Beneath the Marriage Pact

Chapter 4: The First Confrontation, the First to Show (2)

Just then, the sound of a car engine came from outside the warehouse. Ling Xu 'an's face changed: "Oh no, someone is coming!"

Shen Zhixia hurriedly stuffed the documents and voice recorder into her bag, while Ling Xu 'an quickly inspected the warehouse and found the back door locked with a rusty iron lock. "Go through the front door. Uncle Zhao should be nearby." He pulled Shen Zhixia towards the door, and as soon as he reached the door, he heard footsteps outside and Shen Yuwei's voice: "Uncle Qin, they must be inside! I saw Ling Xu 'an's car parked outside!"

Shen Zhixia's heart sank -- Shen Yuwei was actually colluding with Qin Zheng!

Ling Xu 'an held Shen Zhixia behind him, grasping the door handle with one hand, his eyes as cold as ice. The moment the door was pushed open, Qin Zheng rushed in with more than a dozen black-clad bodyguards, holding steel pipes and knives in his hands, followed by Shen Yuwei with a smug smile on her face.

"Ling Xu 'an, Shen Zhixia, you are indeed here!" Qin Zheng sneered, "Hand over what you have in your hands and I can make you die a little better."

"Qin Zheng, you killed my mother and want to take what she left behind, do you think we'll let you succeed?" Shen Zhixia clutched the voice recorder in her bag, her voice trembling with anger.

"Your mother?" Qin Zheng sneered, "Shen Qingyao is a fool, thinking that holding onto the technique will protect you? She never knew until her death that it was your father who sold me her whereabouts!"

Shen Zhixia suddenly looked at Shen Yuwei, but she turned her face away and dared not look directly into Shen Zhixia's eyes. It turned out that father not only knew about it, but was also involved in the conspiracy to kill mother!

"Stop talking nonsense!" " Ling Xu 'an stepped forward and stood in front of Shen Zhixia. "If you want something, get past me first."

Qin Zheng waved his hand and the bodyguards rushed forward at once. Ling Xu 'an was quite skilled and brought down two of them in a few strokes, but the enemy was too large and he was soon surrounded. His arm was cut by a steel pipe and blood gushed out instantly.

"Ling Xu 'an!" Shen Zhixia shouted anxiously and tried to rush up to help, but was held back by Shen Yuwei: "Sister, don't waste your effort. You can't fight Uncle Qin!"

"Let me go!" Shen Zhixia pushed Shen Yuwei away forcefully, picked up a stick on the ground and threw it at the nearest bodyguard. But she had no strength, the stick was quickly knocked off and she was nearly pushed over by the bodyguards.

Just then, sirens sounded outside the warehouse and Qin Zheng's face turned pale instantly: "How could there be police?"

"I called the police." Ling Xu 'an wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth and sneered, "Did you think we would come here unprepared?"

Qin Zheng knew the situation was hopeless and tried to escape, but was stopped by the arriving police. When he was handcuffed, he glared fiercely at Shen Zhixia: "I won't let you go!"

Shen Yuwei, seeing Qin Zheng being caught, was so frightened that her legs went weak and she collapsed on the ground crying: "I didn't mean to... Uncle Qin forced me...

After the police took Qin Zheng and his bodyguards away, Shen Zhixia rushed to Ling Xu 'an and looked at the wound on his arm, crying with concern: "How are you? Does it hurt?"

"It's okay. It's a minor injury." Ling Xu 'an smiled, trying to comfort her, but frowned because of the wound.

Uncle Zhao came with the doctor and, seeing Ling Xu 'an injured, hurriedly asked the doctor to treat his wound. While the doctor was disinfecting and bandaging Ling Xu 'an, Shen Zhixia stayed by his side, her eyes full of guilt: "It's all my fault. If I hadn't come here, you wouldn't have been injured."

"Silly girl, it's none of your business." Ling Xu 'an touched her head. "We've found the evidence. That's the most important thing."

After treating the wound, Ling Xu 'an took Shen Zhixia back to the villa. Shen Zhixia took out the documents and voice recorder from her bag and placed them on the table. Looking at the evidence, she felt a mixture of emotions.

"Now that we have this evidence, we can convict Qin Zheng and your second uncle." Shen Zhixia said.

"Um." Ling Xu 'an nodded. "I've asked Chen Mo to hand over the evidence to the police. I believe there will be results soon." He paused and looked at Shen Zhixia, "About your father... What are you going to do?"

Shen Zhixia remained silent for a long time before speaking: "I'll ask him clearly. If he really got involved in the conspiracy that killed my mother, I won't forgive him."

Ling Xu 'an looked into her determined eyes and said no more. He just poured her a cup of warm water and said, "Don't be too sad. Everything will be fine."

Shen Zhixia took the cup, feeling warm in her heart. She suddenly remembered how Ling Xu 'an had risked his life to protect her in the warehouse today, and her cheeks couldn't help burning.

"Mr. Ling, thank you today." She whispered.

"We are Allies, aren't we?" "We should help each other," Ling Xu 'an smiled.

