novellhall Chapter 158 He couldn't possibly be wrong.
Chapter 158 He couldn't possibly be wrong.
"What? That girl went to work in northern Beijing? What kind of benefactor did she run into? What incredible luck!"
Li Cuifen was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up and she smiled broadly. She then turned to Cheng Zheng, her face full of fawning smiles, "Comrade leader, I understand, I understand. It's a background check. I'll go get the photos for you right away."
Li Cuifen turned around and went back to her room with a happy smile. A little while later, she came out with a photo album and presented it to Cheng Zheng like a treasure.
The photo album looked to have about ten pages. She stopped on the eighth page, pointing to the person in the far corner of the family photo: "Comrade Leader, look, this is my Shuyao."
Cheng Zheng looked down.
The girl in the photo was about fourteen or fifteen years old, but her facial features were exceptionally beautiful, almost 90% similar to Shen Qing whom he knew!
Cheng Zheng stared at the photo, his gaze fixed as if nailed to the spot. His Adam's apple bobbed, and it took him a while to regain his breath.
It's her.
He couldn't possibly mistake that face!
Cheng Zheng's hands, hanging by his sides, clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white, as if he wanted to crush something.
But then, seeing the girl's clothes in the photo, his chest began to ache again.
In the photo, she looked pale and thin, wearing an ill-fitting blue shirt and baggy pants, with a hole in her cloth shoes. She stood at the very edge of the family photo, like an object that had been randomly placed there.
She must have had a very difficult time before.
Cheng Zheng swallowed, a sour feeling rising in his throat.
Su Wan had already seen the photos. Seeing Cheng Zheng's grim expression, she subtly curved her lips into a smile and asked Li Cuifen, "Aunt Li, when did your Shuyao go to the countryside?"
"She left in early August this year." Li Cuifen pouted, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction. "Speaking of which, that wretched girl has no filial piety at all. She's been in the countryside for several months and hasn't sent a single penny."
She suddenly leaned closer to Su Wan and lowered her voice, "Hey, Su Wan, you said my Shuyao works in Beijing, which company does she work for? How much does she earn each month?"
Su Wan glanced at Cheng Zheng and casually replied, "The salary at the car factory is quite high, at least eighty."
"What? Eighty?!" Li Cuifen's eyes widened, her voice rising several decibels. Then her face darkened, and she said angrily, "That wretched girl, she gets so much money every month, but she doesn't even send a little home. She's really something! Daughters are no match for sons. What's the use of having a daughter? We raised her for nothing, she's an ingrate."
Su Wan didn't want to listen to her rambling and just wanted to expose Lin Shuyao as soon as possible, so she interrupted her, saying, "Aunt Li, do you know Shen Qing?"
"Shen Qing?" Li Cuifen thought for a moment. "Yes, I know her. She graduated from the same school as my daughter Shuyao. Before Shuyao went to the countryside, she told us that a classmate named Shen Qing was assigned to the same village as her, so she would have company there."
Su Wan turned to look at Cheng Zheng, a hint of excitement hidden in her eyes. See? See? What she said was true.
Lin Shuyao is a liar!
As a result, Cheng Zheng didn't even glance at her.
He silently flipped through the photo album, from beginning to end.
The album is mostly filled with photos of the Lin family's two sons—daytime photos of the eldest son, his wedding photos, photos of him going to the park, and photos of the younger son celebrating his birthday; there is a record of each of their ages.
In all the family photos taken, the two boys stand in the middle, with their parents behind them, each with their arms around one of the boys, and all four of them have happy smiles on their faces. But Lin Shuyao only has one photo, which is that family photo.
She stood in the far corner, her hands hanging down, her expression restrained yet cautious.
Like an extra person in this family.
Cheng Zheng felt as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out, and fresh blood gushed out. He swallowed lightly, and a metallic, sweet taste rose in his throat.
He closed the photo album, looked up, and scanned the surroundings—the dim, yellowish light bulbs, the uneven cement floor, the cramped room piled with various odds and ends, and the rudimentary furniture with paper padding under almost every table or chair leg.
Most importantly, there is no trace of her existence in the house.
I didn't see a single thing that girls use.
Cheng Zheng's icy gaze fell on Li Cuifen's face, his voice deep: "Has she been home recently?"
"No way!" Li Cuifen waved her hand, then put her hands on her hips, looking indignant. "If you hadn't come looking for me, I wouldn't have known that brat was doing so well out there!"
"Where will she stay now that she's back?"
"Of course she sleeps on the floor!" Li Cuifen said matter-of-factly. "The house is so small, what makes you think she'd sleep in a bed? She's always slept like this since she was little. We just spread some newspapers on the floor and give her a blanket. Our family's circumstances are what they are. Her older brother got married, but his workplace didn't provide an apartment, and his sister-in-law had a baby, so the three of them squeeze into that small room. Her dad, her brother, and I sleep in the living room. When she comes back, she has to sleep on the floor."
Cheng Zheng looked down at the dirty and cold ground, his expression growing increasingly grim.
Li Cuifen was preoccupied with her daughter's eighty yuan salary. Suddenly, she leaned closer to Su Wan, her eyes gleaming with shrewdness: "Little Su, since you know my Shuyao is in Beijing, why don't you give me her contact address?"
"This..." Su Wan glanced at Cheng Zheng with difficulty, and said carefully, "Aunt Li, it's not that I don't want to give you her contact information, it's just that she works in a confidential unit, and it's inconvenient to disclose her address. Don't worry, after I return to Beijing this time, I will tell Shu Yao and ask her to contact you."
Given the Lin family's status, if they knew that Lin Shuyao had hooked up with someone like Cheng Zheng in Beijing, they would definitely cling to her no matter what. To avoid any complications, Su Wan didn't reveal too much.
"Okay, that works too!" Li Cuifen was overjoyed, her face beaming with smiles. She instructed, "Xiao Su, when you get back, have her send some money home. She's just a girl, and she can't possibly spend all of her eighty yuan a month. Keep a few yuan for food, and send the rest home for me to save."
"Okay, Aunt Li." Su Wan nodded perfunctorily.
Cheng Zheng had already gotten up and walked out.
"Oh, sir, have a drink of water before you go." Li Cuifen quickly caught up with him, her face beaming with a smile. "My daughter Shuyao is still young, so please take good care of her at work."
Cheng Zheng stopped, turned around, and gave her a cold look.
His gaze, as cold as a sword forged from millennia-old ice, swept across Li Cuifen's face, sending a shiver down her spine as if she were frozen. The words she was about to say were swallowed back. She pulled Su Wan, who was walking by, and whispered, "Your boss really has a big air about him."
"Absolutely! Our boss has a terrible temper, so you absolutely mustn't mess with him." Su Wan nodded firmly, feigning empathy for Li Cuifen.
Cheng Zheng walked out of the family compound.
Su Wan caught up with him and blocked his way, her voice urgent, "Brother Zheng, do you believe me now? Lin Shuyao is a liar. She impersonated Shen Qing. Someone like that is morally corrupt and of low character; what wouldn't she do? Please don't be so blinded by her!"