Green Tea Top Student Falls in Love with Me - Chapter 68

Shi Wangui instinctively went to refuse, but she suddenly remembered what Wen Youren had said and accepted the papers.

While she was in no hurry, someone else began to panic.

Wen Yiyue’s expression changed instantly. She questioned sharply, “Why are you giving them to her?”

“What is the matter?” Shi Wangui asked provocatively. “Can I not take them? Did my mother not contribute her share of effort to this company?”

She loved seeing the look on Wen Yiyue’s face when her schemes fell through. The more upset the woman became, the happier Shi Wangui felt.

Wen Yiyue snapped, “Your mother is dead. Do not talk about your dead mother.”

“So what?” Shi Wangui slammed the table and splashed her water directly onto Wen Yiyue. With the posture of the legitimate heir, she said, “It is not yet the turn of an outsider named Wen to manage this company.”

Wen Yiyue let out a scream. The makeup at the corners of her eyes began to smudge from the water. She scrambled for a tissue to wipe herself dry, cursing under her breath, “You dare splash me? You actually dare splash me?”

“Enough!” Shi Qin watched them argue with irritation and spoke up to stop them. “I will give my shares to whomever I please. Stop arguing and eat.”

Shi Qin’s words still carried weight. After all, the final signing authority rested with him. Wen Yiyue declared a temporary ceasefire. She knew the difference between a little and a lot, but she simply wanted to claim every last bit for herself.

The meal was unpleasant. Aside from Shi Yun’en’s constant noise, no one else spoke. Everyone kept to the food directly in front of them.

Wen Yiyue eventually dropped her sharp demeanor. Occasionally, she even showed a feigned concern for Shi Wangui and Wen Youren, subtly trying to find out when they planned to leave.

After dinner, Shi Wangui said, “Do not trouble yourself. I am going back to school this afternoon.”

Few people knew she had returned this time, making it both a surprise and a shock. Upon hearing this, the joy in Wen Yiyue’s eyes was unmistakable. She asked, “Then when will you be back? The New Year is coming soon.”

Shi Wangui stood up to leave. “You do not need to know.”

Wen Youren followed closely behind. “I am going back to the company.”

They had agreed the night before to go to the countryside to look for evidence. They left the house one after another, one taking a taxi while the other left in Uncle Wang’s car.

Wen Yiyue complained, “Look at Shi Wangui. She has no respect for me as her mother.”

Shi Yun’en chimed in, “I hate that bad woman.”

Shi Qin looked out the door, lost in thought.

Uncle Wang drove Shi Wangui directly to the airport. Before leaving, he spoke with deep sincerity. “Miss, I watched you grow up. I really suggest you stay. You cannot let the little master take everything for nothing.”

Ever since Wen Yiyue gave birth, Shi Qin had gradually given her some power, including the authority to hire or fire nannies and drivers. Because Uncle Wang had served Shi Qin for decades and had made no mistakes, Wen Yiyue had not yet targeted him.

Shi Wangui smiled. “All right. Thank you, Uncle Wang.”

As soon as Uncle Wang left, the taxi Wen Youren was in arrived. They then traveled together to the countryside.

The place remained the same as before, with no changes to the scenery. Since it was the weekend, groups of children could be seen playing together. Some who recognized Wen Youren smiled and greeted her.

Shi Wangui asked, “Has Wen Yiyue been causing trouble at home often these past few years?”

Wen Youren smiled. “In the year she was pregnant, one of Shi Qin’s mistresses showed up at the house. When she found out, she started a scene. For the sake of the child, Shi Qin held back. After she actually gave birth to a son, Shi Qin stopped bringing mistresses home. Wen Yiyue slowly started picking fights and replaced every single one of the nannies.”

“So she actually knows that being a mistress is a bad thing,” Shi Wangui noted.

They arrived at the edge of the pond. Shi Wangui studied the surroundings carefully. Wen Youren, however, seemed different. She appeared to be afraid of this place, her expression filled with panic as she stood there.

Shi Wangui took her hand. “Do not be afraid.”

Wen Youren followed her and sat on the stone steps. The lotus pond, which was lush and green in summer, was now a scene of desolation with withered lotus flowers hanging their heads. Small fish in the pond occasionally created ripples.

“Actually, everyone lost their ability to think clearly back then,” Wen Youren said softly. “Now that I think about it carefully, how could a wheelchair and a person cross those stone steps and fall into the water together?”

She had conducted an experiment recently. This pond had several high stone steps, and there was a significant gap between the first step and the ground. No matter how a wheelchair was pushed, it would flip.

But if it were kicked down, the wheelchair and the person would separate. When her father was found, the wheelchair had not been beside him.

However, after so many years, who would believe it? Who could find the evidence?

Shi Wangui pointed to a camera behind them. “Did your village not have a single security camera ten years ago?”

“No,” Wen Youren shook her head. “They were all installed in recent years.”

Shi Wangui stood up. “Let’s go ask around. Staying here is useless. Have you asked everyone before?”

Wen Youren replied, “There is one family I didn’t ask, because they are relatives of Wen Yiyue.”

