One Year After Her Sister-In-Law Was Widowed - Chapter 44

In the end, the mothers managed to obtain a portion of Xing Shan’s equity from Ji Zhuozhou.

It wasn’t much, but the mothers didn’t want money. Instead, they reinvested it into Xing Shan along with another large sum of capital, further diluting the possibility of other financiers stripping the company’s assets. At the same time, this move firmly tied Xing Shan back to the Xiao family.

The mothers had given up on controlling Xing Shan, and they had abandoned the idea of using Xiao Mingyi’s achievement of building the company independently to curry favor with the Xiao Corporation.

The Xiao Corporation had already grown cold toward the Xiao family following Xiao Mingyi’s death; those few insincere words of regret were better left unsaid. Since they couldn’t compete for profits against the Xiao Corporation anyway, it was better to simply guard the Xing Shan that Xiao Mingyi had left behind.

Xiao Mingyi was, after all, dead. No matter how forceful or resentful the mothers were, there was nothing they could do.

And so, the mothers turned their focus toward Xiao Shuangyu.

On this day, Mother Su Yuran sent her an address and a time for a banquet.

Mother Su Yuran also informed her that she had arranged an alliance through marriage.

The banquet wasn’t today, and the marriage partner was someone from the previous gala. Mother Su Yuran said there was no need to wait for her graduation; they would marry immediately after the banquet.

Tomorrow would be October.

The temperature had dropped significantly, but it couldn’t be colder than Xiao Shuangyu’s heart.

Xiao Shuangyu guessed that the other party’s company or family must have some worthwhile project, and she had become the bargaining chip.

But she didn’t want this. She refused.

She was not a heartless object; she couldn’t accept being tossed aside and ignored when the mothers didn’t need her, only to be handed over to someone else like a notified delivery when they did.

Furthermore, she had someone she liked. She had Ji Zhuozhou.

For the first time, Xiao Shuangyu said “no” to her mother.

The phone rang; she hung up. It rang again and again; she kept hanging up.

The messages were filled with Mother Su Yuran’s accusations, but Xiao Shuangyu acted as if she didn’t see them.

She cleared all the notifications, placed her silenced phone face-down on the desk, and stared at the charts on her computer screen, unable to process any of it.

Her heart felt swollen and heavy.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned back against her chair. Out of the corner of her eye, a splash of orange-yellow appeared.

Ah, it wasn’t just the color; it was an actual orange.

The scent of the orange wafted over, and Xiao Shuangyu turned to look.

Yang Shanhe held the orange, shaking it slightly. “Take a break, let’s eat together~”

Yang Shanhe really loved oranges.

Every few days, she would bring a few. She never ate them alone, always sharing them with the others. The others joked that her family must own an orange grove, to which Yang Shanhe replied she wished that were true.

But Xiao Shuangyu didn’t like oranges.

Xiao Shuangyu shook her head. “I won’t have any. You enjoy it, Xiao He. I’m going out for a bit.”

Yang Shanhe didn’t stop her, just waved her hand and continued happily peeling the orange, sharing segments with the two people opposite her and Bian Ya.

The busy period for the data analysis group had come to an end, and they could finally relax for these past two days. The others didn’t decline the offer, and they all began chatting and laughing together.

The scent of oranges spread out, but it couldn’t catch up to Xiao Shuangyu.

Xiao Shuangyu was in low spirits.

She originally wanted to ask Ji Zhuozhou if she was free and if they could meet, but when her fingers touched the phone in her pocket, she abandoned the idea. Taking out her phone would mean seeing Mother Su Yuran’s messages, and she didn’t want to see those for now.

But she really wanted to see Ji Zhuozhou.

She wanted to hold Ji Zhuozhou’s hand; she wanted to be in Ji Zhuozhou’s embrace.

Xiao Shuangyu walked toward the Perfumery Department office on the same floor.

Ji Zhuozhou likely wouldn’t be there at this time, but she was in the habit of checking.

From a distance, she thought she heard the sound of porcelain shattering coming from the direction of the Perfumery Department. Just as she was wondering about it, an argument broke out immediately after.

