The women watched Xie Sui leave and get into the car, each lost in her own thoughts. Only Lin Wanwan felt most at ease, her attention solely on her child. She ate her meal while feeding the baby some thin porridge.
The two children were already nine months old and could eat solid food. Xie Lan brought out steamed eggs, and the babies clapped their hands in their strollers, like little birds eager to be fed.
Lin Wanwan smiled happily, "I have a camera in Hong Kong, I forgot to bring it back. I'll take pictures of them. It'll be very interesting for them to look back when they grow up."
Xie Lan said, "That's right, we forgot about this. We haven't taken any pictures of the children yet. Let Xie Sui find someone to bring it back and take more pictures for our children."
Sheng Ruyi felt like an outsider, out of place, silently eating the pancakes Xie Sui had made, which carried his scent.
Xie Lan glanced at her, her eyes flickering. After Sheng Ruyi took her bowl and chopsticks back to her room to change, she said to Lin Wanwan, "Wanwan, be careful of this woman. She has bad intentions."
"Big sister, don't say that. Ruyi is my friend. She stayed with me during my most difficult times. She's a good, kind, smart, and capable person. She's much better than me."
Xie Lan felt her sister-in-law had become foolish; she used to be so sharp.
"This morning when I woke up, guess what I saw? She was showing off her chest, talking to Xiao Sui. The way she looked at Xiao Sui wasn't right. I've seen plenty of scheming women, and she definitely wants to seduce Xiao Sui."
"No way?"
Lin Wanwan looked shocked. Was Sheng Ruyi that kind of person?
"How can you say no? Xiao Sui is different now. He's capable, dotes on his wife, and loves his children. So many young girls want to throw themselves at him. I've heard several say they wanted to be with him, but he sent them away. You need to be more observant. Is anything impossible?"
Lin Wanwan's face turned grim. Just then, Sheng Ruyi walked out, wearing a batwing shirt and jeans, her legs long and straight, her hips full. Lin Wanwan found herself unable to look away.
Even though she had seen the outside world, Lin Wanwan was still uncomfortable with clothes that exposed too much of one's figure. Added to that was the stubborn post-pregnancy weight around her waist, sagging breasts, and flat hips. Lin Wanwan suddenly felt like a failure as a woman. A sense of crisis immediately arose within her. Compared like this, if she were Xie Sui, would he be tempted? It's a free meal not eaten that goes to waste. Xie Sui might be upright now, but he couldn't withstand Sheng Ruyi flaunting herself in front of him every day. She dared not gamble with Xie Sui's self-control.
"Wanwan, what's wrong? You don't look well."
"It's nothing. Are you full? Look at me, I'm so busy taking care of the kids that I can't even spend time with you. Isn't your factory busy?"
Sheng Ruyi pursed her lips. She also wanted to drive her away, saying they were good best friends, but it was all superficial.
"The factory has hired a general manager, and I've arranged everything. However, I can't stay too long; I need to go back."
Lin Wanwan said insincerely, "Stay a couple more days. You haven't rested well and have to take a train again. It's too tiring. I'll stew some chicken soup for you at noon to replenish your strength. You're too thin."
Sheng Ruyi was most proud of her figure: a slender waist, perky hips, and a full bust. A talent scout had once asked her to participate in beauty pageants in Hong Kong and Taiwan. She disdained such superficial competitions and refused outright. With her good looks, great figure, and high education, many men pursued her, yet she had fallen for Xie Sui.
The two women, each with their own thoughts, lost the mood for conversation.
Xie Lan smiled. It was good that Wanwan understood. She could now go grocery shopping with peace of mind.
There wasn't much to see in the county town. Sheng Ruyi wasn't interested in the goods sold at the supply and marketing cooperative, so she didn't go shopping. She bought her ticket to leave in the afternoon.
Lin Wanwan called the factory, and someone arranged for train tickets to be delivered. At that time, train tickets weren't tied to identity; you could board with just a ticket. Sheng Ruyi held her ticket, feeling very sad. She wanted to stay longer with Mr. Xie, to see him more. Was even this small wish not to be fulfilled? Her sadness turned into resentment, and she left early without even eating lunch.
