Chapter 41
The news that Hu Zhenzhen received was indeed explosive.
She showed it to Chen Kai, who couldn't help but take off his glasses and wipe them.
After a long pause, someone finally commented, "The relationship between the three of them is a bit complicated..."
Hu Zhenzhen chuckled, "There aren't many opportunities in real life to watch idol dramas for free."
Chen Kai paused for a moment, then helplessly pushed up his glasses. "What kind of idol drama male lead is forty years old?"
“Then let’s call it a melodramatic middle-aged soap opera,” Hu Zhenzhen shrugged. “Let’s call Dr. Zhou and go check on Wen Li on the east bank of the Tang River. She’s still sick.”
Jiang Chen, who was quietly eating strawberries beside her, raised his hand and said, "Mommy, I want to go too!"
Chen Kai saw through it but didn't say anything, silently telling Liu An to prepare the carriage.
The boss wants to see some excitement, so the subordinates naturally have to try their best to satisfy him.
Moreover, he was also somewhat interested in watching this grand spectacle.
By the time Hu Zhenzhen arrived in Dong'an, Tanghe, the farce was already coming to an end.
Tong Shu cursed in a hoarse voice in the living room of the house.
"Damn it, you two, you heartless bastards."
"I treated you like a brother, and you actually coveted my woman!"
"And you traitorous bastard, you've mistaken a thief for your father! I'm your own father, and you've never shown me any concern. I've been so good to you, but it's all been for nothing!"
The only voice in the room was Tong Shu's, and it sounded as if he was in the right.
If Hu Zhenzhen hadn't known that he had children with his two concubines running around everywhere, she might have actually felt sorry for him for a few seconds.
No one in the room interrupted him, letting him vent his anger.
Hu Zhenzhen wasn't going to indulge him. After only a few seconds, she lazily knocked on the open door.
"Hey! Mr. Tong, what are you doing in my house? Be careful or I'll report you for trespassing!"
Tong Shu turned around and saw that it was her; his blood rushed to his head with his anger.
He pointed at Hu Zhenzhen's nose and cursed, "It's all your fault! You even caused my family to be ruined! If it weren't for you..."
If it weren't for her, Tong Shuai would never have escaped his grasp, and the sickly Wen Li wouldn't have had the ability to escape from the Tong family.
Unfortunately, before he could finish speaking, Tong Shuai was pinned to the ground by Liu An.
"Sir, get this straight, you are now a suspect in a potential home invasion robbery. Please don't point your finger at my boss. I'll suspect you're trying to hurt her and then act in self-defense."
Tong Shu's face was pressed to the ground, half of his face was crushed, and he couldn't utter a curse.
Hu Zhenzhen then entered the house and sat down on the sofa in the living room.
"Dr. Zhou, could you please go inside and check on Wenli so as not to affect her condition?"
Dr. Zhou, who had been watching the show from outside, only came in after hearing her order. "Yes, boss."
He walked the whole way without taking his eyes off Tong Shu.
They watched the spectacle openly and honestly.
Tong Shu had lost all face in the past two days. He struggled for a while, but found that he couldn't move because Liu An was pressing him down. So he simply glared at Du Shanlai's calves with his eyes.
He can only make muffled sounds; he has to strain to utter a single sentence.
"I treated you like a brother, how did you treat me?"
Du Shan hadn't said a word before he arrived, letting him curse as he pleased.
Only when Tong Shu asked him this question did he sigh and speak for the first time.
"I have done right by you."
He spoke with conviction, and the sapling on the ground, not expecting his response, began to struggle angrily again.
Du Shanlai is already forty years old, but he takes good care of himself and exercises regularly, so he still has the physique of a young man.
He looked down at the bald tree on the ground and sighed again.
“Early marriage in rural areas. You two got together when you were teenagers and have been married for eighteen years now.”
"I have loved Wenli for fifteen years without ever saying a word more or crossing any lines. I have a clear conscience and I have done right by you."
He stood up, took a few steps toward the master bedroom, and closed the door, which was left ajar.
"You're the one who wronged Ali."
He turned around and apologized to Hu Zhenzhen.
"Mr. Hu, could you please take the two children to a room to settle down? I have something I'd like to discuss with him."
Some things are indeed inappropriate to say in the presence of children.
