Chapter 9

Chapter 9 The moment those words fell, Director Chen's office fell silent. Director Chen seemed to think she had misheard. She looked up, her face full of astonishment. "What did you say?" Yu Jianghai turned around. Outside, the sky had cleared after the rain, and the setting sun streamed through the window onto his face, clearly revealing his features—sharp and well-defined, poised between sternness and gentleness. It was a perfection that was just right. His voice was calm. "I thought Director Chen heard me clearly. I just said what I said." Director Chen had heard him clearly, but she didn't understand why. That was what she thought, and that was what she asked. "Your Jianghai Dicai's second phase is being built on the outskirts of Simenkou, and it just so happens to pass through Simenkou Youeryuan." "Why did you suddenly give up on the demolition of Simenkou Youeryuan?" If Jianghai Dicai's second phase truly intended to acquire and demolish Simenkou Youeryuan, Director Chen actually had no ability to fight back. She was no longer young—fifty-four this year. She should have retired four years ago, but she had persisted until now. Strictly speaking, she still had one year left before retirement. She was the old director; she could temporarily resist the sugar-coated bullets from outside. But what about the new director? And what about the leaders of the Simenkou Street Office and the leaders of the Education Bureau? Would they watch a kindergarten that never made money continue to operate? The answer was no. That was why Director Chen asked. Why? Yu Jianghai didn't answer. He withdrew his gaze. He had a pair of standard phoenix eyes, with upturned outer corners that carried an unspoken authority without any anger. Even Director Chen had to admit—setting aside his identity, the boss of Jianghai Dicai truly had an extremely fine and noble appearance. Yu Jianghai said calmly, "Consider it Jianghai Dicai doing a good deed." "From now on, Jianghai Dicai will no longer pose any threat to Simenkou Youeryuan." No one would lay a hand on someone from their past. No one would lay a hand on the place where someone from their past once was. The twenty-year-old Yu Jianghai would. But the thirty-year-old Yu Jianghai would not. He cherished this hard-won reunion. He treasured this hard-won meeting. He could not, and did not dare, to gamble on even a one-in-ten-thousand chance. Director Chen was stunned for a moment and wanted to ask something more, but Yu Jianghai had already risen to leave. Director Chen hurried after him and personally saw him out the door. It was a treatment that Secretary Shen hadn't received in three visits. She caught up to Yu Jianghai and escorted him all the way to the kindergarten gate. The over-fifty Director Chen sincerely bowed to Yu Jianghai in gratitude. "President Yu, on behalf of the two hundred and thirty-three children of Simenkou, I thank you." Yu Jianghai's single word of giving up. It was equivalent to preserving the classrooms for those two hundred-plus children of Simenkou. So that they wouldn't have to travel far to study, but could attend school right at their doorstep. At the same time, it also preserved more than twenty positions at Simenkou Youeryuan. This included teachers, cooks, security guards, and so on. Yu Jianghai helped Director Chen up and said in a low voice, "No need." He was a man of few words and reserved by nature. He didn't say much, nor did he take credit. He simply stood at the kindergarten gate and looked outside for a long time. Director Chen followed his gaze. In truth, she couldn't see anything at all. It was nothing more than an empty gate. At four in the afternoon, there was still an hour before the kindergarten let out. So there wasn't even a single parent at the gate. Just when Director Chen thought Yu Jianghai wouldn't speak, he suddenly asked, "Are there many parents who come to pick up their children here every day after school?" Director Chen was taken aback and answered instinctively, "Many." "Our kindergarten has over two hundred children, so there are over two hundred parents who come to pick up their children every day." "Especially between four-thirty and five, this place is packed with parents." In truth, she didn't quite understand why Yu Jianghai would ask such a question. Yu Jianghai stared at the gate for a while before leaving. He got into the car, and Secretary Shen followed closely behind. Director Chen hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the black sedan and said in a low voice, "President Yu, you will be a friend to everyone at Simenkou Youeryuan." "The gates of Simenkou Youeryuan will always be open for you." Those words seemed a bit strange when said out loud? After all, Yu Jianghai was well past the age of attending kindergarten. Director Chen thought, well, he would have his own children in the future. What if his child wanted to attend Simenkou Youeryuan? Then Simenkou Youeryuan would certainly open its gates and welcome his child to come to school. Whether it was Director Chen's imagination or not, she seemed to catch a faint, barely perceptible smile flickering at the corner of his mouth through