Chapter 52:

Hearing Ji Tong call out Shen Qingzhou’s name, Lin Qiao initially thought Ji Tong, like herself, had been mistakenly locked inside the psychiatric hospital. The likely mastermind behind this was probably Qi Zheng and Zhao Chunjun. However, after listening to their conversation, Lin Qiao realized she had been mistaken.

Ji Tong didn’t seem particularly happy upon seeing his long-lost friend again. He sat up, pulled out two pills from beneath his snow-white pillow, slowly got out of bed, walked to the window, and threw them forcefully outside.

It seemed he hadn’t taken the pills the hospital gave the patients every night, which explained why he hadn’t fallen asleep. Lin Qiao glanced at Shen Qingzhou, who was staring at Ji Tong. In the darkness, Ji Tong’s eyes were nearly invisible, but Lin Qiao could sense his current mood was rather gloomy.

“You finally came,” Ji Tong turned around, leaning against the bed as he spoke indifferently. “Should I turn on the light?”

Shen Qingzhou looked up at him and replied, “No need.”

“After all these years, I thought I had already forgotten what you looked like. But seeing you again, I still know who you are. Isn’t that amazing?” Ji Tong slightly curved his lips. Moonlight illuminated the spot where he stood, making his expression somewhat visible. “How did you find me?” he asked.

Shen Qingzhou slightly furrowed his brow and said, “I accidentally saw your records while investigating this hospital’s background, so I came to check. I didn’t expect it to really be you.”

Ji Tong lowered his head silently, hands clasped together. He looked thin and frail, as if he couldn’t withstand even a strong breeze.

“Are you genuinely ill, or were you deliberately locked up by someone?” Shen Qingzhou, clearly referring to Qi Zheng, didn’t beat around the bush. “Do you know Ding Yue has passed away?”

Ji Tong immediately raised his head, staring at Shen Qingzhou. His eyes showed loss and confusion, but no surprise—indicating he already knew.

“Did Qi Zheng tell you that?” Shen Qingzhou asked.

Ji Tong paused briefly before replying, “Yes, he told me everything.”

Shen Qingzhou abruptly stood up, his tone cold. “Looks like you really deserve to be locked up here. You knew Ding Yue was dead, yet you never once went to pay your respects. You didn’t even come to see your own child.”

Ji Tong’s expression turned subtly pained as he murmured, “Qingzhou, do you think Ding Yue needed me to visit her? She probably didn’t care whether I was alive or not. She and Qi Zheng…” He stopped here, hesitating for a moment, his expression clearly showing his weariness.

“What about her and Qi Zheng?” Shen Qingzhou asked, tilting his head.

Ji Tong looked at him for a while before slowly saying, “You were my best friend, so if you want to know, I’ll naturally tell you. I originally didn’t want to say anything to anyone. After all, the dead should rest in peace. Talking about it now seems meaningless…”

“Don’t beat around the bush,” Shen Qingzhou impatiently urged.

Ji Tong gave a faint smile and said, “You know I was a journalist, always running around overseas. My life was busy and dangerous. Women need companionship, especially during pregnancy… Xiao Yue had been very dissatisfied with me for a long time. She and Qi Zheng had already started their relationship while I was abroad.”

This time, not only was Shen Qingzhou shocked, but Lin Qiao was equally astonished. As if unaware of their expressions, Ji Tong continued calmly, “It’s not just my assumption. Xiao Yue herself admitted it. As for that child, I don’t even know if he’s truly mine or Qi Zheng’s. Qi Zheng probably felt guilty. Before my accident, he visited me overseas. At that time, Xiao Yue’s due date was approaching, so she couldn’t move around much. She had called me several times, but I was caught up in my accident and lost my phone at the scene. I didn’t receive her calls. All of this was told to me later by Qi Zheng…”

Shen Qingzhou asked emotionlessly, “Then how did you ‘die’?”

