Chapter 657: Extra 070 Didn’t Mu Cidian tell you I didn’t meet him? (One more)

Mu Cidian had a brief conversation with Lei Qian, then hung up the phone.

He pondered over Lei Qian’s words, “No matter how good she is, she still lost you…”

He suddenly laughed bitterly.

How could she possibly lose him?

She just wasn’t interested in him.

Mu Cidian started his car and drove away.

Away from Xin Zaozao’s home.

…

Xin Zaozao returned home and took a hot shower.

She didn’t dare make it too hot, afraid of depriving the baby of oxygen if it got too stuffy.

Ever since Mu Cidian discouraged her at the wedding, she started learning about pregnancy knowledge when she was about to deliver.

She came out of the room in a maternity bathrobe after her shower.

The house was warm, so she didn’t need to wear much.

She laid on her own bed.

Now that she was home, she didn’t have to go to the company anymore, considering that her driver was still in Lei Village, unaware if the tire had been fixed yet or not.

She turned over, as she couldn’t sleep anyway.

She had just taken a good nap in Mu Cidian’s car and now, she wasn’t sleepy.

She thought for a moment, sat up from the bed, changed into a set of home clothes, and started working on her laptop in the lounge area.

It seemed she had become used to working around the clock.

Numb to the routine of working.

She wondered whether her life would change after giving birth to this baby.

…

Three days later.

Song Lifei returned from his business trip.

The first thing he did upon returning was to head to Xin Zaozao’s office to get an update on the situation at Lei Village.

Xin Zaozao sat in her office chair, telling Song Lifei, “The police are still questioning the villagers one by one, but progress is slow. The contractor, He Jianguo, has temporarily disappeared. What’s surprising, though, is that what the villagers care about most is not He Jianguo’s whereabouts, but constantly proving to the police how much money they have put out. Shouldn’t everyone’s subconscious want to uncover the truth and catch the real culprit?”

“Two reasons. Firstly, the villagers were deceived once and might feel hopeless since the perpetrator has absconded already. Secondly… someone could be deliberately diverting the attention of the villagers.”

“That’s what I was thinking too, so I am convinced that the incident isn’t as simple as it seems. Why would the villagers fall for the deception again after being conned once? It’s partly due to greed, but more importantly, there must be someone instigating it – someone credible.”

“Hmm.” Song Lifei nodded in agreement with Xin Zaozao’s point of view.

“Since you’re back, put aside the work you have at hand now and sort out the issue at Lei Village.” Xin Zaozao instructed, “First, investigate the respected individuals in the village, those whose opinions carry weight. Let’s focus our investigation on these individuals.”

“Alright.” Song Lifei agreed promptly.

Xin Zaozao had something more to say.

The phone rang.

She answered, “Lina, long time no see. What brings you to call me?”

Song Lifei watched as Xin Zaozao put on her signature socializing face.

He gestured that he was leaving.

Xin Zaozao nodded, saying as she covered the phone, “Take some time to observe the situation in Lei Village.”

Song Lifei gave a thumbs-up sign.

Xin Zaozao’s office door closed.

She spoke into the phone, somewhat surprised, “You’re back in the country?”

“Yes, I am here for a week’s work. You know my whole family is abroad and I don’t have many friends here, so I can only call you.”

“You don’t need to say that, you’re not an outsider. How about having dinner together tonight? I’ll make the reservation.”

“Then, I won’t be polite.”

“Perfect. I’ll send you the restaurant details once I make the reservation.”

“Right, I brought two subordinates with me.”

“I’ll make reservations for two more.”

“See you tonight.”

“See you tonight.”

Xin Zaozao hung up, her friendly smile fading almost immediately.

She had indeed grown instinctively accustomed to such social obligations over the years.

Sometimes, it felt automatic to do things she didn’t particularly want to do.

She took a deep breath, picked up the phone and dialed, “Secretary Yan, please reserve a table for four at the Saint Palace for me tonight. We’ll be there around 6. Have them prepare everything as per my usual preferences.”

