Inside the police station, Ren Yuanying sat in the interrogation room. For the witness's safety, Zhou Ren, sitting opposite her, had his hands cuffed to a fixed iron chair.
On the way, Liu Chen had strategically placed two good luck charms on Ren Yuanying and given her a bottle of Meimei Niu, so Ren Yuanying was in a relatively good state.
However, Zhou Ren, sitting opposite her, was in a rather sorry state. As the mastermind, no one would have sacrificed themselves to protect him during the explosion. Thus, his face and the backs of his hands were scratched by the shattered glass.
After arriving at the police station, to prevent the suspect from contracting tetanus from his wounds, his injuries were treated, but only to that extent.
Since being brought to the police station, due to Zhou Ren's resistance and lack of cooperation, he hadn't even had a sip of water, let alone any food. He had intended to die, so his stomach was empty. Part of the reason he had previously looked up at the interrogating officer and then closed his eyes without speaking was also due to exhaustion from hunger.
Ren Yuanying sat in her chair, looking at Zhou Ren. In fact, she had spent the entire afternoon pondering why Zhou Ren was so adamant that both his children were someone else's.
After all, before they divorced, he had ample opportunity to take the two children for a paternity test.
This was something Ren Yuanying couldn't understand. She had thought she might never have the chance to ask for clarification, but now she did.
Ren Yuanying adjusted her posture, leaning back in her chair with a relaxed expression, and looked down at Zhou Ren, asking him.
“Zhou Ren, I’m very curious about something. Why do you believe both children are not yours? After all, even with the first child, you might have worried I was rushing to find a father. But what about the second child? He was born during our marriage. I practically stayed home and took care of the children every day. Why would you also believe Ren Mo isn’t yours?”
Ren Yuanying's words seemed to pique Zhou Ren's attention. He opened his eyelids, as if rolling his eyes, but Liu Chen couldn't see clearly.
He then spoke:
“It must be that you really are an excellent actress. If someone hadn't tipped me off, I might have truly believed you were dutifully staying home and taking care of the children. But alas, you didn't expect that I would happen to catch you meeting that man privately. Back then, for the sake of our marriage, I let it slide.”
Hearing this, Ren Yuanying's face showed a look of deep thought. After all, Zhou Ren was talking about events from over a decade ago. Without careful recollection, Ren Yuanying couldn't quite recall what Zhou Ren was referring to.
After a few minutes, Ren Yuanying finally managed to dredge up the "affair" scene Zhou Ren mentioned from the depths of her memory, and then she genuinely laughed with anger:
“You mean, you saw me and Xu Ke enter a hotel together? After we were married?”
Seeing that Ren Yuanying could still laugh, Zhou Ren's face contorted with even more disgust. In his eyes, Ren Yuanying was utterly shameless. To be confronted about her extramarital affair after marriage and yet show no shame at all!
“Heh heh, Zhou Ren, Zhou Ren, I suspect I wouldn't know your friend, would I? Oh, let me think. Your friend, wouldn't that be the person who later helped you connect with those foreign forces?”
As Ren Yuanying said this, the gazes of everyone in the surveillance room, separated by the one-way glass, instantly sharpened. Even their breathing slowed, for fear of missing any crucial clues that followed.
As expected, Zhou Ren paused slightly upon hearing Ren Yuanying’s words, then quickly recovered.
“Heh heh, you’re trying to trick me. But you can tell those police officers to give up early. I won't say anything.”
After saying this, Zhou Ren indeed closed his mouth, shut his eyes, and sat in his chair, appearing determined to say nothing further.
However, Ren Yuanying was not deterred by his demeanor. Instead, she continued to voice her deductions.
“Let me guess. Perhaps this person you knew from university. You had a good relationship, so under his comfort, you believed Ren Yu wasn't your biological child. Then, with his help, you discovered my infidelity and began to suspect Ren Mo wasn't yours either.
No, up to this point, it's all been suspicion. You're a timid person. If it were just suspicion, you wouldn't have gotten to the point of divorcing me back then. Unless you had already obtained concrete evidence proving neither child was yours.”
Ren Yu, standing behind Liu Chen, looked at his mother and Zhou Ren through the one-way glass. The conversation between them made him recall something he had seen in his childhood.
He opened his mouth, wanting to tell his mother, but after a quiet scan of the people in the surveillance room, Ren Yu ultimately said nothing.
Meanwhile, in the interrogation room, Ren Yuanying was still deep in thought. The memories of that failed marriage over the years had been deeply buried in her mind. Perhaps at some point, she had doubted herself, thinking she hadn't done enough or done well enough. But now, after truly hearing Zhou Ren’s reason for divorce, Ren Yuanying truly…
Let out a long sigh.
