The Good and Evil Detection System locked onto Zhang Mei, and her information immediately appeared in front of Lin Shuyue. Her good-evil value was 15%, which meant that this woman had evil in her, but this evil had not yet reached the level of a crime.

Lin Shuyue didn’t know if she knew about what Lin Jianxin had done.

Behind the cashier on the first floor, there was a small office with a “No Customers Beyond This Point” sign. Every time Lin Jianxin came to the restaurant, he would sit in this office for a long time.

Lin Shuyue watched as the couple entered the office. Seizing the opportunity, she tossed out the button camera, and the camera landed at the crack of the door.

The small undercover camera automatically started recording. Because of the tricky angle, it captured Zhang Mei’s and Lin Jianxin’s faces clearly.

The Good and Evil Discrimination System automatically popped up. Under Lin Shuyue’s command, it connected to the working button camera, split into a small window, and simultaneously played the content being filmed by the undercover camera.

This was a new and very powerful feature after the Good and Evil System upgrade.

The waiter brought up the dishes Lin Shuyue had ordered. Lin Shuyue urged Zeng Xiaoyi to eat quickly while keeping her attention on the screen in front of her.

Zeng Xiaoyi knew that Lin Shuyue was here to do serious business, so she didn’t say much. She just focused on picking up food and eating. She ate slowly but never left her mouth empty.

In the small window of the Good and Evil Discrimination System, Zhang Mei and Lin Jianxin stood facing each other. She questioned Lin Jianxin, “Lin Jianxin, what do you mean? You have to explain yourself to me today.”

Judging from Zhang Mei’s words, the two had started arguing in the car.

The smile that had been on Lin Jianxin’s face completely disappeared under Zhang Mei’s questioning.

He looked at Zhang Mei, his face full of impatience. “Zhang Mei, can you please stop being unreasonable? You’re watching me as closely as if I were a criminal. Is that interesting?”

Zhang Mei was a plump woman. Standing for a while had already made her feel very tired, so she pulled a wooden chair over and sat down. The look in her eyes as she looked at Lin Jianxin no longer held any of the love from the past, only hatred. “Lin Jianxin, you caused my mother’s tragic death, my father’s stroke, and all my family’s property has fallen into your hands. Don’t even think about abandoning me and Yongyi.”

“Zhang Mei, can you please be reasonable? Yongyi is a girl. She’s going to get married sooner or later. Is it wrong for me to want a son to carry on my family line?” Lin Jianxin looked at Zhang Mei with disappointment in his eyes, as if Zhang Mei had done something terribly wrong.

If it had been before, when Zhang Mei saw Lin Jianxin give her such a disappointed look, she would definitely feel panicked and reflect on what she had done wrong. But she didn’t think that way anymore.

“How am I being unreasonable? This Huanxiang Restaurant belongs to my Zhang family. Yongyi is my daughter. What’s wrong with her inheriting Huanxiang Restaurant in the future? It makes sense anywhere you go! You, a son-in-law who came to our door, still want a son to carry on your family line. This is truly laughable, Lin Jianxin.”

“Lin Jianxin, doesn’t your face burn when you say that? Huanxiang Restaurant is the property of our Zhang family, not yours, Lin Jianxin, and certainly not the Lin family’s! Are you even worthy of saying that? Lin Jianxin!”

“Besides, didn’t you already have a son to carry on your family line? You gave him away, Lin Jianxin. Have you even forgotten that?” As Lin Jianxin’s wife, Zhang Mei had known from the beginning that Lin Jianxin had given away his son. She just hadn’t said anything because she was a beneficiary.

Giving away his only son was Lin Jianxin’s greatest pain in this life. “Why did I give Ah Yang away? Don’t you know the reason yourself, Zhang Mei? If it wasn’t for your parents pushing me so hard, would I have given him away? If the three of you hadn’t all said that you were pregnant with a boy, would I have been willing to give him up?”

Back then, Lin Jianxin and Zhang Mei had gotten together because she was pregnant before marriage, acting first and reporting later. Zhang Mei was not smart, but her parents were not easy to fool.

