The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 440 - 442. Gears of Fate

Chapter 440: 442. Gears of Fate

Su Qing’s lips curled upwards lightly, "Mr. Yamamoto, Qin Yan will surely seek you out again; this woman will not stop until she achieves her goals, and you..."

"She’ll just use the same excuses, I’ll simply ignore her. But about you, how long do you plan to stay here this time?"

"I’m leaving right away, you know how I am, I can’t stay in one place for too long," Su Qing said.

A look of regret appeared on Yamamoto’s face, "That’s really too bad, you’re always in such a hurry, I never get the chance to properly host you. Su Qing, this makes me seem like an unenthusiastic host."

Su Qing smiled, "There will be other opportunities. I was just passing by this time and thought I’d stop by to see you. Alright, it’s about time I left."

Yamamoto was stunned, "Are you in such a hurry this time?"

"Yes, I have some matters I must attend to," Su Qing stood up, "Next time I will definitely come to see you, and then I’ll stay here and won’t leave."

Upon hearing this, Yamamoto laughed heartily, "Haha, I’d welcome that more than anything."

Su Qing waved her hand and walked away gracefully. However, once she was out of Yamamoto’s house, her smile faded, and she looked up at the sky, standing still for a long time before finally laughing, "You’ve really given me a tough problem."

She thought for a moment and made a call to Qin Yan. Upon seeing Su Qing, her eyes turned cold, "You still know to come back? I thought you might have died out there."

Su Qing chuckled lightly, a casual tone in her voice, "The mission failed, I was afraid you’d punish me, I didn’t dare show my face."

Seeing her like this, Qin Yan couldn’t suppress her anger, "Su Qing, do you really think I can’t get by without you? A useless pawn, I can discard you at any time."

"You can surely discard me," Su Qing’s expression darkened, "But don’t forget your current situation. With the state you’re in now, how many people do you think you have left to use? You’re contacting Yamamoto, aren’t you? Give it up. I just came back from his place, and he won’t help you."

"What did you do?" Qin Yan narrowed her eyes.

"Uh, since my last mission failed, naturally I had to redeem myself. Knowing you were contacting Yamamoto, I eagerly sought him out, but was turned away. If I hadn’t escaped quickly, I would have lost my life there. Yamamoto also wanted me to pass a message to you, debts owed must be paid back. I’m really curious, what exactly did you do to make him so angry?"

Qin Yan stared at Su Qing, scrutinizing her to discern the truth of her words. Su Qing let her gaze roam freely, her expression tranquil.

Moments later, Qin Yan averted her gaze and looked at her nails, speaking indifferently, "Since Yamamoto isn’t a viable option anymore, so be it. Now I have a task for you, bring me Shen Qinglan’s mother."

"Why do you want me to do this?" Su Qing asked dissatisfied.

"Because I am your master," Qin Yan stated coldly.

"And after I bring her here, what do you plan to do?"

"That’s none of your concern, Su Qing. I’ll let this last incident slide for now, but if you fail again, there won’t be any need for you to be alive."

Su Qing hung her head, a murderous intent seeping from her eyes, "Understood. Is there anything else? If not, I’ll be leaving."

Qin Yan closed her eyes, and upon seeing that, Su Qing walked away.

She walked a few steps, then stopped and looked back at Qin Yan, "Where did you detain Ya Xi?"

Qin Yan reopened her eyes, her gaze defensive, "That’s none of your business."

Su Qing sneered, "Don’t want to say, huh? I heard that this Ya Xi looks somewhat like your daughter, I want to see what she looks like."

"Shut up, I don’t have a daughter," Qin Yan rebuked harshly, "Su Qing, your boldness is growing."

"Alright, since you’re unwilling to discuss it, let it be," Su Qing shrugged, her attitude nonchalant.

Watching Su Qing’s retreating figure, Qin Yan’s sense of wariness deepened; this Su Qing was becoming increasingly uncontrollable. It seemed that the Housekeeper’s initial advice to control her with medication should have been taken; it was too late now.

