Chapter 49

Chapter 49 - 49 048 Pat on the head for comfort Xie Shang double Chapter 49: 048: Pat on the head for comfort, Xie Shang double standards Chapter 49: 048: Pat on the head for comfort, Xie Shang double standards Xie Shang passed by him and left.

He tried to follow, but the police officer in charge of mediation held him back, “The matter isn’t settled yet, sit down.”

Not settled?

Impossible, Gu Yihuan didn’t believe it and stretched his neck out, shouting toward Xie Shang, “Fourth brother!”

“I’m right here!”

“Why did you leave? Fourth brother!”

“Fourth brother!!!”

The fourth brother didn’t pay him any mind; he just walked away.

Gu Yihuan: “...”

So desperate, so suffocating.

The fatso beside him bragged madly, “Your own brother?” The fatso mocked mercilessly, “Bulls flying in the sky.”

Gu Yihuan: “...”

It rained in the evening; the road was waterlogged, and the street lamps cast shadows into the puddles, shining like pearls submerged in water. Water droplets fell along the edge of the raincoat into the puddles, causing ripples.

Wen Changling stood motionless, watching both ends of the street.

“I sent him away.”

Without having to see Zeng Zhili, Wen Changling breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” she said with both politeness and sincerity.

Xie Shang held her raincoat, “What do you want to eat?”

She thought for a moment and said, “I want something sweet.”

They went to Su Beihe’s restaurant. Su Beihe wasn’t there, but another chef was.

Babao sweet rice, candied balls, sweet crispy meat, pumpkin cup, sweet burnt white—the dishes were all ordered by Xie Shang.

He didn’t eat much, but Wen Changling ate quite a lot.

After she finished, Xie Shang poured her a cup of hawthorn tea, “Can you tell me now why you hit him?”

During the mediation, Xie Shang had offered enough benefits. Zeng Zhili wisely took the blame, claiming he was the one who started with the offensive remarks.

Wen Changling finished her tea, sent a message to Granny Zhu, saying she would return home late.

Xie Shang didn’t rush her.

The lighting was suitable, the temperature of the air conditioning was just right, and the surroundings were quiet. The chef closed the main door and hung up a Do Not Disturb sign. Everything was just right—an environment suitable for confiding.

“Zeng Zhili was a foster child in a relative’s family. After my mother passed away, I lived at my relatives’ for a while.”

She rarely talked about herself; even Granny Zhu didn’t know these things.

“On several occasions, Zeng Zhili spied on me while I was bathing.”

She stopped there.

Xie Shang asked, “And then?”

He kept his gaze on her the whole time and didn’t look away.

She was calm, “One night, I didn’t lock the door. Zeng Zhili came to my room in the middle of the night.”

The intention of a man with bad character entering a girl’s room at night went without saying.

“The scar on his head was from something I smashed on him. He attempted to rape me and was sentenced to three years.”

Only three years.

Wen Changling’s lips curved slightly, her smile faint, “But after that, he got in trouble again in prison and ended up serving seven years before being released.”

Xie Shang just listened, not asking further. He didn’t like digging too deep, which was very much like his uncle. It was enough for Wen Changling to talk about what she was willing and able to share.

He refilled her tea.

The hawthorn tea was sour and sweet, which was to her liking.

After the second cup, her mood improved, “I’ll tell you a secret.”

She beckoned with her hand.

Xie Shang cooperatively leaned in.

She whispered very softly, “That night, I deliberately didn’t lock the door and intentionally placed a trophy by the head of the bed.”

Zeng Zhili thought he had everything figured out, with only heaven and earth knowing who was harming whom. But now, Xie Shang also knew.

The two were so close that Xie Shang could touch Wen Changling’s head.

He reached out and patted it, “Very impressive.”

Wen Changling stared at him blankly, as it had been a long time since anyone had praised her.

He naturally withdrew his hand, leaned back, and reopened the distance between them, “Despite being so capable, why resolve issues with such a crude method as hitting someone?”

Wen Changling was not a clumsy or rash person; on the contrary, she was very smart. Xie Shang had always known she was bold and strategic, simply appearing compliant.

“I didn’t hit him to solve a problem.”

“For what, then?”

“For my own relief, to let out the frustration that was choking me.”

It was like how some people cry not to solve a problem. Humans are emotional beings, and there are times when they don’t want to hold back.

Of course, she didn’t rashly start hitting someone. She had tracked Zeng Zhili for an entire day, choosing the right moment—

when Zeng Zhili had had a few drinks and was dizzy.

She also chose the right place—in a corner so deserted not even dogs would go there.

“I had planned the route perfectly, so I wouldn’t be caught on camera.”

She had even borrowed a sack and wore it while hitting him. With a raincoat and a mask, it should have been foolproof.

“Then how did you get caught?”

She was extremely annoyed, even a bit angry with herself, “I got lost while escaping.” Because it was a route she was unfamiliar with.

Xie Shang: “...”

Just then, Xie Shang’s phone rang, momentarily easing the sudden and awkward silence.

“I need to take this call.”

It was Gu Yihuan calling, and as soon as Xie Shang answered, a wave of resentment rolled through the phone, “Why did you leave me behind?”

Xie Shang held the phone a little further away, “Has Lawyer Chen arrived?”

Gu Yihuan’s questioning was thunderous, “Why did you leave me behind?”

Xie Shang said, “I sent Lawyer Chen.”

When he went to negotiate a settlement with Zeng Zhili, he thought of Gu Yihuan and called a lawyer for him.

Gu Yihuan didn’t understand, wouldn’t forgive, wouldn’t let go, and wouldn’t relent, “Why did you leave me behind?”

Xie Shang didn’t explain, “Have you finished the procedures?”

The other side roared like an enraged dragon, “Why did you leave me behind!!!”

“With such a loud voice, you must have finished the procedures.”

Having finished, Gu Yihan had come out, paid the money, and had also been severely mocked by the fat man. None of that was the point; the point was that the brother he considered as close as blood had abandoned him.

If this were a romantic relationship, it would be considered betrayal, infidelity.

Gu Yihuan took a deep breath but was still very upset, “Don’t think you can change the subject!”

“I have an urgent matter.”

Brush off!

Gu Yihuan pressed on, “What could possibly be more urgent than my situation?”

“Serious business.”

Brush off!

Gu Yihuan, livid, “I don’t believe you.”

“Xiao Huan.”

Xie Shang’s tone changed, sinking lower, “Stop making a fuss.”

Xie Shang and Gu Yihuan didn’t share a drop of blood, with no relation going back for generations. But Gu Yihuan always felt a kind of pressure as if from blood ties.

Even a justified cause seemed unjustified; he dared not retort, not at all.

Xie Shang said, “Don’t resort to violence so casually next time.” This sentence had an admonishing tone.

Gu Yihuan’s attitude became more obedient, “Got it.”

Wen Changling, who had taken a seat, thought he was speaking to her and also obediently agreed, “Got it.”

Xie Shang hung up the phone, “I wasn’t talking about you.”