Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase
Chapter 46 - 43: Brought It Upon Herself (Part 1)

Chapter 46: Chapter 43: Brought It Upon Herself (Part 1)

Hu Yuzhi saw Shen Jianian standing quietly next to a police officer in a white coat at the police station, her face changed instantly, no longer anxious or panicked, only full of anger.

"Shen Jianian!"

Hu Yuzhi shouted furiously, taking a step forward towards Shen Jianian, raising her hand to slap her face, but a quick-eyed officer stopped her arm.

"Quiet!" The officer, with a frown, sternly warned, "What do you think this place is? A marketplace? Speak properly, don’t use your hands!"

At the thought that this incident might ruin Yin Shuyao’s wedding, Hu Yuzhi became even more agitated; her arms restrained, but her mouth was relentless, cursing viciously, "You ungrateful little wretch! We took you in when you were homeless, and you repay us by sabotaging your sister! Truly despicable, should have let you die in Beicheng..."

"Didn’t hear me the first time? I told you to be quiet!" Another officer holding a paper cup walked over, glaring angrily, "If you keep causing trouble, do you believe you’ll get detained!"

Hu Yuzhi, full of rage, opened her mouth but held back from cursing further.

In contrast, Shen Jianian remained calm and undisturbed, as if she didn’t recognize the person before her, turning to the officer to say, "I’ve submitted all the relevant evidence, and explained everything clearly. May I leave now?"

Officer: "Yes, you may."

Yin Chengde looked at her incredulously, "Jianian, is it really you?"

"The facts are in front of us, if it’s not her, then who?" Hu Yuzhi, unable to curse Shen Jianian, directed her anger entirely at her husband, pointing at Shen Jianian’s nose with a cold laugh, "Look, this is the niece you defended, trying to send your own daughter to jail. Even a white-eyed wolf isn’t as bad as her."

"Why, Jianian, why?" Yin Chengde looked deeply pained, his gaze fixed on Shen Jianian’s face.

After not seeing her for several days, he felt this niece had changed, giving him a deeply unfamiliar feeling.

Hu Yuzhi, feeling stifled, clutched her chest in anger, "Why else? Can’t stand seeing Yaoyao marry into a wealthy family, trying all means to ruin her!"

Her gaze was like it had been poisoned, darting towards Shen Jianian, sarcastically saying, "Truly heartless and ruthless, if your mother were alive she’d be angered to death by you."

"Finished cursing?" Shen Jianian said coldly.

She didn’t want to say much to them, but hearing Hu Yuzhi’s constant abuse, even mentioning her deceased mother, Shen Jianian couldn’t bear it anymore.

"You think you’re in the right?" Hu Yuzhi said, her emotions flaring up again.

Had the police not been there to stop her, she might have killed Shen Jianian in her rage.

"Whether I’ve framed your precious daughter or not, the police will tell you shortly." Shen Jianian remained calm and unafraid, meeting Hu Yuzhi’s gaze directly, slightly curling her lips, "I don’t have the leisure to ruin someone, but you all, having done so many guilty deeds, should watch out for retribution."

"Jianian!" Yin Chengde’s expression changed repeatedly, looking incredibly unpleasant, "How could you become like this?"

Shen Jianian pressed her lips tightly, not even looking at him as she left the police station.

"Don’t leave, come back to me..."

Behind her, Hu Yuzhi’s voice was frantic, chasing after Shen Jianian relentlessly.

Shen Jianian pretended not to hear, putting one hand in her pocket, walking briskly forward.

Since Yin Chengde had silently permitted those mothers and daughters to harm her, he was no longer family, so why show any respect. Seeing his hypocritical face, she felt nothing but disgust.

From now on, she had nothing to do with them.

As the wind rose, Shen Jianian raised her head, taking a deep breath, the glow of streetlights reflected in her eyes, revealing a hint of shimmering at the corner. She slowly blinked, and the shimmer vanished, leaving only the dark night in her view.

A sudden honk of a car pulled her out of her sorrowful emotions, and she steadied herself, looking down the steps.

The familiar black Maybach was parked by the roadside, in the rear window that had rolled down was the handsome face of Fu Jichen.

Though the streetlight wasn’t very bright, his features were so clear, deeply etched; Shen Jianian even saw the slight furrow on his brow and his deep eyes.

Shen Jianian gathered her coat and descended the steps, hastening her pace to the other side, opening the car door to sit inside, rare for her to take the initiative to speak to him, "How did you know I was here?"

