When forced to face reality, she painfully realized it had all been a dream. The most agonizing part was discovering the person who had created this dream world had never truly entered it.
Everyone else was clear-headed; only she herself had been lost. Shi Xinxin shook her head. Who could she blame? Only herself.
She was still stuffing her face here, forgetting about the money she owed! Then it occurred to her, didn't they often say in TV dramas that heroines, after a breakup, would throw themselves into work and quickly become powerful career women?
Work could make one forget everything. She suddenly found herself missing the days when the editor-in-chief often demanded they work overtime. After such a period of idleness, it was time to return to her normal, original life.
Working or not wasn't really that important. What was crucial was that she desperately needed to find a way to resolve her troubles. She had thought that eating and drinking would improve her mood.
But in reality, it had no effect whatsoever. Whether eating or sleeping, she couldn't mend a broken heart.
Her mind wasn't replaying the movie scenes she had seen, but the scene she had witnessed that day. She desperately needed something to alleviate this pain and distract her.
Work was an excellent option. Suddenly, she was eager to return to the magazine, to join the ranks of those working overtime at the editor-in-chief's behest.
She never thought that one day the editor-in-chief would become her savior, that she would be so eager to work overtime. Shi Xinxin chuckled, looking at herself in the mirror.
"Shi Xinxin, you're truly a ridiculous person. You were the one who hated Sheng Chenjin back then, and you're the one who can't let go now. You desperately wanted to leave the villa, and now that you have, you're like this. You used to complain about not wanting to work overtime, and now you're so keen to dive into work. I really don't understand you."
This time, her mind seemed to have given up, no longer harboring any stray thoughts, and her body quickly helped Shi Xinxin take a bath. She tidied herself up and cleaned the house.
She pulled open the curtains again. The sun was blinding. Only then did she realize she needed to check the time. The moment she picked up her phone, she was astonished. It was already Sunday noon.
She had truly wasted a day and a half in such a daze. She quickly contacted the editor-in-chief, who was quite perplexed by her sudden desire to return to the magazine.
Without receiving any prior notification, she had suddenly received a call from Shi Xinxin, leaving her unsure of how to proceed.
But Sheng Chenjin had indeed arranged for her to take a leave of absence. Now, if she refused to let Shi Xinxin return to work, she feared the consequences.
After a moment of hesitation, she agreed, telling Shi Xinxin to first coordinate with her colleagues.
Hanging up the phone, the editor-in-chief pondered for a while, then suddenly walked away and then suddenly returned. Had this Shi Xinxin offended someone?
But her voice didn't sound like she had been fired. Why was she suddenly returning? Shouldn't Sheng Chenjin's people have contacted her?
Or had the contract expired, and Shi Xinxin had paid back the money, so Sheng Chenjin's people simply couldn't be bothered to liaise with her anymore?
However, as a woman, the editor-in-chief had a premonition that things were not that simple. She had a feeling that Shi Xinxin was different this time. She had to be careful. She decided to be cautious.
After all, she was returning from Sheng Chenjin's side, so she wouldn't dare to be negligent. To be safe, the editor-in-chief decided to promote Shi Xinxin to another position.
Indeed, work was a good method. The entire afternoon was very busy as she constantly coordinated with her colleagues and familiarized herself with recent business. For a while, her mind was too occupied to think about anything else.
Unknowingly, it was evening. It wasn't until her stomach rumbled that she remembered she hadn't eaten anything. The snacks had already been opened and were scattered on the table, inedible.
It seemed she had to order takeout again. After placing the order, she saw the estimated delivery time was still an hour away. Shi Xinxin sighed with a smile.
At a normal workday, she would have complained with her colleagues, but today she wasn't impatient at all. She turned back to her laptop and began typing furiously.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Shi Xinxin was a little surprised. Wasn't the delivery supposed to arrive in an hour? Why was someone knocking now?
She cautiously peered through the peephole and saw a group of people in work uniforms outside. Shi Xinxin opened the door and saw the furniture they were carrying. She immediately understood.
The leading worker handed her a slip of paper. After reading it, Shi Xinxin nodded, and the workers began carrying the furniture into the house.
The note was from the housekeeper, explaining that due to unforeseen circumstances, the furniture had been delivered so late.
In fact, the housekeeper had started to panic as soon as Shi Xinxin left. She had frantically searched for her master everywhere, but no one knew where he was.
The driver from the company said he had indeed taken Sheng Chenjin to the ball that day, and the driver who took Shi Xinxin also said that Sheng Chenjin was standing there when he dropped her off.
Moreover, they had appeared quite intimate when entering the venue. After that, only Shi Xinxin had emerged; Sheng Chenjin had not been seen.
The only possible clue now was to ask people at the ball, but she was merely a housekeeper. Although Sheng Chenjin was respected and a desirable prospect for many,
a housekeeper asking others so rashly might not be taken seriously, and she didn't know what circumstances might have led to such a situation for her master.
If her master had deliberately wanted to conceal something, her actions might inadvertently reveal what Sheng Chenjin did not want others to know.
With a cautious attitude, the housekeeper could only arrange for her own staff to search for her master, but there had been no news. She hoped that upon finding her master, she could persuade Miss to return.
Therefore, she hadn't contacted a moving company on Saturday or even Sunday morning. It wasn't until Sunday afternoon, still without any news, that the housekeeper regretfully contacted the moving company to have Miss's belongings moved.
However, she had been unable to contact her master at all and didn't understand why this situation had arisen. Shi Xinxin watched as the movers put the furniture back in its original place, feeling deeply distressed.
She had never imagined it would come to this. The luxury of the villa held no allure for her; it was the people there whom she couldn't let go of.
Lost in thought again, Shi Xinxin shook her head vigorously and returned to her laptop, her fingers flying across the keyboard.