Chapter 147

Chapter 147 - 147 141 Changling plays a straight ball Xie Shang Chapter 147: 141: Changling plays a straight ball, Xie Shang tastes the sweetness (second update) Chapter 147: 141: Changling plays a straight ball, Xie Shang tastes the sweetness (second update) Time rewound to August 30th.

At 9:27 in the morning, Xie Shang made a phone call to Wen Changling.

“Changling, where are you?”

Wen Changling said, “I’m at work.”

“At the hospital?”

“No, I’m out on a field assignment.” She asked, “What’s the matter?”

Xie Shang was at the hospital at the time, accompanying Madam Zhai, and wanted to see her.

“Nothing much, just missing you.”

The indifferent Miss Wen: “Oh, got it.”

She hung up the phone.

She pressed a button on the back of her hearing aid: “Yueyue, I’ve arrived, I’m in the ambulance.”

She was there to provide backup for Fu Ying and had arranged for an ambulance with Yan Cong. Even though a lot of money had been spent on Fu Ying’s car, they needed to be prepared for any eventuality.

“Don’t get too close, to avoid being detected.”

“Mm.”

Wen Changling also didn’t dare to get too far away.

After about ten minutes, Wen Changling heard the sound of a vehicle collision through her hearing aid, the volume was so loud it was discomforting to the ears.

“Yueyue.”

“Yueyue.”

Getting no response, Wen Changling became anxious: “Master Liu, to the East Station Cross, hurry.”

The Dihong Hospital ambulance “just happened” to pass by East Station Cross, “just happened” to come across the accident scene, and “just happened” to save the injured.

At 10:19 a.m., Chen Baishi was rushed into the operating room, he had a head injury, multiple external injuries, severe bleeding, and his condition was very grim.

No family members of Chen Baishi had arrived, and Fu Ying was waiting outside the operating room, covered in blood, silently sitting on a chair by herself.

The surgery took a long time, and Fu Ying didn’t even change her posture. Her secretary came halfway through, brought her clean clothes, but she didn’t go to change.

Wen Changling wanted to go over, but from a considerable distance, Fu Ying shook her head at her and said through lip reading, “I’m fine, no need to come over.”

Fu Ying’s secretary went to the nurse’s station.

“Miss Wen.”

The secretary handed the bloodstained USB drive to Wen Changling.

That evening, as Mr. Yezi, using a fake address, Wen Changling packed up all the evidence and sent it to the police and the Prosecutor’s Office.

The hit-and-run truck driver was caught that night. At first, he didn’t admit to committing murder on purpose, only saying he was drunk and mistakenly hit the accelerator instead of the brakes, but once the concrete evidence was presented, he confessed to everything, identifying Zhou Sheng as having hired him for the murder.

On August 31st, Zhou Sheng was arrested.

The night of the 31st, Xie Shang went to Flower Chamber Hall due to a matter with the Zhou Family, who wanted KE Law Firm to take their case, but Xie Jingxian didn’t agree.

When Xie Shang returned, the gate to Wen Changling’s courtyard was still open; she was drinking.

Miss Wen really loved to drink.

Xie Shang approached: “Why are you drinking at this hour?”

Wen Changling was celebrating, celebrating the capture of another evil spirit. It should have been a joyous occasion, but she wasn’t happy because Yueyue wasn’t happy.

Chen Baishi hadn’t betrayed anyone. To fulfill Yueyue’s wishes, to let her get what she wanted, he willingly allowed himself to be used, to be her pawn, even neglecting his own life.

Did Yueyue actually like Chen Baishi? What counts as liking, what counts as love?

Wen Changling put down the bowl of wine in her hand: “Xie Shang.”

“Hmm?”

With an expression devoid of any improper thoughts, as if pondering a profound question, she asked Xie Shang, “Do you have sexual desires towards me?”

“...”

Xie Shang looked away.

He wasn’t someone who blushed at the mention of sex, he had taken sex education classes, been to pleasure quarters, he had seen all sorts, both vulgar and refined, the games rich young men played when they got together; theoretically, he wasn’t a blank slate.

But Wen Changling’s gaze was too pure, and he found himself unable to meet it.

The thoughts he did have weren’t nearly as pure.

Seeing that he didn’t answer, Wen Changling tugged his sleeve: “Hmm?”

Did Miss Wen not realize that by asking him like this, he would have thoughts?

He responded: “Hmm, yes.”

How could there not be.

Wen Changling asked again, “Do you have it for anyone else?”

“No.”

Wen Changling made an “oh” sound, with an expression of as expected, “You really do love me.”

