Chapter 166

Chapter 166 - 166 159 Xie Shang is discharged from the hospital Chapter 166: 159: Xie Shang is discharged from the hospital, Changling’s true profession is (second update) Chapter 166: 159:

Xie Shang is discharged from the hospital, Changling’s true profession is (second update) In the afternoon, Gu Kaiyun arrived at the hospital.

“Xu Zhonghan was caught last night.”

Gu Yihuan had a crick in his neck from sleeping on the couch, so he had a folding bed brought over. He sat up from the bed, “Did the police find evidence?”

Xie Shang put down his book, not continuing the conversation, listening.

“They found fingerprints,” Gu Kaiyun said, “He confessed to the Lotus Pond Street case, admitted to tampering with your car, but he didn’t point fingers at Pang Shifang.”

As expected.

Xie Shang had looked into Xu Zhonghan before.

Xu Zhonghan’s upbringing was complicated; he lost his father at a young age, and his mother remarried three times. The first two stepfathers died in accidents, and after his mother spent all the insurance money, she married again. His last stepfather and his mother were burned to death in a fire he set, and he wasn’t yet of age at the time.

Another incident occurred with Xu Zhonghan in elementary school. A boy in his class lost an eye to fireworks, and several people said it was Xu Zhonghan who exploded the handheld fireworks. Only one classmate claimed it wasn’t Xu Zhonghan, and that person was Pang Shifang.

Whether it was actually Xu Zhonghan or not was unknown.

“Xiao Huan, go wash the fruit.”

“Oh.”

Gu Yihuan put down his gaming device and went to wash the fruit.

After sending Gu Yihuan away, Gu Kaiyun asked Xie Shang alone, “Before you got into the car, did you really not know that your car had been tampered with?”

“I didn’t.”

“Every time you raced before, you would check your car first.”

Xie Shang picked up the book again, the same “Hungry Town,” his fingers flipping through the pages, “I forgot this time.”

He definitely didn’t forget.

Gu Kaiyun knew Xie Shang too well; he was always meticulous and careful, it wasn’t like him to be negligent.

At the end of September, the old sweet osmanthus tree in Granny Zhu’s yard finally blossomed. The branches were wrapped too tightly by Hooked Cymbidium vines, resulting in fewer and later blooms than in previous years.

Wen Changling had the day off today and thought of picking some flowers to make sweet osmanthus tea for Granny Zhu.

“Changling.”

“Yes?” She was moving a ladder.

Granny Zhu, carrying a thermos, came out of the kitchen, “I’m going to the hospital to bring Boss Xie some chicken soup. Are you coming?”

She looked over, and after a few seconds, “I’m not going.”

Sister Tao was waiting at the gate; she would go with Granny Zhu.

“Changling has been acting strange these past few days, like when she first moved in, hardly speaking,” Sister Tao asked Granny Zhu, “Did she break up with Boss Xie?”

“I don’t think so.”

Just last night, she saw Wen Changling going to Xie Shang’s courtyard. Xie Shang wasn’t there, and she didn’t know what Wen Changling went there for.

To water the plants.

Xie Shang’s potted plants were nearly dying of thirst. Wen Changling also went there tonight, not through the main door, but climbing over with a ladder. Xie Shang had a few very valuable and delicate plants that needed to be watered—not too much and best done morning and evening in small quantities.

Such a hassle, just like the old Xie Shang.

“Meow.”

Huahua suddenly popped her head out from behind the flower rack.

Wen Changling picked her up, “Little traitor, why did you come here too?”

The little traitor: “Meow.”

“Did you lead Xie Shang to the second floor or not?”

“Meow.”

“Aren’t you smart? I took you to the second floor to learn the way, so why run over here?” Wen Changling gently sprayed her with the watering can, “Traitor.”

The traitor ran off.

Wen Changling intentionally hadn’t locked the door, as it was time to end things.

The next day was October 1st, and Wen Changling went to work as usual. After Pang Shifang was arrested, she stopped asking her driver to pick her up. Due to the holiday, the streets were jammed solid with traffic.

The driver was on the phone with his home, “Wife, you all start eating; don’t wait for me. I’m stuck in traffic.” After hanging up, the driver took two packets of biscuits from the glove box, offering one to Wen Changling, “Want some?”

She accepted, “Thank you.”

“Looks like we’ll be stuck for a while,” the chatty driver said, “it’s always like this during the National Day. There’s nothing much to do in the capital, just a lot of people on the streets. Young lady, you’re not from the capital, are you?”

“No.”

Passing the time, the driver asked, “Where are you from, then?”

“Fragrant City.”

“Fragrant City, that’s nice—beautiful mountains and clear waters, great place to retire.”

The traffic light ahead was jammed, cars couldn’t move, and they were right in front of a mall entrance. The mall’s display was showing the latest technological news.

[Led by Eastern Automobile, with Huaqi Technology as a member of the consortium, they have obtained the “Intelligent Network-

Connected Vehicle Road Test Notification” for the autonomous driving demonstration zone issued by the traffic management bureau of the public security, and have achieved road test license plates. They will soon start unmanned autonomous driving tests within designated times and routes in Jingmen District.]

Huaqi Technology.

It had been a long time since Wen Changling heard these four words; they felt somewhat unfamiliar.

The driver sighed, “In the future, with advanced technology, cars won’t need drivers. Us old drivers will all be left out in the cold.”

It won’t be that fast.

The country’s policies on autonomous driving were not yet fully liberalized, and automotive intelligence and driverless services were not internationally competitive. What Huaqi Technology was really working on was a new type of driver-assist system.

Wen Changling had seen the startup document for this project.

After being stuck in traffic for over an hour, by the time they reached Lotus Pond Street, it was already dark. Wen Changling pushed open the door and was firstly greeted by the fragrance of osmanthus. The yard was illuminated, and a figure was squatting beside the old bamboo bed, feeding a cat.

Wen Changling stopped in her tracks.

He looked up, “Did you get caught in traffic?”

It was Xie Shang, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

Wen Changling couldn’t remember how many days it had been.

“When did you get discharged?”

“This morning,” Xie Shang approached, “Did you have dinner yet?”

“No.”

A few petals of sweet osmanthus had fallen on his shoulder.

Wen Changling stared at them, noticing he seemed thinner. Were the doctors at the city hospital not skilled enough? He still looked like he was recovering from a serious illness.