Journey of Lies

"Auntie, I'm leaving Bangkok for Chiang Mai tomorrow. I'll keep you updated on the details of selling the house then..."

On the other end of the phone, Li Shuping's voice choked up again, "I had already changed how I addressed you, but when you call me 'Auntie,' it really hurts me... Xiaxia, thank you for everything, we are the ones who owe you this."

Jiang Xia felt a lump in her throat, but she forced herself to hold back her emotions and not break down.

Even if Xiujie is gone, I will still treat you and Uncle as family. As family, there's no need to talk about owing each other anything.

"Xiaxia, your uncle and I have already agreed that once that house in Chiang Mai is sold, all the money will be yours."

Jiang Xia knew that it wasn't a good time to refuse, so he decided to comfort Li Shuping first, "You and Uncle should take good care of yourselves. Once things are settled here, I'll hurry back."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Xia couldn't help but tear up.

After Hsu Hsiu-chieh passed away, she almost never let herself break down.

I got up to wash my face, but then I heard the doorbell ring.

"Hello?" Jiang Xia asked loudly.

No one answered. Jiang Xia walked closer and saw through the peephole that it was the man in the floral shirt.

After hesitating for two seconds, Jiang Xia opened the door.

"What's up?"

"Is this yours?" Sheng Zhi held up the sunglasses.

Jiang Xia frowned, went back to her room to look for it, and found that her sunglasses were indeed missing.

"Where did you find this?" Jiang Xia reached out and took it, confirming that it was his own.

Sheng Zhi smiled faintly, observing her expression to make sure she wasn't suspicious. "You look like you've just been crying."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia subconsciously lowered her head and hurriedly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes with her fingertips.

Sheng Zhi handed her a tissue, bent down to meet her gaze, and said with a smile, "I really can't bear to see a woman cry. Do you need my help?"

Jiang Xia was surprised that this man, whom she had only met twice, was so glib. She took a step back, her voice becoming cold and resistant: "No need, I don't know you."

He blocked the door, and Jiang Xia frowned: "What are you doing?!"

"All relationships start from strangers, don't they?" Sheng Zhi leaned against the door, looking like he was determined to harass her.

Jiang Xia simply walked out of the room. Seeing that the corridor was empty, she felt uneasy. "If you don't leave, I'm going downstairs to find someone from the hotel."

Fortunately, the man didn't bother her anymore, and Jiang Xia went back to her room and immediately called the front desk to complain.

But when faced with the solutions offered by the front desk staff, Jiang Xia lost interest.

She didn't want to see that man in the floral shirt again, so there was no need for him to come and apologize.

She doesn't need an upgrade, even if it's for a room upgrade, since she's checking out first thing tomorrow morning.

In the end, she only accepted the hotel's Western-style lunch and two-hour spa service.

Since Xu Xiujie left, she hadn't had a good night's sleep. After arriving in Bangkok, she suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, tossing and turning all night.

Jiang Xia changed into her swimsuit and planned to swim in the pool downstairs until she was tired, then get a spa massage, hoping that this would help her sleep better.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Xia had just swum a lap when she caught a glimpse of the man swimming past her in a freestyle style, splashing water all over her.

"you--"

Upon hearing the sound, Sheng Zhi stopped and stood up in the water, his chest and above were completely above the surface. His originally slightly curly hair was now swept back, and his peach blossom eyes were covered with thick eyelashes, which were now glistening with water droplets.

"What a coincidence?" Sheng Zhi grinned, his row of white teeth as dazzling as the ripples in the pool.

Sheng Zhi's gaze lingered on her without any attempt to conceal it. Jiang Xia subconsciously covered her chest, then remembered that she was wearing a high-necked, tight-fitting swimsuit. She glared at him irritably and waded away from him.

Suddenly, Jiang Xia placed his right hand over his left and fumbled between his fingers.

Where's the ring?

Jiang Xia panicked completely. He first searched his body without finding anything, then searched the pool area lap by lap.

Worried about being sucked into the drain, Jiang Xia had no choice but to go to the safety officer by the pool.

After communicating with the safety officer, the safety officer went to apply to his superiors to stop the water valve replacement.

After leaving the pool, Jiang Xia stood by the pool and shivered from the cold wind.

Sheng Zhi watched from afar and, seeing that she seemed lost and confused, followed her ashore out of concern.

……

A hotel bathrobe appeared in front of her. Jiang Xia looked up at him, hesitated for a moment, but still took it, pulled off the soaking wet towel, and put on the dry bathrobe.

At this moment, the safety officer returned and informed Jiangxia that the valve had been shut off.

The ring was not found near the filter. The safety officer said that if they wanted to search more carefully, they could either go into the water themselves and search slowly, or wait until the water was drained on the regular water change day. Considering the high cost of water changes, their hotel will not change the water until the beginning of next month.

"What kind of ring is it?" Sheng Zhi asked.

Jiang Xia, wrapped in a bathrobe, said, "It's my wedding ring."

After saying that, Jiang Xia looked at the guests in the pool, as if God was punishing her.

In the end, Jiang Xia didn't find the ring, but registered the information, hoping they would keep an eye out on the water-changing day next month.

Having lost her wedding ring, Jiang Xia lost all interest in the spa and went straight back to her room.

Sheng Zhi returned to his room after swimming, just as Hu Junxi called.

"I found it. Jiang Xia booked a flight to Chiang Mai for tomorrow afternoon, departing at 3 PM."

Sheng Zhi turned on speakerphone and replied while showering, "Order one for me."

"It's booked, but I'm still not sure which hotel she'll stay at." Hu Junxi was a little troubled, after all, the client had given too little information.

Sheng Zhi let the warm water wash over his body, thinking about the real estate-related documents he had photographed after sneaking into Jiang Xia's room yesterday...

"I roughly know which district she lives in. I'll send it to you later."

"Wow, not bad progress!" Hu Junxi teased.

Sheng Zhi turned off the shower and casually grabbed a towel to dry himself. "She got married, and just lost her wedding ring today. She's almost crying."

"It turns out she's married... I hope the client won't ask you to do anything immoral, like breaking up someone else's family?"

Sheng Zhi tossed her hair. "If she's married, why would she come to Bangkok alone?"

"She might be feeling restless and lonely!"

Sheng Zhi chuckled and hung up the phone.

He has seen all sorts of men and women in Thailand over the years.

This woman named Jiang Xia is indeed a bit different.