Chapter 18: Gu Zhaoyue's Suspicion
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Cai Yamong’s face was cold and sharp.
She harbored not a shred of goodwill toward this aunt.
If her father were to encounter misfortune, her uncle would inherit the position of head of the Cai family.
Her aunt’s son would then enjoy greater favor and resources from the family, while she herself would be reduced to a mere pawn in an arranged marriage.
Chen Yuxia sneered coldly, “I am your real aunt. Is this how you speak to your elders? No manners at all, even more shameless than your mother!”
Cai Yamong’s gaze grew even colder.
“Enough! Everyone be quiet!”
At that moment, a firm yet measured rebuke rang out.
The speaker was Cai Yamong’s uncle, Chen Yuxia’s husband, Cai Junmao.
A middle-aged man with a clean-shaven face, dressed in luxurious attire, and bearing an imposing demeanor.
His presence commanded respect within the Cai household; his single chiding silenced the room.
Such authority was typically reserved only for the family head.
However, the current patriarch was gravely ill with cancer and couldn’t even attend his daughter’s birthday banquet.
It was obvious to all that Cai Junmao was poised to become the next head of the Cai family, wielding its full power.
“Don’t bicker without regard for the occasion. Yuxia, as an elder, why quarrel with a child?”
“Yamong, no matter what, your aunt is still your elder. How can you openly defy her in public? It brings shame to the family’s dignity.”
Chen Yuxia linked her arm with Cai Junmao’s, speaking affectionately, “I’m sorry, I only want what’s best for her. Yamong is still young and easily deceived by the lower echelons of society—emotionally and financially.”
As she spoke, Chen Yuxia deliberately glanced at Zhou Chen.
Cai Junmao also looked towards Zhou Chen, but his eyes lingered momentarily on Gu Zhaoyue with a flicker of admiration.
In his mind, he was already scheming to claim Gu Zhaoyue as one of his kept mistresses once the banquet concluded.
Cai Yamong enunciated each word: “I’ve said it before—he’s my classmate! Besides, he is the grandson of that barefoot doctor. He and his grandfather have a longstanding friendship; he even saved my grandfather’s life.”
Upon hearing this, Cai Junmao raised an eyebrow.
As the son of the elder Cai, he was naturally aware of the past.
Back when the elder Cai was still a soldier, he had been severely injured and was rescued by a rural barefoot doctor.
They met occasionally at first, but as years passed, their encounters grew infrequent.
It had been five or six years since their last meeting.
If that was the case, Zhou Chen indeed qualified to attend Cai Yamong’s birthday banquet.
After all, there was said to be an agreement between Zhou Chen and Cai Yamong, brokered by the two elders.
“So he is the Zhou family’s nephew. I wonder, how has the elder been lately?” Cai Junmao asked with a smile.
Zhou Chen no longer wished to linger at this banquet, entangled as it was in social obligations and vested interests.
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“All is well. We have other matters to attend to, so we’ll take our leave now.”
With that, Zhou Chen took Gu Zhaoyue’s hand and headed toward the main gate.
Declining Cai Junmao’s invitation to stay, the two departed from the Cai estate.
“Teacher, did you come by car?” Zhou Chen asked.
“*Ahem*,” Gu Zhaoyue coughed without answering.
Only then did Zhou Chen realize he was still holding her hand and quickly released it.
Gu Zhaoyue did not harbor romantic feelings toward Zhou Chen.
In her eyes, he was merely a student—a rather exceptional one, perhaps—but nothing more.
“I came on an electric scooter. Let’s go together!”
“Alright.”
Gu Zhaoyue’s electric scooter stood out among the fleet of luxury cars.
Having been stopped once by traffic police before, she carried a spare helmet this time.
“Shall I drive?”
Gu Zhaoyue nodded, “I ate too much. Drive slowly.”
After the banquet, Gu Zhaoyue’s emotions were in turmoil.
Once a respected teacher, she had been made to feel like a bumpkin at the party—it was impossible not to feel upset.
Fortunately, there was Zhou Chen.
No matter whom he faced, he remained neither haughty nor servile.
Gu Zhaoyue felt a pang of admiration. No wonder he was the brave young hero who dared to confront thugs; even she, as his teacher, could not match his spirit.
Suddenly, she recalled something.
During a blind date with Shen Feng, her drink had been drugged.
Shortly after, Shen Feng suffered a breakdown in the restroom, descending into madness.
Given the recent sensational case of a mentally disturbed criminal in Baoqing City, she couldn’t help but suspect the coincidence was too convenient.
Baoqing, a city of millions, yet just as she was about to drink the spiked beverage, the culprit turned mentally ill.
And nearby, someone had been taken to the police station for questioning on suspicion—Zhou Chen.
Moreover, she had told Zhou Chen about the incident the day before her date.
Thinking of this, Gu Zhaoyue said, “Zhou Chen, you’ve changed a lot lately—almost like a different person.”
Zhou Chen smiled, “Men always grow.”
Gu Zhaoyue rolled her eyes, “You’re only eighteen and already a man? I’m twenty-seven, so does that make me an old aunt?”
She then added, “Be honest with me—does that mentally ill criminal case have anything to do with you?”
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Zhou Chen naturally denied it: “No way. I’m just an ordinary high school student.”
Gu Zhaoyue didn’t believe him. “Can an ordinary student suddenly rise from mediocre grades to become the top scorer in the province, even nationwide, in just over twenty days?”
“Maybe I’m just gifted. Or perhaps heaven rewards those who stand up for justice with incredible opportunities!” Zhou Chen answered ambiguously.
“Alright then.”
Though skeptical, Gu Zhaoyue didn’t truly believe Zhou Chen was behind the case; after all, they had known each other for three years.
Meanwhile, back at the Cai estate.
Cai Yamong wore a cold expression through the entire birthday banquet.
As for the gifts, she didn’t even bother to look at them.
Still seething, she even left behind the Pisces pendant Zhou Chen had given her.
If she refused these presents, they would be given to other family members or converted to cash and deposited into her bank account.
Seeing Cai Yamong leave abruptly, Cai Weihua went over to the gift table and took the Pisces pendant Zhou Chen had given.
He sensed Zhou Chen was no ordinary person and suspected the pendant might have some special significance.
Later, Cai Weihua’s sister took the pendant, mistaking it for a valuable jade antique.
She planned to sell it to buy a sports car and show off when she entered university.
However, when she tried to sell it, no one wanted it; the highest offer was a mere three hundred yuan.
She thought about throwing it away but kept it out of respect for her brother’s belongings.
That, however, is another story.
...
Cai Yamong’s birthday was a miserable affair.
But what could she do?
Once she calmed down and sought the Pisces pendant from Zhou Chen, it was already gone.
She didn’t mind; to her, it was just an ordinary jade piece.
In truth, she harbored some resentment toward Zhou Chen for giving her a flawed birthday gift.
Even a simple letter with blessings would have sufficed.
But since it was taken, so be it—it made no difference to her.
...
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