131: The 'ruined' family dinner

In the City Village, Su Yue sat on the living room sofa. On the coffee table were the freshly cooked chicken soup and rice.

The television was playing a comedy movie Su Yue had randomly chosen.

It was a film made several years ago, and the jokes were a bit old, but the advantage was that it was free to watch.

The film's humor was quite dense, but Su Yue wasn't in the mood to watch it closely.

The wound on his left arm was still throbbing, and taking a few painkillers hadn't significantly improved it.

However, in the surveillance footage, Su Yue still appeared as usual.

Until the sound of a car engine outside grew from distant to near.

Upon hearing the sound of a car door closing, Su Yue's gaze sharpened.

Clearly, Lin Jia had returned.

As expected, footsteps soon sounded outside the door, accompanied by the jingle of searching for keys.

The person took out a key and opened the door.

During this time, Su Yue made no other movements.

The sofa he sat on was diagonally facing the entrance door, allowing him to make eye contact with anyone entering by slightly turning his body.

At this moment, Su Yue was holding a bowl of soup, pretending to watch television, and looking towards the door out of the corner of his eye.

He saw Lin Jia slowly walk in, looking lost and exhausted.

When her gaze settled on him, Su Yue clearly felt Lin Jia freeze for a moment.

Then, she seemed to just stand quietly at the entrance, not moving further inside.

Instead, she quietly observed him…

Su Yue's feeling was not wrong; Lin Jia was indeed looking at Su Yue at this moment.

And she was scrutinizing him repeatedly, her eyes full of confusion.

Because what she saw at this moment was completely different from any scenario she had imagined.

Earlier, Lin Jia had heard Liang Yuzhu's speculation that Yuan was someone close to her.

It was as if a seed had been planted in her mind, and she began to overthink things.

So much so that she had been constantly speculating on her way back from Police Station.

If the person who came to save her today, Yuan, was truly Su Yue under his disguise.

Then what kind of scene would she see when she returned?

After all, she had seen Yuan's left arm injured with her own eyes.

If she returned home and found Su Yue's left arm was also unusual, it would be tantamount to confirming his identity.

Would he be honest with her?

Lin Jia felt it was unlikely, as it was clear from Liang Yuzhu's words that no one currently knew Yuan's true identity.

Since he had hidden it so well, even if it was truly Su Yue, he might not confess his identity.

And Lin Jia couldn't help but have a guess.

Perhaps Su Yue, in order to hide his injury, would find an excuse, saying he had to go on a business trip or vacation, and temporarily avoid meeting her.

The worst-case scenario was that he would simply leave her no message at all.

Just like the plot in movies, he would vanish from the face of the earth.

However… Lin Jia had envisioned countless scenarios on her way back, but she never expected it to be like this.

Su Yue was sitting on the sofa as usual, eating and watching a show.

Seeing the scene unfolding before her, Lin Jia froze in place for a moment.

He was acting as if nothing had happened, completely normal?

How was this possible? Could the previous analysis have been wrong?

Had Liang Yuzhu also suspected the wrong person?

…

Su Yue was still looking at the television screen, seemingly unaware of Lin Jia's abnormality.

It wasn't until Lin Jia had stood rooted to the spot for a long while, not entering the room.

Only then did he turn his head to look at Lin Jia and greet her:

“You’re back? I just made chicken soup, want to try some?”

Hearing the sound, Lin Jia seemed not to have fully recovered.

Her throat bobbed twice, but she didn't say anything.

And Su Yue, observing Lin Jia's reaction, also noticed the confusion and fatigue in her expression.

Her eyes were slightly red, seemingly hiding a hint of grievance.

Su Yue's fingers moved imperceptibly.

Then, pretending to be completely unaware, he asked Lin Jia:

“What’s wrong? Still standing at the door.”

“I heard the sound just now, did you take a taxi back today?”

When he said this, Lin Jia's gaze remained locked on Su Yue.

“It was a police car…” she murmured to herself in a voice barely audible.

Then she closed the door behind her and walked towards Su Yue.

It was only then that she saw the situation on the coffee table.

The chicken soup on the coffee table had oil slicks on top, and next to it were a few small dishes of pickles.

At first glance, it looked quite hearty and must have taken a lot of time to prepare.

But this only made Lin Jia more confused.

How was this possible?! If Su Yue was really Yuan…

Didn't he suffer a gunshot wound? Doesn't the wound need to be treated?

Moreover, judging by Yuan's blood-stained sleeve at the time, his injury wouldn't have been light.

He should have needed urgent medical treatment, so how could he have spent time cooking these meals?

Lin Jia was instantly astonished and couldn't help but ask:

“Did you… make these yourself?”

