After a long silence, I mustered up my courage and looked up at Madam Su, trying to glean some information from her words.

"You mean, the person who reported him for leaking information was Gu Jia?"

"Yes, Gu Yanqing." Madam Su stared intently at me as she uttered the name.

My face stiffened; I was surprised, yet it felt like it was all expected.

I thought of the anonymous text message I received a few days ago. At the time, I suspected it was sent by Gu Yanqing, and now I'm even more certain.

He knew the consequences of his actions.

"Isn't he afraid of taking responsibility for making such casual slander?"

I was furious and couldn't help but mutter to myself.

Madam Su said, "The Gu family is completely finished this time. Do you think the son can completely absolve himself of the mistakes his father made? He's going to go to jail anyway, so he might as well drag someone down with him before he goes in, and at least vent his personal anger. Do you think that kind of person would care about one more charge?"

I frowned, then it dawned on me.

Yes, Gu Yanqing must have known he couldn't escape either, so he took a bite out of thin air.

It takes only a mouth to spread rumors, but it takes a lot of legwork to refute them.

Moreover, the Su family is so special that even the slightest negative impact is enough to cause a stir.

Sure enough, his casual slanderous remark affected Uncle Su's career and led to Su Shenglin being secretly investigated.

“I’m sorry, Auntie. I shouldn’t have let Sheng Lin go to Milan to see me during the Chinese New Year. If I had done that, this wouldn’t have happened.”

I don't know what else I can do besides apologize.

Madam Su sighed softly, "Actually, it's not your fault. Sheng Lin has his own opinions. He was annoyed by our matchmaking, so he simply went abroad, and as a result, others took advantage of the situation."

I looked at Mrs. Su with gratitude.

She really knows her son very well.

But I still regret and blame myself. If I had known that Gu Yanqing was also in Milan at that time, I would have stopped Su Shenglin from going there no matter what.

But from Su Shenglin's perspective, if he knew that Gu Yanqing had gone to Milan, he would definitely go there even if the sky were to fall.

"What is meant to be will be. Sheng Lin should be back in a few days, but this incident has served as a wake-up call for our whole family. The old man is already in poor health, and after learning about this yesterday, his blood pressure spiked. He made many phone calls afterward to get a general understanding of the situation."

I hurriedly asked, "So that means the investigation is complete and we know he's innocent?"

"I'm not sure. Some things are classified, and I don't know either."

"I understand."

This is a sensitive matter, and even Mrs. Su may not know the details. Besides, even if she did, she might not tell me.

But her visit today made me realize that Su Shenglin is at least safe for now, which put my mind at ease.

"Jiang Wan, I believe in your relationship with Sheng Lin, but please understand our feelings as elders. There's a saying that goes, 'Too much wisdom is bound to bring harm, and deep affection is not long-lasting'—sometimes, loving and separating are not mutually exclusive."

Mrs. Su took another sip of tea, declined my offer to refill it, and slowly rose, saying, "The old man is not feeling well, I have to go back to take care of him. I'm sorry to bother you, Jiang Wan."

"Auntie, please don't say that." I stood up to see her off, feeling deeply guilty and worried about Su Shenglin.

Although I know he will eventually be alright, the thought of the torment he has endured these past few days must have felt like an eternity to him.

A model worker with impeccable character and a dedicated work ethic, who has worked diligently for many years, is to be detained in a certain place and subjected to a lengthy interrogation on a fabricated charge.

For him, it was not only disheartening, but also humiliating.

After seeing Mrs. Su off, I had no interest in working at all.

I dialed Su Shenglin's number again, but it was still temporarily unavailable.

I sat behind my workbench, lost and bewildered, wondering what I could do to help him.

If I'm ever unhappy, I can vent to my best friend to relieve it.

Because of the special nature of this matter, I dared not tell anyone and could only keep it to myself.

As evening approached, it began to rain.

I figured there would be traffic later, and since I wasn't really in the mood to work anyway, I decided to leave early.

Halfway there, the rain got heavier and heavier, and the traffic jam became more and more serious.

I gripped the steering wheel in a daze, my mind racing, trying to figure out how to break up with Su Shenglin.

My phone suddenly rang, interrupting my thoughts.

I glanced casually at the phone lying on the passenger seat, but my heart suddenly raced when I saw the caller ID!

Su Shenglin!

He called!

I even forgot I was driving, and suddenly slowed down, grabbed my phone, and answered the call.

"Hello--"

A sudden stop caused the car behind to brake hard as well, followed by angry honking.

But I couldn't care less, and I didn't care.

All my attention was focused on my auditory senses.

“Wanwan…” Su Shenglin’s voice came, tired, warm, and deep.

I burst into tears instantly.

But I can't let him know, lest he worry about me.

"Well, you're finally done—" I forced a smile, trying very hard to control my emotions.

"Yes, I've been too busy these past few days. I have to follow up on a very special project, and everyone's personal cell phones have to be handed in temporarily, so I can't contact you."

Su Shenglin was still telling white lies, trying to cover up the truth, probably because he didn't want me to be worried.

"So, are you angry with me?" He smiled and asked in a low voice.

"No." Tears blurred my vision, and I couldn't continue driving. I had no choice but to force my way into the congested traffic and pull over to the bus stop on the side of the road.

"Su Shenglin, I'm not angry. Don't worry about me. Just take care of yourself." After parking the car, I used my other hand to wipe away my tears before I could calm down a bit and talk to him.

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