Chapter 62. Just treat this as gossip.
The two chatted for a long time, and finally Uchida Eiko revealed the purpose of her trip: she wanted to go to the police station to see if any of the people Lu Lin had arrested were the thieves who had stolen from her house.
Shen Rong hesitated, "I never interfere in his official duties, and he doesn't like me doing these things either, I'm afraid..."
"Why don't you tell me what you lost, and I'll have Lu Lin help you look for it?"
Uchida Eiko politely declined, saying, "It's nothing valuable. If it's too much trouble for Mrs. Lu, then forget it." But she seemed quite disappointed.
Shen Rongzhuang seemed a little soft-hearted. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then I'll go ask for you."
Uchida Eiko was quite excited: "Thank you so much."
Shen Rong asked her to sit for a moment, and then went to her study.
Lu Lin was somewhat surprised to see her push the door open and enter: "The guests have left?"
"No? They're asking about the people you caught, why are they so nervous about what they lost?"
From her tone, Lu Lin knew that she had doubts about the identity of the Japanese woman.
"I don't know, but it should be important intelligence. The Marshal's Mansion is also interested and is looking for it as well."
Shen Rong understood; that meant the thief wasn't among the people he had arrested.
The image of that man popped into her mind again.
"Can we let them recognize the people?" Shen Rong raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile on his face.
"Are you trying to curry favor with them?"
Shen Rong leaned against his desk, twirling his pen in her hand: "We have to give them something in return, otherwise they'll think my line of work is useless."
It's just like playing cards. Familiar partners can more easily figure out her hand. If you switch partners, it takes time to get used to each other.
“Okay.” Lu Lin nodded.
He cautioned, "The Japanese are cunning by nature, so you should be careful and not get too close to them."
Shen Rong put down her pen: "I know all too well what kind of people they are. Do you think I could really be friends with them?" She wanted to get information out of her. Couldn't she at least get some information out of her?
“It’s dangerous. You don’t need to do these things.” Lu Lin disapproved and didn’t want her to get involved. Shen Rong: “But didn’t they come to me?”
Lu Lin frowned deeply, unsure how to refute.
***
Uchida and her friends went to the police station to identify people, but to no avail.
Sachiko's face turned ashen: "I have a feeling that Shen Rong has hidden the person away."
Uchida Eiko gave her a cold glance: "If she were hiding, there would be no need for me to come to the police station to identify her."
Shen Rong left Longquan Temple without taking anyone with her, and they had seen the people Lu Lin took from Longquan Temple.
She had already tested the waters at the Shen family. If Shen Rong really knew the truth, how could she let them come to identify the person?
"After chasing him for most of the day, you don't even know what he looks like. You're a disgrace to the Empire."
Uchida Eiko's words made Sachiko feel extremely ashamed. It was all that Shen Rong's fault. If it weren't for her unreasonable behavior that delayed them, she wouldn't have lost her.
“Miss Sachiko, instead of blaming others, you should reflect on your own actions. Since you know her identity, why did you get entangled with her? As far as I know, you provoked her first.”
Sachiko gritted her teeth: "She's blocking our way."
Uchida Eiko sneered: "You're taking your anger out on someone else's man because you stumbled on him. That's not an insurmountable obstacle or a narrow bridge. She's just a pregnant woman. You could have gone around her. It's your impulsiveness that prevented you from catching her. If the higher-ups investigate, you'll bear the biggest responsibility."
Uchida Ayaka slammed the door shut and left, followed by a series of sharp cracking sounds from inside. She turned back with a mocking sneer. Useless thing! Even the Special Higher Police's best spy is nothing more than this! A fool who only knows how to use her looks!
******
The Chen siblings arrived right on time and brought gifts for everyone in the family, showing great courtesy.
Zhang Ma cooked several of her signature dishes, and Lu Lin ordered several famous Northeastern dishes from a restaurant.
The Chen brothers were very talkative, either expressing their views on the current situation or their business acumen, which Shen Rong and her family had absolutely no interest in.
Shen Rong noticed that Cao Jingyi's complexion was not good and thought that she was not feeling well.
Chen Enzhi glanced at her cousin, exasperated: "Mrs. Lu, don't worry about her!"
Second brother Chen Jingzhi sighed: "Mrs. Lu, you also know Kang Wenbai. Tell me the truth, isn't that kind of person completely irresponsible and only interested in romance? If it weren't for his father supporting him, Kang Wenbai would be begging on the streets sooner or later."
Shen Rong gave an awkward laugh, secretly glancing at Lu Lin. Seeing him drinking with his head down, his expression unchanged, she felt a surge of unease.
Is Chen Jingzhi an idiot? Cao Jingyi has heard of her. Don't they know that the original owner had a relationship with Kang Wenbai? Ask her.
How should she answer?
Chen Enzhi stepped on her brother's foot: "Mrs. Lu, please don't be offended. My brother drank too much. He has a lot of resentment towards Kang Wenbai because of Jingyi's matter."
With a forced smile, he said, "Everyone has their own destiny. Ms. Cao values relationships and may need time to let go."
Chen Enzhi nodded: "Mrs. Lu is a sensible person."
Shen Jiashi smiled and raised his glass to change the subject: "My sister and Kang Wenbai are just acquaintances, how can she comment on them? Let's not talk about that. I'm more interested in the business Jingzhi is doing."
