Plunder-Chapter 154: Beating the Mandarin Ducks

Qiao En had never expected that Chen Yin would actually bring her to Nanchen.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Qiao En looked doubtful.

Chen Yin tugged at the corner of her mouth, revealing a cold sneer, "What? Are you scared? I brought you here naturally to let you see the real Zhou Jin’an."

Chen Yin was an old-timer at Nanchen, and she was extremely popular.

Even though she had been fired, she managed to bluff a reason, and the receptionist let her and Qiao En in.

The two got into the elevator and went straight to the president’s office level.

The corridors were very quiet; there was no one at the secretarial office, and Zhou Jin’an’s office was empty too.

"Let’s go."

Chen Yin stepped towards the meeting hall, where the company’s middle management and above generally held meetings.

Indeed, when they arrived, a meeting was being held inside.

The doors to the meeting room were ajar, and Chen Yin pushed open a crack to peek inside, her face brimming with even more smugness.

"Take a good look at Director Zhou, why don’t you?"

Chen Yin stepped aside, and without any decrease in her suspicion, Qiao En looked through the gap to see Zhou Jin’an sitting upright and dignified at the center of the main table.

Cheng Lu was seated at a position to his rear.

At this moment, he was enveloped in an emperor-like authority, and in his torch-like eyes, shimmered the same indifference and ruthlessness as before.

The Zhou Jin’an of this moment had none of the purity of an eight-year-old child.

Qiao En was taken aback for a moment.

The doctor said he had amnesia, didn’t he? A person with amnesia can’t recover the lost memories from before, nor could he possibly return to his previous state.

Soon, it was Zhou Jin’an’s turn to speak, and his deep, magnetic voice filled the entire meeting room.

It drilled into Qiao En’s ears one sound after another.

"The development of Nanchen Group cannot do without everyone’s strong support. Whether it’s now or in the future, I hope that everyone present will spare no effort to move forward. I am here to thank everyone for their support and contributions..."

His speech was, as always, concise and to the point.

Qiao En stared directly at the man on the stage, and in that instant, it felt as though something had clogged her heart.

Chen Yin’s ghostly voice suddenly rang in Qiao En’s ear.

"Do you still think he will like you when he’s like this?"

Qiao En turned to look at Chen Yin.

A triumphant smile played around Chen Yin’s lips.

But in her eyes, there was unmistakable disappointment.

"Xu Yayun, one should have self-awareness. Now that you have seen it, Jin’an is not sick, nor will he ever like you. You’d be wise to keep your distance from him, otherwise—"

"Otherwise, you’ll make me end up just like you were before. Then, you’ll feel that Zhou Jin’an has always loved only you? Chen Yin, you’re not only childish but quite pitiable."

Qiao En unabashedly pierced through Chen Yin’s facade.

A flicker of shock crossed her eyes, and she glowered.

"Yes, I want Jin’an to keep loving me, even if it’s just a stand-in, he can only love me. So, you better stop your wishful thinking. Someone like you, he wouldn’t give a second look."

She displayed her crazed state again.

Qiao En remembered the woman who had appeared in her life, the woman with a face identical to Su Nian’s. But who was she really?

"Su Nian, do you really think Zhou Jin’an loves only this face?"

Qiao En’s soulful question once again enraged Chen Yin.

"If I say it is, then it is. Jin’an said he loves me, that he loves only me, and he will never fall for anyone else. I won’t allow him to love someone else either."

Chen Yin’s voice rose several notches.

And just then, Zhou Jin’an on the stage glanced over here, his eyes immediately catching sight of Qiao En and Chen Yin.

In an instant, his face darkened, and then he got up and strode quickly towards them.

Seeing this, Chen Yin flees as if her feet were greased, running off with maximum speed.

She ran ahead, with Qiao En chasing after her.

But Qiao En was a step too slow, and Chen Yin darted into the elevator, disappearing swiftly.

At the elevator entrance, Zhou Jin’an intercepted Qiao En.

"Sister Yun..."

He started in a childish voice, but Qiao En immediately cut him off.

