Rong Qian was thrilled!

But the hope that had just surged up was instantly shattered by Lu Huaiyi’s next words.

This was because Lu Huaiyi declared confidently, “Shen Yi disappeared at sea!”

Rong Qian: “…”

She’d known that for ages—did he really need to tell her?

“Sister Rong, what are you two talking about?” Zhang Hao asked, hurrying over at this moment.

Rong Qian, looking none too pleased, said, “Nothing. Come on, let’s get ready to head back.”

“Huh, aren’t we staying a couple more days?” Zhang Hao asked, disappointed.

Rong Qian nodded. “Sure, you can.”

“Really?!” Zhang Hao was delighted.

“You can just stay here then. I’ll go back by myself.”

Zhang Hao: “…”

In the end, Zhang Hao obediently went with Rong Qian to buy return tickets and went back with her.

Zhang Hao realized that this whole trip had ultimately been a waste.

He hadn’t accomplished a single thing he’d planned. After they got back, even though it was already dinnertime, Rong Qian didn’t even let him treat her to a meal—she just told him to take a cab home.

This left Zhang Hao deeply perplexed—what exactly had he gone there for today?

Rong Qian went home first. She had originally planned to go find Xu Zhiwei right away, but on second thought, it was too late, so she decided to go see him the next day.

So that night, Rong Qian stayed up all night and finished reading through the entire box of newspapers.

The next morning, when Mother Rong came to wake Rong Qian for breakfast, she opened the door and saw newspapers spread all over the floor.

And there was Rong Qian, sitting right in the middle of the pile, completely absorbed in reading a newspaper in her hands.

Mother Rong felt her temples throbbing. She gritted her teeth and said, “Don’t tell me you’ve been reading all night.”

“Mom? It’s the middle of the night and you’re not sleeping—did you get up to use the bathroom?” Only now did Rong Qian notice her mother had come in.

Mother Rong’s temper flared instantly. The sun was already high in the sky, and she was calling it the middle of the night? Had she gone blind from all that reading?

Mother Rong huffed angrily, “Middle of the night, my foot! It’s already morning! Just look at those dark circles under your eyes—hurry up and go wash up, quick, go downstairs and eat some breakfast, then come back and get some sleep.”

“It’s already morning?”

Rong Qian glanced out the window, and only then realized it was already bright outside. She stood up and said, “I’ll skip breakfast. I’ll take a shower, and then I have to head out.”

Completely oblivious to the fire blazing on her mother’s head, Rong Qian rambled on—and then, she got smacked!

Ten minutes later, Rong Qian came downstairs and obediently ate her breakfast.

Rubbing the spot on her forehead where she’d been smacked, Rong Qian said pitifully to Father Rong, “Dad, can you keep an eye on Mom for me? I don’t have time to catch up on sleep—I have to leave as soon as I’m done eating.”

“I’m really curious, what exactly have you been so busy with?” Father Rong asked without even turning his head, sipping his morning tea while watching the morning news.

Of course Rong Qian couldn’t tell him the truth. “Anyway, it’s just something really important I need to deal with!”

“Your mom is worried about your health too. Haven’t you noticed? The moment you got back yesterday, you’d lost noticeable weight.” Father Rong said, turning to look at her.

Rong Qian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Is it really that dramatic?”

“You’re our daughter—how could we not notice any change in you? It’s strange too—you were only away on a business trip for one day, and yet you came back looking worn out, just like last time?” Father Rong was puzzled.

Rong Qian touched her face. Was it really that obvious?

“This time, I’m on your mother’s side too. You should go get some sleep. I’m worried that if you keep this up, your body won’t be able to take it.” Father Rong couldn’t help feeling concerned.

Rong Qian laughed it off, “Oh come on, it’s not that exaggerated. Look how energetic I am—do I look like I can’t handle it?”

Rong Qian did feel somewhat tired, but she absolutely didn’t dare to rest.

Because she had something very important to do—she had to see Shen Yi again as soon as possible!

In the end, Rong Qian slipped out anyway. Since she had been there before, she didn’t need Xu Yang to guide her this time and went straight to see Xu Zhiwei.

Xu Zhiwei wasn’t surprised by Rong Qian’s arrival. Upon learning that Rong Qian had already gone back and returned, Xu Zhiwei told her about how he had used Shen Yi back then.