Yes, Ren Yuanying had previously believed it was because she wasn't gentle enough, not considerate enough, or perhaps as Zhou Ren had once said, that she had always been dependent on others.
But now, Ren Yuanying realized that all of that was a lie. The real reason was simply that Zhou Ren’s suspicion had destroyed their marriage.
The knot in her heart that had been tied for years finally unfurled. If they hadn't been in a police interrogation room, Ren Yuanying would have truly wanted to laugh to the heavens!
Although Zhou Ren still hadn't answered her question, Ren Yuanying didn't care. At this moment, she even felt a degree of pity for Zhou Ren.
Ren Yuanying wasn't stupid; she was very intelligent. Therefore, she quickly sensed the hidden truth within this story.
After she and Zhou Ren had a brief encounter, due to the special nature of her family background, Zhou Ren became a target of some foreign forces.
Perhaps at that time, he was merely under observation. But by the time she became pregnant, married Zhou Ren, and had children, Zhou Ren had smoothly become a key development target for them.
And then?
Did they use the incident of her "cheating" on Zhou Ren to successfully persuade him to climb the ranks to get revenge on her family?
And during the process of climbing, Zhou Ren perhaps became accustomed to making deals with the devil.
Thinking of this, Ren Yuanying found Zhou Ren both detestable and pitiful.
He had always believed he was doing the right thing. However, from the moment he began to suspect her, he had already stepped into a trap laid by others.
But who could he blame for that?
Ren Yuanying leaned forward slightly, detaching herself from the back of the chair, and looked at Zhou Ren, smiling.
“Zhou Ren, whether you believe it or not, Ren Yu and Ren Mo are both your children. You can request paternity tests. Of course, you've been arrested now. However, if you wish, I believe you have information the police want to know. As long as you're willing to exchange it, I have no objections.”
After saying this, Ren Yuanying stood up from her chair without regard for Zhou Ren's reaction and walked towards the door, as if she truly had nothing more to say to him.
Ren Yuanying didn't know, but Liu Chen saw it very clearly. After Ren Yuanying got up, Zhou Ren opened his eyes and looked at Ren Yuanying's retreating back with a look of panic.
—
Five days had passed since the bombing. Liu Chen was flying back to Beijing tomorrow. However, apart from today, Liu Chen had spent the previous days in the hospital.
Liu Chen sat on the chaise longue of the sofa in the living room, covered with a thin wool blanket. Ren Yu sat beside her, peeling an orange.
“What happened to the glass shattered by the explosion that day?”
Liu Chen took the orange handed to her by Ren Yu and asked while eating.
Ren Yu got up to wash his hands in the nearby bathroom and replied while drying his hands with a paper towel.
“The compensation will come from Zhou Ren’s savings over the years. His property has also been confiscated and auctioned.”
Hearing this solution, Liu Chen nodded in agreement. After all, the neighbors living near Zhou Ren's house had almost met their demise on the national holiday of National Day. If they were then made to repair their own shattered windows, it would indeed sound rather tragic.
Seeing the agreement on Chenchen's face, Ren Yu couldn't help but smile. He walked behind the sofa where Liu Chen was sitting, bent down, and looked at Liu Chen with a slight tilt of his head.
“After this matter is settled, can you reserve a few days for me for Christmas?”
“Hmm?”
Hearing Ren Yu's voice by her ear, Liu Chen turned her head curiously and saw Ren Yu's enlarged beautiful face up close.
Blinded by this stunning beauty at such close range, Liu Chen even forgot the question she had just heard and instinctively replied:
“Okay.”
“Then it's settled.”
After confirming, Ren Yu seemed to be in a very good mood. In fact, for a period of time afterward, Liu Chen could feel Ren Yu's excellent spirits.
Two and a half months passed. Under the pressure of two paternity test reports, Zhou Ren completely broke down. After two days of shouting and withdrawing into himself, perhaps to retaliate against those who had used him, Zhou Ren actively cooperated with the police investigation.
Due to Zhou Ren's active cooperation and his years of carefulness and discretion, which made the overseas organization extremely trusting of him, the impact was almost devastating.
In less than a day of investigation, the case was directly transferred to the Ministry of State Security. The Ministry of State Security always maintained a high level of confidentiality. Liu Chen dared not inquire, so she simply didn't ask. When the truth of the case was revealed, Ren Yu would definitely tell her.
During this time, Liu Chen's knitted sweater had been replaced by a down jacket and a sweater.
As Christmas approached, Liu Chen began to panic.
Because she completely forgot what Ren Yu had asked her to do for Christmas.
The first semester of the third year of university was packed with courses. Coupled with Liu Chen's commencement of writing her graduation thesis under the guidance of Professor He Long, she felt like a spinning top, moving at full speed.
