Chapter 512: **Misfortunes Never Come Singly**

Because neither of them had been paying attention, the collision was exceptionally solid. Shen Ci's lowered head struck the man's chin, causing his handsome face to twist in pain as he gasped.

Yet, his sturdy frame didn't budge an inch, instead sending Shen Ci rebounding backward from the force of the impact.

Shen Ci stumbled back two steps, her footing unsteady, and she was about to land on the floor.

At that moment, a large, well-defined hand swiftly gripped her arm, using brute strength to steady her.

"My apologies, are you alright?"

The man spoke with a tone of concern, his other hand still gently rubbing his chin. As soon as Shen Ci stood firm, he released his grip immediately.

"I'm fine. I wasn't watching where I was going either. My apologies."

As Shen Ci spoke, she instinctively looked up. A sharp, angular handsome face entered her vision without warning, but before she could take a closer look, the man gave a slight nod and walked past her with quick strides.

She was beautiful enough to be a stunner, yet he hadn't even spared her a second glance?

Shen Ci herself, however, turned around and watched his back disappear around the hospital corner.

She raised an eyebrow, then let out a self-deprecating laugh, mocking herself for how deeply ingrained her habit of admiring handsome men truly was.

Just then, Shi Ye sent her a photo—a picture of him drenched in sweat after his morning workout.

Shen Ci admired it for a moment, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of her lips. He was quite handsome, too!

Shen Shen Jingjing woke up at noon. Upon heading downstairs, she found her daughter's discarded coat on the sofa, realizing that her daughter had returned.

She quickly prepared some food for her daughter before heading out.

When she arrived at the company, she saw installation workers replacing the glass front doors. The paint and graffiti on the walls had been mostly cleaned off, but the exterior had completely lost its original appearance.

A full repainting and renovation would be unavoidable.

"Shen Jingjing-jie."

Manager Tao walked over with a troubled expression. "I have something to tell you."

He was usually a cheerful person; one could tell whether the news was good or bad just by looking at his face.

Shen Shen Jingjing didn't even ask, simply looking at him calmly.

Manager Tao pursed his lips. "The landlord of the branch store location... they won't rent to us anymore."

"Why?" Shen Shen Jingjing asked.

Manager Tao looked at the pockmarked walls of the storefront. "Because of this incident. The landlord is probably worried our company has some sort of trouble. It's not for no reason that we were splashed with paint. They own the property, so it's natural they'd want to avoid risks."

"But didn't we already sign the contract?"

"We signed, but the other party hadn't signed yet."

Shen Shen Jingjing sighed. "That location was something we carefully selected after a long search. Is there any room for negotiation? We could offer a higher rent."

Manager Tao shook his head. "I've already communicated with them. They're quite firm. With such a prime location, they certainly don't have to worry about finding tenants."

"Then let's look for another place." Although Shen Shen Jingjing felt frustrated, she didn't force the issue. The situation was what it was; problems had to be solved.

Self-pity was useless.

But misfortunes never come singly. Just as she entered the company, an employee from the customer service department ran over in a panic. "Shen Jingjing-jie, it's bad! There's trouble with Xiang-jie's team!"

"What happened?" Shen Shen Jingjing asked, her nerves tightening.

Cleaning was actually a high-risk job. Her company targeted high-end clients, and they cleaned luxury residences, mostly villas.

Villas had stairs and high-altitude railings, posing many safety hazards. Shen Shen Jingjing had purchased full insurance for her employees and emphasized safety awareness during training.

She was terrified that an employee might have suffered a safety accident.

"The client says... a bracelet is missing!"

It wasn't a personal safety issue, so Shen Shen Jingjing breathed a sigh of relief. But customer complaints were no small matter; the jewelry worn by the wealthy was never cheap.

"Does the client think our people stole it?" Manager Tao asked from the side.

"They say they suspect it. Xiang-jie says they didn't see any bracelet. But the client won't let them leave and says they want to call the police."

Manager Tao looked at Shen Shen Jingjing. "Shen Jingjing-jie, we aren't afraid of them calling the police since there's no evidence."

Shen Shen Jingjing's mind raced. Her company had been operating too smoothly since its inception, and she had never encountered such a thorny issue.

She lacked experience in handling such matters, but she knew she had to stay calm.

After a long moment, she shook her head. "No. This is a matter of credibility. Our client base is fixed. Even if this is a misunderstanding, as long as it blows up, it will damage the company's reputation."

If the client were to post about it on social media, it would only take a little spreading within the Longcheng wealthy circles for their company's image and word-of-mouth to be harmed.

Their business would inevitably suffer.

"Give me the client's address. Call them back and say I will go there personally to handle this." Shen Shen Jingjing gave the order immediately.

Manager Tao said, "Shen Jingjing-jie, I'll go with you."

"You stay at the company. We've had too many incidents these past two days; I have a bad feeling."

Leaving those words behind, she turned and hurried out of the company.

The Li Residence.

In the luxurious villa living room, Mrs. Li sipped her coffee leisurely, occasionally casting disdainful glances at the four cleaning staff members in "Jingjie" uniforms standing before her.

The team leader was Xiang-jie, who had been in the cleaning industry for seven years.

Although Mrs. Li was sitting down, her aura was condescending.

To her, cleaning was the lowest form of service industry, as they dealt with bacteria and dust every day.

"I just spoke with your company. They said your boss is coming personally to handle this." Mrs. Li sneered. "Let me tell you, whoever took it, just hand it over honestly. I might still leave you some dignity and consider not calling the police."

Behind her stood two domestic helpers, their gazes hostile as they stared at Xiang-jie and her team like they were thieves.

"Mrs. Li, we've been in this business for years. We've never taken so much as a single apple from a client's home, let alone something so valuable. We are honest, hardworking people. We really didn't take your item." Xiang-jie explained earnestly.

One of the helpers behind Mrs. Li retorted rudely, "There isn't a thief in the world who would admit to being a thief. Saying that is useless."

The other helper added, "Just because you haven't done it before doesn't mean you haven't done it now. How can you be so certain?"