In the car, Zhong's mother held Shen Mingzhu's hand with a smile on her face.

Although Mrs. Zhong is nearly fifty years old, she takes good care of herself and looks like she is in her early thirties, and her hands are smooth and delicate.

However, Shen Mingzhu was not used to such intimacy, so she pulled her hand back by untying her scarf.

Mother Zhong smiled without changing her expression. "What do you want to eat? Cantonese food is ok? There is a new Cantonese restaurant in Liyuan, and they make great roast goose."

"good."

…

After arriving at Liyuan, Shen Mingzhu took advantage of the bathroom to call home, told them the address of the hotel, and asked Pei Yang to pick her up around eight o'clock.

Afterwards, she called Zhong Qing's office.

No one answered the phone. At this time, Zhong Qing must have already gotten off work.

She called the Zhong family again.

The call was answered by Zhong Qing's sister Zhong Yin. Knowing that Zhong Qing had not returned home yet, Shen Mingzhu left their secret code and phone number and asked Zhong Yin to convey it to Zhong Qing.

Although it was not apparent that Mother Zhong had any ill will towards her, she always felt an indescribable discomfort in her heart.

When Shen Mingzhu returned to the box, a variety of dishes were already placed on the table, as well as an opened bottle of red wine.

"I'm back, come sit down."

Mrs. Zhong greeted her with a smile.

Shen Mingzhu was a little surprised, "Mrs. Zhong, are there any other guests?"

"Just the two of us."

"Then you ordered too many dishes, and I don't drink."

"I heard that you opened a restaurant. I want to order more of the restaurant's specialties and try other flavors. Maybe it will be helpful to you. We can drink as much as we want. I can't drink much."

As she was speaking, Zhong's mother had already enthusiastically poured the wine for her.

But not much was poured, just two small sips.

This shouldn't make anyone drunk, so Shen Mingzhu drank the red wine in the glass happily.

The food tasted really good, and the two of them enjoyed themselves while eating and chatting.

…

Zhong Qing was visiting an elder who had just recovered from a serious illness.

The gray-haired old lady held her hand and grumbled, "...You are not young anymore, you should get married sooner and have children. For a woman, getting married and having children is the most important thing. Only with children can you have support and a place to stay in your life..."

Zhong Qing subconsciously wanted to pull her hand back.

The old man was very strong and his nails pinched the back of her hand, which was very painful.

Perhaps it was because she moved too much or was scratched by the old man's nails, but the moment she pulled her hand back, the bracelet on her wrist suddenly broke.

Looking at the purple crystal beads jumping all over the ground, Zhong Qing felt inexplicably uneasy.

This bracelet was a birthday gift from Shen Mingzhu to her last year.

She has trouble sleeping, and amethyst has a calming and soothing effect.

Zhong Qing borrowed the phone from her elders' home and called the Pei family.

When she learned that Shen Mingzhu was not at home but was having dinner outside with her mother, Zhong Qing suddenly understood why her mother arranged for her to visit an unfamiliar elder alone.

…

"Mrs. Pei? Are you drunk?"

After calling out several times and patting her shoulder, Shen Mingzhu still didn't wake up. Chu Yuqing then got up and called the waiter.

"She's drunk. Please help me take her to the guest room upstairs to rest."

"Okay, Mrs. Zhong."

After the waiter put Shen Mingzhu on the bed, Chu Yuqing generously took out a twenty-yuan tip.

"She needs to have a good rest and not let anyone disturb her."

The waiter nodded hurriedly, took the tip and left happily.

After staring at Shen Mingzhu lying on the bed for a long time, Chu Yuqing turned around and left.

Twenty minutes later, a dark blue Volga stopped at the gate of Liyuan.

Chu Yuqing stood up and went out to greet him, handing him the key. "He's in room 510."

Zhong Jiping patted her shoulder with satisfaction and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Chu Yuqing smiled and said, "Go up, I'll wait for you downstairs."

Zhong Jiping said nothing more and walked into Li Garden. It was not difficult to tell from his back that he looked a little anxious.

Chu Yuqing touched the shoulder that her husband had patted, her expression revealing sweetness and nostalgia.

She couldn't remember how long it had been since her husband touched her.

Ever since she had a double mastectomy.

…

This work is organized and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

Zhong Jiping went to the fifth floor, found room 510, inserted the key into the keyhole and opened the door.

Click.

The door behind him opened at the same time.

"Mr. Zhong, what a coincidence, are you here to rest?"

"I have an appointment with someone downstairs for dinner, but he has something else and won't be here until later, so I'll come up to rest first."

"Oh, I'm going downstairs to eat, how about we eat first?"

"No, maybe next time."

…

Ten minutes after Zhong Jiping entered Liyuan, Zhong Qing also rushed over.

In the box, Chu Yuqing stood alone in front of the window, holding a glass of wine in her hand and sipping it slowly.

Hearing the sound of a door being pushed open behind her, she turned around and was surprised to see who came in.

Zhong Qing no longer had her usual elegance and composure. She looked panicked, with her hair scattered behind her head, and her eyes were filled with anxiety and panic.

She glanced around the box and didn't see Shen Mingzhu, so she immediately rushed to Chu Yuqing.

"Where's Mingzhu? Where is she?!"

Chu Yuqing looked at her calmly, "Don't you want to get rid of your father and the Zhong family? Now is the best opportunity. If you feel really guilty, we can consider giving her more compensation."

Bang! Zhong Qing picked up the red wine bottle on the table and smashed it. The sharp pieces of the bottle hit Chu Yuqing's throat.

"Tell me! Where is Mingzhu? Is she upstairs? Which room?"

Chu Yuqing did not feel threatened. Instead, she calmly leaned her neck forward and allowed the sharp bottle to cut her skin.

The bright red blood flowed down the snow-white neck into the collar.

She closed her brown eyes that were exactly the same as Zhong Qing's, "Go ahead, there's no point in me living anyway."

Zhong Qing threw away the half-broken bottle in her hand in despair, "If you won't tell me, I'll go find Yan Yi!"

Chu Yuqing held her back, "Are you crazy? Are you going to ruin your lifelong happiness for an unrelated outsider? Your father has already agreed to your marriage into the Yan family. You will be the legitimate mistress of the Yan family in the future, and no one can surpass you."

Zhong Qing turned around, her face full of sarcasm, "You are crazy, if you dare to touch a hair of Shen Mingzhu, not only me, but also you and dad, and the entire Zhong family, Yan Yi will not let you go!"

Meng Yuqing was shocked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Why did I become friends with Shen Mingzhu, and also with Sister Yan Su, Ning Yuan, Zhuang Xueqi, Ning Yuan? Why do you think she can be taken care of by everyone?"

"You mean... Yan Yi did it to her? How is that possible!?"

"Mom, you make your choice, whether to stop this in time, or I'll call Yan Yi and we'll die together."

Although Chu Yuqing had some doubts about Yan Yi's love for Shen Mingzhu, she didn't dare to gamble.

There are plenty of women, but if you offend Yan Yi, it will be harmful to the Zhong family.

"She's at 510, but your dad has been up there for a while."

Hearing this, Zhong Qing's legs softened, and he rushed out the door the next second. (End of this chapter)