Qu Xiaoxiao didn't think much of it. Just then, her mother called. She answered casually, "Hello, Mom, what's wrong?"
"Hello, Xiaoxiao, did you offend someone? Your father has been taken away, and the company's assets have been frozen."
Upon hearing her mother's words, Qu Xiaoxiao was stunned.
The company was finished, and her father had been arrested.
This was hard for Qu Xiaoxiao, a pampered young lady who had always lived a life of luxury, to accept.
"Did I offend someone?" Qu Xiaoxiao realized the crux of the matter.
She remembered how she had insulted An Di in the elevator, calling her a mistress, right in front of Zhao Tianhao.
"That bastard is so petty! It was just a few words, really!" Qu Xiaoxiao hadn't realized her mistake. She naively thought that if she bowed her head and apologized, the matter would be over.
Qu Xiaoxiao went to the police station first, only to be told that visiting was prohibited.
So Qu Xiaoxiao had no choice but to return to the Joyful Song residential complex and wait for An Di to come home from get off work.
She couldn't contact Zhao Tianhao, so she had to take a roundabout approach.
That afternoon, An Di received a call from Fan Shengmei. It turned out that Fan Shengmei's old classmate, Wang Baichuan, was coming to Shanghai on a business trip, and Fan Shengmei remembered that her school crush was in Shanghai.
So she called to invite him to dinner that evening.
Fan Shengmei was a very vain person. Back in school, she was the class beauty, adored by all her classmates.
But now, so many years later, she'd fallen on hard times. Naturally, she didn't want to show her unfortunate life to her former crush.
So she called An Di, asking her to drive her that evening and give her a boost.
An Di didn't understand why Fan Shengmei was so vain and concerned with appearances, but she agreed to help, and also offered to treat Guan Juer and Qiu Yingying to dinner.
However, she was driving a two-seater car. Thinking of this, she called Zhao Tianhao and mentioned inviting him to dinner.
"There's a Bentley Continental downstairs at the company. The key is in my office. Come and get it."
An Di didn't think much of it and went straight upstairs to Zhao Tianhao's chairman's office to get the key.
She didn't even consider that Zhao Tianhao wouldn't make her make a trip alone just to get a key; his assistant could do that.
So, an hour later, An Di, her face flushed, came downstairs with Zhao Tianhao's fresh semen still inside her.
Zhao Tianhao, however, looked refreshed and continued working on his documents.
That afternoon, An Di returned to the Joyful Song residential complex and saw a woman squatting outside her door. Upon closer inspection, she recognized her as the woman from the elevator that day, her neighbor on the same floor.
"An Di, An Di, you're back! I'm sorry, I was wrong. Please, have mercy on my family!" Qu Xiaoxiao launched into her exaggerated acting as soon as An Di returned, wailing and begging for mercy.
An Di was bewildered by Qu Xiaoxiao's antics. "What's wrong? Are you alright? Should I call for you?"
An Di was actually thinking about calling a mental hospital. "An Di, I was wrong. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have slandered you or mocked you. Please forgive me, don't hold a grudge."
"Uh, I didn't take any of that to heart. Is there anything else?" An Di didn't want to argue with her; she felt this person was a bit off.
"Huh? It wasn't you?" Qu Xiaoxiao paused, realizing it wasn't An Di's intention, then it must be Zhao Tianhao's, and he hadn't told An Di.
"Waaah, An Di, you have to help me! My family is ruined, my father's been arrested. Please tell Chairman Zhao to let go, don't make things difficult for us anymore!"
An Di felt uneasy listening to Qu Xiaoxiao's feigned sobs, but she understood what she was saying.
It was that day Qu Xiaoxiao had mocked her as a mistress, and Zhao Tianhao had taken it to heart, using it against her family's company afterward. Thinking of this, An Di's first reaction was happiness; knowing how much Zhao Tianhao cared for her, she felt like the happiest woman in the world.
Her second reaction was helplessness; she couldn't help Qu Xiaoxiao.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know anything about this, but I can't help you. You'd better go talk to Tianhao yourself and see if he can forgive you."
