CHAPTER 390: CHAPTER 371: THERE ARE BENEFITS TO HAVING THICKER SKIN

In the kitchen, Wang Jinhui opened the refrigerator and took out some soaked bird’s nests, placing them in a small bowl before turning to face Granny Yu.

"Granny Yu, I have something to ask you... Has Tang Mei met anyone recently?"

Granny Yu was startled at first, but then replied, "No, since returning from Chicheng, no one else has come over except for you and Madam Leng... She hasn’t left the house these days, just went out today with you."

Wang Jinhui nodded, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Mr. Wang, what’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing, I can handle the rest. You don’t need to worry about it, go on with your tasks."

Granny Yu’s face showed a trace of concern.

Ah, these two, when will it end?

Both are so smart, yet so stubborn!

Soon after, Wang Jinhui picked up the fruit knife, peeling the snow pear and removing the seeds, meticulously slicing it into thin pieces before gently tearing the bird’s nest into small chunks.

The kitchen was filled with the fragrance of snow pear, as Wang Jinhui expectantly placed the sliced snow pear and bird’s nest into a ceramic stew pot, gently mixing them evenly to blend together well.

He knew that consuming it this way was good for nourishing the lungs and stomach and could also help Tang Mei relieve some stress.

He hoped she wouldn’t be critical of his poor cooking skills.

When the snow pear and bird’s nest were stewed to perfection, Wang Jinhui carried the small bowl to the main bedroom on the third floor.

He knocked on the door, then pushed it open.

At this moment, Tang Mei was lying in bed. She looked up, saw Wang Jinhui holding a small bowl, and was slightly taken aback before a relieved expression appeared on her face.

"Why haven’t you left?" Tang Mei’s voice contained a hint of surprise.

Wang Jinhui smiled and said softly, "I didn’t see you come down for dinner, so I thought you might not have an appetite. I made some snow pear and bird’s nest for you. Here, give it a try. Don’t mind the cooking."

"Have you eaten?"

"Do you even have to ask? Go on and eat."

Tang Mei’s eyes revealed her touched feelings as she took the bowl and began to taste it little by little.

The sweet freshness of the snow pear and the silky texture of the bird’s nest intertwined in her mouth, quickly spreading a warming sensation as if everything had returned to the past.

In the past, my father always thought of stewing bird’s nest for mother whenever he had the chance, and I got to enjoy it too.

Those really were happy times.

Actually, our home wasn’t short of bird’s nest, but it always seemed that the tastiest was what came from my mother’s bowl.

Wang Jinhui sat quietly by the bed, watching Tang Mei eat, his heart full of tender compassion and worry. He hoped the bowl of bird’s nest could bring her a bit of comfort and a moment of tranquility.

Facing everything alone is just too exhausting!

After Tang Mei finished eating and put down the bowl, her eyes glittered with gratitude. "Thank you, it tastes great!"

Wang Jinhui smiled faintly and patted Tang Mei’s shoulder gently, saying tenderly, "From now on, no matter what difficulties you face, I want to be by your side. Don’t fight alone like you did tonight with that car... it was too dangerous!"

Tang Mei felt warm inside, her eyes slightly red, but in the end, she said nothing.

"Go to sleep early, I’ll be going now."

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention, starting today... I’ll be moving to live across from you. It’s better to have someone to look after you, otherwise, I get too bored by myself."

Before Tang Mei could respond, Wang Jinhui quickly left, to avoid any rejection.

He was quite clear about that.

The bedroom suddenly quieted down, and Tang Mei silently recalled the words Wang Jinhui had just said, a smile flashing at the corner of her mouth.

Is this getting smart? Making a quick getaway!

But aside from the shops on the walking street, there were no properties owned by Wang Jinhui nearby; Tang Mei had checked before coming to Huang City.

She desired peace and quiet, free from further troubles.

Across from me?

When did he buy it on the sly?

When Wang Jinhui mentioned the day before yesterday that he wanted to transfer ownership of the Wang Mansion to his daughter-in-law Ye Wanhua, Tang Mei had already anticipated this day would come.

She just didn’t expect it to be so soon!

It looked like he was preparing to persist... going into full thick-skinned mode?

Quite the advantage of being close to the water!

Suddenly, Tang Mei thought of her granddaughter, Tang Xiaowan. Except for her fearless nature, who else would give Wang Jinhui such a rotten idea.

...

Meanwhile, at Lingxiao Manor.

Having seen off Li Zishen and Bai Long, Zhao Renjie finally settled down to enjoy the lobster, abalone, crab, and other seafood with Cheng Shi and the others.

Although the presentation couldn’t compare to the lavishness of the dinner party, everything that should be there was there.

