Special note: Thank you to all ko-fi supporters, Chappoi, inkymaniac, ninja turtle, Fly on the Wall. Your support means the world to me. Here's an extra chapter this week to thank you! 

……

 

With the death of Lu Tongcang, the case gradually came to light.

Jiang He hoped to completely take over Lu Tongcang's power by hammering him to death with a single blow, while the foreigners also hoped to completely settle the matter to avoid any further trouble.

Both sides agreed, and the matter caused a stir.

The acts of these people acting both in the dark and the light were not convenient for the public to know, but what best revealed Lu Tongcang's guilt was his instigation of his subordinates to abduct and sell people. Jiang He couldn't show his face, but there had to be a hero who solved the case, and this credit naturally fell on Ling Shu.

From the perspective of saving people, Ling Shu did indeed uncover this case.

"If it weren't for you, so many women wouldn't have been saved and they wouldn't have been able to see the light of day again. People like Mrs. Sun would have suffered and died. Although kindness should not expect repayment, good deeds should be widely spread to encourage more acts of kindness. You don't have to be shy...why are you looking at me like that?"

Jiang He couldn't continue speaking and felt the strange gaze of Ling Shu.

He couldn't help but touch his own face.

Did he forget to shave today?

Ling Shu asked, "Who taught you those words?"

Jiang He replied, "Isn't it obvious? My new teacher taught me."

Ling Shu honestly said, "It sounds a bit stiff. I can tell it's not your own words at a glance."

Jiang He quickly agreed, "Then I'll memorize it better next time."

Ling Shu: ...

Jiang He was obviously pretending to be clueless.

When dealing with shameless people, one can only use the same tactics against them.

Ling Shu laughed and said, "Mr. Jiang, you're so calculating. You push me to the forefront to take the limelight, while you hide behind and relax. This kind of news interview is of no benefit to me. Let's just skip it. Let your subordinates' mistresses handle it. Being a hero has its benefits, leave it to them. Consider it as you owing me a favor."

Jiang He twitched his mouth and said, "Forget about the mistresses. Don't compare me to Lu Tongcang. If you don't want to step forward, I'll help you push this interview away. But this is a great opportunity for you to make a name for yourself. You should think about it carefully. When Lu Tongcang falls, his followers will scatter like monkeys. They'll be too busy running for their lives to come after you. You don't have to worry."

Ling Shu asked, "What do you mean by making a name for myself?"

Jiang He leisurely offered him the cigarette box, and after receiving a negative answer, he lit one for himself and exhaled smoke before speaking slowly.

"Are you content with being a secretary or assistant to Yue Dingtang for the rest of your life? Ling Shu, you have the ability and the brains, why bow down under someone else's roof? Why not start your own detective agency? I can introduce you to wealthy ladies who need help finding their lost pets, catching cheating husbands, and other jobs that the police and patrol stations are too lazy to handle, but pay well. Isn't that better than your current situation?"

Ling Shu smiled and didn't respond.

Perhaps Jiang He meant well, but he clearly didn't understand Ling Shu.

After experiencing so much in life, Ling Shu was content with his simple pleasures and living day by day. If there was any lingering attachment, it was simply to protect his family, plus Yue Dingtang.

"Thanks, I'll think about it. Just find someone else for the news interview, I won't show up."

As he was about to leave, Jiang He hurriedly asked, "What about the Feng family's matter?"

Ling Shu waved his hand without looking back.

"Got it!"

Just listening to what Jiang He had shared, there was no reason for Miss Feng's incident.

If he wanted to inquire about the Feng family's news, there was someone more reliable than Jiang He.

Ling Shu had to ask clearly before deciding whether or not to take on this job.

Although he wasn't afraid of trouble, he didn't want to be led into a trap.

Seeing that it was almost noon, Ling Shu wondered where to go for lunch.

Although he wasn't hungry, lunch was still necessary, especially if he could get a free meal. There was no reason to spend his own money.

He wandered back and forth, eyeing the tempting snacks but refraining from indulging. Finally, he arrived at the entrance of the city bureau. Upon entering, he found the office empty and Yue Dingtang nowhere to be seen.

Yue Dingtang was usually either at the city bureau or at the school, but since he wasn't here, Ling Shu headed to the school.

However, he came up empty-handed once again.

A professor in the same office informed him that a female student had come to see Yue Dingtang, and they had left together.

Teacher-student relationships were not uncommon these days, and there were even some famous people who had developed feelings for their students while teaching.

People loved to gossip about these stories, but they were still relatively rare.

The professor spoke with a hint of ambiguity, as if waiting to see what would happen between Yue Dingtang and the female student.

He didn't expect that Ling Shu was completely oblivious to the professor's gossip and had not heard a word he said, leaving the professor feeling disappointed and unable to share his excitement.

After running a few errands, Ling Shu began to feel hungry and decided to find a nearby restaurant to grab a quick bite.

As he walked past a coffee shop, he noticed two people sitting by the window.

One of them was the culprit responsible for his back pain from the night before. The other was a young and beautiful female student who looked vaguely familiar.

Ling Shu stood there, trying to remember where he had seen her before, when the girl noticed him and waved him inside.

It suddenly dawned on Ling Shu that he had met her before when he was at Yue Dingtang looking for someone. She was a student there.

"Miss Xiao, it's been a while."

