"I originally thought that Su Ziceng would, no matter what, draw the envelope marked with New York," Wen Maixue now sat in the Wen family’s garden, her hands deftly shuffling a deck of playing cards. The envelopes were just like cards, no matter which one Su Ziceng drew, in the end, the one in her hands would just be an envelope, "Who knew she would choose Paris, well, it’s only for a month. In the streets of Paris, who would care about an ordinary girl from Z country."
Wen Maixue blinked, in her hand was the ace of spades, the card in her hands tearing into shreds, flying into the air, the pieces of paper fluttering down like frost flowers.
"What else is there to prepare for?" Unlike the other girls in the class who took leave to go home and pack, Su Ziceng, just like the student who chose Zone 3 of Mo City as her examination location, leisurely attended the remaining classes, "Give me one hundred francs, and I should just take one hundred francs? You must be joking." Su Ziceng had calculated which cards to bring along with her LV travel bag. The trip to Paris, of course, would also be a shopping trip. It had been quite a while since her last shopping spree. A month’s time to eat well, sleep well, free of the confusion of academia and the pressure from the Wine Shop, was a vacation she could truly relax.
What made her a bit uncomfortable was the restriction on using communication tools. Since Wen Maixue had emphasized this point, she had no intention of breaking the rules. "A bit of money for a phone card," Su Ziceng included the Rose Handbook in her budget before she flipped through Tina’s diary again. It was a pity that Tina did not record her trip to Paris in it.
After returning home on the weekend, Su Ziceng took the opportunity when Chang Mei was not around to search the Su Family’s house thoroughly, except for Su Qingzhang’s room; she searched almost every other room but didn’t find Qiao Chu’s Rose Handbook, nor did she find the letters that Tina once mentioned. From Tina’s diary, Su Ziceng concluded that Chang Mei had quite a special existence for Qiao Chu and Tina.
When Su Qingzhang went to France to retrieve Tina, it was also when Qiao Chu was about to give birth. Without Qiao Chu’s Rose Handbook, Su Ziceng could not be certain what exactly had transpired during Qiao Chu’s last days. Whether Qiao Chu’s death was merely a simple accident. These thoughts lingered in Su Ziceng’s mind, refusing to dissipate.
Hearing about Su Ziceng going abroad, and specifically to Paris, Chang Mei showed no excessive reaction. Before leaving the country, Su Ziceng also received a call from Yang Wuxu.
"Su Qingzhang’s sperm has been extracted and soon, we can proceed with the fertilization process." On the other end of the phone, Yang Wuxu’s voice was filled with excitement; Su Ziceng could feel the shadow of horror slowly dissipating from Yang Wuxu.
Facing Su Qingzhang’s inquiry about the family matters, Su Ziceng gave a few responses before Chang Mei took the phone.
On the other end, Su Qingzhang was asking about the current situations of the Su family during his absence; all was running well with the Su family.
Su Ziceng did not walk away; she asked the servants to brew a pot of tea, Chang Mei’s favorite chrysanthemum and snow pear tea. The fragrance of the tea spread throughout the hall as Chang Mei reported the documents requiring Su Qingzhang’s final decision in an organized manner.
First about the company’s affairs, from most to least important, then the family matters, including the recent conditions of Su Ziceng and Chang Chi. Chang Mei was like a news broadcaster, each person, each matter, clearly narrated.
Su Ziceng listened by the side, unable to imagine how Qiao Chu could possibly encounter an accident under the vigilant care of the meticulous Chang Mei. The only possible cause of the accident could only be...
"Is there something?" If it’s about the graduation examination, sorry, I have nothing to tell you." Although Chang Mei was a bit surprised by Su Ziceng’s going abroad, she did not show any special concern. Every student at Kelly Women’s College had to experience a graduation examination. Her examination location back then was in Bianjing City. That time, Chang Mei had utilized the survival skills she learned in the Sixth District to their fullest. Perhaps Su Ziceng wanted to ask her about the potential difficulties and solutions regarding the examination.
Chang Mei’s response was exactly like Pello’s. Su Ziceng also tried to find shortcuts around the corner, but teachers and students baptized by Kelly, obviously believed that the graduation exam should be kept equal for everyone.
"I wanted to confirm if my mother and you were best friends," after saying that, Su Ziceng carefully observed Chang Mei’s behavior and mannerisms.
Upon hearing Qiao Chu’s name, Chang Mei showed no change in expression. She sat down on the sofa opposite Su Ziceng, looked at the engraved armrest of the sofa, and answered without hesitation: "Yes."
"And what about Tina?" Su Ziceng probed further, mentioning the name that had never been brought up in the Su family before.
"She is a shameless woman, betrayed your mother’s friendship, and also deceived your father’s affection," Chang Mei spoke firmly, no longer looking at the red armrests but staring straight at Su Ziceng, "During the time your mother was pregnant, she seduced your father."
"You’re talking nonsense," Su Ziceng stood up abruptly, pointing at Chang Mei and saying: "Father loved Mother."
"Su Ziceng, you are indeed as foolish as your mother. You wouldn’t think that Su Qingzhang married Yang Wuxu because he truly liked her, would you?" Chang Mei had held this secret in her heart for too many years. At this moment, she was like a volcano that had accumulated countless magma, spewing out all the resentment. Wishing to burn down everyone in this world to ash. (To be continued. If you work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket, your support is my greatest motivation.)