Ji Tong covered his face and softly laughed, “Qingzhou, you’re a man too. You should understand, right? A man who couldn’t even hold onto the woman he grew up with in the orphanage, who was cheated on and might have raised another man’s son. Back then, I almost wished I could die overseas. Unfortunately, I survived…”

“So you had Qi Zheng lie for you?” Shen Qingzhou bluntly said, his mind racing through memories of the past.

Shen Qingzhou had first heard of Ji Tong’s death from Ding Yue. Before giving birth, she had suffered from severe prenatal depression, constantly worrying about terrorist attacks in Ji Tong’s country. Soon after she gave birth, news of Ji Tong’s death came back. It was likely that Qi Zheng, following Ding Yue’s instructions, had gone overseas to check on Ji Tong. Coincidentally, Ji Tong had indeed encountered a terrorist attack, nearly losing his life. Ji Tong, unwilling to return and face Ding Yue and the child, had Qi Zheng announce his death. Since Qi Zheng loved Ding Yue and wanted to marry her, he would naturally agree, making everything fall into place.

What Shen Qingzhou thought, Lin Qiao also realized. Ji Tong then confirmed their suspicions: “Yes, I asked him to lie for me.”

Lin Qiao rubbed her forehead in frustration, turning her gaze away. A phrase seemed particularly fitting for Ji Tong in this situation, though it might be inappropriate to say aloud: “If you don’t seek trouble, trouble won’t find you.”

“But I never expected Ding Yue to die because of this,” Ji Tong seemed to fall into self-blame, crouching down by the wall, hugging his head, his body slightly trembling. “I really didn’t mean to. I never wanted to harm her…”

Looking at Ji Tong like this, Lin Qiao began to doubt whether he was truly mentally ill. Shen Qingzhou stared at him for a while before calmly saying, “You can’t be blamed entirely for this. Ding Yue betrayed you first. She already had prenatal depression. Your ‘death’ was just one of many factors. Both of you were at fault. You don’t need to blame yourself too much.”

Before Ji Tong could react, the door to the ward was suddenly opened. The person who entered casually turned on the light, stepped aside to let someone else in.

It was Zhao Chunjun and Qi Zheng.

Zhao Chunjun, wearing a white coat, stood straight at the door, glancing at the sobbing Ji Tong before turning to Shen Qingzhou. “He has severe schizophrenia. The fact that he could talk to you so calmly for so long shows how close you two really are.”

Shen Qingzhou stood up from his chair but made no move to leave. However, Ji Tong, seemingly triggered by his actions, suddenly rushed toward him, startling Lin Qiao. She immediately tried to pull Shen Qingzhou away, but Shen Qingzhou didn’t need her help. He not only dodged Ji Tong himself but also pulled Lin Qiao aside.

“Don’t go, Xiao Yue. I’m back.”

Ji Tong, dazed, reached out toward Shen Qingzhou. Shen Qingzhou stiffly looked at his old friend for a moment. The bright fluorescent light made his face pale, his expression indescribable. After a long pause, he said, “Farewell.”

Two simple words, polite yet distant, like a greeting to a stranger met for the first time.

After speaking, Shen Qingzhou grabbed Lin Qiao and turned to leave. As they passed Zhao Chunjun and Qi Zheng, he stopped and said to Qi Zheng, “From now on, I won’t interfere in your affairs anymore. However, Ding Yue’s child will be raised by me. Regardless of whose biological son he is, his legal guardian will always be me. He bears the surname Shen, and that will never change.” As he spoke, he tightened his grip on Lin Qiao’s hand, causing her some pain, though she said nothing.

She looked at him and saw his thin lips part slightly as he added sarcastically, “Though Ji Tong and I are friends, I must still give you two each a two-character remark.” He turned back to look at the stunned Ji Tong and coldly said, “Coward.” Then he turned to Qi Zheng and said, “Traitor.” With that, he resumed walking, this time pulling Lin Qiao away without looking back.

After leaving the hospital and returning to the car, Shen Qingzhou sat in the driver’s seat without moving. He didn’t speak, just sat there staring ahead, his expression blank, as if lost in thought, yet his brows were slightly furrowed.

Lin Qiao looked at him with concern, pondering how to comfort him, when suddenly his phone rang.

