“R-Remember… I remember.”
Qin Meilan stuttered in shock, recognizing Sheng Yu the moment she saw him.
Thanks to Qin Sang, Qin Meilan already had a deep impression of Sheng Yu. She had been involved in their breakup years ago, and she had observed how much he had remained in Qin Sang’s heart over time. He often appeared in finance news, so forgetting him was impossible. But five years later, the man before her had changed completely—his presence now exuded a cold, piercing intensity that was impossible to ignore.
“As long as you remember, that’s enough,” Sheng Yu said, suppressing the subtle edge of menace in his aura. He smiled faintly. “May I come in? I’d like to talk to you for a bit.”
Although his tone was polite, Qin Meilan didn’t dare hesitate. Nervously, she blurted, “Of course, Mr. Sheng… please come in.”
Sheng Yu stepped inside, motioning for his bodyguards to bring the gifts he had brought. His voice was warm and calm:
“I brought a little something for you, Auntie.”
He even asked directly, “Where would you like me to put these?”
Qin Meilan, not used to accepting gifts, instinctively wanted to refuse. But when her eyes met Sheng Yu’s steady gaze, and she noticed the bundles behind him, she froze in indecision. Finally, she stammered, “Oh, just… just place them on the table over there.”
It was clear she worried they had carried the items all this way.
Almost immediately, she regretted speaking, but Sheng Yu didn’t give her the chance. The gifts were arranged neatly on the table.
“Please, sit anywhere. I’ll… I’ll get some tea for you,” she hurriedly added.
Sheng Yu didn’t refuse. As Qin Meilan turned to pour tea, his gaze swept across the living room, finally resting on two trophies displayed on a shelf.
“These trophies… are they your son Yuan Ze’s?” he asked, watching Qin Meilan bend down to pour tea. “He’s quite accomplished.”
“Ah?” Qin Meilan blinked, startled, then quickly replied, “Yes, yes, these are Xiao Ze’s trophies.”
Seeing her nervous and unable to meet his eyes, Sheng Yu deliberately added: “I heard from Sang Sang that your son’s opportunity to study abroad was replaced by someone else. I happen to know the person responsible. Your son’s name is already on the list, and all expenses are fully covered.”
Qin Meilan froze. Her eyes widened, words caught in her throat. She had watched her son struggle, seen the countless hours he had spent preparing for this, and had hoped against hope for a miracle.
But the miracle… coming from the man in front of her? She hesitated. She worried Qin Sang might be pressured by him.
Sheng Yu’s words—“I heard from Sang Sang…”—offered a small reassurance.
Swallowing her fear, Qin Meilan tested him cautiously: “S-Sang Sang… she went to see you?”
“Yes,” Sheng Yu said smoothly, lying without hesitation. “She came to Hong City a few days ago and spoke with me. This morning she called to tell me about your son.”
Seeing Qin Meilan’s mind visibly spinning, Sheng Yu didn’t wait for her to react. He continued deftly:
“Auntie, there’s no need to worry. Sang Sang already told me why we broke up back then.”
He studied her expression carefully, probing: “So someone must have deceived her into thinking I was engaged to someone else, making her believe I was a liar… so she left.”
He paused deliberately, watching her reaction. His observation confirmed what he suspected: someone had approached Qin Sang back then—likely the Wen family—but at the time they didn’t even know he existed. That left the Sheng family as the prime suspects.
Qin Meilan’s anxiety eased slightly, memories flooding back. She sighed softly, almost whispering: “Sang Sang went to Hong City… to see him. She truly hasn’t let go.”
She recalled vividly how, after leaving Sheng Yu, Qin Sang had stopped eating and lost weight. That winter had been particularly harsh, and her delicate frame had been feverish for two days.
