Liu Ce didn’t take credit for rescuing the child—he pushed Shen Wangshu forward instead.
He Huiran appeared before Shen Wangshu holding her child, tears streaming down her face as she thanked her: “Young lady, thank you so, so much.”
As soon as He Huiran finished expressing her gratitude, a wisp of Merit landed in Shen Wangshu’s palm.
He Huiran wiped her tears: “If it weren’t for you, I truly wouldn’t know what to do.”
Liu Ce had recorded a video during the operation—from the moment that woman stepped out of the elevator to when she reached the window, no more than five seconds had passed.
If there had been even a moment’s hesitation, her child would have been thrown down.
At the thought, He Huiran’s hands couldn’t stop trembling.
Shen Wangshu tucked away the grain-sized bit of Merit.
She smiled brightly at He Huiran: “Your husband is an only son. You have two daughters—your eldest is seven, your youngest is two. Your mother-in-law has been pushing you to have a third child.”
He Huiran nodded: “Yes, my mother-in-law is somewhat biased toward boys. She’s always wanted me to have a son, saying daughters are born for other families and that I need to give birth to a boy. But my husband and I don’t want more children, because money is a bit tight.”
Shen Wangshu continued: “That madwoman gave birth to eight children in her early years. Each time she gave birth and discovered it was a daughter, she drowned the baby. When she was pregnant with her ninth child, she slipped while doing laundry and miscarried the nine-month-old fetus.”
“Then she discovered that the child she’d been longing for was actually a boy, and she went insane after that.”
“After she went mad, she kept wandering around the park. Your mother-in-law would usually give her leftover food and also vent to her, saying her daughter-in-law refused to have a son, and so on.”
He Huiran hugged her child tightly. Her mother-in-law did indeed enjoy taking walks in the park.
Even if there was housework to be done at home, she wouldn’t help. He Huiran harbored resentment but still respected her mother-in-law.
She never expected this.
He Huiran trembled with rage.
Of course, all of this was still just Shen Wangshu’s word.
He Huiran needed to investigate the matter herself. If her mother-in-law truly couldn’t tolerate her children, then even if her husband treated her well, life would be hard to endure.
The madwoman was released.
As she left, she cast one last regretful glance at the little daughter in He Huiran’s arms.
That look made He Huiran instinctively hold her youngest daughter even tighter.
The madwoman headed in the direction of the park.
The police tracked her every move.
He Huiran watched the madwoman sit down on a bench in the park, still clinging to a sliver of hope.
But then she saw with her own eyes her mother-in-law walking over, carrying a plastic bag.
Inside the plastic bag was the braised meat she had prepared before leaving the house.
It was meant for her eldest daughter’s birthday dinner that evening.
The madwoman wolfed it down.
He Huiran’s mother-in-law said: “Oh my, eat slowly, no one’s going to take it from you. If I had a grandson, I’d be so happy I’d feed you a feast every single day.”
“Back then, if I hadn’t hurt myself after giving birth to my son, I could have given my husband eight or ten boys.”
“Tell me, my daughter-in-law doesn’t know how good she has it. She’s got such wide hips and is so built for childbirth, yet she doesn’t want to have more kids. It’s a shame my son’s good genes won’t be passed on. Tell me, isn’t that outrageous?”
The madwoman nodded and continued scarfing down the braised meat, her mouth slick with grease.
He Huiran’s mother-in-law added regretfully: “If my daughter-in-law had half the determination you have, I’d be laughing in my sleep. I’m too kind-hearted—if she had any other mother-in-law, those two good-for-nothing girls of mine would have been done away with long ago.”
The madwoman finished eating and grinned foolishly: “I’ll help you do away with them.”
He Huiran’s mother-in-law chuckled softly, saying nothing.
The truth came to light.
When the police appeared before He Huiran’s mother-in-law and arrested her on charges of incitement, she loudly protested her innocence, claiming she knew nothing.
As He Huiran’s mother-in-law passed by Shen Wangshu, Shen Wangshu said calmly: “Old lady, your only son isn’t actually your son. In this lifetime, you’ve had no children at all~”
He Huiran’s mother-in-law wanted to curse at Shen Wangshu, but was stunned to find her mouth wouldn’t open.
She could only make garbled noises and point at Shen Wangshu as the police dragged her away.
Shen Wangshu waved goodbye.
Liu Ce looked at Shen Wangshu, who seemed so well-behaved and harmless, and rubbed his temples: “I just received a report, and it’s related to you.”
Shen Wangshu: “…”
She sat in front of the computer, waiting for the other party to connect.
While waiting, Shen Wangshu couldn’t stop coughing.
Coincidentally, Gu Qingyan opened the video call and saw Shen Wangshu coughing with a pale face.
She looked even worse off than him, someone currently in isolation recovering.
After Shen Wangshu steadied herself, she smiled brightly at Gu Qingyan on the screen: “Mr. Gu, hello, we meet again.”
Gu Qingyan raised an eyebrow subtly. Last time it had been a formal “how do you do”—this time she was far more generous.
He got straight to the point: “Why is my card in your possession?”
Shen Wangshu asked very seriously: “Mr. Gu, do you want to hear the truth? Or a lie?”
Gu Qingyan leaned back in his seat, a flicker of interest crossing his face. “Let’s hear it.”
A faint smile tugged at Shen Wangshu’s lips. “The truth is, I’m determined to have you, and I used a few little tricks to get your attention.”
“Transferring money into that account was my way of saving up, bit by bit, to win your hand in marriage.”
The ever-composed Chief Judge Gu picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of tea.
He asked, “And the lie?”
Shen Wangshu shook her head. “Mr. Gu, I can’t bring myself to lie to you.”
Gu Qingyan countered, “So that means, when it comes to me, there’s not a single truthful word from your mouth.”
Shen Wangshu chuckled. “Mr. Gu is so clever.”
That single remark left her with no room to continue.
The conversation had hit a dead end.
Gu Qingyan said, “I don’t care what tricks you pull. Give the card to Shaohua, and I’ll let this matter slide.”
Shen Wangshu shook her head. “Unfortunately, this is a little secret between Miss Gu and me. As for the card—”
She held up a bank card between two fingers—it was Gu Qingyan’s card.
She said, “If Mr. Gu truly doesn’t want me to earn money pursuing you, then cancel the card. Or, once you’re out of medical quarantine, I’ll return it to you in person.”
With that, Shen Wangshu hung up the video call without waiting for Gu Qingyan’s refusal.
After ending the call, she let out a long, relieved breath.
Their first confrontation wasn’t a complete victory, but it left her in excellent spirits.
Only the two of them knew about this conversation, and on Gu Qingyan’s end, he quickly withdrew the police report he had filed.
So much so that when Liu Ce saw the outcome, he was thoroughly impressed by Shen Wangshu.
He no longer questioned the validity of Shen Wangshu’s report about Mei Du’s second opening.
“Let’s go, treasure hunting… no, solving the case.”