Pei Yansi was determined to prove to Shen Heyu that he was not just talking—he would certainly take concrete actions to demonstrate his seriousness to Shen Heyu.
But when Shen Heyu heard Pei Yansi’s promise, she just gave a slight laugh and then turned her head to look out of the car window. Her mind was a tangled mess now. She thought of Yuexue, of Pei Yansi, and also of Lu Yi.
She couldn’t understand why Lu Yi had changed , when she first knew him, he was so gentle and kind.
Thinking of his change, Shen Heyu felt as if her heart was being pricked by needles, painfully aware that it was her fault Lu Yi had turned out this way. She believed she was the chief culprit that led to Lu Yi’s downfall.
After watching Shen Heyu leave, Lu Yi’s anger made him clench his fist and slam it against the door. The door shook a few times, and his hand swelled up, but he entirely ignored the pain in his hand and took out his mobile phone to make a call to Chen Wenzhou.
"Chen Wenzhou, you bastard, I must have been out of my mind to have believed someone like you and to have agreed to collaborate with you. Now I’m breaking our contract—I don’t want to work with you anymore. I’m going to tell Pei Yansi and Shen Heyu everything."
Lu Yi now regretted deeply and loathed himself for being bewitched in the past. Why had he ever associated with the devil?
Chen Wenzhou, listening to Lu Yi’s angry words, just chuckled lightly. Lu Yi’s fury was within his expectations.
"Don’t be so quick to anger. I promised you, what you want to get, you will get it. No one can take Shen Heyu from you," Chen Wenzhou said casually, those words akin to rubbing salt in Lu Yi’s wounds.
Lu Yi nearly crushed his phone in his grip, "You son of a bitch, do you realize how much you have harmed me? Shen Heyu is utterly disappointed in me. There’s no future for us anymore."
"Do you know that just now Shen Heyu came with Pei Yansi, and she already knows that it was me who framed him for that woman’s death? She has proposed that next Monday, we go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get our divorce papers."
"You’re the real murderer. If you hadn’t deceived that woman, how would she have been so foolish as to jump from more than ten floors up? I’m going to tell everyone about this; you’re going to pay for what you’ve done."
Since Chen Wenzhou had brought Lu Yi to this point, Lu Yi was not going to let Chen Wenzhou get away with it either. He intended to go down fighting with Chen Wenzhou.
Chen Wenzhou guessed what Lu Yi was planning to do, and he had already prepared a contingency plan. Trying to calm Lu Yi down, he said, "Don’t rush into panic. Who said Shen Heyu will definitely go with you to get the divorce papers? I assure you, that will never happen."
"Everything has come to this stage, do you think your words can still calm me down? I’m telling you, if I’m going down, you’re not getting off easy either."
"Don’t forget, we are in the same boat. If this boat sinks, your end won’t be much better. If you tell Shen Heyu everything, there will be absolutely no chance for turning things around between you two."
"Now I can’t care about anything else. All I know is that by next Monday, Shen Heyu will leave me for good."
"It’s not next Monday yet; there’s still a chance for a turnaround. Give me two days. I will definitely hand you a satisfactory answer. Until then, don’t do anything."
Chen Wenzhou still had an ace up his sleeve. As long as Yuexue was in his hands, why should he worry about Shen Heyu not obeying?
"Are you sure there’s still a chance for this to turn around?" Lu Yi was skeptical. Just before, he had seen with his own eyes the resolute expression on Shen Heyu’s face, which did not seem like there was any chance for turning things around.
"Rest assured, it’s just two days. I will definitely deliver a satisfactory result. Until then, don’t do anything."
"Fine, this is the last time I’m trusting you. If I don’t see a satisfactory answer in two days, then be ready to go down with the ship," Pei Yan warned.
Lu Yi made this phone call to exert pressure on Chen Wenzhou, not truly wanting to engage in a duel to the death with Lu Yi, as he knew that wouldn’t end well for him either.
After hanging up, Lu Yi let out a slow laugh.
The matter was left to Chen Wenzhou to handle. Chen Wenzhou was unscrupulous - he would do anything to achieve his goals, to ease Lu Yi’s angry mood.
Lu Yi didn’t care what methods he used; all that mattered was that Shen Heyu stayed by his side.
Chen Wenzhou stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the night scene outside, the dial tone droning on from the phone. The smile on his face gradually faded.
Lu Yi, as a chess piece, was of no use to him, but when it came to the critical moment, he could be disruptive; therefore, Chen Wenzhou had to consider Lu Yi’s feelings at this time.
Without delay, Chen Wenzhou quickly made a call to Shen Heyu.
"Let’s meet tomorrow. I’ll return Yuexue to your side."
Shen Heyu’s heart raced when she received the call from Chen Wenzhou, fearing another misfortune might occur. But why wouldn’t she believe him now that he said he was returning her daughter?
"What trick are you planning now?" Chen Wenzhou had schemed against Shen Heyu twice before, and she had to be fully alert and cautious. There was no telling what pitfall Chen Wenzhou had prepared for her this time.
"Let’s meet at the cafe we’ve been to before at 9 a.m. tomorrow. If you don’t come, then your daughter won’t be able to return home," Chen Wenzhou knew that Shen Heyu didn’t trust him, so he spared the urge to explain further. After finishing his statement, he hung up the phone.
Shen Heyu felt uneasy as he hadn’t answered her questions.
On the one hand, she didn’t believe Lu Yi would willingly return her daughter, but on the other, what if there was a one in ten thousand chance it was true?
After all, this involved her daughter’s safety. Even if a pack of wolves lay ahead, Shen Heyu had no choice but to forge ahead against her better judgment.
The next morning at 9 a.m., she duly arrived at the cafe she’d agreed to meet Lu Yi. Upon her arrival, she saw Chen Wenzhou and also Yuexue.
"Mummy!" Yuexue happily jumped off the sofa upon seeing Shen Heyu and ran towards her with open arms. Shen Heyu embraced her daughter, burying her head into her shoulder.
She took a deep breath, inhaling the faint, fresh floral scent that was distinctly her daughter’s – she wasn’t dreaming. Her daughter was truly back by her side.
"Miss Shen, you see, I didn’t lie to you this time, did I?" Chen Wenzhou watched Shen Heyu’s joyful reunion and the smile that graced her lips, responding with a slow smile of his own.
Hearing Chen Wenzhou’s voice tightened Shen Heyu’s heart; she fixed her gaze on Chen Wenzhou, "What are you planning to do this time?"