Hu Zhenzhen understood and said to Jiang Chen, "Xiao Chen, why don't you go and play in Tong Shuai's room for a while?"
The child nodded obediently and held Hu Zhenzhen's hand.
Seeing that he had misunderstood, Hu Zhenzhen whispered something in her son's ear.
"You go first, Mom will watch the fun outside."
Jiang Chen then let go of Tong Shuai's hand and followed him into the house, glancing back every few steps.
Du Shanlai was no longer in the mood to care about Hu Zhenzhen staying to watch the show.
The second after the children entered the house, he gestured to Liu An.
The moment Liu An let go, Tong Shu was lifted up by him.
"I've been waiting for this day for a long time."
As soon as Du Shanlai uttered his words, his fist arrived.
Tong Shu was seething with anger, and so was he.
Wenli injured her body for him, and Tong Shu actually took advantage of this time to keep a mistress outside, even getting her pregnant, and then made a scene in front of her.
When Du Shanlai heard about this, he was so angry that he had an upset stomach that he started thinking about quitting his job.
Since the person he cherishes is worthless to Tong Shu, he might as well wait for them to divorce and then he will take care of her.
That was the first time Du Shanlai had this idea.
He just didn't expect this day to come so late, and that Tong Shu would be such a scoundrel, resorting to underhanded tactics to lock Wen Li in the villa.
"You scum!"
He threw punch after punch, without holding back at all.
Tong Shu was punched twice, and after realizing what had happened, he started to fight back.
But he had been pampered for many years and was no longer the capable young man from the fields he once was; he quickly found himself at a disadvantage.
"She's been married to you for twenty years, and you actually want to kill her? You're a fucking bastard!"
Du Shanlai cursed and hit, and the two middle-aged men rolled around in a ball, both using all their strength to hit each other's faces.
Hu Zhenzhen had already hidden on the other side of the living room.
Chen Kai stood in front of her, allowing the boss to watch the show safely.
Both of them had bruises on their faces; Tong Shu had a black eye and Du Shanlai's lips were red, looking extremely disheveled.
Hu Zhenzhen kept an eye on the scene, preparing to have Liu An stop it before serious harm occurred.
Unexpectedly, the sounds of fighting first attracted Wen Li, who was resting in the bedroom.
The door to the master bedroom cost a lot of money, and it's basically silent when opening and closing.
This was originally an advantage, but at this moment, it overshadowed the commotion caused by Wen Li's appearance.
Fortunately, Dr. Zhou was quick-witted and coughed once.
Hearing the noise, Hu Zhenzhen looked towards the master bedroom door and immediately called out to Liu An.
Liu An, being perceptive, saw the situation and pulled the two apart, saying, "Stop fighting! Stop fighting!"
Du Shanlai saw Wen Li first and stopped what he was doing.
Tong Shu didn't have that many thoughts. He was so enraged that when he saw Du Shan stop, he instinctively felt he had seized an opportunity and punched him hard in the face.
Liu An had no choice but to subdue him again.
"Tong Shu, stop hitting him."
Wenli's words brought this farce to an end.
She walked out slowly, and Tong Shu immediately noticed that she was different.
She looked more energetic and was in better condition than when she was at the Tong family's house.
For some reason, after discovering this, he suddenly felt deflated and found it all very boring.
“Ali, you know I didn’t mean to kill you.”
He wanted to explain, but in the end he only said this one sentence.
Wenli smiled, as gentle as ever, but didn't say anything about forgiving or not forgiving.
"Tong Shu, we should get a divorce."
He truly didn't intend to kill her, Wenli knew.
But he truly didn't want her to live anymore.
Her presence was like a plaster that couldn't be removed; if left on for too long, it would burn Tong Shuai's skin, constantly reminding him of the past. How could he be happy to see her?
Wenli didn't want to leave him. She wanted her only son to inherit the family fortune they had worked so hard for and to grow up in her father's love.
But now, she doesn't think that way anymore.
She had severe pulmonary edema and always thought the disease was incurable.
It wasn't until Hu Zhenzhen brought a doctor that Wen Li realized that the disease could be cured.
If you can educate your own children, why entrust them to others?
“We should have gotten a divorce a long time ago,” she said slowly, but no one interrupted her.
"I have never wronged you in my life. I have done my best in both my career and family. Tong Shu, it is you who has wronged me. Let's not drag this out any longer and get a divorce."
