Chapter 64

Xu Mingmei had discovered a major clue in the Lin Yiqing case and was eager to share it. Full of enthusiasm, she rushed to Xu Shijia’s door with some soup in hand. But as she approached, she suddenly became a bit nervous, realizing too late.

Xiaobao is in a relationship now!

She hadn’t made an appointment beforehand—what if he wasn’t home? And if he was, what if she ran into him with his girlfriend?

Xu Mingmei felt a bit uneasy, but more than that, she was curious and excited.

What would her son’s girlfriend be like?

Since it was their first meeting, she decided she should maintain a bit of dignity, creating the impression of a noble and elegant lady.

With that thought in mind, Xu Mingmei adjusted her hair, lifted her chin, and struck a cool, poised pose.

However, before she could finish arranging herself, the door opened.

Xu Shijia was still wearing the suit from work, though with a few suspicious oil stains. His gesture was rather abrupt, as if he was in a bad mood.

Xu Mingmei was about to call for Xiaobao when Xu Shijia quietly said five words:

“Lin Shu is in the study.”

Xu Mingmei immediately fell silent.

Her previously arranged noblewoman pose instantly deflated, like a balloon with a puncture.

Without realizing it, as soon as she heard Lin Shu’s name, she had a natural, instinctual sense of dread, almost as if she were a lowly employee bumping into her boss.

She whispered in surprise, “Why is Lin Shu here?”

Xu Shijia answered succinctly: “She came to get some files and discuss the case.”

Xiaobao usually kept his schedule relaxed, but tonight he seemed unusually tense. Xu Mingmei noticed something was different about her son this evening—his complexion was notably bad. Though his skin was still pale, there was a noticeable aura of frustration about him, as if his mind was clouded with dark thoughts.

That was understandable, though. No matter how passionate one was about their work, there still needed to be a clear line between work and personal time. Especially now that Xiaobao had a girlfriend, it made sense that he would be upset about being interrupted repeatedly by Lin Shu—whether it was to meet with clients or discuss the case in the evening. It was completely understandable for him to be in a bad mood.

Xu Mingmei, being the caring mother, couldn’t help but express her frustration. “Lin Shu is really something! She never gives the young employees a break. If she needs to work late or discuss something, she could come to me! I’m so eager to improve, but she never pays attention to me!”

She glanced at Xu Shijia. “When I leave, I’ll take Lin Shu with me. Xiaobao, you should rest well.”

But Xu Shijia firmly rejected her offer. “No need!”

He paused and cleared his throat, then continued in a more serious tone. “Lin Shu and I are discussing the case. What’s that you have there? Are you delivering it for me? Mom, just put it down and leave.”

Without waiting for a response, Xu Shijia grabbed the soup from Xu Mingmei’s hands, as if eager to send her away immediately.

That was unacceptable!

Xu Mingmei, concerned, said, “Xiaobao, are you sure you’re really working late and not being forced into it? Your face looks so bad!”

Xu Shijia cleared his throat again, then answered with a serious expression, “Of course I’m really working late. I want to work late, I love my job! I still have a lot to discuss with Lin Shu! As for my face looking bad? Not at all. If my face looks bad, it’s because of Xu Nan’s actions. I’m just so eager to help Senior Sister Yi Qing fight for her rights.”

I see now!

Her son has really grown up!

He can now distinguish the urgency and importance of things!

Romance can happen at any time, but the opportunities for career advancement are few in a lifetime!

Originally, Xu Mingmei planned to just drop off the soup and leave, but after hearing her son’s earnest words, she decided to stay.

Seeing how seriously both Lin Shu and Xu Shijia were focused on the Lin Yiqing case, even staying late to discuss it together, Xu Mingmei wasn’t about to fall behind!

“Great! I’ve just discovered a major clue in the case, so since both you and Lawyer Lin are staying late to work on it, I’ll stay too and discuss it with you!”

Upon hearing that Xu Mingmei wanted to stay and work late, Xu Shijia seemed a bit anxious: “Mom, it’s too tiring, you should go home. Lin Shu and I can discuss things first.”

Ah, Little Bao was such a dutiful son, always thinking of his family and reluctant to let anyone work too hard.

But Xu Mingmei became even more energized: “Really? You two stay late to work and don’t even invite me! At least I was the one who brought in this case! Are you looking down on my age because of age discrimination? I’m fit and can work as hard as you young ones!”

