Chapter 36#

Chapter 36 Interlocking Rings

Big Brother Zheng Big Brother Zheng Big Brother Zheng Big Brother Zheng—

Zheng Yuelin’s hand trembled violently. She suddenly pushed the opened drawer hard, not even reacting when her finger still on the drawer was heavily pinched.

Big Brother Zheng Big Brother Zheng Big Brother Zheng Big Brother Zheng—

Yuelin likes Xinjun likes Xinjun likes Xinjun likes Xinjun—

Countless voices swirled in her mind like a typhoon. She seemed to have spun countless circles in a second. The world spinning was not enough to describe the dizziness she felt at this moment.

…No.

…No, wait.

Zheng Yuelin closed her eyes. She slowly pulled out her finger pinched red and swollen by the wood, pressed her forehead with her palm, and thought sweatily.

This notebook was placed here… Xiaorou’s room… For so many years, how many people have seen it?

Uncle Shen just said that Chenzhou occasionally comes over. Has he seen it—impossible not to, right? What about Uncle Shen? —Impossible not to, right?

If these two people know, if this is really the truth of the past, who else knows? Does Gu Xinjun know? Gu Xinjun’s father, her father-in-law—does he know?

Sixteen years ago when she just got married, Zheng Junda wanted a position that happened to be vacant and came to find Gu Xinjun. Gu Xinjun didn’t express anything, but Gu Chenzhou made a big fuss on the spot and slammed the door to leave… She thought at that time Gu Chenzhou was simply unhappy that she became his stepmother, thinking that she fell for Gu Xinjun and caused Xiaorou to die of depression… But Xiaorou was already dragging her days at that time…

She always thought Gu Chenzhou was taking his anger out on her. Gu Chenzhou had been indifferent to her and the Zheng family for so many years. Only that time, he tore his face and argued loudly without scruples…

…No, these are just speculations.

Zheng Yuelin tried hard to correct her divergent thinking. But she couldn’t help thinking:

Not counting Chenzhou. Besides Chenzhou, after she married Gu Xinjun, although the Gu family also tilted resources towards the Zheng family, her father-in-law never saw Zheng Junda again. Every time Zheng Junda went to Zhengde Garden to visit, he was blocked… Why is this? Before she got married, Zheng Junda could even go to Zhengde Garden once or twice…

Zheng Yuelin sat blankly in front of the dressing table, feeling cold and hot.

A moment later, she suddenly stood up and walked out. After taking two steps, she hesitated, turned back to pick up the notebook on the dressing table, quickly left the room, and walked towards Old Master Shen’s study.

“Mrs. Gu.” James standing at the door of the study stopped Zheng Yuelin, “Sir was a bit tired just now, took medicine and went to sleep.”

“How is Uncle Shen’s health?” Zheng Yuelin suppressed her anxiety, asked a few concerned questions and said to James, “I came to say goodbye. I just saw a notebook I gave to Xiaorou in her room and felt a bit nostalgic… I want to borrow it for a few days to make a copy, and then return it, is that okay?”

“Yes, Madam.” James said.

Zheng Yuelin was stunned: “No need to go in and ask?”

The old butler from the UK shook his head: “Sir instructed before going to sleep just now. If Mrs. Gu wants to take anything, feel free to take it, but please return it intact. Sir said he doesn’t have many things left to remember.”

Uncle Shen really knew about this diary. If it had been kept in the dressing table like this, Chenzhou wouldn’t be unaware… Zheng Yuelin pinched the notebook hard for a moment, then let go and said: “I know, I will keep it carefully.”

“Please, Madam,” James gestured, “I’ll see you out.”

Leaving the Shen family’s old house in a trance, Zheng Yuelin drove home. When passing a red light, she didn’t pay attention and rear-ended the car in front. The owner of the black BMW in front was so angry that he came down and knocked on her window. She turned her head and looked at the person outside the window for a long time before remembering to press down the glass.

“Fuck!” The car owner was tall and big. He was already unhappy about being hit, and had to knock on the glass for a long time before reasoning, making his hands red. So he cursed as soon as he opened his mouth, “Can you drive or not? You can hit even this?”

“Leave a phone number,” Zheng Yuelin said tiredly, “Send the bill for car inspection and repair, I’ll pay the compensation.”

