Chapter 20

Cheng Yan awoke from her hangover in an unfamiliar environment, decorated in a low-key, elegant style with exceptional taste.

She pulled back the covers; the clothes she was wearing were still the dress from the bar last night. Having slept in it all night, it was full of wrinkles.

Smelling the alcohol on her body, she frowned, pushed open the bedroom door, and walked out.

A servant who heard the noise immediately came over, her attitude respectful. “A change of clothes has been prepared for you, and breakfast is already waiting in the kitchen. Would you like to wash up first or have breakfast first?”

“Is President Jun here?” Cheng Yan asked, looking at the empty hall. She remembered being taken away by Jun Jianqing last night.

The servant shook her head. “President Jun is not here. She instructed that any request you have can be made.”

Cheng Yan gave her a smile and said, “Thanks. I’ll go wash up first.”

She truly couldn’t stand the smell of alcohol on herself anymore.

“Of course, I’ll show you the way.” The servant led her to the washroom, where several outfits had been laid out for her to choose from.

After explaining some things to note about using the amenities, the servant closed the door and left.

After showering and washing her hair, while blow-drying her hair in front of the mirror, Cheng Yan looked at her reflection, certain images flashing through her mind.

She didn’t have the problem of blacking out when drunk, so she remembered everything after getting drunk last night, including some things from when she’d been groggy in her sleep.

A cold face, a forceful dragging pull.

Had President Jun been very angry afterwards?

The roaring sound of the blow dryer was switched off. Cheng Yan put the dryer down, pressed the pump on the essential oil on the vanity, used two pumps, and applied it to her hair. Then, hands braced on the counter, she stared unblinkingly into the mirror, lost in thought.

Suddenly, the reflection in the mirror curved into a gentle, harmless smile.

After tidying herself up, she found a clean bag, intending to take her clothes back to wash.

As she lifted the bag, the jacket she had put in last accidentally slipped out, making a very soft sound as it hit the floor.

Cheng Yan’s eyes flickered. She gripped the door handle, pulled the door open, and walked out with the bag.

Seeing the servant in the living room, Cheng Yan said, “I’ll skip breakfast. I have some things to do at school, so I’ll be leaving now.”

The servant didn’t dare stop her, but looked a bit troubled. “But President Jun specifically instructed… Besides, won’t you wait for President Jun?”

This morning before leaving for the office, President Jun had specially told her to take good care of this young lady. The servant didn’t dare be negligent.

Cheng Yan, holding her bag, said, “I really have no appetite, and it’s very urgent at school. When President Jun returns, please be sure to convey that I am very grateful for last night and thank her for her hospitality.”

Her attitude was resolute, so the servant had no choice but to nod. “Very well. I’ll have the driver take you back.”

“No, please. I’ve already troubled President Jun and all of you enough. I can just take a taxi.” Cheng Yan refused, her manner polite and formal.

The unfamiliar young lady was clearly unwilling to impose further, having refused several times. The servant had no alternative but to agree.

Cheng Yan smiled gently. “Sorry for the intrusion. Goodbye.”

After she left, the servant answered the landline phone in the villa.

“Has that Miss Cheng upstairs woken up?”

Jun Jianqing’s voice came through the receiver. The servant said, “Miss Cheng has already woken up. She just left.”

“…”

The servant added, “Miss Cheng said she had an urgent matter at school and left after washing up.”

“She didn’t touch breakfast?”

“Yes.”

There was silence on the other end. The servant felt a bit nervous, afraid President Jun would blame her for not stopping the guest.

“Did she wear the clothes?”

Hearing the question, the servant quickly said, “Yes, the white set.”

An “mm” came from the other end. The servant exhaled in relief. Before President Jun could hang up, she quickly added, “Miss Cheng asked me to convey that she is very grateful for President Jun’s hospitality.”

Jun Jianqing: “I understand. What was she like when she left?”

What was she like? The servant was puzzled, recalling the scene from ten minutes ago, and said apprehensively, “Miss Cheng… was very polite.”

The servant thought she might have heard President Jun sneer coldly, but before she could be sure, the phone had already been hung up.

The tense expression on her face relaxed. Relieved, the servant couldn’t help but feel a bit of gossipy curiosity.

But she didn’t dare ask anyone else and could only ponder it herself.

—

After leaving, Cheng Yan first sent a message to the seniors she’d been out with last night to let them know she was safe, then asked about their situations. Upon learning that they’d gotten three hotel rooms last night and rested with no mishaps, she felt relieved.

Finals were over, and students were gradually leaving the campus.

She was staying on campus for the summer, so she didn’t need to pack up her dorm. But Cheng Yan still made a trip back to the apartment she’d rented before. She mopped the dusty floor clean again, and after finishing tidying up the place, she called Zhu Jingran, whom she hadn’t seen in ages, out for a meal together.

“Busy bee finally graces this little shrimp with her presence,” Zhu Jingran deliberately said upon meeting.

Cheng Yan rolled her eyes at her. “I wonder who’s been so busy making money lately that her face has gotten rounder by a whole two circles.”

Because the fact about gaining weight around the face was indeed true—all thanks to her grandma’s generous feeding lately—Zhu Jingran cracked. “Who was it that said you were a gentle, understanding flower? I’m done. I should really let that precious senior of yours see your true colors.”

Cheng Yan ate her food unhurriedly without engaging. She’d had a tiring day and was genuinely very hungry.

Zhu Jingran stared straight at her eating, sipping the plain boiled water by her own hand, insanely envious. “I suspect you treating me to a meal today was just so you could make me covet your food.”

Cheng Yan looked up. “I didn’t say you couldn’t eat.”

Zhu Jingran shook her head. “No, just a little taste. I can’t eat any more. I’m a tall beauty; I don’t want to actually get fat. Losing weight is tough.”

So saying, she carefully picked up a piece of bok choy with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, fiercely imagining it was aromatic fried chicken.

Seeing her bring up that woman again, Cheng Yan stopped talking.

The girl Zhu Jingran had always liked was indeed tall, slim, and very pretty.

To distract herself, Zhu Jingran decided not to watch Cheng Yan eat anymore. She pulled out her phone and decided to browse Weibo for a while.

Suddenly, a certain trending topic on Weibo caught her attention.

The expression on Zhu Jingran’s face gradually turned serious. She looked up at Cheng Yan, who was eating contentedly opposite her, and asked, “That Senior Chen Shuhua… I remember you said her family is connected to Xinghua Food?”

Cheng Yan looked up. “Yes, more precisely, it’s her family’s business.”

“Crap! Then something huge has happened.” Zhu Jingran’s face changed. She passed her phone over. “Look at this.”

Cheng Yan took the phone. The Weibo page was covered with posts about Xinghua Food.

One after another, all negative news and exposes.

The severity had far surpassed the news from a while ago.

She looked at the glaring words “caused five fatalities,” and below, irrefutable evidence posted by the blogger.

Seeing Cheng Yan’s expression turn equally grim, Zhu Jingran said uneasily, “It seems like they’re really done for? Someone actually died after eating Xinghua Food’s products. And I saw someone also exposed that Xinghua has been trying to get bank loans recently, like the company has no liquidity…”

And it wasn’t just these. There were so many exposes, so many marketing accounts speaking out—too much information. Zhu Jingran didn’t even dare distinguish fact from rumor anymore.

Cheng Yan returned the phone to her, pulled out her own phone to open Weibo, and then her gaze suddenly darkened.

Below the refreshed trending topic on the page, a new brief update had just appeared.

Dawn Company announced the termination of its cooperation with Xinghua Food.