The bright computer screen reflected the slightly swollen handprint on her face. From the initial endurance to now, she had become a bit uneasy and confused.
She touched her cheek, wondering what Lu Qianzhou was doing at the moment. Would he be angry after hearing those news? And who on earth had instigated those people last time? Would there be a second attempt if the first one failed?
And then there was Fang Jiangyi...
Yanxia suddenly raised her head. She suddenly remembered that Fang Jiangyi seemed to have mentioned that his father's name was Fang Yuanyuan.
Wasn't this the name of... Weiya Jewelry?
This name overlapped with the face she had glimpsed in a hurry at the elevator entrance that day. Yanxia immediately grabbed the computer and searched for the name "Fang Yuanyuan" on the web.
She filtered out the trivial news and found the person she was looking for.
"Weiya Jewelry Declares Bankruptcy. Founder Fang Yuanyuan Jailed for Fraud."
"Weiya Jewelry Sold Fakes and Was Exposed as a Repeat Offender. Its Reputation Plummeted."
She saw Fang Yuanyuan's personal information on the web. It was the face she had seen in that fleeting glance.
That meant this Fang Yuanyuan was Fang Jiangyi's father. It also explained well why Fang Jiangyi was so persistent about the fledgling Zeling Jewelry, because this was what his father had always been committed to.
When Weiya Jewelry got into trouble, Yanxia had heard some rumors, but she didn't know exactly what had happened at that time.
She followed this clue, but the news about Weiya Jewelry from a few years ago seemed to have vanished into thin air. She couldn't find anything. All she knew was that the specific incident seemed to be related to a jade Buddha pagoda.
Buddha pagoda?
It seemed that before the old mansion was seized by the bank, her father had placed a jade Buddha pagoda in the living room.
It was of excellent quality. Cheng Hua even joked that this jade Buddha pagoda was the lucky charm of the Cheng family.
Could the things Fang Jiangyi had done before be related to Weiya Jewelry's bankruptcy?
Lu Qianzhou had been keeping an eye on Fang Jiangyi's affairs. Did he know all the details but just never told her?
Yanxia grabbed her hair, feeling extremely annoyed.
Today, the President Liao of the chamber of commerce seemed to be the one who had taken over Cheng Hua's position after his downfall. But he was much more low - key than Cheng Hua, so she didn't recognize him at first. It was Jiang Yue who "kindly" reminded her.
The winter night was long. She fell asleep with a touch of unexpected melancholy.
The next day, as usual, she was about to go to the company. But before she set off, she saw Lu Qianzhou. He came in a hurry from outside. Yanxia had already been ready to leave, but seeing him, she put down her coat again.
"Third brother, why are you back now? Weren't you supposed to be back in a few days?" Yanxia watched him getting closer.
Lu Qianzhou didn't say a word. He walked straight up to her and placed his hot palm on her cheek.
Looking at her still - swollen face, his eyes were deep: "Why didn't you tell me about this?"
Yanxia said, "It's not a big deal. Besides, it was late at night on your side then. I didn't want to bother you."
He said disdainfully, "When someone hits you, don't you know how to fight back? Where has your usual confidence gone? Can't you be a bit more promising? Who does that Liao think he is? Why are you afraid of him?"
Yanxia knew that he would never tolerate his girlfriend being bullied like this. But at that time, she had thought too much because of Jiang Yue's words, and she didn't want to cause him any trouble.
So she said, "It's not that I'm afraid of him. It's because of Jiang Yue at that time..."
Lu Qianzhou interrupted her: "I'll deal with Jiang Yue. But you have to remember, in the future, you don't need to endure when you're outside. If someone dares to bully you, just fight back. I'll take care of any big problems. You just need to remember that you don't have to endure and don't lose face outside."
Whether she had the courage to do so or not, hearing Lu Qianzhou's words did make her feel quite secure.
But then she suddenly remembered what Jiang Yue had said. Doubts welled up in her heart. Lu Qianzhou refused to tell her anything, which made her even more worried.
Lu Qianzhou gently stroked her swollen face: "Why is your face still so swollen?"
Yanxia said, "I was too tired when I got back yesterday, so I didn't have time to deal with it. It was like this when I woke up this morning."
Lu Qianzhou still looked very grim. He was a die - hard member of the appearance - conscious group. To see such a beautiful face beaten like this, how could he bear it?
Yanxia originally wanted to ask him about Weiya Jewelry, but then she remembered that she had asked him to investigate last time, and Lu Qianzhou had never given any response. It was very likely that he knew but didn't want her to find out.
She still hadn't figured out what Lu Qianzhou was hiding from her. It was better to wait a bit longer.
A gentle breeze blew in through the door. She suddenly reached out and touched Lu Qianzhou's face.
"Third brother, I'm going to work. You can rest here first. See you tonight."
...
From the moment Lu Qianzhou appeared, a private detective had been reporting his every move to Jiang Yue.
The photos were laid out in rows on the table in batches, including photos of Lu Qianzhou and Lu Sheng entering and leaving the villa together several times, photos of Cheng Yanxia before her plastic surgery, and a photo of another strange girl.
She picked up the photo of the strange girl. In the photo, the girl had beautiful long curly hair. She was holding her hair and smiling gently at the camera. She looked like an innocent little girl who was new to the world, somewhat resembling Yanxia after her plastic surgery.
"Are you sure that Lu Sheng is still in the UK and hasn't returned to China at all?" Jiang Yue asked.
The private detective quickly said, "We're sure. We even took photos of Third Master Lu meeting Lu Sheng in the UK a few days ago. There's no mistake. So, this Lu Sheng in the country is a fake."
Jiang Yue believed these words.
After all, Third Master Lu had adopted Lu Sheng when she was eight years old and sent her abroad after she turned ten. No outsider had seen her since then. He had protected her very well. Even the Lu family members had hardly seen the grown - up Lu Sheng.
Outsiders only saw that the plastic - surgery Cheng Yanxia resembled the young Lu Sheng a bit, and since it was Third Master Lu himself who had admitted it, they didn't suspect much.
Jiang Yue carefully compared the photos of Cheng Yanxia before and after her plastic surgery. It seemed that she finally understood why Third Master Lu, who had always protected his adopted daughter so well, had suddenly let Lu Sheng return to China. He had always advocated freedom before, but suddenly he had let Lu Sheng get involved in these business disputes.
It was all because this Lu Sheng was a fake.
The only person with enough ability and reason to arrange all this was Lu Qianzhou.
She suddenly laughed: "I was wondering why Qianzhou suddenly became so enthusiastic about this adopted daughter. It turns out he's been raising a pawn."
She lowered her eyes, looking thoughtful.
"He will eventually reach that point. He doesn't want to involve anyone around him, especially me. That's why he's been so cold to me. He just doesn't want me to get involved in this. I understand his feelings."
Gently stroking the back of Lu Qianzhou in the photo with her finger, Jiang Yue's eyes were full of emotion.
"No wonder Fang Jiangyi had been looking for Cheng Yanxia for so long but couldn't find any news. It turns out she's been right by his side all along."