Chapter 71 Photos
The phone vibrated silently. After checking the newly popped-up message, Deng Ning turned off the device.
He sat in the center of a dimly lit room, surrounded by nothing but the cold, hard chair beneath him.
Deng Ning sank into the chair, legs stretched out naturally, his posture relaxed and casual, but his gaze was fixed on nothingness. He held a round pendant between his fingers, the chain coiled like a snake around his lean arm. In the dim light, the almost completely worn gold plating of the pendant was faintly visible, revealing a grayish-white base. The edges were rough and sharp, and one could feel fine particles when touching them.
Such inexpensive items are not commensurate with his status.
With a flick of the thumb, a soft "click" sounded as the locket popped open, revealing a small, yellowed old photograph. The face and background in the photograph were blurred by some kind of stain, making it impossible to discern that it was a woman.
Deng Ning's gaze was fixed on the photograph, then she closed the pendant and pressed it against her chest, close to her heart.
He closed his eyes and whispered, "Mother, please bless me."
The conference room was spacious and bright. At the rectangular table, a man and a woman, both dressed in gray uniforms and wearing badges symbolizing the empire, sat on either side.
Deng Ning walked straight to the head of the table and sat down, leaning slightly forward, his hands clasped together, elbows resting steadily on the edge of the table, forming a simple triangle. There were no pleasantries, no unnecessary movements, his gaze fixed straight across the long table.
"Tell me about the movements of both the Shen family and Lu Xuejin."
The man on the left spoke first: "Lu Xuejin has been living in the villa that Shen Mo bought these past few days and hasn't gone out. She's still a bit absent-minded, sometimes suddenly stopping, probably missing someone, cough. She hasn't contacted anyone outside either, only communicating with Shen Yuncheng a few times, and it was always Shen Yuncheng who took the initiative to ask about her condition."
“Apart from that, there are no other abnormalities.” After saying that, the man handed over the relevant photos and audio to Deng Ning.
Deng Ning quickly finished browsing and then glanced to the right.
"The situation is currently at a stalemate. Although some members of the Shen family are leaning towards us, they are unwilling to come forward and make accusations. The attitudes of several major families on the border are unclear, and in the capital..." The woman paused and said, "a general who is on very good terms with General Shen is putting pressure on us."
She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Sir, I'd like to know the capital's opinion? And..."
Deng Ning interrupted her: "The border is a delicate matter; even the slightest disturbance can easily trigger unrest, and it's not convenient for the capital to intervene. We must produce strong evidence to ensure that the charges are successful—whether against Lu Xuejin or Shen Yuncheng."
"...General Shen's loyalty is beyond question, but the border has been independent for a long time. If we cannot take this opportunity to regain control of it, who knows what might happen when the next Shen family member comes to power. Peace is always short-lived, and we can only do our best to maintain it."
The man said with worry, "But so far we haven't found anything unusual about the two of them, except for that bowl of sweet soup. But... I personally think that if Lu Xuejin really wanted to kill her husband, she wouldn't have taken such an obviously suspicious approach."
"What do you personally think?" Deng Ning glanced at him, offering no further judgment, and turned on the projector.
"Coincidentally, I found some useful information, such as Mr. Lu's past."
An old photograph from an archive appeared on the large projection screen. The background was dark gray, with a cluster of dark red spires in the background. Steps led to the top, where more than twenty boys and girls stood in neat rows, and several teachers with serious faces stood on the highest step.
This is a class photo.
The man and woman quickly glanced at the secondary information, their gazes settling on the boy in the center of the crowd.
He looked to be fourteen or fifteen years old. His solid-color wool suit was impeccably tailored, with straight shoulders and a slightly cinched waist, making the boy appear tall and dignified. Below, he wore a snow-white shirt, which, along with his faintly glowing golden hair and bright blue eyes, shone brightly in the dim, still world.
He has the typical features of a handsome young man, with a youthful and refined look. He has a friendly smile and a friendly expression. Judging from the way people on both sides and behind him unconsciously turn to look at him and glance at him, he must be the center of attention in the class.
The second photo that appeared was also a class photo. Judging from the sudden drop in height, it should be a record of this class during their childhood.
