CHAPTER 247: CHAPTER 247: HOW HE WILL RETURN TO HER SIDE

"If it weren’t for this wretched girl all these years, the villagers wouldn’t have gossiped about us," Lei Yuan retorted, trying to shift the blame.

"Your father and I were childless for many years. We took her in out of pity. But after a few square meals, her ambitions grew wild, and she ran off with some old man."

"She must have been thoroughly ruined by men back then. Now she’ll take anyone."

"Pah! How disgusting!"

Lei Yuan tried to say more, but she was suddenly kicked into the air.

BANG! She slammed hard against the courtyard wall, four meters away.

Lei Yuan was so terrified she didn’t even dare to scream.

Wu Shi strode over to Chen Yuan. "What did you do to her back then?"

Killing intent radiated from his brown eyes.

Chen Yuan’s legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.

Chen Dong, mustering what little courage he had, stepped between his father and Wu Shi. "You... if you have something to say, please say it calmly. Perhaps this is all a misunderstanding."

"And you believe that?"

Chen Dong didn’t dare to answer.

Chen Yuan argued, "If we hadn’t bought her back then, human traffickers would have broken her legs and thrown her onto the streets to beg! She wouldn’t be standing here perfectly fine today. To put it bluntly, we’re her saviors!"

Fu Bing’s voice was icy. "So, you felt justified hitting me, cursing me, and abusing me? And when your wife was three months pregnant, you found me a burden and planned to sell me to that old bachelor in our village, the one who’d abused several orphans to death?"

Chen Yuan denied it. "We did no such thing! We had to pray for blessings for our son. How could we possibly do that?"

"The night before I left, why did that old bachelor give you two hundred thousand?"

"Two hundred thousand? What nonsense are you spouting?"

Chen Dong’s face turned deathly pale.

He also knew the story of the old bachelor. The man had pestered his parents for money he was owed. Then, one winter morning, he was found dead in his own fishpond.

He had no relatives, so his body was buried without much ceremony. Villagers had reportedly seen his parents near the fishpond that night.

Cold sweat drenched Chen Dong’s shirt, and a chill ran down his spine.

After the old bachelor died, they had moved out of the village and bought a house in the county town not long after.

Chen Yuan roared, "You idiot! Are you just going to stand there and let people bully your parents? Has all that studying addled your brain?"

"If you truly did something wrong, we must admit it and bear the consequences."

Enraged, Chen Yuan slapped Chen Dong several times. "I should have strangled you when you were born!"

Chen Dong’s eyes welled up. "Don’t you understand? Do you think no one knows what you’ve done? Why do you think we suddenly ran into Sister Bing today? Heaven itself can no longer tolerate it!"

Lei Yuan, who had just regained consciousness, fainted again in a fit of rage at Chen Dong’s words.

The onlookers had also pieced together what was happening and discreetly called the police.

The police took the three members of the Chen family, along with Fu Bing and Wu Shi, in for questioning. Once the situation was clarified, Fu Bing and Wu Shi were allowed to leave.

Fu Bing stood silently by the roadside, bathed in sunlight.

Suddenly, she turned her head. "Did you know they would come?"

"Yes." Wu Shi didn’t hide it from her. He had sworn to himself never to lie to her, no matter what, even though she was unaware of his vow.

Fu Bing was momentarily speechless. "Next time you plan something like this, tell me beforehand. Suddenly unearthing fears I’ve buried so deep... it’s a lot to handle."

"Dragging it out is like being slowly sliced by a dull knife," Wu Shi said coolly.

"Perhaps. Let’s go back and find another place."

Wu Shi looked at her, his heart aching with tenderness. "If you’re scared, just say so. It’s okay to cry too."

She shook her head. "It’s not that I don’t want to cry; I just can’t."

"Are even your tears reserved only for Qin Jinhai?"

Fu Bing didn’t refute it. It seemed she truly had only ever cried in front of Qin Jinhai.