Shen Qingzhou took out his phone, glanced at the number, and frowned even more deeply.

He pressed the answer button and brought the phone to his ear, quickly saying, “Zhao Chunjun?”

The call was indeed from Zhao Chunjun. He didn’t call to say anything offensive. Instead, he politely said, “Mr. Shen, sorry to disturb your recovery, but there’s something I need to remind you about. I think you’ll find it interesting.”

Shen Qingzhou replied indifferently, “Get to the point.”

Zhao Chunjun didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, “Fang Zheng has an insider at Lin Group. You probably haven’t been to the group headquarters recently. I suggest you go back and check your Feng Shui formation. The one that brings fortune might have turned into something that nourishes negative energy.” With that, he hung up the phone decisively.

Shen Qingzhou put away his phone and looked at Lin Qiao. “Have you been to the company recently?”

Lin Qiao replied, “Yes, why?”

“Did you notice anything suspicious, or any changes anywhere?”

Lin Qiao thought for a moment and said, “I didn’t notice anything suspicious about the people, but it seems the arrangements you made before have been changed a bit. I thought you might have changed them when I wasn’t around. Wasn’t it you?”

Without a word, Shen Qingzhou immediately shifted gears and stepped on the accelerator, speeding toward Lin Group. His gloomy expression made Lin Qiao realize the seriousness of the situation.

“Has something happened? What did Zhao Chunjun call for? He’s a bad guy; you can’t believe everything he says. You should be careful; he’s definitely up to no good,” Lin Qiao warned.

Shen Qingzhou nodded. “I know. Whether what he said is true or not, we’ll find out when we get there. Since he dared to say it, there’s a good chance it’s true. When a wall falls, everyone pushes. Now that Fang Zheng is in trouble, if he wants to avoid being implicated, he has to show us goodwill.”

Lin Qiao said dryly, “That does sound exactly like something he would do.”

“Exactly,” Shen Qingzhou sneered slightly. “He’s a very smart man—too smart, in fact, to the point of being disgusting.”

Lin Qiao asked in confusion, “Then what exactly did he say?”

Shen Qingzhou looked at her, his eyes slightly clouded with worry. “Let’s talk about it later. It’s hard to explain briefly right now.”

Lin Qiao knew that no matter how anxious she felt, it wouldn’t help. Since Shen Qingzhou was driving and said it was hard to explain, pressing him for details would only distract him, which would be unsafe.

All she could do now was wait. But anyone who has experienced this kind of situation knows how painful it is to desperately want to know something yet have to wait.

Apparently noticing Lin Qiao’s distressed expression, Shen Qingzhou sighed and said, “Let me explain briefly then. Have you been to Thailand before?”

“Yes,” Lin Qiao immediately replied. “The Land of a Thousand Buddhas, and their Four-Faced Buddha is said to be very powerful.”

Shen Qingzhou nodded slightly and said, “Then you should have heard of love curses and spirit possession techniques.”

Lin Qiao’s expression immediately turned strange. She looked both startled and skeptical, saying with a wry smile, “You’re kidding, right? Do those things really exist?”

Hearing Ji Tong call out Shen Qingzhou’s name, Lin Qiao thought that Ji Tong, like her, had been wrongly confined in a mental hospital. The masterminds behind this were likely Qi Zheng and Zhao Chunjun. However, after listening to their conversation, Lin Qiao realized she was mistaken.

Ji Tong did not seem particularly happy to see his long-lost friend again. He sat up, retrieved two pills from under his snow-white pillow, slowly got out of bed, walked to the window, and forcefully threw them outside.

It seemed he hadn’t taken the medication the hospital gave patients every night, which explained why he wasn’t asleep. Lin Qiao glanced at Shen Qingzhou, who was watching Ji Tong. His dark eyes were nearly invisible in the night, but Lin Qiao could sense his subdued emotions.

“You finally came,” Ji Tong turned to look at Shen Qingzhou, leaning against the bed as he spoke calmly. “Should I turn on the light?”

Shen Qingzhou raised his eyes to meet his gaze. “No need.”