Afterwards, Qin Sang never mentioned Sheng Yu again, as if everything had returned to normal. Until her father passed away. After long nights managing her father’s affairs, she had curled up in bed, crying herself to sleep, murmuring in her dreams:
“Ah Yu… I don’t have Dad anymore… it hurts so much… I miss you so much…”
It was only then that Qin Meilan realized: all these years, Qin Sang had never let go of Sheng Yu.
Seeing the mixture of worry and sorrow in Qin Meilan’s eyes, Sheng Yu, expert at reading people, deliberately added fuel to the fire:
“She came to see me. Only then did I understand how hard life has been for her these years. Losing her parents hit her hard. Taking up her father’s fight alone was grueling. Such a gentle girl… carrying so much by herself.”
Qin Meilan’s eyes moistened, her voice choked: “This child has endured far too much. Especially fighting for her father… she’s been wronged so deeply. Outwardly soft, inwardly strong, yet she never burdened me with her troubles.”
Sheng Yu’s tone shifted, laced with controlled resentment: “She deserved it. She deserved all that suffering.”
He continued, cold and bitter: “Who told her to leave me without a word back then? She believed a stranger’s lie and disappeared so decisively… foolish and tragic.”
“How can you say that about my Sang Sang?!” Qin Meilan interjected fiercely. “If it weren’t for you hiding your identity while dating her, and for letting them find out through others that you were the heir of the Sheng family and engaged to the Wen family… how could she have known what to do? And the people who came to my brother back then, saying all those cruel things… claiming my sister-in-law’s family wanted to use her to climb higher, that my brother wanted to sell her for medical fees… They called Sang Sang shameless, claiming she broke an engagement… My brother has always been honorable. How could he bear such humiliation, let alone allow someone to shame his cherished daughter? He moved her far away, to protect her from you. You say she deserved it… but you have no idea how broken and powerless she felt. And these years… she’s suffered so much more…”
Overcome by emotion, Qin Meilan relived every detail, her voice faltering until Sheng Yu left, leaving her frozen on the sofa, still hearing his departing words:
“I’ll protect her from now on.”
Her phone rang suddenly, startling her—it was her son, Yuan Ze. Through the line, she heard his voice trembling with joy:
“Mom… my name’s on the list for the UK! The professor just called, and all expenses are covered!”
After the call ended, Qin Meilan slowly rose, as if her soul had returned to her body. For several seconds, she stared straight ahead, then nervously picked up the phone to call Qin Sang.
Outside, Qin Sang had just finished filing a report at the police station when she ran into Pei Zhiyu. Their families had been neighbors once, and though Qin Sang had moved, they had kept in touch and now crossed paths again in Nan City.
“Next time something like this happens, call me immediately,” Pei Zhiyu said, walking beside her. “You know I’ll worry.”
Qin Sang glanced at him briefly, keeping her gaze forward. She knew that the more he worried, the more she wanted to maintain some distance.
“I’m fine. Really, no need to worry,” she said with a measured smile. “And filing a report… it wasn’t necessary. I just closed the shop and happened to pass by here.”
Pei Zhiyu lowered his gaze, concern flickering in his eyes. “Still… I want you to tell me if anything happens.”
Qin Sang paused for a moment, then smiled faintly, lifting her head to him:
“You’ve started your own law firm. You’re busy. I can’t keep bothering you. You already helped me so much with my father’s case… I could never repay you if I burdened you further.”
Pei Zhiyu stopped in his tracks, watching her walk past. After a pause, he spoke quietly, almost unexpectedly:
“If you feel you can’t repay me… you could repay me with yourself.”
Qin Sang froze, stunned, yet didn’t immediately turn back. After a moment, she looked back with a cool, distant smile:
“You know everything about me already. So, Zhiyu… don’t joke about this.”
Pei Zhiyu hurried forward, about to express himself: “I—”
But Qin Sang’s phone rang.
“Sorry, I need to take this. Auntie’s calling.”
She answered, hearing her aunt’s anxious voice on the line:
“Sang Sang… Sheng Yu just came by and said so much…”