Both voices sounded somewhat familiar. Before Xiao Shuangyu could hear clearly, people from the surrounding offices began stepping out to look.

Xiao Shuangyu blinked and silently blended into the crowd.

One voice was noticeably shrill and loud. “It’s just a plant! If it’s broken, it’s broken. Can’t I just compensate her? Why is she so troublesome every single day? If she’s so afraid of things breaking, don’t put them in the office!”

The other voice was much weaker, already tinged with a sob. “But you clearly broke it! I placed it so securely, there’s no way it would have fallen with just a tap.”

Through the semi-transparent glass of the office, Xiao Shuangyu saw two people and the shattered remains of a small potted mint plant scattered between them.

They were indeed familiar.

The mint on the floor was the one from Ji Zhuozhou’s desk. The one with the sobbing voice was Mingyi, and the loud one was the person who sat opposite Ji Zhuozhou.

Only those two were in the office; Ji Zhuozhou was absent.

But that was Ji Zhuozhou’s property. Xiao Shuangyu frowned.

She pushed through the gathering crowd, walked into the Perfumery Department office, and stood before the two of them. She asked in a deep voice, “What’s going on?”

Both of them were startled and fell silent.

The moment the loud-voiced woman saw who it was, she instantly recalled the fear of being stared at by Xiao Shuangyu for the entire elevator ride.

She had tried to complain and get her removed, but it hadn’t worked. Instead, HR had scolded her, saying this person had “connections up high” and that there must not be a next time.

The loud woman softened her tone slightly but remained defiant. “What… what does it matter to you? None of your business.”

Xiao Shuangyu’s dark eyes fixed on her instantly. “Before I transferred, I was a security guard at Huari.”

She said, “Do you want me to call the security team up here?”

The loud woman was immediately silenced.

Everyone knew that security guards often helped mediate interpersonal conflicts within the company. Even if Xiao Shuangyu was no longer a guard, who could say she was being nosy?

The loud woman couldn’t, Mingyi couldn’t, and the onlookers outside couldn’t either.

Xiao Shuangyu turned her gaze to Mingyi.

Mingyi understood and quickly spoke up, her voice trembling even more. “I just took Teacher Ji’s mint out to water it. I went over there to pour some water, and when I turned back, I saw Teacher Tang sweep the pot onto the floor and then step on it.”

Xiao Shuangyu looked back.

The loud woman, Teacher Tang, flinched again, avoiding Xiao Shuangyu’s oppressive “Sanpaku” eyes. She stiffened her neck and repeated, “I already said I didn’t do it on purpose. Why are you so stubborn?”

Mingyi burst into tears. “I saw it! How could you do that?”

A woman in her forties hurried over to stop Mingyi, whispering, “Stop it, you still have to work here.”

Xiao Shuangyu didn’t look away; her frown deepened. Even if she didn’t look directly at her, the mere presence in Teacher Tang’s peripheral vision made her shiver.

Teacher Tang couldn’t keep up the act. “Fine, I’m sorry. I didn’t see it. I’ll compensate! I’ll give her ten pots!”

The other woman also tried to persuade Mingyi, “Alright, alright, it’s over. Let’s just clean it up.”

Xiao Shuangyu suddenly spoke, her voice heavy and muffled. “It’s not over yet.”

She said, “This belongs to Teacher Ji.”

Teacher Tang choked. “I’ll apologize to her later, alright?” She muttered, “It’s just a pot of rotten mint, is it really necessary?”

Mingyi snapped. She crouched on the floor and cried loudly. “It is! Of course it is! This was a gift from Teacher Ji’s partner! Teacher Ji has been taking care of it so carefully!”

Suddenly, there was a buzzing in Xiao Shuangyu’s brain.

The mint was a gift from Xiao Mingyi.

She had never heard Ji Zhuozhou mention that the mint came from Xiao Mingyi. She had once asked Ji Zhuozhou why she kept mint, and Ji Zhuozhou said it was good for the eyes and the scent was very comfortable.

Ji Zhuozhou had never said it was from Xiao Mingyi. She hadn’t known that on Ji Zhuozhou’s very desk, there was still a trace of Xiao Mingyi.

Mingyi was crying hysterically, blaming herself for not taking care of the plant.

