Chapter 106 - 16. Find out the real culprit

He Yi chatted with Madam Yang, and Professor Hua, the wife of Minister Zou, who worked as a university tutor at a famous university.

Chatting with these intelligent women, who were rich in content, culture, and cultivation, also greatly improved her cultivation. He Yi finally understood what a gentle and elegant, modest gentleman was.

‘Gentleman’ did not only refer to men, women could also be called gentlemen, such as Professor Hua. She was the wife of the minister and had an illustrious status. She was also a well-known professor in the academic world.

Professor Hua had her career and circle of friends. She was not a vassal of her husband. Instead, she had her personality and achievements. She exuded the unique elegance and confidence of a middle-aged woman. This elegance was like a gentle jade that was captivating but not dazzling. This confidence was as bright as the moon and not arrogant. Unlike Chu Piaoyun’s arrogance, it truly reflected the intellectual beauty of a woman.

He Yi sighed from the bottom of her heart, “If only I could be like professor Hua when I reach middle age!”

Madam Yang could not help but nod and say, “When you reach middle age, you have your career. Your husband is considerate and your children live up to expectations. This is a woman’s greatest success! I have two things, but unfortunately...” after being married for so many years, she had no children, this was her greatest regret.

Therefore, Madam Yang especially liked Wan Wan. Wan Wan also did not dislike Madam Yang’s deliberate approach, and they hit it off very well.

He Yi suddenly saved herself the trouble and asked, “Why didn’t Vice Minister Fan’s wife come?”

Madam Yang and Professor Hua looked at each other, smiled faintly, and replied, “Maybe she was busy!”

He Yi blinked. Maybe she’s busy. This was probably the best excuse. The two official wives did not explain the reason for Madam Fan’s absence. Their relationship with her was probably very normal.

It seemed that the interpersonal relationship in the officialdom was also very delicate. They were also close and distant.

*

Taking advantage of the little break after the luncheon, He Yi looked for Yu Shujun.

She walked into the reception room and saw Yu Shujun talking to two burly men. The two men nodded. When He Yi walked in, they left.

“Miss He is here. Take a seat!” Yu Shujun said as she sat down and ordered the waiter to make tea.

He Yi frowned because the room smelled of cigarettes. There were a few cigarette butts in the ashtray on the coffee table. It was obvious that someone had just smoked here.

Yu Shujun pursed her lips slightly and asked the waiter to open the door and windows. She said gently, “You can’t get used to the smell of cigarettes, right? A few guests just came. I can’t help it. They are guests, so I can’t forbid them from smoking.”

He Yi didn’t mind, but she didn’t expect Yu Shujun to be so observant. “Sister Yu is too meticulous! I’m not that pampered. Sister Yu is used to the smell of cigarettes, so why can’t I smell It while I’m here?”

“We’re different!” Yu Shujun said half-jokingly and half-seriously “You’re Young Master Yi’s new wife now. How can others not care about the person he pampers in his hands? He’s never willing to smoke in front of you, so of course, I don’t dare to let the smell of other men’s cigarettes touch you!”

He Yi’s eyelids twitched. She felt that the woman in front of her was as meticulous as hair. It was really surprising that she could see such details.

She took the tea and thanked her politely. He Yi took a sip of tea. After calming herself down, she slowly raised her head. “I came to look for sister Yu because I have something to ask her.”

“What is it? As long as I can do it, feel free to ask,” Yu Shujun replied straightforwardly.

“The surveillance video of the Tea room... I don’t know why it was erased. Sister Yu, can you help me find out the reason?” He Yi said as she carefully observed Yu Shujun’s expression.

Yu Shujun seemed to be a little surprised. She quickly called the relevant person-in-charge to inquire about it before she said seriously, “I’ve already sent people to investigate. I’ll tell you when I find out the reason!”

What she meant was that she didn’t know what was going on either.

He Yi had already expected this outcome and smiled faintly, she continued, “Also, I remember that there was an incense burner in the tea room that looked like a copper crane. I don’t know why I can’t find It! If someone were to steal it, there would be many things more valuable than it in the tea room. Why is this item the only thing missing?”

Yu Shujun fluttered her eyelashes in surprise again, seemingly even more surprised. “The incense burner in the tea room? I didn’t pay attention to it! Ask someone who often cleans the tea room!”

“No need to ask! They haven’t seen it before!” He Yi waved her hand and said with a faint smile, “That incense burner only appeared once, in the surveillance video. Unfortunately, the video has been erased!”

Yu Shujun frowned and was somewhat puzzled. “Do you suspect that there’s something wrong with it?”

He Yi couldn’t help but admire Yu Shujun’s shrewdness. Just from the surface, there was indeed no flaw to be seen. She even suspected that she was overthinking things. However, the facts proved that she wasn’t imagining things out of thin air. She had to follow the clues and find out the real culprit behind the rift between her and Yi Liangze.

