The Person I Love Who Has Been Missing For Three Years - Chapter 89

Chapter 89: So You Can Scatter It

“Xiao Qingqing said she didn’t know anything. She said she was only instructed by someone to steal, and that person gave her two thousand yuan.”

“But when asked who this person was, she couldn’t say, only that it was a middle-aged woman, about fifty years old.”

“There are no transaction records for the two thousand yuan. She claims it was cash, there was no contact information, and the other party always approached her.”

“Then, we had Xiao Qingqing do a facial composite, eighteen times, and we got eighteen completely different faces.”

Ming Jin’s finger gently tapped the armrest of her wheelchair, her eyes indifferent: “So, we’ve reached a dead end now?”

There is no direct evidence proving her involvement in the car accident that year, and the mastermind she mentioned offers no further clues for investigation.

Based on all the current evidence, the most they can charge her with is transitioning from burglary to robbery, and attempted robbery at that.

There were no serious injuries.

Even though they found that Xiao Qingqing had booked a flight out of the country for that night, the charge would only be premeditated robbery, which is not an extremely serious offense.

Song Xiangwan rested her chin on her hand, picked up a piece of cut fruit from the platter and took a bite, musing, “Could it be that… there really is someone behind her?”

Xiao Qingqing’s social circle is very simple.

A graduate of a prestigious university, no prior criminal record since childhood, a good student with excellent character and academics.

She joined Ming Corp right after graduation and was diligent, working her way up to the position of team leader. Her colleagues and friends all spoke highly of her.

Later, she was fired by Ming Jin due to investment calculation errors. This barely counts as a reason for her to seek revenge.

Her family background is even simpler: she is an orphan, her mother died young, and her remaining relatives are her aunt’s family, which is Gao Huimei’s family.

Gao Huimei is her cousin, and their relationship is quite good.

All Gao Huimei knows is that she helped Xiao Qingqing join Ming Corp, and then Xiao Qingqing introduced her to someone who claimed to know Song Xiangwan and could help send gifts.

If they ask further, they genuinely can’t get anything more.

“No. My intuition has always been accurate. It’s her.” Ming Jin said slowly.

Where exactly… is the missing link…

Ten billion US dollars might not be an earth-shattering fortune to Ming Jin, but to ordinary people, it’s an astronomical figure.

Ming Jin does not believe that the person behind her would be so careless as to hire a girl with whom they have a shallow relationship to retrieve this money.

The computer screen in front of Ming Jin displayed page after page of investigation material about Xiao Qingqing, from her birth photos and hospital records to every honor she received.

Then, the scrolling stopped on one page.

“What is it?” Song Xiangwan leaned over to look. “Demolition?”

“Her family home is scheduled for demolition. Won’t she receive a sum of money? Why would she commit a home invasion for two thousand yuan?” Song Xiangwan was also confused.

“Alright, that’s enough fruit for now.” Ming Jin took away the platter of cut fruit from in front of Song Xiangwan. “It’s too cold. Eating it will hurt your stomach.”

This cat insists on iced milk tea and even wants chilled fruit from the refrigerator in the middle of winter.

Song Xiangwan pouted and snorted softly, reaching out to snatch a piece of cantaloupe and stuffing it into her mouth. Her cheeks immediately puffed up. She looked at Ming Jin, her eyes lifted at the corners in a show of defiance. If you forbid it, I’ll eat it.

Hehe, the cat won’t obey anyway.

While chewing the cantaloupe, she mumbled indistinctly, “This cantaloupe is so sweet.”

“Yes, it’s very sweet. It seems to be a new variety. I saw it last week when I went to the hypermarket.” Aunt Qiu walked over, carrying a cup of hot tea, and placed it beside Song Xiangwan.

“If Miss Song likes it, I’ll go see if I can buy some more tomorrow.”

“Great, we can add it to the Lunar New Year shopping list.” Song Xiangwan nodded, smiling sweetly.

Winter had set in, with two snowfalls. After New Year’s Day, the Lunar New Year was fast approaching. This was the first time Song Xiangwan and Ming Jin would spend the New Year together, and she was full of anticipation.

