Chapter 47: Riddled with Doubt

Seeing what Shang Qi had written, Xi Jingpeng clenched his teeth so hard they made a grinding sound. Fearing she could not bear it any longer, he said, "Alright, you don't need to write anymore."

Shang Qi could not help bursting into tears. Outside the door, Shang Qi's parents were also wiping away tears nonstop. Their daughter had always been so sensible and well-behaved; how could such a thing happen to her?

After stepping out of the room, Xi Jingpeng said, "Uncle, Shang Qi's mental state is very poor. With so many reporters surrounding the place right now, could we move her to a quiet place to recuperate?"

"We would love to! But this is our only apartment, and we honestly have no idea where we could move to on such short notice."

"I have a villa in the suburbs. Would your family like to stay there temporarily to avoid all this?"

"That would be imposing on you far too much."

"It's no trouble at all. In this environment, it's very hard for Shang Qi's emotions to settle down. That place is quiet; perhaps it will help her feel better."

"Very well then! But what about the reporters outside..." Shang Wande said with some hesitation.

"I will find a way."

Xu Pengfei walked out and said to the reporters gathered at the door, "Members of the press, I am Shang Qi's defense attorney. I have just spoken with my client. Upon learning that a large crowd of reporters had gathered outside her door, her emotional state became extremely unstable. I am sure none of you wish to see her suffer any further accidents because of this. I earnestly beg all of you to leave and not linger here!"

Hearing these words, most of the reporters dispersed, driven by a sense of sympathy for Shang Qi. Seeing that a few reporters still refused to leave, Xu Pengfei had no choice but to step forward and say, "Please leave! If my client suffers any further distress as a result of your actions, I will prosecute the responsible parties."

Those few individuals had no choice but to walk away. However, one person hid in the shadows, silently watching every single move at the Shang residence...

Xi Jingpeng drove Shang Qi and her family to the villa in the suburbs. Upon arriving, Shang Qi's parents were astonished by the luxury of the place. While Xi Jingpeng went to park the car, Shang Wande asked, "Qiqi, what kind of work does your friend do?"

Shang Qi typed on her phone: He is the CEO of the Xi Corporation.

"What?"

Shang Wande was extremely surprised. Having been preoccupied with Shang Qi's affairs over the past few days, he hadn't had the chance to ask about Xi Jingpeng's background. He had simply assumed Xi Jingpeng was a regular corporate white-collar worker, never imagining such an identity. At that moment, Xi Jingpeng walked over and unlocked the front door.

He said, "Please come in!"

The interior of the villa was spotless and immaculately clean. A middle-aged woman in her forties was standing at the entrance to greet them. She said, "Sir, you're here."

Xi Jingpeng introduced her, saying, "This is Aunt Li, who manages all affairs of the villa. From now on, when you live here, she will take care of your daily needs."

You Xiufen said, "Sir, how can we possibly do that? We can take care of ourselves."

"Indeed! This simply won't do," Shang Wande refused.

Shang Qi also looked at him with a declining gaze.

Xi Jingpeng said, "Uncle, Auntie, please don't stand on ceremony! Aunt Li, show them to their rooms first."

Realizing that it was hard to refuse such warm hospitality, Shang Qi's parents had no choice but to follow Aunt Li inside first. By this point, they were certain that Xi Jingpeng's feelings for Shang Qi went far beyond mere friendly concern. Shang Qi's gaze remained vacant, as if whatever happened in the outside world had nothing to do with her.

Xi Jingpeng said, "I'll accompany you for a walk outside."

Shang Qi said nothing, simply following him in quiet silence. Outside the villa flowed a natural stream, its water jade-green and crystal clear. Gazing at the gentle, meandering green water before her, Shang Qi felt her mood calm down considerably. She silently told herself: Shang Qi, for the sake of Mom and Dad, you must be strong. You must never collapse at a time like this!

Fearing that she would let her mind wander into dark thoughts again, Xi Jingpeng deliberately changed the subject and said, "Qiqi, the first time I saw you was also by a river just like this. I was attending an outreach event organized by the Luo family, and you were the event coordinator. I suppose you didn't notice me at all back then. But your graceful figure by the water deeply captivated me."

Shang Qi acted as though she had heard nothing at all, merely staring blankly at the river's surface. She thought to herself: If only I had never met Luo Yichen, how wonderful that would have been! I wouldn't have had to struggle for all these years, and this humiliating thing never would have happened. This must be heaven punishing me!

Seeing Shang Qi's agonizing expression, Xi Jingpeng felt a sharp ache in his heart. He did not know how to comfort her or make her forget that nightmare. He was even more worried that Shang Qi would never be able to walk out of this shadow. The two of them stood quietly by the riverbank like that for a very long time...

The Luo family was shrouded in an atmosphere of gloom. Noticing that Luo Yichen had not returned home for the past few days, Yao Minzhi asked Elder Luo with concern, "Dad, should we ask Chen'er to come back and live here? Things are such a mess outside right now, and we don't even know how he's getting along."

"He's fine. The Luo family is going through a precarious time right now. When you have free time, look after Li Chen more; I always feel like that child has something on his mind."

Acting as though receiving an order, Yao Minzhi replied, "I understand!"

Over the years, although she disliked Mu Lichen, she had still cared for him meticulously. She managed to do this not because she was exceptionally magnanimous, but for the sake of Luo Shixun. He had always felt a sense of guilt toward Mu Lichen. As long as Yao Minzhi helped him take good care of this illegitimate son, she was certain a place would be reserved for her in his heart.

