With doubts in his mind, Mr. Hua wondered if he was truly sick. Logically, Hua Yan wouldn't have the courage to defy him, even after their divorce.
Unable to get information about Hua Yan, Cheng Jie called his mother to explain the situation. Mrs. Cheng hung up on her son, then, refusing to give up, she called Hua Yan, but her phone was off. She then called Li Meier.
"Meier, have you seen Hua Yan today?"
The sudden call from Mrs. Cheng surprised Li Meier, but being astute, she politely and kindly replied, "Aunt, I haven't seen Yan today. Is there something you need from her?" She and Hua Yan hadn't been in contact for a long time. Before, she used to contact Hua Yan frequently to have more opportunities to get closer to Cheng Jie. Now that they were divorced, she didn't have the same enthusiasm for dealing with an abandoned woman.
"Oh, nothing important. Meier, if you have time, come visit Auntie and have a chat." Mrs. Cheng said politely. Before Li Meier could finish speaking, Mrs. Cheng hung up in frustration.
On the other end, Li Meier cursed Mrs. Cheng angrily, completely different from her previously mild manner. She also wondered why Mrs. Cheng was so eager to find Hua Yan. Unable to reach Hua Yan on the phone, Li Meier angrily grabbed her bag and headed to Cheng Jie's company.
Ignoring the receptionist's attempt to stop her, Li Meier rushed into the elevator, earning several disdainful looks from the young receptionist.
"Why does this woman keep coming back, and why is she always so rude? She's just one of many lovers; it's as if this company belongs to them," one of the receptionists complained.
"Our former Arbitration Madam wasn't this assertive. Do you think she's been dumped by the Arbitrator, hence why she's so angry?" Another girl said, gleefully.
"You might be onto something."
Meanwhile, in Cheng Jie's office, Li Meier, who had been cheered up by Cheng Jie's jokes, had completely forgotten why she had come here. Cheng Jie and Li Meier were deeply engrossed in their conversation.
As the sun began to set in the west, there was still no sign of Hua Yan at the gates of Cheng's residence. Mrs. Cheng and Cheng Jie were both wondering if Hua Yan was standing them up today.
Cheng Jie called Mrs. Chang several times, but the response was always the same: Hua Yan and Mr. Hua's phones were both off. Cheng Jie personally went to the villa where Hua Yan currently lived to see if she was hiding at home, unwilling to attend the banquet. As the evening approached and the banquet was about to begin, there was still no news of Hua Yan. Mrs. Cheng was thoroughly disappointed, her eyes burning with anger. Mr. Cheng also felt regretful for not being able to see Hua Yan, who was like his own daughter.
Being nagged by multiple people, Hua Yan finally felt as if her ears were burning. "The Cheng family must still be nagging about why I haven't gone yet? I wonder what they want me for?"
"It's definitely not something good. Just don't go," Mr. Hua and Hua Yan sat by the fish pond, whispering softly. Father and daughter smiled knowingly and continued to watch the fish hook by the pond.
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Sitting by another fish pond, Shangguan Ning and Cheng Cheng happened to see the father and daughter's situation. Cheng Cheng had just come back from the restroom and introduced this place to Shangguan Ning. At first, Shangguan Ning didn't know why he had to sit in this place, and looking at the fish pond in front of him didn't seem like a good place for fishing either.
Now with a glance, Shangguan Ning could see Hua Yan and her father through the gaps in the trees, prompting him to scold his friend inwardly.
"You're really nosy. I never noticed this side of you before. Just because a father and daughter are fishing, you're lurking here with such malicious curiosity. You, the big-shot lawyer, could lead the gossiping brigade."
"This is not an everyday sight, so that's why I'm doing this. Don't pretend; don't you want to know how this father and daughter went from enemies to being so harmonious? Such miracles are rare around us. What do you say?"
"Hmph!" Shangguan Ning snorted and focused on fishing, no longer paying attention to his abnormal friend.
Cheng Cheng didn't care if anyone was listening. He muttered to himself, "From what I understand, not long ago, this Hua Yan woman went to the hospital after getting drunk. After leaving the hospital, she acted swiftly. She spent over ten thousand to have our law firm, one of the best, check if her divorce with Cheng Jie was finalized, and if there were any financial entanglements. You know, when my colleague found out that she left Cheng Jie with nothing in the divorce, he suggested she use the law to reclaim her property..."
"What happened afterward?" Shangguan Ning suddenly looked up from his fishing.
Shangguan Ning's sudden question annoyed Cheng Cheng, who thought he was trying to see if Shangguan Ning was also gossiping.
"In the end, this woman just said, 'There's no need!' and shut down all my colleague's ideas. If I hadn't been on a business trip those days, I might not have been the one who met her. It's a pity. Why do you think she didn't want the money? She could have easily won in court. I think she might be afraid of the Cheng family. After all, the Hua family has already fallen. If something happens, they won't be able to confront the Cheng family."
Glancing at the father and daughter who were laughing and chatting on the other side, Shangguan Ning couldn't help but think that with such happy days, having a lot of money wouldn't be of much use. Hua Yan was not like the typical wealthy woman, who admired vanity and saw money as life.
"The sky is about to darken, and there's no sign of Hua Yan leaving. Could it be that she's really here to avoid Cheng Jie?" Cheng Cheng, curious, asked Shangguan Ning.
"How would I know? The fact is right in front of you, isn't it?" Shangguan Ning's fishing line was swaying vigorously at this moment. He pulled up the fishing rod with force, and sure enough, he caught another big carp.
Cheng Cheng, on the side, shouted that they would have fish for dinner, murmuring to himself about having so many fish. He instructed the boss to make fish soup with one, grill another, steam one, and braise another.
"After saying so much, can you finish it all?" Shangguan Ning said coldly.
"I can't finish it, but I can't take it with me either. Of course, I'll have each one made differently. It's not in vain for you to work so hard to catch fish." Cheng Cheng said nonchalantly.
"Let the boss take away two, one for steaming and one for grilling. Give the rest to Mr. Hua." Although Shangguan Ning wasn't constantly watching Hua Yan and her father, their loud voices made it clear that even with Mr. Hua's fishing skills, he wouldn't catch any fish.
"What? When did you become so concerned about others? In the past, when there were too many fish, you would always release them back into the pond, wouldn't you? What's going on today?" Shangguan Ning's words immediately puzzled Cheng Cheng, who looked at Shangguan Ning as if he were seeing an African elephant.
Unfazed, Shangguan Ning packed up his fishing gear, pointed to the fish bucket, then to where Hua Yan and her father were, and stood up to carry his things back to their original resting place, preparing to wait for dinner.
Watching Shangguan Ning walk away, Cheng Cheng muttered under his breath, "Strange things happen every day, and today there are so many." Despite not understanding, he followed orders and had two fish sent to Hua Yan and her father.