Volume 1 Chapter 10: Catching a Big Fish Tonight
After her shower, Shen He stepped out of the bathroom and saw Qin Yi sitting on the carpet in front of the sofa, holding a bowl of instant noodles. She walked over and snatched the noodles away. "What's this? Are you so broke from playing music that you can't even afford a proper dinner?"
Qin Yi grinned and tried to grab the noodles back. "Yeah, so be kind and let me have a bite of warm noodles to fill my stomach."
Shen He carried the noodles to the kitchen. "I'll cook you some proper noodles. Don't eat this junk food."
"Miaomiao, you're the best!"
Qin Yi followed her into the kitchen, tickled Shen He's waist, and only relaxed when she saw a smile appear on Shen He's face.
Leaning against the kitchen counter, Qin Yi watched her cook.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, Qin Yi asked with a serious tone, "What did you mean by that MMS you sent me this morning?"
The MMS contained a coded message written by Shen He in Nüshu script.
In ancient times, when travel was slow and letters were short but emotions ran deep, women created Nüshu culture to confide their feelings and sorrows to friends, sharing both their inner turmoil and joy.
During their high school boarding days, Shen He and Qin Yi had studied Nüshu culture together in their spare time.
The Nüshu text Shen He sent Qin Yi this morning translated to:
[My boyfriend wants to kill me]
Upon receiving the message, Qin Yi rushed back to Qingshi from the neighboring city without delay.
Shen He remained silent, her eyes cautiously scanning the apartment.
Knowing what she was worried about, Qin Yi reassured her, "I've already searched your place. There are no surveillance devices here. We can talk freely."
Only then did Shen He relax. "I asked you to come because I wanted you to help me check if my home is safe."
Home was her sanctuary, and she needed to ensure it was absolutely secure.
"What exactly happened? Is Mu Tingyun really a problem?" Qin Yi had long harbored suspicions about Mu Tingyun.
Mu Tingyun had appeared like a ray of light, illuminating Shen He's world.
Shen He had become deeply immersed in the warmth that light brought. But Qin Yi, coming from a family of police officers, found Mu Tingyun's motives suspicious.
Just as pies don't fall from the sky, she didn't believe that sunshine would just happen to shine on Shen He.
It wasn't that Shen He didn't deserve warmth.
But this warmth had come too strangely, too coincidentally.
Qin Yi firmly believed that all coincidences were deliberate. She had doubted Mu Tingyun's motives but had never found any substantial evidence of wrongdoing.
So, as soon as she received Shen He's message this morning, Qin Yi hurried back to Qingshi.
Shen He stared at the bubbling water in the pot, hatred spreading in her eyes.
"Yibao, what if I told you that Mu Tingyun pursued me just to gain my trust, isolate me from the Shen family, leave me helpless, and then find an opportunity to take my heart to save his beloved?"
After saying it all in one breath, Shen He looked up at Qin Yi and asked, "Would you believe it?"
Qin Yi's mouth fell open, and she exclaimed, "I'll be damned!"
The story sounded absurd, but Qin Yi knew Shen He well—she wasn't the type to joke about something like this.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Yi said with a mix of shock and doubt, "If this is true, Mu Tingyun must be hiding it well. How did you find out?"
Shen He smiled bitterly. "Because I've already died once."
Qin Yi frowned.
What did she mean by "died once"?
Shen He suddenly mentioned, "Yibao, back when you dropped out of school to become an underground singer and insisted on dating Xue Zui despite my objections, I was furious at your stubbornness. I scolded you for being degenerate, called you worthless mud that couldn’t be molded into anything."
"But now, I want to apologize to you."
"Following your father’s footsteps, Yibao, you are Uncle’s pride, and mine as well."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yi stiffened completely.
Qin Yi was utterly astonished, "Miaomiao… how could you know?"
Her role as an undercover agent was absolutely confidential; Shen He should never have known, no matter what.
Unless…
Recalling Shen He’s earlier statement [she died once], Qin Yi understood something.