Shen Zhixia looked at his smile and suddenly felt that this marriage of mutual benefit seemed really different. She found herself increasingly dependent on Ling Xu 'an, and even felt at ease by his side.

The next day, Shen Zhixia returned to the Shen family and wanted to ask Shen Hongyuan for clarification. When Shen Hongyuan saw her, he averted his eyes and dared not look directly at her.

"Dad, I have something to ask you." Shen Zhixia, sitting opposite Shen Hongyuan, said calmly, "Did you work with Qin Zheng about my mother's death?"

Shen Hongyuan's body stiffened for a moment. After a long while, he nodded his head, his voice hoarse: "Yes... It was Qin Zheng who forced me... He said that if I didn't tell him where your mother was, I would ruin the Shen family..."

"Ruined the Shen family?" " Shen Zhixia smiled, but tears fell, "For the sake of the Shen family, you can kill my mother? Have you ever thought that she was the one you once loved, your wife!"

"I... I'm sorry to your mother... Shen Hongyuan covered his face and wept, "I've been living in guilt all these years, but I can't..."

"Can't?" Shen Zhixia stood up, "You're just making excuses for your cowardice! From today on, I'm no longer your daughter, and everything about the Shen family has nothing to do with me!"

She said this and turned towards the door. Shen Hongyuan tried to hold her back but she shook him off. Shen Yuwei stood on the stairs, looking at all this, wanting to say something, but ultimately did not speak.

Shen Zhixia walked out of the gate of the Shen family and took a deep breath. Though her heart ached, she knew she had made the right choice. She took out her phone and made a call to Ling Xu 'an.

"Hello?" Ling Xu 'an's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Ling Xu 'an, I have a showdown with my dad." "I'm no longer a member of the Shen family," said Shen Zhixia.

"It doesn't matter." Ling Xu 'an's voice was gentle, "You still have me. If you don't want to go back, stay with me. There are plenty of rooms in the villa."

Shen Zhixia felt warm in her heart and nodded: "All right."

It wasn't long before Ling Xu 'an's car arrived outside the Shen family's gate. When she opened the door and got in, she could still smell the faint smell of disinfectant on him - the one that had been applied to his wounds in the morning.

"Have you thought about what to do next?" Ling Xu 'an didn't turn on the air conditioner. There was a crack in the car window, and the wind blew the tousled hair on his forehead slightly.

"Settle my mother's case first." Shen Zhixia clutched the corner of her dress, her fingertips still trembling. "When Qin Zheng and Ling Zhengxiong are convicted, I want to move my mother's ashes out and to a clean place."

Ling Xu 'an made a "mm-hmm" sound and pulled out a small box from the storage compartment and handed it over: "Keep this one."

It was a small jade pendant carved with half a gardenia flower, which matched the half of Shen Zhixia's broken jade. The jade is warm and smooth, and it looks like it has been kept for many years.

"This is..."

"I asked Chen Mo to dig it up in the old house." Ling Xu 'an looked straight ahead. "My grandfather and your mother were old acquaintances back then. This pair of jade pendants was given by him, saying 'Half-blooming gardenias, keeping the original intention together'." He paused, his voice softened, "My grandfather said that he had advised your mother not to get too involved back then, but your mother said that technology is clean and cannot fall into the hands of dirty people."

Shen Zhixia held the jade pendant in her hand, and the cold touch trickled down her fingertips into her heart. It turns out that mother is not fighting alone, and that the "he" hidden in the diary might also include Grandpa Ling.

"Right," Ling Xu 'an suddenly changed the subject, "are you going to the civil affairs office next Wednesday?"

Shen Zhixia was stunned for a moment before realizing it was about getting the marriage certificate. She had thought that this "agreed marriage" would have lost its original flavor after all this, but Ling Xu 'an brought it up all of a sudden and she didn't feel it was out of place.

"Go." She curled the corner of her mouth. "Isn't Mr. Ling saying that maintaining a partner is maintaining the stock price? I'm a legitimate 'Ling's financial advisor' right now, and I have to have a title to show off."

Ling Xu 'an was amused by her. He turned the steering wheel and the car turned into a path lined with plane trees: "Not to the villa for now. I'll take you somewhere."

The car stopped at the entrance of the old teahouse at home. The wooden sign was engraved with the words "Qingmingxuan", and the ink had an old flavor. Ling Xu 'an led Shen Zhixia up to the private room on the second floor and pushed the window to see the old bookstore across the street - Shen Zhixia had come here with her mother when she was a child and had bought sugar paintings at the entrance of the bookstore.

"My grandpa is waiting for us here." No sooner had Ling Xu 'an finished speaking than the private room door was pushed open.

The old man who came in had grizzled hair but a straight back, leaning on a ebony cane with a small gardenia carved on the tip. He saw Shen Zhixia, his cloudy eyes lit up, and he walked over, trembling: "You are... Daughter of Qingyao?

"Grandpa, my name is Shen Zhixia." Shen Zhixia quickly held him up, her fingertips touching the jade bracelet on the old man's wrist, which was exactly the same style as the one her mother had left.

Grandpa Ling pulled her down and sized up Ling Xu 'an: "The brat didn't bully you, did he?"

