Chapter 245
"Got it."
Pei Zhengnian suppressed the doubts in his heart and said to Sun Xuelin,
"Don't alert Zheng Tongwei for now, and avoid crossing paths with Jiang Shuyi and Pei Zhengwei."
"Continue to observe the situation quietly and see what exactly they are trying to do. Report back to me immediately if anything happens."
"Yes, Commander!" Sun Xuelin saluted, turned around, and left.
Pei Zhengnian sat in his chair, his mind full of questions.
He knew Shen Nanchu well; she wasn't the type to make trouble out of nothing. Since she had Zheng Tongwei keeping an eye on Jiang Shuyi, she definitely had her reasons.
But why didn't she tell him? Could it be that she had some unspeakable difficulties?
That evening, when Pei Zhengnian returned home, the first thing he saw upon entering was Shen Nanchu playing with Little Anchen.
Little Anchen's chubby little hands grasped at the air, occasionally letting out baby babbles.
A gentle smile hung on Shen Nanchu's lips as she occasionally shook the rattle drum in her hand.
Seeing this scene, the doubts in Pei Zhengnian's heart were instantly thrown to the back of his mind.
He walked over, sat down beside Shen Nanchu, reached out to rub Little Anchen's head, and asked,
"Little guy, were you a good boy at home today?"
"He was! Our Little Anchen is the best-behaved boy."
Grandma Pei was a perfect spokesperson.
"That's right! Our Little Anchen hasn't cried all day!"
Pei's Mother chimed in.
Pei Zhengnian looked at Little Anchen, his eyes brimming with fatherly love.
Later that night, when Shen Nanchu came out of the bathroom after washing up, she saw Pei Zhengnian standing nearby. The hem of his army-green shirt wasn't fully tucked into his waistband, and his hands were stuffed into his trouser pockets.
She walked toward the bedroom, drying her hair, and caught sight of the man following her closely out of the corner of her eye. Even when she stopped to tidy up the dressing table, he froze in place. His eyes darted around, looking at the wall clock one moment and touching the enamel cup on the nightstand the next, purposely avoiding her gaze.
"Do you need something?"
Shen Nanchu draped the towel over the back of the chair and turned to look at him.
Caught red-handed, Pei Zhengnian moved his hands from behind his back to the front, his fingers rubbing together unconsciously. He let out a soft "Mhm" but didn't say anything else.
Shen Nanchu raised an eyebrow but didn't press further, turning back to fold the newly collected laundry.
Now Pei Zhengnian grew even more anxious. He followed her to the wardrobe, scuffing his toe against the floor, and said in a voice softer than a mosquito's,
"Nanchu, well... Sun Xuelin told me something today."
"Hmm?"
Shen Nanchu didn't even look up as she placed the folded sweater into the drawer.
Pei Zhengnian looked at her profile. His lips moved, but he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, mumbling instead,
"It's nothing major. I just... just wanted to ask if you'd like to eat dumplings. I'll have some flour delivered to our house tomorrow."
Only then did Shen Nanchu stop what she was doing and turn to look at Pei Zhengnian.
The commander who usually barked orders with sharp eyes in the military was now avoiding her gaze and telling lame lies.
How interesting.
"Pei Zhengnian," Shen Nanchu held back a smile and deliberately put on a stern face. "Spit it out. Stop following me around and beating about the bush. If you keep following me like this, I'll never finish folding these clothes."
Having his cover blown, Pei Zhengnian actually breathed a sigh of relief. Still, he dawdled over to her, scratching the back of his head with both hands,
"I just wanted to ask... is there a reason you had Zheng Tongwei keep an eye on Jiang Shuyi?"
"I'm not questioning you, it's just... I'm just a little worried about you."
After saying that, Pei Zhengnian quickly added,
"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I was just asking."
With that cautious demeanor, he had lost every ounce of a soldier's decisiveness, looking exactly like a clingy husband terrified of upsetting his wife.
Shen Nanchu paused for a moment before realizing that Pei Zhengnian must have been monitoring Pei Zhengwei as well, which was how he discovered Zheng Tongwei's whereabouts.
She raised an eyebrow. "What? Do you think I'm being a busybody?"
"Absolutely not!"
Pei Zhengnian's tone carried a hint of flattery,
"I'm just curious why you're watching Jiang Shuyi. Did she do something?"
Seeing Pei Zhengnian's cautious look, Shen Nanchu couldn't help but laugh.
"Do you remember when I told you about the missing artifacts from the Cultural Relics Bureau a few days ago?"
Shen Nanchu sat down beside Pei Zhengnian and spoke calmly,
"Jiang Shuyi stole those artifacts. Moreover, she's working with Pei Zhengwei. He is responsible for reselling them, and they've even contacted overseas buyers to smuggle the artifacts out of the country."
Hearing this, Pei Zhengnian's face instantly darkened,
"To think such a thing is happening! Pei Zhengwei actually dared to collude with outsiders to resell national treasures!"
"Now is not the time to alert the snake in the grass."
Shen Nanchu slowly laid out her plan,
"Zheng Tongwei has already figured out their trading location. It's next week at the abandoned factory in the suburbs."
"When the time comes, we'll set up an inescapable net. Not only will we catch them red-handed, but we can also follow the clues to find the mole inside the Cultural Relics Bureau and the overseas forces behind them."
Pei Zhengnian nodded, suppressing the anger in his heart,
"Do you need me to send people to assist?"
"That would be best."
It wasn't that Shen Nanchu didn't trust Zheng Tongwei.
Professional matters should be left to professionals.
When it came to catching people, Pei Zhengnian and his men were absolutely professional.
After all, if there was a slip-up, wouldn't Shen Nanchu have to dip into her own private funds?
"Alright, no problem."
Pei Zhengnian had even decided to lead the team himself.
After all, Pei Zhengwei still needed to be kept around as bait to lure out the big fish behind the scenes; he couldn't be arrested just yet.
It would be safer if he personally took command.
At this moment, the system suddenly sounded in Shen Nanchu's mind,
"Host, Jiang Shuyi just contacted the mole in the Cultural Relics Bureau. The mole said the bureau has been taking inventory of the artifacts lately and told her to be careful not to get caught."
Shen Nanchu's eyes sharpened. It seemed the fish would soon take the bait.
"Who is this mole?"
"Hehe, Host, you'll never guess."
The system's voice carried a hint of excitement.
"It's definitely not Li Guanhua, and it can't be Zuo Wenjie."
Shen Nanchu's words left the system stunned for a few moments.
"Host, how did you know?"
"It's Sister Wang, right?"
Shen Nanchu's words completely petrified the system.
After a long while, the system finally found its voice.
"Host, h-how did you guess that?"
"Guess?"
A flash of disdain crossed Shen Nanchu's eyes,
"Isn't it an obvious fact?"
Li Guanhua and Zuo Wenjie wouldn't be bought off by Jiang Shuyi.
After all, if you're going to steal, why not steal gold jewelry?
It's small and easy to cash in.
Even if it goes missing, it's not easily noticed.
What's more, Shen Nanchu had interacted with both of them. They were smart people who wouldn't ruin their bright futures for petty profits.
Therefore, this person could only be Sister Wang.
After all, there were loopholes in her background.
...