Tong Shu originally wanted to grit his teeth and refuse.
Wenli sat on the sofa and reached behind her, past the dripping tube.
At this moment, Tong Shu vaguely recalled the past.
It was indeed he who wronged Wenli.
Wenli got this disease because when they first became rich, they were busy and she took on the heaviest burden, working day and night in the factory.
His phone rang a few times. Tong Shu drowsily lowered his head. It was a WeChat message from his mistress, whom he kept outside the marriage.
[With such a big problem arising with Tongqu Foods, are our funds going to be tied up? Xiaowen still needs money for school. Honey, could you transfer 200,000 yuan to us first?]
The text message in front of me is from my lover.
Wen Li's voice, not loud, came from beside me.
“I can leave with nothing, leaving all these assets to you. After that, we’ll cut all ties and have nothing to do with each other anymore. You don’t need to worry about Xiaoshuai’s child support. We can just be strangers from now on.”
It's all so ironic.
He slumped down like an old, defeated dog.
"Stop talking, I agree to the divorce."
As soon as he said that, without Wen Li even having to say anything, Du Shanlai, who was standing next to him, couldn't wait to rummage through the drawer and pull out the divorce agreement.
Wenli had already signed the document.
Tong Shu looked at it for a long time before signing his name on the other side.
Tong Shuai, who had been eavesdropping in the room for a long time, finally dared to come out.
After signing his name, Tong Shu glanced at him and noticed that his son, who had always been rebellious in his eyes, had become an obedient boy in this family.
He suddenly felt a pang of regret, but he didn't know what he regretted.
He arrived filled with rage, but when he left, he felt only emptiness and loneliness.
The phone was still vibrating, so Tong Shu took it out and glanced at it.
Honey, could you come see Xiaowen? He doesn't seem to be feeling well.
Tong Shu cheered up.
Oh, and he wasn't completely destitute; he still had a lover and their child.
Even if his lover was after his money, after so many years together, there must have been some genuine feelings between them.
As if to prove something, Tong Shu rushed to his lover's house. His sexy and beautiful lover was as passionate as ever, giving him a fiery kiss as soon as he entered.
Tong Shu regained his confidence from her.
"How is Xiaowen?"
"Actually, it's nothing, just a slight cold. I've already taken my medicine and gone to bed."
The woman sat in his lap, her hands wandering restlessly.
"I just missed you, so I made up this excuse to see you," she pouted, feigning a mournful tone. "You haven't come in so long."
Tong Shuming had just visited yesterday, but he found these words very helpful.
He grabbed the woman and said, “I’m divorced now. From now on, we can be together openly. You can move into the Tong family home and have a nanny to take care of you.”
The lover's smile was sweet, but she didn't immediately agree.
"Let's talk about moving later, I'm afraid people will gossip about you."
Tong Shu is very concerned about his image. If it were the old him, he would definitely have changed his mind upon hearing this.
But things are different now. He has lost face in front of the people of the whole country, and the factory's situation is not optimistic, with the possibility of bankruptcy at any time.
Once you've lost both substance and face, you won't care about these things anymore.
"Hey? What are you afraid of? Just go if I tell you to."
Tong Shu, following his usual habit, made forceful demands of his lover.
The lover had no intention of going. Seeing that her usual trick wasn't working, she pretended to care and touched the injury on his face, saying, "What happened to you? Let me get you some medicine to apply."
Her gentle demeanor further stirred Tong Shu's heart, who was feeling lonely.
He clearly had two lovers, both with whom he had children, yet he always came to this house because she always knew how to show him care at the most opportune moments.
Tong Shu remembered her previous WeChat messages and brought it up on his own initiative.
"You messaged me before asking how much Xiaowen still owes for her tuition?"
His lover applied iodine to the corner of his mouth and blew on it gently before slowly saying, "I still owe you 50,000, but I asked you for 200,000."
Tong Shu frowned.
A finger immediately landed on his brow, smoothing out the wrinkles.
"Don't frown yet, there's a reason for this."
“The factory’s situation is not optimistic right now. If something really happens, you’ll lose all your money. I’m asking for more money now because it’s for your own good.”
The delicate fragrance of a woman wafted in the air, masking the smell of the medical supplies.
