Chapter 309: The secret room
The next day, Jinhai had to go to the Liu Corps to check on some arrangements for the surprise he had planned for Nana today. He had asked Xin to fetch a bunch of stuff. He wore on his black coat and adjusted his tie.
Sitting on the bed, Nana was drying her hair, who had just come out of a shower.
“Are you going to the office today?”
Jinhai warmly smiled at her. He placed a peck on her forehead. “Yes. Remember that today I have to give you a grand surprise? So I have to ensure that you will be just as happy like when you were at our wedding night,” he tapped on her nose.
From tomorrow, Nana was going to live in the Liang villa, so he wanted to spend a special night with her. Thankfully his surprise was just the night before she was going to leave.
“I see,” Nana paused for a moment before she asked, “Can I come with you to the office today?”
Jinhai blinked his eyes in surprise. “What will you do?”
“Ah, …it’s been quite a while since I met Peng Meixiu and the other secretaries. I was feeling bored here anyway, so I think I will spend some time with them in the office today.”
Jinhai sighed. “Are you sure? You will be more bored in the office.”
Nana nodded.
Jinhai gave up. “As my wife says. Let’s go.”
—
The employees at Liu Corps straightened up as they saw their boss and lady boss entering. They were in awe, seeing the beautiful couple. Even with her baby bump, Nana looked so elegant and graceful. She had gained weight a little bit, but that just added to her charm, everyone thought.
They greeted them, and Jinhai returned an expressionless nod.
The elevator door opened to the highest floor, and as they stepped out, the secretaries similarly stood to greet them.
Peng Meixiu was thrilled to see Nana again after such a long time.
“Madam,” she respectfully bowed.
Nana stopped her. “Hey, don’t bow before me. You are embarrassing me.”
Peng Meixiu smiled. “You are our lady, boss.”
Nana sighed. “I am just Nana. I always was, and I am still now. So! How is Peng Bao?”
Peng Bao was her son, who once she had brought when he was just a baby.
“He is one year old now and is already so naughty and causing so much trouble,” Peng Meixiu chuckled. “My in-laws, husband, and I all just chase after him the whole day. Madam, you be ready too. Once the baby comes, you are in for a lot of sleepless nights and headaches.”
Nana giggled. “Well, I am reeling myself for this for the past eight months.” She thought of her baby in her belly and smiled.
No matter how many sleepless nights and headaches there are, they are worth it.
They chatted a little more before Peng Meixiu went back to her work.
Jinhai settled Nana on a couch. “If you need anything, call up any of the secretaries. I am with Xin for a while.”
Nana nodded.
Assistant Xin knocked and came in. “Sir.”
“Is everything ready?”
He nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Jinhai acknowledged and went out. Nana slowly got up and walked towards his desk.
I will definitely find something here. I didn’t find anything suspicious in our room, so maybe I can get some clue in his office.
Nana still wasn’t so sure what she was looking for. She just had a vague sense that she would find something here. She was still unsure of what she saw in the dream was real. She knew that she was advertising her recipes those days when she had just opened Natsukashi.
But was she sure that it was Jinhai in the car? She faintly remembered that she had a fever that day, and she had even collapsed when returned to Natsukashi.
So she didn’t much remember what happened. The memories were unclear.
Nana started going through the desk drawers one by one. She frisked through the files, but it was regular work stuff. She searched for some more and reached the last drawer.
Once again, she glanced through the files.
At the bottom of the pile, she found that there was a transparent green colored folder. Through it, she saw a name.
City X hospital.
Nana opened it and widened her eyes.
Patient name – Miss Nana.
Date – XX.XX.XXXX
This date…it was the morning after the kidnapping incident. Wasn’t I hospitalized at that time? Why is my report with Jinhai?
As she read through the report, she found that a particular line was highlighted below.
Nana stared at it.
She thought that perhaps the report would have her test details when she was operated for surgery.
But the report was of something else altogether.
For a moment, she didn’t quite get the meaning of that highlighted line.
Like she understood what was written, but she didn’t get the purpose of it. Why did Jinhai need this particular information about her at that time? What did he want to do with it?
But soon, she started to get to the point. The reason became more apparent as she mapped out all the incidents that occurred in the past.
Huian’s voice once again resonated in her mind.
“He has done so many more things that we don’t know about!”
When Nana eventually concluded, she refused to accept it.
She understood what he did with Suyin.
She understood what he did with Huian.
But she refused to believe that Jinhai would ever do something that she just realized.
She closed the drawer and holding the file in her hand; she blankly walked in the lounge.
Nana was sure that she really needed some rest now. Her thoughts were going haywire.
She sat on the bed and kept the file beside her. She vacantly stared at the air ahead.
Her mind was saying that what happened until now made perfect sense. Though she still didn’t entirely know how Jinhai did it, she vaguely got the gist of it.
But her heart was protesting. It was against her mind. It was in a fierce battle with it.
Jinhai will never do anything like that.
The two voices of her heart and mind were making her head ache.
Nana’s gaze then shifted towards the door of the room at the corner of the lounge.
Her brain that was void of any thoughts remembered the day when Jinhai had stopped her from entering the room.
“It is just an old archive room. We keep our old business files here.”
That is what Jinhai had said to her.
I don’t know what the truth is anymore, Jinhai. Were you lying to me at that time too?
She had only one way to find out.
Holding her tummy, Nana took the support of the bed and got up.
She held the handle of the door and twisted it. It clicked. She pushed the door inwards and stepped inside.
—
Jinhai was coordinating with Xin over the preparations.
“The flowers and candles are all set, right?”
Xin nodded. “Yes, sir. The music system is also set.”
Jinhai hummed.
His phone buzzed with a message. It was an attachment from Jing and his message below.
‘How is it? Isn’t it simply gorgeous! Hehe, after all, who is the brains behind it? Your surprise is ready, bro. Sister-in-law will shed tears in happiness!’
Jinhai saw the picture from every angle and was thoroughly satisfied. The only thing left was to collect it from him.
Jing did an excellent job. I will give him a nice gift.
Jinhai glanced at Xin. “You did a good job. Double raise for the next six months.”
Xin jumped in joy inwardly and shed tears of happiness.
The reward for my hard work!
“Thank you, Sir!” He bowed.
“Hm.”
Jinhai thought about something. The restlessness came barging in his heart as he recalled the Liang banquet, and then how Nana seemed different.
“Xin…do one thing.”
Xin was perplexed. He never saw his boss so unsure and anxious before.
Jinhai was sure it didn’t mean anything, but he wanted his agitated self to calm down.
“I want the CCTV footage of the Liang banquet, especially when I took Huian in the terrace.”
—
As Nana entered the room, it was completely dark. From the outside light, she found her way to the switchboard. As she pressed the button, the room lighted up.
Nana turned her head, and as her gaze fell on what she saw, she froze.
She stood rooted in her place like an immovable log of wood.
She looked through the entire room, and her eyes could only widen in disbelief. As if in a trance, she walked and stood in the middle of the room.
Wherever her gaze went, at whatever direction, left or right on the walls and up on the ceiling, she only saw photo frames of mixed sizes hung everywhere. Whether big or small, they occupied every part of the wall.
But the thing that shook her to the core was that in all those frames, there was only one woman who smiled.
Herself.
Nana.