This Damned Sweetness

Chapter 24:

Twenty-one hours later, ten o’clock in the morning Milan time.

The Emmanuel II promenade had just awakened in the warm morning light, and travelers from all over the world poured in in an endless stream.

As always, this fashionable commercial street, which is well-known in Italy and the world, has gathered countless luxury enthusiasts, unabated in the cold early winter season.

Xu Qiao pushed the coat box into the cross arcade, stopped in front of an independent store called “Y&E” in Jiaoli, took off her sunglasses and knocked on the glass door twice.

The Chinese woman in the shop who was wiping the window raised her eyes and beckoned to her in surprise: “Alice!”

Xu Qiao pushed the door inside.

This is a small and well-known one-stop private custom-made jewelry brand in the wealthy circle of Italy. The hostess Yu Jin is a Chinese jewelry designer, and the host Elio is an Italian fashion designer. The two went from being a partner to entering the marriage hall seven years ago, and they are still in love with each other, and they have achieved a rare story in the industry.

Xu Qiao and his wife met at Milan Spring/Summer Fashion Week three years ago because of the same aesthetic tastes.

“Ellio!” Yu Jin shouted into the room while taking over Xu Qiao’s coat box, “Come on, your muse is here early!”

Xu Qiao made a “stop” gesture: “I don’t accept the flattery, I just occasionally blow the rainbow fart to him.”

“This is already very rare! His style is seldom eaten in China. Every time you finish complimenting him, he can sit in front of the computer and draw the design all night with excitement! I didn’t see you this autumn and winter fashion week, he Deceased for a whole week and refused to work!”

An Italian word came from inside, it was Elliot saying “I will change my clothes again”.

Yujin rolled his eyes: “Listen, I’m going to be jealous of you!”

Xu Qiao could roughly understand a few words in Italian, and raised her hand to surrender: “Don’t worry, I have no interest in men with beards.”

Inside Elio replied in bad Chinese: “I will cut it right away!”

This is of course a joke.

When Elio came out to greet Xu Qiao in full dress, she still saw his beard.

“Isn’t it the day after tomorrow? I’m not ready!” Elio complained.

The smile on Xu Qiao’s face diminished.

According to the original plan, she would go shopping for a few days in Milan and then find Yujin and Elio to talk about the old. But when she first arrived from Paris to Milan, she received news from her dad. Xu Kangrong said that she was a little tight and asked her to Send him some of the remaining money in Cary and return it as soon as possible.

She turned her big head around, and only left her pocket money. After a day, she used it seven or eight. She urged her dad to support her this morning, but found that the familys cell phone was turned off collectively, but the companys phone was able to get through. No one answered.

She wanted to ask Zhu Li if something went wrong in her family, but Zhu Li also lost contact.

She didn’t even have the money left to buy a plane ticket to return to the country, and she was a little flustered. She was unaccompanied in Milan and could only ask Yujin and Elio for help.

When the two heard about this, their joking attitudes stopped.

“Of course we are willing to lend you money, but I think you should first figure out what happened at home, so rush back, what if something bad happens?” Yu Jin said, “You are still close at home. Friends of yours? Try to contact us, it’s impossible for everyone to disappear!”

Xu Qiao’s restlessness was completely exposed at the reminder of these words, and her hand trembling slightly while flipping through the phone address book.

Before finding the right candidate, there was a sudden shaking in the palm of his hand.

She almost fell the phone, and after she managed to hold it securely, she saw a text message from Xu Kangrong. The message bar displayed the opening sentence: “Qiao Qiao, I’m sorry, Dad…”

Her heart sank to the bottom in an instant, and her fingertips hovered on the top of the screen for a long time without pressing.

All bad conjectures flooded into my mind in an instant.

Yujin held her shoulder: “Look, at least it means that your father is fine, doesn’t it?”

Xu Qiao nodded blankly, and opened the SMS details page.

“Qiaoqiao, Dad, I’m sorry. Dad thought everything would get better, so he kept hiding from you. In fact, Jinlu suffered a huge financial crisis in the middle of this year. Dad worked hard for half a year, but he still owed the company. A large loan from the bank. The company will go into bankruptcy and liquidation soon. All of our movable and immovable properties, including your luxury goods, will be forcibly auctioned by the bank. Sorry, Qiao Qiao, Dad didnt leave anything for you. Dad can only promise that these debts will not fall on your shoulders…”

Xu Qiao looked at the densely packed screen chaotically. She knew how to write and read these words separately, but what they meant when combined together made her extremely puzzled at this moment, so that every sentence You have to go back twice to understand it.