Little Bao had become more caring, and Xu Mingmei was very touched. Her son had really changed since he came to work with Lin Shu—he not only loved his job, but had also become more considerate and filial.

But the more Little Bao acted like this, the more Xu Mingmei wanted to help him share the workload with Lin Shu: “You don’t need to worry about me getting tired. I’m happy to suffer together with you! Honestly, being around you young people makes me feel rejuvenated. I feel like I could work alongside you for a hundred more years!”

Xu Shijia: “…”

“Come on, Little Bao, drink this soup while it’s hot, and then we’ll go to the study to find Lin Shu!”

As usual, Xu Mingmei knew she’d have to convince her son to drink the soup, but to her surprise, Xu Shijia seemed distracted, his eyes wandering toward the study. Without much resistance, he finished the soup almost automatically, even without asking what kind of soup it was.

But as soon as he finished, his face showed obvious disgust: “What kind of soup is this? It’s terrible!”

Silly child!

This is the soup to nourish you!

He doesn’t know what’s good for him!

He secretly bought those big boxes of condoms, but doesn’t want to take care of his health? What will happen to his body?

Xu Mingmei, fearing that her son’s pride might cause him to get upset, chose not to say anything.

Once she saw Xu Shijia finish the soup, she ignored his protests and headed straight to the study.

Sure enough, in the study, Lin Shu was sitting at the desk. She seemed a bit surprised to see Xu Mingmei, but after a moment, Xu Shijia hurriedly followed her in.

Xu Mingmei heard her son quickly explaining, “She insisted on staying to work with us…”

Isn’t it a good thing that Xu Mingmei wanted to stay and work late? How could Lin Shu, as the superior, be unhappy? Why did Xu Shijia sound like he was worried about Lin Shu being upset?

Could it be that Lin Shu, in an effort to not let her get tired, had asked Xu Shijia not to disturb her during after-work hours?

Thinking about Lin Shu’s usual considerate nature, Xu Mingmei realized that was probably the reason.

Lin Shu is just too considerate! So caring toward her! No wonder she worked late with Little Bao without even inviting her—it’s because she knows how to take care of people.

But today, she was determined to stay and work late.

“Lin, I have a big clue!”

Xu Mingmei couldn’t wait any longer: “That nanny, Aunt Zhou, from the Lin Yiqing case—her identity is completely fake! She’s actually Xu Nan’s ex-wife, Song Yilan!”

“Song Yilan?”

As soon as Xu Mingmei finished speaking, Xu Shijia furrowed his brows. He rushed to the desk, flipping through the files, and after a moment, he stopped at one, his expression turning serious.

Xu Mingmei saw Xu Shijia look at both Lin Shu and herself, and then she realized, “No wonder that name sounds so familiar.”

“That’s right, we came across that name during our earlier investigation, but we didn’t make much of a connection at the time. Now that it’s all connected, things are starting to make sense,” Xu Shijia said, handing a file to Lin Shu. “One of the shareholders of the developer company for the toxic land plot is named Song Yilan! When I was gathering evidence on that plot, I briefly glanced at the developer’s information. When you mentioned Song Yilan, I remembered her.”

If Xu Nan’s ex-wife was a shareholder in the developer company, then everything makes sense.

“After the toxic land plot was exposed, the sale of properties in that area was impacted, and the developer couldn’t recover their costs. They tried various ways to sell the properties, and I heard they lost quite a bit of money.”

Now it all made sense—Xu Nan’s intentions were clear. Xu Shijia said slowly, “It’s likely that when Xu Nan heard Lin Yiqing had 20 million in cash, he got an idea and teamed up with his ex-wife, Song Yilan, to set up a trap and take Lin Yiqing’s money.”

With this analysis, Xu Mingmei was almost certain: “No wonder Lin Yiqing couldn’t figure things out. She hadn’t even brought up renegotiating the fake divorce agreement or child custody with Xu Nan, and yet Xu Nan seemed to know everything in advance and stole the child. It turns out there was a mole! This trusted Aunt Zhou is actually Xu Nan’s ex-wife, probably working with him to flip properties on the toxic land, and of course, she reported every little detail about Lin Yiqing’s movements to Xu Nan!”

That’s why Xu Nan acted so quickly.

Now, things were getting more complicated.

Lin Shu furrowed her brows slightly: “Then it’s likely that the child was also taken by Song Yilan, because when Song Yilan divorced Xu Nan, there were no children. But now, when Mingmei asked the perfume salesperson, she said she had a crying child.”