According to Xu Zhiwei, back then he had used Shen Yi’s abilities not only to deal with Thomas’s family, but also—behind Shen Yi’s back—to go after his own father, Shen Chi.

Xu Zhiwei hated Shen Chi so much that even after learning Shen Chi had fallen ill and been hospitalized, he had deliberately hidden it from Shen Yi.

Xu Zhiwei had also mocked Shen Chi to his face many times, saying that his own son was helping an outsider go after his own father—truly, he’d raised an ungrateful wretch.

Each time, Shen Chi would be enraged to the point that his blood pressure spiked and he could barely breathe.

And Xu Zhiwei would feel an indescribable sense of satisfaction—he was finally getting his revenge!

After Shen Chi fell ill, combined with Xu Zhiwei’s relentless attacks, those businesses quickly declined from what they had once been.

After Shen Chi died, things had gotten to the point of nearly declaring bankruptcy outright.

After hearing the news of Shen Chi’s death, Xu Zhiwei—whose eyes had long been blinded by hatred—finally woke up as if from a dream. But by the time he told Shen Yi, it was already too late.

Shen Yi didn’t even get to see Shen Chi one last time. All he got to see was an urn of ashes.

The moment Meng Yuxin saw Shen Yi, she slapped him across the face on the spot! He’d helped an outsider drive his own father to his death, and still had the nerve to come back?

It was only then that Shen Yi learned he had been used by Xu Zhiwei.

“After Shen Yi found out, he came back, packed his things, and moved out. I thought he would hate me, but he didn’t.” As Xu Zhiwei recalled this, his eyes couldn’t help welling up with tears.

Compared to Shen Yi, he wasn’t even worth as much as an animal!

Xu Zhiwei said, “Because I had helped him once—getting Thomas severely punished by the law—he said he would never hate me for it.”

“That really does sound like something he’d say.” Rong Qian could understand Shen Yi’s way of thinking.

Xu Zhiwei felt deeply ashamed. “The nobler he is, the dirtier it makes me feel about myself. If only he hated me—then I wouldn’t have to carry such an enormous burden of guilt.”

“Once Shen Chi died, the Shen family lost its pillar. Even surrounded by enemies on all sides, Shen Yi shouldered the nearly bankrupt business all on his own.” Xu Zhiwei said with deep anguish, “That child was only nineteen at the time. I don’t even know how he managed to hold on.”

Forget Xu Zhiwei being heartbroken—even Rong Qian felt so upset she couldn’t even swallow a sip of water.

“To be honest, I really hoped he would come to me for help, but he didn’t. Do you know what the last thing he said to me was, when he left?”

“What was it?”

Xu Zhiwei said with a sigh, “He said that no matter how difficult things got, it was a consequence of his own doing, and he didn’t blame anyone.”

“So, just because he said he didn’t need your help, you really did nothing at all to help him?” Rong Qian asked coldly, confronting him.

Xu Zhiwei coughed lightly. “By then I had no face left to show him. And not long after that, I left America as well.”

“Besides running away, what else can you do?” Rong Qian couldn’t help snapping at him, no longer caring that he was an elderly man.

Xu Zhiwei listened humbly, not daring to argue back.

Rong Qian was furious—a surge of anger stuck in her chest, neither rising nor falling, suffocating her.

“Shen Yi changed a great deal during those years.”

Xu Zhiwei could only tell her what he knew. “After that young man named Lin Feng died, Shen Yi started wearing a gentle smile on his face often. He said someone had hoped to see him smile more.”

Rong Qian lowered her head and said nothing.

“Shen Yi was the most outstanding child I’ve ever known. He learned things quickly. Even when it came to socializing, he didn’t need me to teach him—he could handle everyone perfectly well on his own.”

“Because he said someone had taught him that if a person wants to accomplish anything, they can’t avoid dealing with all kinds of people, and he had to learn how to handle the relationships around him.”

When Xu Zhiwei said this and looked over at Rong Qian, he found that her eyes had already turned red.

To be honest, hearing all this made Rong Qian feel terrible inside.

She had always assumed that Shen Yi had been forced into making those choices, forced to grow up, even forced to do many things he didn’t like…

And so, the more Xu Zhiwei praised Shen Yi, the more it broke Rong Qian’s heart.

Because she knew exactly what the “price” had been for Shen Yi to become so mature and steady…

Damn it, right now she just wanted to hold him in her arms!