This life, after all, was saved.
Dong Enyu slowly opened her eyes, feeling numb all over, even the act of lifting her eyelids was a struggle.
The anesthetic hadn’t dulled her vision, and she immediately noticed Huo Ai sitting to her right, scrolling through her phone.
The woman was dressed formally, her expression showing signs of fatigue, likely from staying up all night.
By now, Dong Enyu had been moved from the Intensive Care Unit to a private room, with only the two of them present.
A slight movement made a faint sound, and Huo Ai, sitting by the wall, lifted her eyes, realizing Dong Enyu was awake.
Then there was a moment of silence… Dong Enyu stared at the ceiling, while Huo Ai looked at her… The woman could understand this almost suffocating atmosphere.
At this point, how should she face Huo Ai? This person who gave her candy but also slapped her, who stayed up all night for her, was now just staring at her.
What kind of response did she want? For her to smile and say, “Sorry for worrying you”? Or “You old fox, you betrayed me”? How should she and Huo Ai continue? Or… could it stop?
“Do you want some water?” In the silent hospital room, Huo Ai was the first to break the silence.
Hearing this, Dong Enyu nodded slightly, and Huo Ai poured a glass of water and approached.
She pressed the bed’s lift button to help Dong Enyu sit up, then took out a cloth to place under her chin before offering the glass.
Dong Enyu drank slowly, the warm water soothing her throat and washing away the taste of medicine, easing her expression a bit.
“Sorry.” After the glass was removed, Dong Enyu said weakly.
The apology made Huo Ai’s hand holding the glass tremble slightly, but her expression remained unchanged.
“The mission was completed successfully, you don’t need to apologize.” The formal words, the professional smile, after setting down the glass, Huo Ai pulled up a chair.
That expression, full of pretense, was more solid than a mask.
It was she who hid the truth, leading Dong Enyu into the fire pit, yet she returned alive, and the goods were successfully sold, truly a success.
Dong Enyu squinted her eyes, chuckling softly.
“No,” she said, staring at the ceiling, her gaze somewhat unfocused, a self-mocking smile on her lips, “I’m not dead, you must be disappointed, right?” What was Huo Ai’s intention in hiding things from her? If she wanted her dead, why not make it clear? If she hated her so much, why embrace her warmly in bed?
Contradiction… Huo Ai’s attitude towards her was so contradictory it chilled her heart.
“Unexpectedly, I should have died at the hands of the bandits? That way, you wouldn’t have to rack your brains to get rid of me?” The more you know, the faster you die.
Now Huo Ai wants to drive her away but doesn’t dare let her leave directly? The complex interests in between have become the key to deciding her life and death.
“Since the fish is on the hook,” Dong Enyu’s voice turned hoarse, she slowly turned her head, meeting Huo Ai’s gaze, “the bait is worthless, right?” At this moment, Huo Ai’s expression remained unchanged, a faint smile, calm with a hint of distance, her restrained demeanor highlighting her cautious attitude towards life.
Cold-blooded and ruthless.
“It seems you’ve somewhat grasped my nature by being around me.” Huo Ai nodded, surprisingly praising Dong Enyu’s understanding.
She took out a document from her briefcase, and Dong Enyu realized it was the contract she signed with Haijiao.
The next second, Huo Ai tore the contract to shreds in front of her, the scattered pieces falling like snowflakes…
Dong Enyu watched the paper flutter, her emotions fluctuating for a moment.
She couldn’t say what she felt, only that her heart felt empty…
“From now on, you’re no longer my partner,” Huo Ai clapped her hands as if to dust them off, “you don’t need to report to my office anymore.
I’ve arranged for Shirley to set you up with an administrative job within Haijiao.
Once you’re healed, just go to the administrative supervisor.” She maintained a faint smile, unchanged throughout.
No thoughts could be discerned.
As for Dong Enyu, she was equally unreadable.
“Thank you, Manager Huo, for your care during this time.” To put it nicely, it was a demotion; to put it bluntly, it was surveillance.
Dong Enyu handled Huo Ai’s method with grace and composure.
There was no need to make a fuss, nor to fight for status or benefits.
Now, Dong Enyu had no need to force anything.
However, her calmness gave Huo Ai a hint of confusion.
“Aren’t you going to protest?” The smile on her lips twisted slightly, Huo Ai raised an eyebrow, looking at the woman on the bed with suspicion, “Not only will your salary and benefits decrease, but you also won’t be able to contact Wutang anymore.
Is that okay with you?” Perhaps Dong Enyu’s quick acceptance left Huo Ai a bit at a loss.
What was different? Where had Dong Enyu started to change?
Always associated with shady dealings and shamelessness, these negative descriptors were always attached to Dong Enyu.
In places she couldn’t see, Dong Enyu would entangle with other women, then demand rights and status she shouldn’t have.
But now, she calmly accepted the loss of everything…
In that case, weren’t all her previous efforts in vain?
Is it so easy to lose everything calmly? Or…
Has she gone mad?
“Manager Huo,” Dong Enyu no longer called Huo Ai by her name, but used a distant title, “do you think I have the right to live an ordinary life?” By the end of her words, they had turned into a murmur, the sound in her mouth very faint, but Huo Ai could hear it clearly.
