin Xingwan saw the way Su Mo Yao looked at Xue Manting, it was filled with doting.
There are three things in this world that cannot be hidden: poverty, love, and coughs.
The more you try to hide it, the more obvious it becomes.
Just like how she had been working desperately for the past month, trying to ignore Zhou Jinbai and the woman she had never met, it was like a heavy stone pressing on her heart, making her feel particularly uncomfortable whenever she thought about their divorce.
She was the one who initiated it, she was the one who gradually forced herself to distance herself from Zhou Jinbai, but hurting the enemy a thousand times would also hurt herself ten thousand times!
"How could I be Su Mo Yao's girlfriend? I'm just a toy he fancies. Su Mo Yao has a fiancée, but he never told me. His fiancée is so beautiful, she looks like a well-educated lady from a prominent family at first glance. I'm just a woman from a fallen family, and I can't help Su Mo Yao at all. He can play with me, but he won't marry me. Men are very realistic."
Xue Manting's eyes were full of unwillingness, while Lin Xingwan couldn't help but think of herself and Zhou Jinbai because of Xue Manting's words.
Their experiences were so similar.
Even though the Xue family had fallen, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. Xue Manting said she wasn't worthy of Su Mo Yao.
Then, wasn't the gap between her and Zhou Jinbai even greater?
"In wealthy families, is it really about matching social status?"
Although Lin Xingwan was asking Xue Manting, she was actually asking herself.
"Of course. Let alone wealthy families, even ordinary families pay great attention to matching social status. Through marriage, their families gain more benefits. Who wouldn't like that?"
After Xue Manting finished speaking, she seemed to have thought of something and said, "Lin Mei, I don't know if I should tell you some things."
"Go ahead." Lin Xingwan looked at Xue Manting, who seemed unable to keep secrets, and guessed that this woman had wanted to tell her something for a long time.
"It's about Dongfang Junze. Do you think this man is interested in you? Anyway, I've noticed it many times. This man always takes the initiative to help you solve problems. Although he wears a mask and always gives people a mysterious and aloof feeling, the way he looks at you is always very gentle."
Xue Manting poured out the words that had been bottled up in her heart. Lin Xingwan could only reply, "You might be mistaken? How could Dongfang Junze like me? He is a high and mighty true dragon, and I am just a small boss of an entertainment company. Let alone being liked by him, I can't even get into his eyes."
"No, no, no, I believe my own eyes. Dongfang Junze has other intentions towards you. Although your status is like an ant to this man, ancient emperors also fell in love with common women when they traveled incognito. So, you shouldn't underestimate yourself. With your figure and appearance, you are the perfect match for a successful man."
Lin Xingwan gave a bitter smile. Xue Manting's analogy was indeed very apt.
A common woman an ancient emperor fell in love with while traveling incognito.
Perhaps this was the best explanation for her relationship with Dongfang Junze.
"However, you must absolutely not fall in love with Dongfang Junze. Although this man is rich, young, and handsome, such a man standing at the top of the pyramid can only be matched by a woman standing at the top of the pyramid, so that their combined interests can be maximized. I heard from Su Mo Yao that Dongfang Junze has a fiancée who is as beautiful as a fairy. They had a childhood engagement. Not only is Dongfang Junze excellent, but his fiancée is also very excellent. Not long ago, there was news that the Dongfang family was very satisfied with their future daughter-in-law and planned to tailor the most magnificent and beautiful wedding dress in the world for her. Even if Dongfang Junze wants to have some fun while his fiancée is away, in the end, he will still marry his fiancée after he has had enough. I don't want you to follow in my footsteps, and Dongfang Junze's fiancée is also a woman with considerable means. If you provoke Dongfang Junze, his fiancée will definitely not let you off."
Xue Manting told Lin Xingwan about Dongfang Junze's fiancée out of concern for her.
Lin Xingwan felt sad and depressed. Apart from Zhou Jinbai's grandmother, she had never met any other family members of Zhou Jinbai, and they had no wedding.
However, Lin Xingwan still forced a smile and said, "Don't worry, I would never let myself get involved."
"That's good, that's good..." Xue Manting then closed her eyes contentedly and continued to sleep.
As for Lin Xingwan's words, her mind was filled with what Xue Manting had said.
Zhou Jinbai's fiancée was excellent!
They were childhood sweethearts!
They would have a grand wedding.
Since they had such deep feelings, why did he come to provoke her?
Time ticked by, and Xue Manting was sleeping like a log. Lin Xingwan's thoughts became clearer and clearer, and she felt no sleepiness at all.
She had been trying to numb herself with high-intensity work during this period, but why didn't she feel tired at all?
Just as Lin Xingwan was lying in bed, counting sheep, there was a knock on the door.
"Miss Lin, it's Su Mo Yao."
Soon, Su Mo Yao's voice came from the door.
Su Mo Yao?
Lin Xingwan quickly got out of bed and opened the door. Su Mo Yao was wearing a black trench coat.
Behind him stood four bodyguards. Su Mo Yao said to Lin Xingwan, "I'm here to take Manting away. Is it convenient to come in now?"
Lin Xingwan quickly stepped aside to let Su Mo Yao in.
The man walked to the bedside, gently picked up the still tipsy Xue Manting in a princess carry, and turned to walk towards the door.
As he walked past Lin Xingwan, Su Mo Yao said, "Thank you for accompanying Manting today. In return, I will cooperate with Top Peak Entertainment tomorrow."