"Housekeeper, once Su Qing brings Chu Yun along, find an opportunity to deal with her. I don’t need disobedient people around me."

"Madam, Su Qing isn’t easy to get rid of; doing so will come at a great cost," the Housekeeper said with a troubled expression. Su Qing had grown too powerful to be controlled.

Hearing this, Qin Yan became even more vexed. There was no use regretting now, these ungrateful wolves, none of them could be completely tamed.

"Ya Xi then?"

"She’s still detained in the basement," the Housekeeper said, mentioning that ever since her arrival, Ya Xi had been unconscious due to the excessive use of drugs, remaining comatose to this day.

"She hasn’t woken up yet?" Qin Yan frowned.

"Yes, she’s still unconscious, but her vital signs are normal, she should wake up in a few days."

"Wake her up. Her father’s debts aren’t paid off yet; she thinks she can just forget about them and all will be well. There’s no such thing in this world. Also, make sure to record a video and send it to Yan Anbang."

Qin Yan nonchalantly uttered the most venomous words, the Housekeeper’s eyes flickered, lowering his head, "Yes, madam."

"Splash." A basin of cold water was poured over Ya Xi’s body. Ya Xi frowned and opened her eyes; the surroundings were very dim. She couldn’t see clearly and felt a splitting headache. She rubbed her temples, trying to alleviate the pain.

"Awake at last?" A hoarse female voice rang out in the darkness. Ya Xi was startled and looked toward the sound; the basement suddenly lit up. It was a wine cellar filled with rows of wine racks, each shelving various types of wine bottles.

Ya Xi recognized the woman in front of her, "Was it you who kidnapped me? What exactly do you want?" she asked, feigning calmness, but her trembling hands exposed her inner fear.

Qin Yan smiled faintly, yet the smile appeared grotesque and horrifying on her skeletal face, "You’ll find out soon enough what I want to do."

"Right, you might still be unaware of who I am. Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Qin Yan, an ex-mistress and former wife of your father, and it was I who killed your mother."

Ya Xi’s eyes widened, horrified, she stared at Qin Yan, "Don’t be so surprised, or you might not be able to handle what comes next. Do you always feel like you’ve forgotten something? Let me tell you, you have amnesia."

"Stop talking, shut your mouth!" Ya Xi screamed, clutching her head, she couldn’t bear to listen, didn’t want to hear any of it, she just wanted to go home, to find Doug and get out of there.

Qin Yan sneered, "The story isn’t over yet. Whether you want to hear it or not, you’ll have to listen. I will make you slowly remember the past you’ve forgotten." She signaled the housekeeper with her eyes; he nodded, stepped forward, and pulled Ya Xi up from the ground.

Ya Xi struggled fiercely, "Let go of me, I don’t want to go, I’m not going anywhere, let go of me, help."

"Keep screaming. Even if you scream your throat raw, no one will come to save you," Qin Yan said coldly.

Ultimately, Ya Xi’s strength was no match for the housekeeper; he pulled her out of the basement, and she was taken to a room where the housekeeper pushed her inside. Ya Xi fell to the ground and crawled back in fear, staring intently at the housekeeper.

The housekeeper only glanced at her and quickly left. Inside the room was a huge display screen that suddenly lit up not long after the housekeeper left. It showed a dark room with a girl sitting in the corner, hugging her knees, her head buried tightly between her legs.

Soon, a man entered the room, slowly undressing as he walked towards the girl, his smile spreading across his face, followed by several other men.

Ya Xi’s eyes widened in shock as she watched the screen. Images flashed through her mind: a dark dungeon, fierce struggles, desperate screams, penetrating tearing pain, relentless torment...

Holding her head, Ya Xi let out screams of agony, with the sounds from the television—desperate cries of a woman, excited laughter of men—mingling in her ears, clashing with the images in her mind, assaulting her soul again and again.

"Ah!" Ya Xi’s pupils dilated, "Let go of me, don’t touch me, go away..."

As Su Qing was about to leave, she suddenly heard a scream. Her gaze hardened, and she walked towards the direction of the scream, only to see the housekeeper standing at the doorway of a room. Su Qing’s expression changed slightly, "Housekeeper, what are you doing?"