“It’s been so many years. I thought I’d forgotten what you looked like, but seeing you now, I still remember who you are. Isn’t that something?” Ji Tong curved his lips into a faint smile. The moonlight illuminated where he stood, making his expression somewhat visible. “How did you find me?” he asked.

Shen Qingzhou frowned slightly. “I came across your records while investigating this hospital and decided to try my luck. I didn’t expect it to really be you.”

Ji Tong lowered his head silently, clasping his hands together. His body appeared frail and thin, as if it couldn’t withstand a strong wind.

“Are you actually ill, or were you deliberately confined here by someone else?” The “someone else” in Shen Qingzhou’s words naturally referred to Qi Zheng. He didn’t beat around the bush and spoke directly. “Did you know Ding Yue passed away?”

Ji Tong looked up abruptly, staring blankly at Shen Qingzhou. His eyes held loss and confusion but no surprise—it seemed he already knew.

“Did Qi Zheng tell you?” Shen Qingzhou asked.

After a pause, Ji Tong replied, “Yes, he told me everything.”

Shen Qingzhou stood up abruptly, his tone cold. “It seems you really deserve to be confined here. You knew Ding Yue passed away, yet you never once visited her grave. You didn’t even come to see your own child.”

Ji Tong’s expression twisted into subtle anguish. “Qingzhou, do you think Ding Yue would have wanted me to visit her? She probably didn’t care whether I was alive or dead. She and Qi Zheng…” He trailed off, unable to continue, his face haggard.

“What happened between her and Qi Zheng?” Shen Qingzhou asked, tilting his head.

Ji Tong looked at him for a long moment before speaking slowly. “You’re my best friend. If you want to know, I’ll tell you. I never wanted to speak of this to anyone. The deceased are gone, and there’s no point in bringing it up…”

“Stop wasting words,” Shen Qingzhou urged impatiently.

Ji Tong let out a light laugh. “You know I’m a journalist, always running around abroad. My life is busy and dangerous. Women need companionship, especially during pregnancy… Xiao Yue had long been dissatisfied with me. She and Qi Zheng were together while I was overseas.”

Not only was Shen Qingzhou shocked, but even Lin Qiao looked stunned. Ji Tong continued calmly, as if unaware of their reactions. “This isn’t just my assumption. Xiao Yue admitted it herself. As for the child, I don’t know if it’s mine or Qi Zheng’s. Qi Zheng probably felt guilty. He came to see me overseas before the incident. Ding Yue was nearing her due date and couldn’t travel. She called me a few times, but I was caught up in an accident and lost my phone at the scene, so I never received them. Qi Zheng told me all this afterward…”

Shen Qingzhou asked expressionlessly, “What about your ‘death’?”

Ji Tong covered his face and let out a low laugh. “Qingzhou, you’re a man too. You should understand. A man who can’t even keep the woman he grew up with in an orphanage, who gets cuckolded, and might even be raising another man’s son—back then, I wished I had died overseas. Unfortunately, I didn’t.”

“So you asked Qi Zheng to lie for you?” Shen Qingzhou spat out the words stiffly, his mind racing as he recalled the events of the past.

He had learned of Ji Tong’s death from Ding Yue. Before giving birth, Ding Yue had severe prenatal depression and often worried about the frequent terrorist attacks in the country where Ji Tong was stationed. Not long after she gave birth, news of Ji Tong’s death arrived. It was likely that Qi Zheng, acting on Ding Yue’s instructions, went abroad to check on Ji Tong and coincidentally encountered a terrorist attack that nearly killed him. Ji Tong, unwilling to return home to face Ding Yue and the child, asked Qi Zheng to claim he was dead. Qi Zheng, who had feelings for Ding Yue, would naturally agree, making everything fall into place.

Lin Qiao had reached the same conclusion, and Ji Tong confirmed their suspicions. “Yes, I asked him to lie for me.”

Lin Qiao massaged her temples and looked away. There was a phrase that might be inappropriate for the occasion but perfectly suited Ji Tong: “You wouldn’t be in trouble if you hadn’t asked for it.”

