Part 2
Shen Yunqian: “Alright, let’s get down to business. How are things on Li Qiulian’s end?”
“…Seriously, I’ve always suspected you have a split personality.” Su Zhuo resigned himself to his fate. “I’ve already picked her up and settled her in. People are watching her. I’ve made arrangements at the hospital; no one knows.”
He sneered, “This father and son duo are quite the actors. Claiming the wife is sick, worrying so much they can’t sleep or handle wedding preparations. They say they’ll wait until Li Qiulian’s condition stabilizes before holding the wedding.”
“By the way, Li Qiulian said she wants to meet her future daughter-in-law before her son’s wedding. She doesn’t want the girl to follow in her footsteps after marriage. What do you think?”
“It’s good.” Shen Yunqian had no expression. He recalled that day in the alley; the young woman hadn’t tried to stop the fight first but instead went to help the woman named Xiao Wei. He furrowed his brows, tapping his finger idly on the desk. “Have someone check if her son’s private life is clean. Send the evidence of Uncle Zhang’s infidelity anonymously to the girl’s phone. Remember, don’t let Li Qiulian show her face.”
Su Zhuo: “I was thinking the same thing. If Li Qiulian actually meets her and the girl isn’t thinking clearly, she might turn around and tell the family. If we alert the enemy and the person behind Uncle Zhang finds us, it’s game over.”
Shen Yunqian’s finger stopped. “Any news from Si Jin’yan’s side?”
“He’s fuming because he lost money. A hole of over a billion isn’t easy to fill. Although it won’t shake the Si Corporation, his uncles on the board will certainly use this to make a big deal out of it.”
“Do you still suspect that Si Jin’yan orchestrated your parents’ car accident?”
The sound of clinking glasses came from Su Zhuo’s end. Shen Yunqian didn’t suspect the other of exposing him, nor did he want to pry into his privacy. “Even if it wasn’t him, it was related to him.”
Su Zhuo tsked and offered a kind warning: “Si Jin’yan’s little lover, whom he keeps in the villa, had a heart attack. He’s rushing back. Watch out for him coming after you when he returns. I heard he fainted at the construction site and started acting crazy after he woke up, not recognizing anyone.”
Shen Yunqian: “Understood.”
Recalling something, Su Zhuo gave a wicked laugh. “Speaking of lovers, your lover isn’t staying quiet either.”
Upon hearing this tone, Shen Yunqian knew the other was about to tease him. He took off his glasses and massaged his brow. Following his lead, he asked, “What did he do?”
“He had that second-generation heir from the Feng family look into Jiang Qingran’s information.”
As the words fell, Shen Yunqian heard a dull thud from the other side. Immediately after, Su Zhuo let out a cry of pain. His voice moved further away as he spoke to someone beside him. “Why did you hit me? I can’t even talk about it?”
“Scram, go back and keep your heir company so President Shen doesn’t settle the score with you later. Who told you to be so intimidating that you kidnapped his lover?”
The projection on the wall on Shen Yunqian’s end finally changed. Su Zhuo had picked up his phone and changed positions, revealing his own face, which was twisted in misery.
Shen Yunqian had some suspicions. “The person drinking with you is Pei…”
“Yeah,” Su Zhuo said, lifting his chin and speaking with resentment. “Who knew you’d suddenly want a meeting? I didn’t have my laptop, and only he was nearby, so I had him bring one over.”
“But do you really not know why Lu Xunye is investigating Jiang Qingran?”
“I don’t. He never tells me these things.” Shen Yunqian’s eyes darkened, and his voice held no readable emotion.
Su Zhuo was disdainful. “Don’t give me that. Didn’t you also never tell him about yourself? Is it fun pretending to have amnesia, Great Painter Shen?”
“I’m telling you, you two are a match made in heaven. Two muffled gourds in a meeting.” Su Zhuo complained. “Even gathering information has to be outsourced to others.”
“Lu Xunye could obviously have the Lu family check for him, but who knew he was quite sharp? He knew to go to Feng Chengyu. Feng Chengyu was mad at his old man and ran away from home, then went to that old dog Pei. In the end, after all that circling, it became my job.”
“I didn’t expect the relationship between the Lu and Si families to be so messy. Fortunately, Lu Xunye didn’t go directly to the Lu family. Unfortunately, the information is incomplete; we couldn’t find the reason why Jiang Qingran fell off the cliff.”
