Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 829: Chapter 825 Jinshan Great Fire

It was already past eleven at night when Huo Sining returned to the old house. She stood outside the door, tapping on the latch a few times and waited outside for a good while. To her surprise, there was no movement from the courtyard, and no one came to open the door.

Huo Sining checked the time, thinking Uncle Tong must have gone to bed. She concealed her actions with a backpack and took out the key to the old house from her storage ring, opened the main door, and followed her memory to Uncle Tong’s dwelling in the inverted house.

But what she saw when she got there left her stunned.

Uncle Tong’s room was locked with an iron lock, and there were no lights inside. The surroundings were pitch dark, with only the sound of crickets.

Uncle Tong is not here?

Huo Sining was a bit startled. Before the New Year, she had heard a lot about Uncle Tong from the Huang Family. Uncle Tong had been disfigured and had diligently guarded the old house since then, never leaving, which was why the old house remained so intact.

But now, Uncle Tong was not here, and no one knew where he had gone.

Feeling somewhat strange, Huo Sining walked into the old house hoping to find some answers. But with Uncle Tong not around, she could only bury these thoughts deep in her heart.

She found a room in the old house, set it up casually, and made do with it for the night.

After waiting all night, by the next morning, there was still no sign of activity from Uncle Tong’s room. It appeared he hadn’t returned all night.

Huo Sining was a bit disappointed but also felt a sense of relief. If Uncle Tong really were her father, she wouldn’t know how to face this man who had been declared dead for nearly twenty years. Now that Uncle Tong was nowhere to be found, Huo Sining actually breathed a sigh of relief.

As the new school term was about to start, Huo Sining didn’t plan to stay in the Imperial Capital for long. She didn’t even have time to visit a few elders. Fortunately, she called the Huang Family, the Lu Family, and the Gu Family to explain the situation, and they all expressed their understanding.

Huo Sining booked a flight back to S City. After having breakfast with Gu Xu, she prepared to head to the airport.

But halfway there, Gu Xu received a call from Song Hui.

”News just came in from Samra that a massive fire broke out in Jinshan, and large numbers of Manila have perished in the inferno.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu’s face darkened, and he abruptly braked, pulling the car to the roadside.

”What happened?” Gu Xu asked in a deep voice.

Song Hui was also unsure of the situation. He had seen the news online but didn’t know the specifics. However, this incident might delay their previous plans.

”Elisa has already arrived at the company, and Samra is asking us to send an executive to Jinshan with their head.”

Gu Xu frowned, instinctively glancing at Huo Sining, then said, ”Tell her to wait a bit. I’ll take my wife to the airport, and we’ll discuss it when I get back!”

Hanging up, Gu Xu looked apologetically at Huo Sining, ”There’s an issue at the company that I need to handle. I’ll drop you off at the airport, but I won’t see you to your plane. Be safe, and call me when you get home.”

Huo Sining nodded, a flicker of worry in her eyes, ”Is the situation serious?”

Gu Xu shook his head, ”It’s unclear for now, but Jinshan is a major producer of balsam. Manila produces the tropical plants that make balsam, and if they’ve all burned, it’s hard to say how many spice and luxury goods companies will go out of business.”

Huo Sining remembered the Samra Company. It seemed to be a French luxury brand preparing to enter the domestic market. They had signed a cooperation agreement with Shengtang a few months ago. The project was managed by Elisa, whom Huo Sining had met. Her Chinese name was Yao Xinzhu.

Remembering that Yao Xinzhu was Gu Xu’s ex-girlfriend, Huo Sining didn’t have a great impression of Elisa. But knowing Gu Xu’s character, she felt reassured. Gu Xu wasn’t foolish enough to get involved again with a woman who had turned her back on him.

Relaxing at this thought, Huo Sining smiled, ”Then go back. I can get to the airport on my own. Your company matters are more pressing.”

Gu Xu’s eyes dimmed, and he quickly stole another kiss from his wife’s lips before smiling triumphantly, ”No way! No matter how urgent company issues are, they don’t beat taking my wife to the airport.”

Sweetly touched, Huo Sining cast a sidelong glance at Gu Xu, not dignifying his playful manner with further attention.

The car sped to the airport. After getting off, Huo Sining waved Gu Xu off and made her way into the waiting area alone.

Around three in the afternoon, the plane landed in S City. Coincidentally, Wu Jun was also in S City and picked up Huo Sining directly to take her back to the villa district.

Just as she was about to enter, Gu Xu’s call came in, ”Wife, I might have to go to Jinshan.”

Huo Sining had anticipated this. Yao Xinzhu had been scheming to get close to Gu Xu and wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.

”Go ahead, be safe.” Huo Sining wasn’t worried about Yao Xinzhu. She had faith in Gu Xu. With Gu Xu’s temperament and methods, he wouldn’t fall prey to an ex-girlfriend’s schemes.

Besides, if Gu Xu was so easily swayed, then the relationship wasn’t worth keeping.

In the afternoon, after registering at school and completing the paperwork, Huo Sining returned home to rest. Despite the support of the Water-Repelling Pearl, she still felt exhausted after several days of travel.

She slept until past eight in the evening, then asked Auntie Li to cook some egg noodles. While eating, she leisurely surfed the internet, checked some posts, and replied to some Weibo messages. Just as she was about to shut down her computer, a news pop-up appeared in the lower right corner from QQ.

——Massive fire in Jinshan, Philippines. Large numbers of Manila engulfed in flames. Jinshan, a major producer of balsam, will cause a shortage worldwide. Many spice manufacturers are already seeking alternative sources, but with limited success.

Seeing the news, Huo Sining paused and clicked on it out of curiosity, reading the detailed report.

The news itself was ordinary, nothing particularly noteworthy. But as she scrolled through the comments section, one comment caught her eye and made them light up.

”Damn, I Googled it, and balsam is just Pili oil. There’s plenty of it here. Cut open the Pili Tree’s bark, and the resin flows out, solidifying into a pale-yellow substance when exposed to air. But it doesn’t store well. If not processed quickly, the resin loses its potency and turns into a reddish-brown lump in a few hours. Whoever figures out how to store this stuff properly could make a fortune selling it to those unscrupulous traders!”