Four Years Ago, Her Husband Cheated on Her Body - Chapter 26.1

According to the consistent confessions of several kidnappers, Jia Qiao had his eyes covered throughout the entire process after being abducted. He was then locked in that “live-stream prison cell” with severe light pollution, remaining ignorant of the specifics of the crime.

Worried about triggering the victim’s psychological trauma, the police only conducted a brief routine inquiry before letting Jia Qiao leave, advising him to get plenty of rest.

“Oh, right,” the young police officer on duty suddenly remembered something. “While we were taking your statement, someone has been waiting for you outside.”

Jia Qiao had been absentmindedly thinking about other matters, only snapping back to reality upon hearing this. He asked in surprise, “Who?”

Lu Min was lying in the hospital, and things at the company had stabilized. Who would specifically wait for him outside the police station?

Could it be…

A certain familiar name flashed quickly through his mind. Jia Qiao hurriedly bid farewell to the police and quickened his pace out of the station.

The weather was unusually clear, with the gentle early autumn sunlight casting a soft silhouette on the elegant woman standing by the roadside with her back to him.

“Hello.” Jia Qiao stopped a few paces behind her and asked politely but distantly, “Are you the one waiting for me?”

Hearing his voice, the woman did not turn around immediately.

First, she straightened her collar, then raised her hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear before slowly turning to face Jia Qiao.

“Yes, hello.” Before extending her hand, she introduced herself: “I am Zhu Nanyu’s biological mother, Chi Jinran. You can call me Ms. Chi, or if you don’t mind… Auntie Chi is also fine.”

Her voice was gentle and soft. Jia Qiao lowered his eyes and saw the hand she had extended in greeting; her fingertips were trembling almost imperceptibly.

Chi Jinran was Zhu Nanyu’s mother. By conventional logic, he should also call her “Mother.”

Even the hypocritical Zhu Xingwang and Zhu Fulu, who were on bad terms with Zhu Nanyu, always put on a facade of kindness whenever they met, insisting that Jia Qiao call them “Second Uncle” and “Third Uncle.”

As the rightful “mother-in-law,” Chi Jinran only asked Jia Qiao to call her “Auntie,” which indeed showed a great sense of boundaries.

“Auntie Chi.” Jia Qiao followed her lead and used the more comfortable form of address, taking her hand and quietly observing her.

Chi Jinran looked very young, appearing forty at most; it was hard to believe she had a son as old as Zhu Nanyu.

Compared to her beautiful features, which were fifty percent similar to Zhu Nanyu’s, the intellectual charm refined by years was even more captivating.

She was like a book where just reading the title made one want to know her story.

Back when they got married, because Jia Qiao had few friends and disliked being stared at, and because he had no favorable impression of the sanctimonious Zhu family, he had requested that Zhu Nanyu not invite any guests.

Zhu Nanyu had seemed somewhat troubled but ultimately respected his spouse’s wishes, holding an incredibly grand wedding with only the two of them in attendance.

Thinking back, it was likely because of this that he had missed the chance to meet Chi Jinran.

“I’ve booked a tea house. Could you sit and chat with me for a while?” Chi Jinran asked softly.

Jia Qiao nodded. “Alright.”

The tea house Chi Jinran had booked was near the police station, just a three to five-minute walk away.

The environment inside was quiet and elegant, the air drifting with the scent of tea, and a musician in the lobby was softly playing the guzheng.

The staff led them into a reserved private room and served tea and four plates of snacks.

Then they bowed and retreated, carefully closing the sliding door behind them.

Chi Jinran picked up a Ru ware teacup, using the lid to push aside the floating tea leaves, and took a shallow sip.

“I’ve lived abroad for so long, I almost forgot how elegant and lingering the tea from back home is.”

In recent years, Jia Qiao had appeared to be cultivating his character.

Seeing him living in seclusion deep in the forest, rarely going out, everyone assumed he must love tea and sent him a great deal of it.

After tasting so many, Jia Qiao had developed some knowledge of tea.

“If Auntie Chi likes it, I can give you some of this year’s new tea.”

