Lady's Home

Chapter 32

"You mean he threatened someone at the dinner table?" Ling Ge was very surprised.

“Yes, of course. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed to say those words. In fact, those words made two people want to kill him at the same time: one was Xiang Bing, and the other was someone else. And that other person had actually wanted to kill him for a long time, but his words made her decide again,” Jian Dongping said.

After a long silence, Ling Ge asked, "Jian Dongping, why didn't you become a policeman?"

"Because my mother's will said I should become an intellectual," he laughed.

"How did you find me?" A question flashed on the computer screen.

It's finally here! Jian Dongping felt a surge of excitement. He was overjoyed that, through his tireless efforts, he had finally made contact with Su Zhiwen's ex-wife, Zhu Lin. There was no time to lose; he had to reply immediately!

“Actually, it wasn’t hard to find. I found the university you attended through your records, and through connections, I found your university classmates. I unexpectedly discovered that one of them had been in contact with you for many years. She is your good friend Xiaoqing.” Jian Dongping typed rapidly on his laptop. “I sent her five bouquets of roses and four boxes of chocolates to get your MSN number from her, so don’t blame her for leaking the information. It’s just that the opponent is too good.”

Zhu Lin gave him a smile.

"What do you need me for?" she asked.

"I want to inquire about your ex-husband, Su Zhiwen." Jian Dongping believed that her friend Xiaoqing had already told her beforehand.

“What do you want to know?” she asked.

"He was murdered a few days ago, did you know that?"

“Xiaoqing already told me. I’ve never been optimistic about his marriage to that woman.” Zhu Lin typed Chinese very quickly.

"Have you kept in touch since your divorce?" Jian Dongping asked while typing, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"We sometimes talk on the phone."

Jian Dongping thought for a moment before making the call.

Has Su Zhiwen ever written poetry before?

The reply came immediately: "Yes, he has. He once self-published a collection of poems."

What is his pen name?

"sea breeze."

The poetry collection that Fang Qi treasured was indeed written by Su Zhiwen. When Jian Dongping read Zhou Jin's novel, he was amazed by the little poem that Su Zhiwen wrote casually. Compared to him, who could only write "colorful" doggerel, Su Zhiwen was truly a very talented man.

"Why did you get divorced?" Jian Dongping didn't want to beat around the bush. It was his style to minimize small talk in online chats, and he didn't want to type more just to say something pointless.

The computer took two minutes to reply.

“After graduating from university, he always wanted to be a poet. I can’t live with someone who is out of touch with reality,” Zhu Lin said.

"You've fallen in love with someone else?" Jian Dongping didn't think the sandwich tasted very good, so he forced himself to take a bite.

A minute later, Zhu Lin typed out a few words: "In the face of reality, love sometimes seems very fragile. We used to love each other very much, but I felt that there was no future with him, so I later went abroad with a man who could help me, which was a huge blow to him."

"Did he attempt suicide?" Jian Dongping guessed.

"He went astray. He would call me often to report on what he was doing. I knew he later quit his job, made bad friends, became addicted to gambling, and liked to fool around with all sorts of women. He became dissolute and stopped writing poetry. At first, he would tell me on the phone that only idiots write poetry, that poetry is just excrement wrapped in candy wrappers, but later he never mentioned it again. He completely changed." Zhu Lin typed a long passage in one go.

"Was he ever a very idealistic person?" Jian Dongping asked.

“He was very idealistic and passionate, and he wanted to change the world and be a master of his own destiny. But he completely changed after I left him. At that time, his mother also passed away, and no one cared about him anymore. I think he broke down.”

"I think so too," Jian Dongping thought to himself. Before he could ask any further questions, another line of text appeared on the computer screen.

"Do you know why he chose the pen name 'Sea Breeze'? It's because when we went to the beach together, I told him that I really liked the feeling of the sea breeze."

“He loves you very much,” Jian Dongping commented.

There was silence on the other end. For a minute or two, no one typed on either computer. Jian Dongping was thinking about what to ask next, while he guessed that Zhu Lin was pondering what he had just said.

"Did he contact you before the accident?" Jian Dongping typed.

"No."

Did he call you when he got married?

