The phone was almost answered instantly.
"Mr. Pei."
"Investigate Yan Qiubai."
Pei Jiangmu's voice was as cold as ice as he issued the order directly.
"Focus on his experiences before he returned to China, especially all his experiences during his teenage years abroad. Don't miss any clues that might suggest an encounter with Zhaozhao."
"I want to know exactly what his so - called 'childhood sweethearts' relationship is all about."
On the other end of the phone, Qi Yu obviously paused for a moment, seemingly a bit surprised by this order, but quickly regained his professionalism.
"Yes, Mr. Pei. I'll mobilize all resources to investigate immediately."
After hanging up the phone, Pei Jiangmu looked at the closed attic door again, his gaze as deep as the sea.
He would never allow anyone to hurt her or take her away from him in any way.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the corridor window, stretching his tall and straight figure very long.
Half of his body was bathed in the light, while the other half was hidden in the shadows, like a fierce beast guarding a precious treasure, quietly but full of deadly danger.
Inside the room, Meng Ruozhao slowly raised her head. Through her tear - blurred eyes, her gaze fell on the slowly setting sun outside the window.
Her mind was still in a jumble, but one thought was becoming clearer and clearer—Yan Qiubai knew about her past.
And the information he revealed was completely different from what Du Feng had said.
What on earth was the truth?
She wiped away her tears, and a glint of unprecedented determination flashed in her eyes.
She had to find out, no matter what.
After an unknown amount of time, Pei Jiangmu went downstairs, planning to pour a glass of water for Meng Ruozhao.
Yan Qiubai was no longer downstairs. Yi Mo was standing in the middle of the hall.
She was craning her neck, about to make a phone call to find someone when she saw Pei Jiangmu coming downstairs. Her expression immediately relaxed.
"Isn't Zhaozhao in the store? I finished filming early today, so I came to see you guys."
She was still carrying milk tea and snacks in her hands.
Seeing that Yan Qiubai had left, Pei Jiangmu put away his previous cold expression and replaced it with his usual gentle and harmless look.
"She's resting upstairs. Sit down first. I'll go and call her."
Hearing that Meng Ruozhao was resting and seeing that Pei Jiangmu had just come downstairs, Yi Mo's expression immediately became ambiguous.
"What were you guys doing upstairs during the day? Hehe."
After laughing, she felt that she seemed a bit too vulgar, so she quickly coughed lightly and composed herself.
"Well, I'm just joking. Cough. Go and call her. I'll just look around by myself first."
There were also ready - made clothes on display in the store. Her eyes lit up as soon as she came in.
Pei Jiangmu gave a soft grunt and turned around to go back upstairs.
"Sister, Yi Mo is here."
He knocked on the door but didn't go in immediately, leaving enough time for Meng Ruozhao to collect her emotions.
"Got it. I'm coming."
Meng Ruozhao replied to him quickly, but it still took several minutes for her to come out.
"Are you okay?"
Pei Jiangmu looked down at her, his voice full of concern.
"I'm fine. Let's go."
Although her eye sockets were still a bit red, if one didn't look closely, they wouldn't be able to tell that she had just been crying.
Pei Jiangmu had no choice but to stop asking and silently followed her downstairs.
Yi Mo was admiring a black cheongsam with dark patterns. She was so absorbed that she didn't even notice Meng Ruozhao standing behind her.
"Momo, why did you come?"
Meng Ruozhao reached out and patted her.
She hadn't gone to the film crew today, and Yi Mo hadn't mentioned that she was coming to the store.
Only then did Yi Mo turn around and smile, "I had a smooth shoot today and finished early, so I came to see you two. Come on, let's have some milk tea first."
She warmly pulled Meng Ruozhao to sit on the sofa.
"To be honest, Zhaozhao, your craftsmanship is amazing. Did you make all these beautiful clothes in this room?"
She pointed at the clothes on the hangers around her, her voice full of admiration.
Meng Ruozhao smiled, "Not all of them. There are two full - time employees in the store. Some of them are their works."
"Then you guys are really amazing. You're really the people I've always had high hopes for since childhood."
Yi Mo didn't stint on her praise.
Thanks to this enthusiastic praise, Meng Ruozhao's previously low mood improved a little.
Pei Jiangmu, who was sitting nearby, had been observing her expression. Seeing her really smile, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then went to cut a piece of cake and bring it over.
Yi Mo looked a bit embarrassed at the sight of the cake.
"If my agent knew that I was having milk tea and cake, she'd probably make me run all night."
As a female star, even if she wasn't very famous, there were strict dietary restrictions.
High - sugar and high - calorie foods were absolutely off - limits on normal days.
Meng Ruozhao knew the requirements of their profession and didn't force her. She just said, "It's okay. You don't have to eat it."
Although she thought that having a small piece of cake once in a while wouldn't hurt.
But she would never persuade forcefully.
Because she never liked imposing her own ideas on others in the name of "for your own good".
Yi Mo hesitated for a moment but still couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious food. After all, the cake looked really delicious.
"Then I'll just take a bite, just one bite."
Saying that, she scooped up a small piece of cake and put it into her mouth. Immediately, her eyes widened.
"Hey, where did you buy this cake? It's really delicious."
She had gone abroad at a young age and, influenced by the local diet, preferred sweet foods.
Before becoming an actress, she had eaten a lot of desserts.
But this piece was definitely in the top three of all the delicious desserts she had ever eaten.
It was sweet but not cloying and had a rich flavor.
Meng Ruozhao pointed at Pei Jiangmu, "He brought it. He bought it at school."
Yi Mo was shocked again, "Hey, is the dessert industry this competitive now? A campus bakery can make such a delicious cake."
"My goodness, we Chinese people are really competitive in everything. I have to step up my game too!"
Meng Ruozhao didn't expect her to suddenly get so "fired up". She was stunned for a moment and then burst out laughing.
"Yi Mo, you're so cute."
She couldn't help pinching her face, feeling really fond of her.
She really believed now that Yi Mo was her best friend, because her personality and appearance were exactly to her liking.
Seeing Meng Ruozhao looking at her with bright eyes, Yi Mo also laughed. She tilted her head and leaned on Meng Ruozhao's shoulder.
"So do you like this cute me a little more today?"
She was acting coquettishly.
"Yes, I like Momo baby the most."
Meng Ruozhao raised her hand and stroked her face, interacting with her very naturally.
It was as if they had never been separated for all these years.
Pei Jiangmu was sitting on a chair a bit farther away, but his gaze never left them.
Now seeing Meng Ruozhao praising and touching another person and even calling her "baby", he was almost crazy with jealousy.
Yes, even if it was a girl, it still made him extremely jealous.
That was why he used to be reluctant to let her make friends.
She was always kind to others.
And he couldn't stand it the most when her attention wasn't on him.