Chi Jinran paused, put down her teacup, and looked at Jia Qiao, her eyes holding a hint of scrutiny. “Does this count as filial piety, or a meeting gift?”

“…” Jia Qiao had only been thinking that he happened to have high-quality tea at home; he hadn’t thought that far and was caught off guard by her question.

Speaking of which, he only knew he had followed Chi Jinran here, but he hadn’t considered the reason why she had specifically returned to the country and waited for him at the police station entrance.

“I think I understand a bit why Nanyu likes you so much.” Chi Jinran laughed softly. “You’ve just gone through something like that—being kidnapped by distant relatives over an inheritance. Yet, facing me, a sudden stranger claiming to be ‘Zhu Nanyu’s mother,’ you don’t have the slightest suspicion. Is it because the word ‘good person’ is written on my face?”

Jia Qiao: “I…”

Even without a DNA test, Jia Qiao could confirm they were mother and son.

Zhu Nanyu was like this too—always roundabout when calling him “stupid.”

However, being reminded by Chi Jinran, Jia Qiao realized: like him, she was one of Zhu Nanyu’s legal first-order heirs.

If there were a hitch in the execution of the will, according to inheritance laws, he and Chi Jinran should split Zhu Nanyu’s multi-billion dollar fortune equally.

“So, Auntie Chi, did you return to the country specifically for Zhu Nanyu’s inheritance?” Jia Qiao asked indifferently.

He had low material desires; the money Zhu Nanyu left behind was more than enough to support ten Jia Qiaos. Giving away 50% didn’t really matter.

To his surprise, Chi Jinran was amused by his words. She covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders shaking slightly as she laughed, “No need. I have the inheritance my own husband left me.”

Jia Qiao: …?

What kind of dark humor was this!

Wait—

Jia Qiao was about to put this “hellish joke” out of his mind when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Even if he had no interest in the Zhu family’s scandals, he vaguely remembered that after Zhu Nanyu’s father died, those two “good brothers” had gone to great lengths to drive Chi Jinran away and embezzle her property.

Why would Chi Jinran say, “I have the inheritance my own husband left me”?

As if seeing through his confusion, Chi Jinran explained with a smile, “You’ve dealt with those people named Zhu. They are greedy and wicked, but… they aren’t very smart.”

“True.” Jia Qiao picked up his teacup and softly agreed with her.

If even one person in the Zhu family had a brain, they wouldn’t have driven Chi Jinran away back then, and they certainly shouldn’t have targeted Jia Qiao now.

Chi Jinran: “Since even you can see it, naturally my husband could see it too.”

Jia Qiao: …It felt like his IQ had just been dissed in a roundabout way again.

Chi Jinran put down her teacup, elegantly resting her face on her hand, and said slowly, “Actually, his health was always… it was only a matter of time before something happened. He knew this, and he knew the Zhu family wouldn’t tolerate me after he was gone, so he started planning early.”

At this point, Chi Jinran gave a bitter smile. “That man was just like that—he wanted to give me the best of everything. Even if he couldn’t see it himself, he was terrified I would suffer even a bit of grievance.”

Jia Qiao’s fingertips twitched at those words.

So Zhu Nanyu looked like his mother but inherited his personality from his father.

“On the surface, they kicked me out of the house and forced me to settle abroad, but it was all planned by my husband. Half a year before he passed away, he had already transferred most of his assets overseas and set up a trust fund in my name.”

Chi Jinran’s voice softened as she sighed. “If he hadn’t worried so much, maybe he could have lived a few more years and seen Nanyu start a family… Sorry, I’m talking about such heavy topics.”

“It’s okay.”

“I only returned to the country this time to attend Nanyu’s funeral.” Chi Jinran curved her lips, but a hint of bitterness flashed in her eyes. “I brought him into this world but failed to fulfill my duty to raise him. At the very least, when he leaves, I should personally see him off.”

“…”

Jia Qiao observed Chi Jinran silently; she didn’t seem to be lying.