Seeing Su Qing, the housekeeper showed no intention of avoidance. "You need to go do what the Lady asked you to do now."

"Who is inside?" Su Qing asked coldly.

The housekeeper did not reply.

"Go away, don’t touch me, go away, save me, big sister, save me." Desperate cries came from inside the door, turning Su Qing’s expression very grim.

She pushed the housekeeper aside intending to enter, but a gun pressed against her temple, "Su Qing, I advise you not to meddle in things that don’t concern you."

Su Qing sneered, disregarding the gun pressed to her head, "This ’none of my business’— I’m making it my business. If you dare, shoot now."

She confronted the housekeeper, who looked at her expressionlessly. After a long silence, he lowered the gun and stepped aside, thinking that even if she entered now, the person inside had probably remembered everything already. The goal was achieved; let Su Qing see if that’s what she wanted.

The housekeeper’s decisiveness raised an ominous premonition in Su Qing. She opened the door and the first thing she saw was the image on the television. She grabbed a vase from the table and hurled it at the television, shattering the screen instantly.

The loud crash of the breaking screen made Ya Xi scream and shrink further into the corner.

"Don’t, don’t come here." As Su Qing took a few steps closer, she heard Ya Xi’s terrified voice.

She stopped her advance and softened her voice, "Okay, I won’t come over."

Ya Xi’s whole body was shaking. Su Qing looked at her with a trace of pity in her eyes; she knew Ya Xi and what Qin Yan had once done to her. Among the grudges of the past, Ya Xi was the most innocent, yet she had suffered the deepest wounds. Su Qing had thought that Qin Yan would finally leave Ya Xi alone under those circumstances, but, ultimately, she still had not escaped this ordeal.

Moving her feet gently, Su Qing edged closer towards Ya Xi, who felt someone approaching and immediately crawled under the table, curling up into a ball, muttering, "Don’t come here, don’t come here."

Su Qing looked at her face, full of helplessness and despair, and suddenly didn’t know what to do, "Ya Xi, don’t be afraid, no one will hurt you."

"Ha, Su Qing, now you’ve become soft-hearted," Qin Yan’s voice rose from behind Su Qing. The gentleness on Su Qing’s face disappeared instantly, replaced by coldness. She turned around and looked at Qin Yan coldly, "She’s just an innocent child, do you need to be so cruel?"

"Innocent? The people from the Shen Family and Yan Family are the least innocent in this world. Su Qing, remember who you are. What right do you have to point at me? You’re nothing but a dog I’ve raised. Now that you’ve grown wings, you think I can’t handle you?"

Hearing this, Su Qing smiled slightly, "Then you must have never heard of the saying ’a cornered dog will leap over a wall,’ Qin Yan. I’m no longer your subordinate, you shouldn’t forget that, we agreed that I would help you with ten tasks, and then I could leave you, and now this is the last one."

Qin Yan’s expression stiffened, she really had forgotten this, as long as Su Qing brought Chu Yunrong back, their contractual relationship would be over.

"So what, the last task you still haven’t completed, at least now you are still under me," Qin Yan said coldly, "Don’t look at me with that kind of eyes, Su Qing, no matter how much resentment and hatred you have in your heart towards me, keep it well-hidden."

Su Qing suddenly burst into laughter, "Haha, why would I feel hatred towards you? You’re thinking too much. Now that you’ve reached your goals, seeing Ya Xi’s condition, she’s not mad but not far from insanity. Now, can I take her away?"

"Take her away? By what right do you take her? And what do you plan to do after taking her?" Qin Yan stared intensely into Su Qing’s eyes, trying to discern her true intentions through her gaze.

Su Qing’s expression remained unchanged, allowing Qin Yan to scrutinize her, "I simply can’t stand your actions, Qin Yan. You, a woman yourself, know what the worst thing for a woman is, why do you still do such things?"

Qin Yan couldn’t help but laugh, "Isn’t it laughable what you said? Su Qing, do you know how many things you have done for your own goals over these years?"