This continued until the day before Christmas. Christmas Eve in 2010 fell on a Friday, which was good news for Liu Chen, as she still hadn't remembered what Ren Yu had asked her to do for Christmas.
On Christmas Eve afternoon, perhaps to accommodate third-year students, this was likely their last relaxed Christmas. The afternoon class had only one session.
After class, Liu Chen, carrying her backpack, walked towards her dormitory. The clouds were thick today, and the sun couldn't penetrate them, making the air feel frigid.
As she reached the entrance of the dormitory building, Liu Chen spotted Ren Yu standing at the entrance, wearing the same blue down jacket as her.
“Ren Yu? Why didn't you call me?”
Liu Chen asked while pulling out her mobile phone from her down jacket pocket, only to find it had turned off.
“Huh? I still had power, right? Why did it turn off?”
After Liu Chen appeared, Ren Yu’s previously chilling expression finally softened. Hearing Liu Chen's question, he didn't answer immediately but instead wrapped the scarf he was holding around Liu Chen's neck. It was a long wool scarf, looped twice around her neck, with the remaining ends draping over Liu Chen's warm down jacket.
“Maybe it’s because it’s too cold today? It got so cold it turned off?” Liu Chen concluded after turning her phone back on and checking it.
“Chenchen, I’ll wait for you downstairs. Go up and get ready, we're going to Hangzhou for a few days.”
“Oh, okay, okay!”
On the way upstairs, Liu Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief:
“So we're going to Hangzhou…”
Little did Liu Chen know that as she and Ren Yu were flying to Hangzhou with their suitcases, Ren Mo, Sang Ling, Lai Jie Lun, Mi Zhu Zhu, and others were already on a plane to Hangzhou…
—
By the time the plane landed in Hangzhou, it was already 7:30 PM. Fortunately, the two did not have checked luggage and came out of the airport with their small suitcases.
As Liu Chen got into the car, she was surprised to see who was driving.
“Brother Shen Hong? What are you doing in Hangzhou?”
Liu Chen asked as she sat in the second row, towards the rear. Xia Tian then sat in the back, and Dong Tian in the passenger seat.
“There are some matters here that require my personal supervision. Otherwise, if the requirements aren't met, the boss might disown me in a righteous act,” Shen Hong said with a chuckle, quickly turning his head to start the car. "Oh dear, the boss's gaze just now was so scary. I have no doubt that if I accidentally exposed anything, my joke would come true."
As the van drove towards the West Lake, instead of turning, it drove along the road by the West Lake. Liu Chen was still curious:
“Hey? Are we not staying at the same hotel as before this time?”
This time, Shen Hong, who was usually talkative, remained silent. Instead, Ren Yu answered Liu Chen's question:
“Chenchen, I have a surprise for you.”
Liu Chen: ???
The car slowly turned into an open wrought-iron gate by the roadside. As the car drove in, the entire house lit up.
Liu Chen lowered the car window and looked at the illuminated two-story villa, as well as the garden with a swimming pool and what appeared to be a hot spring. She then looked at the four people standing in the yard.
The car stopped at the entrance of the house. Ren Yu got out and then walked around to Liu Chen's side, opened the car door, and took Liu Chen's hand as she stepped out.
“The previous proposal was a bit rushed. I originally intended to propose after the house was ready, but this time it's a make-up.”
Liu Chen looked at the small villa by the West Lake before her, her left hand firmly held by Ren Yu. She took the bouquet of roses handed to her by Mi Zhu Zhu.
“Waaah, Chenchen, you must be happy!”
Taking the bouquet of roses, Liu Chen, in a daze, was led inside by Ren Yu.
As she walked through the main entrance, the world suddenly appeared in varying sizes before Liu Chen's eyes. She blinked. It turned out that tears had welled up without her realizing it.
Perhaps due to her good memory, Liu Chen could recall her requirements for a house by the West Lake that she had told Ren Yu during the summer vacation.
Every single point was exactly as she had said.
When she reached her own study and walked out onto the balcony through the floor-to-ceiling door, Liu Chen discovered that the floor of the balcony was warm.
Liu Chen turned her head to look at Ren Yu standing beside her. Before she could say anything, tears began to stream down her face.
Ren Yu knelt on one knee and took out a dark blue velvet box from his down jacket pocket.
“Chenchen, will you marry me?”
Liu Chen's tears flowed like a faucet turned on, but she still extended her finger and asked the crucial question:
“Don't I already have an engagement ring on?”
Ren Yu smiled, holding the dark blue velvet box in one hand and opening the lid with the other.
Inside was a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond-encrusted bracelet, which sparkled dazzlingly under the colorful lights on the balcony.
Liu Chen was stunned for a moment, then smiled and extended the hand wearing the engagement ring to Ren Yu.
“Yes.”
—The End—