the car window. But it disappeared quickly. Yu Jianghai looked up, returning to his usual demeanor—cold and imposing. "Thank you." Director Chen shook her head and watched the black Mercedes drive away from the kindergarten gate. She said to herself, this boss of Jianghai Dicai, though he looks cold and distant, has a soft heart. He seems much easier to deal with than that smiling tiger Secretary Shen. In the car. The smiling tiger Secretary Shen cautiously asked Yu Jianghai, "Boss, where are we going now?" Yu Jianghai looked out the window. He had already memorized this stretch of road on the way here. "Drive forward two hundred meters and stop there." Secretary Shen instinctively glanced over, thinking to himself, isn't that spot at two hundred meters where the old plane tree stands, so thick it takes several people to wrap their arms around? Was he supposed to drive the car behind the old plane tree? To peek? That was a perfect spot for spying. You could see both the Jianghai Dicai Phase II project and the kindergarten entrance. Unfortunately, Secretary Shen naturally didn't dare say any of this out loud. When the car came to a stop, Yu Jianghai rolled down the window and sat like a statue, quietly watching the people coming and going outside. After 4:30, parents began to gather around the entrance of Simenkou Youeryuan—some arriving by bicycle, some by motorcycle. Occasionally, there were wealthier parents who drove up in Santanas. Yu Jianghai silently watched the panorama of life outside. It was a scene of everyday life he had never paid attention to in all these years. Until— At 4:45, Lin Meiyan, holding Qiaoqiao's hand in one hand and a bag of peach crisps in the other, stepped out of the glass door of the Simenkou Supply and Marketing Cooperative and headed straight for the kindergarten entrance. The weather had cleared up, Linji wasn't open for business, and she was bringing her lost daughter to register at the kindergarten. She had deliberately changed into a light apricot-colored dacron short-sleeved dress, with fine pleats gathered at the waist, the hem just past her knees, revealing a stretch of fair, slender calves. Because she had rushed out in a hurry, she hadn't had time to braid her hair. She could only loosely coil her dark locks into a low bun, with a few stray strands clinging to the side of her neck. Her oval face was fair and clean, her brows and eyes soft and gentle—exquisitely tender to the extreme. As she walked, she carefully reminded Qiaoqiao, "When you see the teacher, remember to greet her properly. Tell her you're back and will study hard and won't run off. Got it?" Lin Meiyan had been raised with discipline and respect, and she respected her own teachers. Likewise, she hoped her daughter would respect hers. Qiaoqiao nodded and stuck out her tongue. "I know, Mom. You've already told me three times." "I've remembered everything." Lin Meiyan smiled and tapped Qiaoqiao's nose with her finger, then led her lightly into the kindergarten. Behind the large locust tree not far away, Yu Jianghai's sharp gaze pierced through the windshield, through the crowd, and landed with pinpoint accuracy on Lin Meiyan's face. Unlike late last night. This time, he could see every inch of her features, her skin, her clothing. Five years without seeing her. She seemed just as gentle and beautiful as ever, able to seize his entire heart and mind at a single glance. Yu Jianghai's gaze was no longer restrained—it was greedy, unbridled, every inch of it carrying an aggressive possessiveness. It was the longing of five years without meeting. At this very moment, like a dam bursting open, it poured forth in a torrent. Secretary Shen sat in the driver's seat and naturally saw this scene too. He nearly had to cover his mouth to stop himself from gleefully devouring this juicy gossip. So they weren't here behind the big tree to look at the Jianghai Dicai Phase II construction project. They were waiting for someone. Waiting for his boss's beloved! His boss—how pitiful! A glint of shrewdness flashed in Secretary Shen's eyes as he secretly studied his boss's expression through the rearview mirror. He was caught in a single glance. Their eyes met. Secretary Shen's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out instinctively, "Boss, I didn't see anything." Yu Jianghai ignored him, keeping his eyes fixed on the kindergarten entrance. Inside the kindergarten, Lin Meiyan stood at the door, tidied her clothes, and then led Qiaoqiao inside. It was almost time for school to let out. The teachers were all arranging for the students to pack their schoolbags. It was at this moment that Lin Meiyan and Qiaoqiao walked in. The moment she entered, Teacher Li spotted them. "Qiaoqiao's mom, Qiaoqiao." Speaking that name again, Teacher Li was nearly moved to tears of joy. God knows that yesterday, when Qiaoqiao went missing on her watch, she was scared half to death. She'd spent the whole night dreaming—in her dreams, Qiaoqiao confronted her, demanding, "Teacher Li, why didn't you keep a better eye on me?" "I died so miserably!" Lin Meiyan smiled and nodded, handing over the peach crisps, and said softly, "Teacher