As soon as Ling Shu entered, he greeted the other person. Xiao Yue was delighted to see that he still remembered her, but there was also a hint of worry in her happiness.

"Hello, Mr. Ling."

Xiao Yue quickly stood up and showed her polite manners.

"Don't be so formal, Miss Xiao. Did I disturb you?"

Xiao Yue glanced at Yue Dingtang, her teacher, who remained silent.

She quickly said, "No, not at all! I came to ask Professor Yue for help with something, and I was hoping to ask for your assistance as well. It's great to see you here!"

"It's about Miss Feng's matter. Xiao Yue is her best friend and wants your help." Yue Dingtang finally spoke up, but his attitude was somewhat cold.

Xiao Yue may not have noticed, but Ling Shu could tell at a glance. For a moment, Ling Shu couldn't figure out whether the other person's coldness was directed towards Xiao Yue or himself.

"Which Miss Feng are you referring to?" Ling Shu asked, even though he had just heard about it from Jiang He.

"It's Miss Feng Zhenzhu, the third daughter of the Feng family," Xiao Yue replied.

The Feng and Xiao families were old friends, and Xiao Yue and Feng Zhenzhu had grown up together and had a special bond.

However, Xiao Yue was more interested in studying and had good grades, so she went to university.

Miss Feng, on the other hand, was not interested in furthering her education and was content with graduating from high school.

She fell in love with Wu Peng, the fourth son of the Wu family, and they were a perfect match. Both families were happy about the relationship, and there was no chance of any mismatched drama.

Wu Peng was a talented young man who studied architecture and planned to further his studies abroad. He and Miss Feng had agreed that she would follow him overseas after they got married, a perfect match.

However, their happiness was short-lived. While accompanying his teacher on a field trip in China, Wu Peng accidentally fell from a high place and suffered fatal injuries.

Miss Feng had not even officially become his wife yet, but she lost her fiancé and was overwhelmed with grief. She almost became a nun.

"I read about this in the newspaper at the time, it was really unfortunate," said Ling Shu.

Xiao Yue nodded sadly. "After that incident, Zhenzhu was down for a long time. No matter how I tried to cheer her up, she couldn't seem to shake it off. I was afraid she might do something drastic, so I spent almost every day with her when she wasn't in school. Even after school started, I would visit her whenever I had free time. But recently, she suddenly started to feel better and even got engaged to Wu family's fifth son. I'm so happy for her that she's finally able to move on from her sadness," Xiao Yue said.

"Wait a minute," Ling Shu interrupted when he heard this. "You mean the Wu family's fifth son, who is the younger brother of Wu Peng?"

"Yes," Xiao Yue confirmed. "But they have different mothers. Minister Wu had three wives. The eldest was arranged by his family, but after he joined the revolution, he re-married another woman. A few years later, that wife died in childbirth, so he married another woman."

Minister Wu may be old, but he hasn't lost his charm. Many women are willing to bear children for him, not just for his power and wealth, but for his personal charisma.

Talking about the elders behind their back, and Xiao Yue looks slightly embarrassed. "Wu Peng is the fourth son, of the second wife, and Wu Fei, the fifth son, is from the current wife."

The marriage partner is also from the Wu family, and they are brothers before and after. Naturally, the two families have no objections.

But Xiao Yue feels that something is not quite right.

"I can't really say for sure, but I noticed that while Zhenzhu seemed to be happy with Wu Fei, sometimes she would be lost in thought when she was alone. I thought it was because of the engagement and the relationship between the two families, and she didn't dare to break off the engagement. But she told me that Wu Peng is back."

Ling Shu asked, "What does this mean? Wu Peng didn't die?"

Xiao Yue shook her head, "How is that possible? I even attended his funeral. I don't understand either. I asked her, but she wouldn't say it directly. That sentence 'Wu Peng is back' still gives me chills."

"When did this happen?" Ling Shu asked.

"About ten days ago. After that, I never saw her again. I only found out about her disappearance from her family yesterday."

A single woman's disappearance is not something that family members would want to publicize.

Firstly, it's to protect the woman's reputation, and secondly, it's for the family's reputation.

If it weren't for the fact that the Feng family had connections, and if the Chunshan Club's affairs hadn't been exposed, the two incidents might not have been linked together.

Feng Zhenzhu might have disappeared forever in the vast sea of people.

Ling Shu felt that he had gotten enough information from Xiao Yue, at least proving that Jiang He did not lie. Any further details, she probably wouldn't know and he would have to ask the Feng family or Sister Rong.

"Mr. Ling, I know you're good at solving cases, better than those police officers," Xiao Yue said.

Ling Shu chuckled, "I am a police officer too."

Xiao Yue blushed, Ling Shu's "idleness" made her almost forget his profession.

"I ask for your help in this matter. The Feng family is also looking for Zhenzhu in Xuan Hong. I can connect you with them," Xiao Yue said before Ling Shu could reply.

Before Ling Shu could respond, Yue Dingtang suddenly interrupted, "Let's eat first, we can talk after."

Ling Shu pretended, "Won't I be disturbing you two?"

Yue Dingtang gave him a sideways glance, "Will you leave if I say you're disturbing us?"

Ling Shu said, "Then you can help me and Miss Xiao order a table of dishes. We'll eat separately and not bother each other."

Yue Dingtang really wanted to pinch his smiling face hard, but with outsiders present, he could only think about it.