Xiao Zi’ang glanced at Xiao Zimo and sighed inwardly. Xiao Zi’ang was already struggling after seeing just this much, but this wasn’t even the most horrifying thing Meng Ting had endured.
Yan Sui had sent the email, likely anticipating that there were things they wouldn’t be able to uncover or notice, hence the extra effort.
Unable to push Xiao Zimo aside, Xiao Zi’ang had to find a stool for himself and then move the computer closer.
He quickly clicked open the file, entered the key provided by Wang Feng, and downloaded the documents. He swiftly scanned the overlapping parts and suddenly stopped at an old photo—a picture retrieved from the Donglin Town police station.
It was a scene akin to murder, with blood splattered across the floor. A man bleeding from his lower abdomen, and a frail teenager sitting in the corner, numbly clutching a fruit knife. Several photos captured the scene after Wu Fengjiao reported the incident and the police arrived.
The next photo showed Meng Ting being led away in handcuffs, his eyes hollow and terrifying, as if he had just snapped back to reality, slowly revealing fear and helplessness.
Yan Sui’s materials included many more photos than they had found, each one chilling and unsettling to the core.
“What’s going on here?” Xiao Zimo’s eyes were fixed on the two photos, unable to calm down enough to read the dense text anymore.
“Damn it! How dare they!”
Xiao Zi’ang was slightly calmer than Xiao Zimo, but even the composure he had been trying to maintain eventually shattered. He abruptly stood up and began pacing around the sofa and coffee table, then made several phone calls.
Xiao Zimo didn’t pay attention to Xiao Zi’ang’s outburst. He took a deep breath and continued reading, though his expression grew increasingly grim. After finishing, he scrolled back to the beginning and started reading from the top.
The materials weren’t particularly long, but Xiao Zimo read them exceptionally slowly and with great difficulty. He recalled the scene of meeting Meng Ting earlier that day and couldn’t help but felt tears welling up in his eyes. It was hard to imagine that after enduring so many terrifying experiences, Meng Ting could still have such pure eyes and a warm smile.
***
Someone who was having an even harder time than him was back at the Xiao family’s ancestral home in Beicheng, in northern Xia Country. Ning Zhou and Xiao Huimin had been married for decades. He had an unusually restless sleep yesterday, and Ning Zhou naturally noticed. When she asked him what was wrong, he didn’t tell her anything.
She inquired with the family housekeeper and learned that both her eldest and second sons were not in Beicheng but had gone to Haicheng one after the other. Ning Zhou was also aware of Xiao Zi’s crippling in Haicheng. She didn’t have a good impression of this younger brother-in-law. Since he had been brought back, she had only had someone send him some fruit and hadn’t personally visited him.
But the patriarch of the Yan family had already crippled Xiao Zi, and it was uncertain whether his anger had subsided. She only had two sons left. If they went one after the other, wouldn’t it mean they might also be targeted, or perhaps they already had been? That’s why Xiao Zi’ang had rushed to Haicheng to resolve the situation, and why Xiao Huimin had been unable to sleep all night?
She went to Xiao Huimin’s study to get a clear answer. She didn’t want anything to happen to her son while she was kept in the dark.
No one else could enter Xiao Huimin’s study, but Ning Zhou naturally had no problem. It’s just that she rarely went in, and she never casually rummaged through his things. However, Xiao Huimin had received two phone calls and left in a hurry, not even shutting down his computer. When Ning Zhou entered, she happened to hear the sound of an incoming email.
Worried that it might be about Xiao Zi’ang or Xiao Zimo, she hesitated for a moment before walking over.
The screen lit up, and she glanced at it. The sender was her eldest son, Xiao Zi’ang. She sat down in Xiao Huimin’s chair and, without further hesitation, clicked to open it. She wanted to see what secret the father and son were trying to keep from her.
But the first line of Xiao Zi’ang’s note left Ning Zhou stunned for a long time.
“This is what I’ve found out about Nuo Nuo’s past. The Meng family and Li Yifei are the key targets for investigation.”
Ning Zhou’s gaze lingered on the name ‘Li Yifei’ before returning to the words ‘Nuo Nuo’.