“There are indeed some suspicious points!” He Yi nodded with a solemn expression. “Qing Xing’s accidental death is a thorn in both my and Liangze’s hearts. Every time we touch it, it hurts. “A weak and strong-willed girl became the victim of our argument for no reason. This is indeed unfair to her. Liangze and I have always felt guilty towards her.”

Yu Shujun sighed softly. “The tea lady’s fate was full of misfortunes. She died from drunk tea and saved her innocent body until her death. It was a worthy death! You don’t have to feel guilty. Liangze won’t feel guilty or anything. You don’t know him well. In fact... He isn’t as weak as you think!”

“After all, it’s a life. We can’t just disappear like this without any reason!” He Yi restrained her emotions very well. Even though this was once a thorn in her heart, she could say it in a calm tone at this moment and solve it rationally. “I suspect that her death is not as simple as it seems on the surface!”

“Oh, Miss He, just say what you want to say!” Yu Shujun maintained her perfect smile, “If you have doubts about the cause of Qing Xing’s death, you can get the police to intervene and investigate. If they find out that she did not commit suicide, but that there was another cause of death, then the guilt in your heart will be reduced by a lot!”

He Yi sensed that Yu Shujun was hiding something. She thought that she was questioning the cause of Qing Xing’s death because she wanted to find an excuse to lessen her guilt.

She stared at Yu Shujun for a while, but she did not give in and looked at her with a polite smile. He Yi admitted that Yu Shujun was very shrewd. She was a woman who was not easy to see through. It wouldn’t be easy for her to get information from her.

After a while, He Yi stood up and bid her farewell. She thanked her.

“You’re welcome.” Yu Shujun stood up to send him off, acting as the host. “If there’s anything I can help you with, just let me know.”

He Yi stopped in her tracks and pursed her lips. She wanted to say something but held it back. She pushed the door open and walked out.

*

“If there’s anything I can help you with, just let me know!”

He Yi repeated this sentence over and over again and couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. Did Yu Shujun think of herself as her master? Was she asking for her help to understand the situation? She had yet to pursue her negligence in her work – She had lost the video of the Tea room!

In other words, this video’s mysterious disappearance might have something to do with Yu Shujun!

He Yi took a deep breath. She knew that she could not act on impulse. Otherwise, she would not be able to do anything to Yu Shujun without any evidence.

As for Qing Xing’s death, she was blinded by the woman’s determination and tears. After that, the more He Yi thought about it, the more she felt that there were too many flaws.

She remembered hearing that Qing Xing had been a tea maid since she was fourteen. She was only nineteen when she died. These five years was the most beautiful time for a young girl, and she was given to each of the masters. If her personality was really as strong as fire and she would rather die than live, she would have died a long time ago. How could she have waited until now?

From fourteen to nineteen years old, this was also an important stage in character-building. Qing Xing’s identity and her position were destined to be servile. Therefore, it was not that the tea masters respected her as a goddess when she was still a virgin. It was just that her status was too expensive, and a tea maid who had lost her virginity was not worth anything! Her tea masters were all-powerful, and there were many beautiful women around them. It was not difficult to find a beautiful woman to warm the bed, so they usually would not defile her innocence.

Qing Xing came to Yi Liangze’s side. Perhaps the young girl had admiration for him, but it had not been a long time (she had asked Yi Liangze, and Qing Xing had been by his side for less than half a year). After so many years of hardship and suffering, she had come back, it meant that Qing Xing had already developed the ability to survive and strong psychological quality. At this time, she suddenly died with drunk tea, as if there was not enough reason.

In any case, Qing Xing became the victim of the dispute between He Yi and Yi Liangze. Every time it was mentioned, the two people felt pain in their hearts. He Yi directly doubted Yi Liangze’s character (whether he could control his own body after marriage), she even had the idea of marrying him in a marriage of convenience.

If it wasn’t for his positive behavior, the fact that he helped her uncover the truth of Mayor Chu’s bribery, and the fact that he actively made Wan Wan acknowledge him as her father (this was very important, He Yi had always been the most conflicted about Wan Wan acknowledging a thief as her father), he also planned a flowery wedding that slowly melted the ice in He Yi’s heart, forcing her to reluctantly accept him again.

However, the thorn in her heart still needed to be pulled out. Otherwise, she would never completely trust Yi Liangze, nor would she give up all her sincerity.

Since she had already found the flaw, she had to investigate it to the end! She had to clear Yi Liangze’s name and give herself justice!

She needed to prove that Yi Liangze did not intend to molest Qing Xing! She also did not indirectly force Qing Xing to death!

*

The Banquet was Yi Liangze’s private property, where he had his luxurious living room. Although most of the time it was empty, it was not ruled out that he would occasionally come over for a night or take an afternoon nap after business.

