Confessing love
“I said, it’s not a misunderstanding.” Shen Wumei looked at her seriously and said, word by word.
Is this not a misunderstanding?
Wait, what did she just say? Let her sort it out.
She said that Shen Wumei's actions would cause misunderstandings. What would people misunderstand?
Oh right, she misunderstood that he was concerned about her and felt sorry for her. Ah, she was so blunt.
No, that's not the point. He said it wasn't a misunderstanding, so what does he mean?
That means he admits he cares about her and feels sorry for her.
How could Shen Wumei say such a thing? That's the Cold King of Hell, Shen Wumei! Has he been possessed by some demon or monster?
Zhu Qinghe's usually clear and rational mind was in complete chaos. This was really not her fault; in the seventeen years since she was born, she had never experienced such a scene.
This experience was still too unfamiliar to her.
Zhu Qinghe cautiously probed, "Lord Shen, do you mean... you like me?"
If she wasn't mistaken or presumptuous, that's probably what he meant.
Shen Wumei reached his right hand through the railing and stroked the back of her head, pulling her towards him. The two of them pressed their foreheads together through the rough railing.
Shen Wumei sighed softly, "I've made it so obvious, and you only just realized it now."
Obvious? Where was it obvious? Zhu Qinghe was very unconvinced.
However, with this premise in mind, recalling the bits and pieces of their previous interactions, Zhu Qinghe remembered many things.
So the reason he always looks so sullen whenever he sees his cousin Cheng Lang is because he's jealous.
Zhu Qinghe felt as if a flock of butterflies had fluttered out of her heart, gently stirring her heartstrings and leaving a sweet taste on her lips.
Zhu Qinghe asked softly, "Don't you want to hear my answer?"
Shen Wumei: "I don't need to listen; you won't refuse."
He's really arrogant and narcissistic, but at least he guessed right.
The two remained close together for a while longer, the warmth emanating from each other's skin seemingly soothing their hearts, filling them with a warm and contented feeling.
"Wait for me, I will definitely rescue you," Shen Wumei said.
Zhu Qinghe hummed in agreement. "I believe you."
The "infant spirit" that Zhu Qinghe mentioned when testing Lord Chen was not something she made up on the spot; she had heard about it from her cheap master.
The old man used to carry a tattered book with him, which contained stories about "infant spirits".
Legend has it that this was a sorcery created by a Miao witch after losing her child. She used the hearts of other same-sex infants to make a potion, with the aim of bringing her own child back to life.
However, the book does not say whether the witch ultimately succeeded, and her fate remains unknown.
However, Zhu Qinghe felt that such evil magic, which went against the natural order, could not possibly succeed.
This is different from the principles of the I Ching and fortune telling; it is immoral and will inevitably come at a price.
Shen Wumei used some means to make Zhu Qinghe's life in prison less miserable. Wrapped in the cloak that Shen Wumei had left behind when she visited her last time, she wasn't cold at all.
Mo Wu felt that his boss had gone completely mad lately. He was already a workaholic, but now he was working day and night to investigate cases.
That's not all; he also dug up all the previous cases of missing or dead baby boys and looked for commonalities among them.
They eventually settled on a blacksmith named Quai.
When Lord Chen came to see Zhu Qinghe again, Zhu Qinghe was picking at the pitiful shreds of meat in the dish.
"Lord Chen, this is not right of you," Zhu Qinghe immediately complained as soon as she saw him arrive.
“Prisoners are human beings too. Since they are human beings, how can they not eat meat?” Seeing her self-righteous appearance, Lord Chen really couldn’t understand how Shen Wumei, who seemed to be a very serious and upright person, could associate with such a person.
Aside from her face being somewhat presentable, he couldn't see anything particularly special about this woman.
Lord Chen: "You still have the appetite to eat meat? Aren't you afraid you won't be able to get out?"
Nowadays, society is more open-minded and not as taboo as before. The crime of witchcraft can be serious or minor, but Lord Chen is determined to teach Shen Wumei a lesson this time. Moreover, Zhu Qinghe mentioned "infant spirits." If they find out what's behind it, he'll be finished.
Therefore, no matter what, he had to make this a done deal and prevent Zhu Qinghe from ever speaking again.
Seeing Lord Chen's ever-changing expression, Zhu Qinghe placed her chopsticks on the chipped bowl and said, "Lord Chen, I know what you're thinking, but I think as long as Lord Shen is here, I'll definitely get out."
"Is that so?" Lord Chen sneered. "Then you can wait and see what your Lord Shen does."
"I hope you can still be this confident tomorrow," Lord Chen concluded.
Tomorrow? Zhu Qinghe clenched the sleeves of her cloak tightly. After Lord Chen left the prison, she was in a state of turmoil. She glanced at the bland and watery dish in the bowl, and in a fit of anger, she kicked the bowl over.
The bowl was of poor quality to begin with, and now it made a crisp cracking sound as it shattered into tiny pieces.
