Chapter 51
On the first day of the New Year, the term “Duan Yang in Jail” skyrocketed to the top of the trending list, followed by a “breaking news” tag, its popularity reaching unprecedented heights.
Shen Yan was unsure whether the police would take action during the holiday, but he truly admired Su Yunzhe. How many days had it been? In that short time, Su Yunzhe not only gathered all sorts of evidence of Duan Yang’s affairs and domestic abuse but also successfully turned one of Duan Yang’s household servants against him.
It was remarkable. Duan Yang, a man with an extreme distrust of others, had strictly controlled who knew about his marriage. He only trusted people completely to work for him at home, so to have a servant who had access to his personal life testify against him was no small feat.
“Wow, money really can move mountains. Feels good, doesn’t it?” Shen Yan, still lounging in bed, was only half-listening when Su Yunzhe got up to call his grandparents and a few other respected elders to wish them a Happy New Year.
When Su Yunzhe returned, he found Shen Yan lying on the bed, giving him a playful wink.
He walked over and pinched Shen Yan’s cheek. “You don’t know how good it feels? After all, didn’t we just inherit tens of billions?”
Hearing that, Shen Yan suddenly remembered someone he should call to wish a Happy New Year. He quickly pushed Su Yunzhe’s hand away and dialed Lawyer Zhou’s number.
Although Shen Yan had stayed in touch with Lawyer Zhou, the prominent lawyer had been very busy, especially around the end of the year. Every time Shen Yan tried calling, it was either unanswered due to meetings or, if the call went through, only brief exchanges before the conversation ended abruptly.
It had been a while since they had a proper chat.
Today, on the first day of the New Year, Lawyer Zhou was available. After exchanging pleasantries, the lawyer immediately got to the point, reminding Shen Yan about the details of his mother’s case. Before hanging up, he added, “The videos online can be used as evidence to accuse Duan Yang. If you decide to sue him, I can help.”
Shen Yan thanked him and ended the call.
Su Yunzhe sat down on the bed beside him, gently brushing his messy bangs aside. “What’s wrong? Is it difficult to investigate your mother’s case?”
Shen Yan nodded. “It’s about sixteen years ago, so it’s really hard to find evidence. But Uncle Zhou is amazing—he’s already found two crucial witnesses.”
One of them was a high school classmate of Shen Bowen’s, who became a doctor after college.
Wen Xin had overdosed on psychiatric medication years ago, leading to severe mental issues, and those drugs were all prescription medications, requiring a doctor’s authorization to obtain. After Wen Xin’s incident, that doctor resigned and left H City. Zhou had also discovered that a large sum of money appeared in the doctor’s account around the same time, suggesting that Shen Bowen had used the doctor to obtain those prescription drugs, later paying him off to keep quiet and leave the city.
The other crucial witness was the Shen family’s former nanny, who left around the same time as the doctor and disappeared without a trace.
It was highly likely that this nanny knew about the drugging incident and might have even been involved in it.
If Zhou’s deductions were correct, as long as they could find these two people, Shen Bowen wouldn’t be able to escape justice.
However, finding them in such a vast world seemed like an impossible task.
Zhou had even traced their hometowns, but no one knew where they had gone over the years.
Of course, this further suggested that something was wrong. If these two individuals didn’t have anything to hide, there would be no reason for them not to return to their hometowns. It was likely that when Shen Bowen paid them off, he made arrangements to keep them quiet.
But the problem remained—without these witnesses, even if they knew the truth about Wen Xin’s death, they couldn’t do anything to Shen Bowen.
“So, we just need to find those two people?” Su Yunzhe asked.
Shen Yan nodded. “Lawyer Zhou said that they already have some evidence. As long as these two people are willing to testify in court, we can definitely convict him.”
“Leave the search to me. After all, with money, I can get anything done,” Su Yunzhe replied with confidence.
Shen Yan smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you!”
He knew that sometimes, finding people wasn’t just about money. If it were as easy as paying, Shen Yan would sell some of his properties to make it happen. The problem was that money didn’t always help when you didn’t have the right connections.