“This is a regularly sent text message. When you see these words, Yan Wei has already followed his mother to other countries, and his father has also gone to Southeast Asia. Dad has some old friends here, and will find ways to find business opportunities to make a comeback, but it’s too much here. Its a mixed bag and its not convenient to take you with you at the moment. If you listen to your father, go back to your country to find a friend to take you in for a while. When your father settles down, you must contact you as soon as possible. Finally, father knows that you cannot abandon your mothers letter more than those luxury goods Before my father leaves, take them out of the safe and entrust them to the second son of the Cheng family. You can ask him to get them. Take care of yourself, don’t mess with your body, be worthy of your mother, and wait for your father to come back to pick you up.”

The shop was so quiet that you could hear the needle drop, Xu Qiao held the phone blankly and said nothing.

In a dead silence, a customer opened the door, and Ellio waved his hand to express his apologies that he couldn’t do business today.

Xu Qiao seemed to be awakened by the movement, and finally understood what was going on. She raised her head dullly, looked at Yu Jin and said, “We have nothing in our house, I have nothing…”

Yu Jin feels that Xu Qiao’s reaction as a wealthy daughter who has experienced great changes in her family can be regarded as calm.

There was no crying, nor madness. After a long time without dripping in, she seemed to suddenly remembered her fathers instructions to take care of herself, saying that she had low blood sugar and could not stop eating, so she immediately stuffed her with milk. Slice of toast.

Although Yu Jin and Xu Qiao are very speculative in jewelry design, their understanding of her is only on the surface, so they can’t tell whether she is really calm or pretending to be calm.

But no matter what, Yu Jin is from the perspective of the bystander, and his head is clearer than Xu Qiao, who has been hit hard.

So in the evening, when Xu Qiao asked to listen to her father and buy a plane ticket to return to China, Yu Jin stopped her.

“I don’t think you can return to China now.” Yu Jin said, “You haven’t contacted your girlfriend all day today. Will you definitely find her after you return to China?”

Xu Qiao lowered her eyes: “The people in her family really don’t like our house very much, maybe…”

“It may be that their family is unwilling to disturb the muddy water. She was forced to cut off contact with you because of her family’s prevention. So you may not be able to find her to take care of her when you go back now. Your company has not officially entered the bankruptcy process. No liquidation compensation. If you dont have a place to stay in the North City, you may be in trouble.”

“You don’t have family there anymore. It’s unknown if your former friends are still incomprehensible. Why rush back to get yourself into trouble? Your visa hasn’t expired, so it’s better to avoid the limelight here.”

Xu Qiao shook her head: “But now I am penniless and can’t afford Milan’s high board and lodging expenses.”

Yu Jin laughed: “Why? Your talent is the most valuable thing in you. Why do the jewelry and clothing you look at are always sought after by trend authorities, they say it is koi luck? I don’t believe it, Alice, it’s clear Its strength. Elio and I dont mind the number of tables and chopsticks at home. The value you can bring to us may be a thousand times or ten thousand times the cost of accommodation.”

“I say so now, maybe I mean to take advantage of the fire…” Yu Jin stood up and reached out to her, “but I’m really happy, you are willing to trust me when you are in trouble, and when your father comes to pick you up and do it again. Before Miss, would you like to work for me for a few days?”

Xu Qiao temporarily accepted Yu Jin’s proposal.

Although she believes that Yu Jin is to protect her self-esteem, she proposes to work for her, but it seems that returning to China is indeed more risky than meaningful, so after thinking about it for a few hours, she decided to stay and watch. change.

Maybe, maybe Dad will pick her up soon.

It’s just that there is still something to explain in China.

That night, Xu Qiao came to Yujin and Elios home in Milan with luggage. Before going to bed in the early morning, she held her mobile phone and read Xu Kangrongs text messages repeatedly. She was really very sorry for him giving her mothers letter to Cheng Lang. Puzzled.

Xu Kangrong’s cell phone has been turned off, so she can only contact Cheng Lang to try.

After releasing Cheng Lang’s number from the blacklist in the address book, she dialed his phone, which rang three times and the phone was connected.

It should be early morning in China…

At this moment, Xu Qiao had a strange soreness in her nose.

All day today, she made countless phone calls and listened to the cold mechanical female voice over and over again. Only this call made at a slightly disturbing time was unexpectedly answered.

Perhaps because of this, she couldn’t hold back the tears all day long, and when her eyes became hot, she subconsciously hung up the phone.

On the other end of the phone, Gao Rui in the office was so anxious that a girl stomped!

“Oh, are you too slow to pick up!” Gao Rui looked at Cheng Lang with a hatred of iron and steel. “You picked up your phone with one click. What do you want it to ring three times?”

Cheng Lang glanced at him and looked at the phone screen without speaking. Five minutes later, the cell phone never rang again, so he called back.

After the same three sounds, Xu Qiao’s vaguely thick nasal voice resounded on the other end: “Hey…”

Cheng Lang let out an “um”.

Gao Rui: “…” Hmm, constipation? Can you speak well? This burns eyebrows and remembers you two are in the cold war?