“But I never thought Ding Yue would die because of this,” Ji Tong seemed consumed by guilt, squatting down and leaning against the wall with his head in his hands, his body trembling slightly. “I never meant to harm her… I really didn’t…”

Watching Ji Tong like this, Lin Qiao began to wonder if he truly had mental issues. Shen Qingzhou studied him for a moment before speaking calmly. “This isn’t entirely your fault. Ding Yue betrayed you first. She already had prenatal depression, and your ‘death’ was just one factor. Both of you made mistakes. You don’t need to blame yourself too much.”

As soon as he finished speaking, before Ji Tong could respond, the door to the ward opened. The person who entered flipped on the light and stepped aside to make way for those behind him.

It was Zhao Chunjun and Qi Zheng.

Zhao Chunjun, wearing a white lab coat, stood straight at the doorway, glancing disdainfully at Ji Tong, who was weeping bitterly. He turned to Shen Qingzhou and said, “He has severe schizophrenia. For him to talk to you so calmly for so long, it seems your relationship is indeed very close.”

Shen Qingzhou stood up from his chair but made no move to leave. However, Ji Tong, likely provoked by his actions, suddenly rushed toward him, startling Lin Qiao. She immediately tried to pull Shen Qingzhou away, but he didn’t need her help. He not only avoided Ji Tong but also pulled her aside.

“Xiao Yue, don’t go. I’m back.”

Ji Tong stared blankly at Shen Qingzhou, reaching out toward him. Shen Qingzhou looked stiffly at his old friend, his face pale under the bright fluorescent light. His expression was indescribable. After a long pause, he finally said, “Goodbye.”

Two simple words, polite yet distant, like something one would say to a client meeting for the first time.

After speaking, Shen Qingzhou took Lin Qiao’s hand and turned to leave. As he passed Zhao Chunjun and Qi Zheng, he stopped and said to Qi Zheng, “From now on, I won’t interfere in your affairs. But Ding Yue’s child will still be raised by me. Regardless of whose biological son he is, his legal guardian will always be me. His surname is Shen, and that will never change.” As he spoke, he tightened his grip on Lin Qiao’s hand, causing her some pain, but she didn’t say a word.

She watched him as his thin lips parted, and he continued sarcastically, “Although Ji Tong is my friend, I still have two words for each of you.” He turned to look at Ji Tong, who stood there in a daze, and coldly uttered, “Coward.” Then, turning to Qi Zheng, he said, “Weakling.” With that, he walked away, holding Lin Qiao’s hand, never looking back.

After leaving the hospital and returning to the car, Shen Qingzhou sat in the driver’s seat without moving. He didn’t speak, just sat there staring ahead, his face expressionless as if lost in thought, though his brow was slightly furrowed.

Lin Qiao looked at him with concern, wondering how to comfort him, when his phone rang.

Shen Qingzhou took his phone out of his pocket, glanced at the number, and frowned even more deeply.

He pressed the answer button and brought the phone to his ear, speaking quickly. “Zhao Chunjun?”

It was indeed Zhao Chunjun on the phone. He wasn’t calling to say anything unpleasant but spoke amiably. “Mr. Shen, sorry to disturb you while you’re licking your wounds, but there’s something I should remind you about. I think you’ll be interested.”

Shen Qingzhou said冷淡ly, “Get to the point.”

Zhao Chunjun didn’t beat around the bush. “Fang Zheng has a mole in the Lin Group. You probably haven’t been to the headquarters these past few days. I suggest you go back and check your feng shui setup. The wealth-attracting阵 might have turned into a阴-nurturing阵.” With that, he hung up abruptly.

Shen Qingzhou put away his phone and looked at Lin Qiao. “Have you been to the company these past few days?”

Lin Qiao said, “Yes, why?”

“Did you notice anything suspicious or any changes?”

Lin Qiao thought for a moment. “I didn’t notice anything about people, but it seemed like the decorations you had changed before were altered again. I thought you had changed them while I wasn’t there. Was it not you?”

