Chapter 16 p1:
After Rich Flower’s comments, Qi SiJia became uncertain.
Perhaps due to her inherent nature, despite her words, the thought of actively pursuing someone filled her with anxiety.
This was why Qin XiaoFang always teased her about having a beautiful face but being unable to find a partner.
Finding a suitable partner wasn’t difficult for Qi SiJia, but finding someone she wanted to pursue was rare.
In her entire life, only two people had sparked that desire.
The penthouse owner was one of them.
This rare spark of interest, after five years, wasn’t something Qi SiJia wanted to dismiss easily. She decided to observe further.
The next day, Qi SiJia woke up at 6 AM sharp.
She’d had a pleasant night, filled with vivid dreams.
The penthouse owner’s face was veiled, the veil lifting just before her alarm went off, revealing Meng Jiang’s captivating features.
Qi SiJia hadn’t appreciated Meng Jiang’s striking beauty before, finding it too attention-grabbing.
Such confident, radiant women seemed to belong to a different world.
But somehow,
her preferences had shifted over time, unconsciously gravitating towards Meng Jiang’s type.
Even though she herself was plain, she now admired Meng Jiang’s confident and alluring presence.
She hadn’t thought much of it before.
But last night’s dream, with Meng Jiang’s face revealed, sent a shiver down her spine.
Qi SiJia stared at the ceiling for a long time.
She needed a girlfriend. It had only been a few days since her breakup, but it felt like years.
So much so that even her dreams were now filled with Meng Jiang.
—
As Qi SiJia descended the stairs, the door on the first floor opened, just like yesterday.
A box of qingtuan dumplings was placed in her hands. The container was different this time, a clear plastic box with a discreet “Master Kong” logo.
“Um,”
Gui XiaoLian, her eyes downcast, fidgeted, “That old lunchbox was too worn out.”
“My mom,” Gui XiaoLian continued, putting on her shoes,
“went to the morning market early today and exchanged five packs of instant noodles for this.”
Qi SiJia was surprised: “Morning market?”
The demolition notice had been issued six months ago. The nearest morning market had been shut down.
If Qi SiJia remembered correctly, there weren’t any nearby.
Gui XiaoLian locked the door. Qi SiJia glanced inside. The apartment was quiet, no coughing.
Gui XiaoLian looked up, humming in agreement.
Qi SiJia noticed her pale face and swollen eyes.
She paused, asking, “Did you stay up all night?”
Gui XiaoLian’s eyes darted around before she replied, “Just one all-nighter, it’s fine. I can nap in the staff room later.”
“Where’s your mom?”
Gui XiaoLian lowered her eyes: “She’s out.”
Her gaze was evasive, her fingers clutching the straps of her backpack as she quickly left the building.
Just then, the two construction workers from the other day, the thin one and the tall one, walked by, smoking.
In the dim light, they saw Gui XiaoLian first.
“How’s Auntie Gui? Which room at the district hospital?”
“We’ll visit her this afternoon.”
Qi SiJia, hidden in the shadows, overheard their conversation. Gui XiaoLian gave a vague reply, then turned to Qi SiJia after they left, saying, “Sorry, my mom has pneumonia. It’s been going around lately. She’s been coughing a lot. Yesterday, she went to the morning market on the west side of town. Maybe she caught a chill. I took her to the hospital for IV fluids.”
She spoke casually, but Qi SiJia, noticing the dark circles under her eyes, paused.
“Which hospital?”
“The district hospital.”
After getting the address, Qi SiJia went to the hospital during her lunch break.
The hospital was crowded. The security guard wouldn’t let her in with her gas mask and unusual attire.
After some explaining, Qi SiJia refused to remove her mask. She couldn’t handle the crowd and the unwanted social interaction. It would defeat the purpose of her visit.
Knowing she couldn’t argue with the guard, she considered driving her Mini EV into the hospital, but decided against it.
Instead, she used her grandmother’s old connections, making a call and paying for Gui XiaoLian’s mother’s medical expenses.
She didn’t know that her call had reached the hospital director, who happened to be giving Qi Jun a private checkup.
“Nothing serious, just some liver fire and blood stasis.” Director Wang finished taking Qi Jun’s pulse and instructed his assistant to bring the prescription pad, scribbling a few lines, prescribing some Chinese medicine.
Qi Jun then asked his assistant to set up a chessboard in the elegantly decorated tea room.
“Not busy today?”
Qi Jun said, “Only at your place can I find some peace and quiet.”
His words were polite, but Qi Jun, with his vast business empire, wasn’t there for a social call.
In the past two years, the Qi Corporation had been shifting its focus towards medical equipment, investing heavily in imported devices. They needed distribution channels.
But these were the first batch of imported devices, their effectiveness unknown. No hospital dared to invest heavily.
Qi Jun sought Director Wang’s help, hoping for some guidance.
After some small talk, he revealed his purpose.
Director Wang looked troubled, “Foreign certifications are one thing, but whether Ning Cheng hospitals will accept them is another. I can’t guarantee anything. I’m afraid I can’t help you with this.”
“The hospital scene is complex, with many connections.” Qi Jun paused, looking at Director Wang.
Their shared understanding hinted at a deeper relationship.
“You want to control the entire medical equipment market in Ning Cheng. That’s not something a single director can decide. That’s why I said it’s difficult.”
Director Wang didn’t beat around the bush, taking a sip of tea before continuing, “But you’re in luck. The leadership at the City Hospital and the Women’s and Children’s Hospital has changed recently. Coincidentally, the new directors have a connection. They all studied under the same person.”