The window rose, Fu Jichen didn’t respond to her, just let out a cold hum, making the atmosphere a bit tense.

Shen Jianian recalled something and took out her phone from her bag, finding several missed calls and unread messages from him, she was a bit stunned and explained to him, "My phone was on silent, I couldn’t hear the notifications."

Qu Mo, the driver, silently turned the car, merging onto the main road.

Hu Yuzhi ran out of the police station, nearly twisting her ankle in high heels, glancing irritably down at her feet before looking up again, after Shen Jianian had driven off, she didn’t even get a clear view of the license plate, only that it was a luxurious car.

Suspicion flickered across Hu Yuzhi’s darkened face.

The car traveled through the neon-filled night, inside and outside, it was silent.

Fu Jichen leaned back against his seat, loosening his tie, glanced slightly at the person next to him, "Phone silent" was supposed to be an explanation?

The phone fiddled between two hands, Shen Jianian’s long eyelashes cast a small fan-like shadow on her lower eyelid, covering the emotion in her eyes, but the loneliness and sadness still emanated from her, perceptible to others.

"What were you doing at the police station?"

Waiting for her to confess was impossible, so Fu Jichen had to ask.

Shen Jianian looked up at him, recalling the hurtful words from Yin Chengde and Hu Yuzhi, echoing powerfully in her mind, each word like a knife, deeply wounding.

What happened to Yin Shuyao couldn’t be blamed on anyone else, it was her own doing; she called the police to protect herself, yet in their eyes, it seemed she had committed some outrageous evil, utterly absurd.

Shen Jianian didn’t want to mention a word, exhausted, she said, "The matter is resolved."

Fu Jichen frowned, his gaze roaming over her face several times, his tone cooled down, "Shen Jianian, do you think I..."

The image of her almost breathless from crying last night flashed before him, those harsh words he couldn’t say anymore; he coughed lightly, softening his attitude slightly, though his voice was still a bit low, "I told you before, you can come to me for anything."

Shen Jianian looked at him with some daze, then turned her face away, fingers resting against her lips.

Before her thoughts could wander far, something suddenly landed on her leg, Shen Jianian lowered her eyes, it was a box of cigarettes and a lighter. She glanced at Fu Jichen, the latter raised his gaze slightly—it was obvious.

Feeling a bit helpless inside, Shen Jianian still didn’t hesitate, pulling out a cigarette and extending it to the man’s lips, once he opened his mouth to hold it, she picked up the lighter to ignite it for him.

Fu Jichen squinted his dark eyes, inhaling a puff, exhaling a circle of smoke, his voice slightly muffled, "Don’t just disappear for no reason anymore, understand?"

The casual tone inadvertently carried the Beicheng accent, adding a bit of free-spirited, untamed flavor.

"Understood." Shen Jianian picked up the car’s ashtray.

Fu Jichen took the cigarette from his lips, holding it between his fingers, tapping lightly on the ashtray’s edge, considerably more pleased, holding her hand in one of his, the cold touch made him frown.

Such a temperature shouldn’t belong to a human hand, more like holding ice.

Fu Jichen rubbed it a few times, instructing Qu Mo at the front, "Turn the air conditioning up a notch."

Qu Mo complied, raising the temperature, and couldn’t help feeling a bit emotional.

On the way to the police station, he’d noticed, the boss’s face was black as a pot’s bottom, he thought for sure Shen Jianian would get an earful, but who knew it’d turn out like this now, truly remarkable.

*

On a clear weekend morning, the sun was bright, the clear winter light streamed through the windows.

Fu Jichen had gone out early in a car, busy with unknown matters.

Shen Jianian couldn’t leisurely spend her time, staying in her room organizing work-related documents, nearby was a plate of neatly cut fruit brought by Zhou Rongzhen not long ago.

The phone rang, Shen Jianian, focused on the computer screen, reached out for the phone on the desk, picked it up, and answered, "Hello."

"Shen Jianian." It was Hu Yuzhi’s voice, no longer arrogant or domineering, her tone stiff and awkward, "Name a place, we should meet."

Shen Jianian took the phone away from her ear to look at the screen, the number was unfamiliar, presumably Hu Yuzhi changed it knowing Shen Jianian might not answer.

This is a trait she shares with her daughter.

"Shen Jianian, I know you’re listening." Hu Yuzhi’s strained breathing came through the phone, "I’m serious, I want to talk to you."