"Zhou Jin’an, stop acting, it’s over."

This revelation wasn’t the first of its kind; before, Zhou Jin’an had denied it while crying.

But this time, Zhou Jin’an chose to admit it.

"Listen to me."

He grabbed Qiao En’s wrist, dragging her to the office.

Qiao En hung her head, feeling as if she’d been played like a monkey, taken for a complete fool.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do it, I just wanted to keep you by my side,"

Zhou Jin’an apologized sincerely.

Qiao En smiled faintly, and when she looked up again, her face was calm and peaceful.

"Director Zhou, I’m just a janitor who mops the floors, you don’t need to apologize to me. It was I who acted out of line during this time, so I apologize to you, I’m sorry."

As she spoke, Qiao En bowed earnestly to Zhou Jin’an.

He was caught off guard and quickly steadied her shoulders.

"Qiao En, what will it take for you to forgive me?"

His voice came from above, and before Qiao En straightened up, she paused.

"Director Zhou, you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I’m not the Qiao En you’re speaking of; my name is Xu Yayun."

Qiao En looked up, her eyes involuntarily dodging when they met Zhou Jin’an’s gaze.

But Zhou Jin’an was unwavering, "No, I haven’t mistaken you. You didn’t die, you are Qiao En. Even though you’ve changed your figure, your looks, and even your demeanor, Qiao En, I recognized you at first glance. Thank you for being willing to come back."

As he spoke, he reached out his long arm and pulled Qiao En into his embrace.

He held her tightly, as if afraid of losing her again.

Qiao En stood there, motionless.

She had been cunning, deceiving everyone, but she couldn’t deceive Zhou Jin’an.

"Why won’t you believe that I’m dead?"

Qiao En asked.

She accepted her own identity.

"You wouldn’t die, Qiao En, you’re such a strong person. How could you possibly die?"

Zhou Jin’an countered.

He understood her strength and resilience.

But even the most resilient have moments they don’t wish to confront.

"Don’t leave me again, okay?"

Zhou Jin’an pleaded softly.

Having lost once, he didn’t want to taste that again.

But Qiao En didn’t answer.

After a long while, she spoke.

"Su Nian is still alive."

Zhou Jin’an’s brows furrowed, this was the thorn between him and Qiao En.

She used to avoid the topic, but now, he had to address it.

"I’ll take you somewhere."

Saying this, he took Qiao En’s hand and led her away.

The two descended the stairs, and their car headed straight for the Zhou family’s mansion.

Mrs. Zhou wasn’t there, leaving the house eerily silent.

The servants stopped their work to greet Zhou Jin’an when he returned, but he ignored them, taking Qiao En upstairs.

At the corner of the third floor, there was a room with a locked door.

Zhou Jin’an took out a key to unlock it, and the room seemed like it hadn’t been entered for many years, dust everywhere.

He strode forward, pulling open the curtains and cracking the windows.

Qiao En stood at the door, covering her mouth and nose with her hand.

The room hadn’t been cleaned for a long time, and the surfaces were coated with a thick layer of dust.

"This is where I stayed with Su Nian when I brought her back."

Zhou Jin’an said as he opened a drawer, taking out a photo album.

He handed it to Qiao En.

Qiao En took it and flipped through the photos. Su Nian was young and beautiful, each picture radiated happiness and joy.

"I met her while studying abroad. One night, after finishing her shift at a Chinese restaurant, she was on her way home when some guys started harassing her. I saved her. For the next few nights, I kept running into her by chance, and she told me she was from Rong City, all alone, trying to make it in America. I saw she had no one, so I looked after her."

"After some time, she confessed her feelings to me, but I rejected her. Later, I got injured in a fight and ended up in the hospital; she took care of me. I was moved, so I decided to be with her. But when I brought her back to meet my mother, everything changed."

Zhou Jin’an said, his brows tightly furrowed.

Qiao En prejudged it to be a typical story of lovers pulled apart.

But the moment Zhou Jin’an started talking, she realized her mistake.