Could it be that she also didn’t know Zhu Nanyu was still alive, or… had he misinterpreted that password?

Chi Jinran pushed aside her sorrow and asked in as light a tone as possible, “How are the funeral preparations going? Is there anything you need help with?”

“No.” Jia Qiao lowered his head to hide the emotions in his eyes. “Everything is ready. The funeral will be held as scheduled.”

A calm and quiet night.

Jia Qiao had been tossed about from last night until now and was exhausted; logically, he should have been asleep long ago.

But since returning, he had been tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.

“So annoying…”

He frowned slightly, muttered softly, wrapped himself in a quilt, sat up, and grabbed the phone on his bedside table.

Unlocking the screen, the eerie green light illuminated Jia Qiao’s face.

The WeChat chat window, which hadn’t been closed, still showed the message history of him testing Zoa earlier.

Jia Qiao: I can’t sleep.

Words like “can’t sleep,” “don’t want to sleep,” or “I’ll sleep later” were essentially code between him and Zhu Nanyu.

Zoa, who usually replied instantly and could always precisely guess Jia Qiao’s movements, waited a full five and a half minutes before typing a line.

Zoa: What? Is Chairman Jia willing to give me the qualification to be a substitute?

As expected, it wasn’t the standard reply.

Jia Qiao wasn’t good at analyzing other people’s thoughts, especially someone as hard to read as Zhu Nanyu.

But upon receiving the reply, he keenly realized—Zhu Nanyu didn’t want him to know that he was Zoa.

Looking back at their previous chats, every time Zhu Nanyu was mentioned, Zoa would quickly change the subject.

Why?

Jia Qiao thought for a long time, the more he thought, the more confused he became, remaining insomniac until now.

He was never good at dealing with such problems; if he continued to obsess over it, there might never be a result.

“Forget it, I’ll ask someone else.”

Jia Qiao gave up on tormenting himself and, after four years, opened a forum again to type out a consultation post.

[Original Post: Married for two years, my husband disappeared. Recently I discovered his alt account, but he refuses to admit it. Please help me analyze why.]

1L: What other reason could there be? He’s tired of you, doesn’t love you anymore, and has someone else outside. He’s married and afraid of affecting his reputation so he doesn’t dare divorce casually, so he pretends to be missing while secretly running a second home outside.

8L: The guy on the 1st floor described 99.99% of cases. OP, don’t be sad, just treat it as if the scumbag died outside!

16L (OP): Thanks for the advice. I do indeed treat it as if he died outside; I’m preparing a funeral soon.

25L: ??? Wait! I thought this was just a normal marriage counseling post, but OP is playing for real? Even the funeral is arranged?

34L: OP, don’t be impulsive. Although there’s a 99.99% chance the scumbag ran away, special circumstances can’t be ruled out. Explain why he went missing. Did you fight? Was your sex life not harmonious?

41L (OP): We never fought. My sex life lacks a reference and comparison, so I can’t judge if it’s harmonious or not. May I ask what counts as harmonious?

59L: Oh man… I was going to mock OP for being a “love brain,” but clicking in and seeing this deadpan report of the situation is so cute. Help me, ahhh, discussing husband-and-husband life with such a soft and cute person feels like online sexual harassment (covering face in embarrassment).

68L (OP): It’s okay, I’m not a girl.

77L: OP is a boy??? Which scumbag would have the heart to abandon such a cute, soft, and fragrant boy-wife who seriously does marriage counseling in the middle of the night!!!

90L: Baby, does your husband have some unspeakable hardship? Like a terminal illness and he’s afraid of making you sad, or he hit his head and got amnesia, or maybe you’re long-lost brothers who can’t be together? (Starting to brainstorm dogeyed drama plots).

102L (OP): I’m not sure about the rest, but it’s absolutely impossible for him to be my brother.

115L: Sisters, I have an idea. Maybe your husband is playing a very new kind of “kink”?

122L: Right, right, right!!! There’s a couple’s game that was very popular online recently: pretending to be a stranger to test your boyfriend/girlfriend during a “cooldown period” to see if the other person would be seduced by you. …