The right to obtain… happiness?
For Dong Enyu, it was such a luxurious question.
Huo Ai opened her mouth to say something, but seeing Dong Enyu close her eyes, she couldn’t make a sound.
What should she say? For a moment, the usually calm and wise woman was at a loss.
In front of her, Dong Enyu seemed unfamiliar.
Huo Ai instinctively reached out to touch her, a feeling that the woman was drifting away made Huo Ai frown.
Knock! Knock! —
Two knocks on the door forced Huo Ai to withdraw her arm.
A nurse entered the room with a medical cart, nodding slightly to Huo Ai as a greeting.
At the same time, Huo Ai stood up, picked up her briefcase, and left without looking back.
It wasn’t until the wooden door closed that Dong Enyu slowly opened her eyes, but she had no attachment to the last glimpse of the other.
Because this relationship was completely over.
…
Dong Enyu stayed in the hospital for a full two weeks, and when she was discharged, only Shirley came to pick her up.
Her original residence had also changed, from a villa in the fields to the Haijiao Employee Dormitory.
Her clothes and luggage had been packed and sent to a single suite.
When Dong Enyu saw the small, tidy room, she had only one thought: her life was slowly returning to a normal track.
“I’m very sorry, the dormitory in the next building has better facilities, but the manager said Miss Dong can only stay in a standard suite, handled equally.” Shirley handed the room key to Dong Enyu, her face full of apology.
To outsiders, Dong Enyu’s demotion seemed very abrupt, explained as incompetence, but the real reason, even Dong Enyu didn’t know.
Perhaps Manager Huo was just tired of her…
“It’s alright, this place is fine.” Dong Enyu took off her coat and sat comfortably on the sofa.
Although the space was small, it was more than enough for one person.
“Um…” Shirley stood by the door, suddenly a bit hesitant.
She looked up at the woman, pursed her lips, and said, “It might be meddling to ask, but did something happen between Miss Dong and Manager Huo? If there’s anything I can help with, please feel free to tell me.”
A sudden concern piqued the woman’s curiosity.
Originally, she didn’t care what kind of relationship she and Huo Ai would develop into or what situation it would become.
At least now, Dong Enyu was too lazy to play the game, but because of Shirley’s genuine concern, there was a change.
It wasn’t that she still hoped to gain any benefits from Huo Ai, but what was Shirley’s motivation for saying this?
“Why does Miss Shirley ask?” Dong Enyu tilted her head, smiling faintly.
“Because after Miss Dong was demoted…” Shirley sighed, pouting her red lips in complaint, “Manager Huo started interviewing new partners again, but Miss Dong was clearly very suitable.
Suddenly changing partners is a bit strange, right? Besides, the candidates Manager Huo is choosing this time are all young people, who don’t seem to have much work experience.”
One leaves, another comes.
“Since it’s just a passerby, there’s no need to stay.” Dong Enyu said vaguely, leaving Shirley puzzled.
After sending Shirley off, the woman began to organize her packed luggage.
She didn’t have much belongings, just a few clothes and toiletries in her suitcase.
Excluding cosmetics and jewelry boxes, she was a woman who lived with no fixed abode, moving from place to place, having lived in magnificent buildings, high-end villas, and simple low houses.
In the end, she was alone in this suite.
Fate’s twists and turns were beyond her control.
The woman leisurely folded her clothes when suddenly the phone on the guest table vibrated, shaking her heart as well.
Dong Enyu stared at the phone for two seconds, hesitating…
This phone was newly provided by Shirley for Dong Enyu, as her original one was no longer usable.
Therefore, besides Shirley and Huo Ai, no one else knew this number.
However, the phone was ringing.
Was it Shirley? Impossible.
Then Huo Ai? Even more impossible.
Finally, Dong Enyu got up and picked up the phone, surprised to see a familiar number.
“What’s going on, changing phones after coming back?” After pressing the call button, a man’s voice came from the other end, full of complaints.
The woman lowered her eyes, quietly closing the curtains, “Long time no see, Mr. Di.”
It was Di Wei.
No matter how Di Wei got this number, his initiative to invite her was ultimately a good thing.
“Yes, yes, long time no see, so inviting you out for a meal isn’t too much, right?” Di Wei’s background was very noisy, seemingly enjoying himself at Star Diamond.
His life was certainly more indulgent than before, especially now with Haijiao as a stable supplier, he had no worries about food and clothing.
If nothing unexpected happened, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life.
“Sorry, I can’t right now…”
“Don’t rush to refuse,” Di Wei interrupted loudly.
He seemed to have moved to a quieter place, the noise behind him growing distant, “Listen, there are some people I want to introduce you to.
Those guys aren’t easy to offend, and they’ve heard about you, so you need to attend, for my sake, okay?”
Some people… Who could they be?
Dong Enyu’s eyelid twitched, a faint smile forming, “If you can keep it confidential, meeting privately isn’t impossible.”
“I knew you’d be sensible!” Di Wei laughed twice, saying, “Tonight at nine, Star Diamond, don’t be late!”
Author’s note: Here’s the second update!