The underlying meaning of this sentence was clearly Lin Jia's confusion, how could you have time to do this?

Su Yue naturally heard the implication but didn't respond directly.

He just responded playfully based on the literal meaning of her words:

“Hearing your tone, it sounds like this is the first day you’ve known I can cook?”

As soon as he said this, Lin Jia's expression froze again.

It seemed as if he didn't understand what she meant and was completely unaware of what had happened today.

Furthermore, everything she had seen since entering the door seemed no different from usual.

Lin Jia stood in place for a while, her gaze finally settling on Su Yue's left arm.

At this moment, Su Yue was wearing a black long-sleeved T-shirt.

There were no visible bloodstains, nor could she see any abnormality underneath.

Lin Jia's heart was full of questions; she had thought of countless questions before.

But now, facing Su Yue, who was acting completely normal, she didn't know what to ask.

It was as if that Yuan really had nothing to do with him.

After a long silence, Lin Jia thought for a moment.

She glanced at the clock on the wall and slowly spoke:

“Did you… go anywhere today?”

“Hmm? Of course.” Su Yue replied without hesitation.

And this answer once again lifted Lin Jia's spirits; she still hoped in her heart.

That the person who went to the underground warehouse to save her today would be Su Yue.

However, the next second, Su Yue's answer left Lin Jia with no way to inquire further.

“Besides the company, I just went to the market.”

Immediately afterwards, Su Yue seemed to sense something and turned the question back on her:

“Lin Jia, what’s wrong with you today?”

“Usually, when you work overtime and come back at this hour, you’d rush into the bathroom by now, you wouldn’t be concerned about where I’ve been.”

And Su Yue's words conveyed a message to Lin Jia.

That is, Su Yue thought she had just worked overtime and returned at this hour, as usual.

As for other matters, he was completely unaware.

Lin Jia was startled, and a complex emotion welled up in her heart.

She didn't know why, but she now wished Su Yue would admit that he was Yuan.

That it was he who had saved her from the group of ruthless criminals today.

If that were truly the case, Lin Jia would be deeply moved.

However, Lin Jia still hadn't found any abnormality in Su Yue up to this point.

“You really don’t know anything?” Lin Jia asked, somewhat unwillingly.

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What met her was still Su Yue's confused expression.

“…Should I know something?”

Upon hearing this, Lin Jia was speechless for a moment.

Yes, it was after hearing Liang Yuzhu's analysis that she felt Su Yue might be Yuan.

However, this was just an analysis based on some clues.

There was currently no substantial evidence to corroborate Liang Yuzhu's speculation.

And attempting to determine the two identities based on Yuan's arm injury.

Su Yue was not showing any abnormality now.

What if they really had no connection? What if everything before was just a coincidence?

And as an outsider who knew nothing, what should Su Yue know?

Lin Jia found it even harder to speak about this.

It was only when she was in danger that she realized her trust in Su Yue.

But truthfully, he had no reason or obligation to know about what she had gone through.

A bitter smile appeared on Lin Jia's lips, and fatigue also set in.

However, seeing that Su Yue was interacting with her as usual, she also felt relieved.

Having already given a statement at Police Station,

Lin Jia now had no energy left to explain everything that happened today to Su Yue in detail.

She simply decided to maintain the status quo, shook her head, and said:

“Never mind, it’s nothing… I’m going to take a bath first.” Lin Jia said, then moved towards the bathroom.

That dark, damp, and fishy-smelling underground warehouse still lingered in Lin Jia's mind.

Her cleanliness obsession made her unable to resist the urge to take a bath any longer.

So she quickly walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and started filling the bathtub with water.

Lin Jia didn't plan to wash and wear the clothes she was wearing again.

On the one hand, they still faintly carried the fishy smell of the underground warehouse, which made her uncomfortable.

Moreover, just seeing these clothes would remind her of unpleasant things, so she decided to throw them away directly.

While the bathtub was filling with water, Lin Jia took off her clothes.

Letting the hot water from the shower wash over her body, her mood gradually calmed down.

…

Hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom, Su Yue also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Before Lin Jia returned, Su Yue had also considered possible scenarios.

For example, when Lin Jia returned from Police Station, would Liang Yuzhu personally escort her?

And take the opportunity to test him in person again.

This wasn't a baseless thought of Su Yue's, but a deduction based on Li Haoyang's call just now.

Because at the company, Lan Zijun suddenly inspected the Market Department.

This indicated that she had received some information from Liang Yuzhu and had placed the suspicion of Yuan's identity on him.

Looking at it this way, if Liang Yuzhu wanted to investigate, it wasn't impossible for her to take the opportunity to return with Lin Jia.