Song Xiangwan had personally selected every item on the Lunar New Year shopping list. With little work left before the holiday, she had entered vacation mode early.

“By the way, buy double of everything for the New Year’s shopping.” Ming Jin spoke. “Wanwan, send a set back to your mother.”

Song Xiangwan had initially wanted to invite her two elders to spend the New Year in Haicheng. They had lived there for half a year and were mostly used to it.

But as the New Year approached, they said they had relatives to visit and old friends to meet back home. Spending the New Year here wouldn’t feel right, so they ultimately went back.

Elders are like that; if they want to do something, you can’t stop them.

“Okay.” Song Xiangwan nodded.

Suddenly remembering something, she took out her phone: “I bought her something and sent it back a while ago. I’ll send her the tracking information and ask if she received it.”

Received, received.

Seeing the reply, Song Xiangwan was relieved.

“Should we go to the hypermarket together this afternoon?” Song Xiangwan walked over, put her arms around Ming Jin’s neck, and lightly kissed her cheek, her eyes sparkling.

She used to dislike going out in public with Ming Jin, always feeling a chill down her spine and the guilt of doing something wrong behind closed doors.

But not anymore. Even if they were photographed, Ming Jin had a way to suppress it. Moreover… she was somewhat looking forward to being photographed and having the pictures sent out.

“Next time. I want to go see Xiao Qingqing this afternoon.” Ming Jin patted Song Xiangwan’s hand soothingly. “I promise I’ll go with you next time.”

“You…” Song Xiangwan blinked. “Did you figure something out from the data just now?”

“A little, but I still need to bluff her.” Ming Jin lowered her eyes, strands of thought swirling within them.

Xiao Qingqing was extremely quiet. Her makeup-free face was not unattractive. Although she still had some bruises from Song Xiangwan’s punches and kicks, she was clearly a clean and pretty girl—thin and slender—sitting there silently, without shouting or yelling.

Her demeanor was like that of a university student, the kind of obedient girl with excellent grades.

It made people very willing to believe her story: that she was merely led astray for two thousand yuan.

The door opened, but Xiao Qingqing didn’t look up. She just stared at her own hands, lightly tapping her fingers. She seemed to have gotten used to people coming and going these past few days.

“How should I address you?”

“Is it Team Leader Xiao, or meimei (little sister)?”

The voice that reached her ears made Xiao Qingqing’s hand pause. She looked up at the person in the wheelchair: “CEO Ming, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m sorry, CEO Ming. You fired me, and I held a grudge. Then someone offered me two thousand yuan to steal from your house.”

“I was momentarily blinded by greed and agreed. This is really the first time I’ve done something bad.”

“CEO Ming, I truly regret it. Please forgive me this one time.” Her sincere eyes looked over, clean and without any hint of malice.

“You are just certain that since Father is already dead, a DNA test cannot be done, so you refuse to admit it now, is that right?” Ming Jin’s tone was flat.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That was all Xiao Qingqing would say.

“There is no mastermind, no fifty-year-old woman. The mastermind is you.” Ming Jin’s tone was calm, but her fingers were lightly clenched.

She had investigated that car accident.

The heavy truck driver died on the spot, and there were no other leads, making it look like a complete accident.

But she had already connected all the current clues in her mind. She firmly believed in her intuition, an intuition forged through years of refinement.

She tried her best to remain calm in front of Xiao Qingqing, but thinking of that car accident, she couldn’t help but feel her heart being tightly squeezed.

“Yes, there is. It’s a woman around fifty years old. You catch her, and as soon as you catch her, I will identify her.”

She was unyielding.

Ming Jin took a deep breath and slowly said, “The Ming family graves are being relocated, and some extra ashes were found. Are you aware of this?”

The person opposite was slightly silent, not speaking.

Ming Jin continued: “If you don’t know, then these ashes are unclaimed property, and I’ll just dispose of them randomly.”

“You…” Xiao Qingqing’s eyes widened. She looked at Ming Jin furiously. “You are simply vicious.”

“Your mother wants to be buried in the Ming family ancestral tomb? No way.” Ming Jin’s tone was mild, yet it carried an aggressive pressure. “A mistress is a mistress, and you are just an illegitimate daughter. Know your place.”