“It was a call before the wedding. He seemed a little… sad.” Zhu Lin sent a sad emoji.

What did he say?

“I advised him to find a proper woman to marry and stop fooling around. He said he had thought about it for a long time and realized that only his mother truly loved him, so he wanted to find an older woman to live a quiet life. I asked him, 'She's so old, and you're still in your prime. She might not be able to satisfy your physical needs. Can you handle that?' He said he was already tired of it and just wanted to rest. He didn't marry that woman for her money. I believe he was genuinely exhausted. I said the same thing to that woman.”

Jian Dongping was taken aback.

"Did Shen Biyun contact you?" he typed hurriedly.

“Yes, just three months ago, she contacted me through her lawyer, and we spoke on the phone. She also asked me about the poetry collection. I told her that Zhiwen wasn’t that shrewd and that he wouldn’t marry her just to scam her out of money. To my surprise, she replied that I had lied to her about the marriage.”

Shen Biyun's answer was very subtle.

"What else did Chen say?"

"She said that before the marriage, she and Su Zhiwen had a private agreement for a year. She told Zhiwen that the marriage was originally just to spite her family, but jokes can get boring if they go on for too long, and a year would be enough. She promised Zhiwen that as long as he was willing to have a high-profile marriage with her and to keep himself clean and not cause any scandals after the marriage, she would give him a sum of money and let him go."

"What does Shen Biyun want to know from you?" This was what Jian Dongping was most interested in.

“Like you, she wanted to know the reasons for our divorce, and perhaps she thought her ex-wife would be more objective. I told her that Zhiwen is a very emotional person, sometimes a bit spoiled and irresponsible, but he is not a bad person.”

"Does she believe what you say?" Jian Dongping asked.

"I don't know. She was very polite and a woman of good manners."

Jian Dongping thought for a moment and then asked a different question.

When was the last time Su Zhiwen called you?

"More than four months ago."

What did he say to you?

"He was very emotional, saying he never expected anyone in the world would still remember his poems, and that the person was still protecting that old collection of poems with deep affection. He said that listening to others recite his poems suddenly reminded him of himself in college, and many things from the past. He said he really wanted to die." Zhu Lin sent a tearful emoji. "He cried when he called, and I was very sad too. He hadn't cried in a long time. He said the person who liked his poetry was a very pitiful woman, living in the shadow of the past, and he wanted to help her. He also said he would be willing to die for her."

Jian Dongping pictured a man staggering through the rain, quickly throwing his suitcase into a trash can. He finally understood why Su Zhiwen had lost control of his emotions that day. He longed to go back to the past, but knew he could never go back.

"How does he plan to help her?" Jian Dongping quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts and typed the question.

“He has a sum of money in my account, which is the proceeds from the sale of the house and a compensation payment from my husband, totaling about 800,000 yuan. He didn't want it at first, but I knew he was struggling financially, so I told him, ‘I'll keep it for you. When you're settled and ready to get married, just tell me and I'll transfer it to you.’ Four months ago, he called me and brought up the money. He asked if I could transfer it to that girl early next year. He said he wouldn't stay in that house for long, and he would give her a key to a red box.”

"The red box, what's that?" Jian Dongping remembered the key Zhou Jin had mentioned.

"After the divorce, he packed some of his things in a red box and left it at my uncle's house. You might not believe it, but my family has always liked him, and still does, and they have no idea what he did. The key he gave to that girl was probably the key to the red box. He told me to let my uncle know so that he could let the girl get the red box."

What's in the red box?

"I don't know."

Did he say why the money should be transferred to her at the beginning of next year?

"He said he didn't want the girl to associate the money with him. He didn't want her to know that he was Haifeng because she looked down on him. He wanted to keep the beautiful image of Haifeng in her heart forever. He asked me to pretend to be Haifeng's friend and organize a prize-winning game like a Haifeng poetry fill-in-the-blank activity in the newspaper. He believed the girl would appear. He asked me to give her the money as a prize, as it was only right. He hoped the girl would take the money without feeling guilty."

Zhu Lin typed for a while, then added, "He knew she would never look down on him."

As Jian Dongping spoke, a slight sadness welled up in his heart. Four months ago, Su Zhiwen had already made preparations.

