Tang Zhe hurried to Shen Yue's side. Shen Yue made space for him to sit.
"Why didn't you reply when I messaged you before? And it was Bai Bo who sent you home after that birthday banquet, why didn't you tell me? Do you know how long I've been looking for you? What happened?"
A series of questions were laced with resentment, but more so with intense worry.
Ever since the driver told him that Bai Bo had taken Shen Yue home, Tang Zhe had tried to contact Shen Yue, but his calls went unanswered, his messages ignored, and even investigations yielded no trace.
It was as if the living person had vanished into thin air.
It was only when Shen Yue suddenly called him that he finally saw her.
This made Tang Zhe both angry and resentful, only regretting why Shen Yue hadn't called him sooner? Why hadn't she reassured him first?
Did Shen Yue even know... he had been going crazy looking for her?
Clearly, Shen Yue did not.
Tang Zhe looked at her eagerly and with confusion, waiting anxiously for an answer.
Shen Yue had no choice. Tang Zhe's contact information had been quietly deleted by Wei Jingzhou, and Wei Jingzhou kept such a close watch that she had no opportunity to get out.
In the end, she had to secretly find an old friend to get Tang Zhe's contact information.
Shen Yue looked at him quietly and stated her purpose directly.
"Do you remember what you promised me before?"
Tang Zhe clenched his fingers, suppressing his overwhelming emotions, and took a breath, "I remember. I've already investigated."
Shen Yue asked, "Who is it?"
Tang Zhe paused, "It's... Lin Xiaojun."
The unfamiliar name made Shen Yue pause. Soon, Tang Zhe took out his phone and opened WeChat. There was a photo sent by the investigator.
The familiar face instantly made Shen Yue remember who it was.
It was the girl who had hit her with a volleyball, causing her nose to bleed.
Shen Yue stared at the person in the photo, "Was everything instigated by her? Give me all the information."
Tang Zhe hesitated, then asked nervously, "How do you want to resolve this?"
Shen Yue showed no expression. "Call the police. She should face legal sanctions."
Tang Zhe did not agree immediately. Instead, he fidgeted with his fingers, looking cautiously at the girl's expression.
"Can... can we not call the police?"
Shen Yue did not expect him to say that. She paused, then stared at him in silence.
Tang Zhe became flustered under her gaze, growing more uneasy. He hurriedly explained the reason.
"This, this Lin Xiaojun's father was our family's driver. In a car accident, Lin Xiaojun's father died protecting my father. Our family owes her a life. I, I can't send her to prison with my own hands."
The girl did not show any extreme reaction. Instead, she seemed to understand. No wonder she couldn't find anything when she investigated herself. Even if she found a clue, it would be covered by an invisible hand. It was as if everyone saw Zhuang Wan'er's suicide as due to public pressure.
But Shen Yue had clearly seen Zhuang Wan'er's wrists on the rooftop, covered in scars that were shocking.
This was not a simple suicide, but homicide.
She just asked faintly.
"Then why are you telling me this?"
If he really wanted to protect Lin Xiaojun, there would be no need to tell her the truth.
The reason Tang Zhe told the girl was simply because he had promised her, so he wouldn't break his word. And he had never expected that the final culprit would be Lin Xiaojun.
That girl who didn't seem to talk much.
At the time, he knew the truth and was conflicted, but he really couldn't bear to see Lin Xiaojun go to prison, and the Tang family wouldn't stand by either.
As long as Zhuang Wan'er's matter wasn't investigated deeply, almost no one would know. Everyone would just think she jumped to her death due to public pressure.
Tang Zhe considered himself not a good person, and he never felt guilty. This matter was so trivial that it would barely register in his mind, but facing Shen Yue, he couldn't help but reveal emotions he had never shown before.
Tang Zhe didn't dare to look into Shen Yue's eyes and said guiltily, "I, I promised you before, so I won't go back on my word. As for Zhuang Wan'er's matter, please don't pursue it further. And Zhuang Wan'er's parents have also received benefits."
If even her own parents weren't pursuing it, Shen Yue had no reason to pursue it further.
Shen Yue truly didn't know what to say at this moment.
Should she say Tang Zhe was naive, or cruel?
Tang Zhe waited for a moment. Not hearing the girl speak, he couldn't help but look up, only to see Shen Yue's gaze so cold, as if she was seeing him for the first time as this kind of person.
With just this simple look, Tang Zhe felt like he could barely breathe, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.
An almost frantic emotion made Tang Zhe feel lost.
He forced a smile, intending to say something but was interrupted.
"How lightly do you speak of a living human life?"
Tang Zhe's face turned pale. His heart, usually confident and devoid of sympathy, felt a pang of guilt.
He wasn't guilty towards anyone else, only towards the girl.
The girl's pale face was like falling snow, forever out of reach. Her delicate, slender eyebrows, like ink strokes, seemed to be covered in a layer of frost, chillingly sharp.
"Even if she owed you a favor, what does that have to do with me? Lin Xiaojun is a murderer, and you are an accessory protecting a murderer. There is no difference between the two of you."
The girl wore a scarf, its soft white fluff looking pleasant to touch, snugly covering her neck and chin. Her delicate and beautiful face was like a lotus on a glacier, beautiful but piercingly cold.
It pierced Tang Zhe, but he was still a young master of high standing. He disliked his beloved girl using such harsh words on him.
He shouted angrily, "Don't speak so harshly. If I truly wanted to protect her, would I tell you? I could just find someone to fob you off. Besides, even Zhuang Wan'er's family isn't pursuing it, so why are you making such a fuss?"
After saying this, Tang Zhe regretted it a little, but he still held his head high, not showing it.
He tried to look at Shen Yue righteously, but his eyes kept flashing with guilt.
After staring for a while, he felt, whether it was an illusion or not, that Shen Yue, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, had changed.