“What mistress? Father loved us.” Xiao Qingqing almost instinctively shouted the words.

Sure enough, Ming Jin’s eyes slightly lowered, and a faint curve appeared at the corner of her lips: “You admit it?”

“I…” Xiao Qingqing hesitated.

“Tell me. I won’t promise I won’t scatter your mother’s ashes.” Ming Jin only said this and quietly watched Xiao Qingqing.

Her light brown eyes seemed devoid of emotional fluctuation, like an endless abyss. When she looked over so calmly, there was a heavy sense of oppression weighing down on the person’s shoulders.

Xiao Qingqing was also a person with strong psychological fortitude. Her gaze met Ming Jin’s, her knuckles turning white as she clenched her hands. Her lips parted and closed a few times, and finally, she spoke.

“You said it. If I talk, you won’t make trouble for my mother.”

“Ming Jin, as the CEO of Ming Corp, your word should count.”

Ming Jin smiled faintly: “Xiao Qingqing, are you in a position to bargain with me?”

A period of silence followed, broken only by Xiao Qingqing’s rapid breathing. There was a slight redness in her eyes, and her expression seemed intensely unwilling.

“I did it.” Four faint words, as if all her defenses had suddenly collapsed.

“I did all of it.”

“The heavy truck driver—I slept with him. He said he was willing to die for me.”

“We were having a secret affair. He was very careful to hide it from his wife, so no one knew.”

“And Gao Huimei, she’s an idiot. I’ve been using her all along.”

“I did all of it…” Her tone was flat. She spoke of everything as if discussing everyday household matters, her expression showing no drastic changes.

It felt intensely incongruous with her youthful and innocent university student appearance.

“Why?” Ming Jin closed her eyes, concealing the turbulent emotions within, and when she reopened them, they were calm.

“I don’t think I’ve ever driven anyone to ruin, including you, my younger siblings.”

“I’ve always believed that the fault lies only with that man. The children are innocent. As long as you all stayed respectable, I never mistreated any of you.”

“I’ve done my duty as an elder sister with a clear conscience.”

She had indeed been a very good elder sister. Although those illegitimate younger siblings had no status, they never lacked money.

She paid for their education, ensuring they didn’t live in poverty.

Do not push a desperate enemy, this was Ming Jin’s life wisdom—don’t push people to the absolute limit.

It was also her kindness. She always felt that the children were innocent, and they didn’t choose to have such a shameful background.

These younger siblings were generally obedient and respected her as their elder sister. If Xiao Qingqing had approached her on her own, she wouldn’t have said anything.

She would have provided her with the means to live securely, just like she did for the other siblings, allowing her to live a good life.

“Elder sister?” Xiao Qingqing smiled lightly and said softly, “Oh, you must have seen my profile.”

“All my personal data was tampered with.”

“My real age is four years older.”

“Calculate it again.”

Xiao Qingqing stared at Ming Jin and sneered slightly: “Who is the elder sister, after all?”

“I am the elder sister, Ming Jin. I am. My mother was the one Father truly loved. You are just the thieves who stole my life.”

Ming Jin’s eyes shook slightly. The information in that sentence was substantial.

Back then, Ming’s parents were business partners who fell in love and had Ming Jin. The year they married, Ming Jin’s mother was pregnant. They were a loving couple at the time.

Xiao Qingqing was already born then.

“Ming Jin, your mother was the mistress. She used the fact that she was pregnant to force him into marriage, threatening to destroy the entire company otherwise.”

“Father had no choice but to yield to your mother’s demands.”

“And I became the illegitimate daughter.”

“He never missed a single one of my birthdays all these years, and he and my mother never missed a single Valentine’s Day. Tell me, who is the mistress?”

“Father told me many times that my mother and I were his real family. He was just forced and played along for show.”

“And you and your mother, you are simply insane. You want to push people to the brink and then finish them off, is that right?”

“When I became an adult, he was afraid you’d find out, so he altered all my records and told me to go back and be your younger sister.”

“That ten billion was also his compensation to me.”

“He said that if I went back to be your younger sister, he would give me this ten billion.”

