Chapter 3
"...The meteorological bureau has upgraded its rainstorm warning again, reminding the public to take precautions against flooding and to minimize unnecessary outings..."
The taxi radio was broadcasting a heavy rain warning. Xingxing, perched on the car window, asked, "Mommy, isn't it raining?"
Looking through the glass, Chen Que saw the sun appear white, several times larger than usual, as if it were about to fall down.
"The broadcast is reminding you, Star, that's what Mom taught you to do when you go out on a rainy day."
"Open the umbrella~"
Before she could finish speaking, raindrops pounded against the car window. Caught off guard, Tuanzi recoiled. She quickly hugged her son, pressing her forehead against his little head, saying, "See? It's raining!"
Tuanzi giggled and pointed outside, "It's the sun making it rain."
The rain poured down, forming a beaded curtain on the car windows in the blink of an eye. The sun's halo seemed even larger, with a crack appearing in the middle, and the Milky Way water cascading down.
It's quite unusual for the sun and torrential rain to appear at the same time.
The mother and son tilted their heads and looked at it for a while, then went to the hospital, registered, and underwent examinations. The doctor gave the following conclusion:
Soft tissue contusion, subcutaneous hemorrhage, minor joint dislocation, no bone abnormalities observed.
Dislocated joints are immobilized with bandages and require a week to recover; for subcutaneous bleeding and soft tissue contusions, children have a strong ability to self-repair, and alternating hot and cold compresses can be used to promote soft tissue healing.
Xingxing was very happy with the braces hanging on her shoulders and arms. "Mommy, do I look like Ultraman?"
Shen Que squatted down and hugged her son, her pupils veiled with tears. "He looks like him." She opened her eyes wide, breathing steadily, not daring to let her son see her crying.
Xingxing wanted to raise her arm to do Ultraman's classic pose, so she gently pressed it down with her hand. While doing so, she glanced at her son's little shoulder, and when she looked up, her eyes were full of tenderness. "The doctor said it would take a week. How about we let this little arm rest this week?"
As I left the hospital, the sky was dark, with low-hanging black clouds and a curtain of rain.
Shen Que bought a raincoat at a shop near the hospital entrance, put it on, and hugged his son, completely covering him inside.
The streets turned into flowing shallows, with vehicles splashing water as they drove by.
She had difficulty moving around while carrying her child, and had to flag down several cars before a kind person noticed her carrying the child and gave her a ride.
When I got home, Aunt Liu was still standing in the living room. She had a gloomy face and had taken off her soaking wet shoes. Her toes were white from being soaked in water.
She ignored it, took a change of clothes from her son's room, and brought Xingxing to her room, intending to help him clean up first. However, she noticed that the bed looked like it had just been made, the ornaments on the table were no longer in their original positions, and the room was filled with a musty smell.
“Xingxing, go back to your room and play for a while,” Shen Que said gently to his son. “You can’t move this arm around.”
The little dumpling nodded and obediently went back to its room.
Shen Que closed his son's bedroom door, his face suddenly turning cold.
She's been holding back since the airport, and she's long past her breaking point.
He took a few photos of the room with his phone, opened a drawer, a mocking smile playing on his lips, and called the police: "...burglary, a jade bracelet worth 70,000 yuan was stolen, and the nanny is abusing children, the address is..."
Aunt Liu was so frightened that she kept denying it, saying that she absolutely did not take it, and that Xingxing had taken it to play with...
“He won’t,” Shen Que said coldly.
"Then, what makes you think it's me?" Aunt Liu glared angrily, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
"The police will investigate thoroughly."
Shen Que didn't even glance at her. He sat on the sofa, took off his slippers, revealing several scratches on the top of his feet, and the folds of the wounds were swollen and curled.
She must have been hailing a taxi on the side of the road when the water was over her high heels and her feet were scraped by floating debris.
I took out the first-aid kit, applied the medicine, and dialed the number I had left with the airport staff earlier that day. I explained the situation and asked them to provide the surveillance video.
Aunt Liu first defended herself by saying the child was running around, then apologized, saying she didn't expect the child to be so fragile. "Okay, okay, I'll leave. Didn't you tell me to pack my things and leave? I've packed everything and I'm leaving now."
When the cotton swab soaked in medicine touched the wound, she flung it away in pain.
Aunt Liu was startled and raised her voice, "I'm telling you, I don't know anything about that bracelet of yours, don't try to frame me."
Chen Que, too lazy to waste any more words, simply showed her the phone's surveillance footage:
The surveillance footage shows the front door, where Aunt Liu warmly greets a middle-aged woman with a teenager.
Aunt Liu's face turned a deep shade of liver, and she stammered, "I didn't know there were security cameras, oh no, I, I, I..."
Shen Que directly sent the video to the housekeeping company and informed them of the situation, asking them to send someone to assist the police in understanding the situation.
