24: Chapter 24 Su Wanqing's Bottom Line

In the end, Su Wanqing didn't pull her hand back.

She just let Chen Fan hold it, her eyes red like a mistreated rabbit with nowhere to vent. The noise of the night market became mere background noise; she sniffled, her voice raspy from crying but carrying an unmistakable edge that wouldn't be fooled.

"Chen Fan, be honest with me." Su Wanqing stared intently into his eyes. "Where exactly did all this money come from? Did you do something illegal? Drug trafficking? Smuggling?"

In her simple understanding, there was no other explanation for someone who was delivering takeout half a month ago to suddenly produce tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, other than doing dangerous black work with his life on the line.

"If you really did those dirty things, get lost while you still can. I'd rather take the child and beg for food than spend that kind of blood money."

Chen Fan's heart tightened.

He knew this was a thorn in Su Wanqing's heart. Nineteen years ago, he had abandoned his wife and daughter for money; that was a hurdle she could never get over. Now that he had money, her first reaction wasn't joy, but fear. Fear that the money was ill-gotten, and fear that he would disappear from their world again because of money or prison.

"It's clean." Chen Fan tightened his grip on her hand, even pressing her palm against his chest. "Every cent can withstand an investigation. I got lucky and made my first pot of gold in the financial market, and then it just snowballed, getting bigger and bigger."

"Really?" Su Wanqing still didn't believe him. "You didn't even understand stocks before."

"People are forced to adapt," Chen Fan said with a bitter smile. "Wanqing, I promise you. In this lifetime, I will never do anything to make you all live in fear again. If I'm lying to you, may I be hit by a car as soon as I step out..."

"Shut up!" Su Wanqing covered his mouth with her hand, her palm smelling of lemon dish soap. "Good things don't always come true, but bad omens do. Don't go making blind oaths!"

Chen Fan took the opportunity to kiss her palm.

Su Wanqing jerked her hand back as if burned, her cheeks flushing red all the way to her ears. She flusteredly grabbed a rag from the table and began haphazardly wiping the already clean surface. "Don't try that with me... Let's talk business. What exactly happened to Muyang?"

At the mention of his son, the playful grin on Chen Fan's face faded slightly.

He picked up a crawfish and said while peeling it, "Muyang's girlfriend, Qian Li, isn't exactly a saint. She's materialistic and wanted to break up because Muyang had no money. Later, Muyang took my card to get back together with her, but..."

Chen Fan paused and held the peeled shrimp meat to Su Wanqing's lips. "She turned around and got into Wang Hao's car. That Wang Hao is the Young Master of Tiansheng Group and one of the masterminds behind the plot against me."

Su Wanqing didn't open her mouth; she stared blankly at the shrimp meat for several seconds before reacting.

"You mean... Muyang was cheated on?"

"Yeah, and he was set up." Chen Fan popped the shrimp into his own mouth and chewed. "That kid Wang Hao wanted to use Qian Li to trap Muyang, film some indecent videos to ruin him, and then use that to blackmail me."

Bang!

Su Wanqing slammed her hand on the table, causing the sauce in the dishes to splash out.

"This is too much!" She was so angry her chest heaved, and the tears in her eyes were instantly dried by her fury. "Does that Qian Li have no shame? Muyang was so good to her! To buy her gifts, he went out to hand out flyers in the sweltering heat, scrimping and saving so much he wouldn't even buy a bottle of water! How could she treat someone like that?"

As she cursed, Su Wanqing suddenly turned her head and glared fiercely at Chen Fan.

"It's all your fault!"

Chen Fan was stunned. "Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me!" Su Wanqing reached out and gave Chen Fan's arm a hard pinch, even harder than before. "Our son is just like you! His judgment of people is terrible! Not only is he blind, but he's also naive! He'd help someone count the money after they sold him out!"

Chen Fan hissed in pain, but his heart was filled with joy.

This was the first time in nineteen years that Su Wanqing had grouped him and their son together in her scolding. Even though it was a scolding, it felt right.

"Yes, yes, he's like me, he's just like me." Chen Fan said with a placating smile, offering his arm to her. "Wife, calm down. Do you want to pinch me a few more times?"

