If I lied to you

Jiang Shuiying awoke from her dream, only to be greeted by Luo Yuwen's clear, radiant face, clutching her tightly against his chest. His face gradually became reminiscent of the young man who, on that rainy night, had risked his life to hold Yan Ying back. The two brothers looked alike, yet upon closer inspection, they weren't quite alike. Luo Yuwen, unsure of what he'd dreamed about, frowned.

Jiang Shuiying wanted to reach out and smooth his frown, but Luo Yuwen held him too tightly and she couldn't pull her hand away. She had no choice but to bury herself in Luo Yuwen's arms and try to take a nap.

Just as she was about to fall asleep again, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind, making her mind clear in an instant.

Wait a minute, my scar isn't broken, is it?

Jiang Shuiying struggled, and quietly reached her hand to her waist. After touching it for a while, she found that the skin was still as smooth as before, and she felt relieved.

At this time, Luo Yuwen was awakened by her little movements. He opened his eyes in a daze and found Jiang Shuiying moving around in his arms, not knowing what she was doing.

He was sleepy and said in a low voice: "...Yingying, why are you awake so early?"

Seeing this, Jiang Shuiying snuggled into his arms to cover up her movements.

“I’m hungry…”

Luo Yuwen kissed her hair gently and thought carefully. It seemed that the two of them didn't go to bed until midnight yesterday. It would be strange if they were not hungry.

He gently rubbed Jiang Shuiying's forehead, and the two of them were affectionate for a while. Then he got up quickly, washed up, and planned to go downstairs to make breakfast for Jiang Shuiying.

Jiang Shuiying stayed in bed for a while longer, until she heard a noise downstairs. When she changed her clothes, she found that the "scar" on her arm had become lighter.

She murmured to herself: "Why has it become so pale..."

"Would you like some more?"

She thought about it for a long time and finally decided not to make up for it.

The two have already confirmed their relationship, and they can't keep lying like this.

After much thought, Jiang Shuiying decided to find an opportunity to tell Luo Yuwen everything.

While washing up, she checked the scar on her waist again and only went downstairs after confirming that it was fine.

In the kitchen, the two had just arrived last night and the refrigerator was empty, so Luo Yuwen had to run to the breakfast shop on the street. When the river water came up, Luo Yuwen was just putting wontons into the bowl.

After breakfast, Jiang Shuiying thought about packing her luggage, and Luo Yuwen came to help her. Fortunately, Jiang Shuiying's luggage was not too much, so she packed it quickly.

Looking at her full closet, Jiang Shuiying felt for the first time that her new life seemed to be about to begin.

Time passed quickly and it was afternoon. The two woke up from their nap and began to clean up the garden that was messed up by the two kittens.

Jiang Shuiying cleaned up the scattered dirt, Luo Yuwen sorted out the clay fragments, and straightened the flower stand. The two chatted while cleaning up.

"Luo Yuwen, where did those two kittens get the energy to mess up my garden like this?"

"I don't know. I guess I was scared."

"I still can't understand how two little guys could cause such a big scene."

As the two were chatting, the bushes behind Jiang Shuiying that were trampled suddenly shook and made a rustling sound, which scared Jiang Shuiying.

"What?!"

Luo Yuwen's expression instantly became serious. He put down what he was holding, walked quickly to the bushes, and pushed them aside.

Unexpectedly, there were two kittens, one black and one white, lying in the bushes. The two cats seemed startled and huddled together, looking at the two people timidly.

Jiang Shuiying squatted in front of them, her tone jumping with joy: "Great, so the culprit is here!"

The damaged grass and shrubs were too much for the two of them to clean up, so Jiang Shuiying arranged for the landscaping company to come and rearrange the area tomorrow. After the call, Jiang Shuiying cut open a sausage, intending to lure the two cats out.

Perhaps because they were too hungry or for some other reason, the two cats actually did as she wished. They moved closer to the sausages scattered on the ground and began to eat them with a grunt.

The two cats were skinny and bony. Jiang Shuiying estimated that they were only a few months old, which made her feel soft-hearted.

"These two little things are so annoying."

As the sun was setting, Luo Yuwen came to Jiang Shuiying and squatted down, suggesting that they go to the supermarket together to buy some vegetables.