"Miaomiao." Tears welled up in Qin Yi’s eyes. Pressing against Shen He’s chest, she asked with heartfelt concern, "Was it very painful?"
In front of her closest friend, Shen He could finally shed all pretenses of strength, hugging Qin Yi and weeping uncontrollably.
"It was so painful, Yibao, truly so painful!"
Qin Yi cried with her as well.
After both had calmed down, Qin Yi thought of what she was currently doing and asked Shen He, "Then, was my mission successfully completed?"
Shen He fell into an uneasy silence.
After a moment, she spoke with a heavy tone, "You succeeded."
Qin Yi was the person in the world who understood Shen He best. From Shen He’s grave expression, she sensed something more.
But Qin Yi soon smiled with relief, saying, "As long as the mission was successfully completed, then everything I did was worthwhile."
Hearing this, Shen He felt even more heartbroken.
How could such a wonderful Yibao have died so tragically?
Looking at Qin Yi’s youthful, vibrant face, Shen He secretly vowed to do something to alter Qin Yi’s fate!
Wiping away her tears, Qin Yi grasped Shen He’s hands and solemnly told her, "Miaomiao, whatever you want to do, however you want to do it, I unconditionally support you."
"Yes!"
After Qin Yi finished her noodles, Shen He asked her, "Are you tired? If not, come fishing with me."
"Fishing? At this late hour…" Qin Yi suspected Shen He’s mind was addled, "When did you start liking fishing?"
Shen He smiled mysteriously, saying, "Trust me, tonight we can catch a big fish."
Qin Yi was skeptical but still followed along.
Late at night.
Ms. Zhou stealthily arrived at the place where Shen He drowned 24 years ago.
The former small stream had now been developed into a wetland conservation park, with nearby luxury villa complexes and golf courses, clearly becoming a wellness retreat for the wealthy.
Ms. Zhou walked along the wooden boardwalk to the spot Shen He had arranged.
Seeing Shen He standing alone at the viewing platform at the end of the path, Ms. Zhou cautiously scanned the surroundings. Confirming Shen He was alone, she then confidently approached Shen He.
"Speak, how much money do you want to settle this!" Even at this moment, Ms. Zhou believed Shen He was merely threatening her, trying to extort money from her.
Shen He pointed to the lake ahead, speaking firmly, "I said, either you jump in here and stay until I’m satisfied, or give me thirty percent of your media company’s shares."
"Otherwise, I’ll file a case at the police station. As for anything else, I don’t want it."
Seeing Shen He was unyielding, Ms. Zhou grew increasingly irritated.
Looking at the rippling lake ahead, Ms. Zhou gritted her teeth and said, "The water here is five meters deep. I can't swim—if I jump in, would I survive?"
"When desperate, a person might hang themselves, and a dog might jump over a wall. Shen He, don’t think that because you’re my daughter, I can keep tolerating you endlessly."
"If you push me too far, I won’t hold back either!"
Faced with Ms. Zhou’s blatant threat, Shen He remained firm: "I won’t change my conditions."
Ms. Zhou was furious.
She stared darkly at Shen He and spoke in a strange tone: "Shen He, girls should stay away from places like reed marshes. If you get assaulted in such a place, you’ll cry out to heaven and earth, but no one will answer…"
Upon hearing this, Shen He’s face turned icy. "What are you planning?"
"You adore Mu Tingyun so much, flattering him like a sycophant—isn’t it just to marry into the Mu family as the young mistress, so you can trample me, your mother, underfoot for life? Shen He, tell me, if your purity is tainted, if you’re no longer clean, would Mu Tingyun still accept you?"
After saying this, Ms. Zhou snapped her fingers.
A masked man in black clothes quickly walked over from the wooden boardwalk to stand behind Ms. Zhou, gazing greedily and maliciously at Shen He.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the man in black, Shen He’s eyes flickered with a dark gleam.
Look, the fish has just taken the bait.