Chapter 43
There was a commotion downstairs, and Zhuang Yazhi was woken up just as she fell asleep. It looked like Zhuang Haiming was going to smash her door.
"What is it?" Zhuang Yazhi asked impatiently.
Zhuang Haiming danced with excitement, waving the letter in his hand: "I've compared the handwriting; it's not Shen Qianli's."
For him, this is a great thing, something to be happy about.
But Zhuang Haiming immediately wilted, looking preoccupied.
Zhuang Yazhi: "Is there anything else?"
She only learned in the afternoon that Shen Qianmei was going to join Qianhai. Since Old Master Shen came forward to support her, Shen Yiheng couldn't refute him.
Zhuang Yazhi clapped her hands in approval, warmly welcoming Qianmei, "Welcome, Sister Qianmei, to Qianhai! Wow~"
Everyone present was stunned, especially Shen Qianmei herself.
To help Shen Qianmei quickly familiarize herself with the company's operations, Zhuang Yazhi personally gave her a tour, demonstrating the importance he placed on her.
But Shen Qianmei felt uneasy and a little awkward.
It was a bit hot, so Zhuang Yazhi loosened her shirt collar a little, and Chao Jue inadvertently revealed the Bagua pendant hanging around her neck.
"I went to have it blessed yesterday, because they say it can ward off evil spirits."
As expected, Shen Qianmei's face darkened in an instant.
Although her grandfather's support dispelled the rumors, she still harbored some resentment, especially after she joined Qianhai, when everyone looked at her with prejudice and privately said that Shen Qianli had returned.
Zhuang Yazhi's actions were clearly intended to give Shen Qianmei a hard time in front of everyone, and to see just how capable she really was.
However, to everyone's surprise, Shen Qianmei was only angry for a moment before quickly regaining her composure and even reaching out her hand: "I want one too."
That's shameless! Zhuang Yazhi likes this kind of person.
At the corner of the stairs, Cai Siyue's figure was acting suspiciously; she still didn't have the courage to face Shen Qianmei.
"Did you greet Si Yue? She's on her period."
That cry of "Auntie" nearly made Shen Qianmei furious, leaving her speechless.
Although Shen Qianmei was trying to calm herself down, her inner turmoil remained intense.
“This is my family matter.”
The implication was that Zhuang Yazhi should mind his own business.
Zhuang Yazhi sighed helplessly, somewhat powerless: "Fine, fine, I really can't do anything with you."
"Shut up," Shen Qianmei muttered under her breath, then turned and left, her high heels clicking loudly as she vented her frustration on her footsteps.
Open-air rest platform
Zeiss Yue was lost in thought.
Zhuang Yazhi sat not far from her, quietly observing Cai Siyue's movements. Since the questioning that day, the two had not spoken to each other, and even when they met, they would keep their distance.
As soon as I opened my phone, Li Si's message came in: Shen Qianmei had arranged to meet Cai Siyue that evening.
Looking up again, Cai Siyue's gaze fell upon him, and Zhuang Yazhi gave her a slight nod as a greeting.
The two met not far from each other, near the company.
Zhuang Yazhi parked her car on the side of the road, and from this position, she could see the two meeting.
His polite and unassuming manner of speaking, along with his simple and ordinary act of serving food, made Cai Siyue feel flattered and overwhelmed.
Judging from Cai Siyue's reaction alone, the two were indeed quite unfamiliar with each other, and naturally, no flaws could be seen.
Soon after, Shen Yiheng arrived, bringing with him the investigation data from the past few days.
“Shen Qianmei’s last day of leaving home was August 16, and there are no relevant prison visit records.”
"And the last place she was seen was at Shen Qianli's funeral."
"After that, I stayed at home until recently when I came to Haicheng."
Zhuang Yazhi turned around in surprise, so she hadn't been mistaken that day; it was just that the person was Shen Qianmei.
A huge question lingered in Zhuang Yazhi's mind, causing her to remain silent for a long time. Perhaps Shen Qianli really did die in that fire.
Zhuang Yazhi chose to accept this fact for the time being.
"Alright, that's enough for today."
I've been tracking and investigating for a while now, and the fatigue has suddenly subsided as soon as I stopped.
But looking at Shen Yiheng in the passenger seat, he didn't seem to have any intention of leaving. The lights reflected off his back, and his meticulous demeanor made him appear even more aloof and noble.
"It's been three days since I last saw you." The words, spoken through gritted teeth, carried a hint of resentment. Her long, thick eyelashes, half-curled, obscured her dark, bright eyes. When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with resentment and her brows furrowed.
Her already excellent profile appears even more perfect, and her three-dimensional bone structure becomes even more outstanding.
Reporting and then leaving isn't his style, but Zhuang Yazhi seems to have gotten used to it.
His long, slender fingers tapped lightly on the car window. His voice was deep and tinged with a hint of provocation: "What are you going to do if you run into me alone at night?"
The temperature inside the car soared rapidly, the sweltering heat engulfing their breath. Mischief flashed and struck Zhuang Yazhi's anxious heart with each gust of light from the headlights.
Here we go again.
The rearview mirror reflected Zhuang Yazhi's captivating profile; every smile and frown was charming and alluring. With a mischievous chuckle, she locked the car door.
Just before Shen Yiheng could make a move, Zhuang Yazhi started the car, sprinted ahead, and sped across the road before the green light ended, splashing up a puddle of water.
One hundred meters to go, floor the accelerator and drift to the left.
We've arrived at our destination.