“Yes, Chairperson.” came the respectful response from the other end.

Xin Zaozao ended the call.

She found herself instinctively touching her belly.

Anytime she had a moment to herself, she couldn’t help but touch the bump.

She wondered what it would look like…

All she hoped was that it wouldn’t look too much like him.

At 5 in the afternoon.

Xin Zaozao called Lina to confirm if she needed to be picked up. Once confirmed, Xin Zaozao slowly left from work and asked the driver to take her to her destination.

As the driver was driving, he said, “Chairperson, I heard that Mr. Song went to Lei Village?”

“Most probably.”

“Ah, you must remind Mr. Song about those tough villagers of Lei Village. I got back so late that night, it makes me irritated just thinking about it. Luckily you got a ride back with Mu Cidian that day, otherwise, you would have surely caught a cold dressed so lightly.”

Xin Zaozao chuckled softly, “We’ll be more careful next time.”

“There’s going to be a next time? Chairperson, I suggest you not go there anymore. It’s risky, especially with your condition.”

“Don’t worry, I know my limits.”

The driver had been driving Xin Zaozao for about two years now, and in those two years, he’d witnessed her dedication towards her work.

He sincerely admired her and felt from the bottom of his heart that, with a woman like her, it would be indeed difficult to not be successful.

“By the way.” Xin Zaozao checked the time and said, “There’s still time before dinner. Could you drop me off at the mall next to the restaurant? I need to buy a few things.”

“Sure.” The driver quickly parked the car at the high-end mall.

Xin Zaozao got out of the car.

The driver hastily asked, “Chairperson, do you need me to accompany you?”

“No need, I’ll be back in about 20 minutes. You can wait for me in the car.”

“Yes.”

Xin Zaozao entered the mall.

She headed straight to the clothing section.

The driver’s words reminded her that she lacked a down jacket.

If she was planning to visit Lei Village again, she needed to take care of her warmth first.

She walked into the high-end clothes section.

In the luxury market, down jackets are scarce.

Xin Zaozao visited several shops until finally, she saw a down jacket in a luxury store which she quite liked.

She was about to address the salesperson.

“I’ll take this one.”

Xin Zaozao suddenly heard a familiar voice beside her.

She turned her head.

At that moment, she saw Mu Cidian and Lei Qian standing next to him.

The two were apparently shopping.

It seemed they had both taken a liking to the down jacket she had chosen.

The salesperson looked slightly embarrassed.

Xin Zaozao was a regular customer here and a top-tier VIP, she could not be easily dismissed, but technically speaking, the other customer had spoken first to claim the down jacket. What was worse, each item in the luxury store was unique; there was no repetition, let alone variation in sizes. Whether it fit or not, was entirely up to fate.

Thus, the salesperson was really at a loss.

Xin Zaozao turned around, “Do you have any other styles?”

“This is currently the only down jacket we have in stock, Miss Xin. Would it be okay if we contact you when new ones arrive?” the salesperson asked cautiously.

“Okay.” Xin Zaozao nodded.

Without a look back, she headed out immediately after nodding.

Lei Qian watched Xin Zaozao’s departing figure, and said, “If she likes it, I can give it up, and besides, this place is so expensive, I really don’t see the necessity.”

Mu Cidian replied indifferently, “She never takes what others are interested in.”

Lei Qian pursed her lips.

She had a feeling that Mu Cidian knew Xin Zaozao very well.

He seemed to know exactly what Xin Zaozao was thinking.

And her…

Did he know her at all?

“Let’s give it a try. I’ll wait for you.” Mu Cidian asked the salesperson to bring the down jacket.

“It’s too expensive.”

“I’m getting it for you.”

“Your money is also money.” Lei Qian kept asking him to reconsider. “Actually, those discounted items on the first floor aren’t bad…”

“If you’re not going to try it, then just wrap it up.” Mu Cidian instructed the salesperson.