A flicker of frustration crossed Wu Shi’s eyes. How can I use Qin Jinhai’s identity to return to her side?

While he was lost in thought, Fu Bing had already started walking away. He lengthened his stride to catch up.

They spent two days at a hot spring town. By the time they returned to Imperial Garden, Aunt Ning and Uncle He had gone to the suburbs to admire flowers and paint. Xiaomei and Jian Si were staying at the villa in Wangjiang Pavilion.

It was already dark when they arrived at Imperial Garden.

As they passed Qin Jinhai’s villa, Fu Bing casually glanced towards it. That single glance made her sit bolt upright.

Qin Jinhai’s villa was lit up.

"Stop the car!" Fu Bing exclaimed urgently.

Before Wu Shi’s car had fully stopped, Fu Bing had already thrown open the door and dashed out.

Her hands trembled as she unlocked the door with her fingerprint. The door swung open.

Wu Shi followed Fu Bing. "Don’t rush. What if it’s dangerous?"

Fu Bing’s face was pale; she found it impossible to calm herself.

Wu Shi stayed by her side as they entered together. The villa was just as Qin Jinhai had left it: clean and tidy.

Fu Bing stared at the empty living room, her voice trembling as she called out, "Qin Jinhai, is that you?" Her voice carried a fragile hope, eager anticipation, and palpable fear.

Wu Shi flinched. For a moment, he almost lost control, nearly pulling her into a tight embrace. He dug his nails viciously into his palm, the pain snapping him back to reality.

His plan to fake his death suddenly seemed utterly foolish, he thought. It achieved nothing but hurting her.

Fu Bing searched every room but found no sign of Qin Jinhai. Dejected, she walked slowly down the stairs and sank onto the living room sofa, her face ashen.

He had commissioned a designer to create this sofa specifically for her, tailored to her preferences. It had cost seven million. Every detail here, every little thing, was a testament to the life they had shared.

Wu Shi said, his voice hoarse, "Perhaps the cleaning service forgot to turn off the lights when they were here."

Fu Bing nodded with difficulty. "Mm."

Fu Bing got up and left.

That night, she took the calming medication Aunt Ning had prepared specifically for her constitution. Half an hour later, she drifted into a groggy sleep.

Drifting in the space between dream and reality, she felt the mattress dip beside her. A familiar scent wafted into her nostrils—the distinct, cool fragrance unique to Qin Jinhai.

Her body tensed for an instant. Then, slender fingers lightly touched her temples, massaging them gently. Fu Bing’s tense body gradually relaxed, and she sank into a deep slumber.

Qin Jinhai gazed at her face, illuminated by the faint light filtering in from the courtyard. How can anyone be so stubborn? he thought. She won’t even cry when I’m not here. A pang of tenderness shot through him, so sharp it felt like his heart itself was aching.

Qin Jinhai stayed until just before dawn.

When Fu Bing woke up, her first thought regarding the previous night was to check the surveillance footage. It showed nothing suspicious. Yet, Qin Jinhai’s presence had felt so real. It couldn’t have been her imagination.

After freshening up, she went downstairs. Wu Shi was in the courtyard, absently playing with a cat. He only noticed her when she walked up behind him.

"What’s on your mind?"

"The Su Family and Qin Jinmo have discovered traces of Qin Sheng and the Qin Family Clan Association. They’re currently moving to eliminate their remaining forces."

"Do they have any news about Qin Jinhai?"

"I’ll ask them later."

Fu Bing nodded. "Did you notice anything unusual last night?"

"What kind of unusual?"

"The kind where someone might have snuck into the villa."

Wu Shi shook his head firmly. "Impossible!"

"Are you sure?"

"Besides me, other wronged spirits are guarding the villa. It’s impossible for all of us to have been asleep at the same time."

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to doubt your abilities."

Wu Shi asked cautiously, "Did you see Qin Jinhai?"

"I felt his presence."