Su Qing’s expression changed, the chill in her eyes growing thicker, but just as the housekeeper looked at her defensively, ready to protect Qin Yan at any moment, Su Qing laughed, "You’re right, I really am meddling too much. Since you’re unwilling to hand her over to me, then keep her yourself, do whatever you want, it doesn’t concern me." After saying this, Su Qing didn’t even glance at Ya Xi and left the villa.

Qin Yan looked at Ya Xi, who was trembling under the table, and said to the housekeeper, "Keep a close watch on her, don’t let anyone see her, and record her condition for me. I want Yan Anbang to fully appreciate his beloved daughter’s crazy demeanor, making him live in pain and regret forever, never finding peace."

"Yes, ma’am," the housekeeper replied, pushing Qin Yan away from the place.

Ya Xi hugged her head, bowed low, with a vacant gaze, and kept murmuring.

**

After leaving the villa, Su Qing kept recalling Ya Xi’s condition and hesitated for a long time before finally sending an email to Shen Qinglan, informing her of Ya Xi’s location along with the guards here.

This place could be said to be where all of Qin Yan’s strength was concentrated. There were a lot of people on the surface, and what kind of people were behind the scenes, even she was unaware. Ever since the failure of the last mission, Qin Yan had obviously become very wary of her, avoiding her in all matters. What she saw was only the superficial stuff.

After sending the email, Su Qing left Country Y. Initially, she had agreed to help Qin Yan with ten tasks, the last being informing Chu Yunrong of the truth, which had failed.

As soon as Su Qing left, Qin Yan suddenly instructed the housekeeper to move their base, "Madam, are we overthinking it? Su Qing, although difficult to control, is a very sharp sword."

Qin Yan’s face was stern as she spoke coldly, "Whether we are overthinking, we will know soon. We have to evacuate here within half an hour." It was also a test for Su Qing. If Su Qing truly had no connection with Shen Qinglan, then naturally Su Qing would be unharmed, otherwise...

Qin Yan’s orders were naturally not something the housekeeper would disobey, "Madam, what about Ya Xi?"

"She must be taken along, she’s my trump card," Qin Yan stated, her lips curling slightly.

When Shen Qinglan saw this email, she was with Jin Enxi and a few others, "An, could this be a trap?" Jin Enxi hesitated.

"Even if it’s a trap, I have to check it out, just in case it’s real." Shen Qinglan stood up without hesitation and, seeing this, Jin Enxi also got up, "An, we’ll go with you."

Shen Qinglan did not refuse, and together with Jin Enxi and Andre, they arrived at the location mentioned in the email, only to find it deserted, a scene all too reminiscent of that previous encounter in Beijing.

"An, could this person be playing tricks on us?" Jin Enxi asked with a stern face, having already inspected the villa to find it completely empty.

Shen Qinglan, however, didn’t think they were being deceived; it could only mean that their opponent was too cunning. She carefully inspected every corner of the house, her steps halting suddenly in a room Ya Xi had once stayed in. She stared intently under the table where, lying quietly, was a bracelet.

"An, what’s wrong?" Jin Enxi, seeing her motionless, asked puzzledly.

Shen Qinglan didn’t answer and walked forward to pick up the bracelet. Jin Enxi glanced at it but didn’t see anything unusual, "An, is there something wrong with this bracelet?"

"This is a birthday present I gave to Ya Xi last year, and it’s the only one in the world." She turned the bracelet over, and indeed, on the back of the bracelet was a line of very small words, Shen Qinglan’s blessing to Ya Xi. Ya Xi had been very happy when she received this gift, saying she would always wear it.

Now, this bracelet had appeared here—could it mean that Ya Xi had been held in this room?

Shen Qinglan looked around the room; apart from the TV screen that was smashed to pieces, making the place a mess, she found nothing else unusual in the room.

"An, what should we do now? Qin Yan must have already heard about you, but she still hasn’t shown up, which is very strange," Jin Enxi frowned.

Shen Qinglan bowed her head, lost in thought.