Even someone like Lawyer Zhou, with his extensive network, was struggling to solve this case. Finding those witnesses was no small feat.
Su Yunzhe, clearly pleased with Shen Yan’s affections, took advantage of the moment to push him down onto the bed. However, just as things were getting heated, a loud voice interrupted them.
“Shit! My eyes are blind! Su Yunzhe, can you please remember to close the door?! Are you really going to rub it in for this single dog?!” It was Qin Mofeng.
It turned out that when Su Yunzhe had entered the room, he forgot to close the door. Qin Mofeng, feeling bored after sitting alone downstairs for a while, had come upstairs to get some air on the terrace. Seeing the door of the master bedroom open, he thought they were both up already, so he peeked inside. But when he realized what he had walked in on, his wounded heart couldn’t take it, and he cried out in despair.
Qin Mofeng wasn’t trying to eavesdrop on them. He was genuinely upset. After all, he couldn’t even be sure if Ling Sichen would forgive him. And now, he had to watch these two happily scatter dog food right in front of him.
During New Year’s Eve, he had called Ling Sichen, but the call was not only unanswered—it was immediately hung up on. The attitude was clear.
Qin Mofeng understood that he was reaping the consequences of his own actions, so whatever Ling Sichen did to him now, he was mentally prepared for it. But it still hurt, especially when he had to witness these two carefree souls constantly flaunting their happiness.
He regretted his decision to spend New Year’s with Su Yunzhe. What a mess he had created for himself!
“Hmph! Do you think I can’t leave?” he muttered to himself, feeling frustrated.
He grabbed a simple bag, intending to leave. Su Yunzhe, who was interrupted in the middle of his morning routine, was not pleased. He went downstairs and found that Qin Mofeng was already dressed and heading for the door.
“Have a safe trip, no need to stay!” Su Yunzhe said casually, not even sparing him a glance.
Shen Yan, who had just come downstairs, was startled when he saw Qin Mofeng packing his things. “Why is Feng-ge leaving so suddenly? It’s snowing heavily outside. It’s not safe to drive in this weather!”
Su Yunzhe’s villa was located in the mountains. The last time Shen Yan visited, Su Yunzhe deliberately took a secluded dirt road to scare him. Even though the main road had been cleared, the surrounding area had no pedestrians, and since it was the first day of the New Year, no one had come to remove the snow. The cold temperatures and icy roads made driving quite dangerous.
Qin Mofeng had initially been tempted to retort to Su Yunzhe’s comment, but upon hearing Shen Yan’s concern, he suddenly brightened up, grinning widely. “As expected, Yan Meizi still cares about me. Why did your eyes fail you and fall for that cold-hearted guy, Su Yunzhe? Yan Meizi, you should reconsider—your Feng-ge is also a good choice…”
But before he could finish, Su Yunzhe glanced over with a look that was entirely emotionless. Yet, Shen Yan could feel a murderous aura, and Qin Mofeng immediately sensed the danger to his neck. He quickly changed the subject, trying to keep the mood light. “Alright, alright, some people get all stingy once they’re in a relationship. Can’t even take a joke anymore. I’m leaving, alright? You think you’re the only one with a partner? I’m off to find mine and leave you blinded by jealousy!”
He waved at Shen Yan. “Don’t worry, Yan Meizi. My driving skills are top-notch. I’ll be fine. See you later, I won’t disturb your little world any longer.” He quickly left, disappearing like a gust of wind.
Shen Yan stood at the door, watching Qin Mofeng’s car drive off into the distance. He then turned back and saw Su Yunzhe calmly preparing lunch in the kitchen, completely unconcerned.
“Is Feng-ge really going to find Ling-ge?” Shen Yan walked over to help.
Su Yunzhe nodded. “Most likely, yes.”
“It seems like he’s made up his mind this time,” Shen Yan observed.
“He should’ve done this a long time ago. I don’t know what he’s been hesitating about. Does he think that if he drags it out long enough, Ling Sichen will forgive him?” Su Yunzhe remarked.