Seeing this female driver so straightforward, the rear-ended car owner’s anger subsided a bit: “Pay attention when driving out. What about your phone number and address?”

Zheng Yuelin reported her phone number and address. The BMW owner was recording seriously at first, but was stunned when he heard the three words Tianrui Garden. He subconsciously turned his head and glanced at the license plate number of the car, and immediately forced a smile: “Madam, I know… well, that’s it?” He didn’t say he wanted to leave his own phone number anymore.

“En.” Zheng Yuelin responded simply, raised the window glass, started, shifted gears, reversed, forward… returned to Tianrui Garden like sleepwalking.

It was only three o’clock in the afternoon.

There was no one in the whole villa.

Zheng Yuelin sat alone on the sofa with her arms folded for a long time, suddenly stood up and walked out again. This time she drove directly to a professional appraisal agency, used the name of the Organization Minister’s wife, handed the notebook to the person in charge of the agency, and asked the person in charge to identify the time of the notebook and the ink inside quickly and accurately.

Then she drove to a random private appraisal agency in the capital and handed a part of the last page she carefully tore off to the other party for appraisal.

Waiting for a day and a night.

The results from the private appraisal agency and the professional appraisal agency were delivered to Zheng Yuelin at the same time.

The paper was more than twenty years old, and the ink inside had been exposed to the air for at least ten years.

Ten years.

Zheng Yuelin wanted to cry and laugh.

But she still had a trace of uncertainty.

She kept this diary close to her body and drove the car with the crooked headlight to find Zheng Junda.

This was the fourth day Zheng Junda came back, and the third meeting between the siblings.

Zheng Junda didn’t go out. Staying at home, he was quite surprised by Zheng Yuelin’s arrival: “Don’t you have court today?”

“I asked for leave.” Zheng Yuelin said, “Big Brother has been on this business trip for quite a long time, right?”

These words were really not beautiful or polite. Having been in the officialdom where smiles hide knives for a long time, Zheng Junda didn’t answer for a moment. A moment later, he frowned unhappily: “What do you mean by saying this?”

“Literal meaning.” Zheng Yuelin sat opposite Zheng Junda and said coldly.

Her sister was so angry… was it because he skipped Gu Xinjun to find someone else? Zheng Junda looked at Zheng Yuelin calmly: “I know why you came. The situation is complicated now, and it’s not good for me to trouble my brother-in-law with everything.”

“You don’t know.” Zheng Yuelin said softly, “If you knew, you wouldn’t dare to face me like this.”

Zheng Junda was stunned, and heard Zheng Yuelin continue:

“Eighteen years ago, what did you say to Xiaorou?”

“What?”

“The year I came back from abroad, the year Gu Chenzhou was five years old, the year Xiaorou was critically ill and about to pass away—what did you do to Shen Rou!?”

Zheng Junda was astonished: “Are you crazy? What could I do to Gu Xinjun’s wife and your best friend?”

Zheng Yuelin stared at Zheng Junda fixedly. She let out a breath, slowly slumped her tense shoulders, relaxed her body, and seemed about to smile… But the next moment she looked stern: “Zheng Junda! We have been siblings for so many years, and you still dare to lie to me! Do you think I can’t tell when you are lying!?”

Zheng Junda’s face changed again and again: “You also said we are siblings, siblings of the same father and mother! What are you doing now?”

“I am questioning you.” Zheng Yuelin said word by word, “I am questioning how you dare to lie to me, how you dare to say such things to a woman who doesn’t have many days left!” Her chest heaved violently, “How dare you tell Xiaorou—how dare you tell my best sister—that I fell for Gu Xinjun?”

Zheng Junda frowned suddenly: “What did you say? I didn’t do that.”

“You are still quibbling?” Zheng Yuelin sneered and got up to leave.

“Zheng Yuelin, stop right there!” Zheng Junda stood up angrily and shouted, which finally attracted Mother Zheng who stayed at home.

Mother Zheng pushed the door open and said: “What are you two siblings doing? Is there anything you can’t sit down and talk about properly?”

“Mom, nothing!” The siblings answered in unison.

After a pause, Zheng Yuelin said: “Mom, you go out first. I and Zheng…” She swallowed the two words Junda back into her throat, “Big Brother still have some things to deal with, it’s official business.”

“Official business?” Mother Zheng looked at the two siblings suspiciously.

