Chapter 44 We met ten years ago. Right?
The next day, the New Year's morning light streamed through the window lattice. In the living room, Shen Xingjian confessed his original plan.
He took out his old computer that he had lost and found again, the screen lit up, and he skillfully typed in a few lines of commands, calling up an encrypted hidden folder.
"I found this in there some time ago."
In the folder, there were several scanned reports lying quietly, which detailed the many illegal operations in the Mingjing Lake Resort project.
Then he clicked on an audio clip.
A strange voice came from the loudspeaker: "Hello, Mr. Shen. Regarding the Mingjing Lake Resort project, we hope you can carefully consider it and not make any moves that would put you and your family in jeopardy..."
The other party paused, as if giving him time to digest the weight of his words, before continuing in a flat tone, "Excuse me, no offense, but as far as I know, your family has passed away. Do you live alone now?"
"After all, the project progresses quickly. We sincerely hope that everything can proceed smoothly and without any unforeseen unexpected situations."
"Please take good care of yourself."
The recording ends here.
"What is this?" Gao Xing didn't react for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, Shen Xingjian clicked on another video.
In the image, he sits upright before the camera, his ID card held to his chest with both hands, ensuring all the information is clearly visible. His face is much more haggard than it is now, with noticeable bruises under his eyes, but his eyes are remarkably clear and resolute, with a desperate calmness.
"I'm Shen Xingjian, and I'm reporting the suspected illegal development and land occupation of the Mingjing Lake Resort project, as well as the possible protection of potential backers."
His voice was steady and clear, and every word carried undeniable weight.
"I submitted all the reporting materials through legal channels on March 15, 2015, but have not received any official response to date. Instead, I received an anonymous threatening phone call on the evening of March 16, demanding that I stop reporting and accept the demolition agreement."
He paused briefly, his gaze fixed on the camera. "Here, I solemnly declare: If I suffer any form of 'accidental' personal injury in the future, or am deemed to have committed suicide, it will not be a coincidence. I strongly doubt that it is related to this report."
Finally, he leaned forward slightly, his tone solemn and earnest: "Boss Chen, if you see this video, it means that I can no longer complete this task personally. Please be sure to hand this video and all the materials in the folder over to the public security authorities. Please!"
The video ends here.
Seeing this, Gao Xing understood everything, and a sour feeling rushed into his nose.
It turned out that the reason he sent his computer for repair was not accidental, but a nearly tragic backup plan he prepared for himself.
He placed his last hope on the only person in the world who knew him well, the owner of a repair shop. Unfortunately, the owner of the repair shop did not find the hidden file and reinstalled the system during the repair process, which made it take him so long to discover the information.
If Gao Xing had not accidentally brought the computer back due to the overlap of time and space, this crucial evidence might have died with him and never seen the light of day.
In the process of searching for the cause of his death, Shen Xingjian has always overlooked a crucial piece of information, that is, if there was no time and space folding, if Gao Xing had never appeared, if he had been alone from beginning to end, he would never have given up the Shen family's old house, let alone accepted the existence of the resort so easily.
Years of living alone had already made him somewhat surly and withdrawn, and coupled with Zhongyue's failure and Xu Jiakai's betrayal, the Shen family mansion became his last remaining obsession. The Mingjing Lake Resort project was undoubtedly the final straw that broke all his beliefs, leading him to fight back desperately.
Shen Xingjian originally wanted to continue the unfinished business of the past, let the poisonous snakes hiding in the dark come out of their holes again, and make them pay the price for the crimes they committed.
But yesterday, Gao Xing's words made him change his mind. Instead of risking his life to find the truth out of momentary indignation, he suddenly wanted to live a good life.
His life is precious, and every year that comes after, every day he spends growing old with his loved ones, is precious.
And those bad people and bad things are not worth it.
Hearing that he had wanted to take a risk and make himself a living target again, Gao Xing wanted to scold him, calling him stupid and calling him a fool!
But the words kept rolling around on my tongue and I couldn't say them out loud.
Looking at the obsession with the truth that had been lingering in his eyes for too long, she felt a pang of pain in her heart.
He just wants justice, what's wrong with that?
The complex emotions finally turned into a long sigh. Gao Xing moved closer to him, looked him straight in the eyes, and held his slightly cold hand tightly. Every word he spoke was clear and firm:
“Alan Shen, everything will be different this time, because you are no longer alone, now you have me.”
Without further words, the two looked at each other quietly. In the dim light of the winter morning, a tacit understanding of living and dying together flowed silently, dispelling the chill and loneliness brought by the long time.
…
That morning, Gao Xing was working at the sanatorium. While making rounds, he had just walked into the VIP ward area when he heard excited voices coming from Shi Yunran's father's room not far away.
The door was ajar. Gao Xing walked a few steps closer and heard Shi Yunran standing by the window, questioning the person on the other end of the phone, "Xu Jiakai, why are you transferring my dad without my consent? This is the nursing home most familiar with his condition. What qualifications do you have to act on your own?"
Shi Yunran's tone suddenly became tense after hearing something being said on the other end of the phone: "Do you think you can threaten me like this? Even without you, I can still afford the expenses here!"
Her fingers holding the phone turned slightly white, and her expression became more and more ugly as she listened to the other party's words.
"Xu Jiakai, do you still think you're the same elegant Mr. Xu from before, someone who could lose everything with just one sentence? Starship gave you face before, but it was only for Minghong's sake. Now you're in Africa, do you still think Minghong will protect you?"
