Chapter 49:

Because of Wang Jin’s call, all the good mood was gone. Shen Qingzhou listlessly let go of Lin Qiao, got up to fix his clothes, and sat aside, quietly eating the now-cooling meal.

Lin Qiao, after dressing, looked at him. He sat there calmly, showing no intention of accompanying her to the police station.

So Lin Qiao asked, “Aren’t you coming with me?”

Shen Qingzhou glanced at her and shook his head.

Lin Qiao hesitated slightly before asking, “Why not?”

Shen Qingzhou replied matter-of-factly, “Because I’m busy.”

Busy? That didn’t seem to be the case. Looking at his demeanor, he was clearly sulking because his desires hadn’t been fulfilled.

Lin Qiao didn’t push him, gently patting his shoulder and saying softly, “Then rest well. I’ll go by myself.”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t lift his head, merely grunting disinterestedly. As Lin Qiao turned to leave, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.

She turned to look at him. He said indifferently, as if addressing a client, “Forget it, I’ll go with you.”

Lin Qiao smiled. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

Shen Qingzhou stood up, walked past her to grab his coat from the rack, tall and composed, appearing relaxed and unaffected, as if his capriciousness was perfectly normal.

He replied slowly, “A bunch of kids running off to the police station for fun—someone has to supervise them.”

Lin Qiao laughed at his words, covering her mouth. “Are you calling me a kid?”

Shen Qingzhou glanced at her. “Aren’t you?”

“…Compared to him, she indeed seemed quite young. So she said, “Guess I am, Uncle Shen.”

Shen Qingzhou frowned slightly. He rarely showed such calm indifference when someone dared to mock his maturity by referencing age differences. He merely hummed and left the office first.

Shen Qingzhou drove Lin Qiao to the police station. He hadn’t driven his flashy Ferrari lately and had somehow acquired another Audi A8—just like the one she first saw him in when they met in Qiancheng. But judging from the interior, this one was brand new.

“Did you just buy this?” Lin Qiao asked.

Shen Qingzhou glanced at her. “You’re only noticing now? It seems your usual concern for me is quite lacking.”

Lin Qiao touched her cheek, originally intending to scold him for being wasteful, but now she had no words.

“You win,” she admitted defeat.

Shen Qingzhou redirected his gaze forward, silently turning the steering wheel into a curve. He had the window down, letting the wind mess his dark, tousled hair. On the surface, he seemed indifferent about going to the police station, but inside, he was already planning his next move.

Wang Jiaqi suddenly going to the police station was both unexpected and expected. Whether she went or not didn’t really matter to Shen Qingzhou.

On the surface, it seemed Wang Jiaqi had recovered from her wounds and was no longer upset or out of control because of Fang Zheng. So upon hearing that Fang Zheng had been arrested, she wouldn’t run to the police station.

But on the flip side, if she was just pretending not to care while secretly still attached, then her going there wouldn’t be surprising.

Shen Qingzhou didn’t really care whether she went or not. It wouldn’t interfere with his plans. He didn’t even need Fang Zheng to go to jail—he had other ways to break Fang Zheng down even more effectively.

The real reason Shen Qingzhou was going was for Lin Qiao.

When Lin Qiao first returned from the mental hospital and mentioned marriage, he had taken it seriously.

Since he had already decided to marry her, he would make sure she had no worries. He would arrange everything for her, protect her, treat her well, and provide financial security. Even if he was busy, he would try his best to spare time and energy to care for her. After all, he already had the social status, wealth, and power, and a man like that usually had a very mature view of love.

The love Shen Qingzhou offered Lin Qiao was like a father’s—omnipotent and protective. This kind of love was what every woman dreamed of but rarely received. Lin Qiao was still naive and unaware of how fortunate she was. But precisely because of her innocence and ignorance, Shen Qingzhou’s quiet devotion became even more precious.

They arrived at the police station together. Shen Qingzhou led Lin Qiao straight to Wang Jin, who had already arrived and was with Wang Jiaqi. Wang Jiaqi had just met Fang Zheng, and no one knew how she was feeling.

In Lin Qiao’s mind, Wang Jiaqi would surely be crying. But when she actually saw her, she found her eyes not the least bit red.

Wang Jin and Wang Jiaqi were talking with a police officer when Lin Qiao and Shen Qingzhou entered. The officer glanced at them.

Wang Jiaqi looked at Lin Qiao, momentarily stunned, then forced a weak smile that looked worse than no smile at all.

Wang Jin sighed and gestured for Shen Qingzhou and the others to come over. “Master Shen is here too. Please, take a seat.”

The officer, clearly unhappy with how casually they treated the police station, frowned and said, “If you have something to discuss, please do it elsewhere. Otherwise, I’ll have to take statements from you. I assume whatever you’re discussing relates to Fang Zheng.”

It was a subtle warning that this wasn’t the right place for a chat. Shen Qingzhou exchanged a brief nod with the officer, a silent understanding passing between them. Lin Qiao noticed this and immediately realized that Shen Qingzhou knew the officer.

“You’re absolutely right, officer,” Shen Qingzhou said, putting his phone back into his suit pocket and frowning slightly. “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

Wang Jin naturally agreed to Shen Qingzhou’s suggestion. Wang Jiaqi didn’t object either. She obediently stood up and followed her father. Lin Qiao slowed her pace to walk beside Wang Jiaqi. Once they had some distance from the two men ahead, she quietly asked, “Jiaqi, are you okay?”