Without another word, Shen Qingzhou shifted gears and stepped on the accelerator, speeding toward the Lin Group. His grim expression made Lin Qiao realize the seriousness of the situation.

“Did something happen? What did Zhao Chunjun call about? He’s a bad person. You can’t fully trust what he says. Be careful; he has ill intentions,” Lin Qiao warned.

Shen Qingzhou nodded. “I know. Whether what he said is true or not, we’ll find out when we check. Since he dared to say it, it’s likely true. When the wall falls, everyone pushes. Fang Zheng is in trouble now. If Zhao Chunjun wants to avoid being implicated, he has to show goodwill toward us.”

Lin Qiao said dryly, “That does sound like something he would do.”

“Yes,” Shen Qingzhou let out a light scoff. “He’s a very clever person, clever to the point of being disgusting.”

Lin Qiao asked puzzledly, “What exactly did he say?”

Shen Qingzhou glanced at her, a trace of worry in his eyes. “Let’s go take a look first. It’s hard to explain in a short time.”

Lin Qiao knew that no matter how anxious she was, it was useless. Shen Qingzhou was driving, and if he said it was hard to explain, it was hard to explain. Pressing him would only distract him, which was unsafe.

All she could do now was wait. But as anyone who has experienced it knows, the process of desperately wanting to know something but having to wait is agonizing.

Perhaps noticing Lin Qiao’s distressed expression, Shen Qingzhou sighed and said, “To put it simply, you’ve been to Thailand, right?”

“Yes,” Lin Qiao said immediately. “The Land of Buddhism. The Four-Faced Buddha there is very灵.”

Shen Qingzhou nodded calmly. “Then you must have heard of降头术 and养鬼术.”

Lin Qiao’s expression instantly turned strange. She seemed both horrified and incredulous, almost laughing in disbelief. “Really? Do such things actually exist?”

Shen Qingzhou focused on the road ahead and said leisurely, “The world is vast, and there are more things in existence than you can imagine. Some things you may not believe in, but don’t亵渎 them. Thailand’s降头术 and Xiangxi’s蛊术 are known as the two major邪术 in Southeast Asia. As for养鬼术,” he paused, glancing at Lin Qiao as if afraid of scaring her, and softened his voice, “it’s a type of控灵术. There are two different methods of raising them in Taiwan and Thailand.通俗讲, it’s养小鬼.”

Lin Qiao’s嘴角抽搐了一下. “养小鬼… you mean Thailand’s古曼童?”

Shen Qingzhou adopted a teacher’s tone. “Of course not. This is something you need to be very careful about.古曼童 and小鬼 are fundamentally different.古曼童 are inherently kind and feed on incense, but小鬼 are the complete opposite. Raising小鬼 is overly阴损 and非常损功德. Any master with some功德 would not do it.” Unless there’s significant利益诱惑. He didn’t say this last part aloud because he didn’t want Lin Qiao to learn too much about such ugly matters.

Lin Qiao was dumbfounded by Shen Qingzhou’s explanation. For someone who had completely disbelieved in these things before meeting him, it was quite difficult to accept.

She pressed her lips together and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with infinite emotion. “Shen Qingzhou, knowing you has really… opened my eyes.”

Lin Qiao’s lips twitched as she asked, “Raising a little ghost… you mean like the Thai Kuman Thong?”

Shen Qingzhou spoke like a teacher instructing a student, “Of course not. You must pay special attention to this. There’s an essential difference between Kuman Thong and little ghosts. Kuman Thong is inherently kind and feeds on incense, while little ghosts are completely the opposite. Raising little ghosts is extremely sinister and harmful, a practice that severely damages one’s karma. Any master with significant virtue would never engage in it.” Unless there’s an enormous incentive. Shen Qingzhou didn’t say the last sentence out loud because he didn’t want Lin Qiao to know too much about such dark matters.

Shen Qingzhou’s explanation left Lin Qiao speechless. For her, who had never believed in these things before meeting him, it was quite difficult to accept.

She remained silent with pursed lips for a while before finally saying with infinite emotion, “Shen Qingzhou, getting to know you has truly broadened my horizons.”