An Di finished speaking and went inside without paying any more attention to Qu Xiaoxiao.
Although An Di wasn't very socially adept, Zhao Tianhao was currently treating her well and standing up for her. She couldn't bring herself to nag him, offering empty platitudes like "stop," or "I'm fine." She trusted her man was sensible; since Zhao Tianhao had already implicated her father, there was no room for negotiation.
Therefore, she wouldn't do anything to displease Zhao Tianhao.
Qu Xiaoxiao watched the unmoved woman, inwardly furious but daring not to show it.
She was currently penniless, her bank cards frozen. Moreover, her mother had called that afternoon, revealing that her villa and other properties had been seized.
Her mother even wanted to move in with her; if she caused any more trouble, who knew what fate awaited her?
What she needed to do now was contact Zhao Tianhao immediately and seek his forgiveness. However, she didn't know how to contact him, and all her friends were unreachable—she had clearly been blocked.
Her devoted admirer, Yao Bin, had also fallen silent.
She truly felt trapped, and this had only been two days.
Two days ago, she was still arrogantly calling someone a mistress; now it was too late for regrets. Qu Xiaoxiao quickly went downstairs to pick up her mother. If she hadn't been unaware of An Di's get off work hours, she would have gone to pick up her mother long ago, instead of waiting here.
Meanwhile, Fan Shengmei, dressed impeccably and looking radiant, emerged from apartment 2202 with Guan Juer and Qiu Yingying.
An Di, having received a WeChat message from Fan Shengmei, also came out.
He drove the three women to dinner.
That evening, Fan Shengmei and Wang Baichuan chatted happily.
Meanwhile, Qiu Yingying, while enjoying her meal, remarked that she wanted to come here with her boyfriend next time.
Because Fan Shengmei and Wang Baichuan were going for coffee, An Di took Guan Juer and Qiu Yingying back to Joyful Ode first. In the morning, An Di saw that Guan Juer's company was on her way, so she gave her a ride, dropping her off at her company before driving to Haotian Group.
Guan Juer's colleagues, seeing her being driven to work in such a luxury car, assumed it was her boyfriend and teased her.
Meanwhile, Qu Xiaoxiao had gone to Zhao Tianhao's company early in the morning to stake out the place.
She had no choice; the receptionist wouldn't let her in, and she didn't know Zhao Tianhao's phone number, so she had to resort to this clumsy method.
Zhao Tianhao was unaware that Qu Xiaoxiao had been waiting for him at the company for so long. He was somewhat surprised to see her.
"Chairman Zhao, I'm sorry, I was wrong, it's all my fault. Could you please be merciful and let my father off the hook?"
Qu Xiaoxiao bowed deeply and apologized to Zhao Tianhao.
"Not sincere enough," Zhao Tianhao said, then walked past her.
"Chairman Zhao, please give me a chance, I'll do anything," Qu Xiaoxiao said, running up to Zhao Tianhao again.
"I don't think your attitude is sincere enough. Kneel down and talk to me," Zhao Tianhao said calmly, looking down at the petite Qu Xiaoxiao.
Qu Xiaoxiao felt humiliated, but she had no choice. For her father, for her future, she had to bow her head.
Qu Xiaoxiao immediately knelt down.
"Could you please be lenient?"
"No, you can't. Climb to my office first. It's the 27th floor. Of course, you can take the elevator," Zhao Tianhao said, ignoring Qu Xiaoxiao. He entered the company. "Chairman Zhao," the receptionist quickly stood up to greet him.
"Okay, if a woman crawls in to see me, let her in. Anyone who comes in standing, kick her out."
"Yes, sir." Although she didn't understand what Zhao Tianhao meant, the receptionist didn't dare let her supervisor repeat himself.
Qu Xiaoxiao wasn't wearing a short skirt today. Perhaps because she arrived early and was worried her legs would get cold, she wore trousers. After all, Shanghai is located by the sea, and it can be damp and chilly in the mornings and evenings.
Qu Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth, watching Zhao Tianhao's retreating figure. He was making her climb from the first floor to the 30th floor.
How could she possibly agree? She didn't even know if he would make things difficult for her later.