"Besides tuition fees, put some more money in my account. If the factory goes under, we can live together and still have food to eat."
These words softened Tong Shu's heart.
He met many people today, but not a single one cared about his future.
He was fed up with the harsh criticism, the disdain of others, and the endless stream of upsetting things.
Only with his lover did he feel that someone genuinely cared about him and valued him.
Moved, Tong Shu took out a card from his pocket.
“There is one million here. The factory’s working capital is currently untouchable. This is all the funds I can currently manage, and I am now handing it over to you to manage.”
The woman threw herself into his arms, fiery and passionate.
"Honey, I'm so touched by your trust in me that I almost cry."
Tong Shu rediscovered his former vanity, patting his chest and saying, "Don't worry, even if it's only a million, I can start from scratch and build a successful business again."
"Of course," the lover flattered her as if it were free, showering her with compliments.
Tong Shu had a very fulfilling night.
So much happened today, and he exercised a lot; he was so tired that he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
This used to be his safest haven.
Tong Shu never imagined there would be any danger here, so he slept very peacefully. When he woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
In the past, his lover would wake him up to go to work.
Tong Shu opened his eyes and looked out the window, feeling a slight sense of disappointment.
Just because the factory is doing poorly, does she stop waking him up to go to work?
Recalling the pleasure of last night and her lover's tender whispers, Tong Shu tried to comfort herself, thinking, "Fine, I'll forgive her this time."
He slowly got out of bed.
"Ah Lian, what's for breakfast?"
There was only his voice in the house, and no reply came for a long time.
"Ah Lian?"
Tong Shu repeated it over and over, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
He suddenly stood up and rushed out of the room.
There's no need to look for anyone anymore; what Tong Shu sees before him is enough to chill him to the bone.
The once neat and cozy room looked like it had been ransacked; all the valuable small items had been swept away, and there were signs of searching everywhere, but the purpose was clear: only small and valuable things were taken.
Tong Shu stumbled toward the sofa.
The bank card on the coffee table was, of course, gone.
Ah Lian took it, along with all the valuables in the house, and their child.
Tong Shu found it all absurd.
Last night's passionate outburst has now become a joke; it turns out she just wanted to squeeze one last bit of money out of him.
Tong Shu sat blankly on the sofa, reflecting on the past and regretting his past actions.
Before finding a lover, his family was happy and fulfilling.
Their son is adorable and obedient, their wife is gentle and considerate, and they have a good business sense. They have gradually moved from the countryside to the city, from being extremely frugal with every penny to now being able to spend millions of dollars with ease.
His success was inseparable from Wen Li, and Tong Shu suddenly realized the truth.
But it was too late. He had already signed the divorce papers last night, and she was now his ex-wife. Wen Li left with nothing, and they had no further contact.
Tong Shu suddenly punched himself twice.
"I really misjudged people. I could have left such a good wife and gone to pamper a woman who only cheated me out of money. Now look what's happened, even the money I saved up to turn my life around has been swindled away."
A man doesn't easily shed tears, unless he's truly heartbroken.
Tong Shu hadn't cried when he left Wen Li last night, but now, all the pain and grief erupted at once, and he burst into tears, his sobs almost like howls.
Unfortunately, no one in the empty house cared.
He had just been in a fight yesterday, and today he was heartbroken and devastated. He suffered a huge blow to his body and mind. He couldn't even breathe enough oxygen, and soon he fainted from crying.
When Tong Shu woke up again.
He was still alone in the room.
At that moment, he realized that he had lost those who cared about him, and that no one would treat him the same way again.
Even when he fainted, he could only wake up lying on the cold, hard floor.
Being alone and lonely until death seems to be the foreseeable end of life.
Tong Shu couldn't help but regret it. Tears welled up in his swollen eyes, and the only sound in the room was his weak sobbing, which, along with the cheerful chirping of sparrows outside the window, resembled a gray and grotesque farce.
On the other side.
After Tong Shu left, a strange atmosphere settled into the house on the east bank of the Tang River.
Wen Li looked at the divorce papers, Du Shanlai looked at her, Tong Shuai looked at the two of them, and no one in the group said a word.
Hu Zhenzhen, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't stand it any longer and broke the strange atmosphere with her birth.
"Mr. Du, Director Fang from Baihua Ranch would like to have a chat with you. Would it be convenient to give her your WeChat ID?"