Aunt Liu started begging for forgiveness, but when that didn't work, she started throwing a tantrum, telling her to go ahead and sue, since she simply hadn't taken it.
The doorbell rang, and Shen Que had just gotten up when Aunt Liu instinctively reached out to stop her, pleading for mercy. Caught off guard, Shen Que was pulled down and fell, knocking over the medicine box on the coffee table.
"Oh dear! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to," Aunt Liu said in a panic as she helped her up.
Shen Que shoved Aunt Liu aside, covered his head, and staggered to open the door, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
The police officers and the housekeeping manager arrived one after the other.
Shen Que recounted the whole story, interrupted several times by Aunt Liu, until the police sternly stopped her, at which point she complained to the housekeeping manager in a wronged manner.
The manager asked in a low voice, "Why are you running around with someone else's child?"
“I’m not,”
"You even brought people to stay at the host's house without permission, and now such valuable things have been lost. Our company is going to be implicated because of you. What were you doing during the onboarding training?"
Aunt Liu was still unconvinced, "Who knew she would come back early, I..."
The housekeeping manager was so angry she nearly fainted.
Shen Que provided the police with the airport video, the home visit video, and Xingxing's inspection report.
Seeing that Shen Que was adamant, the housekeeping manager told her to return the bracelet immediately and said that their company would cover the child's medical expenses.
This means the bracelet has nothing to do with their company.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu immediately started arguing with the housekeeping manager.
Shen Que felt dizzy and lightheaded. Holding her forehead, she could barely stand. One of the police officers helped her sit down and reminded her that even if she was a live-in nanny, someone still needed to take care of the children at home.
She understood the police officer's unspoken meaning: "I asked a friend to help take care of my son. I'll call her now."
"...Oh? You're back? I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow. I'm in the underground parking garage, I'll be right up."
Lin Muchen entered the room and saw the living room in a mess. Aunt Liu was in the nanny room, arguing loudly with someone. She handed the children's meal to Chen Que and asked, "What happened?"
Chen Que briefly summarized the situation in a few sentences. Lin Muchen apologized repeatedly. When he saw Xingxing wearing a brace, tears streamed down his face. He half-squatted on the ground to apologize to Xingxing.
The matter of the bracelet is still unresolved, but it is a fact that Xingxing was injured, and the police took Aunt Liu away.
Shen Que didn't care about the mess in the living room and had dinner with her son in Xingxing's room.
"I really didn't expect this to happen," Lin Muchen said as he helped tidy up in the living room. "The whole company is waiting for the results today. I've been watching it since last night. I really didn't expect Xingxing to be missing from kindergarten. I should have called to ask. I'm sorry."
She also assumed that Lin Muchen had promised to take care of Xingxing at her house, and that the nanny wouldn't dare to take the child out without permission. She didn't even think to call the kindergarten.
“Xingxing didn’t go to school, the kindergarten should have called you,” Lin Muchen asked as he approached Xingxing’s door.
"The teacher said we're not allowed to bring our smartwatches to school." Xingxing reached for her smartwatch with her brace on, and Chen Que carefully protected it.
The two looked at each other.
Lin Muchen gestured with his eyes, and then affectionately patted his son's head, "You eat by yourself first, and don't move this arm around."
"You don't look too good, but don't worry too much. Children recover very quickly." Lin Muchen squeezed a glass of orange juice and handed it to her. "How about we consider changing Xingxing to a different kindergarten?"
Shen Que took the orange juice. "Let me think. By the way, did you get the shortlist qualification?"
Lin Muchen was a little angry. "President Zhou didn't even see him. I'm really worried that in the end, President Zhou won't be able to explain to the shareholders."
"Oh right, Mr. Zhou called you but couldn't get through, so he called me. He doesn't know about Xingxing's situation yet. Do you want to call him back?" Lin Muchen said, looking down at the juicer.
It was mentioned seemingly unintentionally.
When Zhou Yubai called, she had just picked up Xingxing at the airport and hadn't had a chance to call back since.
"Please reply for me."
“I have a few projects to report on after he gets off the plane,” Lin Muchen changed the subject, “How did your investigation go?”
Shen Que lowered his eyes and shook his head. "There's nothing there."
"Still nothing, just like before?" Lin Muchen sighed. "Then, do you still want to investigate?"
A barely perceptible smile curved Shen Que's lips. "I mean, 'nothing at all'."
"Um?"
"A person who has ever existed will always leave some trace; it's impossible for them to leave nothing at all."
Lin Muchen seemed to understand something. "You mean, someone erased all traces of the two of you ever existed?"
Shen Que took a sip of orange juice and suddenly started coughing repeatedly.
"Go take a hot shower right away," Lin Muchen pushed her into the master bedroom. The two of them frowned at the same time, and Lin Muchen couldn't help but complain, "The housekeeper you hired is really something else."