“Cidian.” Lei Qian held his hand.

The salesperson couldn’t help but exclaim, “I can’t believe there’s such an amazing boyfriend in the world.”

Lei Qian blushed when she heard the salesperson.

“I wish I could get a dozen.” The salesperson said with a smile.

Lei Qian blushed even harder.

She said, “In that case, just wrap it up.”

“Yes, miss,” answered the salesperson very respectfully.

Lei Qian felt a sweetness in her heart.

She held on to Mu Cidian’s hand and didn’t let go.

Having Mu Cidian as her husband in this life was truly her greatest happiness.

…

Xin Zaozao left the mall.

She was never late, whether for business or personal matters.

So she left without purchasing anything, deciding to save it for next time when she was free.

She got back into her car and headed for the restaurant.

After being guided by the waiter, she waited in a private room for a while.

The door of the room was knocked.

Xin Zaozao looked up to see Lina looking somewhat travel-weary, with two young foreign men who looked to be in their 20s following her. The minute Lina walked in with a smile on her face, she was taken aback by the sight of Xin Zaozao.

She couldn’t believe her eyes as she looked at Xin Zaozao, “Is that belly real?”

“Eight months now,” Xin Zaozao replied.

“Holy shit, whose is it? It happened so fast. I haven’t been gone that long and you’re about to have a baby.” Lina seemed somewhat excited, “And here I was, finding you a couple of young foreign men… Never mind, we wouldn’t want to interfere with your prenatal education.”

Actually, when Xin Zaozao saw the two handsome men, she knew what Lina was trying to do.

She led Lina to sit at the dining table, “Thanks for your kindness. But for now, I can’t enjoy it.”

Lina shook her head, looking regretful.

Xin Zaozao asked the waitstaff to serve the meal.

Lina took the initiative to speak, “Is the child Mu Cidian’s?”

Though it was a question her tone suggested certainty.

“No.” Xin Zaozao denied.

Because Mu Cidian and Lina had some history, they had lived together for a week after all. She was afraid there would be some liaison between them.

She felt that Mu Cidian, being so smart, wouldn’t just let go of these advantageous resources.

“Not?” Lina seemed somewhat excited. “Besides Mu Cidian, who else could you be having a child for?”

“Why can’t I have a child for another man?” Xin Zaozao smiled.

“No, no, I didn’t phrase that correctly.” Lina reacted after a moment. “Why would you want to have a child for any other man when Mu Cidian is so good to you? You should only want to be with him, right? I’m talking about being actually together, not just playing around.”

Xin Zaozao found Lina’s reaction quite odd, but managed to keep her composure, “Who told you that Mu Cidian has been good to me? Our relationship was purely contractual – brutally speaking, it was all about prostitution.”

“Give me a break. Mu Cidian wanted more than just to sleep with you,” Lina said bluntly, “He genuinely loved you.”

“Mu Cidian was with you for just a week, and you’re giving him such a high rating? I never thought his cold demeanor could be so appealing to women,” she joked, “Were you seduced into bed?”

“Xin Zaozao, are you trying to play dumb with me?” Lina asked, looking straight at her.

“Hm?” Xin Zaozao returned her gaze.

“Didn’t Mu Cidian tell you?” Lina asked.

“What?”

“He didn’t tell you that during the so-called week when I kept him, I didn’t even touch a hair on his body.”

Xin Zaozao’s hand paused as she was drinking her water.

“Mu Cidian is the only man who lived under the same roof with me for seven days, and I didn’t even touch his hand.” Lina looked at Xin Zaozao, her words clear.

“So, you…” Xin Zaozao started, but then hesitated.

Lina was quite straightforward, “So why did I sign the contract with you then?”

Xin Zaozao sipped her water casually, offering a small nod of acknowledgment.

“Because Mu Cidian revised my contract, made me three points more profit for the company, and even got me a promotion and raise. You tell me, for a capable man like him, couldn’t I afford to do him a favor and sign a contract with you?”