Chapter 68: Song Mianzhi

In the living room, Fu Yun paced restlessly.

The servants were gathered together, their faces filled with panic and confusion.

Mrs. Shuangxu ran in, still out of breath: “Mom, what’s going on?”

Fu Yun looked up, her brows furrowed in worry: “They said your dad took bribes and are taking him in for investigation.”

“Dad wouldn’t do that.”

“It wasn’t your dad who took the bribe.” Fu Yun mentioned a high-ranking official’s name. “He fell from power, and your dad got caught in the crossfire.”

“Why would Dad be implicated?” Mrs. Shuangxu was confused. “Don’t they look at evidence for bribery charges?”

Fu Yun sighed in frustration: “Mrs. Shuangxu, you don’t understand politics. Do you think he fell from power just because of bribery? Your dad was his classmate and they were too close.”

Living under the shadow of Yancheng, even if Mrs. Shuangxu didn’t pay attention to political news, she had heard of it.

Political power shifts always happen amidst turmoil. Beneath the seemingly calm surface, there are hidden storms that ordinary people don’t know about.

She vaguely understood that the key to this matter was no longer whether Shen Changyuan was innocent or guilty, but who would be the winner in the final struggle.

The deep roots of the aristocratic families, with Shen Changyuan’s status, no one dared to take him away without higher authorization.

The fact that the procuratorate came to take him away directly meant they already had some evidence, and the situation was… not optimistic.

Mrs. Wang，with red eyes, comforted them: “It’s going to be fine! Young Master went with them, he’ll let us know if there’s any news.”

Mrs. Shuangxu held Fu Yun’s hand: “Mom, don’t worry, I’ll stay with you.”

Fu Yun held her hand tightly, like a lost soul finding an anchor.

They waited until nightfall.

Mrs. Wang cooked dinner, but Mrs. Shuangxu and Fu Yun had no appetite.

The house was quiet, the entire villa shrouded in a low, oppressive atmosphere. The bright crystal chandeliers felt cold and sharp.

As soon as a car pulled into the courtyard, Fu Yun, who had been resting her forehead on the table for a long time, immediately looked up and rushed to greet him.

Shen Yu’s tie was loose, he must have smoked a lot, his body carrying a distinct smell of cigarettes. He shook his head, and Fu Yun’s face turned pale.

“One of the people who bribed him was introduced by Dad, and he’s now insisting that Dad was involved.”

“They came prepared, they want to convict your dad…”

Fu Yun, who had been holding on for a whole day, finally couldn’t take it anymore, her body swayed, and the people beside her exclaimed in alarm: “Madam!”

“Mom!” Mrs. Shuangxu quickly stepped forward to support Fu Yun’s collapsing body.

Fu Yun fainted, Shen Yu carried her to the car, Mrs. Shuangxu accompanied them to the hospital, handling procedures, doing checks, the whole day was chaotic.

Mrs. Shuangxu saw Shen Yu standing at the end of the corridor as she sent the doctor out. He was on the phone, probably still about Shen Changyuan’s matter. Mrs. Shuangxu saw an unusual seriousness and fatigue on his usually composed face.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, Shen Yu turned back, finished a few more words, hung up the phone and walked towards her.

He glanced at the ward through the window, Mrs. Shuangxu said: “The doctor said Mom just fainted from emotional excitement, she’s fine. But her body isn’t good, she needs to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days.”

Shen Yu’s voice was a little hoarse: “Go back and rest if you’re tired, someone’s here to watch over her.”

Mrs. Shuangxu shook her head, her voice filled with uncontainable worry: “Brother, will Dad be okay?”

In her eyes, the omnipotent Shen Yu couldn’t give her a reassuring “okay” at this time.

Shen Yu reached out to embrace her, rubbing her head: “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

He always treated her like a child who needed to rely on him, but Mrs. Shuangxu had grown up, she couldn’t just let him handle all the trouble while she hid behind him.

She stayed at the hospital that night, both worried about Fu Yun and wanting her to see her by her side when she woke up, hoping it would be a comfort. Also, she wanted to be with her family during this time.

Even if she went home, she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Mrs. Shuangxu lay on her side on the hospital bed, a crescent moon hung in the dark blue sky outside the window, everything was quiet.

She couldn’t sleep, remembering when she first came to the Shen family as a child.

Fu Yun had always wanted a daughter, but she couldn’t have one due to her health. So when Shen Yu brought Mrs. Shuangxu back, Fu Yun loved her dearly. Shen Changyuan initially didn’t want to get involved in other people’s family matters, but seeing them have so much fun raising a child, he eventually acquiesced.

At first, Mrs. Shuangxu was a little afraid of him, Fu Yun would scold him: “Can you stop pulling a long face all the time? Look at you, you’re scaring Mrs. Shuangxu.”

Shen Changyuan then forced a smile, calling her over: “Come here, come to your dad, I have something delicious for you.”

Mrs. Shuangxu was close to them, but she was never as close to Shen Yu as she was to him. Knowing she was Shen Yu’s “little burden”, a dependent, she always felt a little cautious.

Once, there was a parent-teacher meeting at school, Shen Yu was away, she hesitated several times after returning home, wandering outside their door, not daring to ask.

The next morning when she woke up, she found Fu Yun already dressed up, urging Shen Changyuan to change clothes. He specially took a day off, and the two of them accompanied her to the parent-teacher meeting. When they met the teacher and other parents at the school, they called her: “Our child.”

So even when she returned to China and Fu Yun was wary of her, Mrs. Shuangxu never blamed her.

The kindness of raising her was like a mountain, they had truly given her a lot of love.

Before dawn, Fu Yun woke up, Mrs. Shuangxu sat by her bed, talking to her softly, and then coaxed her back to sleep.

In the early morning, Mrs. Wang came to deliver food, Mrs. Shuangxu accompanied Fu Yun to eat breakfast, left someone to watch over her, and went out herself.

She hailed a taxi and arrived at the Song family’s house, Song Mianzhi hadn’t left yet. He and Cui Ning were sitting in the dining room, the air filled with the sweet scent of toasted bread.

Cui Ning’s hair was neatly combed, she was using a butter knife she spread jam on the bread, and when she saw him, her expression was unsurprised, clearly already knowing about the changes in the Shen family.

“Why are you back at this time?”

Song Mianzhi was almost fifty years old, and his elegant and dignified demeanor, as well as his undiminished handsome features, made him far more charming than men of his age.

Shuangxu had been back in the country for so long, and the father and daughter had never been in contact. Now, they also omitted the usual concern and greetings between father and daughter.

Shuangxu called out, “Dad.” Her tone was respectful, but not intimate.

“I have something to tell you.”

Song Mianzhi wiped his hands and stood up from the dining table: “Come to the study.”