"What are you doing? What are you doing?" the guard asked menacingly, tapping the railing with the hilt of his sword.
"This food is awful," Zhu Qinghe began to complain unreasonably.
"Eat it or not, it's up to you." The guard went in and cleaned up the broken bowl, to prevent the prisoner from getting a weapon and hurting himself or others.
The door was locked again without warning. Zhu Qinghe huddled in the corner, burying her face in her knees, feeling a little worried.
Hopefully, Shen Wumei can understand what she means.
"Boss, are we really going to go find that Brother Kui?" Mo Wu had already checked Brother Kui's information repeatedly but found nothing unusual.
Shen Wumei doesn't have conclusive evidence yet, but the absence of any abnormality is the biggest anomaly.
Just before they were about to set off, a guard from the government office came and said something. Shen Wumei pondered for a moment and nodded, "I understand."
Kui Ge's blacksmith shop is in Siqiong Alley, which is located behind Nanding Street. It is a very small and narrow alley, and as the name suggests, it is inhabited by poor people who have little money.
As you approach the alley entrance, you can hear the clanging sound of blacksmithing. Turn right and you'll see a dirty banner that reads "Brother Kui's Blacksmith Shop".
Not only was the handwriting crooked, but the character for "shop" was also written as "扑" (pū).
Take a few more steps, move aside the banner, and you'll see the man standing behind the blacksmith's furnace.
The man was tall and strong, shirtless, and working hard. His arm muscles were bulging and radiating vigorous power from the exertion.
Shen Wumei walked up to him, but before she could speak, the man sensed her presence and looked over.
The man had regular features, but his habitually furrowed brows made him look fierce and menacing. A scar ran from his forehead to under his left eye, making him look like a one-eyed monster who was not to be trifled with.
"Do you do blacksmithing?" Brother Kui asked, his voice low and hoarse, as if his throat had been damaged.
Although Shen Wumei was not as burly and strong as him, she was still tall and elegant, with long legs and an imposing presence, showing no weakness in front of him.
"I'm not here to forge iron, I just want to ask you something."
Brother Kui coldly withdrew his gaze, "This is a blacksmith shop, not a gossipmonger's office."
“I won’t ask you for nothing. In exchange, you can ask me any questions you want to ask,” Shen Wumei said.
Kui glanced at him again, lifting his eyelids slightly: "I have nothing to ask you."
The man in front of him had a handsome, almost otherworldly face, but his aura was cold and imposing. He was clearly not someone to be trifled with and probably had some powerful background. He was just a blacksmith and couldn't afford to offend him.
"Don't you want to know where Miao Miao is?" Shen Wumei asked in a low voice.
His voice was calm and utterly threatening, yet it made Kui's hand holding the hammer tremble, causing it to slam directly onto the table next to the millstone, creating a deep dent.
Miao Miao? He knows Miao Miao? How does he know?
Kuige stared at Shen Wumei in shock.
Nothing in this world can make people more anxious and lose their minds than emotions. If she didn't have absolute certainty, why would Shen Wumei come looking for Brother Kui?
Inside, Brother Kui pulled a sandalwood box from under the bed. The box was smooth and shiny, and looked very valuable. It was not something that Brother Kui, a blacksmith, could possess.
"Miao Miao's things are all here. Can you really help me find her?" When talking about the girl he had been longing for, Brother Kui's face didn't look so fierce anymore.
"What happened to the injury on your eye?" Shen Wumei asked casually as she looked through the contents of the box.
Kui lowered his head somewhat awkwardly: "Miao Miao was trapped in the fire at that time, and I saved her."
His throat and the scars on his face were from that time.
He did not regret risking his life to save Miaomiao back then; on the contrary, he would not have met Miaomiao if it weren't for that incident.
Although he lost an eye, he truly became a complete person.
Shen Wumei's gaze was fixed on a uniquely shaped sachet. He asked, "What is this?"
Kui glanced at it and said, "Miao Miao said it's something from her hometown, but I'm not really sure about it."
"Miao Miao doesn't talk much about her past, saying it wasn't a pleasant memory."
Such a bright and lively girl would show such a sad and heartbroken expression when talking about her past.
He was sensible and never asked any further questions.
But if he had known she would disappear so inexplicably, he would have wanted to know her more deeply.
That way, we won't be left without any useful clues when she mysteriously disappears.
Upon seeing the sachet, Shen Wumei had already formed a rough guess in her mind. It was obvious that Miao Miao was a descendant of the witch who was rumored to have created the "infant spirit".
Their clan did not disappear from the world. Lord Chen, from who knows where, learned that Miao Miao was a descendant of a witch. He used some means to make Miao Miao work for him and refine "infant spirits".
As for Brother Kui, he was used as a pawn to deal with him, but he never expected that he had already found out about Miao Miao, thus breaking his initiative.
In fact, this was all thanks to the message sent by Zhu Qinghe.
Using broken porcelain shards to convey messages—that's quite something!
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