Chapter 25

Upon hearing this, the young man immediately woke up from his drowsiness, raised his voice, and shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

Yu Congyi sensed something was wrong from the young man's tone and was quite surprised. The young man then continued to yell at him in rapid succession, "Who the hell are you? What do you mean? Chuanzi, Xiao Wu, someone come here and get this guy out of here!"

"The literal meaning." Yu Congyi hadn't expected such a strong reaction and immediately tried to cover the young man's mouth. The young man beat him to it, running to the door and clinging to the doorframe, shouting, "Where are they? Where did everyone go? Help!!!"

Yu Congyi frowned, took two steps to the young man's side, grabbed his arm and turned him towards himself, staring at him with an unfriendly expression, "What are you yelling about?"

Seeing his serious and intimidating expression, the young man became somewhat intimidated. However, apart from the master, there was no one in the Yang family he feared. He boldly continued to shout, "What do you want? I'm the master's godson, what can you do to me?!"

Yu Congyi found that this kid was completely unreasonable and impossible to have a normal conversation with. Fortunately, he hadn't come with this idea in mind. He covered the young man's mouth and forcibly dragged him away.

Since he was Yang Xiang's closest adopted son, and Yang Xiang was not around, he had no choice but to ask the other party for clarification.

The young man was no match for Yu Congyi. He struggled desperately, thrashing about like a fish just pulled from the water, trying to bite the hand covering him, but only leaving a wet puddle of saliva in the other's palm. He hadn't expected Yu Congyi to have such strength, and now he panicked, a little scared. He kept hitting Yu Congyi with his hands, making pitiful and laughable whimpers, but no one answered.

Yu Congyi dragged the man around the courtyard, but there was no one there; he didn't know where they had all gone. Thinking that this courtyard house must have a back door, Yu Congyi wandered around trying his luck, nearly ending up in the east or west wing rooms several times. He didn't ask the man anything, preferring to remain silent and hold the young man hostage.

He was lucky; a small door had opened at the back of the east wing. Without a word, Yu Congyi kicked the door open and pulled the young man outside. The young man, seeing that he was about to leave the Yang residence, became even more angry and frightened, and struggled with all his might. He finally managed to bite Yu Congyi's wrist and gain his temporary freedom.

Yu Congyi grabbed him and threw him in front of him, then released him, facing him directly. The backyard of the Yang residence was against a mountain, and not far away, there was the sound of flowing water—a small river at the foot of the mountain. The young man felt relieved after gaining his freedom, and his courage instantly returned. He was no longer so afraid, but stood there, not thinking of running away, and began to point at Yu Congyi's nose and curse him.

This young man was sharp-tongued and spoke at breakneck speed, uttering not a single decent word, making one dizzy with his eloquence. Yu Congyi knew he was no match for him in terms of verbal skill, so he simply remained silent. It seemed that only after the young man had poured out all the insults he had ever learned in his life did he begin to slow down his speech.

At this moment, Yu Congyi spoke up, genuinely wanting to ask him, "Do you know Jiang Jiejie?"

"What are you asking about that filthy bitch?!" The young man was even angrier when Yu Congyi asked him so bluntly. "That damn slut, she's a heartless bastard who doesn't care about her parents after taking advantage of the younger ones. She's made my godfather so angry. She's always seducing this or that at home. She's so wanton. I think she's born to be a prostitute! Humph, what's so great about her?"

Upon hearing these words, Yu Congyi clenched his fists, his anger surging. He stepped forward, grabbed the other man by the collar, and pulled him closer, saying in a low voice, "What do you know? Watch your mouth!"

"Who are you to her? Why are you thinking about her like that? Oh, and you even asked how she died?" The young man glanced back. At that moment, a soft call faintly came from the backyard of the Yang residence, "Brother Xiaolian, is that you over there?"

The young man was no longer afraid. He glared at Yu Congyi and said, "I don't care who you are. I'm just telling you, my godfather didn't do anything!"

"Why have you been avoiding his son if you haven't done anything?" Yu Congyi glared at him. "You're reacting like this if you haven't done anything?"