Men and women can still spot Lu Xuejin at a glance, but in this photo, he is not in the center, but hidden in a corner at the back of the crowd, a position usually reserved for marginal figures.
He wore a well-fitting suit with a bright, playful bow tie, his chubby cheeks still showing signs of baby fat, and his round eyes made him look like a cute little angel. He was still smiling, but there was no warmth in his smile, and he didn't inspire any sense of friendliness.
“Lu Xuejin grew up in a small country bordering the border. His mother, Lu Yangfeng, was a famous socialite in high society at the time. His father is unknown, and there are no other records of relatives.” Deng Ning pulled up a long list of documents. Because the small country was ancient and conservative, there were very few electronic records, and most of them were paper archives.
Although they couldn't find Lu Yangfeng's place of origin or Lu Xuejin's birth record, they could still piece together a simple outline of her upbringing based on these records.
When Lu Xuejin was three or four years old, she lived in poverty. Her small rented room was dark and damp and never saw sunlight. Lu Yangfeng had no money to send his child to school, so Lu Xuejin had to stay in the rented building most of the time. It was a gathering place for all sorts of people, the lower class.
The landlord's initial assessment of the mother and son was: "A haughty mother and a strange child, probably the illegitimate son of some nobleman."
But a few months later, the landlord's indifference turned into enthusiasm: "That child is like candy, unbelievably sweet. When he's bullied, he just laughs like an idiot. The unruly kids here always settle things with their fists. They leave home with clean clothes, but come back filthy, like they've been rolling in the mud. Little Xue is so young, yet he already knows how to be clean. He greets people sweetly and helps carry things. Me and the others adored him, but not long after, his mother moved out with him. I heard they're living a good life now, right? I'm so happy for him."
When Lu Xue was seven years old, Lu Yangfeng found a lover who was willing to spend money on them and sent the child to a famous local aristocratic public school.
As a child who climbed his way up from the bottom and whose mother had a humble background, he felt out of place in the class full of wealthy and privileged students and initially seemed to be bullied. The file records conflicts that occurred in the class, including an argument between the son of a duke and someone that escalated into a fight, after which the other person dropped out. The student council records also mention that both sides mentioned that the other had "bullied the short newcomer."
However, Lu Xuejin quickly became the center of attention. The Duke's son followed his lead, and every year, whether in high school or lower grades, more than half of the chocolates ended up in his pocket. During graduation season, everyone was vying for his first button.
Lu Xuejin's grades were not good, so he later focused on art courses. His works are fantastic and magnificent, and are worth a fortune.
Deng Ning specially bought a painting from a collector at a high price. He didn't understand its beauty and only felt that although the painting was beautiful and dreamlike, it was uncomfortable to look at. Two of his subordinates also expressed their discomfort after seeing it.
Every student who remembers Lu Xuejin speaks highly of him, without a single bad word about him.
"Ah, him! I remember him! A handsome, sweet little guy, his smile was so adorable. It's a pity I graduated too early. I heard he grew up to be a handsome man. Do you know what he's like now?"
"You mean that chief? Where is he now? Everyone misses him."
"No one could dislike him, right? Both his looks and his personality."
“His mother has a bad reputation, but that has nothing to do with him. He is a good boy.”
"It sounds a bit unbelievable." The female subordinate crossed her arms and thought for a moment before saying, "Even a saint would find it hard to win everyone's praise."
Deng Ning said helplessly, "But that's the truth. Everyone I contacted, except for the initial landlord, really liked Lu Xuejin."
“But it seems he wasn’t born a gentle and cheerful person,” Deng Ning continued in an extremely subtle tone. He was referring to the child with a cold smile in the initial class photo, and the landlord’s initial impression of Lu Xuejin.
Upon hearing this, the male subordinate frowned, his eyes darting around in a struggle. A few seconds later, his face suddenly turned pale, as if he had finally woken up from some kind of hazy illusion. He pressed his chest and let out a long sigh, shifting his body with a hint of lingering fear.
Deng Ning glanced at him again.
Continuing on, the file abruptly ends when Lu Xuejin turns eighteen—he and Lu Yangfeng suddenly disappear without a trace.
The female subordinate raised an eyebrow: "No relevant records? That's suspicious."
