Chapter 20 I will find you, no matter where you are...
A gentle breeze was blowing, and the sun was shining warmly.
Looking into the sincere and focused eyes behind the man's glasses, Wen Yu felt a warm current flow through her heart.
"I……"
Wen Yu gripped her fingers, opened her mouth, but didn't know how to respond to this overly profound kindness.
Finally, she pursed her lips, a faint smile playing on her lips, and replied softly, "Thank you, Mr. Shen."
Before she could finish speaking, Wen Yu belatedly realized the sense of distance in the title "Mr. Shen".
She pressed her lips together shyly, unsure whether she should change her address.
Fortunately, Shen Jinhuai didn't seem to care about this title.
He gently ruffled Wen Yu's hair again, his gentle tone full of indulgent laughter: "You're calling me Mr. Chen again?"
"But it's okay, do as you please. We'll talk about it when you're willing to change your address."
Wen Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, a cool breeze blew by, making Wen Yu shrink her neck in the cold.
The next moment, a cashmere cardigan, still warm from her body, was draped over her shoulders.
Wen Yu turned her head and saw that the man who was wearing a coat just a moment ago was now only wearing a thin shirt.
The man's figure was handsome and upright in the sunlight, but it seemed a bit too thin for the cold winter weather.
Aren't you cold?
Wen Yu couldn't help but ask.
Shen Jinhuai shook his head, turned his head and smiled at her: "I'm not cold."
Wen Yu looked at Shen Jinhuai's hand resting on his lap; it was as slender and pale as ever, showing no sign of coldness.
But for some reason, Wen Yu still inexplicably reached out her hand.
Just before he was about to touch Shen Jinhuai's hand, the man suddenly spoke.
“Xiaoyu, the doctor told me privately yesterday that your recovery is better than expected. If you continue like this, you might be able to be discharged and go home to recuperate in another week or two.”
"go home?"
Wen Yu withdrew her hand, her eyes filled with confusion: "That place on the island, our...home?"
"Um."
Shen Jinhuai smiled and said, "It's very quiet there, and the scenery is beautiful. Your bedroom has a large terrace facing the sea, and there's also your own studio on the third floor, which also faces the sea and has great natural light. I think... you'll like it."
The scenes depicted by the man are simple and detailed, full of life.
A scene involuntarily appeared in Wen Yu's mind: a room facing the sea, a sun-drenched art studio, and a quiet life with only the sound of waves.
That's just too wonderful, isn't it?
"Wait, you said... art studio?"
As soon as she said those two words, Wen Yu felt a strange sense of familiarity.
"right."
Shen Jinhuai looked at Wen Yu, and from an angle she couldn't notice, he secretly clenched his fist: "You used to love drawing, and you were a freshman at A University. You're currently applying for an exchange program at the Italian Academy of Fine Arts. Of course, you're on leave now. Once you've fully recovered, if you want to continue your studies, I'll go with you."
Wen Yu was slightly taken aback upon hearing these words.
Is she a student at University A? And is she still applying for an exchange student position?
Why do I still have no recollection of it at all?
Wen Yu lowered her eyelashes in frustration, looking at her hands resting on her lap.
Her fingers were slender, and her nails were carefully trimmed and kept neat by Shen Jinhuai.
What would it look like if such hands picked up a paintbrush?
Unfortunately, my mind was still blank.
At that moment, the nurse knocked on the door and came in to remind everyone that it was time for rounds and rehabilitation.
Shen Jinhuai stood up, picked up Wen Yu, and carried her back to bed.
The doctor and rehabilitation therapist were already waiting at the door.
The subsequent checks proceeded as usual.
Shen Jinhuai accompanied her throughout. When Wen Yu did some simple standing and balance exercises, he stood a step away, raised his hands, and pretended to protect her.
His gaze remained fixed on Wen Yu, and he encouraged her as he backed away.
"Very good, much more stable than yesterday."
Take your time, there's no rush.
After the rehabilitation session, Wen Yu had beads of sweat on her forehead and was panting heavily.
Shen Jinhuai, holding a warm towel he had prepared beforehand, half-squatted beside the bed and used the towel to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
"Are you tired? Take a rest. What would you like to eat later? Should we ask the kitchen to make some fish porridge that you said was pretty good last time?"
