Jane and Xiao Zhiqing were drawn to the word treasure and they quickly picked up the box to have a look at it.
However, they immediately lost interest upon looking at the black âpebbleâ within it.
Xiao Zhiqing even took a sniff at it, âWhat is this? Is it a treasure? It looks like charcoal but itâs heavier than charcoal. Is it a rock?â
Jane was more professional, observing the treasure under the microscope and doing a chemical analysis on it. She even used a spectroscope on it.
âIt looks like a carbide, the constituents are complex. There are some minerals but oddly...some protein too. Is it a fossil? Nature does have some compounds that are both dead and alive. Well, thereâs not a lot of them but they arenât rare either.â
Yang Chen was slightly annoyed by this. How can this trash be a treasure? The Meng clan couldnât be that poor.
Could it be a memoir to them?
Thoughts raced through his mind and Yang Chen decided to keep it. It might come in handy one day since the Meng clan valued the treasure.
Since the two of them couldnât come up with a solution in a short while, Yang Chen invited them home for dinner in case they starve themselves.
On the way home, Yang Chen received a phone call from Hui Lin who was just done with her movie promotion.
The movie was a hit and she was now in the States, preparing for her newest album before she started on her world tour.
Sometimes Hui Lin wondered if Lin Ruoxi did this on purpose so that she wouldnât have any free time. Although she wasnât physically tired, she was still mentally drained.
Yang Chen promised to go to her concert and Hui Lin was looking forward to his appearance. Her longing for him was so strong that it made Yang Chen feel sorry for neglecting her.
Once he got home, Minjuan was playing with Lanlan while Mo Qianni went to the market for grocery shopping.
Lanlan was drawing with crayons and watercolor, which was rare since she was always playing games.
Perhaps she didnât think Minjuanâs gaming skills were competent.
Art class was Lanlanâs favorite class in kindergarten because she was great at drawing animals and plants. Her drawing was more realistic than the other childrenâs, most likely because of her excellent memory.
Yang Chen walked to her daughter and she had drawn a red-roofed house, green grass, blue sky, and the sun.
Standing on the grass was a long-haired woman holding hands with a little girl. A man was flying in the sky with a red cape and he looked similar to Superman.
Yang Chen chuckled at this, âDarling, am I the Superman?â
Lanlan was focused on her drawing and she colored the leaves on the last tree before turning her head to nod at him.
âThen who is this woman and the little girl?â Yang Chen asked.
âThe little girl is Lanlan and the big girl is mommy. Mommy has long hair.â Lanlan said sweetly.
âThis canât be right. Our chubby girl has rounder cheeks and a plump body. This little girl is too skinny.â Yang Chen teased her.
Lanlan suddenly pouted, âLanlan became skinny because I miss mommy.â
Yang Chen felt a prick to his heart but he still smiled, âYouâve been eating all the good food Aunt Qianni made for you. You didnât lose any weight.â
âIâll be hungry if I donât eat.â Lanlan stuck out her tongue as if she was embarrassed.
Yang Chen laughed and pinched her cheeks, âYour aunt would be sad. She made you so many good foods and you didnât even draw her.â
Lanlan blinked, âBecause I miss mommy and I canât see her so I drew her...â
Yang Chen kept quiet. He wasnât expecting this reason and he thought to himself,
Youâre not the only one who canât see her. Iâm waiting for her return too.
âDaddy, does mommy not want us anymore?â Lanlan blurted out.
Yang Chen was taken by surprise and he didnât know how to explain it to Lanlan. After a moment of hesitation, Yang Chen smiled and shook his head, âLanlan, you have to remember this. Mommy likes you and sheâs just not happy now. Things will get better soon.â
âIâm sure mommy likes me because she gave birth to me!â Lanlan sounded so sure and Yang Chen didnât know where she got the confidence from.
It was kind of saddening to think that Lanlan might not even remember her biological mother and Yang Chen couldnât help but hug her daughter.
Minjuan listened to them quietly and she wiped her tears without them noticing.
If Yang Chen hadnât taught her the cultivation technique, Lanlan would have had trouble falling asleep just like before now that Lin Ruoxi wasnât around her.
No one wouldâve believed that such a young girl could bury so many complicated feelings deep within her heart even though she always smiled brightly during the day.
Sunday night went by and the day Yang Chen had been waiting for was finally here.
It was Monday and Lin Ruoxi should be going to work at Zhonghai today.
As for the party mentioned by Meng Yue, Yang Chen paid no attention to it nor could it make him anxious.
Yang Chen was planning to wait for Lin Ruoxi to return home after work but he figured he should take the initiative. Maybe she was just waiting for him to make a move first and that she actually didnât want their relationship to end.
With that in mind, Yang Chen drove to the headquarters of Yu Lei International after breakfast, planning to look for her at her office.
Yang Chen took the lift to the top floor where Lin Ruoxiâs office was converted to the chairmanâs office. Although Xue Minghe was the current President of Yu Lei International, his office was set somewhere else.
Yang Chen knocked on the door anxiously but to no response.
At this moment, a young secretary walked out of the secretaryâs office and asked him, âAre you, Mister Yang?â
Yang Chen was taken aback since he didnât recognize her, âYou are?â
âIâm the new secretary here, Xiao Yun. Iâm sure you donât know me. Are you here for Chairman Lin?â Xiao Yun asked respectfully. All the employees in Yu Lei International would surely recognize Yang Chen.
âYeah, where is she?â Yang Chen smiled and he could guess that she was the replacement for Zhao Hongyan ever since Zhao Hongyan became public relations officer.
Xiao Yun replied, âChairmen organized a meeting with the board of directors. They should still be in meeting room number 3.â
âBoard of directors?â Yang Chen furrowed.
As expected of a workaholic, she could never stop working.
Yang Chen arrived at the meeting room and looking in from outside, the seats were fully taken by the executives and shareholders.
Lin Ruoxi was seated at the front and her face was stern as usual. No sign of emotions could be seen within her eyes and it felt as if she was colder than before.
Everyone in the room felt uncomfortable. Some of them feared and respected and her icy look sent chills down their spines.
Yang Chenâs appearance drew their attention and some familiar faces such as Xue Minghe and Wu Yue gave him a warm smile.
On the other hand, Mo Qianni and Liu Mingyu were startled to see him as though they never expected Yang Chen to be here so early.
Yang Chen smiled at them and cast a complex gaze at Lin Ruoxi.
Lin Ruoxi furrowed her brows but her expression didnât change. She merely glanced past him and ignored his existence.
Some of the people in the room caught on and they looked at them oddly.
Yang Chenâs smile froze and he rubbed his chin bitterly, sighing while leaning by the door.
Although he wanted to talk to Lin Ruoxi, he knew it was a bad idea to disrupt her.
âMiss Zhao, please continue your presentation.â Lin Ruoxi motioned to Zhao Hongyan.
Zhao Hongyan was initially nervous to see Yang Chen but she forced herself to nod and read the words on the document in hand, âWith the establishment of Yu Lei International Group, we need to delegate a large group of executives to the affiliated and subsidiary companies to ensure a smooth operation and alignment. Our chairman thinks that the executives should lead by example and contribute to the Group. Therefore, our chairman has proposed that the two Vice Presidents, Mo Qianni and Liu Mengyu should head towards South Africa and Buenos Aires, respectively, where they will be in charge of the new affiliated companies.â