novellhall Chapter 157 She should be called Lin Shuyao
Chapter 157 She should be called Lin Shuyao
"Brother Zheng?"
Su Wan went to the train station to buy a ticket back to Beijing. Unexpectedly, she ran into Cheng Zheng in Yuncheng. She was stunned for a moment, then thought of the things she had been investigating these past few days, and her heart was filled with excitement.
Cheng Zheng was also somewhat surprised to see her here, and frowned slightly: "What are you doing here?"
Su Wan quickly stepped forward, lowered her voice, and said with barely suppressed excitement, "Brother Zheng, I have something very important to tell you. Now that you're in Yuncheng, I'll take you somewhere."
"What is it? Say it here." Cheng Zheng's voice was indifferent, devoid of emotion.
Su Wan looked at him, bit her lip, and a hint of pleasure flashed in her eyes: "Are you sure? It's about Shen Qing, oh no, I should call her Lin Shuyao."
Cheng Zheng's gaze suddenly darkened: "What do you mean?"
"It's a long story," Su Wan said, keeping everyone in suspense, a slight smile playing on her lips as if she'd finally waited for this moment. "In short, she's a complete fraud. She's not Shen Qing at all; her name is Lin Shuyao, and she's a completely different person. She impersonated Shen Qing and took her job!"
She paused, observing Cheng Zheng's expression. "Wait, you came all the way from Jingbei to Yuncheng, did you also come to investigate her?"
"No." Cheng Zheng's tone was calm, his expression indifferent, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
But only he himself knew the turmoil raging in his heart at that moment.
She wasn't Shen Qing? She was someone else? So she had been lying to him from beginning to end?
He knew he shouldn't believe Su Wan so easily, but a voice inside him told him that what Su Wan said might be true.
Because if she didn't lie to him, why would she leave without saying goodbye?
"Brother Zheng, are you in Yuncheng on a business trip?" Su Wan asked tentatively when he didn't answer.
Cheng Zheng didn't look at her, his tone indifferent: "It's none of your business."
Su Wan was stung by his indifference, and her heart ached even more, but she still held back.
She took a deep breath, not forgetting her purpose: "Brother Zheng, I didn't mean to pry into your affairs. Do you remember when you were with her in Jingbei, you ran into me and my mother? My mother mistook her for someone else, and I've had my suspicions ever since, which is why I took leave and went back to Yuncheng to verify things."
She looked into Cheng Zheng's eyes, her tone earnest, "I know I'm just saying this and you won't believe me, but this time I have evidence. You'll know everything if you come with me to the Lin family."
Cheng Zheng remained silent for a few seconds.
He should have refused.
He didn't need Su Wan to tell him the truth; he would investigate on his own.
But he desperately wanted an answer.
"Let's go," he said, his voice deep.
……
Cheng Zheng followed Su Wan onto the bus.
The car drove through the dusty streets of Yuncheng and stopped at the entrance of the food factory's residential compound half an hour later.
The family compound was an old-fashioned tenement building. The buildings were quite old, and there were a few half-dead locust trees in the yard. Under the trees, there were piles of miscellaneous items and dilapidated tricycles. Several clotheslines were strung haphazardly, with bed sheets, quilt covers and children's diapers hanging on them, all in various colors.
Several middle-aged women were sitting downstairs picking vegetables, chatting about everyday matters while occasionally glancing up at the people coming and going at the door.
"We're here. This is it. Lin Shuyao's father works at the food factory, and her whole family lives here," Su Wan said to Cheng Zheng, pointing to the tenement building. She then waved to one of the middle-aged women picking vegetables downstairs, "Aunt Li!"
The middle-aged woman looked up, saw Su Wan, put down the vegetable bowl she was holding, stood up, and smiled broadly: "Little Su is here again? Oh, you're dating someone now? You look very handsome."
She glanced at Cheng Zheng next to Su Wan, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.
Su Wan didn't intend to explain, but Cheng Zheng spoke in a lukewarm tone: "We're just ordinary colleagues, not dating."
Li Cuifen glanced at the two of them suspiciously, then chuckled awkwardly, "Oh, is that so? Hehe. Did Xiao Su come over for something?"
Su Wan's face stiffened for a moment, then she forced a smile and said, "Aunt Li, let's go inside and talk."
"Then come in and sit down." Li Cuifen bent down, picked up the dish, and led the two upstairs.
The tenement building was dark and cramped, with narrow corridors. Almost every household had a coal stove outside their door, along with a few small tables with pots and pans on them. The air was filled with a mixed smell of cooking oil, which made people's throats feel tight.
"Come in." Li Cuifen stopped in front of a door, took out her key, and opened the door.
The room inside wasn't much more spacious than the corridor. It was a one-bedroom apartment, at most 20 square meters. There was a simple table and chairs in the small area near the entrance, which looked like a dining table. Further inside, there was a bed. It was clear that the family usually ate and slept in this room.
Further inside the living room is another small room. The door is open, and the room is small, containing a bed.
The room was poorly lit, with only a small window letting in a sliver of light that shone on the cement floor, making it look dusty and gray.
Did she used to live here?
Cheng Zheng looked around at the surroundings.
"Please make yourselves at home," Li Cuifen smiled, gesturing for the two to sit down. Then she closed the door and turned back to say, "Xiao Su, just say what's on your mind. There's no one else here."
Su Wan didn't beat around the bush: "Aunt Li, could I see another picture of your Shuyao?"
Li Cuifen's smile faded, replaced by a hint of wariness: "Xiao Su, tell me honestly, has my Shuyao gotten into some trouble outside?"
Su Wan came by a couple of days ago and wanted to take the photo with her. There was only one photo of her daughter at home, and Li Cuifen wanted to use it to find a husband for her daughter, so she was reluctant to give it to her. The key point is that she didn't know what Su Wan wanted to do with it. As a result, Su Wan came to ask her for the photo again today, and she brought a man with her.
But upon further reflection, it didn't make sense: "Xiao Su, my Shuyao is working in the countryside in northern Guizhou, while you're in Beijing. You two have never met before, so there's no way you two know each other. What do you need my Shuyao's photo for?"
Su Wan hadn't expected Li Cuifen to be so astute. She said, half-jokingly, "Auntie, Shuyao didn't go to the countryside in northern Guizhou at all. She went to work in northern Beijing. This comrade is Shuyao's supervisor. Because Shuyao's work involves confidentiality obligations, the supervisor came to conduct a background check."