Chapter 68 (Update 1)
Chapter 68 (Update 1)
Luo Jianhui was arrested in Yinyuan.
The wind was howling in the courtyard. The police handcuffed him and pinned him to the ground, his face grim as he struggled, just like the dead leaves on the tree next to him. They were clearly at the end of their lives, but they still clung to the treetops, unwilling to fall.
Shu Yao stood not far away, watching all this with an expressionless face, like a bystander.
Last night, Shu Yao saw the photo of the gold chain on Qian Manqing's mobile phone.
Before, when it was worn around Luo Jianhui's neck, it was not clear from a distance, and Shu Yao didn't pay much attention to it. It was not until she zoomed in on the details that she realized the strangeness.
The mother said that Luo Jianhui owed a lot of debts and came to Fuchuan to avoid them.
But due to his profession, Shu Yao could tell at a glance that the gold chain was of very good quality and even had a unique number engraved on it. It must be from a high-end brand and would cost at least 50,000 or 60,000 yuan.
She originally thought that Luo Jianhui was just trying to show off, but after returning to the room, she searched and found that the gold chain was actually the latest model launched by an international brand three months ago, and it had not yet been sold in China.
Thinking back to the last time Luo Jianhui came to Yinyuan to cause trouble, he immediately backed down when the construction team leader mentioned calling the police. She originally thought that Luo Jianhui might be afraid of their large number of people, but then she changed her mind and wondered if he was simply... afraid of facing the police?
A bold guess suddenly emerged in Shu Yao's mind.
Could it be that the reason he came to Fuchuan, besides avoiding debt, was more likely to escape?
So she searched for nearly three months, looking for news about theft and robbery. Sure enough, in a news report about a burglary and injury in which the suspect escaped, she saw a description of a lost gold necklace that was very similar to the one worn by Luo Jianhui.
According to the news report, the suspect was masked throughout the crime and the corridor surveillance was destroyed in advance, so the police did not have any clear clues. They only had a blurry surveillance screenshot at the entrance of the community where the face could not be seen.
After all, they had lived together for more than ten years, and Shu Yao identified the person in the screenshot almost at a glance from his body shape. It was Luo Jianhui.
This gold chain is the latest model, and each one is numbered. The buyer can be traced based on the number. He probably discovered this, so he didn't dare to sell it. He just wore it himself to pretend to be rich, hoping to establish a relationship with the Shen family.
But he didn't expect that this was what ultimately exposed him.
"I really gave birth to a good daughter! Damn..." Luo Jianhui glared and cursed loudly at Shu Yao.
But Shu Yao did not hear the dirty words that followed.
Because someone covered her ears.
Shu Yao turned around and saw Chen Ye's cold expression, but her palms were warm. She smiled and shook her head at him, indicating that it didn't matter.
The chaos soon subsided, and after the plainclothes police took Luo Jianhui away, only the two of them were left in the courtyard.
Shu Yao looked at the tightly closed door and asked hesitantly, "He shouldn't be able to get out, right?"
"Breaking into a house and injuring someone is enough for him to serve ten or twenty years in prison."
Shu Yao turned around and hugged Shen Ye's waist, burying her head in his chest without saying a word.
Shen Ye gently stroked her back: "How did you lead him here?"
"I asked my uncle for his cell phone number and told him to hide it. If he gets caught, the Shen family will know that it was my father who caused Shen Yang's heart attack. You will definitely divorce me, and I won't be able to be a rich wife."
"He probably thought he had something on me, so he turned around and asked me for money, saying that if I didn't give him money, he would fight me to the death. So I asked him to come to Yinyuan to discuss it in detail."
For someone like Luo Jianhui who values money more than anything else, it is probably impossible for him to believe that Shu Yao would give up her life as a wealthy wife and betray him. It is even more unbelievable that the people of the Shen family are still on the same side with Shu Yao even at this moment.
After listening to this, Shen Ye did not speak for a long time.
He sat outside the ICU all night last night.
Shen Yang had been ill before, so at first he didn't think it was "man-made".
Until this morning, Shu Yao sent him a message. She didn't say anything clearly, but only asked him if he could accompany her back to Yinyuan, and then told him calmly that she had called the police.
Chen Ye was quite surprised. After all, according to Shu Yao's character, in order to avoid any omissions, she would wait until Luo Jianhui was arrested, then ask him to pick her up and confess the whole story to him, which was in line with her usual style of doing things.