Before Shen Yiheng could recover from his shock, he slammed on the brakes and brought the car to a stop at lightning speed.
Zhuang Yazhi responded with a provocative smile: "What else can we do? Call the police."
If you encounter a bad person late at night, don't hesitate to call the police.
“You,” Shen Yiheng’s heart skipped a beat as Zhuang Yazhi lifted her long, fair legs and placed them on his thighs.
With a gentle wipe, the smooth suit trousers remained unmarked, but the hot skin felt like it was burning hot, leaving invisible flames that traveled throughout the body, making the anxious Shen Yiheng's mouth dry.
"Lust is a knife hanging over one's head." This saying is absolutely true.
Zhuang Ya showed no mercy, shoving Shen Yiheng out with a backhand and easily opening the car door with a flick of her long leg.
The moment the seatbelt was unbuckled, Shen Yiheng was caught off guard and thrown out. Fortunately, he had good balance and reacted quickly enough to avoid falling.
In the blink of an eye, Zhuang Yazhi's car had vanished without a trace, leaving Shen Yiheng with only a plume of black smoke and the cold, icy rain lashing his face, making his lonely figure look particularly pitiful.
"Goodnight," he said, but he figured he probably wouldn't sleep well tonight.
We chased one away, and then found another one right at our doorstep.
I'm destined to be ambushed tonight.
After counting the days, I realized that I hadn't seen Cheng Yan for many days.
The headlights were blinding him, and he hurriedly raised his hand to shield his eyes.
"It's so late, what are you doing here?"
After getting off the bus, I realized he was drunk; his ears were flushed red from the alcohol.
Cheng Yan was about to fall almost unexpectedly when Zhuang Yazhi strode forward and caught him, his thin body nearly collapsing under the weight.
Luckily, Zhuang Haiming heard the commotion inside and came out to take a look, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to carry Cheng Yan.
When he came in, Cheng Yan was still talking nonsense from time to time, and kept muttering about how he had no family.
Zhuang Haiming smirked. He was a man too, and he could see through Cheng Yan's ulterior motives at a glance. He had gone to great lengths to get Cheng Yan to stay overnight and gain attention.
"It's getting late, and he won't sober up anytime soon, so let's arrange for him to sleep in the guest room tonight."
Zhuang Yazhi let him be, leaving Cheng Yan to Zhuang Haiming and ignoring him.
"Okay, okay, whatever you like is fine with me. I'll sleep with you."
She went back to her room and fell asleep immediately, not caring at all.
There was some awkwardness when they met the next day. Cheng Yan kept saying sorry for bothering him, but he didn't see him leave.
"I didn't say anything last night, did I?" he asked cautiously.
Zhuang Yazhi shook her head, not listening at all.
Cheng Yan's expression was solemn, his face as droopy as a withered flower beside him.
"I just returned to China and don't have many friends. I drank too much last night without realizing it and ended up here in a daze."
"Did something sad happen?"
Zhuang Yazhi continued, following his lead.
But when you actually ask Cheng Yan, he doesn't know what to say and stammers.
It's as if they just came here to take a nap.
Thinking back carefully, he seemed to have said intermittently last night that he no longer had a home.
"Could it be that their home outside was raided?"
Zhuang Yazhi was horrified when she thought about it. Men are all like this, having one family here and another outside. It's terrifying.
Just as I was about to leave, Cai Siyue sent me a message saying she wanted to meet.
The two met at a small mountain villa in the suburbs, a place of beautiful scenery and clear waters.
Cai Siyue had something on her mind, so she didn't say anything, playing with the food in her hand and occasionally feeding the pigeons.
Since learning of Shen Qianli's death, her personality has changed drastically, and she looks gloomy and depressed.
Coming here today, the sunshine and the bright sunshine have made me feel much more cheerful; at least I'm no longer frowning.
But the first words he uttered were enough to make Zhuang Yazhi forget to stop.
She said, "Don't hurt my aunt."
Realizing she had spoken too harshly, she awkwardly changed her words: "Let's not dwell on past grievances. Aunt Qianmei is my mother's sister, and I want to treat her well."
A single meal was enough to change Cai Siyue's mind; Shen Qianmei is quite capable.
But Zhuang Yazhi didn't agree immediately, and followed up by asking, "How is it? Doesn't it look a lot like your mother?"
Aside from their personalities, they are almost identical.
Cai Siyue remained silent, looking away. She kept repeating the same sentence: "Don't hurt your aunt."
The meal passed in silence, and neither of them enjoyed it.
"You went to the prison the day before the fire, right?" Zhuang Yazhi asked abruptly, startling Cai Siyue so much that she turned pale and even dropped her fork.
Cai Siyue tried her best to remain calm, but her clumsy hand movements betrayed her.
"Visiting your mother in prison is a perfectly normal thing to do. Does Mr. Zhuang have to interfere with that?"
In just two seconds, her eyes turned bloodshot, and she gritted her teeth and glared defiantly, trying to bolster her confidence with a self-righteous attitude.
Zhuang Yazhi shrugged lightly and smiled amicably, thus dispelling the somber atmosphere.
She couldn't interfere in other people's family affairs, but she hoped that Cai Siyue wouldn't get herself into trouble. The Shen Qianmei who appeared in front of her now was not as simple as she seemed.
Just then, the person arrived.
A hundred meters away, Chen Qianmei walked gracefully through a sea of roses bathed in sunlight, passing through thorn bushes without flinching, her arrogant demeanor enough to ignite the flower field.
Dressed simply yet more beautiful than a hundred flowers, how could such a woman be a simple person?
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