Chapter 31
When I gave her a positive answer, the old lady's eyes immediately welled up with tears. She grabbed my hand, her wrinkled hands trembling slightly with excitement.
Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but the surge of emotions left her momentarily speechless.
The old man beside her also stood up excitedly. He placed his hand on the old lady's shoulder, his eyes shining with a mixture of relief and heartache. "We found you, finally found you... child, we... we took a long flight just to come see you."
Took a flight? My heart stirred, though I kept my expression neutral.
These two elderly people who looked like they came from a remote area had actually flown here.
I pushed down my doubts and patiently tried to calm them down, helping the old lady sit back down. "Please don't get too excited. Take your time. Did you come looking for me because of something urgent?"
"No, no," the old lady waved her hands repeatedly. She wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, her cloudy eyes staring at me without blinking, as if trying to etch my appearance deep into her memory. "We just wanted to come see you, talk to you, and see... if you're doing well."
This made me even more confused.
They came all this way just to see if I was doing well? That didn't make sense.
But their eyes were sincere, showing genuine concern that didn't seem fake.
We spent a long time chatting in that small meeting room.
It was mostly small talk, asking how I was doing.
I patiently answered, saying everything was fine and that my colleagues and boss were all very good to me.
When I mentioned "my boss takes good care of me," the old lady's eyes flickered, and she asked softly, "Really? That's good, that's good... Young people just starting have it tough, but as long as people are kind and good-hearted, they won't be treated badly."
Her words seemed to carry a deeper meaning. My heart tightened, but I pretended not to understand and just nodded with a smile.
Just then, the meeting room door was roughly pushed open. Amelia's heavily made-up face appeared at the doorway, full of impatience.
"Are you hiding here, slacking off?" Her sharp voice cut through the warm atmosphere in the room. She glanced disdainfully at the plainly dressed elderly couple. "Where are the documents I asked you to organize? And make copies of all the project files from last quarter for me. I need them within half an hour!"
She barked orders imperiously, completely ignoring the two elderly people beside me.
The smiles on the old lady's and the old man's faces instantly froze. They looked at Amelia, then at me, their eyes showing some worry and understanding.
I stood up, showing just the right amount of apology and difficulty on my face. "I'm really sorry, I need to get back to work."
"Go ahead, go ahead, don't let us hold up your work," the old man urged understandingly.
But the old lady held onto my hand. She stood up, glanced at Amelia in the distance, then turned back to me with an almost pleading tone, "If it's not too much trouble, could you walk us down to the entrance?"
I was a bit surprised but nodded. "Of course."
I helped the old lady, and together with the old man, we walked out of the meeting room.
Amelia stood in the hallway with her arms crossed, let out a cold snort, and walked away, clicking her high heels.
I supported the two elderly people as we slowly crossed the mirror-like lobby toward the entrance.
Along the way, they didn't say anything more. The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
It wasn't until we walked out of the office building that a cold breeze hit us, and I pulled my coat tighter.
"Alright, we'll say goodbye here." The old lady stopped, let go of my hand, and her face showed a warm smile again. "We're relieved just to have seen you today."
I was about to say some polite words when a black Bentley Mulsanne silently glided up in front of us and stopped smoothly. Its sleek body lines and understated, luxurious paint gleamed particularly striking in the sunlight.
A driver in a black suit and white gloves quickly got out, respectfully opened the rear door, and bowed slightly to the elderly couple. "Sir, Ma'am, we can go now."
The smile on my face completely froze when I saw this scene.
The plainly dressed elderly people before me, and the multi-million dollar luxury car behind them, created a powerfully striking yet absurd picture.
The shock in my heart was beyond words.
These two people who looked like they had traveled with difficulty from a remote town were actually wealthy people who needed a driver's respectful service.
So what was the point of the awkwardness and humility they showed in front of me earlier?
The old lady seemed to notice the shock in my expression. Not only did she not let go, but she held my hand even tighter. Her smile remained warm, but her tone carried a hint of firmness. "Get in the car, and we'll talk. It's windy out here."
Her other hand had already opened the car door, pulling me toward the car without giving me a choice.
I instinctively wanted to refuse, but when I met her eyes—seemingly cloudy yet actually clear—the words of refusal got stuck in my throat.
I suddenly realized that perhaps they had been testing me from the very beginning.
I followed her pull and got into the car.
The moment the door closed, it shut out all the noise from outside. The car's interior was spacious, with thick cashmere carpeting. The air carried a faint woody fragrance that strangely blended with the simple soap scent on the elderly couple.
"Have you been wronged?" The old lady got straight to the point.
She was referring to how Amelia had just bossed me around.
My heart tightened slightly, but I put on a proper smile and shook my head. "You've misunderstood. That was just our director assigning work normally. Maybe her tone was a bit urgent, but it's nothing."
"Nothing?" The old man finally spoke. His voice wasn't as gentle as before, but carried a calm sharpness of someone long in a position of authority. "We saw everything. She was clearly making things difficult for you. You don't need to hide it from us. Are you facing some difficulty? Just tell us, and we can help you solve it."
His words carried an undeniable power.
I was almost certain that if I just nodded, Amelia could completely disappear from this company tomorrow.
The temptation was huge, but I couldn't accept it.
My life—only if I take it back with my own hands would it truly be a win.
Relying on anyone's charity could become a lever to control me in the future.
I lowered my eyes, my voice soft but firm. "Thank you so much, but these are just small work matters I can handle. They're not really difficulties."
I defined their goodwill as an elder's care for a younger person, skillfully avoiding that overly heavy "help."
The car fell into a brief silence.
The old lady looked at me deeply. That gaze was complex—showing heartache, approval, and finally turning into a soft sigh.
She didn't insist further, just took out a gold-embossed business card from a cloth bag beside her and pressed it into my palm. "This is my private number. Remember, no matter when, if you encounter trouble you can't solve yourself, you can call me."
I looked down at the card. It only had a surname, "Lewis," and a phone number.
I solemnly put the card away. "Thank you."
The car slowly started moving. I watched the black Bentley merge into traffic until I could no longer see it.
The cold early winter wind blew on my face, but I felt like I was carrying a ball of fire in my heart—burning hot and full of unknowns.
I carefully searched my mind for this surname but came up with nothing.
Who were they exactly? And why did they care so much about me?
I returned to the office. Amelia's harassment continued, but my heart was already calm as still water.
All her tactics now seemed as childish as a kid's game to me.
Just as I was about to deal with that pile of moldy documents, my personal phone rang.
I walked to a corner where no one was around and pressed the answer button.