But then I thought, no! There's still a chance!
If Yang Yuanyuan doesn't answer, I can call Shen Mengqing! As long as she's willing to pick up.
With that thought, I didn't waste a second. I quickly pressed Shen Mengqing's phone number on the screen and called her directly.
The moment the call connected, Zhang Jingxuan's song "Kiss Me So Real" instantly blared from the earpiece.
No matter how I think about it, I feel hypocritical
Accompanying you for so long, you say it's suffering
From the past to the present, who do you think I am?
You fickle butterfly
Last night, I was drunk with you, hurting my heart
You say I don't deserve you
Completely forgetting why in the past
You could be intimate with me all night
Kissing you, kissing you, kissing you, kissing you so real
Making me mistake false affections for the most genuine kiss...
The more I listened, the heavier my heart became.
It wasn't because of the lyrics, but because...
Big sister! Pick up the phone!
If you don't want to answer, just hang up like Yang Yuanyuan and give me a clean break, alright?
Just as the song was nearing its end, and I was about to be driven mad by it...
"Hello, who is this?"
The moment Shen Mengqing's voice reached my ears, I felt as if I had been nourished by heavenly dew. I instantly came back to life.
"Mengqing jie, it's me!"
Hearing my voice, Shen Mengqing was startled for a moment, then she asked, "Did you change your number?"
"No!" After a swift denial, I quickly said in a solemn tone, "Mengqing jie, no matter how busy you are right now, please put down what you're doing and give me three minutes!"
"Only three minutes? No way, little brother?!"
"If I remember correctly, you're only in your early twenties, how can you be so useless?"
Shen Mengqing, as always, started to joke.
Ignoring Shen Mengqing's teasing, I continued in a very serious tone, "Mengqing jie, what I'm about to tell you might sound shocking, but please believe me!"
"Because you once said that I... am someone you personally chose!"
Sensing that my tone was a little off, Shen Mengqing immediately calmed down and said, "Okay! Speak!"
After taking a deep breath, I recounted everything that happened on the gambling ship, without omitting any details...
I thought Shen Mengqing would ask me some questions after listening, but to my surprise, she simply said, "I believe you!"
Hearing this, I was stunned.
Honestly, before calling Shen Mengqing, I had simulated many possible reactions from her in my mind.
There was doubt, skepticism, accusations of me being a liar, and threats of punishment... all of them negative.
I had never once considered that she would, without a second thought, definitively say she believed me.
In the treacherous world of the Qianmen, truly gaining someone's trust was a pipe dream!
Just as I was reflecting inwardly, I suddenly heard Shen Mengqing say, "Chen Xiang, I believe you!"
"No more talking, I'll call Xiao Yuan right now to explain things for you!"
"Based on my understanding of Xiao Yuan, she's someone who values factual evidence and is unlikely to blindly believe the gambling ship's one-sided story."
"Of course, if you want to completely clear your name, the best way is to find that Kang Muru and hand him over to Xiao Yuan yourself!"
"However, doing so... would undoubtedly be equivalent to declaring war on the Ying family!"
"Once the 'killing fish' scheme is exposed, regardless of whether Ying Baolin was aware of it, or how he handles his subordinates, at least you, an outsider... he will definitely move against you!"
"Because your actions have touched upon Ying Baolin, and the face of the Ying family!"
Hearing this, I couldn't help but laugh.
"Heh heh! Do all these respectable people think that face is more important than the truth!?"
When Shen Mengqing heard my cold and angry tone on the other end of the phone, she immediately didn't know how to respond.
And so, Shen Mengqing and I suddenly fell into a silent impasse.
After about two or three minutes...
"Sigh!"
With a sigh, Shen Mengqing said softly, "What a stubborn little brother!"
"In the adult world, the truth... is only firmly controlled by the victor!"
"Look at the character 'xiang' in 'truth' (相). When you break it down, it's a 'wood' (木) and an 'eye' (目). Do you know what that means?"
Ignoring my continued silence, Shen Mengqing spoke to herself, "There's a piece of wood in front of the eye, isn't that the meaning of 'a leaf blocking the eye'? (一叶障目)"
"With the eyes blocked by wood, what truth can anyone see!?"
"So, little brother, don't be angry!"
"Hurry up and become stronger! When your strength fully matches this world, the so-called truth, all truths... will be redefined and rewritten because of you!"
"What you see is the truth!"
"What you say is the truth!"
"What you think is the truth!"
Shen Mengqing's words deeply touched me, so much so that I needed time to digest and calm the shock within me.
After a simple acknowledgment, I hung up the phone.
Returning the phone to Cheng Minglang, I stood up directly from the life raft, then turned and looked towards the distant twinkling lights, which symbolized hope.
That was the location of the gambling ship.
Enveloped by starlight and light, the gambling ship, though filled with song and dance, harbored filth and hidden dangers.
Irony! It was sheer, naked irony!
Seeing my troubled expression and silence, Cheng Minglang and the others didn't try to talk to me. Instead, they focused on their tasks, rowing towards the riverbank.
...
The next morning, around ten o'clock.
Han Jinlun drove an Enclave, bringing me, Cheng Minglang, and Xianyu to the entrance of a detached villa on the outskirts of Wenzhou.
The owner of this villa was none other than Yang Yuanyuan.
Last night, Shen Mengqing called me back, this time on Cheng Minglang's phone.
In the call, Shen Mengqing told me that Yang Yuanyuan's reaction was almost exactly as she had predicted. While she didn't believe the gambling ship's side of the story, she also didn't believe what Shen Mengqing said.
Later, with Shen Mengqing's repeated guarantees, Yang Yuanyuan agreed to give me a chance to explain in person.
So, after agreeing on a time, I had Han Jinlun drive me over.
The reason I brought Xianyu along was that he was also a witness, of sorts.
At least when Kang Muru blocked my path and said those things to me, Xianyu was hiding in a corner and listening.
Regardless of how much suspicion those words could clear, it was better than nothing.
After meeting Shen Mengqing outside the villa, I followed her inside.
Whether this visit would lead to reconciliation or a deepening of misunderstanding, I had no idea...