He Yi felt a little tired, so she wanted to go to Yi Liangze’s living room to rest for a while. It was her first time here, so she knew that she needed a special magnetic card to unlock the door.

She called over a foreman and asked him a few questions. She found out that there were only two magnetic cards. One was kept by Yi Liangze himself, and the other was handed over to Yu Shujun. Every day, a cleaner would take the magnetic card from Yu Shujun and enter to clean the room.

Therefore, He Yi only had two ways to go into the living room to rest. One was to send someone to ask Yi Liangze for the magnetic card, and the other was to ask Yu Shujun for the magnetic card.

After thinking for a while, He Yi decided to ask Yu Shujun for the magnetic card.

Soon, the head waiter brought the magnetic card and respectfully handed it to He Yi. At the same time, he said, “Director Yu said that this magnetic card needs to be kept carefully. Every day, the cleaning lady needs to use it to clean the room!”

He Yi calmly opened the door with the magnetic card and carefully stuffed it into her bag, she smiled at the head waiter and said, “Go back and tell director Yu that I will be keeping the magnetic card from now on! As for the cleaning, I will arrange it!”

This was Yi Liangze’s living room, and of course, it was also her and the children’s living room. She should be the one to decide when the room was to be cleaned.

The head waiter was stunned. It was probably because Yu Shujun had instructed her to return the magnetic card after He Yi had used it, so she couldn’t explain it to Yu Shujun, she mumbled, “This... Young Madam, do you want to discuss it with director Yu...”

“This is my living room, why should I discuss it with director Yu!” He Yi fluttered her eyelashes in confusion. “Have you ever seen master discuss the key with the Butler?”

Thus, the head waiter tactfully shut his mouth. As for how she was going to explain it to Yu Shujun, or if she was going to repeat it exactly as she said, He Yi didn’t know and didn’t care.

When she entered the living room, she saw that the simple European-style decoration was very in line with Yi Liangze’s aesthetic standards. It was also very in line with He Yi’s. She stretched herself and was ready to take a beauty sleep after removing her makeup.

At this moment, her phone rang. She casually took it and looked at the number on it. She couldn’t help but feel a little surprised — Chu Tianyi!

What could he be looking for her for now? He Yi answered the phone with doubt in her heart.

“...” The man’s faint panting could be heard on the phone. There was no sound at all.

“I’m very busy.” He Yi maintained her usual indifference and coldness. “If there’s nothing else to say, I’ll hang up!”

“Wait!” As expected, the man spoke. “I have something to discuss with you.”

“As long as it’s not about Wan Wan, you can talk about other things.” He Yi yawned. She was not very interested.

The man was silent for a while, and finally said, “I know that you won’t let Wan Wan return to my side! Now that my power is gone, I have no way and no ability to keep her anymore!”

He Yi pursed her lips slightly, patiently waiting for him to tell her the real purpose of this call.

“These days, I’ve thought a lot.” Chu Tianyi’s voice was as fleeting as the clouds in the sky, like a gentle breeze blowing past a sigh. “He Yi, I’m sorry!”

He Yi bit her lip and said after a long time, “The day before my wedding, you apologized to me!”

She didn’t think that an apology could save anything, nor did she think that Chu Tianyi’s apology had any meaning.

“I know you don’t want my apology!” Chu Tianyi sighed again, and his tone was a bit self-deprecating. “Yeah, compared to what Yi Liangze gave you, my apology is nothing!”

“Do you have anything else?” He Yi raised her eyebrows, not hiding her impatience at all.

“Yes... Something else!” He seemed to know that her patience was about to collapse, so he could only swallow those emotional words. He was not a talkative person, to begin with, and he was not a person who was good at expressing his inner feelings. Every once in a while, he would say a few more words, but she did not even have the interest to listen to him. He could only return to the topic at hand, he was straightforward. “I turned myself in! Six years ago, I used my position to collude with financial management personnel to falsify accounts and misappropriate and transfer the He Corporation’s assets and shares. Now, I will return all of the He family’s assets to you!”

He Yi’s heart pounded. She thought there was something wrong with her ears.

She had vowed to take back the He’s company that had been misappropriated by Chu Tianyi, but she was prepared to fight a long battle. She had thought of countless strategic plans, but she had not expected the other party to surrender without a fight.

He said that he had confessed to the crime of misappropriating the He’s company’s shares back then, and would take the initiative to cooperate and return the misappropriated shares to her!

After a long while, she heard her slightly excited voice ask, “Are you sure?”

“Of course!” Chu Tianyi’s voice was a little bitter. “I can’t keep taking things that don’t belong to me!”

He Yi took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe how Chu Tianyi suddenly found his conscience! After pondering for a while, she tried her best to discuss with him in a calm tone, “Then how do you plan to return them to me?”