Li, I'm sorry for making you worry. Our Qiaoqiao was found at around four in the morning today. She had fainted from fright at the time, and she's just woken up now. I brought her here to let you know." Teacher Li appreciated parents like Lin Meiyan—reasonable, rule-abiding, courteous, and well-mannered. She didn't take the peach crisps, but instead crouched down with a warm smile to meet Qiaoqiao at eye level. "Qiaoqiao, welcome to school." Everyone had assumed that after being abducted this time, Qiaoqiao would never come back. Teacher Li was no exception. Qiaoqiao was momentarily stunned. She didn't actually remember Teacher Li anymore, but when she looked up and saw the sincere gaze in the other woman's eyes, she nodded slightly. "Thank you, Teacher Li." The other children also swarmed toward Qiaoqiao in a rush. "Lin Qiaoqiao, you're finally back!" "That's right, that's right! Yesterday when I couldn't find you, I cried so hard." "My mom said you wouldn't come to school anymore." "Nonsense! My dad said Qiaoqiao's mom will definitely find Qiaoqiao." "See, didn't we find her?" Qiaoqiao was suddenly surrounded by a group of three- and four-year-old kids, and she still felt a bit unaccustomed to it. But hearing what they said, she couldn't help feeling a little happier. "I'll definitely come back." She turned around, looking at Lin Meiyan standing at the door, and said with a smile, "I have to find my mom." —So, she would definitely come back. Lin Meiyan actually still needed to take Qiaoqiao to see Director Chen, but this time, she didn't leave alone. Instead, she chose to wait quietly nearby while Qiaoqiao talked with her friends. After going through the kidnapping, she would never let Qiaoqiao out of her sight again. She watched with a smile as Qiaoqiao chattered away with her peers, waiting until they finished talking. Listening to Qiaoqiao make promises with everyone, "Wait for me, okay? I'll come tomorrow and go to school with you all." "Okay, Qiaoqiao! Then I want to sit at the same desk as you." The kids made promises to each other. Lin Meiyan and Teacher Li stood nearby watching quietly. Teacher Li murmured with relief, "Thank goodness, thank goodness Qiaoqiao was found." Otherwise, Qiaoqiao's mom would go crazy. She would go crazy too. She was the kindergarten teacher. She didn't want a student from her class to get lost and kidnapped right under her nose, their life ruined. It was her fault. She would never be able to eat or sleep in peace for the rest of her life. Lin Meiyan also felt complicated and still shaken. She said softly, "Yeah, thank goodness she was found." Otherwise, maybe she wouldn't have been able to go on living. After Qiaoqiao said goodbye to her little friends, Lin Meiyan took her hand and led her to Director Chen's office. At dismissal time, Director Chen, who always liked to stand by the window watching the students leave, was rarely not in her usual spot. Instead, she sat at her desk, staring blankly into space. It wasn't until Lin Meiyan brought the child over and called out, "Teacher Chen," that Director Chen snapped back to reality. Lin Meiyan pushed Qiaoqiao forward for Director Chen to see. "Teacher Chen, our Qiaoqiao was found yesterday after four o'clock." Director Chen came back to her senses. "I heard the news. Congratulations, Meiyan." She reached out and pinched Qiaoqiao's cheek. "Little one, although our school bears some responsibility this time, Qiaoqiao, you can't run off like that again." Qiaoqiao's face flushed pink. She nodded. "Grandma Director, I know." She was being so well-behaved. Director Chen pulled a lollipop out of her drawer and handed it to Qiaoqiao, sending her off to play by the side of the office. Qiaoqiao looked at the lollipop and felt a bit embarrassed. She was twenty-five years old, and someone was still trying to soothe her with a lollipop. But when she looked down at her little chubby hands, they were only a bit bigger than a cat's paw. She accepted her fate. She went to the side to eat the lollipop, but her ears were still perked up, eavesdropping on the adults' conversation. With Qiaoqiao no longer by her side, Director Chen opened up much more. She shared her good news with Lin Meiyan first. "Meiyan, our Simenkou Youeryuan won't be demolished by Jianghai Dicai anymore." Lin Meiyan was a bit surprised. "It's been resolved?" "Did the street office and the education bureau reject Jianghai Dicai?" Director Chen shook her head. "No." She hesitated for a moment, but since Lin Meiyan wasn't an outsider, she lowered her voice and said, "It's the boss of Jianghai Dicai who gave up on demolishing and acquiring Simenkou Youeryuan." Lin Meiyan was stunned. Her expression was unreadable as she murmured softly, "Then the boss of Jianghai Dicai is a good person." Author's Note: Yu Jianghai: I've never been a good person. It's just that for you, I'm willing to become one. PS: We made the rankings! Your support got me to third place, which is a great position, but this ranking rotates. As long as our numbers keep growing, we can push to first! So, I still need you all to add this to your collections and leave comments, please! I'm begging you all.