"An?" Jin Enxi called out again.

Shen Qinglan clenched the bracelet tightly in her hand and spoke quietly, "Let’s go."

"Su Qing is really untrustable," Qin Yan said, hearing the news reported by her subordinate.

The housekeeper had also heard this and waited until the subordinate had left before speaking, "Madam, what is Su Qing’s purpose in doing this? How did she get involved with Shen Qinglan?"

This was exactly what puzzled Qin Yan. It was originally just a spontaneous test, but unexpectedly, she had actually unearthed such a matter. Besides the anger of being betrayed, Qin Yan felt a towering hatred.

"Housekeeper, once Su Qing brings the person back, don’t let her leave alive. A disobedient and disloyal dog doesn’t deserve to exist," she said indifferently.

"Madam, doing this could cost us dearly," the housekeeper hesitated, considering it wasn’t the right time to deal with Su Qing, especially since Yamamoto had clearly rejected their proposal for cooperation and the attitudes of other bosses had been wavering in recent days.

Qin Yan was, of course, aware of this, but she couldn’t tolerate Su Qing’s betrayal; she couldn’t have a traitor by her side, "At all costs. She probably doesn’t yet know that we’re aware of her betrayal. Find an opportunity to feed her something."

The housekeeper’s expression stiffened slightly, "Madam, are you sure about this?"

Qin Yan looked coldly at the housekeeper, "Are my words not effective for you now?"

"Of course not, madam, I understand."

"Go away, I need to rest," Qin Yan said, closing her eyes contentedly.

The housekeeper hesitated, ultimately saying nothing and quietly leaving.

**

Allen had contacted everyone he could, and just as he had anticipated, the news of his survival surprised them. However, what Qin Yan could offer them, Allen could provide as well, not to mention he was Carl’s biological son. They were quite willing to oblige him; after all, Allen was only asking them to remain neutral.

When Qin Yan learned that those people had switched sides at the last minute, refusing to assist her, she was so furious that she smashed up the room.

"A bunch of ungrateful old fools, they’re already kicking me when I’m down, thinking I can be easily defeated?" Qin Yan fumed, her chest heaving violently, "Allen, we can’t let him live."

She narrowed her eyes, "Tell Mr. Yamamoto that Shen Qinglan is Demon, and leak this news to everyone."

"Madam, this will corner both the Shen and the Fu Families into a desperate situation, and without any evidence, people might not believe it."

"If there’s no evidence, then create it! Do I need to teach you how to handle these matters?"

"It might also be too late for that." The timing was indeed too tight. Although they had changed locations in time and Shen Qinglan hadn’t found them yet, the housekeeper had a premonition that Shen Qinglan would find them eventually.

Qin Yan seriously considered the housekeeper’s advice. Manufacturing evidence at the last minute was indeed likely to be full of mistakes, and with both the Fu and Shen Families well-established in Beijing and now related by marriage, pulling one thread might bring everything down; based on her current capabilities, it indeed seemed a bit forced.

"Let’s put this matter aside for now," Qin Yan decided, not one to dismiss advice, knowing the housekeeper spoke the truth, she could only temporarily give up, "However, Old Sir Shen must know about it. I’m curious to see, once he finds out that his most treasured grandchild is actually a cold-blooded killer, what he will do."

"Alright, I will take care of it immediately," said the housekeeper. His efficiency was indeed high; before Su Qing even arrived in Beijing, his delivery had already made it.

The delivery contained only a letter which Old Sir Shen read and then stood in front of his late wife’s portrait for a long time until Chu Yunrong came in to call him for dinner.

"Dad, what are you thinking about? I called you several times, but you didn’t answer," Chu Yunrong asked with confusion.

Old Sir Shen came out of his reverie, slipping the letter into his jacket pocket. Chu Yunrong noticed the letter but had no desire to read it, "It’s nothing, I was just thinking about Lanlan’s grandmother."

"Dad, in a few days I’ll accompany you to visit Mom."

"Let’s see, I don’t really feel like moving much in my old age. Weren’t we going to have dinner? Let’s go."