Chen Jingzhi clinked glasses with him: "My businesses are all small, how can they compare to Young Master Shen? I heard you discussed an investment project worth millions with the Japanese this time. When will you invest some money in me?"
Shen Jiashi: "I'm just a gofer. Besides, when we cooperate with those Japanese conglomerates, our bank is just scraping by." The lion's share goes into other people's pockets.
Lu Lin turned his head and asked Shen Rong in a low voice if she had eaten enough.
Shen Rong nodded, and Lu Lin pushed the peeled shrimp over: "Eat this, then take Miss Cao next door for coffee. We won't be leaving anytime soon. If you're sleepy, have your sister-in-law entertain her. Go and rest first."
Shen Rong picked up the shrimp and ate it: "I know, I'm not that sleepy."
It's only a little before eight o'clock, do you think they'll drink until eleven or twelve?
Seeing that Cao Jingyi had stopped eating, Shen Rong led them off the table first: "You can drink slowly."
Shen Jiashi instructed his sister, "Have Zhang Ma prepare another cold dish for us."
Shen Rong patted him and said, "Drink less."
Shen Jiashi tilted his body to avoid it: "You can worry about your Lu Lin, anyway, you don't care about me as your older brother."
Shen Rong grinned at him: "Is this never going to end?"
Before Shen Jiashi could speak, Lu Lin swiftly stuffed a piece of mutton into his mouth.
"You two just wait, I'll go back and tell everyone." He chewed the meat in his mouth with gusto.
Lu Lin looked at the Chen brothers opposite him: "You flatter me."
"When will Brother Enzhi return to Dong Province? I heard that the Northern Expeditionary Army is ready to set off. I suppose it must be on Marshal Lu's side..."
Shen Rong overheard this, and Lu Xuan called to her from the next meeting room: "Sister-in-law, come and teach me how to make a latte art."
"They're here." Shen Rong didn't even bother to listen anymore.
Lu Xuan has recently taken a liking to studying this. After Shen Rong made a cup of coffee and closed the shop, Lu Xuan watched for a while and then went to tinker with it on her own.
"Ms. Cao, please try it. Is it to your liking? Would you like some more sugar and milk?"
Cao Jingyi took a sip, somewhat wistfully: "I can't really taste anything, can I? He used to love drinking coffee. I tried it a few times and found it bitter. I really didn't understand why he liked it back then."
“He talked to me about coffee, but I didn’t understand it. He talked to me about literature, but I knew nothing about it. He liked trendy things, but I knew nothing about them and couldn’t talk to him.” Cao Jingyi said, tears falling down her face.
“I know he likes modern women, and I’m trying to learn from him. Mrs. Lu, I was really happy when you said it was a misunderstanding and that you were just ordinary friends. When I found out he came to Bincheng, I begged my cousin to bring me along, saying it was to learn how to do business. But actually, I couldn’t let him go. I wanted him to see that I had improved and that I had become a better person. But I never expected… he’s getting married again!”
Shen Rong didn't know how to comfort her: "These things can't be forced. You have to learn to look forward."
Cao Jingyi wiped her eyes and nodded: "I just feel so suffocated. My older brothers think I'm not up to par. Actually, I know it's all just wishful thinking on my part. That Miss Guo is very nice, young and beautiful, and very trendy. They have endless topics to talk about and common interests. They can't keep up with their discussions of literature and poetry. I just think he's too impulsive. Ever since he found out that Miss Lin had set a wedding date, he's been completely distraught. A few days later, he decided to marry Miss Guo. He must be acting out of spite. He's being so irrational."
Shen Rong was also a little surprised to find out there was such a reason. If that was the case, it was too irresponsible. He was such a scumbag. No wonder the marriage was arranged so suddenly!
Cao Jingyi had probably been holding back for too long, so she confided in Shen Rong, telling her story with Kang Wenbai over and over again, from the sweetness of their early marriage to the ruthlessness of their breakup.
She condemned Kang Wenbai's ruthlessness while unable to let go of her feelings for him.
Shen Rong had some doubts. Did she really like Kang Wenbai, or did she just like the role of her husband? Her husband could be Kang Wenbai or someone else. She was unwilling to accept that her marriage was ending like this. In her opinion, Kang Wenbai just hadn't settled down yet and hadn't grown up.
Shen Rong took a plate of peanuts and melon seeds and started eating them while listening.
Just treat it as gossip.
It was almost nine o'clock when Lu Lin's party ended. The Chen brothers had drunk quite a bit, but they still seemed sober. Lu You, on their side, had already passed out drunk.
Shen Jiashi's face was flushed from drinking, and he kept asking for more water.
"Why did you drink so much?"
Zhang Ma brought over some hangover tea, which Shen Jiashi picked up and drank in one gulp.
"That's how it is with social engagements. I'm not drunk, but I get flushed easily."
He looked at Shen Rong with a gratified expression: "Little sister, sometimes I think it's good that you have such a big heart."
Unlike Cao Jingyi, who has a resentful face and is always wallowing in self-pity, just looking at her makes me want to have a heart attack.
"Brother, it's not good to talk behind someone's back."
Shen Jiashi understood what she meant and gestured for her to come closer: "I'll just say one thing."
Shen Rong, disgusted by his smell of alcohol, pinched her nose and leaned closer.
"I think Kang Wenbai has caused a lot of trouble. You'd better stay away from him in the future."
"That's it?" Shen Rong looked at him. Even without his explanation, she would have kept her distance.
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