Chapter 77: Missing Her
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Of course not, that’s why I’m here to clarify things with you,” Pan Zhenghui hurriedly explained.
“Chief Pan, I’ve read her birth characters and it says that she’s already dead. I can provide you with a piece of information which may be of help in your investigations. Two lives were lost in this case: she was pregnant at the time of her death. You may carry on to investigate who the father of the child is. We used to be relatives, and she’d also sought help from me before her death. I suppose you’ve heard about that too. She said that that man had abandoned her and chased her out of the house. In my opinion, I don’t think it’s possible for it to be a case of suicide.”
“Why is that so?”
“She will never kill herself. Chief Pan, I’ll keep a lookout for details regarding this matter. Although Wang Fangfang and I are no longer relatives, I’d still like to know if the police are capable of avenging the dead.”
Having understood what she meant, Pan Zhenghui said immediately with a nod, “Our purpose as the police is to serve the public. Rest assured, we will definitely get to the bottom of this matter.”
With a faint smile, she said, “I hope… you’ll stick to your word, Chief Pan. Don’t let the public down. I’m aware that some things may not be within your control, but I hope you’ll still stay true to your morals and conscience.”
“Yes, of course. I shan’t impose on you any further. I’ll make a move now,” said Pan Zhenghui, feeling a strange sense of nervousness as his heart began to palpitate upon exchanging glances with An Xiaoning.
“Alright, take care, Chief Pan,” said An Xiaoning as she stood up to see him out.
Jin Qingyan arrived home as soon as Pan Zhenghui left in his car.
“Why did the police come to visit?”
“Wang Fangfang, the woman whom Shi Shaochuan had an affair with and was my cousin in the past, had gone missing. I read her birth characters and discovered that she’s already dead, so is the child she was carrying at the time.”
“Was she pregnant with Shi Shaochuan’s child?” asked the quick-witted Jin Qingyan.
“Without a doubt, but I didn’t reveal that to the police. They should be able to find out about it very soon, though. I’m guessing that he’s related to her death, in some way. I was blind to have married a scumbag like him. To be honest, your sister is digging her own grave by being together with him,” she said sternly.
Furrowing his brows, he held onto her hand and said firmly, “I don’t wish to see Qingyue ruin her own life in front of me. I’d like to change her fate.”
“You may do so if you’d like. However, no fortune-teller with genuine abilities would be willing to help you do that without any returns. I suggest you look for someone else. Besides, I was taught by my Master that there are some things that are fated, that cannot be easily changed on purpose.”
“Aren’t you money-minded?”
“My life means more to me than money,” An Xiaoning said with a smirk.
“I’ll look for someone else then,” he said as he took her hand in his.
Upon feeling the gentle warmth of his hand, An Xiaoning could not help but say, “There may be some dishonest practices which may help. Not for long, however.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“I think you should first seek the approval of Father and Mother before going ahead with it. It would be easier with their help.”
“I’ll make all the necessary arrangements.” Squeezing her hand tightly, he gave her the side-eye and said, “You’re so annoying this afternoon.”
“But I didn’t even see you or contact you earlier today, how was I being annoying?”
“You’ve been running tirelessly through my mind all afternoon and made my head hurt.”
“…” An Xiaoning began to blush and her ears turned red as a tomato. Though it wasn’t something worth blushing about, she felt unusually shy as her heart began pounding so quickly, almost ricocheting out of her chest. It must have been because she had rarely been told such sweet nothings.
“Wow, that’s incredible, I didn’t know I could actually run inside your head. I’m hungry, I’m going to go see what Auntie Chen had prepared.” She shrugged his hand away and zoomed towards the living room.
A gentle look formed on Jin Qingyan’s face as he watched her skip away happily.
——
“Shaochuan, I’ve seen from the news about the woman we knocked down… her parents have gone to the police.”
“So what if they have? We didn’t do it, there’s nothing to fear,” said Shi Shaochuan while remaining calm and collected.
Upon seeing how unflustered he was even when he was lying, Jin Qingyue began to think that his acting skills were really convincing. She could never remain that calm.
“I was relieved at first, but I’m starting to get worried again.”
“What are you afraid of? Getting arrested by the police? You really don’t seem like the daughter of a rich and powerful family like the Jin’s. What’s there to be afraid of? It’s just killing someone. Even if the police finds out, your family can get you out of trouble with a snap of a finger,” said Shi Shaochuan.
“I just feel guilty.”
“Guilty? What for…”
Before he could finish, Jin Qinyue’s phone began to ring. She took a look at the caller ID and said, “It’s my brother, hush.”
She then answered the call, “Hello.”
“…”
“Got it.”
Shi Shaochuan looked at her and said, “What did your brother say?”
“He said there was something important for me to attend to, and he wants me to go home right now. Do you think he found out that we were the culprits behind the car accident?” said a frightened Jin Qingyue.
“How could he possibly have… Jin Qingyue, I’ve already destroyed all the evidence. Without any evidence or witnesses, no one would find out that we were behind it. For the last time, we didn’t do it, her death has nothing to do with us, bear that in mind,” Shi Shaochuan chided impatiently.
Noticing the austereness of his face, Jin Qingyue nodded abidingly and said, “I’m going home, you may alight.”
Shi Shaochuan agreed and alighted from the car.
Jin Qingyue then proceeded to drive home.
“Brother, what is it that is so important?”
Staring into her eyes, Jin Qingyan said, “Would you be willing if I locked you up and forced you to break up with Shi Shaochuan?”
“Of course not! Brother, are you sick in the head? You actually want to force me to do as you say by imprisoning me?”
“Are you aware that the police are currently investigating the case of a missing person named Wang Fangfang? She had gone missing while carrying a child. Your sister-in-law had read her birth characters and discovered that she is already dead and that she was pregnant with Shi Shaochuan’s child. The police are still in the midst of investigating her death. He’s going to become a murderer, should they find out that he is the culprit. How are you going to have a future with him then?”
Jin Qingyan had spoken to her about the matter in a bid to see if his sister would finally come to her senses. In case she does not, he would then have to resort to extreme means.
“How… how did you know that Shi Shaochuan is the father of the child she was carrying?”
“We’ll find out if it really belongs to him once they find her body and carry out an autopsy, but I’m very certain that it belongs to Shi Shaochuan. Wang Fangfang had looked up your sister-in-law and told her personally that the child had belonged to Shi Shaochuan. She also tried to get your sister-in-law to persuade you to leave Shi Shaochuan,” explained Jin Qingyan.
Jin Qingyue was at a loss on what to do, and she felt lost and confused.
“Qingyue, answer me. If he had really killed the woman, would you still be willing to stay with him?”