It's worth mentioning that on one occasion, Lin Muchen brought Guatemalan Antigua coffee beans, which was Zhou Yubai's preferred flavor. However, the aunt took it upon herself to change them to Yirgacheffe coffee beans, saying that Shen Que had instructed that only this flavor of coffee was allowed to be brewed at home.
Shen Que awkwardly explained that she had indeed said that.
Zhou Yubai came to the rescue, saying that he could adapt to Chen Que's taste.
Because of this, Lin Muchen reminded her to change nannies.
Shen Que pushed open the bathroom door and glanced inside. It was very clean. He took a change of clothes from the closet. "She cooks well. Sigh, I really know I was wrong. ...You can leave it here. I'll clean it up tomorrow."
Lin Muchen had already changed the sheets and blankets. "Don't we know each other well? You're a germaphobe and have OCD. If I don't take care of you, you definitely won't be able to sleep tonight."
That night, the rain fell incessantly, and the light filtering through the window was obscured by the rain, making the room even darker.
Lightning ripped through the night sky, making Chen Que's fair face sparkle, as if heavy rain had pierced through glass and fallen on her face.
A wave of fear washed over me, and I blamed myself repeatedly. What if she hadn't come back earlier? What if Aunt Liu had lost Xingxing? What if…
She suddenly sat up, covered her face with her hands, and kept wiping it until her palms, the backs of her hands, and her neck were all wet.
Shen Que sighed softly, leaned against the pillow, sat down next to the little crib, turned his head to look at his sleeping son, his gaze sweeping over the fixation bandage on his arm, and his thoughts began to wander again.
Suddenly, she remembered the name she had heard at the airport—Chu Ci.
Five years ago, a shipwreck took two lives, one of whom was a girl named "Chu Ci".
The man at the airport called her "Chu Ci"? Did she hear him correctly? Is the Chu Ci the man mentioned related to the Chu Ci who died in the shipwreck? Why would he mistake her for Chu Ci?
Perhaps she's overthinking it; there's no such thing as a coincidence in the world.
However, that man gave her a feeling that was... hard to describe.
bell--
Shen Que was startled, his heart suddenly racing. He glanced at his phone; it was 2:05.
The doorbell ringing late at night is especially jarring.
She quietly got out of bed, took her slippers, and left her son's room.
Knock knock knock!
Chen Que stood still, put on her slippers, and added a jacket over her pajamas. Through the peephole, she saw the man she had seen at the airport.
It is unforgettable.
The knocking sounded again. She carefully opened the door a crack, but before she could speak, the man forcefully pried open the security door, startling Shen Que so much that she almost screamed.
She quickly and quietly closed her son's bedroom door, watching him warily.
A puddle of water lay on the bright white floor by the door, and the man's clothes were still dripping wet. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was filled with coldness, as if he would strangle her at any moment.
Shen Que glanced at the doorknob out of the corner of her eye; she wasn't confident she could close the door before the man stopped her.
"Uh, hello,"
"Chu Ci" (Songs of Chu)
He spoke, his voice like ice shards in a moat in winter, icy and refreshing.
Shen Que was slightly taken aback.
Chu Ci (Songs of Chu)
This time she heard it clearly, and her doubts deepened.
"Excuse me,"
"You're married?" the man interrupted her, his tone filled with suppressed anger and disbelief, before a slight smile appeared on his lips.
His smile is terrifying.
Shen Que caught a glimpse of two people standing at the elevator entrance out of the corner of her eye. Feeling scared, she seized the opportunity to pull the door handle when he wasn't looking. The man was faster, suddenly grabbing her wrist and pulling her sharply. She bumped into his cold, hard chest and instinctively struggled.
The man looked down at her coldly, his struggling movements and expressions exactly the same as the little boy's.
Damn it.
Huo Junyan chuckled sadly, "Five years, a full five years, Chu Ci, don't you have anything to say to me?"
Five years?
Shen Que stopped struggling, her heart filled with turmoil. There was no such coincidence in the world.
Five years ago, when she woke up, Zhou Yubai told her that her name was Shen Que and that she was his fiancée; five years later, this man called her Chu Ci.
"Uh, five years ago,"
"Shut up."
The man suddenly roared, cutting her off.
Shen Que pursed his lips.
Given the unclear situation and the disparity in strength, she was pragmatic. She was planning that if he made any move, she would shove him away. He certainly wouldn't have time to come back and close the door, but she would use her body to block the man, kick the door shut, and then shout loudly, hoping to alert the neighbors.
The man suddenly released his grip, his gaze deep and serious. "It's alright."
Shen Que touched his wrist, pondering how to bring up the matter from five years ago.
"Go get a divorce."
"Huh?" Shen Que was stunned. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond.
“If you divorce your husband and marry me, I will treat your child as my own,” the man said.
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