Chapter 634: Chapter 605: Good Night, My Love
Xu Chunliang cleared the first jar, opened the sealed lid, shone a flashlight inside, and reached in to pull out a piece of dragon bone. Seeing the writing on it, Xu Chunliang concluded that these dragon bones were from the batch Zhou Renhe had buried years ago. As for how many were related to the "Inner Canon of Huangdi," he had no idea.
Xu Chunliang took the dragon bones out of the jars, with Mei Ru Xue helping him put them into the burlap sacks. The two of them worked in perfect harmony.
They spent an hour finding all four jars, transferring all the dragon bones into the burlap sacks, filling up two large sacks.
Mei Ru Xue looked at the spoils of their labor and felt a sense of accomplishment.
Xu Chunliang put the lids back on the jars and replaced the large stone. Carrying the two large sacks of dragon bones, he and Mei Ru Xue headed down the mountain.
When they returned near the stone pavilion, a patrolling security guard passed by. They quickly hid in the bushes. Once the guard had moved on, they came out. Despite some minor setbacks, everything went smoothly overall.
Out of the mountain park’s gate, Xu Chunliang waited while Mei Ru Xue went to the parking lot to bring the car over and placed the two bags of dragon bones in the trunk.
Mei Ru Xue, believing the treasure hunting mission was complete, breathed a sigh of relief and took out alcohol wipes to clean her hands. Only then did she feel a bit of fear, considering all the crazy things she had done with Xu Chunliang.
Xu Chunliang, satisfied, patted the back of Mei Ru Xue’s hand and said, "Everything went smoothly, drive!"
Mei Ru Xue replied, "You and I are almost like a pair of master thieves."
Xu Chunliang said, "The term ’pair’ is used accurately."
Mei Ru Xue said, "Take your dirty hand off," handing him an alcohol wipe.
That night, Mei Ru Xue stayed at the Xu family’s villa to rest, mainly because she didn’t dare drive back alone.
Xu Changshan was already asleep, while Xu Chunliang, still energized, went to the study to sort through the two large bags of dragon bones.
After bathing, Mei Ru Xue saw him organizing the bones and couldn’t help but tease, "Looks like you’ve found a treasure; you’re too happy to sleep."
Xu Chunliang said, "Do you know how much Luan Yuchuan offered me for a piece of dragon bone?" He held up a finger.
"Ten thousand?"
"You underestimate the CEO of Equatorial Capital."
"A million?" Mei Ru Xue then realized this unremarkable pile of oracle bones was actually so valuable? There must be thousands of pieces, and if each is a million, wouldn’t they be worth nearly ten billion?
Xu Chunliang said, "Ten million!"
"Ten million?" Mei Ru Xue was simply stunned. The fact that Luan Yuchuan was willing to spend so much money on these things could mean only one thing: the text on them was priceless.
Xu Chunliang said, "The Xu family’s things aren’t to be given away cheaply."
Mei Ru Xue yawned and said, "Take your time. I’m tired. I’m going to sleep first."
Xu Chunliang looked at her alluring face and swallowed, "Come with me."
Mei Ru Xue, her face blushing, said, "Dream on. I have my room," then turned to retreat, determined to lock the door tightly today, wary of him sneaking in at midnight.
Sure enough, not long after, he came knocking on the door. Unsuccessful, he shamelessly sent her a message.
Mei Ru Xue replied, "Good night, my love!"
Greatly tormented, Grandmaster Xu eventually retreated, realizing that knocking on Secretary Mei’s door wasn’t so simple. Secretary Mei was a girl who valued a sense of ceremony and a good cadre who could withstand the test, holding fast to her principles.
With nothing better to do, Xu Chunliang whittled away the time sorting the dragon bones until three in the morning before finally going to bed.
With gain for someone comes loss for another.
Zhao Feiyang recently experienced what it meant to suffer one misfortune after another; his house had been robbed.
Zhao Feiyang had more than one home; the robbery happened at the new apartment he shared with Pei Lin, which they planned to move into after their wedding. Since the wedding day incident, they had effectively been separated.
Pei Lin lived there alone for a few days, hoping Zhao Feiyang would reconsider and come back, but he never did, so she returned to her previous residence, leaving the new home unoccupied.
Had the police not caught the thief, neither of them would have known about the break-in.
When they went to the local precinct to assist with the investigation, Zhao Feiyang and Pei Lin met. Seeing Pei Lin’s slightly swollen abdomen, Zhao Feiyang realized that whether he wanted it or not, he would be tied to this woman for the rest of his life.
Pei Lin said, "Feiyang, I wanted to call you, but I was afraid of disturbing your work, so I came to check the situation first."
Zhao Feiyang asked, "Are you alright?"
Pei Lin shook her head. Since the accident on their wedding day, this was the first time he showed concern for her.