Shen Ye lowered his head and kissed the top of her head: "Why did you think of telling me in advance this time?"
"You said that if he comes to find me, I must tell you." Shu Yao stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips with a faint smile on her face, "Chen Ye, I will remember what you said."
"Yeah." With their foreheads touching, Shen Ye curled his lips and smiled.
Shu Yao looked at his gentle eyes and hesitated to speak: "Do you think I'm cruel?"
"What's so cruel?"
"After all, he..."
Chen Ye interrupted her: "Didn't my dad talk to you? Yiyi, not only do you have to remember what I said, you also have to remember what my dad said."
Shu Yao stopped asking.
Yes, blood relationship is not the standard for defining family.
So she just reported a criminal, that's all.
Although it is winter, the sun at noon is unusually warm.
The warm atmosphere was finally interrupted by the ringing of Chen Ye’s cell phone, and the note was still "Mom".
But this time, Qian Manqing brought good news.
Shen Yang was transferred to the general ward.
*
Everyone was delighted that Shen Yang had turned danger into safety, but as the protagonist, Shen Yang was the calmest one.
Shu Yao even felt that life and death were not an important matter to him at all. In his words, the thrills of the past few days were just "sleeping in a different place."
But even though his mentality was extremely stable, his body still suffered a lot. Shen Yang leaned against the head of the bed, his face pale.
Shu Yao held Chen Ye's hand, stood beside the bed, and opened his mouth: "Yes..."
"Stop!" Shen Yang raised his hand and made a pause gesture, his expression speechless. "I have a phobia of sensationalism, don't give me that."
The "I'm sorry" that was on the tip of Shu Yao's tongue was swallowed back in an instant.
Shen Yang glanced at her coldly, his tone somewhat weak: "What does this have to do with you? The Qing Dynasty has fallen, you don't still believe in the saying that a daughter pays for a father's debt, do you?"
"No." Shu Yao said, "But it's true. If it weren't for me, Luo Jianhui wouldn't have come to you."
"No one wants to experience this kind of thing," Chen Yang said slowly. "Besides, this isn't the first time I've nearly died in the past few years. So what? I'm blessed with a long life. God won't take me away."
Shu Yao's mood was indeed relieved a little because of Shen Yang's words.
She wanted to say something, but Shen Yang urged her, "If you have time, could you please ask if lunch has arrived? The heart attack didn't take me away, so don't let me starve to death."
“…” Fortunately, Qian Manqing was not there, otherwise he would have been slapped in the face again.
"I'll go take a look." Shu Yao let go of Chen Ye's hand and trotted out of the ward.
The ward suddenly became quiet, and just as Shen Yang breathed a sigh of relief, he saw Shen Ye dragging a chair over and sitting down slowly.
An ominous premonition suddenly surged in Shen Yang's heart.
It's over, I'm going to be judged.
As expected, Shen Ye leaned back and asked in a cold voice: "What happened that night?"
Chen Yang thought secretly, if he had known earlier, he would not have let Shu Yao leave.
At least she can lend a helping hand if she's here.
Shen Yang's eyes trembled slightly, and he picked up the remote control next to him and randomly changed the TV channel: "Nothing, just that Luo Jianhui knew I was a member of the Shen family and asked me for money, so we had a few words."
"Is he coming for you or for me?"
"Of course it's me. Are you richer than me?"
"Brother, tell me the truth." Chen Ye asked again, "Did he mistake you for me?"
"how……"
"Tell, the truth." Chen Ye's expression was cold and hard, unlike his usual self. Even his voice was low, like the prelude to a storm.
Shen Yang gradually lost his confidence and scratched his hair in frustration: "Okay, yes."
"Then why don't you explain?"
"He was quite polite at first, saying it was a coincidence that he'd run into his son-in-law, and he insisted on dragging me into the back alley to smoke a cigarette. I knew he had ulterior motives, but I wanted to see what he was up to, so I followed him in. But he kept asking for money, and he was swearing at me. I couldn't hold back my temper."
"Why do you want to see what he's going to do? This is my business, you can just tell me, why do you have to face it yourself?"
"I……"
"Brother." Chen Ye looked at him gravely, "Are you still concerned about the things that happened when we were little, and feel guilty towards me?"
Shen Yang looked away guiltily: "I didn't."
"I told you that you never owed me anything. If something like this happens again, don't think of standing in my way. I will handle it myself."