“Twenty years ago, a highly respected orthopedic surgeon was wrongly accused during a surgery and banned from practicing. You must have heard of him, surnamed Mo. If you can find him, your problem is solved. Ninety percent of the orthopedic surgeons and current hospital directors in Ning Cheng were his students.”
Qi Jun’s fingers paused, then he smiled.
The old fox was playing a game, and Director Wang was no match for Qi Jun.
Twenty minutes later, he tossed his white chess piece, smiling at Qi Jun, “Still as ruthless as ever. No wonder JiaJia contacts me instead of you.”
Qi Jun’s expression, usually indifferent even during business negotiations, softened at the mention of his daughter.
“What did she want?”
“A patient who has lived in your mother’s old building for years was hospitalized yesterday. Your daughter, my goddaughter, kindly paid for all her medical expenses.”
Qi Jun dropped his chess piece, a displeased look on his face, “She never shows such kindness to me.”
Director Wang chuckled, “Serves you right. You brought this upon yourself.”
“Now you have to resort to schemes to get your daughter’s attention.”
Qi Jun’s face darkened. Dropping the pretense of camaraderie, he said coldly,
“Old Wang, don’t push it.” Director Wang said, “At your age, getting jealous of your daughter? Really?”
Qi SiJia received Qi Jun’s call while changing in the locker room.
She’d taken time off to visit the hospital.
The other cleaners were working, so the locker room was empty. “Dad?”
“You still remember you have a father?” Qi Jun said, “I’ve been hospitalized for days, and you haven’t even called to ask how I am.”
Qi SiJia paused, asking flatly, “Are you feeling better?”
“I can’t be better without seeing you.”
Qi SiJia: “…”
His words didn’t hold up. She’d just seen him in a suit on a business interview last night.
“Then rest well, don’t drink or smoke, and drink plenty of water…”
“What’s the difference between that and those uncaring people who only offer empty words?”
Qi SiJia remained silent.
Qi Jun’s outburst had a purpose.
As expected, after the seemingly pleasant exchange, his tone changed, “JiaJia, I’m getting old.”
“When are you coming back?”
Qi SiJia had buttoned her uniform wrong. She undid it and put it on correctly.
She couldn’t answer that question. Qi Jun was downplaying their past conflicts.
“I like women,” Qi SiJia said softly, “If I come back, will you try to change me?”
Long silence on the other end. A few minutes later,
the call ended.
Qi SiJia, in her gas mask, didn’t wipe the sweat from her forehead.
Turning around, she noticed another cleaner in the locker room, surnamed Wu, she thought. Qi SiJia nodded in greeting.
Having taken time off, she hadn’t eaten lunch. She put both lunchboxes in a bag and headed upstairs.
The penthouse was a duplex, with a small storage room in the stairwell.
The developers had intended it for cleaning supplies. There was a microwave inside.
Qi SiJia had discovered it yesterday. Heating her food here would save her a trip to the staff room and minimize contact with others.
But as she reached the fire escape door, she overheard a conversation.
Two voices, the penthouse owner and a sharp, middle-aged woman’s voice.
“What did Shen TuNan ever do to you?” the woman said, “Why are you treating her like this?”
“Treating her how?” Meng Jiang, in a red dress and a white feather shawl, a black mask covering her face, yawned tiredly, not even looking up.
“Don’t you dare talk back. Have you no conscience?” the woman continued, “Five years ago, if not for Miss Shen, you wouldn’t be where you are today. Now that you’re successful, you’re pushing her out of profitable projects and sending her to Italy.”
“The Shen family helped your uncle, helped the Chen family. I’m not asking for gratitude, but at least don’t repay kindness with malice.”
Qi SiJia, instinctively, was about to leave, when a loud thud echoed, something being thrown to the floor.
Worried about a physical altercation, Qi SiJia stayed put.
Through the gap in the door, she saw the woman by the door suddenly look up.
“As you said, the Shen family helped the Chen family, helped my uncle. What did they do for me?”
The middle-aged woman seemed even angrier, “So, the Meng family is your backing? Your eighty-year-old grandmother, all sweet and loving on the surface, is a good person? Naive! Everyone in Bei Cheng is laughing at you behind your back. You’re just an illegitimate child from my second marriage, an embarrassment. If not for your grandfather and uncle forcing me into the Meng family, you wouldn’t even have the Meng surname. The Meng family is full of illegitimate children, but Meng Xing is just as capable as you, and he’s a man. Your grandmother and father might not leave you a single cent.”
“If you don’t side with your mother and the Chen family, the Meng family will crush you.”
Qi SiJia, standing outside, was stunned.
This was the penthouse owner’s mother? But their conversation sounded more like enemies.
Meng Jiang’s voice was calm: “What do you want?”
Seeing her soften, the woman said, her tone condescending, “You should consider your uncle when allocating resources. And about the Shen family, TuNan hasn’t done anything wrong… If she wants to invest in your media company—”
Meng Jiang interrupted, “How about I just give her the company?”
“You—” the woman shrieked.
“How dare you talk to me like that? I’m your mother!”
Meng Jiang chuckled sarcastically,
“Mother, if you think I was born to be your pawn, then take this life back. You’re making things so complicated. It’s just a life for a life.”
“This worthless life, I return it to you. But I’m afraid once I’m gone, you and your precious Chen family won’t last a day in Bei Cheng.”
The woman, her legs long and straight, stood her ground against her mother, unflinching.
Unlike Qi SiJia’s passive silence, she seemed to have found a decisive path out of the toxic cycle of familial obligation.
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