“Rong Yi has been developing for so many years, and the accounts are very complicated. It will take some time to clean them up! How about this, you come to the law firm tomorrow first. We will first sign the document to return the He’s shares. As for the other assets, I will ask the finance department to work overtime to calculate the exact figures as soon as possible. Together with the interest and dividends, I will return them to you!” Chu Tianyi explained slowly.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He Yi knew that what he said was the truth. After all, Rong Yi Group was a large multinational group with a market value of over ten billion. It would not be easy to split the shares as soon as possible. But at least he had a clear attitude and would actively cooperate with her.

“What are the conditions?” He Yi was very calm. She knew that Chu Tianyi had made such a big concession and would put forward the corresponding exchange conditions.

“Conditions?” Chu Tianyi was stunned, and then he sneered faintly, “You think I’m here to propose conditions to you!”

“...” Wasn’t it? He Yi’s silence at this moment was equivalent to silent trust.

“I said I’m sorry to you!” Chu Tianyi answered indifferently, “I’m doing all this just to try to make up for the harm I’ve caused to the He family! Even if I can’t make up for anything, at least my heart can be calmer and more stable.”

He Yi didn’t expect that the truth of Mayor Chu’s bribery that Yi Liangze announced would make Chu Tianyi change so drastically. She couldn’t believe that he felt guilty. After a long silence, she finally couldn’t help but ask, “Let’s not talk about the past anymore. I’m just asking you... recently, I was almost killed by a truck on the road. Wasn’t that your order? You don’t have to answer, because this phone call might be recorded. I just want you to know that I’m not a fool. Just because I gave you two sweet dates, you’ll think that you’ve gone from a big-tailed wolf to a vegetarian rabbit!”

The company went bankrupt, and her father suffered a heart attack and died. She was sentenced to five years in prison, and her flesh and blood were separated... these injuries were still vivid in her mind. A word of apology from him could not even be compared to a drop of water in a bucket. Moreover, after she was released from prison, he mercilessly chased her away. He sent people to follow her and even kidnapped her in Cangzhou. There was also that car accident that almost took her life along with Wei Jiameng and Ji Xueshan.

She had long been wary of him and regarded him as a huge threat. All of a sudden, he announced that he had given up. How could she, who was in the midst of a fierce battle, be able to adapt in such a short period?

“I didn’t!” Chu Tianyi denied it resolutely. “After you got out of prison, I did indeed get someone to chase you away. I was afraid that you would affect the relationship between Wan Wan and me. I didn’t do anything else. I, Chu Tianyi, will naturally admit what I did. Why should I be the scapegoat for something I didn’t do?”

After saying that, he hung up the phone fiercely to show his anger.

He Yi held the phone in a daze. In her heart, she repeatedly calculated how much of Chu Tianyi’s words were true.

After knowing him for so many years, they could be considered childhood sweethearts. Although she had never seen through this man’s true colors, in her impression, he seemed to have never made irresponsible remarks.

When she was in love, she also repeatedly asked him if he loved her like an ordinary girl? He always changed the topic, refusing to say a word of love to her. At that time, she thought that his introverted personality was not good at expressing himself. Now she thought that he did not want to say anything just because he did not love her.

He married her to get the He family’s property and at the same time, he forced her father to die to avenge his father. However, he never used any sweet words to deceive her. She was always the one who was willing to be an ostrich until she could not even deceive herself.

Could this man’s words be trusted? He Yi was skeptical. She could not help but replay her experience after she was released from prison in her mind. Before she could make sense of it, Yi Liangze came in.

As the male owner of the living room, Yi Liangze naturally would not knock on the door. Moreover, the living room was covered with a thick carpet. There was no sound when Yi Liangze walked in. He Yi did not notice it.

“What are you thinking about?” Yi Liangze leaned closer to her and asked.

He Yi was shocked. She raised her head and realized that Yi Liangze had come over. “Where are the two children?”

“Those wives of the bureau chief aren’t close enough. They won’t let me bring them back!” Yi Liangze spread his hands helplessly.

“Ok.” He Yi could not help but chuckle. The dark clouds that had covered the sky suddenly dispersed. For some reason, Yi Liangze had returned to his previous magical charm in front of her. A simple sentence or action would make her laugh. She knew that this was because her wariness and fear had slowly dissipated and she had begun to love and trust him again. There was a big problem with Qing Xing’s death. Yi Liangze might not know that he had been schemed against. Even though she had not investigated it clearly, she could feel that he might have been wronged.

The woman’s smile was so bright and clean that it made Yi Liangze’s heart, which was originally filled with doubts, light up. He raised his lips and said, “When I first came in, I saw that your expression was extremely ugly. I thought something had happened! Tell me, who made you unhappy again!” After saying that.., he paused and added, “I believe it’s not your husband!”