However, before Xiang Wan could feel relieved for long, she thoroughly recognized Mrs. Lu's determination.
She herself didn't encounter any major incidents, but the people around her began to fall into misfortune one by one.
First was Xiang Yang.
While getting water from the supermarket, he was almost hit by a car.
Xiang Yang argued with the driver, and a conflict arose between them. Xiang Wan happened to encounter it on her way home from work.
Fearing that reporting the incident would leave him with a criminal record, Xiang Wan ultimately chose to settle it privately.
Back home, Xiang Yang told her that he felt like he was being followed recently, or perhaps someone had a crush on him.
A shadow always followed him, not too close and not too far, but when he looked closely, he couldn't discern who it was.
Xiang Wan's heart skipped a beat.
She knew immediately who was behind it.
She just didn't expect someone to be so despicable, not even sparing her brother to force her to leave Lu Mingzhe.
However, this situation wouldn't make Xiang Wan yield.
She told Xiang Yang.
"Control your temper from now on, don't get into conflicts with people easily. As long as we don't do anything that can be used against us, I don't believe anyone can do anything to you in broad daylight."
"If anything happens, call Lu Mingzhe. He will protect you."
Life continued.
Another week passed, and the 140,000 orders were finally all shipped.
Most of the feedback from fans was quite good; the conversion rate was high, and payments were received quickly.
Xiang Wan was contemplating whether to repay Tang Haichao or use the money to sell more of her other products during the Double Eleven rush when the real estate agent called.
After obtaining the property deed, she had gone to the agent to list the house for sale.
Within a few days, several buyers had inquired about the price.
Today's buyer was particularly sincere and offered a suitable price. The agent advised her to meet them.
Because the house was in a good location with high appreciation potential, the buyer was eager to purchase it.
The buyer was willing to add 500,000 yuan, even though Xiang Wan had only owned the house for two months.
The buyer was wealthy and didn't want to make a second trip. Xiang Wan also didn't have the time to keep going back and forth for the house.
After agreeing on the price, they proceeded to complete the paperwork on the spot.
The agent, delighted to have facilitated another big deal, chatted with Xiang Wan as she saw her out.
"Mr. Tang Haichao has also listed his house with us, but his is a full cash purchase, which is a bit more difficult than yours."
"Congratulations, young lady, for earning 500,000 yuan in two months. Remember to find me if you invest in real estate again."
This news came as a surprise, and Xiang Wan paused.
"You said who listed their house?"
"Mr. Tang Haichao. I thought you two were quite familiar since you chatted before..."
Why was he selling his house too? Didn't he always tell her he wasn't short of money?
Xiang Wan inquired about the reason from the agent, who said he wasn't very clear.
"For businessmen, there are always times of cash flow difficulties."
"However, most people choose to take out loans or ask friends for help. They wouldn't easily touch investment properties like houses... He must have encountered big trouble and is really unable to manage his finances."
For some reason, Xiang Wan thought of Mrs. Lu again.
She suspected that Tang Haichao wouldn't tell her the truth over the phone. For the first time, Xiang Wan drove to Tang Haichao's company.
Tang Haichao had previously told her the location of his interior design office, but she had never been there.
Upon arriving, she asked the security guard for the specific location. The guard looked her up and down with some confusion.
"Why are you looking for them? Are you renovating?"
Xiang Wan said yes.
"I advise you not to choose them."
The security guard, seeing that Xiang Wan was beautiful, kindly advised her.
"They just got into a lawsuit a couple of days ago, accused of deceiving homeowners and doing shoddy work. Several owners have jointly sued them for compensation."
"Some people even came to the office and trashed it. They haven't opened for business for the past two days."
Tang Haichao had been in the interior design business for many years, and everything had been fine before. Suddenly, so many people were accusing him of shoddy work?
Xiang Wan knew his character and didn't believe it was true.
She called Tang Haichao.
Tang Haichao was in the studio. Upon hearing she was downstairs, he came down to greet her.
As they went upstairs and saw his ransacked office with papers scattered everywhere, Xiang Wan felt an indescribable sense of guilt.
"Was it my fault? You never encountered such problems before, did you?"
Tang Haichao lounged casually on his desk, shrugging indifferently.
"At this point, who caused it doesn't matter. What matters is that through this incident, you've seen through human nature."
"Xiang Wan, take my advice. You're still young, and the child hasn't been born yet. Breaking up now is cutting your losses."
"Otherwise, after the child is born, your figure will change, and you'll have lost some leverage. If you want to leave with the child then, and the Lu family disagrees, it will be troublesome."
"But if you don't take the child, they will be your lifelong concern. Will you remarry or not?"
"Not remarry, and spend decades alone? Is that realistic? Remarry, and will you have another child?"
"Not have another child. Your maternal instincts will drive you to envy other people's children. Have another child, and you'll have someone to worry about for the rest of your life."
"I've been through this. Everything you're experiencing now is what I went through back then. It's truly difficult to endure, so think carefully."
Xiang Wan's mind was in turmoil. She left Tang Haichao in a daze. She didn't want to go back to work; she just wanted to see Lu Mingzhe.
She threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly, and asked if he loved her and if he would remain devoted to her forever.
Even if his mother threatened him with excuses like illness or death, would he still firmly choose her?
Driving to Lu Mingzhe's studio, the receptionist once again told her that Dr. Lu was not in.
"He had an appointment this afternoon and went out to meet someone."
"What do you mean by an appointment? A private date?"
"Probably. Mrs. Lu herself made the appointment. She had been trying to schedule it for several days, and Dr. Lu only managed to find time today."
Her again!
That omnipresent control freak!
"Do you know where they are meeting?"
The receptionist said, "I'm sorry, madam, I can't disclose that. You can call Dr. Lu yourself."
Of course, she would call.
Xiang Wan wished she could tell Lu Mingzhe everything right now, and then the three of them, her, Lu Mingzhe, and his mother, would sit down and discuss everything thoroughly!
How far would she have to go before she would let go?
In the past, she hadn't told Lu Mingzhe about her grievances, wanting to leave room for their mother-son relationship. In the end, she had been too lenient!
Xiang Wan stood at the office door and dialed Lu Mingzhe's number, but unfortunately, it was switched off.
Xiang Wan didn't know where to find him, so she could only get into her car and tell herself not to panic.
It was just a few hours' delay.
When Lu Mingzhe returned, she would expose her scheme!
However, she waited and waited, but by past ten o'clock at night, Lu Mingzhe had still not returned.