Lin Jianxin’s actions back then were not secrets that couldn’t be found out. As soon as they heard that he had been constantly having affairs outside and that he had two daughters and a son at home, they knew why he had gotten involved with Zhang Mei.

But not only was Zhang Mei pregnant at that time, but she also cried and made a fuss at home, insisting on marrying Lin Jianxin. Zhang’s parents only had Zhang Mei as their daughter. In the end, they couldn’t resist her and agreed to the marriage.

But agreeing to the marriage was one thing; letting Lin Jianxin into Huanxiang Restaurant was another. After all, it was hard to say whether the child in Zhang Mei’s belly was a boy or a girl, but Lin Jianxin already had a son.

Now that they were letting him into Huanxiang Restaurant, with Lin Jianxin’s personality and the fact that he had a son, no one knew who Huanxiang Restaurant would belong to in the future.

So, Zhang’s parents proposed that they needed to see Lin Jianxin’s loyalty. And this loyalty was for Lin Jianxin to give away his only son. It wasn’t even okay for Lou Fengqin to raise him; he had to be given away.

Lin Jianxin only hesitated for three months before agreeing. And he took action on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Zhang’s parents felt a chill in their hearts, but at the same time, they were very proud. After all, they had seen how much Lin Jianxin doted on his son. Now, for their family, he had even given up his son. How could they not be proud?

Especially Zhang Mei, for a long time, she had regarded this matter as proof of Lin Jianxin’s love for her.

“Stop talking about those useless things. Xiaorou is already pregnant, and I took her to the hospital for a checkup. She’s carrying a boy. If you’re willing to raise him, I’ll bring the child back. If you’re not willing, then let’s get a divorce. I’m the current legal representative of Huanxiang Restaurant. If we divorce, apart from the house we currently live in, you won’t get anything.”

After Lin Jianxin finished speaking, he slammed the door and left. Zhang Mei sat in the office, covering her face, motionless.

Lin Jianxin got into his car, started the engine, and drove away.

Lin Shuyue slowly finished her meal with Zeng Xiaoyi. Although the Zhang family’s character was questionable, the taste of the dishes at their restaurant was still good. It was worth the money.

After finishing the meal, Lin Shuyue gave Zeng Xiaoyi money to pay the bill, went to the restroom, and used the water in the restroom to remove her makeup.

When she came out, a middle-aged man in a suit was talking to Zeng Xiaoyi.

Zeng Xiaoyi looked wary. The middle-aged man must have noticed, so he didn’t pester her anymore. He just left a business card and left alone.

Seeing Lin Shuyue, Zeng Xiaoyi breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “Sister Ah Yue.”

Before Lin Shuyue could speak, she explained the middle-aged man’s intentions. “That man just now said he was a talent scout. He said I looked good and had the potential to become famous, and he wanted to help me become a star.”

Lin Shuyue had heard many stories about talent scouts discovering stars on the street in her previous life, but this was the first time she had actually seen it happen. However, who could be sure that the person was really a talent scout? There were too many swindlers in this world. In her previous life, there were many news stories about teenage girls with dreams of becoming stars being swindled out of their money and even their bodies by con artists claiming to be talent scouts.

She took the business card from Zeng Xiaoyi’s hand and looked at it. Xingda Media, Lu Jingfang. Lin Shuyue hadn’t paid attention to entertainment companies. She secretly memorized the name, planning to ask Huang Qiang about it when she had time.

Lin Shuyue returned the business card to Zeng Xiaoyi and said to her, “You do have the potential to be a star. You’re very pretty. But Xiaoyi, the most important thing for you right now is to study. If you want to be a star, you can still do it after you finish college.”

Zeng Xiaoyi had never associated herself with those glamorous stars on TV, nor did she think she could become a star. She didn’t think she was pretty either. In her opinion, Lin Shuxing and Lin Shuyue were much prettier than her. She casually stuffed the business card into her pocket.

Hooking her arm with Lin Shuyue’s, she walked outside. “Sister Ah Yue, where are we going?”

That was a good question. While answering her, Lin Shuyue called Lou Fengqin at home and also took the time to answer Zeng Xiaoyi, “To settle some accounts.”