If Aunt Zhou was Xu Nan’s ex-wife, then it meant Lin Yiqing had a big mole right beside her.

Every detail was now connected, and the truth was about to be revealed.

Xu Nan may have started planning this big scheme with his ex-wife from the moment he joined the matchmaking platform.

“But Xu Nan claims he divorced his ex-wife because she cheated. You’re saying that divorced couples, if their relationship is good enough to conspire together, why did they even divorce in the first place?”

Xu Mingmei was still puzzled: “If divorced couples have a child, it would make sense to have a common goal for the child’s sake. But Xu Nan and his ex-wife have no children. Whether he was trying to deceive or not, he quickly married and got Lin Yiqing pregnant, and now there’s a mistress with a child too. How could his ex-wife still team up with him to do such a morally wrong thing? Besides, how often do ex-wives rush to help care for their ex-husband’s new wife’s child?”

“Was it all for the purpose of cashing out 20 million? But based on the attitude of the perfume brand SA when they mentioned Song Yilan, it doesn’t seem like she’s in financial trouble…”

Xu Mingmei’s doubts were confirmed by Xu Shijia: “Right, I checked. Xu Nan doesn’t have a financial or business crisis. His company is running smoothly. Although the toxic land plot has tied up some funds and affected their finances, it’s just a small setback in normal business operations. Xu Nan’s assets are large, and 20 million is nothing to him. Neither he nor his ex-wife is short on money.”

So, why is he doing this to Lin Yiqing? Not only did he cheat her out of her money, but now he’s also taking her child?

And what about the mistress in Xu Nan’s phone? Could she also play a crucial role in the whole situation?

But for now, there’s no need to sort all that out. What matters is—

“So, Song Yilan pretending to be Aunt Zhou and saying she was dismissed from her job back home was definitely a lie. Most likely, she took the child with her because she had been the one taking care of it. The child should be familiar with her and not fuss. But the child was also breastfed by Lin Yiqing. Without the soothing of breast milk, even if familiar caretakers are around, the child may still cry and be unsettled.”

Everything is starting to fit!

Although these clues have been found, locating Song Yilan is still a challenge.

“These are just our assumptions. Song Yilan and Lin Yiqing are not related by blood, so we can’t just call the police based on these guesses and ask for help finding her.”

The situation was becoming a bit overwhelming.

However, this time, Xu Mingmei finally felt a sense of accomplishment, as it was now her turn to help Lin Shu out!

“I know a sales rep from the perfume brand. She told me there’s a new product launch tomorrow afternoon, and Song Yilan said she would attend. I’ve got the time and location. All we need to do is stake out the event, and we’ll be able to track her down!”

This was a big breakthrough!

Xu Mingmei’s previous frustration disappeared. Although she was physically tired from working late at her age, the sense of achievement from the work was incredibly strong.

Probably seeing her exhaustion, Little Bao thoughtfully offered to send Xu Mingmei home: “It’s getting late. I’ll call a cab to take you home.”

Xu Mingmei glanced at the time. It was indeed getting late, but she looked at Lin Shu and thought, “My son really has no sense of occasion!”

While he cared for her deeply, to the point where he couldn’t see anyone else when she was around, Lin Shu was his boss, after all! She had helped him with the case and even come to discuss things here.

At moments like this, Little Bao just didn’t get it!

Of course, he should send his boss home first, and then see to his colleague (his mother)!

How could he only think of getting her home safely, ignoring the boss’s needs?

He was still too young.

He needed more refinement.

Xu Mingmei looked at Xu Shijia, shaking her head in exasperation. She gave him a gentle hint: “I’m fine. You should call a cab for Lin Par to send her home first.”

Normally, Little Bao was quite sharp, but now he was acting clueless. He didn’t pick up on Xu Mingmei’s hint and simply said, “Oh, I’ll send you first, then I need to stay and discuss a few work matters with Lin Par.”

It’s already so late!

What work matters could they possibly be discussing?

And wasn’t it the boss, Lin Shu, who should be arranging the overtime for the staff? How could a subordinate just assign a task to their boss like this?

Just as Xu Mingmei silently fumed, Lin Shu, who had been silent until then, finally spoke up: “Yes, Xu Shijia, you should send Mingmei home first. I’ll discuss other cases with you later.”

Other cases?

Xu Mingmei was now even more interested.

Since Lin Shu was willing to continue working late, why shouldn’t she stay to discuss as well?