"So, do you agree?" he asked.

“He begged me. I agreed. I also asked him what he planned to do in the future. He said that when he left, Shen would give him some money, and he planned to open a small shop and live a peaceful life.”

It was quiet for a few more minutes.

"He once caused a car accident. Has he told you about it?" Jian Dongping asked.

“That was done by his friend,” Zhu Lin then typed out in large, bold red text. “Zhiwen isn’t a bad person!!!!!”

Jian Dongping felt that the last five exclamation marks contained his ex-wife's unspeakable feelings for Su Zhiwen. Perhaps in her eyes, he would always just be a young man who loved to write poetry; perhaps she felt that she was largely responsible for his later downfall; perhaps she even had a little regret, because she still loved him to this day.

Then he remembered a few lines from Zhou Jin's novel:

"He likes to take the blame for his friends' misdeeds. His friend, a man who I think is very rude and cruel, once deliberately removed a roadside sign, causing a car accident. He told me that there was a child among the dead. I put my arms around his neck and told him not to associate with that person, but he said that he couldn't live without this person because 'to survive in the underworld,' you have to be ruthless like that. He can't be ruthless, so he needs a ruthless friend."

There is also a scene depicting her reconciling with him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, kneeling down in front of me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and burying his head in my stomach. I wanted to hit him hard, but I couldn’t bring myself to. I went through so much trouble to find him, intending to settle scores and see how badly he had hurt me. But when I finally saw him, I realized that I hadn’t truly hated him. I had come all this way because I was madly in love with him. That day, all I could do was stroke his hair and kiss his neck. Looking back now, it was truly an absurd journey.

Ling Ge hadn't expected that Old Mrs. Shen would be holding her hand, but instead they got into Lawyer Jian's car. Seeing Jian Dongping's father, Ling Ge felt a pang of panic. Jian Dongping hadn't said his father would be there too; would Lawyer Jian's presence ruin his plans? She sat nervously in the back seat, hesitating whether she should ask the two elders in the car how many people were going. She was afraid of leaving Jian Dongping with the impression that she was incompetent.

After driving for a few minutes, she finally couldn't help but speak up.

"Uncle Jane, where are you going after you drop us off?" she asked.

"Ha, of course I'll go with you. What? You're not welcome?" Jian Qiming laughed.

“No, it’s not that you’re not welcome, but, but Jian Dongping said he only wants to talk to Old Madam Shen…” Ling Ge was worried that her words would offend Lawyer Jian, who had always been very kind to her, so she stammered. But as soon as she said it, she felt that it sounded offensive and clearly meant to get rid of her.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, Attorney Jian and Shen Biyun both burst into laughter.

"Congratulations, Qiming. It seems Xiao Ge is very loyal to your Dongping," Shen Biyun said.

“I knew Xiao Ge was a good girl.” Lawyer Jian nodded, glanced at Ling Ge in the rearview mirror, and said, “Xiao Ge, don’t be afraid of him. You can’t just listen to everything he says.”

Ling Ge lowered her head and remained silent. She was about to send Jian Dongping a text message to let him know about this major change. Unexpectedly, just as she took out her phone, his call came through.

"Is it on its way?" he asked.

“Yes, your dad drove the car,” she said.

Jian Dongping laughed on the other end of the phone.

“I knew he was coming. Tell him I’ve even prepared oolong tea for him.”

“Tell him that yourself,” Ling Ge said softly.

"How long will it take you to arrive? If it's still early, I'm going to have lunch first." He said, as if he was about to hang up.

"Why are you eating so late? Can your stomach handle it?"

"Can you please stop mentioning my stomach?" he muttered in annoyance.

She laughed.

"We're almost there, don't go out. I'll bring some up for you when I get off the bus."

"Okay, there's a place selling boxed lunches across the street. I don't want meat, give me some fish or shrimp instead. I'll pay you back later."

"Who's going to calculate the money with you?" Ling Ge thought he was being too formal.

I'm worried you'll overspend.

“I can afford a boxed lunch. I’m not that stingy.” Ling Ge hung up the phone after saying that. At this moment, she noticed that Shen Biyun was smiling at her. She then realized that her voice had been a little loud and turned her head away in embarrassment.