Chu Yunrong stepped forward to assist Old Sir Shen, "Where’s Anan?" he inquired, remembering his beloved great-grandson.

"He’s playing downstairs, Sister-in-law Song is watching him, there won’t be any problems," Chu Yunrong explained. She hadn’t left the house in days, staying at home looking after the child. Anan was easy to take care of, but he would cry at night if he didn’t see Shen Qinglan, and for several days now, neither Shen Qinglan’s phone nor Fu Hengyi’s had been reachable, which filled Chu Yunrong with anxiety.

"Both Qinglan and Hengyi haven’t been reachable by phone," Chu Yunrong complained to Old Sir Shen.

Old Sir Shen remembered what Fu Hengyi had told him before leaving and spoke calmly, "With Hengyi there, there will be no problems. He has already informed me about this matter. It’s better you don’t ask too much; some things are better left unknown. They haven’t been here these past few days, and Anan has been a bit unsettled. Spend more time with him if you can."

Although Shen Qinglan had told Old Sir Shen about Chu Yunrong’s recovery, after being ill for so many years, Old Sir Shen wasn’t sure if it might recur. Some things are better kept from Chu Yunrong.

In the living room, Anan saw the two people coming downstairs and toddled over to them. Sister-in-law Song stayed by his side to protect him in case he fell too hard. Anan walked unsteadily and fell after just a few steps. Sister-in-law Song did not help him up; Chu Yunrong, instead, just squatted down and stretched out her arms toward Anan in an embracing gesture.

Anan looked up at the few people, and seeing no one coming to pick him up, he got up by himself and sat on the ground without moving.

He was holding a photo in his hand that was already quite wrinkled—it was Shen Qinglan’s photo. Last night, Anan had refused to stop crying and had even cried himself hoarse. Chu Yunrong couldn’t contact either Shen Qinglan or Fu Hengyi, so she took a photo of Shen Qinglan and put it into Anan’s hands, and unexpectedly, Anan stopped crying.

All day today, Anan had held onto Shen Qinglan’s photo, occasionally looking at it. Now, a once good photo had become wrinkled and even had a corner torn off.

Chu Yunrong, seeing him holding Shen Qinglan’s photo again, felt a pang of heartache, walked over, and picked him up, "My treasure, don’t be sad. Mom will be back in a few days. How about grandma makes some rice paste for my treasure?"

Anan giggled, showing no sign of sadness, and waved the photo, "Mommy."

"Yes, that’s Mommy, our baby’s most loved mommy. Are you hungry?"

"Hungry, eat," Anan blurted out the two words. He could roughly understand the daily language spoken by adults, but his speech was not coherent, and he could only speak one word at a time. Fortunately, Chu Yunrong spent a lot of time with Anan and could understand his speech.

"Dad, you eat first, I’ll go make some rice paste for Anan," Chu Yunrong turned back and said to Old Sir Shen.

Sister-in-law Song stood up, "Yunrong, you go ahead and eat. I’ll make it. Anan likes the way I make it, too."

Chu Yunrong, remembering her own unimproving cooking skills, smiled and said, "Alright, thank you, Sister-in-law Song."

While eating, although Chu Yunrong was focused on Anan, she also noticed that Old Sir Shen seemed distracted today, "Dad, are you feeling unwell? I noticed you don’t have much of an appetite."

Old Sir Shen came back to his senses and shook his head, "It’s nothing. When you get old, you just can’t eat much."

"Dad, are you really not feeling unwell? If you are, please don’t hide it from me," Chu Yunrong worried.

"It’s really nothing. You go ahead and eat." Seeing that Old Sir Shen seemed genuinely fine, Chu Yunrong continued to eat.

After dinner, Old Sir Shen stayed downstairs with Anan for a while, watching him happily play with blocks, then got up and went upstairs. Back in his study, he closed the door and then called Shen Qian.

Shen Qian’s personal phone was unreachable, but the old sir could naturally find him if he wanted.

In the call, Old Sir Shen didn’t say much, just that there was a family matter and he needed him to come home. Shen Qian naturally agreed.

