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墨書 Inktalez
A month later, the case involving Shen Wenqin was concluded, resulting in a five-year sentence for intentional injury.
The Cheng Family was divided among several parties, with Cheng Tianhong going bankrupt, and the ancestral home of the Cheng Family set to be publicly auctioned. The day before the auction, Cheng Qiuyi took Liu Shuhan to visit the place.
The vast estate was truly empty; even Old Master Cheng had moved out. Valuable items had all been cataloged by bank staff and covered with white cloths. The once magnificent residence now felt somewhat eerie.
It was Liu Shuhan's first visit to the Cheng Residence, and she found it particularly unappealing. The car accident involving Cheng Qiuyi had occurred in this area, and she had only just begun to recover. In such an ominous place, Liu Shuhan couldn't bring herself to like it.
"When my mother was alive, there was a patch of roses here," Cheng Qiuyi pointed to a grassy area in the garden. "My mother loved flowers, especially roses. She planted a whole lot here; they were particularly beautiful. Unfortunately, after she passed away, they were all cleared away."
Liu Shuhan stood beside Cheng Qiuyi, their fingers intertwined. Cheng Qiuyi continued, "When I was little, I was mischievous and often secretly picked the blooming roses to play with. I got pricked by thorns but didn't dare let anyone know, fearing my mother would punish me."
Liu Shuhan imagined little Cheng Qiuyi hiding under the covers with her injured finger, tears in her eyes, and couldn't help but laugh. "You deserved it, little troublemaker."
"And there's that fountain pool," Cheng Qiuyi led Liu Shuhan to another part of the garden. "There used to be a jujube tree here, dozens of meters tall, with sweet and crunchy jujubes that were delicious. Unfortunately, it was later dug up and replaced with this tacky fountain; I don't even know what's appealing about it."
The fountain was quite cliché—a stone sculpture of a small angel with wings, bare and protruding its round belly as it urinated into the water—completely out of place in the garden.
"I heard this was made when Cheng Boming was one year old; Cheng Tianhong specifically hired a sculptor to create it based on his likeness," Cheng Qiuyi said.
"It's hideous! What’s the point of making something like this for a one-year-old? It's really twisted," Liu Shuhan said disdainfully as she pulled Cheng Qiuyi away.
In fact, there were no traces left of the time when Cheng Qiuyi still lived in the Cheng Residence. She didn't even know what she was reminiscing about; perhaps it's human nature to be nostalgic.
Cheng Qiuyi sighed, "Now the Cheng Family is completely finished."
"Qiu Yi, don't be sad; it's not your fault."
"I am not sad," Cheng Qiuyi said, forcing a smile. "The Cheng Family is gone; I should be happy. Come on, Shu Han, let's celebrate today."
But Liu Shuhan could clearly sense that Cheng Qiuyi was very upset; the smile on her face looked worse than crying.
Cheng Qiuyi's surname was Cheng, and only she knew how many memories this family had left her. Her childhood memories had collapsed almost overnight; how could she not be sad? Cheng Qiuyi didn't even have a place to remember her mother.
"You... if you really can't bear it, why not buy this house?" Liu Shuhan suddenly suggested. After all, the Cheng Family had fallen; this place probably wouldn't sell for much anyway. Could Cheng Qiuyi afford to buy this estate?
Cheng Qiuyi laughed. "I can't afford this place. Besides, it's just the two of us. What do we need a maze-like house for? To play hide and seek?" She took Liu Shuhan's hand and left. "Let's go. There is no more Cheng Family in this world. After all these years of chaos, it's time to put an end to it."
Cheng Qiuyi didn't look at Cheng Tianhong, unsure if he knew that the Cheng Family he clung to was already in ruins. Old Master Cheng also seemed to have disappeared; ever since he entrusted Cheng Boming to Cheng Qiuyi, he hadn't shown up again. He was another poor soul trapped by the Cheng Family. Cheng Qiuyi sincerely hoped that her grandfather could do something he liked in these last few years.
That day, Liu Shuhan finished work and sighed as she looked at her phone. "Sigh..."
"What's wrong?" Cheng Qiuyi asked casually while helping her fasten her seatbelt.
"Another month has passed, and soon it will be the end of the year." This year in C City had been hot, but November finally brought some coolness as they donned autumn clothes at the tail end of deep fall.
"Yeah, it's already November. Shu Han, can you believe we've been together for almost half a year?" Cheng Qiuyi felt a bit emotional; so much had happened in these six months, and whether it was her and Liu Shuhan or the entire C City, it was destined to be an eventful year.
"In these six months, I've experienced all the thrills and excitement of my first twenty-five years."
She had gone through breaking up, getting back together, promotions, raises, and various injuries—too thrilling for Liu Shuhan's fragile heart to handle.
Cheng Qiuyi teased her: "This is just the beginning; there will be much more for you to face now that you're with me."
"No way?" Liu Shuhan exaggeratedly lamented. "All I want is to cuddle with my wife and live a simple life! Who am I bothering to make me go through all this?"
"You are bothering your parents." Cheng Qiuyi turned the steering wheel and made a turn. "If your parents don't agree, we will have to deal with this for a lifetime."
Her parents were indeed a tough obstacle, and dragging it out wasn't a solution. Liu Shuhan slapped his thigh and declared, "I've decided! This New Year, I'm bringing my wife home to come out!"
"Take it slow; we have plenty of time. Don't act on impulse," Cheng Qiuyi said calmly as she parked the car steadily in the garage. "Let's go home and cook; I'm starving."