"Okay, sure."
Wen Yu nodded.
Looking at Shen Jinhuai's profile as he earnestly wiped her sweat so close to her face, Wen Yu felt a little embarrassed: "Actually, you don't need to take care of me like this all the time. I can do it myself, or the nurses can help me."
Shen Jinhuai paused in his wiping motion.
He looked up at Wen Yu, and their eyes met.
Sunlight streamed in through the window behind the man, casting a soft halo around the edges of his gold-rimmed glasses.
"Nurse... Nursing is a job."
Shen Jinhuai's voice was very soft: "And I did it willingly. Besides..."
At this point, Shen Jinhuai grasped Wen Yu's hand, his tone unusually earnest: "Xiao Yu, taking care of you is my right as your fiancé, a right that only I possess. So..."
"Don't take it away, okay?"
Wen Yu was amused by Shen Jinhuai's slightly aggrieved earnestness, and her heart felt warm.
After a while, Wen Yu also answered seriously, "Okay."
Upon hearing this, Shen Jinhuai smiled with relief.
He gently patted her head with satisfaction: "Good girl. Now, close your eyes and rest well. I'll go check on lunch preparations and then come back to read to you later."
"Um."
Wen Yu obediently closed her eyes.
·
After careful care, the doctor finally agreed to discharge Wen Yu after half a month.
"Although she has been discharged from the hospital, Miss Wen still needs a long period of rest and recuperation, and is not suitable to go to school for the time being."
Before Wen Yu was discharged from the hospital, the dean instructed, "Wait a few more months until Miss Wen has fully recovered before she goes back to school."
Wen Yu knew that the dean was doing it for her own good.
Even without the dean saying it, she knew that she would be unable to keep up with her studies if she insisted on attending school.
After leaving the hospital, Wen Yu and Shen Jinhuai took a private plane to an elegant villa on an island.
This is a private island.
With a wide view, you can see the azure sea and hear the soothing sound of the waves as you open the window. The air is filled with the salty sea breeze and the light fragrance of the sunflowers planted in the yard.
"You...you're so rich?"
Looking at everything before her, Wen Yu felt as if she were dreaming.
Shen Jinhuai was amused by Wen Yu's bewildered and adorable expression.
He covered his lips with his hand, chuckled softly, then composed himself and spoke seriously.
"Then Xiaoyu is wrong, it's you who is richer."
Shen Jinhuai looked around at the luxurious villa, met Wen Yu's shocked gaze, and added, "This is your property. I'm just benefiting from your influence."
Wen Yu stared wide-eyed in surprise.
Then she saw Shen Jinhuai take her hand and walk into the villa, heading straight into a large room on the far left of the second floor.
"Wait me a moment."
Shen Jinhuai walked to the bedside table, opened the drawer, and took out a red booklet.
He turned around and handed it to Wen Yu.
"Open it and take a look."
Wen Yu opened it in surprise, and sure enough, the property certificate in her hand had her name on it.
"This is the little island that your grandmother gave you before she passed away."
Shen Jinhuai took Wen Yu's hand: "So if I ever upset you, Miss Wen, please be magnanimous and only punish me by making me kneel outside the door. Don't kick me out, okay?"
Wen Yu stared blankly at the man in front of her.
The other person's words were so sincere, their tone and expression were serious yet gentle.
It's hard not to believe it.
Before Wen Yu could ask anything else, Shen Jinhuai took her hand.
"Come on, let me show you the art studio."
Wen Yu was pulled by Shen Jinhuai up to the third floor.
In the same location as her bedroom, a spacious and bright art studio came into view.
One entire wall of the studio is a huge floor-to-ceiling window, facing the boundless blue sea. The afternoon sun pours in without any obstruction, illuminating the entire space.
A large wooden drawing table sits by the window, neatly arranged with various painting tools, oil paints, brushes, a plain white palette, a brush washer filled with water, and a soft linen cloth.
Several solid wood easels also stood next to the drawing table.
In the northwest corner of the studio, separated from the main area by a transparent glass sliding door, is a small glass conservatory.
The room was filled with blooming purple orchids, and a small round table and two chairs were placed in the center, with a set of simple and elegant tea set on the table.