“It’s mine. It was always mine.”

Ming Jin felt her breathing tighten, the feeling of being unable to catch her breath. The blankness in her mind finally gave way to a clear line of thought.

“That’s how he told you? Told you that we are the bad guys?”

Ming Jin felt like she was being overwhelmed by an enormous wave of sadness, not for herself, but for her mother.

When she was little, her mother told her that she was born because her father loved her mother.

The seed money for the startup company came from her mother selling her ancestral property. They worked hard together to build the increasingly successful Ming Corp.

But all these years, he had never given up on his other family. In that other home, all those years of affection were a complete joke.

“It is what it is. I surrender.” Xiao Qingqing took a deep breath, her tone somewhat dejected. “I’m at your disposal. Just don’t make trouble for my mother.”

“Do you think I’m a merciful person?” Ming Jin looked up, her gaze cold.

“I never promised not to make trouble for her.” Ming Jin tapped her knuckles on the table. The door opened, and Song Xiangwan rushed in.

She gently held Ming Jin’s hand, her tone soothing: “A-Jin…”

“It’s okay. Let’s go.” Ming Jin’s palm was cold, but her voice was flat.

After the brief sadness came immense composure.

The dust had settled. She had confirmed the answer in her heart. It was just a little more absurd than she had anticipated, but she could bear it.

But Song Xiangwan was terrified. She held Ming Jin’s hand tightly, then squatted down outside and hugged her tightly, her voice soft: “A-Jin, don’t be sad.”

“The past is the past. Things will get better. We will be fine in the future.”

“I really am fine.” Ming Jin gently patted Song Xiangwan’s back and said softly, “I feel like I’ve suddenly sighed in relief. I’ve let go of a lot.”

Her arms tightened, holding Song Xiangwan closely. She lowered her head and pressed it against Song Xiangwan’s shoulder, whispering, “With you here, I’m okay.”

She only had one treasure. Holding Song Xiangwan was like being sheltered from all the storms outside.

Xu Zhiyan also opened her mouth, but only one word escaped: “Sis…”

Her mind was also in chaos right now. She had thought her parents’ love started well and ended badly, or that men just went bad when they got rich.

It turned out that it had been a lie from the very beginning.

But she was still alright. To her, her parents had a very low presence. Her sister was her only family.

“The ashes…” Xu Zhiyan wanted to ask how the ashes would be handled.

Ming Jin spoke: “I don’t know which extra ashes belong to her mother. They are probably already mixed into the boxes and can’t be distinguished.”

“I was just bluffing her just now.”

“From her past records, I noticed that her mother and she had a very close relationship. After her mother died, she was buried in the vegetable garden of the old house.”

“However, when the old house and the garden were demolished a while ago, she didn’t purchase a public cemetery plot.”

“She had made all the preparations to go abroad, but she would never abandon her mother.”

“So…”

“She probably carried out her wish to have her mother and father buried together.”

The recent relocation of the Ming family ancestral tomb was a huge undertaking, with many workers coming and going. It wouldn’t have been difficult to bribe someone to sneak the ashes in.

Ming Jin only made an inference based on the data and bluffed Xiao Qingqing.

“It’s a good thing Mom isn’t here…” Xu Zhiyan said softly, sighing.

They were already mixed in; there was nothing that could be done.

“So, you can scatter it.” Ming Jin’s tone was flat.

“Huh?” Xu Zhiyan was stunned.

“They couldn’t have been mixed into any other boxes. Scatter them, so we don’t feel disgusted when we go back to worship the ancestors later.” Ming Jin said, her tone indifferent.

They still had to go through the motions of ancestor worship. With their family’s status, it wouldn’t be good to let a family scandal leak out and become fodder for gossip.

With the matter settled, Ming Jin didn’t even show up to supervise the ancestral tomb relocation.

One house, two people, three meals, and four seasons. She was happily preparing for the New Year with Song Xiangwan.

In previous years, she never felt such a festive atmosphere.

The golden tassels hanging from the red lanterns in the foyer were hung by Song Xiangwan herself. The wealth tree in the living room was decorated with small Chinese knots and “Fu” (good fortune) character ornaments.