Seventeen years had passed, but the name Xiao Zinuo had never faded from her heart. She pressed her hand against her chest, trying to suppress the waves of pain that surged there. After a long while, she opened the file and began to read it word by word. But after reading just two sentences, tears began to roll down her cheeks.
***
It seemed that as soon as Xiao Huimin had left, Ning Zhou had gone to the study. After meeting someone and having dinner, Xiao Huimin had planned to cancel his upcoming social engagements when he received a call from the housekeeper. Ning Zhou had locked herself in his study for over three hours and hadn’t come out for dinner.
Xiao Huimin and Ning Zhou had a good relationship, and the household staff naturally didn’t dare neglect the frail lady. They have made similar calls about Ning Zhou not eating properly many times before, and this time was no different, except that Xiao Huimin’s reaction was a bit more intense than usual.
“What? She hasn’t eaten and is locked in… the study?” Xiao Huimin vaguely felt something was off. The documents Xiao Zi’ang had shown him were kept in his drawer, and usually, Ning Zhou wouldn’t go through them. But the fact that she had been holed up in the study for so long was already telling.
“I understand, I’ll be back right away.”
Xiao Huimin didn’t deliberately hide his deep affection for Ning Zhou in front of others. After giving instructions to his secretary, he hurriedly rushed home.
This banquet had been scheduled a week ago. Over the past two days, his mind had been entirely preoccupied with Meng Ting’s matters. It was only when his secretary called to remind him that he remembered this event and hurried over. However, he hadn’t expected Ning Zhou to discover the documents Xiao Zi’ang had given him in his study.
But before he could even reach the Xiao residence by car, Xiao Zi’ang called.
“Dad, I’ve sent you another email. It’s from Yan Sui.”
Xiao Zi’ang’s tone was unusually cold and heavy. Xiao Huimin, who had initially wanted to vent his anger, couldn’t bring himself to lash out. He frowned and said, “What email? I haven’t seen it yet.”
“It’s about Nuo Nuo’s past experiences…” Xiao Zi’ang’s voice grew even heavier. He paused for a moment, then reminded Xiao Huimin again, “Delete it after you read it. Don’t let Mom see it; I’m afraid she won’t be able to handle it.”
“It’s too late,” Xiao Huimin sighed softly. “She’s already seen it.”
It turned out it wasn’t that he hadn’t hidden the documents well, but that Ning Zhou had seen the email Xiao Zi’ang sent him. However, this matter couldn’t be kept from Ning Zhou for too long anyway. Otherwise, her anger would be something he couldn’t handle.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of your mom. I’m almost home. I’ll contact you later about the rest.”
After saying this, Xiao Huimin hung up the phone. He got out of the car, took off his coat, handed it to the housekeeper, and then strode towards the study on the second floor.
“Zhou Zhou, open the door. It’s me.”
Xiao Huimin knocked for a while and waited. Ning Zhou came to open the door, but she immediately threw herself into Xiao Huimin’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “Huimin, how could this happen? How… how could our Nuo Nuo go through so much suffering?”
Xiao Huimin held Ning Zhou tightly, walked inside, and closed the study door before speaking again.
“Don’t worry, I won’t show any mercy to those who harmed you and Nuo Nuo.”
As he spoke, he gently stroked Ning Zhou’s hair, still feeling her uncontrollable sobs.
“But now that Nuo Nuo has been found, your health is even more important. We didn’t treat him well in the past, but from now on, we’ll make it up to him double.”
These words were more comforting to Ning Zhou than anything else. Both she and Xiao Huimin had thought they would carry this regret to their graves.
“You’re right. I need to live on and treat Nuo Nuo well.”
She lifted her head to look at Xiao Huimin, tears rolling down her cheeks again. Her voice still trembled, but her gaze had already become resolute. She leaned back into Xiao Huimin’s embrace and softly asked, “Have someone book a flight for me. I want to go there right now.”
Xiao Huimin wasn’t comfortable with Ning Zhou flying alone, even with a maid accompanying her. He guided her to sit down beside him.
“I’ve booked tickets for tomorrow morning. We’ll go together. Zi’ang and Zimo are already there. Besides… we also need to give Nuo Nuo some time to accept us.”