Lou Fengqin was completely stunned when she received Lin Shuyue’s call. She gripped her phone, staring blankly at the street scene where a light drizzle was still falling.

After a long while, she finally turned around and looked at the tall man two steps away. “Lao Bai, Ah Yue just called and said there’s news about Ah Yang’s whereabouts.”

The Lao Bai in Lou Fengqin’s words was called Bai Wenhua. He was the leader of the family-finding team that Lou Fengqin had joined.

Hearing Lou Fengqin’s words, a look of joy appeared on his face. “Ah Feng, this is good news! We’ve been looking for Ah Yang for fourteen years without a single clue. Now we finally have some leads. You should be happy.”

Yes, if it were any other time, she would be happy and excited if she had news about Ah Yang. But thinking about what Lin Shuyue had said on the phone just now, Lou Fengqin couldn’t be happy.

“My Ah Yue said that Ah Yang was given away by Lin Jianxin.”

The smile on Bai Wenhua’s face froze. Having searched for the child with Lou Fengqin for ten years, Bai Wenhua understood Lou Fengqin’s family situation very well.

He had seen many children who had been given away by relatives over the years.

After a long silence, he finally said, “No matter what, Ah Feng, having news about the child is a good thing.”

Lou Fengqin was, after all, someone who had seen her share of ups and downs. In this short while, she had already composed herself. “Yes, you’re right. Having news about Ah Yang is a good thing.”

“Ah Yue said she’s going to pick up Ah Xing. We’ll go directly to Lin Jianxin’s doorstep and wait for him.”

“Okay.” The two walked together towards Bai Wenhua’s black SUV.

Lin Shuyue picked up Lin Shuxing and Luo Zhengjun at the entrance of Lin Family Village.

Both of their faces looked unwell.

Getting into the car, Luo Zhengjun glanced at Lin Shuxing and handed a black voice recorder to Lin Shuyue. Lin Shuyue turned on the recorder.

Lin Shuxing’s conversation with Lin Yongfu played in the car.

“Brother Afu, why did you want to go to town to play the year Ah Yang went missing?”

“It wasn’t that I really wanted to go. It was Second Uncle who said there was a new type of toy car in the town’s shops. I said I wanted to see it, and Second Uncle said he’d take us to buy it.”

“Did he buy you the toy cars later?”

“He did. Later, he said he’d take us to the noodle shop to eat noodles. We went, and almost in the blink of an eye, Ah Yang was gone.”

The conversation was short, but from these few sentences, Lin Jianxin’s ulterior motives could be discerned.

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Lin Shuxing still couldn’t accept it when her guess was confirmed.

She leaned against the car window, looking at the rain that was gradually getting heavier outside. After a long while, she finally spoke, “Ah Yue, tell me, what kind of person can be so cold-hearted? It’s okay if he doesn’t like us. Many people favor boys over girls. He’s not the only one.”

“But what about Ah Yang? He liked Ah Yang so much. Every time he came back from working outside, he would bring delicious food for Ah Yang, and every time he would buy Ah Yang new clothes and toys.” Lin Jianxin didn’t like her and her younger sister, but Lin Shuxing didn’t feel anything about it because her mother often told her that she, Ah Yue, and Ah Yang were all her mother’s treasures.

Lin Shuxing had never cared for Lin Jianxin’s love.

But what about Ah Yang? Ah Yang liked Lin Jianxin so much. He admired Lin Jianxin a lot. In Ah Yang’s heart, Lin Jianxin, who brought him all kinds of gifts, was like a god.

The three-year-old Ah Yang would even count on his fingers, counting down the days until Lin Jianxin would come to see him.

During that Mid-Autumn Festival, Lin Jianxin came, and Ah Yang was especially excited and happy.

Didn’t Lin Jianxin feel sad or guilty when he gave Ah Yang away?

Lin Jianxin drove while also having the system transfer the content recorded by the button camera to the voice recorder.

She handed the voice recorder to Lin Shuxing. Lin Shuxing listened to the entire argument between Zhang Mei and Lin Jianxin word by word.

After listening, Lin Shuxing covered her face. “Beast, animal, selfish, and self-serving.”

