"A necklace? This size? And identical conch pearls?" Xue Manting's face broke into an incredulous smile, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.
To her surprise, Lin Xingwan nodded affirmatively. "Mm."
"Impossible! A bracelet of conch pearls like this is already top-notch. If it were a necklace, how many years would that take to gather?" Xue Manting laughed even louder, but suddenly her laughter stopped, as if she had thought of something, and her expression instantly turned cold. "Unless..."
Before Xue Manting could finish, the sound of a lock being opened echoed from outside the corridor.
Accompanied by an extremely sharp voice, both women turned their gaze to the man entering.
"Miss Lin—"
Lin Xingwan looked at Dongfang Junze, guessing that his arrival now was likely related to last night's events.
Xue Manting's probing gaze fell upon the masked man. Although he was dressed in a suit like Su Mòyáo, this man's aura was overwhelmingly formidable and chilling.
Xue Manting immediately analyzed: this was an Emperor Lord, infinitely more terrifying and powerful than Su Mòyáo.
Even though Xue Manting was usually so high-profile and flamboyant, upon seeing this masked man, her expression immediately became cautious and reserved.
"Mr. Dongfang, regarding last night's incident, what is the situation today?" Lin Xingwan inquired.
"You can leave the detention center." Zhou Jinbai looked at the woman before him, feeling that she had become thinner recently. Even though only a few hours had passed since last night, it felt as if she had lost more weight.
"The truth has already been investigated?" Lin Xingwan's beautiful eyes widened, filled with excitement. "This investigation speed is too fast!"
With both surveillance cameras destroyed, Lin Xingwan had already prepared herself to take the blame. But who could have imagined that the truth would be revealed in just one night?
"The perpetrator turned himself in," Zhou Jinbai explained.
Such good fortune?
"Turned himself in? Who would want to harm our Lin Group like this?" Lin Xingwan pressed.
"Chéng Yǎn Zé!"
The man enunciated each syllable. Lin Xingwan froze upon hearing this, almost unable to believe her ears.
"You... you said who the perpetrator was?"
After speaking, Lin Xingwan held her breath, her ears perked, listening intently.
"Chéng Yǎn Zé!" The same cold voice, tinged with disdain and mockery.
"How could it be him? Impossible, he couldn't have done such a thing." Lin Xingwan's chest heaved violently. She found this answer utterly preposterous.
What motive could Cheng Yanze possibly have to harm the Lin family's company?
Zhou Jinbai remained silent, feeling a pang of jealousy in his heart.
His wife could trust Cheng Yanze so much, why couldn't she trust him more?
Moreover, she had proposed divorce to him last night, causing him to lose sleep all night.
"It seems you'll be leaving soon, and I'll be left alone in this room again. It's fine, it's fine, you go ahead. When I get out, I'll come find you to play."
Xue Manting's tone was full of regret, but when her gaze fell upon the man before her, her tone became cautious. "Mr. Dongfang, my name is Xue Manting, the eldest daughter of the Xue family."
Xue Manting was not foolish. When Lin Xingwan addressed the man before her as 'Mr. Dongfang,' she had already guessed his identity.
Bearing the surname 'Dongfang,' and a man of extraordinary bearing wearing a mask, he must be Dongfang Junze, the newly appointed CEO of the Dongfang Conglomerate.
She felt a sense of wistfulness that their first meeting was in a detention center.
After all, among the four great families of Yanjing, the Dongfang family was the leader. Only with the protection of a powerful entity like the Dongfang family could they prosper.
And their Xue family, having offended the Dongfang family in that incident, was now living a difficult life.
Although it was an affair from the previous generation, after so many years, the Xue family had been surviving in the cracks.
If she could gain the favor of the new master of the Dongfang family, the Xue family could regain its former glory.
With this thought, Xue Manting's fox-like eyes sparkled.
Zhou Jinbai merely cast a cold glance at Xue Manting, nodding slightly as a response.
Yet, even such a perfunctory response was enough to make Xue Manting excited.
"I'm leaving now." Lin Xingwan said this to Xue Manting before hurrying out.
Of course, she was also calling Cheng Yanze as she walked.
She truly couldn't convince herself of Cheng Yanze's motive for framing her.
Unless... Hao Manqing could be a plausible reason.
And Cheng Yanze, could he be taking the blame for his mother?
