CHAPTER 197: CHAPTER 49: THE THRILL OF PLAYING WITH FIRE

The sweltering heat of midsummer lasted only a short while. By the time the coolness of autumn began to reappear, Subi Auction House had finally made some modest gains in acquisitions.

Just as Secretary Wang had said, they did indeed receive a smattering of Republican and even Ming and Qing dynasty collectibles. Though not of high value, they were bought from ordinary households at a low cost, yielding respectable profits after deducting expenses.

This stable and substantial income brought relief to both Yan Wuxu and Su Ziceng. During this period, Yan Wuxu’s attention was not on the auction house. She and Mrs. Yan frequently shuttled between Fa’an Temple and other nearby temples with a reputation for efficacy, seeking various holy waters for fertility but dared not let Su Qingzhang drink them, only to offer them.

She also started to act cautiously and did not dare to behave recklessly anymore, seemingly reverting to the Yan Wuxu that Su Ziceng had first encountered. Regarding these changes, Ziceng had inquired several times, but never managed to get any clear answers.

With so many secrets piling up inside her, Yan Wuxu dared not disclose them to Ziceng, yet she needed someone to talk to. Therefore, she would often have Han Fang drive her around under the pretext of shopping, and they would frequent Sixth District.

The car stopped by the seaside, at the old location of Mrs. Yan’s food stall. Yan Wuxu sat on the sand, watching the waves reach her feet only to be quickly covered by the succeeding tides.

"You can’t go on like this," Han Fang looked at her withering eyes and the increasingly distinct cheekbones on her face, "Have you ever thought, the problem might not necessarily be with you, let Su Qingzhang also get tested."

Yan Wuxu nodded. She had already instructed the family doctor to extract Su Qingzhang’s health reports from over the years, intending to ask the doctor for help in reviewing them.

Watching the color fade from Yan Wuxu, Han Fang couldn’t help but curse, "This is the good life you wanted, Wuxu. If only you had agreed to be with me back then..."

"Brother Han," Yan Wuxu looked dazed, watching countless waves racing to reach the shore and then die upon it. Just like herself, full of endless longing for the scenery on the shore, but realizing once she got there, that her body and mind were both damaged. Still, she had no regrets about once reaching the shore, "There are no what-ifs anymore."

A group of people barged onto the beach, yelling at the two to move away, saying the seaside had been requisitioned by the government and that a resort would be built after reorganization.

The news that Mo City would build a seaside resort was brought up by Su Qingzhang at the Su Family’s breakfast table the next morning. Compared to Ziceng and Wuxu’s shock, the reactions of Chang’s mother and daughter were much more nonchalant.

"A resort?" Su Ziceng’s memory of Mo City’s beach was still of the original seaside stalls, with sandy golden waters, so she was somewhat unable to react to this news.

"The project is led by the Hang Family, with the Fei Family providing the efforts," Su Qingzhang put down the newspaper upon seeing an eye-catching headline: Mr. Fei participates in the new city council election.

"What’s going on?" The Su and Hang families had always worked together, and yet, this beachside resort project had only come to the Su Family’s ears after land had been requisitioned and construction begun.

"With the Hang Family treating our Su Family this way, they’re still hoping I’ll kowtow to them?" After the incident with Chang Chi, Su Qingzhang almost completely cut off all business dealings with the Hang Family, who also openly declared at various occasions that they would no longer participate in those "highly polluting, detrimental to public welfare" heavy industry projects funded by the Su Family.

And as everyone knew, the "Su Family" had indeed started with mining and excavation.

"Godfather, just let me and Yishao be," Chang Chi’s voice held a hint of hesitation, she did not expect the situation to escalate to what it was today. With school starting soon, she wanted to see Hang Yishao earlier but was worried her impertinent behavior had completely angered the Hang Family. To her surprise, yesterday, she had actually received a call from Hang Yishao, as if the events from two months ago had never happened.

"Xiao Chi!" Chang Mei was also at her wit’s end this time. It was bad enough that Chang Chi defied her, but now she had begun to ignore Su Qingzhang as well.

"I’m full," Su Ziceng stood up, not paying attention to the proud demeanor on Chang Chi’s face, having none of the usual restlessness in her heart. She glanced sideways and saw Yan Wuxu had barely touched her plate, holding the knife and fork as if unsure where to start.