Du Shanlai said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Hu, I..."
Before he could even utter his refusal, Wenli interrupted him.
"Shanlai, think about it."
“But your illness is at a critical stage right now, and you need someone to take care of you. Xiaoshuai usually has to go to school and can't take care of things at home. I just want to…”
He didn't say the rest.
But everyone present knew what he was thinking.
“I still have some savings, so I can afford a caregiver. Besides, it's not like you're a grown man and it's inconvenient for you to take care of me.”
Du Shanlai lowered his head in frustration.
Given the current situation, he thought that Ali had already understood his feelings.
Was he rejected by her?
Hu Zhenzhen watched with great interest from the side. She took out two candies from her bag and gave them to the two children to shut them up, so as not to disturb this middle-aged love story.
Du Shanlai lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.
Wen Li suddenly sighed, "Shanlai, you can't just look at the present. You have to think about the future. I left with nothing. I'll need a lot of money for medical treatment in the future, and I might have to borrow from you."
Du Shanlai's eyes lit up after hearing just a few words.
This isn't about borrowing money; it's about the future of two people.
He had never expressed his feelings before, and Ali didn't understand his intentions. The two of them had always maintained proper etiquette. Now that he had finally spoken up, Ali's words were clearly giving him a chance.
"I understand, I get what you mean."
He answered eagerly, "Xiao Shuai still has to go to school, and the tuition fees need to be paid on time. You don't need to worry about these things. Just focus on getting better."
"As long as you take good care of yourself, you can leave everything else to me!"
He was too embarrassed to say directly that the money belonged to Wenli, so he could only express it in a roundabout way.
Seeing Wen Li nod, Du Shanlai suddenly became motivated and turned to Hu Zhenzhen.
"Mr. Hu, I'll have to trouble you to introduce me."
“No trouble at all,” Hu Zhenzhen smiled slightly. “She’d love to recruit someone as talented as you.”
Hu Zhenzhen sent Fang Ping's WeChat contact to her.
Du Shanlai and Fang Ping are both decisive types. They determined his start date and future work scope in just a few minutes.
Wenli's condition requires frequent drainage of fluid, and this tube is always with her to facilitate daily drainage.
Dr. Zhou came today and took a look at her.
In fact, Wenli's condition is still within a controllable range. As long as the treatment is followed up, she may be able to be cured.
It's just unclear what Tong Shu was thinking before, only letting her rest at home.
"Xijingmen Hospital will be officially put into use within this week. Miss Wen, please come there for a follow-up appointment in a week. I will be on duty there every Monday and Tuesday. I will check on your recovery then."
Before Wen Li could speak, Du Shanlai became excited.
"Doctor, do you mean Ali is getting better?"
Dr. Zhou nodded. "Of course, but her body is weak and her recovery is slow. According to my expectations, it may take more than six months of treatment to fully recover."
"It's good that it can be cured, it's good that it can be cured."
Du Shan kept repeating this sentence, and I couldn't help but feel a little envious.
Hu Zhenzhen was jealous of the scene, and since it was already late, she decided not to disturb the middle-aged couple who had just started to develop feelings for each other.
"Xiao Chen, let's go home."
Hu Zhenzhen and her group arrived in a great hurry, but left quietly.
Only Tong Shuai came out to see them off.
Since he was just a child, Hu Zhenzhen naturally wouldn't let him go too far. She only let him go to the elevator and then sent him back.
Tong Shuai glanced at Jiang Chen, and before leaving, he avoided all the adults, pulled Jiang Chen aside, and whispered something in his ear.
"I'm sorry about what happened before. Don't worry, I'll protect you at school from now on!"
After saying that, he didn't even look at Jiang Chen's reaction and ran away in a flash.
Hu Zhenzhen asked her son curiously, "Xiao Chen, what did he say to you? Can Mommy know?"
There's nothing to hide.
Jiang Chen scratched his cheek and said with a troubled expression, "He said he would protect me at school, but I don't want to be his little brother."
Hu Zhenzhen was immediately amused.
In a child's worldview, gratitude and repaying kindness are also endearingly naive.
She casually suggested, "Then let him be your underling."
Hu Zhenzhen never expected that just one sentence would actually make Jiang Chen's campus life more colorful.
It also brought her quite a pleasant surprise.
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