Thinking of this possibility, Lin Xingwan felt that Cheng Yanze was being foolish!
He cared for his family, cherished his family, which was a normal thing.
But if Hao Manqing was indeed the one who did this, Cheng Yanze shouldn't be taking the blame for Hao Manqing.
The call was quickly connected. Before Lin Xingwan could speak, Cheng Yanze's hoarse and tired voice came from the other end. "I'm outside the detention center. You can tell me whatever you need to say once you're out."
Lin Xingwan even quickened her pace, running directly outside.
Zhou Jinbai, following behind her, felt a sourness in his heart that was almost radiating from his body.
At this moment, countless dark and obsessive thoughts flashed through his mind, wishing he could lock this woman in a room and possess her all to himself.
#TheHeaven-SentCan'tCompareToChildhoodSweetheartsSeries#
Soon, Lin Xingwan rushed to the entrance of the detention center.
Cheng Yanze was there with his parents. Behind Cheng Yanze, there were three police cars and more than a dozen uniformed officers.
Lin Xingwan stopped about two meters away from Cheng Yanze. The man before her looked haggard, especially his eyes, which usually held arrogance and intelligence, now devoid of all their brilliance.
He appeared numb and indifferent. He forced a smile, but it was more unsightly than crying.
Hao Manqing, standing beside Cheng Yanze, had swollen, tear-filled eyes. Cheng Zhiyuan's eyes were also red.
"Cheng Yanze—"
"I want to speak with you alone."
Lin Xingwan and Cheng Yanze spoke at the same time. Compared to Lin Xingwan's nervous and confused feelings, Cheng Yanze seemed more like a calm acceptance after despair.
"What is it? Can't you say it in front of us?" Zhou Jinbai, who had come out with Lin Xingwan, was clearly displeased. Cheng Yanze had not only monopolized his wife's youth but now wanted to whisper secrets to her in front of him.
This was unbearable!
"Mr. Dongfang, some things truly cannot be said in front of you." Lin Xingwan was very resistant to Dongfang Junze's possessiveness. They had no relationship now, yet he was meddling so much; it was very off-putting.
Dongfang Junze: "..."
He felt an urge to switch back to his alt account immediately.
In the end, Dongfang Junze could only helplessly watch his wife and Cheng Yanze walk away in a certain direction.
"Cheng Yanze, last night's incident was done by your mother." Lin Xingwan said with absolute certainty.
Cheng Yanze did not deny it. Lin Xingwan looked at the man before her, a feeling of disappointment that he was not living up to his potential engulfing all her reason. "Then why are you taking the blame for your mother? Your mother caused the deaths of over twenty people this time, and several are still in the hospital receiving treatment. If you go to jail, your life will be ruined."
Cheng Yanze gave a bitter smile. How could he not understand Lin Xingwan's words?
But that was his mother. Could he just watch her grow old and die in prison?
His insistence was his last act of repaying their parental kindness, allowing Hao Manqing to reflect on the consequences of her stubbornness.
"I didn't come here to talk about this with you," Cheng Yanze said with a faint smile, his eyes filled with Lin Xingwan at this moment.
Lin Xingwan frowned but still waited quietly for the man before her to continue.
Cheng Yanze suddenly reached out and ruffled Lin Xingwan's hair. "I'm sorry, Lin Xingwan. I apologize for what my mother did to you in the past. I used to blame you for not telling me these things, but now I understand your feelings. Even if you had told me, I would have chosen my mother, so you not telling me was precisely because you saw through everything. The obsession of these past years has vanished overnight. We shouldn't be together because I don't deserve you.
I am fortunate that we can still remain friends, rather than ending up hating each other after being together and not even being able to be friends. But I truly like you. From the moment I first saw you, I wanted to protect you. From the moment I first felt love, I wanted to marry you. Don't feel awkward about me saying this; I'm just telling you about my belated affection over the years. I won't expect any response, I just want to be true to the self who liked you so much back then. At least my affection deserves to be known.
After today, we won't be able to see each other for a long time, and I won't always know your whereabouts. But I have pre-ordered your birthday gifts from now until you are a hundred years old. May you have peace and joy, success in all your endeavors, and may your years be abundant and cyclical."
After speaking, Cheng Yanze took out a CD the size of his palm from his pocket. Holding Lin Xingwan's hand, he gave her the CD.