"You fucking slanderer?!" The young man was enraged again. With a surge of strength, he slapped Yu Congyi across the face and yelled wildly, "Let me tell you, Jiang Jiejie was killed by the Tang family. She has absolutely nothing to do with my godfather! Not even a penny of connection, you idiot! Besides, what right do you have to question me? You dare not give your name? I can tell you look like a slut. You must be that Jiang woman's lover, right? Hmph, so loyal and devoted. What, she's been dead for a while and you're still thinking about finding her killer? This damn woman only knows how to do this. Anyway, I'm used to it. If you're so attached to her, why don't you die with her? The sooner you die, the sooner you'll be reborn. In your next life, you two will still be a pair of lovebirds, hahaha!"

Yu Congyi's expression turned completely gloomy. He was used to filtering out the unpleasant things people said, but today he couldn't hold back any longer. The young man didn't realize that he was in big trouble and continued to ramble on, "Let me tell you, if you want to find your enemies, I'll show you a clear path. Look, the British Concession, Mr. Tang, go there, go obediently, don't look for me, don't look for Master Yang!"

Yu Congyi had originally wanted to get to the bottom of things, perhaps even finding a reason to forgive Tang Zefei, but now all hope was lost. The young man finished speaking, glanced at the sky, and perhaps realizing it was getting late, turned to walk away. How could Yu Congyi let him go? He grabbed the young man and dragged him close, pulling him so hard his shoulder almost dislocated. In his rage, he was even more expressionless, only displaying extreme indifference. His face grim, he looked into the young man's eyes and said fiercely, "I will personally kill your master."

The young man, jolted by the excruciating pain in his shoulder, didn't react immediately. He screamed "Ah!" and his eyes widened. "You fucking dare..." Yu Congyi shoved him to the ground, stepping on his chest. His eyelashes lowered coldly, and he commanded, "Shut up." Then he stood up, grabbed the man by the collar, and began dragging him along the ground. The young man was now truly like a live fish, but his situation was clearly worse. The excruciating pain in his shoulder and the sudden fear made his screams turn into sobs, bordering on begging for mercy. His body left a long trail in the grass as Yu Congyi slowly and heavily carried him. People seem to have a premonition when they are near death; by the time they reached the riverbank, the young man was wailing and had lost control of his bladder. Yu Congyi didn't even glance at him, pulling his body and throwing him into the river.

The young man fell into the water and struggled to climb ashore, cursing incoherently—his words were indistinct, sounding like pleas for mercy and cries of pain. Yu Congyi, looking down at him, suddenly drew his pistol and fired several shots. The water gradually turned red, crimson ripples spreading outwards. The young man lay motionless in the pool, convulsing for a moment before falling still. Yu Congyi waded into the river, pushed his body into the rushing current, and watched as it was swept away by the current, disappearing into the unknown.

After doing all this, Yu Congyi turned and went ashore, quickly walking into the bushes. After looking at the Yang residence not far away for a while, and confirming that no one cared about the gunshots just now, he came out of the woods and hurriedly left.

Yu Congyi felt extremely frustrated. After leaving the Yang family's old residence, he drove around in circles until he arrived at the Beiming Mansion in the north of the city. However, he still did not see Yang Xiang, but unexpectedly bumped into Yang Shucai, who was crying and threatening suicide.

Fifteen minutes earlier, Yu Congyi had come out of the mansion after failing to get any answers from the servants. Standing under the birch grove outside, he silently finished a cigarette. The forest was bitterly cold in winter. After stubbing out his cigarette, he looked up at the tall, Western-style building before him, completely at a loss, when suddenly he heard a woman's soft sobbing. The sound was extremely faint, like a cat's meow. At first, Yu Congyi paid no attention, but then the sobbing grew louder and louder, turning into a wail. Yu Congyi couldn't help but look up.

The sound came from upstairs in the mansion. Yu Congyi didn't know who was crying, nor did he have any interest in reopening old wounds. He stood in the shadows where the buildings met and silently looked up.

Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat. He saw a girl squatting on the very edge of the third-floor rooftop, her hands gripping the ground at the edge of the railing, gritting her teeth and crying as she slowly inclined outwards. Was she going to jump? When Yu Congyi looked closer, he recognized her as Yang Shucai.

Yang Shu was wearing a nightgown, her long hair disheveled and being torn and dragged downwards by the wind. One of her feet had already stepped off the edge of the rooftop, and the sudden emptiness made her tremble with fright. However, she quickly closed her eyes, her voice choked in her throat, and slowly stood up, intending to jump.