She had just checked on her phone how to be sure you’ve fallen in love with someone.

Among the search results, one she thought made sense—to judge from “body language.” It even cited authoritative sources, stating that the father of individual psychology, Adler, pointed out in “Inferiority and Transcendence”: People may think love is still present, but sexual attraction has stopped. That is absolutely false. Mouths can lie, reason can sometimes be confused, but bodily reactions don’t lie.

For the first time, Wen Changling began to contemplate the concept of love.

“Why are you suddenly curious about these things?”

Wen Changling took a sip of her drink, “I have a friend, someone got seriously hurt because of my friend, and my friend was very upset. I’ve never seen her so distressed, has she fallen for the person who was hurt for her sake?”

Xie Shang spoke very rationally and objectively, “It might just be moved, guilty, or soft-hearted.”

Right, love is so annoying.

Xie Shang wants her to love him, he’s also annoying.

“Changling.”

“Hmm?”

Wen Changling poured herself another drink carelessly.

The moon shone like a pearl, with its luminous glow in Xie Shang’s eyes, tenderly gazing at the person beside him, “I’m your first boyfriend, right?”

“Right.”

He leaned in close to look into her eyes, “And I’m the only one you’ve kissed?”

“Yes.”

Xie Shang smiled.

Sometimes Wen Changling was a bit slow, “Why are you smiling?”

Xie Shang picked up the pot, drinking Wen Changling’s liquor.

What’s there to smile about, he got the sweet end of the deal.

Wen Changling hummed, “You’re so annoying.”

Chen Baishi remained unconscious, and the chief surgeon said the family should be prepared for the worst.

On September 2nd, Zhou Kangyi stopped breathing, passing away at the age of 61.

Zhou Group was greatly affected by Zhou Sheng’s arrest, but after many years in the art business, owning multiple auction houses, galleries, and appraisal services, as well as porcelain and jade factories, even a leaking ship still has three pounds of nails. With Zhou Kangyi dead and Zhou Sheng in jail, not to mention there was no will, Zhou Family’s second uncle, married daughters, and other relatives all wanted a piece of the pie, causing chaos within the family as they fought bitterly for their shares.

As the legal wife, Fu Ying didn’t participate but watched everything from the sidelines.

Also on the second, Ruyi Pawnshop welcomed its first customer of September.

Qian Zhouzhou led the way to the room for VIP guests, “Mr. Zhu, please come inside.”

As the door opened, a sharp wooden scent hit him—faint, yet refreshing as if he’d been transported into a world of books. Young Master Xie the Fourth was skilled in fragrance concoction, indeed.

Zhu Huanzhi stepped in.

Xie Shang was already inside, having waited for a while.

Zhu Huanzhi approached, “Boss Xie.”

“Please have a seat.”

Zhu Huanzhi sat down and placed the VIP card he received from Ruyi Pawnshop on the table.

The solid wood table was set with paper, an incense burner, and an old Book of Poetry. Everything in the room, from the files on the walls to the tables and incense burner, had a sense of time’s patina.

Who said Young Master Xie the Fourth was up to no good? He is clearly the scion of an elite family.

Zhu Huanzhi put aside distracting thoughts, “Boss Xie, I would like to pawn something.” He placed the item he brought onto the table, “This is my pawn item.”

The item was enclosed in a delicate box.

Xie Shang didn’t open the box, “Mr. Zhu, what would you like?”

Zhu Huanzhi had reservations inside, after all, Xie Shang was half a lawyer and he felt unsure, “My brother has run into some trouble, and I, too, have encountered some difficulties.”

He explained succinctly that his brother, at a crucial point for promotion this year, had fallen into gambling. To cover for his brother’s debts, he auctioned a calligraphy work at Yán Hé Hall. Now that the Zhou Family was in turmoil and Yán Hé Hall was under scrutiny, he worried both about his brother’s trouble and the possibility of his own involvement.

He sought Boss Xie’s help in resolving his predicament.

“Mr. Zhu, I can help solve your dilemma,” Xie Shang said, his hand casually resting on the armrest, his posture relaxed—even a bit indolent—yet not in the least bit disrespectful, exuding an unruffled ease, “However, I’m not quite satisfied with this pawn item.”

Zhu Huanzhi was cooperative, “Whatever you wish to have as a pawn item, just say it, as long as I have it here.”

“That’ll be very simple for you,” Xie Shang lifted his hand and placed it on the table, slightly leaning forward, “Do you still remember the first case you presided over?”

The Wen Zhaoyang case from seven years ago was the first one Zhu Huanzhi handled after becoming a judge.