“It’s official business.” Zheng Junda confirmed with a cold face.

At this point, Mother Zheng couldn’t say much, so she could only nod and say: “You two keep your voices down. Don’t quarrel if you have different opinions.” She walked towards the living room, leaving the door open intentionally, but this was destined to be in vain—as soon as she went out, Zheng Yuelin closed the door behind her.

The guest room returned to silence.

Zheng Junda spoke first: “I don’t know what you are talking about. I simply didn’t tell Xiaorou anything about you liking Gu Xinjun.”

“Really?”

“Of course!” Zheng Junda said, “Even if you liked Gu Xinjun back then, even if I hoped the Zheng family and the Gu family would marry, how could I say such things to a woman who was about to die? From her illness to her death, I only saw her once!”

“Yes,” Zheng Yuelin said slowly, “Not long after you saw her, she held my hand and said she didn’t know I liked Gu Xinjun, didn’t know I didn’t come back from abroad for so many years because I couldn’t accept her being with Gu Xinjun…”

“How do I know what Shen Rou was thinking?” Zheng Junda said.

Zheng Yuelin’s fingers dug into her purse: “Why don’t you say what you did exactly?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Zheng Junda said to Zheng Yuelin affirmatively, but Zheng Yuelin looked at him like a knife. Then he heard the other party speak, her voice low and powerful:

“Zheng Junda! Don’t play this ‘I told the truth, I just didn’t say some things’ game with me! Did you forget what I do now?”

Zheng Junda choked and said in disbelief: “…You force your big brother like this for an outsider?”

“This outsider left her husband and son to me, believing that I would take good care of them for her.” Zheng Yuelin said quietly, “What about you? What did my big brother do to me?”

“She let you raise her son! Is this called being good to you?” Zheng Junda said.

“If you didn’t say it, I would have really forgotten. Big Brother, you wanted me to raise someone else’s son so much that you told a pitiful woman who had to pant for half a day after saying a sentence that I fell for her husband? Even if you care about your position, couldn’t you wait a bit longer? Wait for her to swallow that last breath?” Zheng Yuelin said.

Zheng Junda was forced hard. He panted several times before saying: “…I didn’t say that! How many times do you want me to say it! Don’t you remember that Shen Rou was confused by illness back then and suddenly wanted to see those old things you shared… She saw the diary you wrote when you liked Gu Xinjun, and then held that thing and pulled me to ask,” he paused, “Of course I didn’t say anything.”

Zheng Yuelin seemed to be hit on the head by a giant hammer appearing out of thin air, and her whole person wilted.

“Yes, you didn’t say anything. You picked up the diary I took out specially and stuffed it back in…” She laughed weakly, “How long has it been? When I was in college, I stayed abroad for seven years, and Xiaorou’s child was five years old. When you did this, did you ever think about how I faced Xiaorou at that time, and how I face Chenzhou now? I missed my sister’s man for seven years, I missed a man whose face I couldn’t even remember for seven years—I, Zheng Yuelin, can’t live without a man, right!”

Her eyes were red, and she questioned sternly.

Since childhood, Zheng Junda had never seen his sister so excited.

He tried to clarify the context of the matter—or change the subject: “Yuelin, maybe I… maybe I shouldn’t have given everything to Shen Rou without paying much attention, but I really didn’t say a word to Shen Rou. It’s been so long now. Who told you what? Why did you suddenly bring this up?”

“I saw a diary of Xiaorou’s past in the Shen family, which wrote what you did.” Zheng Yuelin said softly.

Zheng Junda’s face changed suddenly, and he sneered: “You believe such an obvious frame-up?” He looked at Zheng Yuelin’s cold expression and said again, “Shen Rou was so sick that she couldn’t even hold a pen at that time. And if she really wrote it, how could the Shen family let you marry into the Gu family again?”

“You also know that Xiaorou was so sick that she couldn’t even hold a pen at that time. How could you be so cruel to do this?” Zheng Yuelin asked.

Xiaorou Xiaorou Xiaorou Xiaorou!

Zheng Junda was really angry: “Can you be smarter and see the key point of the matter clearly? This matter is obviously someone framing me, trying to provoke you to make trouble with the Zheng family! To make Zhengjia have one less powerful arm when he enters officialdom in the future!” His hint was extremely strong, almost naming Gu Chenzhou directly.