In their original plan, Meng Ting was to be acknowledged by Xiao Zi’ang and himself, and only once everything had been settled would they inform Ning Zhou. However, it didn’t take long for Ning Zhou to stumble upon the truth by accident.
Ning Zhou’s tone had initially been quite resolute, but Xiao Huimin had pinpointed the one thing she cared about most—their youngest child, Meng Ting. As a result, Ning Zhou couldn’t afford to be willful anymore.
She was coaxed by Xiao Huimin to eat something. Having been the lady of the house for so many years, she quickly composed herself from the brink of emotional collapse. She didn’t disturb Xiao Huimin any further, letting him attend to his tasks while she went up to the top floor of the Xiao residence. She had the servants unlock a room that had been sealed for years.
No one had lived there for over a decade, but the servants had kept it clean. Ning Zhou had them open it and tidy it up further. Small clothes and toys were all packed into boxes. She inspected the room’s decor, instructing them to remove some items and add others, as if someone were about to move in there soon.
Xiao Huimin saw the documents provided by Yan Sui a bit later than Ning Zhou. Alone in the study, his anger surged up as well. Not to mention Ning Zhou, even he found it hard to wait until the next day. However, after pacing around in frustration for a while, he finally calmed down and continued to make proper arrangements.
As the current patriarch of the Xiao family, rashly leaving Beicheng for Haicheng without proper handling could lead to too many unnecessary speculations. Yet, he couldn’t stay either. Xiao Zi’ang and Xiao Zimo alone wouldn’t be able to handle Yan Sui of the Yan family.
Moreover, with Ning Zhou’s urgency added to the mix, how could he possibly remain in Beicheng, indifferent?
The ripples they caused were likely anticipated by Yan Sui to some extent, but these were things they needed to know.
***
Meanwhile, right now, Yan Sui was dealing with a sweet dilemma. Meng Ting’s worries hadn’t dissipated much despite Yan Sui’s reassurances. He had become exceptionally clingy, even following Yan Sui into the bathroom.
Of course, Meng Ting didn’t think there was anything wrong with him following him in—he had seen Yan Sui’s body many times before.
“Why are you being shy? I just want to see you…” Meng Ting, feeling frustrated, knocked on the door from the outside, but he was still left outside.
Yan Sui had gone in to take a shower. Meng Ting’s wounds hadn’t fully healed yet, and if he got wet or accidentally slipped and fell, Yan Sui would feel distressed.
Meng Ting was pacing outside the door, occasionally pressing his ear against the door to listen for any sounds, but unfortunately, the soundproofing in the house was quite good, and he couldn’t hear anything.
This time, before he could even stand properly, the door opened, and he fell directly into Yan Sui’s arms. Meng Ting immediately wrapped his arms tightly around Yan Sui’s waist.
“Are you still going to the study now? I’ll accompany you.”
Yan Sui hugged Meng Ting and walked back with him. “No, I’ll wipe you down, and we’ll go to bed early today.”
“Oh, sleep sounds good.”
Meng Ting agreed and glanced at Yan Sui again, making sure he wouldn’t run off before finally letting him go.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 074.2″]
多此一舉 (duō cǐ yī jǔ): to do more than is required (idiom); superfluous; gilding the lily; an extraneous move; a useless action; make an unnecessary move.熱淚盈眶 (rè lèi yíng kuàng): eyes brimming with tears of excitement (idiom); extremely moved; to be moved to tears; dissolve in/into tears; tears come to one’s eyes.
一字一句 (yī zì yī jù): every single word and phrase; speak word by word; speak articulately/clearly; to describe a person who speaks clearly and calmly.
失聲痛哭 (shī shēng tòng kū): lose control and cry out loud; cry in a sad voice; burst out weeping; break/burst into tears; crying bitterly because of excessive grief.
塵埃落定 (chén āi luò dìng): lit. the dust has settled (idiom); (of a matter) to be finalised; to get sorted out; to be finalized; end up with; things come to their due course; all the dust has settled, metaphorically meaning that something is over.
誤打誤撞 (wù dǎ wù zhuàng): by accident; by chance; accidentally; to act before thinking; hit and miss; unplanned; inadvertently; fortuitously; serendipitously; to do something without careful consideration.
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