After being reminded by Luo Yuwen, Jiang Shuiying was actually a little hungry. She stood up and said to the kitten that was licking its mouth:

"Alright you two, let's go once we're done eating!"

Then Jiang Shuiying took Luo Yuwen to the commercial street and asked Luo Yuwen to buy a few sets of clothes before going to the supermarket for a big shopping spree.

When she returned home, she found that the two kittens had not left. One black and one white were squatting under the porch, like two little door gods.

Seeing this, Jiang Shuiying sent Luo Yuwen to cook and stayed to play with the kitten.

She squatted in front of the kittens, and the two cats looked at each other. With the light in the room, Jiang Shuiying discovered that the black cat's eyes were green and the white cat's eyes were blue, and they were both very beautiful.

"We've eaten and drunk, why don't you two leave?"

Unexpectedly, the white cat licked its paws, bravely walked towards Jiang Shuiying, and rubbed her calves.

Jiang Shuiying: "Hmm?"

The black cat was even braver and fell directly in front of Jiang Shuiying with its belly turned over.

Jiang Shuiying: "Huh?!"

When Luo Yuwen came out after finishing dinner, he saw the man and two cats having a great time playing together. Jiang Shuiying was rubbing the black cat's belly with one hand and touching the white cat's head with the other hand. Both kittens were purring.

Then Jiang Shuiying raised her head with a serious face and said to Luo Yuwen, "I want to recruit them."

Luo Yuwen: “…”

Luo Yuwen: "Have you thought of a name?"

Jiang Shuiying nodded, her hair swaying as she moved. She pointed at the two cats and said, "The black one is called mud, and the white one is called flower pot."

Luo Yuwen laughed out loud: "Are you so vindictive?"

"How could I hold a grudge?" Jiang Shuiying said seriously, pointing at the heads of the two cats with her fingers.

"I want them to remember that they must not forget the way they came!"

The soil and the flowerpot didn't understand what Jiang Shuiying was saying. They just rubbed against her, wrapped their tails around her fingers, and meowed twice.

"It's no use acting like a spoiled child!"

With the addition of two kittens, Jiang Shuiying's villa life has become more warm. Luo Yuwen accompanied her and renovated the yard. After a few days, Jiang Shuiying's villa has returned to its previous exquisite design and elegant decoration.

Such ordinary and happy days lasted for a week. One evening, the two of them were swinging in the yard to cool off and digest their food. Jiang Shuiying was holding the cat in her arms, and was hugged by Luo Yuwen.

The evening air still held the residual warmth of the day. She felt a little dizzy after having just finished dinner. She leaned drowsily against Luo Yuwen's chest, ready to take a nap, but was awakened by the ringing of Luo Yuwen's phone. The kitten in Jiang Shuiying's arms was also frightened and jumped away.

Luo Yuwen hugged her tightly with one hand and took out his cell phone with the other. When he looked carefully, he saw that it was Zhong Yun calling.

"Hello? Zhong Yun?"

"Brother Yuwen, Yan Ying is about to be executed. If you have time recently, please come to the Municipal Bureau."

"You'd better come by yourself, Brother Yuwen, I have something to confirm with you."

Luo Yuwen lowered his head to look at Jiang Shuiying. The distance between them was very close, enough for Jiang Shuiying to hear the content of the call clearly, and the fatigue in Jiang Shuiying's eyes was swept away at this moment.

"Just me going alone?"

"right."

"Okay, I'll go in a few days. Thank you for your help, Zhong Yun."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Shuiying played with the buttons on Luo Yuwen's bra, lowered her eyes and didn't look at him, and said casually:

"Is it from the Municipal Bureau?"

Luo Yuwen smiled, put the phone away, took her hand and interlocked their fingers.

"Yes, let me go and tell me that you have something to talk to me about."

"Yingying, will you stay with me?"

Jiang Shuiying sighed inwardly, thinking that what was to come would eventually come, but her expression remained calm as she replied:

"good."

Both of them tacitly kept silent about Yan Ying's death, because they both knew that this was the result of the two brothers' murder for money and their desperate pursuit of money, and they deserved it.