In this regard, Leng Lingxiao really won people’s hearts.

But thinking of another person, Wang Meijuan was instantly enraged and chugged half a cup of beer.

"Can you believe it? How thick-skinned is Li Zishen? Look at the time now. He had a good meal and left us to eat at this late hour. It’s utterly shameless!"

Zhao Renjie clinked glasses with Cheng Shi and downed his drink, "He really is a drag. I remember he came before six o’clock and didn’t leave until half past eleven."

Hints of disgust were evident in those words, but as a housekeeper, Cheng Shi couldn’t say too much.

"Yeah, it’s already Monday!" Cheng Shi added gravely.

"He was just waiting for Mr. Leng to invite him to stay the night so he could have breakfast with him in the morning. I bet he wouldn’t mind lingering until lunchtime. He thinks he’s so clever. I hope he never comes back, so annoying!" Wang Meijuan grumbled as she took a bite of abalone.

"Are you afraid he’ll steal the madam away?" Zhao Renjie asked with a meaningful tone.

"Rubbish, my miss has her heart set on Mr. Leng. Li Zishen could dream on for his next life or even the life after that!"

"Hearts are measured by the piece," Cheng Shi explained in all seriousness.

Wang Meijuan glared fiercely at him.

"When you were in school, I bet your aim was to become a teacher, right?"

"Yeah, just that my studies weren’t up to par!"

Hearing Cheng Shi’s earnest response, Zhao Renjie was also amused and quickly opened another bottle of beer, ready for another round with him.

Suddenly, a ring from the phone came at an inopportune moment.

Zhao Renjie frowned, picked up the phone, and walked to the window to answer it.

The voice on the line carried a hint of urgency, "Brother Zhao, Jiang Kexin has been found. She’s in her aunt Jiang Yongli’s small apartment."

Zhao Renjie’s heart tightened, and he immediately replied, "What about her? Has she been dealt with?"

"Not yet, no action has been taken. Shen Shiyi’s people are also nearby. They don’t seem to plan on entering. I’m not sure what they’re up to. What should we do? Should we proceed with the original plan?"

Zhao Renjie pondered for a moment with a furrowed brow, "Then... let’s wait a bit longer. If anything changes, call me immediately. Don’t let her escape no matter what."

"Understood, Brother Zhao," came the reply.

After the call ended, Zhao Renjie hung up and his face immediately turned somber.

There was another small apartment? No wonder she didn’t return to the Jiang Family. Was she worried about her parents’ scolding, or had she discovered something?

No, it’s impossible that she noticed anything!

It must be that she knew it would be embarrassing and didn’t dare to go home.

Indeed, a big clan like Huang City’s Jiang Family always cared deeply about their reputation.

Jiang Yongheng had always shown a tendency for gender preference, thinking that the family business should be handed over to his son, Jiang Kede, hence expressing only superficial affection for his daughter. She could have enough money, but power was out of the question.

Now that the Jiang Family had fallen into decay and declared bankruptcy, if they also learned that their daughter went to Chicheng to assassinate Tang Xiaowan, they would likely throw her out of the house.

Despite the heavy price Jiang Kexin had already paid, when compared to the interests of the clan, Jiang Yongheng would certainly consider sending his daughter to jail as a way to beg for forgiveness from the Leng Family. This aimed to secure financial support in hopes of rising again.

Making such guesses, Zhao Renjie returned to the dining table to continue drinking and chatting.

But his concerns were clearly written across his face.

Cheng Shi picked up his cup and toasted Zhao Renjie, asking with concern, "Old Zhao, what’s the matter? Has something happened?"

Wang Meijuan across from him was also curious.

Zhao Renjie of course couldn’t divulge their pursuit of Jiang Kexin, so he had to come up with an excuse.

He sighed, looking troubled.

"Actually, it’s nothing. It’s just today when the master... when they came back from diving, remember that little incident that happened?"

Cheng Shi asked in surprise, "You mean... the accident where that female instructor slipped?"

"Right, that was actually done by Bai Long. His target was originally Mrs. Shen, but the plan failed. Mrs. Shen really is fortunate!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Meijuan stood up straight away.

"Isn’t she pregnant? If the one who had slipped was her... how can Bai Long be so vicious?"

Indeed, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Seeing Wang Meijuan so outraged, Cheng Shi quickly pushed the abalone towards her. He had heard from Tang Xiaowan that food could solve many problems, especially for girls – it never fails.

But Wang Meijuan was already beyond upset.

"But... why target Mrs. Shen? They don’t even know each other, no enmity at all!"

"Maybe it’s because of Mr. Shen."

As soon as he said this, Zhao Renjie and Wang Meijuan almost simultaneously turned to look at Cheng Shi, their faces filled with shock.