"Aqian, how come you’ve returned?" Chu Yunrong was surprised to see Shen Qian return.

Shen Qian smiled, "I came back to get an important document."

"Grandpa," Anan suddenly called out, his speech clear.

Shen Qian looked at Anan with delight; this was the first time Anan had called him Grandpa so clearly. He squatted down, looked at Anan, "Anan, what did you just call me? Say it again."

"Grandpa." Anan cooperated, although his speech was slow, he clearly said the word ’grandpa’.

Shen Qian laughed heartily, holding Anan in his embrace and kissed him several times until Anan frowned in displeasure. Only then did he let him go. "Our Anan is getting smarter and smarter."

Anan, having endured a session of ’saliva baptism,’ was somewhat displeased. He looked at Chu Yunrong, who immediately understood her grandson’s sentiment. She took out a tissue and wiped the saliva off his face, upon which Anan’s little brows immediately smoothed out.

Shen Qian, stunned, asked, "Did he just show disdain for me?" Disbelievingly, he turned to Chu Yunrong.

"Yes, Anan showed disdain for you. Anan is growing up, and he doesn’t like being kissed by others," Chu Yunrong said with a smile.

Shen Qian shook his head with a wry smile and gently tousled Anan’s hair. "Really a little devil in disguise." He stood up, ready to leave.

"Mama." Anan called out again. Shen Qian looked down at his grandson who was looking at the ground, seemingly calling ’mama’ unconsciously.

"You go and attend to your matters. These past few days, since Qinglan isn’t around, Anan misses his mom and calls out for her from time to time," Chu Yunrong explained.

Also, because Shen Qinglan was not around, Anan had completely stopped breastfeeding these past few days.

Shen Qian still didn’t know Shen Qinglan and Fu Hengyi had left. He paused, "Qinglan isn’t here? Where did she go?"

Chu Yunrong frowned, "I’m not sure either. Currently, I can’t even get through to her mobile phone, but she left with Hengyi. With Hengyi by her side, nothing bad should happen." She trusted Fu Hengyi’s capabilities immensely.

Thinking back to the serious tone Old Sir Shen used when he called him to return, Shen Qian suddenly had some guesses, "Alright, I’ll go inside first. Anan doesn’t seem to be in a good mood; take him for a walk around the courtyard, let him play with other children his age."

Chu Yunrong’s eyes brightened. She chastised herself for not thinking of that. "You reminded me. I’ll take Anan to visit neighbors. You go ahead." Saying so, she placed Anan in the stroller and proceeded to visit the neighbors.

Shen Qian did not see Old Sir Shen on the first floor and went directly to the study on the second floor, knocking on the door, "Dad."

"Come in," came the aged yet robust voice of Old Sir Shen from inside.

Shen Qian pushed open the door and saw Old Sir Shen standing by the window looking down at the garden. "Dad, did you urgently call me back for something?"

Old Sir Shen turned around, remaining silent, but handed a letter to Shen Qian. After Shen Qian took it and glanced at it, his face showed no surprise, which made Old Sir Shen instantly understand, "You already knew?"

"Not for long, Dad. Did only you receive this letter? What about Uncle Fu..."

"Your Uncle Fu doesn’t know yet. What do you think about Lanlan’s situation?"

"Dad, in the end, this whole situation arose because of me. Those people are targeting the Shen family. If Lanlan wasn’t a child of the Shen family, she wouldn’t need to go through all this. So no matter what happens, I must protect Qinglan."

Old Sir Shen stared intently at Shen Qian, seeing his determined expression devoid of any jest, "Remember what you said. I mean the same. I will pretend I never saw this letter. You take it and burn it; don’t let anyone else see it. Qinglan and Hengyi’s trip this time must be related to this matter. Keep an eye on the military these days, and if anything unusual happens, remember to contact me in time."

"Dad, are you worried they might make a move through the military?"

"One should always be wary," Old Sir Shen stated lightly. Although he couldn’t completely deny any doubt regarding Shen Qinglan’s background, some issues, once past, didn’t need to be brought up again.