The scene before them was extremely bizarre.
Sima Yucheng, a man over 1.8 meters tall, sat on the ground and cried loudly, attracting the attention and pointing fingers of many onlookers.
Everyone thought that Fu Jingshu and Shen Qingqing had bullied him.
Shen Qingqing lowered her voice and asked, "What are you doing? You're all grown up, why are you crying?"
Sima Yucheng's tears poured down like a waterfall, despair already filling his heart. "I have no way out now, and I can't cry? What right do you have to stop me from crying? This is too much!"
Shen Qingqing's expression was hard to describe. "You were quite arrogant before, how come you're..."
Sima Yucheng remained silent, weeping mournfully.
Shen Qingqing: "..."
His persona had completely collapsed!
Fu Jingshu, unable to bear it any longer, directly grabbed Sima Yucheng and pulled him up. His cold gaze swept across the surroundings. A chill spread through the crowd, and they quickly turned to leave.
Some excitement was best not to witness.
At the cafe.
Fu Jingshu and Shen Qingqing sat by the window, opposite Sima Yucheng, who had stopped crying but wore a blank, despairing expression.
Shen Jinxi pouted, disdainfully remarking, "Such a big man, crying like that."
He clutched his mother's sleeve and said proudly,
"I'm not crying anymore!"
Shen Qingqing ruffled his hair and praised, "Yes, Xixi is the best."
Sima Yucheng had also calmed down by now. He looked at her numbly, "If you have something to say, just say it."
He finally understood that with Fu Jingshu present, he would never be able to lay a hand on Shen Qingqing. Now, even his last chance for revenge was gone.
He was restless.
Shen Qingqing ordered a piece of cake and placed it in front of Shen Jinxi. Watching Xixi eat obediently and attentively, she nodded with satisfaction and turned to look at Sima Yucheng.
"Now that things have come to this, you should know what I want, right?"
Sima Yucheng was silent for a moment, then said, "I can't tell you."
Shen Qingqing rested her chin on her hands. "Why? Are you still planning to help Fu Tingyi even now?"
Sima Yucheng lowered his head slightly and looked at the coffee on the table. The coffee smelled rich and mellow, but he didn't want to drink a drop. "All my debts are from him. He controls me now, so I can't betray him and tell you the information you want."
He paused, then changed his tone.
"Unless, you promise me one thing."
"Help you pay off your debts?"
Shen Qingqing's words hit the mark, revealing his true intentions.
Sima Yucheng stiffened for a moment, then decided to go all in. "Yes. As you know, given my current situation, I can't possibly repay my debts. If you help me clear my debts, I can tell you where Fu Tingyi is."
Shen Qingqing tapped her cheek, contemplating for a moment.
She remained silent, and Sima Yucheng's heart grew anxious. If Shen Qingqing refused, he would have no bargaining chips left.
With so many debts, he simply couldn't repay them...
Shen Qingqing looked up, her gaze fixed on him.
Sima Yucheng's scalp tingled. "You don't agree?"
Shen Qingqing chuckled lightly. "You haven't done anything yet, and you're already asking me to pay off your debts. There's no such thing as a free lunch under the sky."
Sima Yucheng gritted his teeth, knowing that she wanted him to show sincerity first. But if he revealed the information, he would have nothing left.
Seeing his indecision, Shen Qingqing was not in a hurry.
"Take your time to think. I'm not in a hurry. I have plenty of time."
"Aren't you worried about Chenchen?" Sima Yucheng couldn't understand how, as a mother, she could remain so calm.
Shen Qingqing smiled but said nothing.
This game of chess against Fu Tingyi was about strategy and a battle of wits.
Whoever lost their composure first would lose.
Sima Yucheng, of course, couldn't comprehend it. If it were him, with his most important person held captive, he would have panicked long ago. He once again felt the formidable nature of this woman. "I can tell you now, but you must first help me resolve my current problems."
After being kicked out of his home by Sima Feng, he was penniless and had nowhere to live.
Shen Qingqing nodded. "Agreed. I can arrange whatever you need right now, but don't forget what you promised me."
Sima Yucheng took a deep breath. "Okay."
Perhaps knowing he had no other choice, Sima Yucheng no longer hesitated or bargained. He led Shen Qingqing to a remote hillside in the eastern suburbs.
"Are you sure Fu Tingyi lives here?"
Shen Qingqing sat in the car, looking at the desolate hills outside. It was a barren area. She had heard of a villa complex here before, but due to the unfavorable terrain, the courtyards would flood every time it rained. Then, at some point, a terrifying legend began to circulate.
It was said that there were women's cries in the middle of the night, and people gradually moved away.
This land was then left abandoned.
With such rumors, no one would be willing to redevelop it. It would surely be a loss, and businessmen were shrewd.
Sima Yucheng looked towards the hillside and could vaguely see the roofs of the villas from there. "It's precisely because of the rumors here that he lives here, so he won't be discovered or suspected."
"That makes sense."
Shen Qingqing opened the car door and got out.
Fu Jingshu also got out, followed by Sima Yucheng. As for Shen Jinxi, he had been sent home before they came.
"In about ten minutes, Officer Wang should be here."
Shen Qingqing glanced at her watch. Before coming, she had called Officer Wang, who had said he would rush over immediately. But now, it seemed they had arrived faster.
"Should we wait for them?"
Sima Yucheng had heard Shen Qingqing's familiar tone when speaking to Officer Wang and could only give a bitter smile.
The fact that Shen Qingqing could so easily persuade the officer to mobilize showed how much Officer Wang trusted her. She even had such good relations with the police...
No wonder he had no chance of winning.
Shen Qingqing thought for a moment. She couldn't wait any longer, so she said, "Let's go in first."
She led the way, with Fu Jingshu closely following. Sima Yucheng gritted his teeth and followed them inside.
The villa was the opposite of what they expected; there weren't many guards, and it was remarkably quiet.
The three of them stood in the woods. Sima Yucheng whispered, "I've been inside before. Fu Tingyi is here, with a young woman. That woman is very smart; sometimes, Fu Tingyi has to ask her for advice."
"A woman? What does she look like? How old is she?" Shen Qingqing turned to him.
This question stumped Sima Yucheng. "I really don't know. I've never seen that woman. She never appears."
"Then how do you know it's a young woman?"
"I've only heard her voice. I've heard Fu Tingyi talking to her. Judging by her voice, she should be a young woman. But I don't know anything else. Fu Tingyi is very protective of her and doesn't let me see her."
Sima Yucheng had been curious before.
But Fu Tingyi discovered it and issued a warning, so he had to suppress his curiosity.
Shen Qingqing mused thoughtfully.