"Hey!" Yu Congyi shouted at her. Yang Shu jumped, screamed, and pulled back the leg she had stepped out with. She hurriedly pulled her hair up and looked downstairs, only to see Jiang Fengming's older brother standing there at some point, looking at her with a very serious and worried expression. He waved at her and then shouted, "Don't move, I'm coming up now."

The doors on the first floor were all open, and the servants were nowhere to be seen. Yu Congyi entered the hall and quickly climbed the stairs. He had no intention of meddling in other people's business, but the thought that the other party was Jiang Fengming's fiancée made him unable to watch Yang Shucai jump off the building and end her life. Meanwhile, Yang Shucai was squatting on the rooftop. She thought to herself that she had intentionally dismissed all the servants that morning, and she had no idea why Yu Congyi had suddenly appeared. Standing there, stunned, she hugged her knees, feeling somewhat dazed and vaguely ashamed. But she was still crying, tears falling to the ground. She hugged herself tightly. Her pajamas were just a thin cotton shirt, and she suddenly felt very cold.

Yu Congyi climbed to the third-floor rooftop and saw Yang Shucai. Yang Shucai had her back to him, sitting on the edge of the rooftop, wiping away tears. The wind was howling on the rooftop. Yu Congyi frowned when he saw her clothes. After thinking for a moment, he took off his coat, walked over, and draped it over her shoulder.

Taking Yang Shucai's arm, Yu Congyi said, "Come on, let's go downstairs." Yang Shucai looked at him with red eyes, "Did Jiang Fengming send you?"

“No.” Yu Congyi looked at her, thought for a moment, “I was just passing by.” Yang Shu didn’t want anyone to see her like this, so she pulled the clothes he had given her closer, suddenly feeling that she looked ridiculous. She lowered her head and whispered, “I knew it wasn’t him…”

Yu Congyi eventually took Yang Shucai back. Once back in her room, Yang Shucai felt freezing cold and huddled on the sofa, shivering. "Why did you do this?" Yu Congyi asked, placing a cup of hot water in front of her.

Yang Shu didn't look at him, but lowered her head to take the cup and sipped the hot water. Her tears dried, and she suddenly felt wronged again, "Jiang Fengming, he's been lying to me all along."

Jiang Fengming hadn't told Yu Congyi that he had no intention of marrying Yang Shucai. He wasn't ready to settle down; their relationship was just a fling. Yang Shucai held the cup, looking down at the hot water, feeling a pang of grievance on the verge of tears. She knew the other person was Jiang Fengming's older brother, so her words would surely have an effect. Yu Congyi was watching her; she had to speak.

"I know he's only with me because of my older brother. When my brother is useful, he stays close to me; when he's no longer useful, he abandons me. We've been together for so long, but nothing's ever come of it." Yang Shu raised her head, wiped away a tear, and looked earnestly at Yu Congyi. "I've given him everything. What has he given me in return? Jewelry? Money? Do you think I really need those things? In this matter, we've never truly been together..."

No woman had ever discussed these matters with Yu Congyi before, so Yang Shucai's words caught him off guard. He felt awkward and afraid of saying something that would hurt the young woman even more. He could roughly understand her; a wealthy young lady, especially one with high aspirations, would surely find the truth unbearable. "Didn't he mention the engagement to you?" After hesitating for a long time, Yu Congyi finally asked.

"How could that be? You're Jiang Fengming's older brother. Hasn't he ever mentioned this to you?" Yu Congyi shook his head instinctively. Yang Shucai sneered, "I knew it. He's always been indifferent to our relationship. After I asked him about the engagement last time, he mysteriously disappeared. We haven't been in contact for half a month since. What does that mean?" Yu Congyi understood that Jiang Fengming had never given Yang Shucai any promises. It wasn't just a fling; their relationship wasn't even legitimate in public. Yang Shucai was devastated by the realization that he had been deceived all along, and that's why he was so depressed that he wanted to jump off a building to end his life. But why did he want to end his life?

"Have you sent away all the servants in your household?" Yu Congyi asked.

"I... I don't want them to see..." Yang Shu stammered.

