Chapter 120: The Penitent Woman

Brother Hui accompanied Jiang Fan for over an hour before receiving a call from the security team. The deputy captain had led his men to canvass every budget hotel in Baisha, but they found no record of a person named Liu Xingyu.

After hanging up, Brother Hui frowned in thought. "The feedback from these hostels indicates that no single women checked in at all. We can rule out the possibility of them skipping registration. I have matters to attend to this afternoon, but once I’m done, I’ll have people in the surrounding villages help keep an ear out."

Jiang Fan had wanted to ask Brother Hui to look for Feng Yingjie as well, but he worried that asking a big shot like him to track down a salon girl would make him lose face. After weighing the options, he abandoned the idea.

Shortly after Brother Hui left, and before Xiao Yuxin’s shop had even opened, Wang Wenyu came downstairs. Seeing Jiang Fan sitting alone outside the storefront, she asked, "Didn't you say you were going back to the factory? Why are you sitting here by yourself?"

Jiang Fan handed her the letter Liu Xingyu had left behind and sighed. "It’s all because of me that she left the factory. She has no relatives or friends in Dongguan; I have no idea where she is now." He then shared Dry Monkey’s analysis with her.

Upon learning that the nearby hotels had already been checked, Wang Wenyu pondered for a moment. "I agree with Dry Monkey. Liu Xingyu is likely still in the vicinity. Although she didn't manage to get any money out of Gou Biao, she worked as a manager for a long time, so she must have some savings. It’s very probable she is staying in a hotel while continuing to look for work. While Brother Hui helps with the hotels, we can drive around and check the nearby factories. We’ll double our efforts. Once we help Sister Xin set up the fruit stand, we’ll head out."

Thinking about how Wang Wenyu unconditionally supported him in everything, Jiang Fan felt that as long as he had her, he would never be truly lonely and could weather any storm. As for Liu Xingyu, a woman who had endured so much hardship, she was already bearing the guilt of her own actions. Jiang Fan, deeply intertwined with these events, felt a heavy weight in his heart.

He pulled Wang Wenyu into a close embrace and said with deep emotion, "In Guangdong, a place others claim is paved with gold, how many people realize that it is also full of traps? Especially for girls like her."

Wang Wenyu, also sympathizing with Liu Xingyu's plight, comforted him: "We haven't even found our own footing yet, so we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate. Let’s hope we can find her."

***

When Xiao Yuxin woke up and learned that the young couple was worried about finding Liu Xingyu, she offered her analysis: "Based on the letter, it’s certain that Liu Xingyu didn't go off with Gou Biao; that’s a stroke of luck. A person who has held a management position should have a clear head and wouldn't blindly head to a strange place. Dry Monkey’s analysis holds up. Putting yourself in her shoes, the last people she would want to encounter are Gou Biao and his associates. To avoid Gou Biao while staying within a familiar environment, you should go to the factory and ask around: besides Baisha, what other places did she like to visit? That way, you won't be searching blindly."

Unfamiliar with Liu Xingyu’s personal habits, Jiang Fan had to return to the factory to find Shen Tingting.

Shen Tingting didn't know much about Liu Xingyu either, but her close friend, Chen Yuxi—a long-time employee in the HR department whom Liu Xingyu had actively courted when she first took office—might know more. From Chen Yuxi, Jiang Fan learned that Liu Xingyu didn't socialize much and rarely left Baisha. However, when she was first promoted, she had taken the entire HR department hiking at Daren Mountain. Afterward, she had mentioned to Chen Yuxi several times that she liked Humen Village because it was nestled between the mountains and the water, and she could go sit by the seaside when she felt unhappy.

After hearing this, Jiang Fan realized that someone carrying a heavy psychological burden would naturally gravitate toward places that brought them comfort. He immediately called Brother Hui, asking him to introduce someone with some local influence to help check the budget hotels in Humen Village.

When Jiang Fan and Wang Wenyu arrived at the entrance of Humen Village, Captain Chen of the security team was already waiting for them. The forty-something captain led the couple from one hotel to another until, finally, they found a lead at a budget inn on Renyi Road.

The innkeeper was from Huizhou; he had leased a local villager's building to run the business. Few people stayed in budget hotels alone, and women were even rarer. Based on the appearance Jiang Fan described, the owner confirmed that the single woman who had checked in yesterday was indeed the Liu Xingyu they were looking for. The owner added that she had rented the cheapest room, paid for two days in advance, and left her luggage in the room. She had gone out early that morning to look for work.

Although they hadn't seen Liu Xingyu in person, hearing the owner's confident account and matching the description allowed Jiang Fan to finally breathe a sigh of relief. He and Wang Wenyu waited outside the inn.

***

As night fell, a weary Liu Xingyu, exhausted from a day of job hunting, dragged her heavy feet back to the inn. Before she could step through the door, Jiang Fan caught her arm and said excitedly, "I finally found you."

Seeing it was Jiang Fan, a flash of light passed through Liu Xingyu's eyes, but she quickly lowered her head, looking dejected. "I’ve been at Dafeng for two years, and I don't have a single friend. Being with Gou Biao, besides being used by him, I was driven by my own greed, leading me to make mistake after mistake. I’m not worth you looking for me."

Wang Wenyu, standing beside them, saw the mix of embarrassment and emotion in Liu Xingyu’s eyes. She reached out to take Liu Xingyu by the shoulder and, after introducing herself, said, "When we learned you had left the factory, Ah Fan spent the whole day looking for you. Many of your former colleagues are saddened by your departure. You think you have no friends, but that’s just your own perception—in reality, there are many who care about you."

Wang Wenyu thought of other struggling drifters; they might be poor, but at least they had a home. Liu Xingyu, however, had nowhere to turn—not wanting to return to her husband's family, she had no place to call her own. This deepened her sympathy for her.

Hearing Wang Wenyu’s warm words, the shame-filled Liu Xingyu burst into tears. She confessed intermittently, "I really wasn't a good person before. I helped them collect all those referral fees. Only today, while looking for work myself, did I truly experience how difficult it is to drift through life."

From her fragmented confession, Jiang Fan learned that even though she had come to Humen Village, a place she liked, her anxiety had not subsided. She hadn't closed her eyes all night. Despite her exhaustion, knowing she had no way back, she had gone out early that morning to job hunt. She knew clearly that without connections, there was no hope for a management position. She had sought help from two "scalpers" who specialized in job placement, but because she lacked front-line experience, they hadn't been able to help. Having experienced the hardships of being a drifter firsthand, she regretted her past involvement with Gou Biao even more.

At the couple's persistent urging, Liu Xingyu went back with them to the fruit shop. Xiao Yuxin generously cut a plate of mangoes to treat her and told her that if she didn't mind, she could work at the shop. Xiao Yuxin explained that she needed to take care of her child and manage the business long-term, and after two years, she was looking for someone reliable to help her.