But now, she truly doubted herself….
"Surname Quan, who exactly are you?"
"Hadn't you already figured it out?" The man's fingers were crossed on his knees, tapping rhythmically as he looked at her with a smirk that wasn't quite a smile.
Zhan Se simply shut her mouth.
Sometimes, if words have lost their meaning, then silence is the best choice.
The car sped along, driving towards the suburbs—
Zhan Se slowly opened her eyes, "What are you doing?"
The man's mocking lips curled up as he tightened his arms—
Suddenly.
Crack—Bang—Splash—
A heavy object falling into the water, accompanied by her fearful and embarrassed shouts, almost shook the night sky under the veil of darkness.
"Surname Quan, you bastard!"
Under the influence of alcohol, she didn't realize the car had driven to the edge of a water reservoir, nor did she expect the man with the surname Quan to hate her so much that, without a word, he suddenly grabbed her, opened the car door, and threw her into the chilly reservoir.
In the cold wind mingled the man's sinister and malicious voice—
Struggling in the water, Zhan Se watched helplessly as the "mobile mansion," accompanied by several security vehicles, blared its way into the distance with grandeur.
In the early summer season, falling into the water late at night, one could imagine how cold she felt. However, after choking on a few gulps of water, her mind became much clearer,
What did he mean by his words?
She thought she was just drunk, could she have been drugged?
Watching the tail lights of the departing car, she bit her lip, and suddenly her eye sockets grew moist. She didn't know if it was pond water or tears, nor whether it was the joy of escaping a wolf's den or the hatred for the fickleness of fate, but like a madwoman needing to vent, she splashed the water forcefully with her hands, letting out sobs as she loudly cursed, though she didn't know whom she was cursing.
"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!"
Zhan Se was particularly afraid of the cold.
Ever since that night, she had put the summer clothes she had found back in the closet, always wearing a thin cardigan when she went out. Even so, she ended up catching a cold, sniffling and sneezing, and coughing constantly.
Working, leaving work, her life hadn't changed.
But after that night, her relationship with Du Xiaoren had cooled considerably.
Noticing her change in mood, Du Xiaoren was still as warm to her as ever.
"Colorful, the new director is coming over soon."
"Oh, got it."
She felt indifferent to these matters. It was the same who was in charge; she just worried about her own problems. The interview seemed to be a no-go, and that morning, her mom had called again, asking her to bring her boyfriend home and, of course, urging her to repay the hundred thousand yuan to Wang's old home.
"Zhan Se, don't you care who the new director is?"
A gust of wind came in, Zhan Se hugged her arms and sneezed, then smiled back to reality, "I don't care."
"Color, are you still mad at me?" Du Xiaoren raised two fingers, swearing to the heavens, "I really didn't know that bastard would have ulterior motives, otherwise I would have never let you come with me... It's also my fault for being so drunk..."
"No, don't overthink it. But Xiaoren, don't always think about those off-beat things."
"I know I was wrong, I promise it won't happen again!" Du Xiaoren stuck out her tongue, "Since you're not mad, how about we have dinner together tonight?"
"No, I have plans with Zhang Zhongkai."
Zhang Zhongkai was a senior classmate from Central Politics University, two years her senior, both were outstanding disciples brought out by the same mentor, and they usually had a good relationship. After graduation, Zhang Zhongkai stayed to become a teaching assistant and took good care of her.
This time, she was asking him to temporarily play the role of her boyfriend to appease her family.
As for the hundred thousand yuan... she'd deal with that later!
Just then, Elder Sister Zhou's voice came from outside, "Teacher Zhan, Teacher Du, the director's car is about to arrive, and everyone has gone over to welcome him."
Everyone knew the new director was an influential figure, so naturally, no one dared to slack off.
Zhan Se didn't want to follow the crowd, but she had to adapt to the situation. Exchanging a glance with Du Xiaoren, they headed for the main gate to welcome the leader.
The Juvenile Rehabilitation Center was now occupying the old buildings of the Detention Center, with a newly built multi-functional Detention Center right next door. At dusk, the lights shining below the office building drew the teaching staff and advisors towards the main entrance of the facility.
A new model white BMW 7 series slowly entered the gate of the Juvenile Rehabilitation Center.
Without a doubt, those who can drive such cars are either powerful or privileged.
The welcoming crowd lined up in two rows, with Zhan Se standing at the end, wearing the same professional smile as everyone else.
Yet, the instant the car door opened, she was thrown into turmoil in the wind.
The new director turned out to be the beautiful woman who had followed the man with the surname Quan out of the private room at No.1 Mansion and was then dismissed with a wave of his hand...