Lin Wanwan saw her off at the train station. There was nothing appropriate to say, so she watched her leave in silence. Their friendship seemed to have ended here. The abrupt ending left Lin Wanwan a bit dazed. She and Sheng Ruyi were still business partners; how would they interact in the future? She spent the entire afternoon worrying about it but couldn't come up with a solution.
Xie Sui returned, having bought some fresh peaches. They were freshly picked, bright red and juicy, looking very sweet.
"Has Miss Sheng left? Why didn't you ask her to stay a couple more days?"
Lin Wanwan found an outlet for her anger and said coldly, "Do you wish she had stayed longer?"
Xie Sui saw her expression and knew something was wrong. "No, I wish she had left sooner. Her being here makes it inconvenient for me to do anything. She's neither a relative nor a close friend, so it's really not suitable for her to stay at our home."
Lin Wanwan deflated. She knew she was being unreasonable but refused to admit it. "Are you saying it's my fault?"
"No, it's not a big deal. She stayed, she stayed. Don't be angry."
Lin Wanwan snorted coldly, "Did you know about her intentions all along? And you kept it from me? What do you mean by that? Do you want to fool around with her behind my back? Are you making a fool of me?"
Xie Sui felt wronged. "No, I admit I knew she had bad intentions, but she's your friend, and you cherish this friendship. I didn't want you to be upset, so I didn't say anything. I kept my distance from her and didn't spend time alone with her. Nothing would have happened. How could I have told you? 'Oh, your best friend has a crush on me and is trying to seduce me. Should I go along with her?' You would have killed me!"
Lin Wanwan also felt she was being unreasonable but still didn't want to admit she was wrong. "I want to kill you right now."
"Then hit me. Just to vent your anger. Don't get worked up over this."
How could Lin Wanwan bring herself to hit him? In the end, she rolled into his arms, and they reconciled for reasons unknown.
"But what about my factory and hers?"
Xie Sui said, "If she runs the factory honestly, for the sake of business, we can consider it as her working for us. But if she has any wicked ideas, the prison gates are always open to her." Xie Sui had plenty of ways to trap her. Women always thought their beauty would make men pity them, not knowing that when men became ruthless, they were far more so than women imagined.
"You don't mean that, do you? That's going too far. We can just separate. There's no need to ruin her." Lin Wanwan was still very kind. Even now, she didn't wish for Sheng Ruyi to have a tragic end.
Xie Sui said, "That depends on what she does. Let's not worry about her now. The blueprints for the shopping mall are out. Will you accompany me to see them tomorrow?"
"Okay! My mall can finally start construction? What should we name it?"
Xie Sui said, "Asia?"
"What kind of name is that? It doesn't sound good. Adding 'Xin' or 'Fu' would sound better, it's more auspicious."
Xie Sui's head was spinning. Wanwan's aesthetic sense was still the same; she liked tacky names. "How about 'Fu Dong Lai'? 'Fu Ru Dong Lai' (Prosperity Comes from the East), that's a good meaning, right?" Su Dan Novel Network.
"Yes, yes, let's call it that."
Xie Sui didn't care. As long as his wife liked it, it was fine. If not, there were still names like Aeon, Wanda, etc. There was bound to be one she'd be satisfied with.
Sheng Ruyi's arrival was like two drops of water falling into a lake; before any ripples could form, the surface returned to calm. Du Feiyang found out after it was all over and pestered Xie Sui for details on how he dealt with his pursuer. He was so outstanding; having persistent unwanted suitors would be good for gaining experience. Xie Sui found him incredibly annoying. Why was such a grown man so gossipy?
Lin Wanwan had no time to dwell on Sheng Ruyi's matter. Many decisions regarding the construction of the mall had to be made by her. Xie Lan took care of the children, and she was exhausted every day, even more so than Xie Sui. Xie Sui had done this deliberately, to keep her busy so she wouldn't overthink things.
However, while inspecting the construction site in the suburbs for the new factory, her phone suddenly rang. It was from the factory. "What is it?"
"Mrs. Lin suddenly fainted and has been sent to the hospital. Factory Director Xie, you should go and see her quickly."
"What?"
Xie Sui was terrified and rushed to the hospital. How could she have fainted when she was fine?