Several warm yellow glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling of the greenhouse, creating a cozy and inviting corner even on cloudy days.
The entire space is spacious and bright, with clear functional divisions, combining professional and leisure functions, making it the private paradise that any painting enthusiast would dream of.
On the other walls of the studio, frames of various sizes are hung in a staggered manner, mostly depicting landscapes and still lifes.
There are sunlit gardens, wildflowers in vases, and streets wet after the rain. The brushstrokes are light, full of student-like exploration and vitality.
Wen Yu was secretly delighted.
His lips couldn't help but curl upwards.
It turns out that her past was full of sunshine.
Do you like it?
"Yes, I like it."
That afternoon, the two stayed in the studio for a long time.
We talked about Munch, then Impressionism, and then about the expressive spirit of Eastern ink painting.
Wen Yu was surprised to discover that Shen Jinhuai had an astonishingly extensive knowledge of painting.
No matter how fragmented or even naive her ideas were, he could patiently discuss them with her, drawing on classical texts and guiding her thinking.
This feeling is wonderful.
It was as if... this man in front of her was creating a delicate and interesting mental world for her.
As dusk fell, Wen Yu watched Shen Jinhuai's elegant and composed figure standing in front of a painting, and in a daze, she felt that perhaps this man was her fiancé.
He understands her.
I understand very well.
"Jin Huai, is that what I used to call you?"
Shen Jinhuai tensed up.
He turned around, his gentle gaze softening behind his glasses.
“You used to call me Brother Jin Huai.”
Shen Jinhuai took Wen Yu's hand: "But I hope that in the future, you can call me that."
Brother Jinhuai?
Wen Yu had no recollection of this title.
But for some reason, she no longer felt the same sense of rejection and alienation she had when she first saw Shen Jinhuai.
Instead, she was curious about their past.
So Wen Yu asked the question.
"Jin Huai, what were we like before?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Jinhuai tightened his grip on Wen Yu's hand.
A moment later, the man's gentle, deep voice reached Wen Yu's ears.
"You used to be quiet and well-behaved, like a easily frightened little rabbit. We used to be..."
"We used to be like we are now, respecting each other and having common topics. I knew what you were thinking without you having to say anything."
Wen Yu became increasingly curious as she listened.
Unfortunately, the housekeeper from the villa knocked on the door at that moment.
"Mr. Shen, Ms. Wen, dinner is ready."
Shen Jinhuai glanced at the door and nodded to indicate that he understood.
Then he turned around, raised his hand to ruffle Wen Yu's hair, and his tone unconsciously carried a hint of doting affection, "Shall we go eat first?"
"After we eat, I'll take you for a walk on the beach."
Wen Yu swallowed the urge to ask further and nodded.
"good."
·
After countless failed attempts, Zhou Shiye was no longer easily led astray by intelligence reports that were difficult to verify.
Although the densely marked map of the old dock area still hung on the wall, he looked at it with more cautious analysis.
At the same time, he devoted more energy to screening and tracing information sources.
A few days later, the assistant brought new information.
Further clues have emerged regarding the fishing boat that may have passed through the waters near the old pier on the night of Wen Yu's car accident.
Unfortunately, the vessel's registration information was vague, and the owner's identity had changed hands several times, pointing to a fishing company with a complicated background.
What's more troublesome is that the ship registered for a multi-month-long ocean operation the day after Wen Yu disappeared, and its current whereabouts are unknown, making it difficult to track by conventional means.
“Attorney Zhou, this line of work… is probably not easy to follow.”
Looking at Zhou Shiye, whose face was covered in stubble and who looked extremely tired, the assistant secretly shook his head and said cautiously.
Zhou Shiye stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his tall and upright figure exuding an indescribable desolation.
He gazed at the gray sky outside the window, his voice low and deep: "Even if it's difficult to follow, we must. Utilize all available maritime surveillance resources, analyze its possible routes, contact international partners, and offer a reward for all sightings after its last known location."
Zhou Shiye paused for half a second, his tone filled with desperate desperation: "I want to know clearly what exactly happened on that ship during those days."
Zhou Shiye's orders were calm and logical, as if he had returned to the top lawyer who used to dissect cases meticulously in court.