Su Yue could also understand Liang Yuzhu's investigation.

Her interest in Yuan was partly out of curiosity and partly due to her transaction with him.

For the previous intelligence, Su Yue did not ask Police for payment.

Instead, from a personal standpoint, he had reached a transaction with Liang Yuzhu, asking her to do some things for him in the future.

And the reason Liang Yuzhu wanted to find out Su Yue's identity was also for this reason.

She simply didn't want to be in a passive situation.

And the identity of Yuan was currently not the subject of a police investigation.

It had merely attracted the attention of Police.

Su Yue could infer that the current focus of Police's actions must be on Kelly Investment.

Because the principal suspect of the smuggling case, Wang Lin, had been apprehended, and it was the busiest time.

Before any news leaked, Police also needed to quickly arrest Su Meili and others.

To avoid complications and miss the opportunity to capture the entire smuggling ring.

“The people around Wang Lin… should also be apprehended soon.”

Su Yue thought to himself, leaning back on the sofa.

At this moment, he could clearly feel his forehead getting hotter and hotter.

Accompanied by the feeling of dizziness in his head, this fever seemed inevitable.

However, Su Yue was still holding on, not going back to his room to sleep immediately.

Su Yue knew clearly that once he had a fever, there was no way he could hide it from Lin Jia.

And suddenly falling ill would seem too coincidental.

So Su Yue was waiting for an opportunity for Lin Jia to see the disguise on his left arm.

And to find a suitable reason for this fever.

…

Inside a detached villa, the interior decoration looked particularly grand.

The large dining table was laden with delicacies, and several people were already seated.

Sitting in the main seat was a half-white-haired old man, who was Wang Lin's Father: Wang Jian.

Besides an old woman on either side, Wang Lin's older brother Wang Hai, and Su Meili were also present.

Looking at the delicious food on the table, no one picked up their chopsticks.

The atmosphere at the dining table even felt a bit strange, quietly with no one speaking.

“Hmph…” Finally, Wang Jian snorted from his nostrils.

“This brat, he knows it’s a family dinner tonight, and there’s still no news from him.”

As Wang Jian's words fell, the old woman next to him quickly tried to appease him:

“He might be dealing with something urgent at the company, don’t be too anxious.”

“Xiaohai, quickly contact your brother again.”

“Hmph, him? It’s good enough if he doesn’t cause trouble for me outside.” Wang Jian said irritably.

And Wang Hai also took out his phone and called Wang Lin again.

But he had called this number several times, and it had always been unanswered.

As expected, calling now resulted in a constant busy signal.

“How is it? Did anyone answer?”

Before Wang Hai could speak, Su Meili anxiously inquired from the side.

Her expression seemed a bit unnatural, and a bad feeling arose within her.

As the second-in-command of the smuggling group, Su Meili naturally knew all the inside information.

And ever since Wang Lin said in the morning that he had some things to do and would clean up all the previous loose ends.

There had been no news from him until now.

Su Meili was restless at this moment, just pretending to be calm in front of Wang Hai.

“Still no answer.” Wang Hai shook his head helplessly and said:

“Dad, why don’t I send someone to look for him?”

However, just at this moment, the villa door was suddenly opened from the outside!

“No need.” Along with a series of footsteps, a strong, clear voice sounded.

Immediately afterwards, several Police Officers in uniform walked in from outside the door!

Seeing this scene, everyone inside the house was stunned, and Su Meili was directly scared silly!

Soon, Police officers came forward and stood behind Su Meili.

The female police officer leading them was Liang Yuzhu.

Director Zhang's urgent meeting just now was to arrange this arrest operation.

And following behind Liang Yuzhu was another female police officer, who had a bandaged burn on her neck.

It was the undercover agent Qing Niao, who had previously been set on fire by Su Meili on the smuggling boat and fell into the water, losing consciousness!

Before Wang Jian and others could ask, Liang Yuzhu took out an arrest warrant and said:

“Wang Lin is involved in a serious armed kidnapping case today, and he has already been apprehended by us!”

Immediately afterwards, her gaze was sharp as she looked at the pale-faced Su Meili.

“In addition, we suspect that Kelly Investment is involved in illegal smuggling using its subsidiary Sihai Shipping, and we have obtained relevant evidence.”

“Ms. Su Meili, take a look at this and come with us.”

As Liang Yuzhu's voice fell, Qing Niao walked out from behind.

She was carrying a sealed evidence bag in her hand and showed it to Su Meili.

And inside it was what had appeared in the surveillance screenshot provided by Yuan…

That custom-made lighter with a special pattern.

…

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