Lin Xingwan did not focus on the cooperation but asked, "Mr. Su, since you already have a fiancée, why did you provoke Manting? You gave her countless sweetness, and then you slapped her hard, and then you repeated this cycle. Don't you think this is cruel to Manting?"
"Some things cannot be judged by their surface," Su Mo Yao said in a faint tone. Then he said to Lin Xingwan, "But you and Dongfang Junze are not suitable. He is about to marry his fiancée."
After saying that, without explaining why he said so, he walked away without looking back.
Lin Xingwan stared blankly at Su Mo Yao's retreating back. Her mood became even more chaotic, and she irritably closed the door and lay on the bed, feeling like life was meaningless.
Lin Xingwan didn't know how long she lay there. The memories of when she first met Zhou Jinbai kept replaying in her mind.
If only life were like the first time they met, how wonderful it would be.
Just as Lin Xingwan was lost in memories and enduring unbearable pain, there was another knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Lin Xingwan asked.
"The hotel is delivering milk, Miss Lin. Drinking milk before bed helps you fall asleep."
A low female voice came from outside the door. Lin Xingwan happened to be suffering from insomnia, so she might as well drink some milk to calm her nerves.
So Lin Xingwan got out of bed and opened the door again. A woman pushing a meal cart lowered her head, held a cup of milk with both hands, and respectfully handed it to Lin Xingwan. "Miss Lin, here is your milk."
"Thank you."
Lin Xingwan took the cup of milk and walked back into the room.
As she was about to close the door, she felt the air behind her suddenly turn cold. The next second, her mouth and nose were covered by a wet towel with a pungent smell.
By the time she realized there was something wrong with the towel, she had already inhaled a lot of the pungent smell, and Lin Xingwan's consciousness disappeared within seconds.
The milk in her hand fell to the ground. In less than a minute, the staff member pushing the meal cart returned the way they came.
This time, the indentation left by the meal cart on the carpet was more obvious.
At the same time, far away in Rongcheng, Zhou Jinbai was still in his office, having just finished the last contract.
Bai Xiao sat on the sofa in the office. "What way do you think I should propose? A romantic candlelight dinner? Or fireworks like you did when you confessed? My grandmother has been urging me and Mengqin to get married quickly and have a big grandson. But I think before getting married, I should at least give Mengqin a romantic proposal."
"Are you being polite by saying this in front of me, who is about to get divorced?" Zhou Jinbai looked up, his gaze falling coldly on Bai Xiao. He really wanted to beat Bai Xiao every time he saw him recently.
"As if you can really get divorced. If you don't agree, will the Civil Affairs Bureau dare to process your divorce?"
Bai Xiao snorted. Zhou Jinbai also got up from his office chair and sat opposite Bai Xiao. "But my wife doesn't want to see me, doesn't let me touch her, and looks at me with unfamiliarity and vigilance. What's the difference between this and being divorced?"
He sighed, the dignified CEO of an empire, the heir of a super wealthy family, now sighing repeatedly over matters of love and romance.
"I warned you before not to play with fire and get burned. You were the one who ignored our advice. Now you're getting your comeuppance, right? Since it's a death sentence either way, if I were you, I would tell my sister-in-law the truth. You haven't done anything to betray your sister-in-law. The reason you concealed your true identity was only because you were afraid your sister-in-law would be hurt. If you wait until things escalate and involve people from that side, even a hundred mouths wouldn't be enough to explain."
After Bai Xiao finished speaking, he seemed to have suddenly remembered something and said again, "By the way, I almost forgot to tell you something. On the day you had your car accident, a strange number sent a message to your sister-in-law, and also sent photos. The photos showed you and a strange woman partying wildly in a nightclub. The owner of this strange number also told your sister-in-law not to call you anymore, and then your phone was turned off."
As soon as Bai Xiao said this, Zhou Jinbai, who was about to drink his tea, almost dropped the white jade teacup in his hand.
A look of disbelief appeared on his usually indifferent face.
"What did you say? A strange number sent a message to my wife? Why are you only telling me such important news now?"
Zhou Jinbai's mind raced almost instinctively.
"I only heard about it from Mengqin. There have been so many things happening at the police station recently, and I forgot about it when I was busy," Bai Xiao shrugged helplessly.
"Is this something you can forget?"
Zhou Jinbai's thoughts spun rapidly.
No wonder his wife was so angry, no wonder she had said so many things to him.
She must have misunderstood that he was with another woman those few days, which was why she was heartbroken and wanted to divorce him.
Zhou Jinbai quickly picked up his phone and called Lin Xingwan.
He didn't care about anything else. He wanted to tell his wife the whole truth. No matter how angry she was, he wanted her to know that besides his identity, everything else was real.
However, when he dialed the first number, Lin Xingwan didn't answer.
When he dialed the second number, it still went unanswered.
"Your sister-in-law is really angry this time. I'll ask Mengqin to call her."
After Bai Xiao said that, he sent a message to Liu Mengqin.
However, a minute later, Liu Mengqin's call came through. "I called Xingwan, but she hasn't answered. She might be too tired from flying today and is probably asleep in the hotel now."
"Okay, I know."
Bai Xiao hung up the phone and said to Zhou Jinbai, "Your sister-in-law flew to Qingxi Town with Xue Manting this afternoon. She should be asleep now."
Zhou Jinbai pursed his lips, his brows furrowed tightly.
To be honest, he had a bad impression of Qingxi Town.
The last time his wife went to Qingxi Town, she almost lost her life.
Now, his right eyelid was twitching wildly.
"It's better for me to go and talk to my wife in person," Zhou Jinbai said as he got up from his chair and strode out.