"Alright!" Liu Shuhan jumped out of the car but then remembered something. "Wasn't your car broken? How did you fix it so quickly?"
Cheng Qiuyi proudly patted the roof of the car and said, "I got an identical one. What do you think? Can't tell the difference, right?"
Liu Shuhan really wanted to slap Cheng Qiuyi. Buying such an expensive car just like that, and getting one exactly the same as before—wasn't that just asking for trouble?
"You... as long as you're happy..."
A few days later, Ye Jing's case went to court.
She was involved in a major case, and of course, one hearing wouldn't be enough to resolve everything. The lawyers from both sides argued fiercely but reached no conclusion. Ye Jing insisted she hadn't done those things; although the evidence was conclusive, there would still be several more hearings before it was over.
Ye Jing had been wanting to see Cheng Qiuyi and had mentioned it several times without any news. After the trial ended, she told her lawyer, "Go tell Cheng Qiuyi that I have something important to tell her. If she doesn't come to see me, she'll regret it for the rest of her life."
The lawyer conveyed this message to Cheng Qiuyi, who politely apologized to the expressionless lawyer. "I'm sorry; just tell Ye Jing that I have nothing to discuss with her. Thank you."
The lawyer said nothing further and left politely. It was unclear how he later relayed this to Ye Jing; this matter had nothing to do with Cheng Qiuyi, and she couldn't be bothered to ask more.
Cheng Qiuyi never went to see Ye Jing, but Yuan Ying did visit. Ye Jing was not surprised at all by her arrival.
"Yuan Ying, I should have realized you and Cheng Qiuyi were in cahoots. It's just that I was so focused on Cheng Qiuyi at the time that I was blinded."
Yuan Ying had witnessed the tragic state of Cheng Qiuyi after being tormented by Ye Jing. She loathed Ye Jing and no longer felt the need for pretense; her disgust was increasingly unmasked. "I heard you want to see Cheng Qiuyi?"
"What does that have to do with you?" Ye Jing replied defiantly, even while being restrained. "But I am curious, you are here representing SL to talk to me, how did you get involved with Cheng Qiuyi?"
"Cheng Qiuyi is one of the shareholders of SL, didn't you know? Although she doesn't concern herself with SL's affairs, she legitimately holds shares. You actually thought you could use SL to tempt her." Yuan Ying was arrogant, but even more so than Ye Jing. "Ye Jing, do you think everyone else is trash except for you?"
Ye Jing was taken aback. "I didn't expect Cheng Qiuyi to be thriving abroad; it makes sense. SL was the biggest partner from her grandfather's side back in the day. I knew that cunning old man wouldn't let the Zhou family decline willingly; it turns out the trump card is in Cheng Qiuyi's hands."
"The Zhou family has long fallen; the shares she holds were earned by herself. Ye Jing, Cheng Qiuyi has surpassed you long ago. It's pointless for you to deceive yourself like this."
"Enough with the nonsense. You wouldn't come to find me for no reason; tell me your purpose," Yuan Ying's words were particularly harsh, and Ye Jing was unwilling to continue listening, forcibly changing the subject.
"Ye Jing, I admire your ruthlessness and sharpness. If it weren't for our differing values, we might have become friends."
"What values? Is this conversation even interesting? Yuan Ying, you and I are just two sides of the same coin; stop pretending. I can smell the same kind of scent on you; if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have been easily deceived by you." Ye Jing scoffed at Yuan Ying's words. "We can't be friends; it's simply a matter of conflicting interests."
Yuan Ying did not refute her. She even felt that Ye Jing saw through her completely; deep down, she was just like Ye Jing—cold-blooded.
"Since you're so ruthless, why did you let Cheng Qiuyi go when you clearly had her in your grasp? You should know that giving Cheng Qiuyi a breather means she could eventually bite back at you."
This had always been Yuan Ying's question. Cheng Qiuyi claimed she found an opportunity to escape on her own. Given Ye Jing's meticulous nature, if she hadn't provided that opportunity, how could a fledgling Cheng Qiuyi possibly escape from her grasp?
Ye Jing remained silent.
How could she have let Cheng Qiuyi go? She had already captured her; as long as she took good care of her, Cheng Qiuyi would always belong to her.
Yet the usually ruthless Ye Jing had shown mercy and released the hard-won prey.
She would not admit that she was afraid, afraid that Cheng Qiuyi was truly withering away in her prison. She wanted a living Cheng Qiuyi, not a corpse.
Ye Jing would never understand why she felt a twinge of compassion for Cheng Qiuyi, just as she would never understand what love was.
Her brief life had been a game, with only wins and losses, nothing more. She had almost touched the hem of love but ultimately did not.
"I didn't let her go," Ye Jing seemed to be saying to herself. "I am Ye Jing, and Ye Jing will never give up any chance to win. Cheng Qiuyi is better than me; I admit that."
Yuan Ying shook her head; this was truly a case of an incorrigible child.
"Ye Jing, take care of yourself."
"Wait!" Ye Jing said. "Tell Cheng Qiuyi that I want to see her. If she doesn't come, she'll regret it for the rest of her life."
"Why are you so obsessed with seeing Cheng Qiuyi?" Yuan Ying had heard about Ye Jing's recent struggles. Even if she still held onto hope for Cheng Qiuyi, her attitude shouldn't be so resolute.
"Ask Cheng Qiuyi if she still wants to take care of her mother's killer in her old age."
Yuan Ying's eyes widened in surprise. "What did you say? Is there more to the story behind Cheng Qiuyi's mother's death?"
Ye Jing smiled smugly. "This is between me and her. Unless she comes here in person, I won't say anything."
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