This was the first time that Shen Ye had told him something so seriously. Shen Yang slowly moved away, his tone sounding impatient: "I know, I'm fine. How can you be my brother? At first glance, you act like my dad."
There was a knock on the door.
Shen Ye thought it was Shu Yao who came back. He turned around and saw the housekeeper Liu Shu cautiously pushing the door open and saying, "Second Young Master, a group of people came to the hospital gate and said they were looking for the eldest young master."
Shen Ye frowned slightly, "Who?"
The butler twitched his lips and said, "They say it's the young master's ex-girlfriends...."
Shen Ye: "..."
*
Because of the arrival of the ex-girlfriends, there was no room for the two of them in the ward.
In addition, Shen Ye had hardly slept for two days because of this matter.
Qian Manqing urged them to go home and rest quickly.
The driver was called away by Chen Yu. Shu Yao was worried that he would drive while tired, so he decided to drive himself.
I drove the Maybach at a snail's pace and finally got home safely.
Shu Yao drove the car into the garage and turned around to find that Chen Ye had fallen asleep in the passenger seat without him noticing.
She hesitated for a while, but finally didn't have the heart to wake him up. She gently reclined the seat, helped him unbuckle his seat belt, sat in the driver's seat, and stared at him quietly.
Shen Ye didn't know how long he slept. When he woke up, it was already pitch black outside.
Under the dim light in the car, Shu Yao sat in the driver's seat, quietly looking down at his phone.
He pressed his solar plexus, sat up, and said in a tired voice: "Why didn't you wake me up?"
Shu Yao finally came back to his senses and said with a smile, "You seem to be sleeping very soundly."
Shen Ye looked down and saw that her phone screen was stuck on a food app, which showed the recipe for corn beef porridge.
Shen Ye asked: "Would you like to drink porridge tomorrow?"
"No," Shu Yao said, "Aunt Zhang made vegetable porridge today, but your brother thought it was too bland and asked if I had corn and beef porridge. I thought I'd try making a pot tomorrow morning. It shouldn't be that hard, right?"
Shen Ye put his arm around her waist and brought her to sit on his lap, resting his forehead on her shoulder, and said in a deep voice: "Can't you just let Aunt Zhang do it?"
"I know, but..." Shu Yao pursed her lips. "After all, your brother suffered this unprovoked disaster because of me. Staying in the hospital to take care of him is not convenient for me, but helping to cook a meal is still my responsibility, right?"
"Yeah." Shen Ye responded softly.
After the thrilling crisis was over, Shu Yao realized that this ordinary hug was actually the most precious thing.
She turned off her phone and put her arms around his neck.
The two of them hugged each other quietly for a long time. No one knew who took the initiative, but by the time Shu Yao reacted, her coat had fallen to her feet.
Come to think of it, the two of them hadn't been intimate for several days, and the kiss at this moment had a bit of a sense of surviving a disaster.
The garage was pitch black, but the door was open. From Shu Yao's perspective, she could even see the occasional passerby outside the courtyard, which made her shudder: "Someone..."
Without even turning his head, Shen Ye lowered the car window, picked up a tissue box from the table, and threw it towards a bright spot on the wall.
With a "click", the switch was hit and the garage door slowly lowered.
The surrounding area became a completely enclosed space.
Under the dim light in the car, Shu Yao could clearly see the straightforward and frank desire in his eyes.
The sound between lips and teeth is infinitely amplified in the quiet atmosphere, making people's heart beat faster.
The feelings are thin and come out.
But Shu Yao still remembered one thing.
"You haven't slept in almost two days."
"Not sleepy." Shen Ye came forward aggressively.
Shu Yao gathered up his collar and reached down with his hands, "This is the only way today."
"Hmm?" Chen Ye sounded like a child who was given a candy and then slapped in the face, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.
"You must go to bed early today." Shu Yao leaned close to his ear and whispered soothingly, "You can do whatever you want tomorrow."
*
Have a good night's sleep.
Influenced by his biological clock, Shen Ye woke up early the next day as usual.
But he didn't expect that someone woke up earlier than him.
The kitchen was filled with a faint aroma of rice. Shen Ye looked at the busy figure, walked forward, and put his arms around her waist from behind.
He closed his eyes, leaned on Shu Yao's shoulder, and said in a hoarse voice, "Why are you up so early?"
"Cook porridge for your brother." Shu Yao stirred the porridge in the casserole with a spoon and said softly, "The driver will come to pick me up. You've been too tired these past two days. Have a good rest at home."
