Сhарtеr 207: Rеtreat
“Nоthing is mоrе imроrtant than yоu. Whеn Jing Lin said yоu lookеd unwеll, I thоught уоu wеre sick.”
Нearing Shen Du’s words, Zhu Yan suddenlу fеlt an unusuаl sensаtiоn in hеr hеart. “Аrе уоu сonсerned abоut mе?”
Shen Du blinkеd twice. “I’m just worriеd that if yоu die, no оnе will сооk fоr mе anymоrе.”
“…” Thе соrner оf Zhu Yan’s mоuth twitсhed. This mаn rеallу knew how to rеtort regardlеss оf thе situatiоn—was it so hard tо sау somеthing niсе?
Неr еnthusiasm wаs dоused likе a buсket of сold wаtеr, аnd Zhu Yan’s ехрrеssion dimmed as hеr thoughts returned to the сase.
Sensing this, Shеn Du noticеd Zhu Yan hаnging hеr heаd in silence and sat back down on the edge of the bed. “What exactly happened?”
At this question, Zhu Yan could no longer hold back her grievances. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes as she grabbed Shen Du’s arm and pleaded, “Let’s go back. Let’s stop investigating. I just want my family to be safe—I don’t care about the truth anymore.”
Shen Du had never seen Zhu Yan so distraught before, and for a moment, it startled him. He quickly pulled her into his arms. “Tell me what happened.”
Between sobs, Zhu Yan explained, “We found other clues on the two bodies in the morgue, and these clues are related to the two cases in the capital. This was all planned from the start—they were putting on a show for us, taunting us. This is their warning.”
Zhu Yan spoke with utter despair, even somewhat incoherently, but Shen Du still grasped the meaning.
“If you don’t want to go back, you can stay. I’m returning to the capital. As important as the case is, family matters too. Upholding justice, restoring fairness to the world—none of it compares to the lives and happiness of my family. If I persist, I’ll lose sight of why I started investigating in the first place.”
“So you’re going back just because of this? Have you decided to surrender to them?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
Zhu Yan looked at Shen Du with surprise.
“Back in the capital, my third sister and her husband were already targeted by them once. Fortunately, we arrived in time to save their lives. If I continue investigating here and they really harm my family, what should I do?”
Shen Du placed his hands on Zhu Yan’s shoulders, comforting her earnestly. “Don’t think so pessimistically. With your husband here, no one will come to harm.”
Zhu Yan was grateful for Shen Du’s reassurance, but she couldn’t shake off her worries.
“You may have power and status, but we’re far from the capital. If something really happens, we won’t be able to reach them in time. Besides, it’s been so long, and there hasn’t been any news from Chang’an. I don’t even know if Lai Luozhi has done anything to my family.”
“Nothing will happen.”
Shen Du held Zhu Yan in his arms, somewhat comforted to see her relying on him like this for once. After a moment of thought, he said, “Before we came to Gannan Circuit, I already sent people to secretly monitor Lai’s faction and protect the safety of the Zhu residence. Everything is still under control—you don’t need to worry.”
Zhu Yan’s eyes widened in astonishment. She never expected Shen Du to have arranged everything in secret. Did he have the ability to foresee the future?At this thought, Zhu Yan suddenly broke free from Shen Du's embrace, pouting her small mouth unhappily. "Are we even on the same side? Why did you secretly arrange all these things without ever telling me?"
"Telling you at this moment only highlights my importance, doesn't it?" Shen Du spoke with a frank tone, his expression inscrutable.
Zhu Yan pouted even more. "I think you're deliberately messing with me. Such an important matter, and you didn't even inform me, making me worry for so long. Are you pleased to see me anxious and distressed?"
Hearing this, Shen Du lowered his gaze and smiled, raising his hand to gently flick Zhu Yan's fair, tender cheek with two fingers. "What are you thinking? How did you twist my good intentions into something like this?"
"Then what was your intention?" Zhu Yan persisted relentlessly.
Shen Du appeared somewhat helpless, but the smile curling at the corners of his lips was natural, enough to reveal the joy in his heart at that moment.
"We met when we were young. Back in the palace, when everyone avoided me, you took the initiative to approach and never gave up, always encouraging me. I have never forgotten these things. So, everything I'm doing today is merely a repayment for those times."
"Oh..." Zhu Yan nodded in sudden realization. "So that's how it is. I was wondering why your attitude toward me has changed so much over such a long time. It turns out you've always felt guilty toward me and wanted to repay a kindness."
Shen Du froze, his facial expression twitching. He had only wanted to tell this woman that everything he did was because of her, yet she truly interpreted it as repaying a kindness, even comparing his affection for her to such a notion. She really had no sense of romance.
He was a man who valued his pride. Having spoken to this extent, the woman still didn't understand. Did he have to outright say, "I like you," for her to grasp it?
Seeing Shen Du's strange expression, Zhu Yan grew puzzled again.
Had she said something wrong? Why did this man's expression change so abruptly?
"What's wrong? You were fine just now, and now your face has darkened. Lately, talking to you always feels strange. You get angry for no reason, as if I've done something wrong."
"Do you think you haven't done anything wrong?" Shen Du suddenly retorted.
Zhu Yan was momentarily stunned. She truly didn't know where she had gone wrong. Blinking her eyes, she looked at Shen Du in confusion.
"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you this. Well, since we're laying everything out, tell me, what exactly did I say wrong?"
Shen Du frowned. Wasn't this woman exceptionally clever? Why couldn't she grasp the simple meaning behind his words?
"Nothing. You haven't done anything wrong. The mistake is mine. I shouldn't have thought so deeply about the issues and matters."
Shen Du spoke coldly, his displeasure clearly displayed on his face.
Zhu Yan pursed her lips and muttered softly, "If you don't want to say it, then don't. Why put on such a dark face..."
The muttering reached Shen Du's ears, and he suddenly let out a light laugh. He also wanted to explain things clearly to the woman, but he also wanted to see her act coquettish and angry. It was truly a dilemma.
But no matter what, the worries in the woman's heart had finally settled, and he felt at ease.
"By the way, there are still some things I need to tell you."Shen Du suddenly spoke, and Zhu Yan quickly sat up obediently, like a well-behaved child, her eyes bright and focused on him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm afraid I might not listen carefully to what you're saying and misunderstand your meaning, which would make you sulk. This way, I can listen more attentively."
Shen Du didn’t know what to say. This woman’s strange reasoning had left him speechless.
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