After all, Little Bao was working so hard—she, as his mother, should help lighten his load! He looked so tired, his face almost turned dark from exhaustion!

“I’m not going anywhere! Lin Par, do you have any new cases? I’d like to learn from you!”

…

**

Lin Shu had never felt this awkward in her life.

She always appreciated employees who were motivated, but this was the one time when she felt her employee’s motivation might be a bit *too much*…

Of course, she couldn’t really blame Xu Mingmei for this. The one to blame was Xu Shijia.

Because even though Xu Mingmei arrived, Xu Shijia didn’t act properly.

For example, right now, while Xu Mingmei was out of the study answering a phone call, Xu Shijia took advantage of the situation and began to overstep.

As soon as Xu Mingmei left, Xu Shijia moved closer to Lin Shu, cupped her face, and kissed her.

“Xu Shijia! The door is still open!”

This wasn’t the office, and they couldn’t lock the door, otherwise, it would be too obvious.

Lin Shu quickly pushed Xu Shijia away, glaring at the half-open door.

Xu Shijia didn’t speak, but his stance seemed a little off.

Could it be that…

Lin Shu glanced at his pants and immediately saw what was happening. It was almost too embarrassing to look at.

She was both angry and frustrated: “Xu Shijia!”

Not only was Xu Shijia not calming down, but he was actually becoming more bold?

Didn’t he just get himself under control earlier? Was he some kind of perpetual motion machine?

Unfortunately, Xu Shijia didn’t seem to be paying attention to Lin Shu’s reprimands. His face was flushed, his breath a bit shallow, and he rubbed his temples as if trying to control himself, but it was obviously too hard for him.

“I don’t know what happened either.”

He said, somewhat frustrated, “I feel like I’ve been drugged. Something’s off.”

Xu Shijia glanced at Lin Shu, then quickly averted his gaze. “I can’t even look at you now. If I look at you for even a second more, I’ll start feeling strange.”

Lin Shu glanced at Xu Shijia’s increasingly noticeable pants and immediately understood what was “off” with him.

Xu Shijia didn’t hide it at all and spoke bluntly. He glanced at the study door and pressed on, “I can’t do anything else, but you could let me kiss you a few times, right?”

Without waiting for Lin Shu’s reaction, Xu Shijia leaned in like they were having an affair, watching the door as he moved closer to kiss Lin Shu.

To be honest, Lin Shu’s relationship with Xu Shijia wasn’t exactly something they needed to hide, but both of them had pretended to be working when talking to Xu Mingmei. If they were caught kissing, Lin Shu would feel too embarrassed.

She was the boss of the team, after all.

It was all Xu Shijia’s fault.

Lin Shu felt like a novice trying to cheat during an exam, distracted by the fear of getting caught. She couldn’t stop Xu Shijia’s advances, her heart pounding faster than ever, a mix of nerves, excitement, and the sensory overload of hormones, along with the adrenaline rush of possibly being caught.

“Why is it that every time we’re interrupted?”

Xu Shijia seemed to be full of grievances.

Lin Shu pressed her hand to her chest, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat. She shot him a sharp look. “I haven’t asked you yet—when did you become so close with Xu Mingmei? Why are you telling her everything? And she, too—finding case clues and not reporting to me first, but going straight to you in the evening?”

“Xu Shijia, are you some kind of feminist in the 21st century?”

“Jealous?” Xu Shijia finally seemed to calm down a bit, and his tone became a little smug. He gave Lin Shu a serious look and said, “But you don’t need to be jealous of her.”

He paused for a moment, not bothering to hide the traces on his pants. He stood confidently in front of Lin Shu, stating unapologetically, “I’m doing all this for you. I’m just trying to unite the team. Didn’t you want a cohesive team? I’m willing to be the glue that holds it together. And as for my feelings for her…” Xu Shijia seemed a little conflicted, as if debating what to reveal. After a brief internal struggle, he finally pressed his lips together and said concisely, “I just see her as a mother figure! You should understand that! Look at her age, she’s clearly older than me!”

Pfft.

Lin Shu scoffed internally. “She has her own developmentally disabled son to take care of. She doesn’t need another troublesome son.”

Lin Shu gave a quick glance at Xu Shijia’s pants and, feeling angrier, threw a pillow at his lap. She was even more upset now.

Xu Shijia should take care of his own problems first.

Before long, Xu Mingmei returned to the study. She noticed Xu Shijia’s odd sitting posture and was visibly surprised. “Why are you holding a pillow to your chest? Are you cold?”

