Chapter 6 : A Mother
Chapter 6: A Mother
“Excuse me…”
Seeing someone walk over, Jiang Xinyue subconsciously stuffed a missing person notice into their hands, followed by a bow to express her thanks.
But she immediately sensed something was off. Looking up, she saw it was the young man she had met that afternoon, and her heart skipped again.
Because both times he had acted too abnormally, making her faintly see a glimmer of hope.
“Sir, you… do you know something? Please, I beg you, tell me. If you think the money is too little, I can find a way to get more…”
Jiang Xinyue’s haggard face was filled with pleading.
“Sigh, come with me.”
Shen Qingzhou let out a sigh.
Over the years, he had witnessed too many separations of life and death. He had always thought his heart was colder and more ruthless than a fishmonger’s.
But in reality, that was only what he believed. When faced with someone this pitiful, he still could not help but soften.
“You know, sometimes not knowing is also a kind of happiness. Because if you don’t know, you still have something to hope for.”
Shen Qingzhou sighed, stuffing the missing person notice back into her hands.
“You… what do you mean by that?” Jiang Xinyue felt a very bad premonition.
“Come with me.” Shen Qingzhou did not explain further and turned to walk toward the other end of the overpass.
Jiang Xinyue looked at his back, bit her lip, and ultimately chose to follow.
As long as there was even the slightest hope, she would not give up.
As for whether Shen Qingzhou was a bad person, she could no longer care about that.
However, she was not completely unprepared. Over the past few years, she had been deceived too many times—so many that she had gained experience from it.
The Qingzhou Information Consulting Office was located inside a residential building. It was both Shen Qingzhou’s workplace and his home.
Moreover, it was an old relocation housing unit. Not only was the neighborhood environment poor, but property management was practically nonexistent.
The only advantage was probably the cheap rent, which was also the sole reason Shen Qingzhou lived here.
Seeing the filthy and chaotic environment of the neighborhood, Jiang Xinyue felt even more uneasy and wary.
However, the place was not uninhabited. Especially at night, there were quite a few elderly people downstairs in the plaza dancing and exercising, which gave Jiang Xinyue a slight sense of security.
Seeing that he was simply walking ahead in silence, Jiang Xinyue thought for a moment and still caught up, softly asking, “I still don’t know how to address you?”
Shen Qingzhou glanced at her and said, “Shen Qingzhou.”
“Then… Mr. Shen, where did you see my daughter? Can you tell me now? I can pay you part of the reward first,” Jiang Xinyue said.
Before Shen Qingzhou could reply, she quickly added, “If you’re worried, we can go to the police station and have the police act as witnesses…”
Shen Qingzhou let out a light chuckle. Clearly, Jiang Xinyue was still full of vigilance toward him.
Guarding against him as a scammer, and also guarding against any ill intentions.
Shen Qingzhou did not answer her question. Instead, he asked, “If your daughter’s situation is very bad right now, you would still give that one hundred thousand, right?”
Jiang Xinyue was taken aback, then subconsciously nodded. “Of course.”
But she immediately realized something.
“What do you mean by that?”
Her expression turned extremely ugly. Her already pale face became as white as paper.
This was the second time he had hinted that her daughter’s situation was not good, making her increasingly uneasy.
“Come with me.” Shen Qingzhou did not answer again and quickened his pace.
There was no elevator in the relocation building, but fortunately, Shen Qingzhou’s office was only on the third floor. They arrived shortly, though the dim stairwell made Jiang Xinyue even more uneasy.
But for her daughter, she suppressed the urge to turn and leave, keeping her nerves tightly strung.
Only when they reached the door and she saw the sign “Qingzhou Information Consulting Office” hanging on it did she relax slightly.
After all, a legitimate company seemed more reassuring than a complete stranger.
“Come in.” Shen Qingzhou turned on the light and beckoned behind him.
Jiang Xinyue did not immediately enter. Instead, she peeked inside first.
The room was rather messy. Aside from a desk and a guest chair, the corners were piled with clutter.
However, there was no unpleasant smell in the room. Instead, there was a faint scent of sandalwood.
Before leaving earlier, Shen Qingzhou had reminded Xiao Qiu not to run outside. The little one was obedient and well-behaved, staying quietly inside. Aside from wandering between the living room and the two rooms, she had not stepped out the door at all.
Hearing movement, she immediately ran out from the room.
Seeing Shen Qingzhou, she hurried over on her short legs, her face full of joy.
When Shen Qingzhou turned back to call Jiang Xinyue, she finally noticed there was someone behind him.
Then—
“Mommy~”
She shouted and rushed toward Jiang Xinyue, her expression excited, tears already welling up in her eyes.
But Jiang Xinyue, who had entered the room, could not see her. She continued to curiously look around while still not fully letting down her guard.
Xiao Qiu missed her, lunging at empty air, and froze in place.
She turned around and called out “Mom” again, her voice full of grievance, as tears rolled uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Jiang Xinyue, however, seemed to sense something. She turned back in confusion, only to see the door wide open behind her, nothing unusual.
“Help me close the door,” Shen Qingzhou said at the right moment.
Jiang Xinyue turned to close the door. At that moment, Xiao Qiu stretched out her arms toward her again.
“Mommy, I’m sorry, I wasn’t good. Don’t ignore me, wuwuwu…”
But Xiao Qiu still could not touch Jiang Xinyue. The two seemed to exist in different spaces and times.
Xiao Qiu first sobbed quietly, then burst into loud crying.
The little one was clever and knew to seek out Shen Qingzhou. Wiping her tears, she choked out, “Gege, Mommy won’t pay attention to me either. Does she not want me anymore?”
“Alright, stop crying for now. Your mother just can’t see you.”
Shen Qingzhou patted her small head, opened a drawer, and took out three incense sticks to light.
Xiao Qiu sniffled as she moved closer, crying while absorbing the incense.
Jiang Xinyue, who had just turned back after closing the door, revealed a strange expression upon seeing this scene.
“Sit down and we’ll talk,” Shen Qingzhou gestured toward the chair.
“N-No need, I’ll just stand,” Jiang Xinyue said.
She had walked back and forth on the pedestrian overpass countless times that afternoon and had long wanted to sit and rest, but she still had not let down her guard.
So even when closing the door, she had only left it slightly ajar instead of fully shutting it.
Shen Qingzhou did not insist. Nor did he beat around the bush. He directly said, “Your daughter is already dead.”
Jiang Xinyue froze for a moment, then let out a sharp scream.
“You’re talking nonsense! You’re cursing my daughter—you… you will die a horrible death…”