"If I hadn't passed by today, would you have jumped off that building?" Yu Congyi asked seriously.

“Maybe… I’m really heartbroken,” Yang Shucai murmured, then suddenly looked up and met Shangyu Congyi’s eyes. “Yes, why did you save me?”

“There’s no need to do this for anyone,” Yu Congyi thought for a moment. “You’re doing this just to get Jiang Fengming’s attention, but unfortunately he can’t see it at all.”

"I..." Yang Shu opened her mouth, her expression turning so wronged she looked like she was about to cry, "I didn't...did I do something wrong??Did I do something wrong?"

“You haven’t done anything wrong, but you shouldn’t be so reckless with your life, understand? Once you jump, you don’t have to think about anything else,” Yu Congyi realized his tone had become unintentionally stern, so he had to soften his tone. “Dying is easy, but is ending it all really what you want?”

The tone of the voice was extremely gentle, almost like coaxing her. Yang Shucai's face was a little hot from drinking hot water. She covered her cheeks and nodded.

“Jiang Fengming is a liar. He treats you like this, and you still punish yourself. Think about it, isn’t that foolish?” Yu Congyi sighed.

"Hmm..." Yang Shu lowered her eyes.

"As long as you understand what I'm saying," Yu Congyi said.

“You and the young mistress look so alike,” Yang Shucai suddenly blurted out for some reason.

"Huh?" Yu Congyi didn't react.

"It's Jiang Jiejie. She speaks to me so gently. Just now, for a moment, I thought of her," Yang Shucai said softly.

Yu Congyi's fingers twitched slightly, and he sighed softly, "Oh." Yang Shucai probably realized his words were inappropriate, so he didn't continue. Yu Congyi, however, suddenly whispered, "Jiang Jiejie, she..."

“I like her,” Yang Shucai said after thinking for a moment. “She is beautiful and kind, a wonderful person.”

Yu Congyi looked at her and nodded, then said with a sigh, "Thank you."

"Huh?" Yang Shu asked.

Yu Congyi changed the subject, "After talking about these things, have you felt any better?"

"I feel better." Yang Shu thought for a moment, then nodded. "I suddenly feel like I was pretty stupid."

“That’s it. Listen to me, now that you’ve seen through Jiang Fengming, just cry for a few days and that’s it. Don’t do anything else wrong because of him,” Yu Congyi considered for a moment. “It’s not worth it.”

"Oh, I see."

I'll find out what's going on with Jiang Fengming and give you an answer.

Yang Shu put down her cup, looked at Yu Congyi, and suddenly stretched out a hand, "No, I... I dare not."

"Hmm?" Yu Congyi asked, puzzled.

"I know it's impossible for us anymore, but I still..."

"Don't worry, this isn't because of you." Yu Congyi thought for a moment, then stopped talking.

Yu Congyi stood up, still holding his clothes. He knew he couldn't stay long, and now that he'd unexpectedly learned of Jiang Fengming's affair, he didn't intend to stand idly by. He despised nothing more than being seduced and then abandoned. Jiang Fengming's actions suddenly made him seem like a complete stranger to Yu Congyi. He thought he'd only just happened to find out about it earlier and incidentally saved a life. One life for one death—he thought he was utterly pathetic. Fortunately, Yu Congyi was very clear about what he was doing, and therefore his resolve remained unshaken.

"You're a really nice person." Yang Shucai also stood up and suddenly laughed, "Isn't Jiang Fengming your younger brother? You're even taking my side."

"Is that so?" Yu Congyi smiled slightly upon hearing this.

He turned to leave, but Yang Shucai called out to him. "It's so late, aren't you going to have some food before you go?" Yu Congyi stopped and turned back. "No, I have things to do." After a pause, he said to Yang Shucai, "Be clear-headed before you do anything, don't give up on yourself."

Yang Shucai remained motionless, somewhat disappointed, before finally nodding and watching Yu Congyi leave.

Because he accidentally killed Yang Xiang's supposed godson, Yu Congyi did not go home tonight. He had long realized that he acted rashly and impulsively, but he often only came to his senses afterward. If this implicated Jiang Fengming again, it would be a loss that outweighed the gains. Yu Congyi planned to stay at the Military Police Headquarters for a while and wait until things calmed down before making further decisions.