Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Wen Ya was mentally and physically drained. There were no other patients with her in the room. The pristine white bed sheets went very well with the woman’s frail little face.
Wen Ya held Zheng Shuyan’s hand weakly and murmured, “Shuyan, don’t worry about me! I’m fine… In the future… Don’t come here and get involved because of me again. I’m suffering because of my own actions…”
Uncontrollable tears streamed down Wen Ya’s face as she spoke.
Three hours had passed since her surgery. Aside from Mu Chenyan and Yuan Tian, no one else from the Yuan Family had rushed here.
Wen Ya did not allow Mu Chenyan to tell her parents that Yuan Zhe had neither loved her nor treated her kindly. The one who truly loved her was Zheng Shuyan!
What was more, he was definitely the most innocent of all. She would not let him get involved in this no matter what.
Zheng Shuyan was disappointed at Wen Ya’s inability to change, but he could never harm a hair on her head.
Then, the man stood suddenly. He whispered, “Are you only saying that because you think that I’m alone and helpless in Luo Hai?”
Pain stirred at the bottom of Wen Ya’s heart. She forced a smile and said to Zheng Shuyan, “You don’t understand. Yuan Zhe is a cruel and unreasonable man. I don’t want you to lower yourself to that madman’s level!
“The Wen Family is already in this state. I’m afraid that a lone person like you will suffer if you continue to have conflicts with him because of me. I can’t involve you…”
Zheng Shuyan smiled faintly after hearing that. He bent down and took a white towel to wipe off gently the tiny sweat droplets on the woman’s forehead. He sat down and held Wen Ya’s cold small hands. His tone had clearly changed.
“Little Ya, what’s the point of living if I can’t protect you? Don’t worry, violence isn’t the only way to defeat our enemies. Sometimes we just need to outsmart them!”
Zheng Shuyan’s dark eyes were brimming with confidence. A faint chill rose in the depths of Wen Ya’s heart. She had no idea what Zheng Shuyan wanted to do. She merely hoped that this problem would end here.
“You can’t…”
“Little Ya, don’t worry!” Zheng Shuyan’s deep voice echoed.
*
Mu Chenyan had returned after buying some food. She was about to enter when she saw Zheng Shuyan was in Wen Ya’s room. They seemed to be having an intimate conversation. Mu Chenyan could not bring herself to go in and disturb them.
Were they a pair of star-crossed lovers?
Nothing caused greater pain than forbidden love!
One could only understand Zheng Shuyan’s devotion to Wen Ya if they were in his shoes.
While he was studying abroad, his close friends were basically young elite males from the local aristocratic families. Zheng Shuyan was the exception.
He was recommended by his local university to study overseas as an exchange student. It was rumored that he came from a very average family.
The Zheng Family had no means of supporting him when he furthered his studies. The good thing was that Zheng Shuyan was intelligent and hardworking. His future in medicine was looking pretty good.
He initially had the opportunity to remain in England, but he returned to Luo Hai because of Wen Ya. The aristocrats continued to look down upon him even though he was now a resident physician. Zheng Shuyan could only watch as the woman he loved was repeatedly hurt by others…
Mu Chenyan had previously also descended to the lowest point of life despite her prosperous and wealthy background. She had experienced victories and defeats. Now she towered above these materialistic riches, but she could also keep her feet on the ground and admire this flourishing world if she wished.
Mu Chenyan truly pitied Zheng Shuyan and Wen Ya.
“Chenyan, aren’t you going inside?”
Zheng Shuyan had left the room while Mu Chenyan was still staring blankly at the entrance. This man looked insipid but his eyes were as dark as whirlpools. They seemed deep and almost bottomless.
“I’ve just arrived. I was about to go in.”
Mu Chenyan did not want to make things awkward for Zheng Shuyan. She noticed the delicate atmosphere between him and Wen Ya.
“Oh, hurry up and go in then. Little Ya can’t eat anything because she’s just gotten out of surgery, but she can have some fluids. Thank you for your help!”
Zheng Shuyan was unusually calm. He did not seem the slightest bit uneasy about what had just taken place.
Mu Chenyan had a moment where he thought that Zheng Shuyan was belittling the offsprings of aristocratic families…
Mu Chenyan nodded and entered the room. Wen Ya’s eyes were red and swollen while the corners were stained with tears.
Mu Chenyan placed the food that she had bought on the table. She was also hungry now after a rather busy morning. She served Wen Ya some millet gruel before the two sisters-in-law ate together.
“Wen Ya, the Yuan household is a dangerous place now. You’ll be tortured to death by Yuan Zhe sooner or later if you continue to stay there. Do you plan on living the rest of your life like this?”
Mu Chenyan cleaned everything after they had finished eating. After that, she sat down to talk to Wen Ya properly.
“Chenyan, it’ll be fine. These moments will end one of these days…”
Wen Ya’s face looked rather miserable. She bit her bottom lip firmly.
*
The domestic abuse case was only brought up to Yuan Tangshuo. In the end, no one informed the Old Mistress because Yuan Tangzhong had silenced the matter.
Mu Chenyan thought that this conclusion was laughable. The Yuan Family seemed perfect on the surface, but it was unbelievably rotten at the core.
Chenyan was still thinking about her secret meeting with Mu Chenwu. She wanted to investigate everything thoroughly as soon as possible so that her problems with the Yuan Family would finally end…
She went to work as usual. When she came home, she interacted with Yuan Xuan just as she did in the past.
Yuan Xuan thought that this was strange. He had always felt that this woman was a bit odd, but he could not put a finger on what exactly about her that was abnormal.
The man merely wished that this secret war would end soon to prevent any more nightmares…
*
The major crimes department did not receive any serious cases during this period of time. The end of summer came in the blink of an eye. The weather was finally hot and dry, but there were light breezes to cool it down. Luo Hai’s warmest season of the year was here.
The news office would plan a vacation for its staff every year at this time. This year, Mu Chenyan had joined them as new blood. Zhang Xin had repeatedly told her in advance that this trip was worth looking forward to, just like all the previous ones…
Mu Chenyan glanced at the calendar. Almost a year had passed since she was released from prison.
Time passed quickly. On this day one year ago, she was still kneeling in the corner of a dark gloomy room. Looking at the blue sky outside through a tinted window made her recall her carefree days in Xi Fan. Those memories provided a distinct contrast in comparison to her days in prison.
At that time, she never imagined that she would be released one day. Breathing in the fresh air, chatting to her colleagues, and planning an autumn vacation in Luo Hai were things that had never once crossed her mind…
A sliver of hope rose from the depths of Mu Chenyan’s heart. She had started to anticipate this outing.
However, certain changes had occurred before her plans were finalized. Her holiday plans were ruined by a serious case that appeared out of the blue…
Mu Chenyan went to work as usual. Before noon, Su Qingcheng ran over and invited her for lunch later.
Wu Huai walked out of his office anxiously at this moment. He turned to his team members and yelled, “Dispatch some officers quickly. There’s been a murder!”
His team members would hurriedly set out whenever these situations occurred. There was no time for lunch or anything like that.
Mu Chenyan grabbed her backpack and shot a glance at Zhang Xin. They wanted to go to the scene too!
Then, Mu Chenyan noticed that Wu Huai was looking at her strangely. He turned to her before she could speak. He said in a solemn tone, “Miss Mu, the reporting center at the police department just informed us that someone had been murdered in the Yuan Family Mansion!”
Frightened, Mu Chenyan broke out in a cold sweat. Her voice trembled when she asked, “Who… Who was murdered?”