"This was the birthday gift I prepared for you after graduating from high school. Unfortunately, I never got to give it to you back then, but now I finally have the chance."
After speaking, Cheng Yanze turned and walked back the way he came.
His heart ached to the point of numbness. Twice he had mustered the courage, only to end up in failure.
If only they had attended the same university.
If only the incident last night hadn't happened when he returned to the country.
But there were no "if onlys."
Lin Xingwan watched Cheng Yanze's lonely and dejected back, and only then did she slowly understand.
She had missed Cheng Yanze twice: once when she was filling out her college applications, she had personally pushed this man away; and once now, she had watched this man go to atone for his mother's debts.
But she did not regret it, only lamenting the twists of fate.
Lin Xingwan watched for a long time until Dongfang Junze's voice reached her ears.
"The police cars are gone, and you still can't take your eyes off them?"
His tone was dripping with jealousy.
Zhou Jinbai felt extremely aggrieved. He had personally seen that kid Cheng Yanze touch his wife's head. Who knew how much he had wanted to chop off that man's hand and feed it to dogs at that moment.
Lin Xingwan glanced at the man beside her, who was speaking sarcastically. She had forgotten why she had admired him so much before.
She even felt... Dongfang Junze was a bit annoying.
Just then, the sound of a roaring sports car came from a distance.
Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai simultaneously turned their gaze to a silver sports car approaching from afar.
In just a few seconds, the sports car pulled up before them, executing a showy, cool spin and brake.
At the same time, the car door slowly lowered, revealing a handsome, alluring face of a masked man.
"Miss Lin, what a coincidence, we meet again." Jia Yanzhen, sitting in the car, gave Lin Xingwan a flirtatious, brilliant smile. From Lin Xingwan's perspective, the parts of his face not covered by sunglasses showed signs of bruising.
Had he been beaten up?
"Where are you going? I'll give you a ride."
After speaking, Jia Yanzhen cast a challenging glance at the man beside Lin Xingwan.
Lin Xingwan didn't want Jia Yanzhen to give her a ride, but she remembered that she needed a car to leave the detention center.
If she refused Jia Yanzhen, she would have to take Dongfang Junze's car.
Lin Xingwan could only nod. "Then I'll trouble you."
Just as Lin Xingwan opened the car door to get in, her arm was grabbed by Dongfang Junze. The man said coldly, "I have a car too. I'll take you wherever you need to go."
"Mr. Dongfang is extremely busy and a very important person. A small matter like giving me a ride can be handled by my friend." Lin Xingwan politely and distantly refused the man beside her, pulled her hand away, and got into Jia Yanzhen's passenger seat.
This made Jia Yanzhen incredibly excited. For the first time in his life, he had so easily snatched something from this man, and the indescribable sense of satisfaction almost overwhelmed him.
Jia Yanzhen drove the sports car around Zhou Jinbai in an extremely arrogant manner before speeding off into the distance.
Zhou Jinbai watched the car disappear from his sight with a dark expression.
Friend?
Heh!
She had known Jia Yanzhen for less than twenty-four hours and was already using the title of "friend" to deceive him!
The main account was not working well; he had to switch back to his alt account immediately.
Inside the car.
Jia Yanzhen, in his good mood, couldn't help but whistle.
He occasionally glanced at Lin Xingwan in the rearview mirror, driving with a blissful expression.
Today's events were enough for him to thoroughly humiliate Zhou Jinbai and brag about it for a lifetime.
"Miss Lin, where do you want to go? I'll take you anywhere."
Lin Xingwan said, "To the Civil Affairs Bureau."
Jia Yanzhen seemed to recall something, his tone a little shy. "Miss Lin, aren't we developing too fast? This is only our second meeting, and you're taking me to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Isn't that a bit rushed?"
Lin Xingwan smiled at Jia Yanzhen. "I'm going to get a divorce."
The car suddenly braked hard. Jia Yanzhen let out a yelp and stammered, "Wh-what? Divorce?"
"Mm," just as Lin Xingwan finished speaking, her phone rang.
It was Zhou Jinbai calling.
Lin Xingwan answered the phone, and Zhou Jinbai's familiar voice came from the other end. "Wife..."
"Zhou Jinbai, I'm waiting for you at the Civil Affairs Bureau for the divorce. I'll wait until you come."