After settling down, I suddenly thought of Fu Qian. It had been nearly three years since I last saw him. As my friend, he had always there for me, and now he probably believed I was truly dead.
The thought of him believing that, of him going through these years without knowing the truth, made me ache with guilt. That thought alone was enough to spur me into action. Without hesitation, I grabbed my things and headed out to see Fu Qian.
As I arrived to see Fu Qian, I spotted him absorbed in his work. He was meticulously inspecting the hotel, making sure they upheld the highest standards for serving hygienic food. His focus was unwavering, and I didn't want to disrupt him, so I decided to wait until he was done.
When he finally finished and stepped outside, I was casually leaning against my car, sunglasses on. With a playful smirk, I called out, "Looks like you've gone deep into your script."
As he turned to me, his eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Xiaozhao!" he exclaimed, his voice breaking with shock. Without a second thought, he dashed toward me at full speed. His hug hit with such force that I stumbled back, nearly losing my balance.
And then, to my surprise, he started crying…. dramatically. "Are you okay? I thought you were—were gone!" he choked out between sobs.
I patted his back, trying to calm him down. "I'm okay, I'm okay. Don't worry," I comforted him gently.
But he wasn't convinced. Pulling back, his hands still on my shoulders, he scanned me from head to toe, his eyes filled with concern. "Are you hurt anywhere? Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, spinning me around, inspecting every inch of me as if searching for hidden injuries.
I couldn't help but laugh softly. "No, no. I'm not hurt. How could I be? Look, I'm fine," I said, holding up my hands to emphasize my point.
He paused, realization dawning, and his tears dried up almost instantly. His expression switched from relief to something more intense—anger. "Why didn't you tell me you were alive?" he demanded.
Then he turned back, crossing his arms in anger. His jaw was tight, and I could feel the frustration radiating off him.
"Yah!" don't be angry, okay? Don't be angry!" I said, trying to ease the tension. "I'll apologize by doing sit-ups, all right?"
Without waiting for a response, I caught my ears, bent down, and started doing sit-ups right there. "See? Ten sit-ups. If you're still mad, I'll do it again!" I added, glancing up at him between reps.
After finishing, I stood up and clasped my hands together, giving him my best apologetic smile. "Will you forgive me now?"
He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, his lips twitching as if suppressing a smile. "Okay, fine," he said at last. "But you need to tell me everything—everything that happened."
I nodded earnestly. "Deal."
We walked to a nearby cafe, found a quiet table, and sat down. As soon as we ordered, I began explaining everything, starting with what happened three years ago.
"After the accident, I was in a coma for three months. When I woke up, I found myself in an unfamiliar place. It turned out that, Uncle Feng—saved me. He's the owner of the Xu Group and a good friend of my mother's.
He took care of me after the accident, keeping me safe in a house for those three months while I recovered. Then he sent me abroad to keep me safe. It was because of Han Sheng. He wouldn't stop searching for me—he believed I wasn't dead and was looking everywhere.
I didn't come to see you, not because I didn't want to, but because I couldn't. If I'd gone to you, Han Sheng would have found me and tried to lock me up again.
So, I stayed quiet and left for abroad. And now, after three years, I'm finally back."As I was explaining, Fu Qian interrupted, saying, "Oh, so this Han Shen is the one who wouldn't leave you, huh? Well, I'm just so glad you're not hurt! You know, after you disappeared, I thought you were... gone. That you'd left me behind and gone back to heaven without me.
I tried to contact Heaven to ask about all of this, but for some reason, I couldn't reach them. I just... thought you really left me behind here," Fu Qian said with a sigh. "Look at me—I even lost weight, all because of that."
"Really?" I replied, teasing. "But you don't look like you've lost weight. You look like you've gained twice as much!"
He shot me a playful glare. Then I added, "Don't tell me you've been eating every day while inspecting hotels, huh?"
Fu Qian shrugged with a grin. "Well, maybe sometimes... or maybe every day! Don't worry about that," he said, shaking his head. "Just tell me, now that you're here, what are you going to do next?"
"So, what I'm going to do next is join Su-Group as a designer," I said.
"Su-Group?" He looked at me in disbelief. "But if your father and your sister find out you're trying to get into Su-Group, they won't accept it."
I shrugged. "Well, they might not accept me, but they should accept Jenny, right?"
He blinked, confused. "Wait, Jenny? Is she that... prodigy designer everyone's dying to work with? Jenny, who received nearly ten awards in her rookie year? Jenny, whose work is worth millions?" he said, looked at me, shocked and disbelieving.