The two of them completely disregarded Old Master Zhou.
Grandpa Zhou watched their retreating figures and called out, "Stop!"
Xu Yan and Li Ruo indeed stopped in their tracks.
Grandpa Zhou said, "You all come back here! Zhou Luming, you come back here!"
Li Ruo looked at Xu Yan's profile, wondering what decision she would make, but Xu Yan said to her, "Let's go, the hot pot restaurant you mentioned might have a long queue."
Li Ruo knew in her heart that Xu Yan had decided to never pay attention to Old Master Zhou again.
"Okay, I know a shortcut that's not congested. If I drive fast, I should be able to get there in 30 minutes."
"No speeding, obey traffic rules."
“Okay, sure, at worst we’ll just buy that hot pot restaurant. They can’t keep the owner waiting outside, can they?” Li Ruo said.
"Someone seems to be enjoying being a tycoon, spending money like water."
"Tsk, we're like brothers."
Chapter 98
===================
After leaving the abandoned sanatorium, Xu Yan got into the car in silence. Li Ruo sat in the driver's seat, unable to fathom Xu Yan's thoughts. Xu Yan had always wanted to know how her parents had died, and now, learning from Grandpa Zhou that it was an accident, it was like a taut string suddenly slackening, potentially causing her to collapse.
Li Ruoan quietly sat with Xu Yan in the car for a while until Xu Yan realized what was happening and asked her, "Why don't you start the car and go eat hot pot?"
Li Ruo smiled and nodded: "That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say."
Looking at her smiling face, Xu Yan felt relieved. After fastening his seatbelt, he waited for Li Ruo to drive, but Li Ruo leaned closer and kissed Xu Yan on the cheek, saying, "This is to comfort you."
Xu Yan smiled helplessly, but it was indeed true, as Li Ruo had said, that her kiss had brought her comfort.
"What are your plans for the future?" Li Ruo asked.
Xu Yan shook her head: "I don't know either." Her mind was blank right now, staring blankly at the scenery outside the car window. The Binhai New City would rise from the ground here and become the new development center of Haishi.
The nursing home will be demolished, and the elderly person living there will have to spend the rest of their life in that custom-made ward.
"I've made plans to have hot pot with some people, you don't mind, do you?" Xu Yan said.
"Oh? Male or female? I might mind if it's a female," Li Ruo said. "Especially pretty girls, I'd get jealous."
Xu Yan knew she was joking to lighten the mood, "I made an appointment with my aunt."
Li Ruo drove to the hot pot restaurant and entered the private room, where Zhou Jiasang was already waiting. Li Ruo ordered a lot of delicious food and waited for the dishes to be served. Xu Yan and Zhou Jiasang had something to talk about, while she could wholeheartedly indulge in being a foodie.
Zhou Jiasang looked at Li Ruo, then turned to Xu Yan, signaling with his eyes for Xu Yan to let Li Ruo leave, as the following conversation was not suitable for outsiders to hear.
However, Xu Yan said directly, "She's with me, so I have nothing to hide from her."
Li Ruo stopped eating, her left hand gently pulled by Xu Yan's. They were showing affection in front of Zhou Jiasang, not at all hiding their relationship.
Li Ruo smiled and continued eating the tripe. Zhou Jiasang didn't know her niece well enough. Although she seemed cautious and rigid, Xu Yan had a free spirit that was not bound by rules.
Zhou Jiasang was slightly surprised, but after composing himself, he said, "You've already met him. He's terminally ill and doesn't have much time left. He has high expectations of you. But judging from your expression, you don't seem to be willing to follow his arrangements? Now that there are no outsiders, I want to know your true thoughts. I believe no one can remain indifferent to the Zhou Group; it's a considerable fortune that can bring you both fame and fortune, respect and status."
“Auntie, you can take them all if you want,” Xu Yan said. “But I have one condition: I want to know what happened to my father back then.”
Zhou Jiasang was surprised, her hand gripping the glass in front of her tightly. "You're actually going to give me the entire Zhou Group?"
"I don't want the Zhou family's assets. What's wrong with giving them all to you?"
Zhou Jiasang: "That's tens of billions..."
"I said I don't want it."
“You’re really crazy, just like your father.” Zhou Jiasang shook his head after a long while. “He said the exact same thing to you before he left, and as you know, he fled abroad and had you with your mother. But in the end, he was still found by the old man, and his life ended tragically.”
"In your aunt's eyes, is there anything suspicious about what happened back then?"
"You still suspect someone murdered your father?"
“Well, my parents have been trying to protect me and telling me not to trust anyone. I think they are aware of the danger. The biggest danger comes from my grandfather. He sent his henchmen to find my father, saying that he accidentally hurt my parents…” Xu Yan paused, then asked through the rising steam of the hot pot, “What does Auntie think? Was what happened to my parents an accident or murder?”
Zhou Jiasang's face became hazy after the fog cleared. After a moment of silence, she said, "It was an accident."
Upon hearing her reply, Xu Yan felt a sense of relief. It seemed that the matter could truly be put to rest and completely ended.
Li Ruo ate with relish, occasionally feeding Xu Yan. Zhou Jiasang, sitting opposite her and watching this scene, kept a straight face and seemed not to eat much. After sitting for a while, she got up to leave, but heard Xu Yan say from behind, "Auntie, you've taken care of Grandpa for so many years, but he doesn't care about you at all. Don't you feel resentful?"
Zhou Jiasang forced a smile: "He is my father, I have no right to resent him."
Have you ever been jealous of your father?