Shen Ye then remembered what she said in the car yesterday. She was quite obedient and said "hmm" softly, but the hand around her waist tightened: "So are you going to stay in the hospital today?"
"Um, what's wrong?"
I don’t know if it’s because I’m too sleepy, but Shen Ye seems a little clingy: “There are a lot of people in the ward, it’s okay to come back early.”
"I know, but if you need my help, I can lend a hand."
Shen Ye didn't say anything else.
Shu Yao vaguely felt that he was a little silent today. She lowered her head to look at her waist. The puppy on his left ring finger had its tail slightly tilted upwards.
Shu Yao turned her head and kissed him lightly on the side of his face: "Be good."
"Oh." Shen Ye responded.
If it were any other time, Chen Ye would definitely not be satisfied with this superficial kiss. He would most likely push the issue further and say, "That's it?"
But today, not only did he not do that, he let go of her and walked to the cupboard to take out the dishes.
Before Shu Yao had time to think about it, fine bubbles began to rise from the porridge in the pot, pushing up the lid. She was startled and was about to reach out, but Chen Ye had already lifted the lid.
Shu Yao tried it himself and thought it tasted good, so he helped him get a bowl and put the rest into a thermos box.
There was a sound of brakes outside the door, probably the driver had arrived. Shu Yao hurriedly packed up his things.
It was not until they got in the car that Shu Yao realized something was wrong again. Chen Ye did not kiss her when he sent her out.
Is it because I didn’t agree to him last night?
But isn't she also considering his health?
Shu Yao pursed her lips. She had originally decided to stay in the ward for the day, but now she changed her mind. After delivering the porridge, if everything was fine, she would go back and have a frank talk with him.
All the way to the top floor.
Shen Yang was still sleeping. Qian Manqing was helping him pack his clothes in the living room. Seeing Shu Yao come in, Qian Manqing smiled and asked in a low voice, "Why are you here?"
Shu Yao put the thermos box on the table: "Chen Yang said yesterday that he wanted to drink corn beef porridge, so I cooked some. Mom, have you eaten it?"
"No, where's Aye?"
"He's resting at home." Shu Yao opened the thermos box and poured half a bowl into it.
"Then you..." Qian Manqing hesitated, her face a little tangled. "Yaoyao, you've been very tired these past few days. You should rest at home with Aye more. You don't have to come here so often."
Shu Yao was stunned for a moment. He could tell that Qian Manqing's words were completely a euphemism.
As if to imply that she was not needed here.
"Mom." Shu Yao's heart sank, and she clenched the spoon in her hand. "Did you hear Dad talk about Luo Jianhui...so..."
"What are you talking about? Of course not." Qian Manqing interrupted her, took her hand and sat on the sofa, patting the back of her hand soothingly. "I've heard everything your father has to say about the whole thing. It's not easy for you to have such a father. How could we blame you?"
"Then why..."
Qian Manqing was silent for a long time and sighed: "Mom is just worried that if you visit Yangyang so often, Ah Ye will be unhappy. You know his personality, even if he is unhappy, he won't say it openly."
Shu Yao understood a little, but not completely: "Are you afraid that he will be jealous?"
"I'm not jealous." Qian Manqing hesitated for a moment, then pulled her up and said, "Come home with me."
*
The hospital is only a twenty-minute drive from the old house.
As soon as they got home, Qian Manqing took her straight to the study.
She walked to the innermost cabinet, opened the drawer, and took out a black notebook.
The paper has yellowed and is obviously quite old.
Shu Yao asked curiously, "What is this?"
Qian Manqing: "Aye's weekly diary from elementary school."
"Weekly diary? If we look at it this way, will it be..." Shu Yao took the notebook from Qian Manqing, but did not open it.
Qian Manqing shook her head. "This was the homework the teacher assigned us in third grade. We had one piece per week, and every month we'd collect it for correction before handing it out the following month. His homeroom teacher didn't notice anything unusual at first, but then called me in at the end of the semester and told me that Ah Ye might have some mental issues."
Qian Manqing's emotions were calm at first, but when she said this, she couldn't help but choked up.
"I sat in the office and read his 22 weekly diaries for the entire semester, and only then did I realize how much he cared..."
Shu Yao opened the notebook with trembling fingertips and saw the first article. The font was childish and some of the words used made him look a little mature.