Low-voiced discussions broke out among the onlookers outside. Teacher Tang’s expression turned strange. Everyone knew that Ji Zhuozhou’s partner had passed away.

Xiao Shuangyu stared blankly at the mint on the floor, its roots exposed. Slowly, her gaze swept toward the door.

At the entrance, Ji Zhuozhou pushed through the crowd. Her deep green eyes met Xiao Shuangyu’s—a color just like the mint.

The mint-green flickered as Ji Zhuozhou gave her a slight nod before walking straight toward Mingyi on the floor.

Ji Zhuozhou, along with the other woman, helped Mingyi up. “What happened? Don’t cry.”

Mingyi explained the situation with the mint incoherently, and Ji Zhuozhou followed Mingyi’s finger to look at Teacher Tang.

Xiao Shuangyu suppressed her emotions and glared over as well.

Teacher Tang didn’t feel guilty, but she said pointedly, “Teacher Ji, I’m really sorry. I accidentally broke the mint your partner gave you. I’ll compensate you however you want. But you know, your partner isn’t coming ba—”

Xiao Shuangyu took a step and stood directly in front of Teacher Tang. Her excessively dark eyes were cold and grim, like a vengeful spirit.

She gritted her teeth. “Shut up.”

It was as if Teacher Tang’s throat had been instantly seized; her voice cut off. She scrambled back several steps, nearly collapsing on the spot.

Xiao Shuangyu looked up, her dark eyes scanning the face of every person outside the office. “Disperse.”

The people outside instinctively avoided her gaze and hurried away.

Xiao Shuangyu turned back to look at Ji Zhuozhou. On the delicate Omega’s face was a look of slight shock.

The office became deathly quiet. The other three were terrified, staying silent and still.

She lowered her gaze, stepped forward, and crouched on the floor to carefully pick up the mint. She gathered the still-damp soil from among the shards and gently wrapped it around the roots.

She stood up, her gaze falling heavily on the trampled, broken mint. “If it’s cared for, it might still live.”

She kept her head down and held the mint out to Ji Zhuozhou.

Ji Zhuozhou just looked at her with an expression of confusion.

Mingyi, coming to her senses, reached out to take it. She then saw Xiao Shuangyu pick up some A4 paper from nearby, crouch down again, and begin gathering the broken porcelain shards.

Ji Zhuozhou quickly stepped forward and caught her hand. “LianLian, don’t pick them up. You’ll cut yourself.”

Xiao Shuangyu shook her head. “It’s okay. I’ll be careful.”

She reached for another shard. “This can probably be repaired too. I’ll find a way.”

She finally looked up at Ji Zhuozhou and suddenly curved her lips into a smile. “It’s okay.”

Ji Zhuozhou’s beautifully shaped lips moved, but the sudden arrival of Manager Wei from HR interrupted her. “What happened here?”

Xiao Shuangyu didn’t pay attention. She quickly wrapped the shards in the A4 paper and pulled Ji Zhuozhou up with her.

Manager Wei had already gotten a general idea of the situation from the woman beside Mingyi and prepared to take the involved parties for a private talk—Xiao Shuangyu was not included.

She didn’t stay. She released Ji Zhuozhou’s wrist, her eyes still cast downward. “I’ll head back then. Call me if you need anything.”

Having said that, she turned and left with the shards in her hand.

Stepping out of the Perfumery Department, she felt strange.

She had come out and seen Ji Zhuozhou.

But why did her mood seem… even worse?

The shards in her hand were light, yet they felt heavy in her palm, as if they were pressing down on her heart, making her feel like she couldn’t breathe.

Behind her, Ji Zhuozhou chased after her.

Before she could react, Ji Zhuozhou took her hand and led her straight to the stairwell, walking up to the landing between the sixth and seventh floors.

Ji Zhuozhou turned and hugged her.

A soft, light voice fell beside her ear as Ji Zhuozhou gently patted her back. “It’s okay, it’s okay. LianLian, don’t be afraid.”

It was sudden, mysterious, and a sentence she couldn’t quite understand.

But for the always timid, always silent, always ignored Xiao Shuangyu, her nose suddenly felt a sharp sting.