They surrounded me right after the breakup.

When Xia Yutong received the news, she had just laid out the old case files one by one on the long table in the archives.

The phone screen lit up briefly; Jiang Han had sent a photo.

The first image shows a screenshot of the real-time box office data for Nezha's opening day, followed by the second image, which shows the bet agreement signed at the beginning.

When Xia Yutong signed the bet, she thought she was taking a gamble, betting that Nezha's box office would never break 4 billion.

The first day's total reached 1.43 million, and the predicted final landing point range given by the model has steadily crossed that line.

The name she signed with such determination back then now seems like an answer that was already written.

Xia Yutong stared at the betting agreement for a few seconds, and inexplicably made up her mind.

The next morning, Xia Yutong drove to Liu Meng's house.

When Zhao Xiulan opened the door, she was still wearing her apron and holding a half-peeled bamboo shoot in her hand.

The living room was filled with the sweet aroma of bamboo shoots, and the clay pot on the stove was bubbling away.

The TV was on, showing the morning news, and the volume was turned down very low.

"Yutong? What brings you here today? Mengmeng is at the company."

"Auntie, I'm not here to see Sister Meng today. There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you privately."

Zhao Xiulan was taken aback. Xia Yutong's expression was calm, but the briefcase in her hand was much bulging than usual.

She put the bamboo shoots into the sink and took off her apron, draping it over the back of the chair.

Zhao Xiulan led Xia Yutong into the study and closed the door.

The study was small, with a row of bookshelves against the wall, displaying Liu Meng's university textbooks and several rows of industry reference books.

There was a half-empty cup of cold tea on the desk, and several well-worn accounting textbooks were stacked next to it.

Zhao Xiulan moved a half-dead asparagus fern on her desk to the side, freeing up half of the desk surface.

She sat down in the wicker chair, her hands folded on her knees, her posture upright.

"Yutong, you said you had something to talk to me about, is it about Mengmeng?"

Zhao Xiulan instinctively felt that her daughter's best friend might have noticed Liu Meng's relationship problems.

"No." Xia Yutong took a photocopy out of her briefcase and placed it on the table.

She turned to page seventeen, where Zhao Xiulan's name was circled in red.

"Auntie, you used to be the finance manager at Yuantao Building Materials."

"The founder of Yuantao Building Materials is surnamed Jiang and named Jiang Yuantao."

Zhao Xiulan's eyes changed.

She looked down at the yellowed photocopy, her own name on it, the handwriting faded by time.

"President Jiang..." Her voice was very soft, as if she were saying a name that hadn't been mentioned in a long time.

"Jiang Yuantao, President Jiang... how could I not remember!"

"At the company's last annual meeting, he said that we would have a larger venue next year."

"That year, he had just signed an annual supply contract with Liheng Real Estate and treated the whole company to a meal, taking turns toasting everyone."

"Later, the company disappeared, and I thought the Jiang family had long since left Jingzhou."

Xia Yutong interrupted the other person's recollection: "Jiang Han is Jiang Yuantao's son."

Zhao Xiulan's finger stopped on the photocopy.

She looked up at Xia Yutong, her lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.

The study remained quiet for a long time.

A bird flew past the window, its shadow flashing through the gap in the blinds.

"Jiang Zong's son." Zhao Xiulan picked up the photocopy.

He gently ran his thumb over his own name on it, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"That day when I went to Xingyue Media, the young man sitting across from me, was he President Jiang's son?"

"No wonder when I sat across from him, I always felt that he looked like someone else, his nose, eyebrows, eyes, and even the tone of his voice were similar, but I didn't dare to think that way."

"I thought to myself, 'This young man is so polite...'"

"I should have recognized him sooner. President Jiang treats his subordinates the same way; he never puts on airs."

Zhao Xiulan's voice was very low, as if she were talking to herself.

She looked up at Xia Yutong: "Does he know who I am?"

"I don't know yet. I haven't told Jiang Han."

Zhao Xiulan remained silent for a while before placing the list of creditors on the table.

She stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and took down a tin cookie box.

The box was opened, revealing several stacks of yellowed old documents inside.

Zhao Xiulan pulled out a handwritten ledger, the cover of which was written in neat penmanship: “Yuantao Building Materials - Accounts Receivable and Payable Details”.

"This is the original flow record from back then."

"Liheng Real Estate, Jiasheng Real Estate, and Rongbang Construction all withdrew their orders for the same reason: the quality of the supplied goods did not meet the standards."

"But I kept the quality inspection reports for every batch of goods. I raised objections back then, but later withdrew them."

"Because someone came to my house and tried to persuade me to drop the lawsuit, I couldn't fight them, so I signed it."

Zhao Xiulan turned to one of the pages and pointed to several lines of numbers circled in red pen.

"On the day I signed the withdrawal of the lawsuit, I remembered what President Jiang said to me downstairs. He said that the company could not hold on and that I should prepare in advance and not to testify for him, because he did not want to implicate anyone."

"I'm sorry to President Jiang; I didn't even have the courage to speak up for him in the end."

By the end, Zhao Xiulan was visibly emotional, her voice choked with uncontrollable sobs.

Xia Yutong looked at the ledger, the entries of which were copied neatly.

"Auntie, this ledger can be used as evidence. If the case from back then can be reopened, the ledger and the quality inspection report will be the key to overturning the verdict."

Zhao Xiulan did not answer.

Her gaze lingered on the half-dead asparagus fern outside the window for a long time.

"Does Mengmeng know about these things?"

"have no idea."

"I, as her mother, can see her feelings for Jiang Han."

"She herself probably hasn't figured it out yet, but I can tell."

Zhao Xiulan shifted her gaze from the asparagus fern to Xia Yutong.

"If this ledger is really used to overturn the case, Mengmeng will find out sooner or later that her mother withdrew the lawsuit in her old employer's case and signed the papers."

"I know my mother couldn't step in to save the family of the person she loved."

"What do you think she's thinking?"

Xia Yutong closed her notebook: "Auntie, I don't dare answer this question for Sister Meng."

"Yutong, why did you come to me first instead of telling Jiang Han first?"

"Because you are the most crucial link in the chain of evidence, I need to confirm your willingness to cooperate before I can speak to Jiang Han."

Zhao Xiulan nodded.

She stood up, walked to the desk, and stacked the handwritten ledger and the quality inspection report together.

Along with pay slips and social security transfer records, everything was pushed in front of Xia Yutong.

"Take all of these; you decide how to use them."

Xia Yutong took the stack of documents and put them into her briefcase.

She stood up and bowed slightly to Zhao Xiulan.

Zhao Xiulan grasped her hand; her palm was warm and her grip was strong.

"Auntie has a favor to ask you: don't tell Mengmeng yet."

"Her feelings for Jiang Han are too deep, so deep that even she herself can't see them clearly. Don't burden her with my old grievances."

"Okay! You can decide when to talk to Sister Meng yourself. I won't speak first."

Xia Yutong carried her briefcase out of the study, changed her shoes in the entryway, and opened the door.

Having obtained the most crucial evidence and met with the most important witnesses, it's time for this old case to resurface.

Zhao Xiulan stood at the door for a long time until Xia Yutong's figure disappeared.

……