CHAPTER 80

At nine in the morning, Cai Juan and Tiantian had already searched a large area near the community but still hadn't found any sign of Xiaoyuan.

Tiantian was so anxious that she wanted to call the police, but Cai Juan held her back.

"Brother, Sister Yuan's phone is switched off. I didn't see her when I went over at eight this morning. Her suitcase hasn't been touched, only a coat is missing. What should we do?" Tiantian's eyes were red with worry.

Cai Juan bit his finger in thought, "... Don't panic just yet. Xiaoyuan might have gone... to find a friend."

Tiantian looked at him skeptically. What kind of friend could it be?

Just as Cai Juan was about to tell Tiantian to wait while he made a call to confirm, his phone rang before Tiantian's.

He answered with a "hello" and stepped away from Tiantian.

"Mr. Cai, I want to inform you that Miss Xiang is currently with President Wei. You don't need to worry."

Cai Juan breathed a sigh of relief, still partly tense. "Well, I need to come up with a reason to tell Ruan Qing..."

"Oh, haha, no need! I've already made an appointment with her, we're about to meet. I'll handle it."

The half sigh of relief that had built up in Cai Juan's chest turned into a stone nearly choking him, "Huh?"

Ruan Qing didn't even know who had arranged to meet her. She received a call in the morning and found a discreet Mercedes waiting for her, which took her to a very private café.

Throughout the journey, Ruan Qing held onto her phone. Once she reached the private booth on the café's second floor, the phone signal was blocked.

The lady sitting in front of her was dressed in high-end fashion, carrying a purse worth tens of thousands, giving off an air of importance. However, when she introduced herself, Ruan Qing was left stunned.

Why was Wei Zhuang's personal assistant looking for her?

Ruan Qing certainly knew who Wei Zhuang was. She was a well-known figure in the industry, a top boss among top bosses.

Having been in this field for many years, Ruan Qing could suppress the myriad of guesses in her mind and maintained a calm and composed smile on her face. But when she heard what the other person had to say, her smile froze, and her entire body slowly became rigid, eventually turning into a state of shock.

Assistant Gao smiled contentedly as she watched Ruan Qing's expression, sipping her coffee with a mischievous grin.

'No rush, there's plenty of time for you to digest this~'

Ruan Qing finally managed to gather her thoughts, but she was still too shocked to speak a few times.

"Ms. Ruan, as long as you understand the situation, you don't need to worry about the rest. May I ask about Miss Xiang's upcoming schedule?"

"... The upcoming schedule," Ruan Qing surprisingly struggled to answer, pausing before slowly responding, "There's not much planned for the next month, it's mainly for her to rest."

Gao, the assistant, displayed a satisfied smile and nodded.

'This is more like it, don't interfere with our boss's date!'

Whether Ruan Qing was being overly cautious or not, she felt a bit uneasy seeing that smile. This woman was Wei Zhuang's personal assistant, meaning her opinions could represent Wei Zhuang's.

Carefully considering her response, Ruan Qing said, "Of course, I will also keep an eye out for any good scripts."

Assistant Gao smiled even broader, replying, "With Ms. Ruan's presence beside Miss Xiang, we are also reassured."

'It's not just Wei Zhuang, we're watching you too, our little gardener!'

A sudden and immense pressure hit Ruan Qing, causing her to move the corners of her lips and force a smile.

Assistant Gao took a contract from her bag. "Ms. Ruan, could you take a look at this?"

...

Xiaoyuan emerged from the swimming pool, droplets of water cascading down her face.

She looked up as the light raindrops pattered on the glass roof above her head in the rooftop swimming pool at Wei Zhuang's residence. 

It was a cloudy day, yet she swam gracefully, wiping the water off her face. Her snow-white back displayed delicate shoulder blades shaped like butterfly wings, exuding a fragile beauty.

The pool water was warm, and by the poolside lay soft towels and bathrobes. Nearby stood a neatly dressed, taciturn female housekeeper awaiting her orders.

Having visited Wei Zhuang's residence several times, Xiaoyuan had initially thought each elevator led to a single unit, but it turned out to be two elevators per unit. Wei Zhuang had multiple housekeepers who would come up from the service elevator during the day to clean the CEO's floors, handle purchases, and other tasks. At night, they would only come up if called by a resident.

This particular housekeeper seemed to have been instructed to tend to her needs specifically.

Xiaoyuan took a sip of hot milk. When she woke up, it was nearly noon, and she still felt drowsy, she couldn't remember much of what had happened last night.

She had a nagging feeling that she had forgotten something important as she absentmindedly chewed on the straw.

Upon waking up, she found herself in bed in the room where she had stayed last time. Her mind was blank, but she could infer that—

It was Wei Zhuang who had carried her to the bed while she was asleep and covered her with a blanket.

Just thinking about it made her face heat up.

After a while, the phone rang, and a housekeeper was waiting for her.

Once she got dressed and had breakfast, there was also a doctor waiting for her, who asked her what kind of sleeping pills she had taken, checked her temperature, and inquired about her recent diet.

Xiang Xiaoyuan said she had a nutritionist who set up a diet plan for her, but she couldn't remember the specifics.

