Four Years Ago, Her Husband Cheated on Her Body - Chapter 20

“It’s nothing, I just lost something.”

There were too many reasons for the current cause of Jia Qiao’s ‘bad mood.’ He deliberately played down the situation, choosing the most trivial item.

“Can’t remember where you put it?” Zoa precisely uncovered the reason.

“… Mmm.” A barely audible puff of air escaped Jia Qiao’s lips.

He was seen through again.

‘Tap, tap, tap—’

Zoa’s fingertips tapped rhythmically on the desk, as if simulating Jia Qiao’s thought process. “If the destination has disappeared, why not try starting again from the beginning?”

“That’s it?”

Jia Qiao had just held high expectations for Zoa, believing he could find the missing marriage photo remotely, perhaps through an ‘invisible surveillance’ installed around him, or some kind of special ability.

At least now it was confirmed that Zoa was just an ordinary stalker, not as omnipotent as he had imagined.

Jia Qiao felt a pang of disappointment. He was about to brush him off and hang up the phone.

Just as his finger was about to touch the screen, he suddenly remembered something and casually asked, “Did Lanner pass on the get-well gift I sent you?”

On the other end of the phone, Zoa was noticeably silent for a few seconds.

Zhu Nanyu lifted his eyes, his gaze slowly drifting towards the windowsill—the best-lit spot, where a plain, unadorned clay pot sat.

Inside the palm-sized pot, several oval green leaves surrounded a pale blue flower bud, which would likely bloom in the next few days.

“Yes, it’s growing well.” Zoa reached out, his fingertip tracing the shape of the flower bud in the air. His voice was low, almost soft. “Director Jia, what kind of flower is this?”

“I don’t know,” Jia Qiao answered without hesitation. “I heard its customary to send flowers when visiting a patient. It just so happened that an elder in my family gave me a few seedlings… it’s probably a common wildflower.”

“That’s right,” Zhu Nanyu murmured softly.

If Jia Qiao knew what flower he was growing, he wouldn’t have given it to him so calmly.

After the call ended, Zhu Nanyu continued to stare at the young seedling in the flowerpot, recalling Lanner’s puzzled expression when he brought it over.

“Oh, my goodness~ Little Jia Qiao is actually growing forget-me-nots by himself at home. Just thinking about it breaks my heart.” Lanner dramatically clutched his chest and sighed. “Even if you can’t go home yet, at least tell him you’re still alive, okay?”

“And then have him continue waiting? Or see me in this half-dead state?” Zhu Nanyu closed his eyes, unable to hide his exhaustion.

He had disappeared in the worst possible way, and now he couldn’t return in the worst possible way.

That would be too cruel to Jia Qiao.

Lanner’s golden eyelashes fluttered twice. “Do you know its flower language?”

“I do.”

Forget-me-not.

Eternal memory.

“Mr. Zhu Nanyu’s memorial hall is basically set up. The lighting and background music have been adjusted to the best settings, and the flower baskets and wreaths have been chosen according to the highest specifications. All that’s left is the photograph…”

Mo Mo held the checklist and reported to the family members, cautiously glancing at Jia Qiao.

Jia Qiao sat alone in the corner, appearing out of place among the other ‘family members.’ He spoke in a mild tone, “If there’s no photo, can a memorial tablet be used instead?”

“Huh? Jia Qiao, are you crazy? After being married for so long, you can’t even find a decent photo? Listen to yourself!” Zhu Ke sat brazenly between Zhu Fulu and Zhu Xingwang, his legs crossed carelessly, his arm around a young man who was either a lover or an intimate friend.

“Exactly~” The young ‘teaboy,’ who was about half a head shorter than Jia Qiao, leaned sideways, resting half his body bonelessly in Zhu Ke’s arms. He chimed in coyly, “Keke and I have only known each other for two months, and we already have so many couple photos that my album can’t hold them all~ Hubby~ Good big brother~ Can you buy a new phone for baby?”

“I just bought you a tablet last week, and now you want a new phone?” Zhu Ke reached inside the young man’s clothes. ‘Dotingly’ yet ‘generously,’ he said, “That depends on your ‘performance’ tonight. Make me happy, and anything is possible.”

Jia Qiao silently averted his eyes, feeling a wave of nausea.

He felt disgusted, not knowing what kind of filth he was witnessing.

Zhu Fulu gave his nephew a side-eye and then took the opportunity to say, “Keke has a point. A funeral with only a memorial tablet is indeed inappropriate. People will laugh at our Zhu family!”

“Hmph! You’re not even pretending anymore!” Zhu Xingwang grumbled with a foul expression. “Nanyu must have had terrible luck to end up with a wife like him.”

