Chapter 47 What on earth was that scene just now? !
Xu Jiakai leaned back in his airplane seat, his gaze out the window at the rolling sea of clouds, a stark reflection of his turbulent heart. The cabin lights were dim, and his neighbor had already fallen asleep, but he remained awake all night.
The events of that year were still vivid in his mind, and everything seemed as if there was an invisible hand pushing him forward.
At that time, he had just fallen out with Shen Xingjian because of embezzlement of public funds, and was embroiled in lawsuits, which made him extremely anxious. But at this moment, Shi Yunran's temper flared up. She resigned from her position at Guanya without any hesitation, had a big fight with her family, and spent the whole day playing outside.
He still remembered that night when he took Shi Yunran, who was drunk in the bar, home. The usually dignified Uncle Shi actually invited him in for a cup of tea.
In the study, the sanctimonious old man expressed his admiration for Shi Yunran, saying that among all Shi Yunran's friends, he was the only down-to-earth one. At that time, he was at his lowest point in life, and the sudden "appreciation" of such a powerful figure filled him with gratitude.
The old man pretended to be sentimental, saying that his abilities were no less than Shen Xingjian's, the only difference being the Shen family's background. He also said that the Shen family had been prosperous for generations, but by the time of Mr. Shen's generation, it had already fallen into decline, and now it was even more difficult to continue. Shen Xingjian even had a broken leg, so he didn't know why Ranran liked him.
The old man looked heartbroken, but these words were like seeds planted in the dark and damp corner of his heart.
Before leaving, the old man chatted casually, pretending to be a kind elder and hinting that Xingjian was the only one left in the Shen family now. He was lonely, withdrawn, and didn't like to socialize. If something happened at home one day, no one would know.
"You're his only friend. Maybe you'll have to take care of his funeral later..."
At that moment, Xu Jiakai felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and with it came a faint expectation.
After returning home, Xu Jiakai stayed awake all night. On the one hand, his conscience condemned him for such a terrible idea, and on the other hand, he was terrified that his future would be ruined after being thrown into prison.
He thought, Shen Xingjian had a broken leg, was depressed and disgusted with the world, and had thought about committing suicide before. Anyway, living like a disabled person was so painful for him, it would be better for everyone to die.
Once this devilish idea took root, it spread wildly.
That night, he somehow found a channel to buy neurotoxins online and placed an order with trembling hands.
A few days later, when the small bottle containing the deadly poison was actually handed to him, the cold touch made him sober up instantly.
Embezzlement of public funds would only result in a few years in prison at most, but if the charge of murder were exposed, his life would be completely ruined. Xu Jiakai immediately wanted to throw away the bottle of poison, but he was afraid of being discovered, so he had to hide it at home.
Just at this moment, a turning point appeared. Guan Ya determined the new direction of the automobile business. If he could settle the embezzlement of public funds, this would be a great opportunity for him to turn things around!
He thought Shi Yunran's father really appreciated him, so he came to visit him with gifts, hoping that he could help him. One day he would definitely repay his kindness by repaying him with a favor.
However, Father Shi just looked at him, sipping his tea leisurely, and repeating, "Sometimes, choice is more important than hard work, what do you think?"
Xu Jiakai then realized that the old man didn't really want to promote him, but wanted to use him to get rid of the troublesome Shen Xingjian! The officials and businessmen colluded, but wanted him to be the executioner. It was extremely vicious!
Xu Jiakai originally wanted to turn hostile, but when he thought of the bright future that was painted, he wavered again. More often than not, he just needed an opportunity!
That day, he walked into Shen Xingjian's home carrying the bottle of neurotoxin as if he were carrying a piece of red-hot charcoal.
Seeing him coming, Shen Xingjian's attitude was not good, especially after learning that he was here to lobby for the demolition, he lost his temper. He belittled him and accused him of being despicable and unbearable. But if he could also have everything like them, why would he do such things that even he looked down on himself?
Just as he made up his mind and was about to pour the poison into Shen Xingjian's water cup when no one was paying attention, his eyes suddenly fixed on the kitchen island - there was a snack box with the words "Xu's Morning Tea" printed on it.
For some unknown reason, Xu Jiakai hesitated.
His parents had taught him since childhood that a person could be poor but not short-sighted, and especially not to do evil. At that moment, his parents' past teachings roared in his ears, and he felt as if he was hanging on the gallows, bearing the condemnation of his conscience.
He recalled how many years ago, his family's morning tea shop was squeezed out by surrounding businesses due to its booming business and was on the verge of bankruptcy. It was Shen Xingjian who mobilized the entire school to protest and averted the crisis. Even though the two of them were now enemies, Shen Xingjian had never revealed the embezzlement of public funds, or anything else that could hurt his parents.
He clearly knew that his parents were his biggest weakness...
Conscience screamed sharply at the last moment, and Xu Jiakai almost fled from Shen Xingjian's house and threw the bottle of neurotoxin into the nearby grass.
In the end, he did not cross that bottom line.
Pulling his mind away from the heavy past, Xu Jiakai closed his eyes wearily. The plane was swaying slightly as it passed through the turbulence, just like his restless heart.
…
Shi Yunran didn't care about Xu Jiakai's clarification, because the only thing that mattered to her now was her father's resurrection. So, once the online backlash started to build, she went to Gao Xing and demanded she fulfill her promise.