"Get lost!" Su Wanqing pushed him away crossly, but her grip had clearly loosened. "So what now? Is Muyang still at that hotel? We have to go save him! What if he does something stupid?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Chen Fan poured Su Wanqing a cup of Barley tea. "In a situation like this, if we as parents just rush in, where would Muyang's dignity go? Boys have strong self-esteem; he needs to see it clearly for himself and walk out on his own."

"But..."

"No buts." Chen Fan held her cold fingers. "Letting him feel the pain once is better than him being swindled out of everything later. I've already had someone keep an eye on things. That kid Wang Hao can barely protect himself tonight; he won't have time to touch Muyang."

Looking at Chen Fan's certain gaze, the panic in Su Wanqing's heart slowly subsided.

She realized this man had truly changed. Before, he would only run away from trouble, but now he was like a mountain, shielding them from all the wind and rain.

"Fine, I'll listen to you." Su Wanqing sighed, looking at the table full of untouched dishes. "Then what about all this? It's so expensive; it would be such a waste to throw it away."

"Eat." Chen Fan peeled another crawfish. This time he didn't eat it himself; instead, while Su Wanqing was talking, he stuffed it directly into her mouth.

"Mmph..." Su Wanqing's eyes widened as the spicy and savory flavor exploded on her tongue.

"Does it taste good?" Chen Fan looked at her with a smile.

Su Wanqing chewed a few times, swallowed, and gave him a sidelong glance. "It's alright, not as good as mine."

Despite her words, her hand honestly reached toward the plate.

The two of them sat in the corner of the closed night market under the dim yellow streetlights, eating the reunion dinner that was nineteen years late. While peeling shrimp, Chen Fan told her about the interesting things he had encountered outside over the years—all of which were made up, of course. Su Wanqing listened in amazement, occasionally calling him a braggart.

By the end of the meal, only one large crawfish remained on the plate.

Su Wanqing skillfully peeled the shell and removed the vein; her movements were much more agile than Chen Fan's. She looked at the translucent shrimp meat in her hand, hesitated for a moment, and held it out to Chen Fan.

"Here, for you."

Chen Fan was stunned and felt flattered. "For me?"

"Eat it or don't, I'll feed it to the dog otherwise." Su Wanqing's face hardened as she made a move to pull her hand back.

Chen Fan wasn't about to miss such an opportunity. He leaned forward and took the shrimp meat into his mouth in one bite, even catching Su Wanqing's finger for a moment.

The warm, moist sensation made Su Wanqing jerk her hand back as if she'd received an electric shock.

"Chen Fan! Are you a dog?!"

She stood up flusteredly, her face as red as if she had drunk a liter of liquor. She grabbed the takeout boxes nearby and started clearing the table. "Hurry up and get lost after eating! I'm closing up!"

Chen Fan watched her frantic movements, chewing the shrimp meat and thinking it tasted even better than the A5 Wagyu he had earlier.

"I'll help you." Chen Fan stood up to help.

"No need! Don't get those clothes dirty; they look expensive." Su Wanqing snatched the half-box of crawfish from his hand and held it protectively in her arms. "I'll take this back for Muyang's late-night snack... even though he might not be able to eat it, it shouldn't go to waste."

After saying that, she seemed to feel that her penny-pinching behavior was a bit embarrassing and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

With that smile, the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes looked like blooming flowers.

Chen Fan stood there, watching her busy figure amidst the atmosphere of daily life, watching her carefully pack the leftovers. The hole in his heart that had been empty for nineteen years was suddenly filled.

"This is life."

There was the bustle of life, the scolding, and that woman who, despite her sharp tongue, always had a heart as soft as mush.

"What are you laughing at! Go bring the car over already!" Su Wanqing turned back to glare at him, but there was no longer a trace of the previous coldness and defensiveness in her gaze.

"Yes, my lady."

Chen Fan gave a clumsy salute and turned toward the G-Wagon parked in the darkness.

The night wind blew, swirling the fallen leaves on the ground.

At this moment, Chen Fan felt that even if he had to trade all the wealth in the world for this one night of simple domesticity, he would be willing.

Little did he know that while he and Su Wanqing were enjoying this brief moment of warmth, in the Hilton Hotel a few kilometers away, Su Muyang was staring intently at his phone screen, which had no reply. The light in his eyes was slowly fading.