Lin Shu overheard her muttering, “But your face is pretty red, and you seem pretty worked up. Although your complexion’s a bit off, like you’re flushed and pale at the same time.”

If you don’t leave, Xu Shijia’s face will turn black.

Lin Shu glanced at the oblivious Xu Mingmei and felt helpless. She checked the time. “Mingmei, it’s getting late. Let’s head back soon.”

If this goes on, Xu Shijia might really be in trouble.

But just as Lin Shu was about to turn around, she heard Xu Mingmei’s shocked cry behind her.

“Hey! Xu Shijia, why are you bleeding from your nose?!”

Her voice was filled with shock, as if facing an imminent danger. “Your nosebleed is like a waterfall!”

Xu Shijia has a blood clotting disorder!

Lin Shu immediately spun around, ready to help Xu Shijia stop the bleeding. However, Xu Shijia turned his face away first, then calmly told Xu Mingmei, “Give me a couple of tissues. I’ll apply pressure. It’s nothing serious. Don’t worry, it’s not severe. Don’t let Lin Shu see. She’s squeamish around blood.”

Lin Shu suddenly remembered.

When Zhong Peng went on his rampage that one time, Xu Shijia immediately covered her eyes to prevent Lin Shu from seeing blood.

But Lin Shu had never mentioned that she had a mild aversion to blood. How did Xu Shijia know?

Fortunately, Xu Shijia’s nosebleed wasn’t severe. After a few minutes of applying pressure, the bleeding stopped.

Xu Mingmei was frantically helping Xu Shijia stop the bleeding, and a little blood had gotten on her hands. Once she saw the bleeding had stopped, she sighed in relief and went to the bathroom to wash her hands.

To prevent it from happening again, Xu Shijia still pressed his nose with tissues, looking somewhat disheveled. Seemingly aware of the cause, he cursed under his breath. “What kind of soup was that? Was it supposed to be a tonic or something? It’s too much!”

Soup? Did the dinner delivery have soup? Lin Shu couldn’t recall any soup in the order. Had Xu Shijia secretly drunk some in the kitchen?

Connecting the dots with what might have happened earlier if Xu Mingmei hadn’t shown up, Lin Shu’s gaze toward Xu Shijia became a little more complicated. “You drank that soup beforehand? Was it really necessary?”

Xu Shijia froze for a moment, realizing what Lin Shu meant. Flustered, he hastily said, “No! I didn’t drink that soup beforehand! I just… I didn’t mean to drink it! It was an accident! I drank it by mistake! Now that I’m having these reactions, I realize it must’ve been that soup!”

“Look at me, do I need any supplements? If I didn’t, how could I have a nosebleed?”

But it seemed like this comment triggered something in Xu Shijia. He glanced at Lin Shu and tightened the tissues on his nose. “Stay away from me. If it happens again, you’ll faint.”

Lin Shu shot him a glance. “How do you know I faint at the sight of blood?”

She had actually been meaning to ask this question since the incident with Zheng Xiaoxiao, but the chaos afterward had made her forget.

Xu Shijia froze, then gave Lin Shu a look that seemed somewhat conflicted. “When you saw your own blood.”

“I’ve never bled in front of you.” Lin Shu was puzzled. She was sure that even when they were in high school together, she didn’t know that she had a sensitivity to blood, and she’d never been injured before. After starting work, she hadn’t been injured, either. How did Xu Shijia know about it?

“Everything has its first time.” Xu Shijia seemed unwilling to answer the question further, diverting his gaze. “It was probably when you first bled.”

Lin Shu still had no memory of ever bleeding in front of Xu Shijia. However, with Xu Mingmei coming and going, she quickly lost the opportunity to continue asking, and the two of them returned to their roles as a self-disciplined superior and subordinate.

Compared to Lin Shu’s restraint, Xu Mingmei appeared much more nervous and anxious, as if the blood was flowing from Xu Shijia but the pain was in her heart. She kept urging Xu Shijia to go for a check-up tomorrow.

Lin Shu couldn’t help but secretly shoot Xu Shijia a sharp glance.

It wasn’t wrong for him to unite his colleagues, but there was no need to go to such lengths.

Still, regardless of anything, Xu Shijia had had a nosebleed and had a blood clotting disorder. Although the bleeding had stopped, he should definitely rest.

Lin Shu ignored Xu Shijia’s subtle attempts to hold her back. After giving a few instructions, she finally left with Xu Mingmei.