Gao Xing, however, prevaricated her with the idea that such a result was not enough, saying that her father could only come back to life after Xu Jiakai was convicted and Shen Xingjian’s resentment completely dissipated.
Shi Yunran had a hunch that she was hiding something, but at this point, she had no choice but to trust her.
Back at Villa No. 1, Gao Xing quickly told Shen Xingjian what happened today, including Xu Jiakai’s response.
Looking at the high-sounding text on the phone, Shen Xingjian thought that Xu Jiakai was indeed a man who could reach a high position in the future. Under such circumstances, he actually dared to return to China on his own initiative. Wasn't he afraid of being arrested? Did he really have something to rely on, or...
"It's such a big thing, but no official media has spoken out so far. It may take more than a short time to completely convict Xu Jiakai." Gao Xing couldn't help but worry.
At this time, it has been less than two weeks since Shen Xingjian's last death, and in order to try Xu Jiakai, Shen Xingjian has not yet signed the demolition agreement. She is afraid that something unexpected will happen in the meantime.
But Shen Xingjian felt inexplicably uneasy. If what Xu Jiakai said was true, then who would be the real murderer?
In the living room, the solemn silence caused by Xu Jiakai's response had not yet dissipated when the shrill doorbell suddenly rang, breaking the silence.
Gao Xing and Shen Xingjian exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of wariness in the other's eyes. Gao Xing walked to the door and answered the phone: "Hello, who is this?"
"Madam...it's me, Zhang Wei." Zhang Wei's uneasy voice came from the doorbell phone. He whispered with obvious embarrassment in his tone.
Gao Xing's mind raced, unsure of the Zhang Wei outside the door at that moment, so he asked tentatively, "Zhang Wei? Why are you here?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds. Zhang Wei seemed to have made a great decision before he spoke with difficulty: "My wife gave birth...but the baby is not in good condition and is in an incubator. I, I really have no other choice, so I want to ask Mr. Shen for help..."
Hearing him mention Shen Xingjian, Gao Xing immediately confirmed that this was Zhang Wei from ten years ago. Zhang Wei ten years later once said that it was not the first time he came to Shen Xingjian to borrow money on the day of the incident, and it seemed that today was the previous time.
Gao Xing covered the microphone when he heard this and explained the situation to Shen Xingjian in a low voice.
Shen Xingjian’s eyes moved slightly, he nodded, and happily handed the phone to him.
“Zhang Wei,” Shen Xingjian said to the microphone in a steady voice, “Wait a moment, I’ll open the door.”
He maneuvered his wheelchair through the living room and out to the yard to open the gate, while Gao Xing returned upstairs to give them space to talk.
Meanwhile, on the tree-lined path outside the villa, Shi Yunran was approaching anxiously, carrying a heavy handbag. Inside the expensive handbag were several even more expensive gold bars that she had taken out of her father's safe in his secret room.
The cheerful prevarications she had made during the day left her feeling uneasy. She remembered what her father had once said: "There's no one in this world who doesn't love money. Some people are good at pretending, while others don't. Those who say they don't want it are often just waiting for you to give it to them."
She thought about it and thought that maybe the reward was not enough, which was why Gao Xing was reluctant to fulfill his promise.
She must try again.
However, when she just walked to the familiar black gate of Villa No. 1, before she even raised her hand, the door in front of her opened automatically!
Shi Yunran was startled and immediately looked around. The night was dark, the shadows of the trees were swaying, and there was no one around.
A cool breeze brushed across the back of her neck, and Shi Yunran couldn't help but feel a little scared, because Gao Xing had said that Shen Xingjian died unjustly and his ghost lingered. She suppressed her fear, shook off the messy thoughts in her mind, and told herself that no matter how unwilling the dead were, they could not defeat the living!
She shuddered, forced herself to calm down, took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and stepped into the yard.
When her foot crossed the boundary line of the courtyard gate, a strange scene happened in an instant!
She clearly saw that in the yard, Shen Xingjian was sitting in a wheelchair with a strange man, with his back to her, walking towards the main house of the villa!
Shen Xingjian? !
Shi Yunran, you are horrified!
Wasn't he already dead?! How could this happen? How could this happen?!
"ah--!"
Extreme fear instantly gripped her. Shi Yunran screamed, her legs went limp, and she fell backwards uncontrollably.
At the moment her body completely fell out of the range of the courtyard gate, the scene in front of her seemed to be wiped out in an instant. The wheelchair, Shen Xingjian and the strange man all disappeared! The yard was empty, as if everything just now was just an illusion caused by her extreme fear.
Almost at the same time, Zhang Wei and Shen Xingjian turned around at the same time.
"Just now..." Zhang Wei asked uncertainly. He seemed to hear someone screaming just now, but when he looked towards the dark courtyard gate, there was no one there.
Shen Xingjian frowned, his sharp eyes swept across the empty courtyard, and the feeling of uneasiness in his heart suddenly intensified.
He immediately drove his wheelchair back to the door and locked it tightly with a "click".
Outside, Shi Yunran sat on the ground, still in shock, watching the black courtyard door automatically close in front of her without any warning. She reached out and pushed tentatively, but the door seemed welded shut, not moving at all.
The night wind blew, bringing a biting chill. Shi Yunran collapsed in front of the door, her body icy cold, completely overwhelmed by immense fear and an unprecedented sense of unbelief.
What on earth was that scene just now?!
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