Shi Wangui was slightly excited. “Where are they?”

Wen Youren pointed to a building not far away. “That house.”

The decoration of that building was out of place compared to the others. It was very quiet inside. It seemed the owners had not lived there for a long time, though the exterior looked clean, as if someone came to tidy it often.

“But they moved away many years ago. We can’t ask even if we want to,” Wen Youren reminded her. “Even if we did ask, they are related to Wen Yiyue. I heard the house was later transferred to their friends, and those friends likely know her too.”

Shi Wangui was disappointed. “Is there really no other way?”

Just then, a few children passed by. They dared not discuss the topic further, but their clothing naturally caught the attention of the innocent children.

A young girl of about twelve or thirteen years old warned them, “Do not stand by that pond. Someone died in there before. They were pushed in while standing by the edge.”

Shi Wangui and Wen Youren turned their heads instantly. With a trembling voice, Shi Wangui asked the girl, “Who told you that?”

The girl looked confused for a moment and then said, “My mother told me.”

Wen Youren asked, “How old are you?”

“Twelve. My name is Jiang Sui.”

Wen Youren calculated the time. It had been about fifteen years since her father died. Jiang Sui’s mother must have mentioned these things years ago, and others likely thought she was just trying to scare her child.

But Wen Youren now felt she had an inside lead. She believed Jiang Sui’s mother must have seen something.

Shi Wangui said, “Can you take us to your house? We have something to say to your mother.”

The other girls nearby whispered among themselves, seemingly warning each other to watch out for human traffickers.

Wen Youren smiled. “I am also from this village. Jiang Sui, what is your mother’s name? Perhaps I know her.”

Seeing that they were beautiful and did not look like bad people, and since her home was just ahead, Jiang Sui said, “My mother just came back. I will take you to her.”

Jiang Sui’s mother worked in another city with her father most of the year and usually only returned for the New Year. This was why Wen Youren had not encountered her when she was asking around previously.

When they arrived at the house, which was not far from the pond, Jiang Sui’s mother was resting in the courtyard. She looked confused at the sight of Shi Wangui and the other girl, but when she saw Wen Youren, her face grew slightly panicked.

“Mommy,” Jiang Sui ran to her mother’s side. “These two big sisters said they have something to ask you.”

Mother Jiang patted her daughter and sent her into her room. Then she brought out two chairs from the living room. “Sit down first. What do you want to ask?”

Wen Youren got straight to the point. “Did you see something fifteen years ago?”

Mother Jiang’s expression shifted, and then she shook her head.

Shi Wangui said, “Sister, can you tell us if you saw something? We really need your help.”

Mother Jiang stood up and closed the gate. “Can you guarantee that you will not tell anyone that I was the one who said it?”

In fact, on the day she discovered it, she had told her own mother she wanted to call the police, but she was stopped. Without sufficient evidence, her mother worried that if she spoke up, she would face retaliation.

Wen Youren said in a choked voice, “We guarantee it.”

Mother Jiang went to the storage room and searched for a long time. Shi Wangui peered in occasionally, worried she might change her mind.

After a while, Mother Jiang came out with a photo album. “That day, I happened to be taking photos of the lotus pond. I chose a spot at a classmate’s house nearby and took them while lying on the roof. I accidentally caught it. It started raining shortly after, so I went down and then went to school. The photos weren’t developed until much later.”

There were many photos, and they could be viewed in sequence. The first photo showed Wen Yiyue pushing Wen Youren’s father. The resolution was poor and blurry, but Wen Youren could recognize them. The middle photos were all of lotus flowers. The last photo was even blurrier; looking closely, one could only see a faint afterimage on the stone steps. But how could a wheelchair go up those steps?

Wen Youren’s hands shook as she held the photos. It was true. It was actually true. She hadn’t been the cause of her father’s death. It was a premeditated murder.

That day, Wen Yiyue had taken her father there, yet she claimed he had gone on his own.

Shi Wangui took a card from her backpack. “There isn’t much in here, just a few tens of thousands of yuan. Can we buy our mutual silence with this?”

Mother Jiang reached out to refuse. “I was afraid before. I once told others indirectly that there was more to the story, but no one believed me. A lot of time had passed, and combined with the lack of evidence, I just let it go.”

Although she spoke up late, it was the only evidence. She hadn’t been sure if it counted as evidence before because the photo was not clear; everything had been her own guess.

Wen Youren said, “Thank you. If not for you, no one would believe this.”

Mother Jiang stood up. “After all these years, I have finally said it. I will no longer feel guilty.”

At that time, Wen Yiyue had insisted it was an accident and blamed Wen Youren. The police investigated for a while, but with insufficient evidence, it was ruled an accident.

Wen Youren said, “Thank you. You are very brave.”

Previously, it had been her own oversight. She had not imagined Wen Yiyue could be so cruel. Furthermore, since Mother Jiang only had one relevant photo, other than proving Wen Yiyue took her father to the pond, it was not enough to definitively label her a murderer.

After Wen Youren and Shi Wangui left the village, Wen Youren said, “Let’s go home and deliver the bracelet.”

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