Zheng Yuelin laughed dumbly: “If I don’t care about Xiaorou, what do I care about? I married a second-married man focused on his career back then for Shen Rou, for Shen Rou’s son, because I felt sorry for her! Not to pave the way for my own future child to be a young master or princess as soon as born, nor to add bricks and tiles to your Zheng Junda’s promotion!”

“Zheng Junda,” Zheng Yuelin took a deep breath, “The point is not what others did, but what you did.”

“I came here just to confirm this,” her face was full of fatigue, “Now I have confirmed it…” She lowered her head, took out her mobile phone from her bag and dialed a number. A strand of hair hung down from her forehead, and her expression became strong and cold.

“What do you want to do?” A bad feeling rose in Zheng Junda’s heart.

Zheng Yuelin didn’t answer. She waited quietly for the phone to connect—it didn’t take too long. In a few breaths, the phone was connected: “Hello Madam, the Minister is in a meeting, need…”

“No need.” Zheng Yuelin interrupted the other party and said concisely, “What meeting is Minister Gu attending?”

“It’s a meeting about party member transfer and construction.” Gu Xinjun’s secretary said.

“Good,” Zheng Yuelin said, “Report a name to him, my brother, Zheng Junda. My brother has made a decision in the past two days. He wants to be transferred to another city casually. If there is no suitable position, it doesn’t matter. Just having a name hanging there is fine. Real power is not urgent.”

Zheng Junda almost couldn’t catch his breath.

Zheng Yuelin hung up the phone directly after saying this, then she raised her hand and threw the phone to the ground hard. With a snap, the body and cover separated. Zheng Yuelin raised her foot and stomped on the phone on the ground with her thin shoe tip, crushing the screen, bending the body, and then breaking her own heel and twisting her ankle.

The angry scolding rushing to Zheng Junda’s throat was silently swallowed back by the owner.

Zheng Yuelin, who fell to the ground, stood up slowly by herself. Stepping on high and low shoes, she took off the other shoe, broke the heel, threw it back on the ground and put it on: “Big Brother, you were only thirty years old eighteen years ago. Every breath, every hour, every day was new and ambitious. But what about Xiaorou? She was three years younger than you, but her every day, every hour, every breath was the last day, last hour, last breath.”

“I can never see Xiaorou again,” she said finally, “I don’t want to see you again either.”

Minister Gu’s efficiency was very high.

On the same night, Gu Chenzhou and He Hailou received calls about Zheng Junda’s transfer at the same time.

They hung up the phone together and pondered silently. Then Gu Chenzhou drove to the cemetery, while He Hailou suddenly wanted to meet Gu Chenzhou very much.

Where is he now?

Call to ask? Invite out? No, no, there shouldn’t be a third person present besides the two of them. He Hailou thought so.

So, where is Gu Chenzhou now?

The night sky was like a board, studded with stars.

The originally dark sky was dyed rose purple by the brilliant lights of the city. The cool wind blew the broad leaves of the palm trees, like a low ocarina music sounding on the street. He Hailou spent twenty minutes guessing Gu Chenzhou’s mind, another ten minutes determining the location, and another half an hour driving to the destination. Then he bribed the gatekeeper of the destination with a carton of cigarettes, got the information of the task protagonist from the gatekeeper’s mouth, and waited leaning against the car.

This wait lasted for fully two hours.

It rained heavily suddenly yesterday, and the weather turned cold in the past two days. He Hailou only wore a shirt casually when he came out. Now the place waiting for people was wide and dark, surrounded by garden trees without any high buildings to block, and his face was blown numb for a while.

Just as He Hailou couldn’t help sneezing for the third time within an hour, a familiar figure finally walked out of the cemetery.

“Young Master Gu!” He Hailou seized the opportunity to call out loudly, not forgetting to send a smile, attempting to trip the other party’s steps with a kind attitude.

Gu Chenzhou really stopped. Not only stopped, he paused briefly in place, and walked towards He Hailou’s direction.

He Hailou, who was preparing to step forward actively, was surprised for a moment.

“Young Master He stays here so late?” Gu Chenzhou said. Compared to He Hailou who only wore a shirt, Gu Chenzhou seemed much warmer—besides a shirt, he also wore a gray wool vest—but even so, his nose was blown red like He Hailou’s.