Obviously, Cheng Lang’s “um”, which sounds lighter than plain water, also impacted Xu Qiao. She died suddenly.

Cheng Lang then answered: “What’s the matter?”

Gao Rui: “…” You are indifferent, you are awesome, you are an ATM with no emotion!

“Did my dad give you something?” Xu Qiao said with a sense of unwillingness.

“Yes.”

“Do you know everything about my family?”

“Ok.”

“That…” Xu Qiao hesitated.

This “that” seemed to overlap with a certain moment in the past, and a slight smile appeared on Cheng Lang’s serious face: “That?”

“Then can you send me something?”

“…”

As if the quintessence of the country changed his face, Cheng Lang’s smile disappeared in an instant: “Where is it sent?”

“Milan.”

“Who is responsible for losing it so far?”

“Ah, will you lose it? I used to send and receive things internationally, and I have never lost it.”

“That’s a big piece, what do you think of such thin sheets of paper?”

“What should I do, I am not going back to China now…”

“Not returning home?”

Gao Rui swallowed nervously, and silently lit wax for Cheng Lang.

To talk about this, you have to start talking about it the night before when Cheng Lang got the news that Xu Kangrong was running away.

Cheng Lang spread his contacts in Europe. He made a decisive decision and asked the people in Milan to intercept Xu Kangrong at the airport.

The next step is a cross-border negotiation.

Cheng Lang asked about Xu Kangrong’s debt situation on the phone.

Xu Kangrong said that the company and the banks apparent debts can basically be paid off after the companys bankruptcy and liquidation are completed and the property under the name is forced to auction. What’s more troublesome is that he used to have good gambling luck. In the past few months, he wanted to use gambling to turn over to rescue the company, but his luck ended. The last debt was on this loan shark, which turned into a bad debt.

However, there was still room for maneuver in the original situation, and it was not serious enough to run away. He sent Xu Qiao abroad just in case. Who wants Yan Lizhen to suddenly take money and run away. When this news leaks, the creditor must feel that Xu’s family is finished when he hears it, and rushes to collect the debt. He was worried that those who had been taught and taught by others would be troubled by Xu Qiao, so Jin Chan escaped and hurried to Milan.

The usury owed by Xu Kangrong is of course an astronomical figure for the Xu family facing bankruptcy.

But for the Cheng family, it’s just a small amount of money that can be earned back soon.

So Cheng Lang made a deal with Xu Kangrong-he helped Xu family pay off the usury at one time, and introduced Xu Kangrong a business route in Southeast Asia, provided that Xu Kangrong could not take Xu Qiao away.

Xu Kangrong should understand the meaning behind this condition, but he has no choice.

Those usury creditors are gangsters who can chop people and smash them for debt collection. Owing to a debt, Xu Qiao followed him in bed and sleep, and even his personal safety could not be guaranteed. He couldn’t imagine what he might suffer if his daughter is so beautiful.

In such a comparison, it is better to let her daughter stay with Cheng Lang than to be displaced.

Things have deteriorated to this point, and living is the most important thing.

Therefore, Xu Kangrong agreed to Cheng Lang due to the situation, and according to his explanation, sent Xu Qiao a text message, omitting the heavy part about loan sharking and Yan Lizhen’s money run away, and gave a few words lightly.

According to Gao Rui’s understanding, the matter is resolved here, and the next step is for Cheng Lang to take Xu Qiao back to the country and settle down.

But the brain circuits of these wealthy people are really different from ordinary people.

When most people do this, they must feel that “I have spent so much money for you, so I must immediately let you know and move you”.

But President Cheng felt that “you don’t care about me, I still spend so much money for you, and I am not cheap, I must let you come to me by yourself”.

Therefore, Cheng Lang sent someone to confirm Xu Qiao’s whereabouts in Milan, and after ensuring her safety, he had been waiting for her to ask him for help.

As a result, until now, the little girl said-“Don’t go home.”

Gao Rui was anxious, but Gao Rui could not say.

“What can you do in Milan without returning home?” Cheng Lang asked.

Perhaps it was the incomprehensible electromagnetic waves that added a contemptuous tone to his ordinary question. Xu Qiao was silent on the other side and became more real: “I am not a waste of life without my family! I am here! Milan has found a job! You give me the letter to keep it safe, and I will hire someone to pick it up.” He hung up after speaking.

Rao Cheng Lang, a person like Cheng Lang, who is so calm and calm, was also angrily laughed. He pointed to the interrupted call interface and asked Gao Rui: “What is she doing? I am the penniless person?”

Gao Rui sighed and said yes, isn’t it about feelings that are the first to be the first to be poor?

Cheng Lang asked, he didn’t seem to want to get an answer. After a moment of silence, he calmed down and said, “One week, at most half a month, get people back to Beicheng.”