Deng Ning: "His birthday happened to be in the middle of the winter break. At first, the school thought he had gone home for the holiday but was unable to return due to the blizzard. However, he was nowhere to be found for several months after the start of the semester, and many people thought he had encountered an accident. Because he was not closely related to Lu Yangfeng, the discussion only lasted for a while before no one paid attention to it. Only Lu Xuejin's classmates and Lu Yangfeng's lover's wife had searched for them."
“I’ve reviewed all the records, and there’s no record of them using any form of transportation. They vanished in an instant, like a blizzard that swept through that winter. Now we know that Lu Xuejin came to the Empire and met Shen Mo. The question is, what about Lu Yangfeng? What happened in those years? Where exactly is their hometown? Is it a fabricated lie or something they can’t reveal?”
“However, most of the doubts are unrelated to our affairs, but there is one thing we need to pay attention to.” Deng Ning tapped the long table to attract the attention of his subordinates. “Lu Xuejin is popular, but he is not close to others. Most of the time, he is alone. But when he was sixteen, someone suddenly appeared and quickly became close to him.”
Several more photos.
All the photos only show two people: Lu Xuejin and a tall, thin boy with an average appearance. He had unkempt, jet-black hair, dark green eyes, and lips as pale as his face. He had long arms and legs and a thin build, looking like a dried corpse that had just crawled out of a grave.
Neither in appearance nor in temperament should someone stand next to Lu Xuejin.
Ironically, in the photo, Lu Xuejin treats him intimately.
In one photo, he trails half a step behind Lu Xuejin, following her like a bodyguard, while Lu Xuejin wears a bright smile; in another, he bends down with his hands on his knees, and Lu Xuejin brushes away the stray hairs and wipes the dust off his cheeks; and in yet another, Lu Xuejin holds his hands, the camera capturing their swirling, graceful pose.
There are many more, many more.
"This person is named Zhu Can, and he comes from a poor background. He is even less popular than Lu Xuejin at the beginning, and he has suffered three months of bullying at school. Until one time, he was doused with cold water and locked in the toilet, and Lu Xuejin rescued him. The two met because of this, and Zhu Can quickly went to Lu Xuejin's side."
“In ancient public schools with strict hierarchies like this, bullying among students is rampant. Lu Xuejin has personally stopped no fewer than ten cases. Of all the victims, he was the only one who ended up standing by Lu Xuejin’s side and being accepted by her.”
The female subordinate frowned uncomfortably: "Sir, where did these photos come from?"
Many of the photos were taken from very hidden angles, with the camera seemingly hiding in a corner.
Deng Ning shrugged: "It was indeed 'bought' from Lu Xuejin's extreme admirer. Don't worry, I've already sent that person to the local police station."
The female subordinate breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. What Deng Ning didn't mention was that the day he broke into the seller's room, all four walls were densely covered with smiling Lu Xuejin stickers. Before handing them over to the police station, Deng Ning gave him a profound and severe lesson.
While they were discussing, the male subordinate remained silent, staring blankly at several photos for a long time. Suddenly, he straightened his back, frowned slightly, and looked hesitant.
Deng Ning: "It's okay, just say whatever comes to mind."
He hesitated and said, "...I always feel that Zhu Can resembles someone."
“It seems I’m not the only one who thinks this way,” Deng Ning said, playing a video.
The camera swayed slightly, the white breath exhaled was blown away by the wind, and what came into view was snow falling all around, the world was extremely quiet.
The photographer kept adjusting the camera to record the public school in the snow. She stepped on the thick snow, causing the camera to shake left and right. She probably stumbled a bit, and then the camera suddenly reversed and rose again.
"Phew, almost..." The photographer paused, her moment of silence faithfully captured by the camera—
Lu Xuejin, dressed in casual clothes, walked at the front, seemingly assuming no one was around. Her cold eyes held no emotion, and her posture was fierce as she charged through the snow. Half a step behind, Zhu Can, dressed in thin clothing, followed closely behind her like a guard.
The female subordinate suddenly spoke up, exclaiming, "General Shen!"
Author's Note:
I'm a few minutes late, but I'm posting double updates (hands on hips)
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