Shi Yunran hung up the phone angrily, his chest heaving violently.
Gao Xing thought it might not be convenient to go in at this time. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Shi Yunran's cell phone ringing again.
She changed her tone and answered the phone, trying to remain calm. "Mr. Li? What do you mean? This is a private matter between him and me. Why does it involve Starship's investment?"
The other party seemed to interrupt her. She wanted to explain, but her shoulders slowly slumped.
As she listened to the phone, her eyes changed from anger to despair, and finally to emptiness.
"I know." She whispered and hung up the phone.
The ward suddenly became quiet. She thought she could use Zhou Jinkai to bring down Xu Jiakai, but she never thought that everything was in vain. He could still kill her easily.
Shi Yunran slowly walked to her father's bedside and looked at the old man who was once extremely powerful but could not even utter a word. Finally, she could not control herself and fell into the chair, buried her face in her palms, and sobbed softly.
There was reluctance and deep powerlessness in the crying.
In the end, she got what she deserved.
I don't know if it was telepathy or something, but at this moment, a very slight sound came from the hospital bed.
Shi Yunran looked up suddenly and saw her father's fingers trembling slightly. She couldn't believe her eyes until she met those cloudy yet clear eyes that had opened at some point.
"Dad!" She was so surprised that she reached out to press the call bell.
That withered, gray hand gently grasped her wrist. Father Shi shook his head with difficulty. Under the oxygen mask, his lips moved, making an almost inaudible sound: "Nannan, don't cry..."
Shi Yunran's tears instantly welled up. She quickly wiped them with the back of her hand and held her father's hand tightly. "Dad... I knew there would be a miracle... You will definitely get better!"
Father Shi's eyes were filled with turbid tears, filled with regret and reluctance. He took a few quick breaths, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from his chest: "Nannan, listen... Back home... In the study... There is a secret room..."
"What secret room?" Shi Yunran didn't understand why her father suddenly brought this up. But now that she saw her father wake up, it didn't matter whether there was a secret room or something else. She sniffed and comforted him, "Dad, when you get better, we'll go home. Let's go back to the old house, okay?"
Father Shi's emotions became agitated. A violent coughing fit made his face flush red. He gasped for breath and said, "Safe...password...your birthday..."
"Inside...gold bars...and..." He stared at his daughter, his pupils shrinking with anxiety, "Xu Jiakai...evidence of murder!"
"Murder?" Shi Yunran's whole body froze, and even Gao Xing outside the door held his breath.
After revealing the most important information, Father Shi seemed to relax a little, the blush on his face gradually fading. "Back then... I just wanted him to... give up. I didn't expect... he... actually killed... him, and the resort was able to... begin construction."
Father Shi's tears slid down his deep wrinkles. "I know... this kind of person... can't be trusted, so... I stopped you..."
Heavy breathing interrupted his words. He took a long time to calm down before using up his last bit of strength to speak, "But... you're pregnant, so I had no choice... so..."
"The evidence... is kept... for you."
His voice grew weaker and weaker, his eyes starting to blur. "Nannan... Daddy deserves what he has done for his crimes... I only ask that you... be safe and sound..."
"No! Don't say anything! Doctor! Doctor!" Shi Yunran cried in fear as she watched her father's complexion rapidly deteriorate.
Father Shi used up his last bit of strength, raised his trembling hand, and tried to wipe the tears from his daughter's face: "Nannan...from now on...Dad...can't protect you anymore, you must..."
Before he could finish his words, the raised hand suddenly dropped and hit the edge of the bed, without a sound.
"dad!"
Inside the ward, Shi Yunran's heart-wrenching cries pierced through the walls. She looked at the withered old man lying on the bed who had planned his entire life for her, and endless regret surged in her heart.
If she had not been so impulsive, had not given up on herself and insisted on marrying Xu Jiakai, and had not lied to her family about being pregnant, would the result not be like this today?
If time could go back, if what happened back then could be repeated, if nothing had happened yet...
Shi Yunran's tears formed wet circles on the snow-white bed sheets, and she slowly raised her head.
Outside the door, Gao Xing leaned against the cold wall, seemingly still digesting the information he had just heard.
The truth behind Shen Xingjian's death was revealed so unexpectedly, causing a storm in her heart.
The sanatorium where Gao Xing works has long been connected to smart devices. When the instruments in the VIP ward could not detect any vital signs, they immediately sent an alarm to the terminal at the nurse station. When his colleagues discovered this, they rushed to the VIP ward immediately.
The head nurse came running over and saw her standing at the door, looking distracted. She asked, "Happy? Why are you still standing here? What's wrong with the patient?"
Gao Xing finally came back to her senses and was about to answer, but she saw Shi Yunran suddenly open the door and walk out, his eyes red, staring at her like a zombie.
The head nurse didn't expect that the family members were also there. She wanted to ask something, but she wisely kept her mouth shut and went into the ward with her colleagues to check on the patient's condition.
Seeing Shi Yunran staring at him, Gao Xing felt a tingling sensation in his heart for some reason.
Did she hear what the head nurse said just now? Did she know that I was eavesdropping outside the door?
Gao Xing subconsciously tried to avoid her and wanted to follow her in to see if there was anything he could do to help, but she grabbed him.
“I know that you have been investigating the cause of Shen Xingjian’s death.” Shi Yunran said expressionlessly, his voice as still as dead water.
His pupils suddenly shrank with joy.
She only said, "We met at Shen Xingjian's house ten years ago. Right?"
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