Wang Jiaqi shook her head and said in a hoarse voice, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Lin Qiao sighed. “You don’t look fine at all. How can I not worry?”

Wang Jiaqi bit her lip and shook her head again without saying anything more.

Seeing that she didn’t want to talk, Lin Qiao didn’t press further. Together with Shen Qingzhou, they led the father and daughter to Shen Qingzhou’s place.

Lin Qiao was practically half the host at Shen Qingzhou’s home. She asked him to stay with Wang Jiaqi and her father while she went to prepare tea. When she came out with the tea tray, she found that no one had spoken yet.

Silently, she placed the cups in front of everyone and sat down beside Shen Qingzhou. Shen Qingzhou turned his head and looked at her, his sharp gaze making her skin crawl.

So Lin Qiao took the initiative to break the silence. “Uncle Wang, Jiaqi, have some tea first. Let’s talk slowly.”

Shen Qingzhou glanced at the Wangs and took a sip of tea. His long, thick eyelashes shadowed his deep, complex eyes—like distant auroras, distant and unreadable.

Sighing, Wang Jin said, “Actually, today’s incident was my fault. When I heard about Fang Zheng, I was too excited and didn’t consider Jiaqi’s feelings. That’s why this happened.”

Wang Jiaqi looked at her father and said quietly, “You don’t need to consider my feelings. They’re always wrong anyway.”

Wang Jin looked at her, frustrated. “At least you know your thoughts are wrong, which means there’s still hope for you.”

Wang Jiaqi turned her mouth down and said nothing.

Shen Qingzhou watched them coldly, continuing to sip his tea. He maintained a neutral distance from the Wangs, like a wise man behind a curtain, watching them act foolishly without bothering to intervene or warn them.

Lin Qiao noticed Shen Qingzhou’s attitude but didn’t know what to say, so she remained silent beside him.

Wang Jin finally spoke again. “Actually, this is a family matter. I shouldn’t have disturbed you, but since Jiaqi’s situation relates to Fang Zheng, and Master Shen has been dealing with him lately, I was afraid I might interfere with your plans, so I called Qiaoqiao.”

Lin Qiao nodded. “Uncle Wang, don’t worry. Even if it wasn’t for this, you could still call me anytime. You’re my senior, and it’s only right that I help you.”

Wang Jin sighed. “If only Jiaqi were half as considerate as you, she wouldn’t be like this.”

Wang Jiaqi had held back for a long time, but finally couldn’t contain herself. “What exactly is wrong with me? Can you stop comparing me to others? I know I’m not ambitious, that I’m too soft, but that’s just who I am! I can’t force myself to be strong. Don’t you think I want to be indifferent to his affairs? But I can’t help it! I can’t control myself! What am I supposed to do? Why don’t you just lock me up?”

Wang Jin looked at his daughter in shock, slightly angered. After a pause, he said, “Enough! Don’t make a scene here!”

Wang Jiaqi bit her lip, suppressing the urge to argue, turned her head aside with her eyes closed, tears forming at the corners.

Lin Qiao rubbed her forehead in frustration and stole a glance at Shen Qingzhou. Finally, he spoke.

“Mr. Wang, could we have a word in private?” Shen Qingzhou asked Wang Jin.

Wang Jin was momentarily stunned but quickly replied, “Of course.”

Shen Qingzhou nodded and, after standing up, leaned down to whisper in Lin Qiao’s ear, “Ask Wang Jiaqi what Fang Zheng said to her. I’ll talk to Mr. Wang.”

Lin Qiao nodded, watching Shen Qingzhou lead Wang Jin upstairs. She sat beside Wang Jiaqi, refilled her tea, and handed her a handkerchief. “Wipe your tears.”

Wang Jiaqi opened her eyes, took the handkerchief, and said softly, “Thank you.”

Lin Qiao sighed. “You don’t need to be so formal with me. We’ve known each other since childhood.”

Wang Jiaqi looked at Lin Qiao with red eyes. After a long silence, she suddenly said, “Exactly because of that, I’ve always trusted you.”

Lin Qiao sensed something behind her words and asked, “What do you mean?”

Wang Jiaqi groaned, hitting her head lightly. “Qiaoqiao, no matter what anyone says, I’ll try my best to believe you. Even though I feel terrible, I still want to believe you. You’re my best friend.”

Lin Qiao was confused. “What happened? Did someone say something to you?” She paused, guessing, “Could it be about the last time Fang Zheng saw me get into the car with you? That wasn’t what it looked like. I was…”

Wang Jiaqi interrupted, “Qiaoqiao, you don’t need to explain. I believe you.”

Lin Qiao looked at her expression, clearly contradicting her words, and said helplessly, “Your face doesn’t match what you’re saying.”

Wang Jiaqi covered her face and said nothing.

Lin Qiao gently said, “Since you don’t want me to go first, then you go. After you speak, I’ll explain.”

Wang Jiaqi remained silent for a long time. Just as Lin Qiao thought she wouldn’t speak, she finally looked up and said, “I met Fang Zheng. He told me that you had planned to go out together that day. He said… you and him…”

Lin Qiao had a bad feeling, her lips twitching. “Are you telling me Fang Zheng said we’ve been having an affair, and now that I have Shen Qingzhou, I want to dump him, so we conspired to frame him?!”

Wang Jiaqi widened her eyes, and the shock on her face betrayed her. It seemed Fang Zheng had indeed said exactly that.

Lin Qiao frowned, clearly annoyed. “You actually believed that? That’s ridiculous!”