"The reasons are too complicated, so I won't explain them in detail," Tianyi said, pinching her cheek. "Get some rest early. I'll handle it. The Aoxiang Group won't collapse."
"Mm, don't work too hard."
Su Su couldn't sleep after he went to the study either. She used her phone to deal with some emails from the studio.
Tianyi was alone in the study, working until late into the night. He searched online for information on building material suppliers from all over the world, hoping to find one that could produce similar materials.
However, the materials with this special craftsmanship were completely monopolized by the previous building material supplier. He sighed and rubbed his tired eyes.
At this moment, a new message appeared on his phone. Who would message him so late?
He tapped the phone screen and saw the message was from abroad.
The person he had asked for help investigating while he was abroad had replied, identifying the company that handled the shipment of those materials and where they had gone.
Tianyi found the company's English name unfamiliar, but this company had actually shipped the materials to Lancheng.
He was quite familiar with the major companies and groups in Lancheng, at least he knew of them, but he had never heard of such a company.
Tianyi sent a message asking, "Have you found out who handled this company's business? I need the contact person's information."
The other party sent a picture with the handler's signature on the customs declaration form, along with their name in English and Chinese.
Tianyi was also unfamiliar with this name, but with a name and surname, he wasn't afraid of not being able to find anything.
He sent this person's name to An Jing, asking An Jing to investigate.
To his surprise, An Jing was still awake so late and quickly replied with a "Got it."
...
Su Su felt that life had returned to normal. Little Xingxing took his medicine on time every day, and his health had not deteriorated further.
Moreover, Little Xingxing was no longer as melancholic as he had been when he first returned from abroad, and she often saw his bright smile.
Seeing that the children were all fine, Su Su went back to the studio to work as usual for the past two days, catching up on many pending tasks.
She wanted to treat Shi Shi to a meal to express her gratitude and also to discuss the studio's equity.
She noticed that during her absence, the studio had still taken on quite a few private design projects and large-scale collaborations, all of which had progressed smoothly. The revenue had not only remained steady but had also increased.
She inadvertently saw a recently accepted private custom dress order and discovered that the client was Xie Zhendong.
The contract stated that he had entrusted the customization of all his and his family's formal wear for the entire year to her studio.
Although the contract had been signed, the design work had not yet begun.
She called Shi Shi over, wanting to ask what was going on.
When Shi Shi came to her office, she also brought her a cup of coffee and asked with a smile, "Sister Gu, are you satisfied with the financial reports from this period?"
Su Su nodded with a smile and joked, "Besides design, you're also good at management. You'll be the studio's deputy general manager in the future."
Shi Shi said nervously, "Sister Gu, you flatter me too much. I'm just following the rules you set earlier, I'm not that capable."
"Don't be modest," Su Su said, picking up the contract and asking, "Did Xie Zhendong sign this in person?"
Shi Shi glanced at the contract and said, "Yes, I couldn't believe it was him at the time. I'd only seen him in financial magazines before. I really can't tell he's over sixty years old; he's so well-maintained and has such an elegant demeanor."
People like Xie Zhendong, with their aura of wealth, could still charm some girls at that age.
Su Su said with a chuckle, "If you have a crush on him, wouldn't Huo Zheng be jealous?"
"What are you talking about? I just admire people like him. Besides, what does it have to do with Huo Zheng?" Shi Shi rolled her eyes when Huo Zheng was mentioned, still not admitting anything.
Su Su didn't dwell on personal matters with her and directly asked, "Did Xie Zhendong say anything when he came to sign the contract?"
Shi Shi thought for a moment and said, "He specifically asked if you were here, as if he wanted to see you. But I told him you were on leave due to family matters. He seemed a bit disappointed, but he signed the contract very readily."
Su Su looked at the date on the contract again. It was shortly after she had accidentally saved Zhan Jiayi. It seemed he had entrusted the Xie family's formal wear customization to her studio as a gesture of gratitude.
Shi Shi then remembered something and said, "Oh, and he also said that for every dress that needs to be customized, you have to design it personally, and the design fee is not an issue."
"Mm, I understand. I'll personally design whatever formal wear he needs," Su Su thought that although the Xie Group and Aoxiang had some past grievances, one must separate business from personal matters.
Since he had brought the business to her doorstep, she had no reason not to earn this money.
"Then I'll leave this design to you."
Su Su smiled and asked, "Has Lawyer Gui reviewed this contract? Is everything okay?"
"Now, every contract for the studio is reviewed by Lawyer Gui, so you can rest assured."
Su Su asked, "Do you have any plans after work?"
Shi Shi immediately replied, "I don't have a boyfriend, who would I go on a date with?"
"That's good. I'll treat you to dinner tonight, no excuses," Su Su said in a bossy tone.
Shi Shi readily agreed, "No problem."
When it was time to leave work, Su Su and Shi Shi were the last to leave the office, preparing to go to a high-end restaurant they had booked.
As they walked out of the building, someone suddenly blocked their way.
"Hello, do you remember me?" a foreign man asked her in perfect English.
Su Su looked at the blonde man in front of her. Of course, she remembered him. She called out his name, "Alva."
"That's great, you remember."
Shi Shi looked at the foreign man beside her. He was like a movie star from abroad, and his blue eyes were so beautiful.
Su Su asked curiously, "Mr. Alva, how did you find this place? Is there something you need?"
"Last time, you said you would arrange for the child's adoptive parents to meet me for an assessment, but I waited at the hotel for many days and no one contacted me," Alva explained. "I was a little anxious, so I came here to find you."
Su Su then realized that An Jing and Lan Yu had not yet contacted this person. She assumed An Jing did not want this person to acknowledge Xiao Xiao.
"I'm very sorry, I already left your contact information with them. I can't make decisions about this matter, I'm not the child's guardian, I truly can't help."
Alva said worriedly, "Then what should I do now?"
"This..." Su Su didn't know how to explain it to him for a moment. After a pause, she said, "The child's adoptive parents love her very much and treat her very well. You don't really need to insist on recognizing this child."
"I saw in the news that the child was kidnapped and trafficked and suffered a lot. Her adoptive parents didn't take good care of her at all."
"That was an accident. Her adoptive father never gave up looking for her, which is why he was able to find her," Su Su wanted him to understand that a child couldn't just be recognized if one wanted to.
Alva said, "That still indicates that their care for her was lacking."
"Sir, do you know under what circumstances you had this child? Do you know who her biological mother is and what happened to her after she was born?"