At that moment, a police officer approached to lead them, mainly to confirm the stolen items. Zhao Feiyang was a bit nervous on the way. After all, stories of officials taking a fall due to robbery cases were not uncommon. He consoled himself, thinking he had nothing to hide; he was always careful financially. His home had no illicit items. But he could only vouch for himself; what about Pei Lin?
Zhao Feiyang realized Pei Lin was the biggest uncontrollable factor in his life. He had invited a ticking time bomb into his life, making each step dangerously precarious. He had already paid a heavy price for this.
While confirming the lost items, Lu Qi arrived and greeted Zhao Feiyang. This theft case had landed on his desk.
Zhao Feiyang exchanged a few polite words with Lu Qi.
Lu Qi said, "This is what we should do, Dean Zhao, there’s no need for formalities. By the way, I have a few photos for you to see."
The two followed Lu Qi to the office. Lu Qi took out photos of two men. Zhao Feiyang looked at them but didn’t recognize them. He passed the photos to Pei Lin, who also shook her head, indicating she had never seen these two people before.
Lu Qi pointed to one with a mustache and said, "This guy is Guo Mingyi, from Hai Zhou, a habitual offender with a criminal record. He was just released earlier this year."
Zhao Feiyang laughed, "There’s no way I know someone like that."
Lu Qi said, "According to our investigation, he’s connected to that photo incident at your wedding—he’s the one who orchestrated it all."
Zhao Feiyang was furious, "It was him? I don’t know him at all, why would he do this to me?" As he said this, he looked at Pei Lin, clearly wanting answers from her.
Pei Lin said, "I don’t know this person either."
Lu Qi said, "There’s someone you definitely know—Yang Mufeng!"
Zhao Feiyang frowned. Wasn’t Yang Mufeng already dead?
Lu Qi said, "Yang Mufeng’s ex-wife is named Guo Mingli, and this Guo Mingyi is her brother."
Pei Lin actually guessed what Lu Qi was investigating as soon as she heard the name. If the wedding incident was Guo Mingyi’s doing, it must be revenge for his sister Guo Mingli. He believed she had destroyed his sister’s family. Guo Mingli knew about her existence. Since Lu Qi traced it here, it meant her relationship with Yang Mufeng was no longer a secret.
Zhao Feiyang asked, "Has this Guo Mingyi been captured?"
Lu Qi said, "He’s still at large, but based on what we know, several incidents you’ve encountered recently are related to him."
Pei Lin asked, "Are you saying he did it all?"
Lu Qi said, "You mean..."
Pei Lin realized she might have misspoken and quickly explained, "The photos at the wedding and the break-in."
Lu Qi stared into Pei Lin’s eyes and said, "Both incidents are related to him. We also suspect that the murder case involving Yang Mufeng might have some connection to him."
Pei Lin secretly breathed a sigh of relief; this meant the police hadn’t yet suspected her of the murder case. By logical reasoning, Guo Mingyi also had a motive since Yang Mufeng betrayed his sister.
Zhao Feiyang and Pei Lin walked out together. At the parking lot, Zhao Feiyang stopped, noticing Pei Lin’s car wasn’t there since he had driven over.
Pei Lin offered, "Mind giving me a lift?"
Zhao Feiyang asked, "You didn’t drive?"
Pei Lin shook her head. Every time the police called her in for questioning, she prepared for not coming back. Eliminating Yang Mufeng hadn’t brought her peace but made her more anxious.
Zhao Feiyang opened the car door for Pei Lin to sit in the back.
Pei Lin thanked him and fastened her seatbelt.
"Where are you headed?"
"Changxing Hospital, it’s time for the prenatal checkup today."
Zhao Feiyang pressed his lips, feeling a twinge of guilt. Regardless of everything, the child was innocent. Since the wedding, he hadn’t cared for Pei Lin, and their shared creation stubbornly grew inside her.
Zhao Feiyang started the car: "Did you know Yang Mufeng for a long time?"
Pei Lin cracked open the window: "Drive slower."
Zhao Feiyang realized she was trying to change the subject.
Pei Lin looked at her phone for a while and softly said, "Are you blaming everything on me?"
Zhao Feiyang glanced at Pei Lin in the rearview mirror, and Pei Lin was watching him through it too.
Zhao Feiyang said, "Maybe neither of us truly understood each other."
"Not understanding and not wanting to are different things. Maybe you think if you’d known more about me, you would never have married me."
Zhao Feiyang gave a noncommittal smile.
Pei Lin said, "I feel the same."
Zhao Feiyang felt as if he had been slapped in the face. What did she mean? Was she looking down on him? What right did she have to look down on him?
Pei Lin said, "For a while, I was really scared of losing you, not for myself, but for our child. I worried he’d face life without a father. But now I’ve realized that a father who doesn’t dare to take responsibility is as good as none."
Zhao Feiyang reminded himself to control his emotions; this woman was trying to provoke him.
Pei Lin said mercilessly, "Actually, you’re quite a failure."