Luo Yichen paced back and forth inside his apartment, the room thick with the pungent smell of cigarette smoke. He had discovered numerous suspicious points: I never requested any water, so why did someone send it? All those reporters outside, how did they manage to gather like that? Some of the published reports described the details so vividly—how could they possibly understand things in such depth?

Luo Yichen felt that everyone around him was a suspect, yet none of them had a clear motive. At this moment, he could no longer trust the people closest to him. However, he was currently unable to show his face in public, meaning all matters had to be arranged through others. Pondering over and over, Luo Yichen felt something was deeply amiss. No matter what, every single detail had to be thoroughly investigated.

He took out his phone, dialed a number, and said, "I have something to discuss with you. Come find me."

"How am I supposed to know where you are?"

Luo Yichen gave him the address.

Half an hour later, the apartment doorbell rang. When Luo Yichen opened the door, a tall man walked in. He teased, "You called me over, and it's probably nothing good, right?" The speaker was a private detective named Xialuo.

Too lazy to humor him, Luo Yichen said, "Sit down! When you were abroad, I helped you out plenty of times. Why are you giving me this kind of attitude now that I'm asking for a favor?"

"Back when the Luo Corporation was facing a crisis, who was the one who helped you dig up your rival's dirt?" Xialuo curled his lip and said.

"Why are you holding on to that? We were college roommates, after all!"

Never one to yield so easily, Xialuo chuckled and said, "The news reports have been quite spectacular! Is that why you called me here?"

Luo Yichen's expression changed abruptly, and he remained silent. Just hearing about last night's events felt like having a fishbone stuck in his throat, causing him immense distress.

Xialuo looked at the cigarette butts in the ashcan and said, "Is it really that tricky?"

"Let's talk business! Help me investigate this entire affair. I want to know who on earth is framing me!"

"You suspect someone close to you was involved in this?"

"Until there is a definitive answer, everyone must be suspected. You taught me that."

Xialuo continued, "You've always been cautious in your actions; how could you possibly make a mistake like this? Is that woman really that enchanting? Even you couldn't keep your self-control!"

Since Luo Yichen needed Xialuo to investigate, he had to tell him the truth. Looking dejected, he said, "I love that woman, and I even introduced her to my family. I was drugged at the time, which is how I committed such a grave mistake."

Xialuo realized he had said the wrong thing. He advised, "Things have already reached this point, and you can't have the best of both worlds. Try to look at the bright side!"

After settling Shang Qi and her mother, Xi Jingpeng drove with Lawyer Xu to the hotel where the incident had taken place. When they reached the room in question, they found that the police had completely cordoned off the scene, forbidding anyone from entering. They had no choice but to return empty-handed.

Leaving the hotel, Xi Jingpeng drove while thinking to himself: Shang Qi has always lived a quiet, unassuming life and doesn't make enemies. Therefore, such an elaborate setup must be targeted directly at Luo Yichen. Sigh! If only I had been a bit more assertive back then, or confessed my feelings to her sooner, she wouldn't have ended up in this state today.

Ever since Yin Guizhen's visit last time, she had been coming over every few days to cook for Luo Yichen and tidy up his apartment. At first, Luo Yichen would let her in. But later, he felt this arrangement was entirely inappropriate. He knew perfectly well what Yin Guizhen's intentions were. Yet he had not the slightest desire to get back together with her.

Therefore, when Yin Guizhen came for the fourth time, Luo Yichen did not open the door for her. She rang the doorbell for a long time, but there was no movement inside. Finally, having run out of options, Yin Guizhen dialed Luo Yichen's cell phone.

She said, "Why don't you want to see me?"

"Because we are already divorced."

"I don't care," Yin Guizhen said, casting aside her pride.

"But I do care. Guizhen, stop doing this! I've been at my wit's end lately and truly have no energy left to deal with this."

"You're still in love with Shang Qi, aren't you? Even though she's taking you to court, you still love her?"

Luo Yichen did not answer; he had no answer to that question himself. He simply said, "All I can tell you is that I don't love you."

After hanging up the phone, Yin Guizhen wept helplessly. Luo Yichen's mercilessness left her unable to face herself. She could not understand why fate was so full of twists and turns. Who had framed her like that in the first place? And why couldn't Luo Yichen love her one more time?

Luo Yichen was living alone in his apartment, and Yao Minzhi missed him deeply. One day, she and Luo Shixun came to visit their son together. As soon as she stepped inside, Yao Minzhi noticed traces of a woman's presence. She asked, "Yichen, who has been here these past few days?"

Luo Yichen knew very well how sharp his mother's eyes were. Besides, there was nothing to hide regarding Yin Guizhen. Therefore, he replied, "After the incident happened, Guizhen came to see me a few times."

"Chen'er, you must not drag things out and maintain an ambiguous relationship with her at a time like this!" Yao Minzhi admonished.

"Mom, I still have a sense of propriety."

"I brought you some food; I'll go put it in the refrigerator first."

Luo Shixun said, "Let's go talk in the study."

Luo Yichen led him into the study. As soon as they entered, Luo Shixun noticed that a news report concerning Shang Qi was open on the computer screen. He asked in a low voice, "Yichen, is it really that hard for you to let go of Shang Qi?"