Shen Yan smiled. “It’s easy for you to say. If you were him, after all the hurtful things you said to me, and after everything that’s happened, do you think you would handle it better than he did?”
Su Yunzhe tasted the soup he had just made, found it to his liking, and handed it over to Shen Yan with a proud smile. “I’m not as foolish as he is!”
Shen Yan took a sip of the hot soup from Su Yunzhe’s hand, savoring the delicious flavor. It was just right—he had missed breakfast, and now he was hungry. He pointed at the empty bowl, not forgetting to tease Su Yunzhe. “Tch! Don’t speak too confidently. What if, in the future…”
Su Yunzhe served him another bowl of soup, leaned over the counter to look directly into Shen Yan’s eyes, and interrupted him with a smile. “What if, in the future, I do something overboard to you? Then, don’t ever forgive me in this lifetime!”
Shen Yan paused mid-sip, feeling his heart race at the intense proximity and the way Su Yunzhe’s eyes seemed to pierce through him. The soup in his mouth didn’t taste savory anymore; instead, it was strangely sweet.
Wasn’t Su Yunzhe someone who claimed he didn’t say cheesy things? Yet here he was on the first day of the New Year, slipping in a line like this, a little hidden message. He wasn’t as clueless as he made himself out to be!
Just as Shen Yan was flustered by his words, his phone rang.
He quickly snapped out of his daze and ran to grab his phone from the coffee table in the living room. The caller ID was an unfamiliar number.
Since he had recently changed his phone number after leaving H City, only a few people knew about it. He hadn’t expected anyone to call him, especially on the first day of the New Year.
“Could it be someone calling about the property?” he wondered, puzzled, as he answered the phone.
“Hello, is this Yan Yan? It’s Grandpa.”
A familiar, kind voice came through the line—none other than Duan Songtao.
“Grandpa? You… Happy New Year!” Shen Yan was caught off guard. He didn’t know how to respond and blurted out a greeting.
Duan Songtao chuckled warmly. “Happy New Year. Are you with Yunzhe?”
Shen Yan froze.
Well…
He wasn’t sure how to respond. The fact that he and Su Yunzhe were together was well-known by now, but when facing Duan Songtao, Shen Yan suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
Duan Songtao had encouraged the original owner to marry Duan Yang, genuinely believing it was for the best. He knew the original owner liked Duan Yang, and in his eyes, Duan Yang was a good person. He thought their marriage would bring happiness.
After the marriage, Duan Songtao had been the one person who could somewhat protect the original owner from Duan Yang’s worse tendencies. He wasn’t a perfect shield, but without Duan Songtao, Duan Yang’s behavior would have been far worse. In many ways, Duan Songtao had been the original owner’s guardian.
Now, this guardian was asking about his relationship with another man. What was he supposed to say? It felt like no matter what he said, it wouldn’t sound right.
Duan Songtao seemed to sense his hesitation and spoke again, kindly and understandingly. “Yunzhe is a good kid. I’m happy for you that you’re with him.”
“Grandpa, I… I’m sorry. I’ve let you down,” Shen Yan spoke softly, his voice tinged with regret.
“Silly child, it’s I who should apologize to you,” Duan Songtao sighed deeply, his tone heavy. “Yan Yan, it’s I who am sorry. I’ve let you down so much, I wouldn’t even have the face to meet your grandmother again if I died. I truly didn’t know that Duan Yang could do such a thing. Why were you so foolish? Why didn’t you tell me? If I had known earlier, I would have helped you teach that beast a lesson!”
Duan Songtao had seen those videos early in the morning, especially the domestic abuse ones, and had been so enraged that it nearly triggered a heart attack.
How could his grandson do such a vile, inhumane thing? And on top of that, he had hurt Shen Yan, whom Duan Songtao had always hoped would be well cared for, especially after the struggles of his first love.
Furious, Duan Songtao had picked up his cane, ready to break Duan Yang’s legs, but just as he was about to act… the police had arrived.