School started this Monday, and I'm in third grade. My parents said my brother wasn't feeling well and needed to be taken to the hospital, so they asked the driver to take me to school. However, the driver didn't know the way very well, and the drive took a long time. On the way, I wondered, if I wasn't feeling well either, would my parents still take me to school?
Today, Dad bought my older brother another airplane model. He was very happy and told me that if I smashed his airplane model again, he wouldn't hide it from me anymore. He would tell Mom and Dad and let them beat me. I wasn't afraid. I hate airplanes.
Today, Mom bought some mangoes and split them in half for my brother and me. But my brother finished his and wanted more, so Mom asked me if I could give him the remaining mangoes and buy me new ones next time. I agreed, but I don't like mangoes anyway, so I won't eat them next time.
…
Shu Yao's vision gradually became blurred.
With a "click".
A tear unexpectedly fell on the yellowed paper and slowly spread out.
Shu Yao suddenly realized it at this moment.
It turns out that Chen Ye doesn't eat mangoes, not because he simply doesn't like them, but because sometimes the word "partiality" can be reflected in a small mango.
It turned out that what Shen Yang said at the beginning was not all false. At least, it was true that he liked airplane models, and it was also true that Shen Ye had smashed his airplane model.
It turns out that the rumors about Shen's parents being partial were not entirely fabricated.
Qian Manqing handed her a tissue. "Back then, although Ah Ye was young, he always behaved very maturely and didn't cry or make a fuss. His father and I really thought he didn't care and that his thoughts were all on Yang Yang, who was in poor health. It wasn't until I saw this week's diary that I realized that we had neglected him too much."
Shu Yao wiped her tears with a tissue and asked, "What happened next?"
"Later, his father and I decided to change. We thought about having a good talk with Ah Ye and telling him how much we loved him." Qian Manqing remembered something and felt puzzled. "But strangely, before we even talked to him, one day he came back from the amusement park and burst into tears. He complained to his father that a man had bullied him."
"Except when he was a baby, we've basically never seen Ah Ye cry since he was old enough to understand. So that time, his father was furious and heartbroken. He immediately dragged him back to the amusement park and kept looking for him until the man apologized."
Qian Manqing flipped through a few pages of his notebook and pointed to one of the articles: "Hey, it's this day."
Shu Yao lowered his head and read it carefully.
Today, our teacher took us to the amusement park. All the other kids had meals and snacks cooked by their moms, but I didn't because my mom was too busy taking care of my brother. But 11 gave me the lollipops she brought, and they were delicious. She also told me that my parents loved me very much, but I just didn't tell them, so they didn't know. She also told me to go back and cry, saying that that way I'd know if they loved me. I believed her.
Every diary entry after that is related to the number 11.
[11 said that she is not from here and will go home next month, but she will come back. I don’t know when she will come back...]
It was almost holiday time, so I went to the amusement park again, but I didn't see 11. The teacher said she was there last time and definitely wouldn't come again. She probably forgot about me.
[She doesn't keep her word. I won't be friends with her anymore.]
…
"Ever since that day, we've realized our shortcomings, and Ye seems to be more willing to communicate with us." Qian Manqing smiled bitterly and said, "So when I was with your mother before, she praised me for being a perfect mother, unlike her, but I know very well that I'm not either. It's just that I realized my mistakes earlier than she did."
"Mom." Shu Yao tightly grasped the notebook in her hand, "Why are you telling me this?"
"After so many years, Aye may have matured, but you are the most important person to him now, so I still hope that I won't accidentally remind him of the time when he was neglected because of Yangyang."
Shu Yao was overwhelmed with emotions as his eyes fell on the childish "11". He suddenly remembered that he had said he met a little girl in the third grade, and that she was now married.
Coincidentally, he also called her Yi Yi.
She wasn't stupid enough to think that she had become the protagonist in a melodramatic substitute story. She stared blankly at the three words "amusement park" and some vague fragments flashed through Shu Yao's mind.
“This 11…”
"We didn't know who it was. We tried to find this little girl, but Aye's homeroom teacher said she was probably just a tourist who had gone to the amusement park and left no information. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. At the time, surveillance wasn't as advanced as it is now, so in the end, we couldn't find her."
Qian Manqing thought she minded and quickly explained: "It's just the friendship between children, don't take it seriously!"
"Mom—" Shu Yao raised her head, tears and disbelief in her eyes.
"This 11 seems to be me."
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