The sofa was covered with a jujube-red cashmere blanket, and the furry buds of the silver willow in the ceramic vase shone with a pearlescent sheen.

In previous years, the house also had these decorations, but since she hadn’t participated, it always felt like something was missing.

Song Xiangwan even took a day off to drag Ming Jin back to Clear Water Bay. She decorated the inside and outside of the villa. The red-backed photo of the two of them on the wall was replaced with a new one taken this year. It was still a festive red background, with the two of them wearing white shirts and the same red scarf, leaning intimately against each other for the camera.

The Ming family home was large, but Aunt Qiu and the servants helped out. However, Song Xiangwan did almost all the work at Clear Water Bay herself.

She climbed high and low to decorate, and after finishing, she collapsed onto the sofa: “I can’t, I can’t. I’m going to die from exhaustion…”

While complaining, she smiled sweetly at Ming Jin, her eyes full of anticipation.

Her words had a double meaning. Ming Jin pursed her lips, pretending not to understand, and reached out to pinch her waist: “Shall I massage you? You worked hard?”

“Not that, not that…” Song Xiangwan turned her head, her lips curved slightly, waiting with a grin.

“Is it shoulder pain then?” Ming Jin’s hand slid down her back to her shoulder and gently pressed.

“Hmph, bad woman.” Song Xiangwan sat up, knelt on the sofa, leaned over, and presented her face to Ming Jin.

She was about to kiss her, but just then, Ming Jin’s phone vibrated.

Ming Jin answered the call, her tone flat: “Hello, hmm, I know.”

She hung up after a few brief words, then looked back to see Song Xiangwan still maintaining her kneeling posture, looking at her with a wry expression.

Ming Jin couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She leaned forward slightly and gently kissed her on the lips: “Better now?”

“Better now?” Song Xiangwan repeated her words, her eyes wide. “You’re just placating me.”

“No.” I can’t let you off the hook so easily.

The little cat persistently grabbed Ming Jin’s neck and kissed her repeatedly. After each kiss, she asked, “Are you still placating me?”

After each kiss, she asked, “Bad woman, don’t you like it?”

“I like it…” Ming Jin reached out to support her waist, afraid she might accidentally fall off the sofa.

The little cat’s hands were also restless. She reached into Ming Jin’s clothes expertly, unbuttoned them, and immediately pressed against her, gently pinching and looking mischievously.

“Bad woman, who called just now? Confess and you’ll be treated leniently; resist and you’ll be punished severely.” A tone of forced confession.

“The police station,” Ming Jin said calmly. “Xiao Qingqing told the police that she is two months pregnant and applied for release on bail.”

“Ah?” Song Xiangwan frowned. “Why so many tricks?”

First a certificate of mental evaluation, then pregnancy… it seems there’s always some loophole…

“But the first thing she did after being released on bail was commit suicide by jumping off a building.” Ming Jin said slowly.

“Ah?” Song Xiangwan was startled again.

“She probably thought that only if she died would I possibly leave her mother alone,” Ming Jin said flatly. “But I never promised to.”

Everything Xiao Qingqing did was her own fault.

Besides, the ashes were scattered days ago. There was nowhere to find them.

“New Year? Didn’t I say I wasn’t going back and would go after the New Year when I had time?”

“Ah? I have to go back?”

“I know, I know. Just tell them I’m busy with work and can’t go back…”

“I’ll bring gifts for the relatives when I’m done working.”

“Why not? Didn’t it work all the years I couldn’t go back?”

Song Xiangwan looked at Ming Jin with a troubled expression, somewhat unwilling. Before she could speak, she saw Ming Jin shake her head.

Song Xiangwan hesitated, then agreed sullenly: “Okay, I’ll go back.”

Now was not the time to escalate conflicts. The issue between her and Ming Jin had not yet been fully resolved. If she argued with her mother because of Ming Jin, the New Year would likely be ruined.

Ming Jin probably thought of this. She never wanted Song Xiangwan to be caught awkwardly between her lover and her family, so Ming Jin chose to compromise.

She rarely compromises.

But Song Xiangwan was the person she cared about.