However, the lingering melancholy between the man's brows revealed that he was already riddled with wounds inside.
Unlike Zhou Shiye's almost self-destructive and frantic search, Zhou Yingchen seemed no different from usual.
He appears on time every day in the president's office on the top floor of the Zhou Group.
Dressed in a suit and tie, he meticulously chaired high-level meetings, reviewed merger and acquisition cases, and signed multi-million dollar contracts.
Every day at work, he is calm, efficient, and leaves no room for doubt.
It was as if Wen Yu's disappearance had no impact on him at all.
But only Chen Xu, who had been by his side for many years, knew that in addition to the mountain of documents, Zhou Yingchen's desk also had a tablet computer.
The computer contained no trade secrets, only a compilation of all information related to Wen Yu's disappearance, updated in real time.
After finishing his thorny tasks each day, Zhou Yingchen would pick up his tablet and quickly browse the latest information from the rescue teams, or the messy intelligence shared by Zhou Shiye.
Men have sharp eyes and can quickly catch details that Zhou Shiye overlooked due to his emotional state, or connections between seemingly insignificant times and places.
"This informant said he saw a similar vessel in the southern seas, but based on the wind speed and ocean current models at the time, it's impossible for that vessel to have been there at that time. Tell Zhou Shiye that this route can be abandoned. Meanwhile..."
Zhou Yingchen stared at the computer screen and issued the order in a flat tone: "Focus on investigating the background and motives of this informant. He may be trying to mislead us or has other purposes."
The Zhou Group has businesses all over the world. Although it does not have a deep foundation in shipping, logistics, port trade and other fields, it has some involvement in them.
Zhou Yingchen quietly mobilized these resources.
Through a complex network of business partners, he exerted invisible pressure on shipping companies in ports of all sizes along the coast, and even on smuggling networks operating in the gray areas.
They were asked to be vigilant for any unusual movement of people, especially around the time six months ago, and to check whether any unidentified young women were being transported or housed privately.
This pressure from the top of the industry chain is more irresistible than black market bounties and can reach more hidden and secret channels.
Zhou Yingchen understood better than Zhou Shiye what a seriously injured and comatose person was most likely to need to be in contact with.
He avoided the public hospitals and large medical centers that Zhou Shiye focused on, and instead targeted private hospitals in remote areas, or medical institutions with special backgrounds or less strict patient identity verification.
Furthermore, by utilizing a subsidiary of the Zhou Group that was privately involved in medical investments, they sent out professional teams under the guise of market research and potential investment assessment to systematically investigate the hospital admission records of these hospitals over the past six months, especially anonymous or unidentified female patients admitted due to injuries or other reasons.
This is a massive and complex project that requires immense patience and financial support.
And these are the two things that Zhou Yingchen has no shortage of.
After identifying the mastermind behind the car accident, Zhou Yingchen used the business influence of the Zhou Group to join forces with several other companies that had old grudges against Dingsheng, launching a new and more ruthless capital attack on Dingsheng Group, which had already been severely damaged in the merger and acquisition case.
This pressure, which cuts off the source of the problem, is more effective than Zhou Shiye's angry fists in prying open tightly closed mouths and uncovering potentially overlooked clues.
Late at night, Zhou Yingchen stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his office, his back straight yet lonely.
Beside him was a cup of tea that had long since gone cold.
"Mr. Zhou, you've been working for sixteen hours straight. Do you need a break?"
Standing behind Zhou Yingchen, Chen Xu couldn't help but remind him.
Zhou Yingchen didn't turn around, his voice calm: "We'll talk after we find the person."
Zhou Yingchen's search was not as overtly frantic as Zhou Shiye's, but it was more systematic, more persistent, and... more desperate.
Because he wasn't just searching for a missing person; he was also fighting against the possibility that Wen Yu might have truly disappeared voluntarily and never wanted to return to their world.
Zhou Shiye could choose not to think about this, but Zhou Yingchen could not.
This realization was so clear that it made Zhou Yingchen's search even more oppressive and desperate.
Zhou Yingchen closed his eyes tightly.
When he opened his eyes again, the man's tone was cold, filled with an icy obsession.
"I will find you."
"Wherever you are, whether you like it or not."
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