He Hailou’s gaze wandered around Gu Chenzhou and smiled: “Came to find Young Master Gu specially. Have some things to ask Young Master Gu.”

“Why didn’t Young Master He call?” Gu Chenzhou smiled and said, “Going in to find me is also fine.”

He Hailou thought to himself I wanted to go in, but going in to see your mother with you at this time… really won’t be beaten out by you? He laughed and said: “Waiting here is the same, anyway not long.” Fully two hours! “Actually, I’m more interested in what I told Young Master Gu last time, about the Party Secretary of Jiangzhi City… Young Master Gu might as well tell me?”

Gu Chenzhou smiled and didn’t speak, but didn’t leave either.

He Hailou’s heart moved. He opened the trunk of the car, took out two cans of cold beer from the small refrigerator, handed one to Gu Chenzhou and said jokingly: “Shall we chat? —Young Master Gu won’t think I brought recording equipment, right.”

Gu Chenzhou took it and tossed it in his palm. Like He Hailou, he seemed to be joking, yet seemed serious: “Maybe I also brought a jammer?”

Gu Chenzhou doesn’t look like he doesn’t want to say anything…

He Hailou thought silently in his heart, and probed: “Young Master Gu, I know you made a move over there…”

Gu Chenzhou leaned against the car, just with a faint smile.

“I thought wrong before. You probably also want him to enter the capital.”

Still smiling.

“Because Young Master Gu, you originally planned to use this opportunity to solve the matter.”

Still didn’t speak to stop him.

He Hailou sneezed a little, rubbed his nose and said with interest: “Let me think. I heard that Mrs. Gu was very angry this time and called Minister Gu’s secretary directly to let out word. Minister Gu was still in a meeting, and the secretary found a way to pass the message. As a result, after the meeting, Zheng Junda’s matter also came to an end.”

Gu Chenzhou opened the can and took a shallow sip of wine: “Young Master He continue.”

“Young Master Gu has good means,” He Hailou said slowly, his eyes flickering, “Only four or five days in total, right? I remember Mrs. Gu turned against her brother only after going to the Shen family; I also heard that Mrs. Gu… took something for appraisal?”

“Really?” Gu Chenzhou said, “I don’t know very clearly. Young Master He is well-informed.”

He Hailou just wanted to speak when he saw Gu Chenzhou dip his finger in the ice water on the can body and slowly write a few words on the car window.

He was a bit puzzled at first, but after looking carefully, he found something wrong: those fonts were too messy and beautiful, not like the words Gu Chenzhou would write.

“Young Master He…” He Hailou saw Gu Chenzhou turn his head and lean over. The two were very close. Gu Chenzhou spoke into his ear. His jaw and neck could even feel the other party’s shallow breathing.

He Hailou swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

“The one supporting Zhang Teng behind the scenes is Young Master He, right? Young Master He wants Zheng Junda to enter the capital, for what—”

The voice dragged out by the owner seemed to carry some lingering taste. He Hailou paused, and then swallowed another mouthful of saliva.

Gu Chenzhou’s gaze swept across He Hailou’s side profile.

His voice was still slight, and his smile remained unchanged:

“Whoever makes me unhappy once, I make him unhappy for a lifetime.”

Then he pulled away the distance and put the beer in his hand on the roof of the car: “Thank you Young Master He for the treat. See you next time.”

Until Gu Chenzhou drove away, He Hailou still stood in the original position in the original posture. He watched the other party’s car disappear into the night, looked down at the beer can in his hand, put it on the roof casually, and then took the one Gu Chenzhou drank before. Then he glanced at the can in his hand, raised it to the rim of the can, and took a slow sip.

Not an illusion.

He Hailou thought secretly, feeling the heat rising from his lower abdomen.

Really a particularly fierce desire…

Just now almost couldn’t hold it, wanted to pounce on the person and have wild car sex directly.

But this is really not my usual taste.

He Hailou looked at the beer can in his hand, drank another mouthful of wine against Gu Chenzhou’s lip print just now, and a heat surged in his lower abdomen again, tried and true. The chill blown out by the cold wind disappeared completely within a few minutes. He thought a little tangledly:

Gu Chenzhou, Gu Chenzhou, Gu Chenzhou…

This is a bit unscientific, right?