***

In the Municipal Bureau, Luo Yuwen was walking alone in the corridor, while Jiang Shuiying was sitting in his car waiting for him.

After meeting Zhong Yun, Zhong Yun told him that the two main culprits, Director Guo and Yan Ying, were sentenced to death, and the remaining accomplices would receive the punishment they deserved, and no one would escape.

Luo Yuwen felt a little relieved. After completing the process, he was about to leave when he was suddenly stopped by Zhong Yun.

"Brother Yuwen, I have something to show you. Come with me."

Zhong Yun took him to the archive room. Wearing gloves, he opened an old and yellowed notebook for Luo Yuwen through the file bag.

"The Sunshine Orphanage register? Isn't this the first orphanage we checked out back then? Why are you showing this to me?"

Zhong Yun didn't say anything, but just continued flipping through the register and turned to the last few pages.

There are three girls' names on it, namely Jiang Yingying, Qu Qing and Zhu Zhi.

"Brother Yuwen, do you think these three names look familiar?"

"I remember you were investigating Yan Ming's private life before. You must have found out that after he married Jiang Shuiying, he had two lovers, one named Qu Qing and the other named Zhu Zhi."

Luo Yuwen looked down at the file without looking up.

"What do you want to say?"

Zhong Yun was silent for a long time. "I just suspect it, but I have no evidence."

"Do you suspect they killed him?"

"right."

"But Yan Ming committed suicide. He was the only one in the office at the time. I confirmed this later."

"I've also investigated his two lovers, and there's no direct evidence to prove they killed him. Yan Ming died of an allergy. There was only juice in his stomach. Zhong Yun, you should know this better than I do."

"Yan Ming and Yan Ying killed so many people. They are the real murderers."

Luo Yuwen withdrew his gaze from the file.

"Okay, I have to go. She's waiting for me."

Zhong Yun put the register back without saying anything.

Luo Yuwen walked out of the Municipal Bureau holding the box and breathed a long sigh of relief. He thought back to the time when he had been busy running around in there, and it turned out to be ten years ago.

Luo Yuwen suddenly felt that he had nothing to be nostalgic about in this city anymore.

Later, Jiang Shuiying went with him to the crematorium and then to the cemetery to choose a plot. The cemetery's procedures took time, and after a whole day of trouble, the two decided to return to Luo Yuwen's home for a few nights.

The car stopped downstairs of Luo Yuwen's house, and neither of them moved.

Jiang Shuiying had a hunch that Luo Yuwen might... have known something.

Will Luo Yuwen blame her? Will he leave her?

They had obviously only been together for a short time.

If Luo Yuwen wanted to leave, it seemed there was nothing she could do. After all, she had been lying to him from the beginning, Jiang Shuiying thought sadly.

Jiang Shuiying lowered his eyes, grabbed his pants at his knees, and silently waited for the trial to come.

But what Luo Yuwen said next surprised Jiang Shuiying.

"Yingying, now that things are over, I plan to sell this house."

"ah?"

Jiang Shuiying looked at him in disbelief, and her hands that were originally holding his pants loosened in vain.

Luo Yuwen took her hand, interlocked their fingers, and looked at her gently.

"I'm really tired of everything here. After I sell the house, I'll go to City A with you and never come back. We'll be happy together."

"If you are tired of marriage, then we won't get married. I just want to be with you all my life."

"I love you, Jiang Shuiying."

After saying that, Luo Yuwen gently kissed the back of Jiang Shuiying's hand.

Jiang Shuiying was anxious and wanted to pull her hand back. She never expected that Luo Yuwen would have this reaction after returning from the Municipal Bureau.

Did no one discover her secret? Or did even the people in the city police department not discover it? Although there is no evidence pointing to her murder, but...

Jiang Shuiying thought seriously and didn't speak for a while.

Luo Yuwen held her hand tightly to prevent her from letting go, which instead brought them closer.

"Yingying, why don't you say anything? Don't you want to?"

Jiang Shuiying finally reacted. She shook her head, and there was even a hint of panic in her tone.

"Ah? Oh no, I do. I mean, I love you too, but..."

"But, have you ever thought about what if I lied to you?"