"No." Shen Zhixia couldn't help laughing. "Mr. Ling has helped me a lot."

"It's my duty to help you." Grandpa Ling sighed and took out a cowhide notebook from his cloth bag. "This is what Qingyao entrusted me to keep. She said that if something happened to her, she would give it to you when she grew up."

The book was brown, with the words "Final Draft of the Star Project" embossed on the cover. Shen Zhixia opened it, and in the last few pages there was a yellowed sheet of paper - her mother's handwriting:

"Xia Xia, by the time you read this letter, your mother should be gone. Don't blame your mother for not growing up with you. Your mother is just guarding something more important. The Starlight Project is not a weapon, but a clean energy technology that can make a lot of people live a good life. Mom can't let it be used by bad people for profit. Grandpa Ling will help you, Xu An... He will also protect you. Live well, with Mom's share, and see all the beautiful scenes in the world."

The corners of the letter paper were soaked with tears, and Shen Zhixia wiped her face, only to find that she had been crying her eyes out. Ling Xu 'an handed her a tissue, gently patted her back with his hand, said nothing but was more effective than any consolation.

Grandpa Ling looked at them, a smile flashing in his cloudy eyes: "Qingyao always said that Xu 'an looks cold but has a warm heart. Sure enough, I read that right."

Shen Zhixia blushed and quickly put the letter paper into the notebook: "Grandpa, thank you." "

"Thank you for what." Grandpa Ling waved his hand. "I have always felt guilty for not protecting Qingyao back then. Now it's fine, the evidence is complete, the bad guys are about to be caught, Qingyao can rest assured in heaven."

It was already getting dark when they came out of the teahouse. Ling Xu 'an drove Grandpa Ling back to the old house. On the way, the old man leaned against the back seat and fell asleep, breathing lightly.

"Your grandpa..." Shen Zhixia whispered, "Did he know that something would happen to my mother?"

"Yes." Ling Xu 'an rolled down the car window. The wind blew in with a chill. "When my second uncle and Qin Zheng were close, Grandpa felt something was wrong. He tried to persuade my second uncle and warned your mother, but none of them listened." He paused, "My uncle always felt that grandpa was partial to my dad and wanted to make some noise with Qin Zheng to prove himself, but ended up getting himself into trouble."

Looking out of the window at the street lamps, Shen Zhixia suddenly remembered Shen Hongyuan crying and saying, "It was Qin Zheng who forced me." People are always like this, trampling their conscience underfoot for their pitiful obsession.

After seeing off Grandpa Ling back to the villa, Uncle Zhao was waiting for them in the yard with a thermos bucket in his hand: "Boss, Miss Shen, this is the pork rib soup from the kitchen, to nourish Miss Shen."

"I won't..." Just as Shen Zhixia was about to say she wasn't hungry, her stomach gave an uncooperative growl.

Ling Xu 'an, suppressing his laughter, took the thermos bucket: "Go in and eat."

The warm yellow light was on in the living room of the villa, there were two bowls of rice on the table, and Uncle Zhao had carefully cut a plate of pickled r****h. Shen Zhixia took two sips of the pork rib soup, the warmth spreading in her stomach, and the grievance in her heart also lessened a little.

"Right," Ling Xu 'an said suddenly, "Shen Yuwei was taken away by the police."

Shen Zhixia paused her hand: "She..."

"She voluntarily handed in the recording of Qin Zheng threatening her, which is a merit." Ling Xu 'an peeled an orange and handed it over. "I guess the sentence won't be too severe, but the Shen family is really done this time - the evidence of Shen Hongyuan's embezzlement of public funds, Chen Mo also handed it over to the police."

Shen Zhixia said nothing but put the segments of the orange in her mouth, a little sour and a little sweet. She had hated Shen Yuwei's provocation and had been angry with Shen Hongyuan's cowardice, but when it came to this point, there was no sense of revenge in her heart, only emptiness.

"Don't think about it." Ling Xu 'an rubbed her hair. "It's all over."

Shen Zhixia looked up at him. His profile was soft in the light, and the bandage on his arm had not been removed, but it couldn't hide the faint scar. She suddenly reached out and gently touched the edge of the bandage: "Does it still hurt?"

Ling Xu 'an's body stiffened for a moment, and his Adam's apple rolled. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

The air suddenly became quiet, with only the ticking of the wall clock. Shen Zhixia looked into his eyes, which reflected the warm yellow light, and also the little her.

"Ling Xu 'an," she whispered, "will get married next Wednesday... Can you not come as agreed?"

Ling Xu 'an's eyes lit up: "What do you want?"

"Just... Just consider it as a real marriage, okay?" Shen Zhixia's voice grew fainter, her ears red as if they were about to bleed, "Not for investigation, not for Ling's stock price, just... It's just the two of us."

Ling Xu 'an did not speak; he just reached out and pulled her into his arms. His embrace was warm and had a faint scent of cedar. Shen Zhixia buried her face in his chest and could hear his strong heartbeat.

"All right." After a long while, he said in a low voice, a little hoarse but exceptionally clear, "Just the two of us."