Zhou Jiasang stopped in the doorway and turned to face Xu Yan. "Yes, but he is my brother, and I love him more."
Xu Yan didn't say anything more and continued eating hot pot with Li Ruo.
Li Ruo enthusiastically cooked beef for Xu Yan and even provided her with dipping sauce. Having previously worked in a hot pot restaurant, Li Ruo was quite knowledgeable about how to enjoy hot pot.
Xu Yan was infected by her love of food and unknowingly ate a lot until she was stuffed.
The two returned home smelling strongly of hot pot. One went to the master bedroom bathroom, and the other to the guest room bathroom to wash up. Xu Yan took longer to shower, and when she came out, Li Ruo was already sitting on the living room sofa watching TV.
Xu Yan sat beside her, her body smelling of shower gel, the same scent as Li Ruo.
Li Ruo turned her head and asked, "What should we do in the future?"
Xu Yan looked at her and asked, "What do you want to do?"
Li Ruo narrowed her eyes and held up two fingers. "There are two paths to choose from. One is that I continue to manage the Zhou Group for you, with Zhou Luming taking the lead and you being the behind-the-scenes boss. Once the Binhai New City project is completed, we can successfully establish our authority and take control of the Zhou Group. The other path is that I declare Zhou Luming a good-for-nothing, sell all my shares, and then we'll find a place to live in seclusion."
Li Ruo sat on Xu Yan's lap, facing her, her arms around her neck. "Which path do you want to take?"
Xu Yan countered Li Ruo's question: "Do you want to be Zhou Luming in a high-profile way, or do you want to be yourself in a low-profile way?"
"You've dumped such a thorny problem on me again?"
Xu Yan smiled and placed her hand on Li Ruo's lower back. "I don't want to think about such complicated things tonight."
The warmth of her palm reached her lips, and Li Ruo smiled softly, whispering close to Xu Yan's ear, "Then—shall we go back to the room?"
Xu Yan understood immediately and carried Li Ruo back to the room. The door was closed behind him, and the room was well-ventilated, so there was almost no sound coming from inside.
In the empty living room, the television suddenly changed channels by itself, displaying a familiar face—Wang Anjing. The television speakers emitted a crackling electromagnetic interference sound, but Wang Anjing's voice still rang out.
"Xu Yan, I'm going to make a will appointing you as my estate administrator. Please come find me as soon as you receive this message!"
Wang Anjing's voice and image abruptly stopped, the last scene on the television showing her with a terrified and panicked expression. After the broadcast ended, a large white "S" appeared on the black background of the television.
Xu Yan didn't know how long it had been since she had slept so soundly. Last night, Li Ruo's passion was so intense that it almost melted her. Exhausted from playing until midnight, Xu Yan even considered going to the gym to avoid being looked down upon by Li Ruo. Li Ruo had a well-proportioned figure, both muscular and voluptuous, the result of long-term exercise.
In comparison, Xu Yan felt that she was too thin and somewhat unhealthy.
The crisis from the Zhou Group has been basically resolved. Although it's unknown what will happen next, at least Old Master Zhou can no longer cause trouble. Xu Lang, who once threatened lives, is now in prison, and her former fiancé Luke is still serving his sentence. After comparing the testimonies of Old Master Zhou and Zhou Jiasang, it was determined that her parents' car accident was indeed an accident...
Xu Yan's wishes seemed to have been understood; she no longer needed to hide or conceal anything. If she wished, she could resume her identity as Zhou Luming, return to the Zhou family, and reclaim everything that rightfully belonged to her.
Xu Yan had a long dream. In it, he introduced Li Ruo to his parents. His parents were initially surprised, but quickly became more open-minded and accepted Li Ruo. Just as the family was happily eating dinner, suddenly Grandpa Zhou and his men kicked down the door, overturned the table, and his thugs threw his parents aside and kidnapped Li Ruo…
Xu Yan woke up from her fright and calmed herself down. The sweet fragrance in the room and the bright light streaming in from the window brought her back to reality, and she realized that everything that had just happened was just a nightmare.
But why am I all alone in the room? Where is Li Ruo? Where is she?
Xu Yan got up and put on her coat. Only her pillow was dented on the double bed; Li Ruo was nowhere to be seen. Xu Yan frowned, calling Li Ruo's name as she pushed open the door and went out, but Li Ruo was still nowhere to be found in the living room.
Feeling uneasy, I quickly ran to the kitchen, where there was a half-cut sandwich and a pot of cold coffee.
Xu Yan noticed a note under the coffee cup, picked it up and read it . It read: If you want to see Li Ruo again, find Wang Anjing's inheritance - S.
Wang Anjing's legacy?
Xu Yan took out her phone and searched for news about Wang Anjing. After browsing the information, she froze. The news report said that Ms. Wang Anjing, CEO and Chairman of Yuan Universe Technology, had died from a sudden cerebral infarction.
At this moment, the TV started playing Wang Anjing's video again. Xu Yan listened quietly, clutching the note tightly in her hand.
The phone rang, and Xu Yan answered it.
"Hey, who are you? Where is Li Ruo?"
“Li Ruo is in my hands, don’t worry, she’s safe for now,” the other person said. “Sister Xu Yan, we’ve met before, I’m S. I even ate a pack of your instant noodles, they were really delicious.”
Xu Yan said in a deep voice, "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to find what Li Li stole from me, which Wang Anjing has hidden."
"What did Li Li steal from you?"
S sneered, "That's one of the things you need to investigate. Enough with the nonsense, get to work, estate administrator."