“I always thought Lu Xunye was a bit of a fool.”
Shen Yunqian: “…”
Su Zhuo took the initiative to ask: “Do you want to see? I’ll send you a copy of the files later.”
Shen Yunqian agreed.
Su Zhuo looked like he had lost all hope in life. “How about I just open an archive storage facility? I can work as a part-time detective.”
Shen Yunqian: “Was it you who personally investigated it? Why are you taking the credit?”
“There’s hard work even if there’s no credit.” Su Zhuo reached the point and immediately perked up. “When I investigated Li Qiulian’s biological son last time, I found something interesting.”
He sat up straight, sharing enthusiastically with Shen Yunqian. “Do you know the Ji family? It turns out they have a second son who grew up abroad. The Ji family never publicly announced his identity. It seems he returned to the country a few years ago.”
“Here’s the interesting part: he actually applied for a design position at our company! I remember his resume was perfect, but I rejected him after the interview.”
“In the end, I hired someone else with a decent resume, who just happened to be Li Qiulian’s biological son.” Su Zhuo snapped his fingers with a proud face. “Look at my foresight. No effort required.”
“Afterward, this Second Young Master Ji, for reasons unknown, started working as an assistant for Si Jin’yan. I bet Si Jin’yan has no idea about his identity.”
Su Zhuo sighed. “There might be something wrong with the Ji family’s feng shui. The eldest son insists on being a professor, and the second son insists on being someone’s assistant. Not a single one wants to inherit the family business. No wonder Old Man Ji is hospitalized several times a year and is always getting scammed by charlatans.”
Shen Yunqian covered his forehead, pressing his thumb against his temple. He felt a bit dizzy and thought the other was too noisy, but he had to admit his interest had been piqued. “Why did you reject him?”
Su Zhuo spoke with complete frankness. “One look and you can tell he’s the kind of rich kid who doesn’t lack money. Plus, he’s a bit of a flirt. Why hire him? To be a vase? What if he gets unhappy one day and throws in the towel? Are you going to come and work overtime for me?”
Shen Yunqian: “…”
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door, followed immediately by Guo Yi’s anxious voice. “Xiao Shen, are you there?”
Su Zhuo also heard the noise and said at the right time, “You go ahead and get busy. I’m hanging up.”
“Alright.” Shen Yunqian closed the laptop, stood up, and opened the door. He saw her panicked face. “What is it, Guo Yi? Don’t worry.”
“Mr. Lu’s eyes are inflamed. I searched for the first aid kit for ages and couldn’t find it. When I went back, I found my little granddaughter has a fever. I have to take her to the hospital now and don’t have time to look.”
“I remember the first aid kit should be on the first floor. Xiao Shen, when you find it, remember to get some anti-inflammatory medicine and eye wash for your friend. When making friends, you have to be sincere for the relationship to last.”
“I understand,” Shen Yunqian reassured her. “Don’t worry. I’ll call a doctor over.”
Guo Yi was flustered. “How can we do that? We’re already staying here and getting paid for nothing; it’s quite embarrassing. And it’s so late now.”
Shen Yunqian analyzed it for her: “It’s raining now, and a child’s resistance isn’t like an adult’s. A fever will only get worse in the rain. Listen to me.”
After persuading her to leave, Shen Yunqian called the doctor. He walked to the desk, threw the used gauze into the trash, and closed the first aid kit that Guo Yi had been unable to find.
…
Lu Xunye heard a knock and thought it was Guo Yi. When he opened the door and met Shen Yunqian’s gaze, he was visibly stunned.
Shen Yunqian asked directly, “Are your eyes inflamed? Let me take a look.”
Lu Xunye gripped the doorframe tightly. “…”
Translator’s Note:
- Wenzhou-laoshi (问舟老师): “Laoshi” means teacher or master, used as a respectful honorific for professionals or artists. “Wenzhou” is Shen Yunqian’s pen name.
- Muffled Gourd (闷葫芦): A Chinese idiom for someone who is tight-lipped, taciturn, or quiet.
- Feng Shui (風水): The traditional practice of arranging the environment to affect luck and energy.
- Great Painter Shen (沈大畫家): Su Zhuo is teasing Shen Yunqian by calling him a “Great Painter” in an exaggerated, sarcastic way.
