Chapter 90 Intervention

Song Zhiwei leaned on Sheng Tingzhou's shoulder, the two of them very close.

Zhou Yuce's brows furrowed slightly involuntarily, forming a shallow "川" (river) shape between them.

"You ate with Sheng Tingzhou, right?"

"right."

He really wanted to ask her what her relationship with that man was.

But those words I said last time were too harsh; they hurt her, and they hurt myself too.

That night, she hung up the phone in silence.

He sat alone on the sofa all night.

At this moment, he dared not speak easily.

I'm afraid of hurting her again, and even more afraid that she'll never turn back.

Just as I was about to change the subject to hide the turmoil in my heart, my eyes suddenly caught sight of the red marks on her neck.

He immediately reached out and, with a slightly hurried movement, held her head still.

What happened here? Who did this?

Song Zhiwei paused for a moment, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

She lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze, and said in a low voice, "A client in one of the cases was dissatisfied with the verdict and stopped me at night, wanting to retaliate... Luckily, Sheng Tingzhou arrived in time, otherwise nothing would have happened."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuze's face darkened further, almost turning grim.

How could she not tell him about something so dangerous?

In the past, she would call him immediately if she felt wronged.

What about now?

Even life-threatening situations can be dismissed with a simple "It's alright now."

"Why don't you call me? I can help you."

Song Zhiwei smiled gently, but the smile remained faint.

"It's really alright, everything has been taken care of."

She doesn't like to bring things up repeatedly, always feeling it's like trying to gain sympathy.

She had long since learned to swallow that feeling of helplessness alone.

When she was little, if she was bullied, she would cry and run to her uncle, her face covered in tears and snot. He would always hold her and comfort her for a long time.

But now that she's grown up, she doesn't want him to worry anymore.

She hopes to become strong enough to stand on her own.

Zhou Yuze felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.

He opened his mouth, his throat bobbed, a thousand words stuck in his throat, but in the end he could only manage to utter a dry, unintelligible sentence.

"Has the person been caught?"

"We've caught them."

She nodded, her tone calm.

"Sheng Tingzhou called the security team, and they've already taken him to the police station."

It's Sheng Tingzhou again.

The name echoed in his ears.

"It's because your uncle couldn't protect you."

Song Zhiwei quickly shook her head: "Uncle, it's really not your fault. No one can predict these things."

She knew that the man in front of her had already done so much for her.

From childhood to adulthood, he has been her strongest support.

He has already given so much for her.

She could no longer rely on him for everything.

She needs to learn to face the storms alone.

Zhou Yuce looked at her quietly, his gaze slowly sliding over her slightly pale face.

"You must tell me if anything happens in the future, okay?"

"good."

Outside in the corridor, two men stood facing each other in silence.

They stood a few steps apart.

The atmosphere was so cold it was almost frozen, and even the lights seemed much dimmer.

Zhou Yuce stood ramrod straight, dressed in a black suit.

At this moment, his eyes were terrifyingly deep.

The man opposite me was wearing a dark cashmere coat with the collar turned up high, obscuring half of his face.

His right hand was wrapped in thick bandages, and the once white gauze was now soaked with blood.

The bloodstains were so glaring that they were immediately noticeable.

"Zhiwei told me everything that happened today."

Zhou Yuce spoke first.

"Thank you."

Sheng Tingzhou twitched the corner of his mouth and chuckled.

"She thanked me herself, so you don't need to do it for her."

After he finished speaking, he looked up at Zhou Yuze.

Zhou Yuze lit a cigarette with a calm and collected gesture.

He tapped the bottom of the cigarette pack lightly with his fingertip, pushed the cigarette out, and then slowly put it into his mouth.

A flash of light, and the orange glow of the lighter briefly illuminated his profile.

He slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

Then, he said casually, "I heard you also wanted that piece of land in the suburbs? I'll withdraw; consider it a favor I owe you."

Sheng Tingzhou sneered.

"Why should you thank me on her behalf?"

His eyes were piercing as he stared intently at Zhou Yuze.

"Is she your niece, or someone I saved? Who gives you the right to act like this?"

Zhou Yuce looked up at him.

The two grew up together, went to school together, fought together, got into trouble together, and also weathered the toughest times together.

He knew Sheng Tingzhou too well.

He has a stubborn temper, like a rock, and never bows his head.

But over the years, he had never seen this man care so much about any woman.

It's not playing around, it's not flirting, it's truly caring, even at the risk of getting hurt.

Between men, some things don't need to be said explicitly.

"I'm her uncle, so it's not too much to say thank you on her behalf, is it?"

Zhou Yuze's tone was calm, but every word carried a heavy weight.

"I saved her so that you, my uncle who isn't related to me by blood, would come and repay the favor?"

Sheng Tingzhou spoke directly, making no attempt to hide his dislike.

“I want that land, and nobody can stop me.”

He paused, his gaze fixed intently on Zhou Yuze.

"Don't take your concessions as charity; I don't care."

Zhou Yuze exhaled a smoke ring, his face turning completely grim.

Smoke swirled around him, blurring his expression, but his eyes grew colder and colder.

He slowly spoke, "Tingzhou, we've been brothers for so many years. For my sake, can you stay away from her?"

“She’s different from the people before her.”

Those women were just passersby to him, but Zhiwei was different.

She is sentimental, yet stubborn.

Once you've truly fallen for someone, it's hard to break free.

If she gets hurt, she'll be the one who suffers.

Sheng Tingzhou squinted and looked at him sideways.

"If you're a true brother, then don't interfere in my affairs."

After he finished speaking, he tugged at his coat collar and turned to leave.

Zhou Yuze's brows furrowed into a deep frown, his eyes fixed coldly on the person in front of him.

"So what exactly do you want? Do you think you can solve the problem like this? Or are you just deliberately provoking me?"

The other person chuckled softly.

"I don't mean anything by it. I just hate it when people point fingers at me, especially those self-righteous people who stand on moral high ground and criticize me. It's my freedom to see whomever I want and to get close to whomever I want. It's none of anyone's business, and it's certainly none of your business to interfere."

After saying that, Sheng Tingzhou's lips curled up slightly.

He didn't look at Zhou Yuce again, and turned to leave decisively.

Zhou Yuze stood still, his gaze fixed on the departing figure.

In that instant, his gaze suddenly stopped.

That dark gray coat...

Why does it look so familiar?

That's... the one Zhiwei wore before?

That evening, as Song Zhiwei left wearing this coat, she turned back and smiled at him, saying, "See you tomorrow."

But now, this garment that should have belonged to her is draped over another man's shoulders.

——

The next day, as it was almost time to leave work, dusk had already fallen outside the office window.

Song Zhiwei had just finished organizing the documents at hand when her phone suddenly rang.

The crisp ringing of the bell was particularly clear in the quiet workspace.

She looked down and saw that it was Mo Huaizhi calling.

"Brother Huaizhi? What's wrong? Why are you calling at this hour?"

Mo Huaizhi's familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.