The rain grew heavier and heavier. No one in the car spoke.

When they arrived at the entrance of Lin Jianxin’s residential complex, Lou Fengqin had already arrived.

The rain had stopped by now. Lou Fengqin had listened to the recordings on both voice recorders and cursed “animal” through gritted teeth again.

The group went to Lin Jianxin’s house.

The place where Lin Jianxin currently lived was a villa bought by Zhang Zhenfa after he became wealthy. It was in the same residential complex as Teacher Liu’s house, but her house was much smaller compared to Teacher Liu’s.

As Lin Shuyue’s group walked to his door, Zhang Mei happened to be coming out of the house carrying a handbag.

When Lou Fengqin saw Zhang Mei, old and new hatred surged up. She rolled up her sleeves and rushed towards Zhang Mei, slapping her directly on her face, which was as puffy as a steamed bun.

Zhang Mei was stunned by Lou Fengqin’s slap. “Lou Fengqin, are you sick? Why did you hit me?”

Her voice was shrill and piercing, hurting people’s ears. Lin Shuxing stepped forward and held her hand down, preventing her long fingernails from scratching Lou Fengqin.

Lin Shuyue stood aside, protecting Lin Shuxing and Lou Fengqin. Zhang Mei knew that Ah Yang had been given away by Lin Jianxin. In fact, the suggestion to give Ah Yang away had come from their Zhang family.

Lin Jianxin was hateful, and Zhang Mei was also hateful! Especially in the many years that followed, when Lou Fengqin was looking for Ah Yang, she had even mocked and ridiculed her. Putting aside everything else, based on this last point alone, Zhang Mei deserved this beating.

“What am I doing? What am I doing? You still have the nerve to ask!” Lou Fengqin grabbed Zhang Mei’s elaborately permed short curly hair, saying one sentence and slapping her once. “Zhang Mei, how can your heart be so black! Fourteen years ago, how old was Ah Yang? He was only three years old! How could your family not even tolerate a small child! He was awarded to me. What does it have to do with Lin Jianxin?”

Zhang Mei screamed, her mouth already swollen.

“How can your Zhang family’s hearts be so vicious? Huh?” Thinking of her well-behaved and obedient Ah Yang, Lou Fengqin’s heart ached with every beat.

Fourteen years. In these fourteen years, she had traveled to many places and seen many, many trafficked children.

Some of them were doing okay, but many more were not.

Countless nights, Lou Fengqin had dreamt of Ah Yang being beaten until his head was bleeding, calling out again and again, saying, “Mommy, it hurts, Mommy, it hurts, save me, save me!”

Zhang Mei’s initial struggles subsided. Regarding this matter, she wasn’t entirely without guilt.

Lou Fengqin slapped her several more times, finally crying so hard that she couldn’t catch her breath. “Zhang Mei, your whole family are animals.”

The wealthy people in the villa district were not lacking in those who loved to watch a good show. In just this short while, people from both sides of the Zhang family’s house had come out into the yard to watch. People who lived further away were also gathering here.

The door of the Zhang family’s house opened, and a girl who looked similar to Zhang Mei and was also very plump pushed out a wheelchair. A thin old man sat in the wheelchair.

Zhang Zhenfa looked at the people in the yard, and his heart sank. He knew that the matter of having Lin Jianxin deal with Lin Shuyang back then could not be resolved peacefully. His brain was spinning rapidly.

Finally, looking at Lou Fengqin, who was being supported by the Lin Shuyue sisters and wiping away tears, he said in a deep voice, “Lou Fengqin, what happened back then was our Zhang family’s fault. But we don’t know where Lin Jianxin sent your child.”

Zhang Zhenfa had been recovering well in the two years since his stroke. Although his speech was still slurred and his tone was strange, he could still be clearly understood.

“Back then, we only mentioned a few times that he had a son and that the Zhang family’s property couldn’t fall into the hands of outsiders. He took it upon himself to send your son away. From beginning to end, our Zhang family did not interfere in the matter of your son being given away.” Perhaps afraid that Lin Shuyue and the others wouldn’t believe him, Zhang Zhenfa repeated himself.