“I’ve been suspicious for a long time. Do you really have feelings for Zhu Nanyu?” Zhu Ke looked Jia Qiao up and down with contempt. “Your husband died just yesterday, and you moved out of the matrimonial home and took over the company as if nothing happened. You probably planned this long ago, just waiting for Zhu Nanyu to die, didn’t you?”

The young man in his arms covered his mouth, making an exaggerated gasp. “Oh my god, how can someone be so wicked?”

“Haha, you clearly don’t know my ‘sister-in-law.’ He only clung to Zhu Nanyu for his money back then. Even though Zhu Nanyu is dead, there are still plenty of rich people around. Who knows how many replacements the little widower has found for himself?”

Jia Qiao’s face was calm as water, but the hand resting on the edge of the table tightened slightly. He glanced at the pompous Zhu Ke. “You know that?”

“Of course! My friends told me everything about your shady business.” Zhu Ke disregarded all decorum, his face full of malice. “At the charity banquet last month, you seduced that guy surnamed Wang to the balcony. You know what you did! And that Lanner you signed a contract with—how could he give you the project without a private affair? Oh, that’s right, before Fu Qingyan’s accident, he personally went to the Qianhe headquarters and asked you to marry him, didn’t he? Juggling so many men, you… hiss… Ah!!!”

Zhu Ke’s voice suddenly changed pitch before he could finish, letting out a scream like a slaughtered pig.

Jia Qiao’s figure swayed slightly. At some point, he had gripped Zhu Ke’s wrist, and as his fingers casually tightened, Zhu Ke’s screams became even more miserable.

“My wrist… Ah… Let go of me!!!” Zhu Ke struggled, but even though Jia Qiao seemed to be exerting no effort, he couldn’t break free.

The young man who was just nestled in his arms, hearing Zhu Ke’s heartbreaking screams, scrambled away in terror, showing none of the affection he had just displayed by calling him ‘good big brother.’

Jia Qiao looked down at him indifferently. “Which friend told you that?”

“Why should I tell… Ahhh!!!”

Zhu Ke tried to be stubborn, but Jia Qiao applied a little more force, and the faint sound of bone snapping could be heard.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! It was the second son of the Wang family, and also…” Zhu Ke’s eyes streamed with tears from the pain as he honestly confessed the ‘good brothers’ who had been acting as his informers.

Zhu Xingwang only saw Jia Qiao stand up, walk over to Zhu Ke, and gently pinch Zhu Ke’s hand with his delicate, boneless fingers.

He didn’t take it seriously, calculating in his mind: Although his son was idle all the time, he maintained a habit of regular fitness to keep up with trends for social media. He often took his young lovers hiking and swimming, so his physical fitness was definitely above average.

If he fought Jia Qiao, it would surely be a one-sided crushing—

Upon hearing Zhu Ke’s screams grow louder, Zhu Xingwang realized this ‘one-sided crushing’ was not what he had imagined. He rushed over to stop Jia Qiao.

“You bastard! How dare you lay a hand on my son?”

Before Zhu Xingwang could reach him, Jia Qiao had already released Zhu Ke’s hand, picking up a napkin from the table to distastefully wipe his fingers, as if discarding used toilet paper.

Zhu Ke’s hand hung limply, his wrist twisted at an unnatural angle. The look in his eyes when he saw Jia Qiao was as if he had seen a ghost.

How terrifying!

Not even his personal fitness trainer could have the strength to break someone’s wrist with his bare hands!

Zhu Fulu saw that the father and son had chosen this critical moment to have a falling-out with Jia Qiao. Fearing that the situation would become too strained and affect the funeral, he quickly stepped in to mediate.

“Aiya, Qiao Qiao, don’t be angry. Keke is just concerned about Nanyu,” Zhu Fulu said earnestly. “After all, they are brothers, and he naturally wants Nanyu to have a respectable send-off. He was so high-spirited when he was alive, but now that he’s dead, he doesn’t even have a decent memorial photo…”

“Um…” Mo Mo had been watching the real-life family drama with a pounding heart. She plucked up her courage and spoke, “A funeral without a memorial photo is indeed… not very solemn.”

Jia Qiao, of course, knew that a funeral without a photo was improper. If only he had known…

Suddenly, Zoa’s voice echoed in his mind again.

‘If the destination has disappeared, why not try starting again from the beginning.’

The beginning…

“I will find a way to deal with the photo,” Jia Qiao said, and then left directly.

Watching his figure disappear, a flicker of resentment flashed in Zhu Ke’s eyes.

“Dad, Third Uncle, what do we do now?”

Zhu Fulu sighed. “The little widower is not as easy to deal with as we thought. Once he takes over the inheritance, he will be completely unrelated to the Zhu family. We’ll have worked so hard for nothing.”

“Then what are we hesitating for? It’s time to act.” Zhu Xingwang gave them a chilling look, raising his hand to his neck and swiftly drawing a line across it.