The doctor smiled and reassured her that it was okay. He said he would come up with a new plan for her. He also emphasized that she should avoid alcohol after taking sleeping pills in the future.

Xiaoyuan nodded vigorously, and the doctor prescribed the new medication.

Ah, Xiaoyuan suddenly remembered that she had drunk alcohol last night and even from Wei Zhuang's glass.

Sigh, what exactly had she done last night in her confused state?

She glanced at the housekeeper, feeling quite uncomfortable with someone "serving" her nearby, and called out, "You don't need to stay here, I don't have much to do now."

The housekeeper gave her a slight bow and turned to leave.

"Thank you." Xiang Xiaoyuan waved at her and finished her milk.

She was well aware of her condition, attributing it to getting too immersed in her role and some of her personal experiences. She had sensed this during her time on set and was grateful for having received treatment before, which prevented her being overly anxious.

She also understood the treatment process, which, besides necessary medication, included other practical supportive methods.

First, maintaining nutrition and exercise, ensuring sleep, and safeguarding physical health so as not to affect mental well-being.

Second, trying to detach from the character and script as much as possible. She had discussed this with He Chenying before, emphasizing not to reject the idea of getting deeply into character, as it indicated good acting. She also advised spending time with real friends to regain a sense of reality.

Lastly, spending time with loved ones and engaging in activities that bring joy to gradually move away from a state of depression.

In life, most things work this way—you understand them, but putting them into practice is challenging, often requiring help from others.

However, she wasn't a child anymore and didn't want to burden her brother and Cai Juan. During her treatment back then, her brother had almost put his work and life aside, staying by her side every step of the way.

Now that his health wasn't great, she couldn't let him worry about her anymore.

Did she still have other trustworthy people?

Xiang Xiaoyuan came out of the pool, drying herself with a large towel and headed to the shower to take a hot bath, closing her eyes under the flow of water.

She had people she trusted, people she liked. When they were around, she felt safe.

Apart from her brother, Wei Zhuang was the second person who made her feel secure. However, her brother was family, while she didn't know much about Wei Zhuang.

It struck her suddenly that someone she didn't fully understand could still bring her a sense of security—she really liked Wei Zhuang.

After her shower, she left the rooftop, entered through the door, and found the space on the 35th floor to be vast and airy. There was a large gym and mostly empty white walls, indicating that Wei Zhuang usually only came up to work out and didn't stay long.

She walked to a section of the living room where a curved staircase led to the 34th floor.

The curved staircase was exquisitely designed and aesthetically pleasing, with high ceilings and spacious rooms. The hollow steps on the staircase seemed to make the air flow effortlessly as one stepped on them.

The high design didn't opt for the tacky crystal chandelier but rather handled the light sources subtly, complementing the natural light, giving a sense of effortless elegance.

Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, and there wasn't enough light.

Xiang Xiaoyuan sat down on the staircase, under a designer hanging ornament that floated in mid-air, resembling pieces of cloud, a light apricot color, reflecting a faint glow overhead.

Propping her chin on her hand, she suddenly felt that the design here was both solitary and proud.

The corners of her lips curled slightly, too reminiscent of someone.

Wrapped in her bathrobe, she had lost a few pounds, making her long legs appear even slimmer. Since there was no one around, she stretched out comfortably.

However, the big boss was incredibly busy, and being here meant she was mostly alone in this empty room...

Feeling a bit dazed, it was as if she had returned to the nights of her childhood, waiting at the staircase for someone to come home after school...

Xiaoyuan drew up her legs, but what flashed in her mind were a pair of old sandals, worn out from extensive use, the white leather peeling off, too short so her toes stuck out.

A flicker in her eyes, and all she saw was her snow-white bare feet.

She sighed inwardly, the memories that followed her everywhere were truly a headache.

Just as she was about to get up to do something, a gentle voice called out, "Xiaoyuan—"

Xiang Xiaoyuan looked in the direction of the voice and saw Wei Zhuang approaching her, her long, pale neck hidden beneath the collar of a black shirt, its hem tucked into fitted pants, her indoor shoes quietly padding on the floor.

Xiang Xiaoyuan blinked, surprised. Had she finished work this early?

Squatting on the staircase, with slightly damp hair wrapped in a loose white bathrobe, the skin on her shoulders and legs looked slightly thinner, giving her an enticingly delicate appearance that made people unable to help but stare.

It was a gloomy day with light rain, and it was just past two in the afternoon, yet the scene hinted at the approaching evening.

Hearing her name being called, Xiao Yuan almost referred to her as "Frances." She hesitated, feeling like she had called her that before? Was it from last night?

She really didn't want to refer to her as "Wei Zhuang" anymore, calling her "Frances" was indeed a better choice, perhaps even more...

Her attention drifted for a couple of seconds before snapping back, realizing Wei Zhuang had reached the foot of the stairs, quietly looking at her. "Are you coming down?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan smiled at her, stood up, and walked down—her bathrobe loosened, revealing her two fair and firm long legs. As she descended, it felt as if the air was being sliced open, stagnant, with all the light and shadow lingering on the texture of her movement.

"Frances~"

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