"You noticed too."
The two brothers exchanged glances. It turned out they had both sensed something was amiss.
Shen Jinxi stroked his chin and mused, "I think she's very afraid of Lu Wanying. And look, she's not as close to Lu Wanying as she is to her cheap grandma."
"They have a secret."
Chenchen made a definitive statement.
Shen Jinxi considered for a moment and said, "Then I'll handle this."
He picked up the computer from the bedside table and placed it on his lap, his small face fixed seriously on the screen.
His fair, tender, yet short little hands rested on the keyboard, fingers flying nimbly up and down. Various lines of code quickly appeared on the screen.
Before he could even grasp the previous line, Xixi had already typed the next.
About half an hour later, Shen Jinxi stopped, rubbing his wrist with exhaustion. "Done. Although the information isn't extensive, it will definitely surprise you!"
Chenchen's small face remained as expressionless as ever.
"Brother, aren't you curious?" Shen Jinxi had thought for a moment that his brother had changed, but in the blink of an eye, he was back to his old self.
Chenchen blinked, his expression calm.
Shen Jinxi had no choice but to concede and volunteered the information he had uncovered. "Lu Wanying was married abroad!"
Chenchen's pupils contracted slightly.
Shen Jinxi, who had caught this minute change, felt a surge of pride. "But unfortunately, that's all I could find. Her information is too scarce, as if it were deliberately hidden."
"We must tell Mommy," Chenchen decided immediately.
"I think so too."
Shen Jinxi took it upon himself to handle this matter and trotted to his mother's room. As it happened, Shen Qingqing was not asleep either and was sitting on the sofa, reviewing documents.
Seeing him, she smiled. "Why is Xixi here?"
Shen Jinxi, without a word, threw himself into his mother's arms, nuzzling his cheek against her fragrant embrace. "Mommy, I just found something out on the dark web abroad."
"What?"
"Lu Wanying was married!"
Shen Qingqing turned to him abruptly. "Really?"
"Of course, it's true, Mommy. Don't you believe me?"
Shen Jinxi was a little displeased. Was Mommy doubting him?
Shen Qingqing patted his back. "Of course not, it's just that this matter is too unbelievable..."
If she was already married, why did she come back?
Was her life abroad not going well? Did Fu Jingshu know about this?
"Mommy, should we tell Daddy?" Shen Jinxi asked excitedly, rubbing his hands together, as if he could already see his father's furious reaction and expulsion of Lu Wanying.
"No."
Shen Qingqing vetoed it outright.
"Why?" He widened his eyes. "Mommy, you haven't gone soft, have you?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, his forehead was lightly flicked.
He rubbed his forehead but felt relieved in his heart. Mommy's reaction didn't seem like she had gone soft. "Then why aren't you saying anything? I think Daddy must not know. If he knew, he wouldn't have let her stay."
Shen Qingqing shook her head, not offering further explanation. "You don't understand. Don't worry about this matter; leave it to Mommy."
With Mommy's methods, the bad woman certainly wouldn't get away with anything.
Shen Jinxi was relieved. "Okay."
The next day, after work, Shen Qingqing didn't go home immediately. Instead, she arranged to meet King. King readily agreed to meet, but as soon as they met, he suggested they have dinner together.
As for the important matter, it could wait.
After all, he was her teacher, and Shen Qingqing didn't refuse. She followed him into the restaurant.
Little did they know, not far behind them, a group of people alighted from a car. All were dressed in suits. The man leading them was tall and stern, his brow etched with coldness and arrogance.
His sharp gaze fixed intently on the man and woman entering the restaurant.
"Master Fu..."
The general manager beside him hesitated to speak, but as soon as Fu Jingshu glanced at him, his gaze was so cold and terrifying that the manager, before he could even utter a word, was scared into forgetting what he was going to say.
Inside the restaurant.
King ordered their food and put down the menu, gazing at Shen Qingqing opposite him. He praised, "You're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you."
Shen Qingqing was accustomed to her teacher's flirtatious remarks and paid no mind to the compliment. "Teacher, I asked you here this time not only to treat you to a meal, but also for another matter..."
"What did you call me?"
"...Teacher."
"You never used to call me that," King said, as if remembering something, a smile appearing in his eyes. "You used to call me by my name."
"But you always said I was too informal," Shen Qingqing rubbed her nose. "So, I've changed."
"Do you really think what I say is what I mean?"
This was a difficult question to answer, and Shen Qingqing avoided his gaze. "Let's eat first."
King looked at her for a long time, then sighed as if in resignation. "Go on, tell me what you need me for."
"It's about Lu Wanying."
"You want me to help you investigate her, right?"
King knew what she wanted to say and do before she even finished. This was a tacit understanding built over many years, and he felt a sense of pleasure from it. "I agree."
Shen Qingqing raised her wine glass. "Then thank you, Teacher... King."
He shot her a glare, and she quickly corrected herself.
But he was still not entirely satisfied. He raised his wine glass but did not clink it with hers. "You're too formal. If you do that again next time, I won't help you anymore."
Shen Qingqing narrowed her eyes, smiling slyly like a fox. "You will."
"You just bully me."
King gave her a mild eye-roll, but a smile played on his lips.
Bully...
That sounded a bit awkward. Shen Qingqing didn't pick up on the remark. "I'll leave this to you. The faster you investigate, the better."
"Got it," King said, looking up at her. "Are you still planning to be with him?"
Shen Qingqing didn't answer, her gaze lost in the red wine in her hand.
King's lips moved, but what he said was not about that matter. "I'm working hard for you. Don't you owe me some reward?"
"Treat you to a meal."
"Another meal?" King couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You're just trying to fob me off!"
Shen Qingqing smiled with a hint of roguishness. "So, are you eating or not?"
"I'm eating!"
Could he say no? This meal was hard-won. King inwardly lamented that he, as a teacher, had no authority whatsoever.
Fu Jingshu and the general managers entered the private room, his face ashen the entire time.
The general managers had no idea what had displeased him, and even Lin Mo was clueless. He instructed the waiter to serve the dishes and uncorked an expensive bottle of red wine.
However, as soon as the wine was poured, Fu Jingshu abruptly stood up.
Everyone was startled.
Without a word, he walked towards the door.
The general managers' gazes followed him out, and they all looked at Lin Mo. "Where is Master Fu going?"
Lin Mo was also bewildered. "Perhaps he has urgent business. He'll be back shortly. Please eat first; we can discuss cooperation when Master Fu returns."
Stepping out of the room, Fu Jingshu went straight to Shen Qingqing's table downstairs.
His face was cold, his demeanor imposing. Everyone along the way turned to look at him until he stopped at a table where a man and a woman were seated. The onlookers suddenly understood.
It seemed he was catching them in the act.
Shen Qingqing was also taken aback to see him. "Jingshu, you..."
Before she could finish speaking, her shoulder was grasped. The grip wasn't strong, but it made her stand up, and then her back was pressed against a broad, warm chest.
The posture seemed casual but was a domineering declaration of possession.
"Having dinner with a friend, and you didn't call me?" he murmured, his gaze fixed on her.