Chapter 105: The Cheng Family’s Genes Were Just Like That

The direction of public opinion online completely reversed.

Li Caiying’s last stop was Cheng Ye’s family home.

After so many years, the wooden house had long since rotted. The insects started eating from the inside out. It was unnoticeable during the day, but once it was deep in the night, it would make a tooth-grindingly unpleasant sound.

And so, the backbone that supported a home broke. And so, the tiles that sheltered from wind and rain shattered. And so, the walls that blocked the light leaked…

With a loud crash, at a moment when no one was paying attention, the house collapsed. A child crawled out from the rubble. He thought he would see the sunlight, but words nailed him back into the swamp.

Gao Quan looked at the house.

“Speaking of which, everyone in our village has wronged Cheng Ye.”

“The old saying goes, the crying child gets the candy. Cheng Ye never cried. I saw him beaten half to death by Cheng Jianbin and he never made a sound. We couldn’t help him much when he was little. Later, he finally managed to leave Xiliu Village on his own, to escape Cheng Jianbin, to escape Gao Lan. His success today doesn’t rely on anyone; it’s all from him putting his life on the line.”

“The villagers are snobbish. Seeing that he’s doing well now, they’ve forgotten how much he suffered before. They always say he doesn’t value relationships, getting rich behind everyone’s back. But no matter how bad they are, they still have a conscience.”

“When the incident happened, I watched them picking up their phones, learning to type, speaking up for Cheng Ye online. But how big is our village? How many people are there in one village? The words they said were like a few drops of water in a vast ocean, completely useless.”

Gao Quan started smoking his pipe again.

Smoke drifted up from in front of him, floating over Xiliu Village. The sun was bright overhead.

“If it weren’t for Jiang Shi, who knows how many times Cheng Ye would have died.”

“Reporter Li, if you can, please give Cheng Ye justice.”

The final frame of the livestream settled on the house that was almost a ruin. Behind it were mountains, and in front was the land. The sunlight was blinding, and the last pillar supporting the house also broke.

With a loud crash, the house was completely destroyed on screen, and dust rose everywhere.

At that moment, the dense barrage of comments froze, and the livestream chat room fell silent as if it had lagged.

In the interrogation room, the police officer asked, “You’re saying Gao Lan and Cheng Jianbin conspired to sell you?”

The deepest scar in Cheng Ye’s heart was brutally dug out. It was clearly a very painful event, yet he spoke of it with great calm.

“Gao Lan said she would pretend to come back for me and tell me to go with her. The contact person would come in a car, and once I got in, I wouldn’t be able to leave.”

“Did you call the police?”

“No, I didn’t know what to do. They were my parents, yet my parents wanted to sell their child.”

“I pretended not to know anything and went home. They were very nice to me that day. Gao Lan didn’t give me a sour face, and Cheng Jianbin didn’t hit me. He gave me money, said he was happy today, and told me to go buy him some liquor.”

“Later, Gao Lan went back. She told me that once she was settled, she would take me away from Cheng Jianbin, but I had to wait two days for her to arrange for someone to pick me up.”

“Two days later, Cheng Jianbin went drinking and died. There was no trace of Gao Lan afterward. She didn’t even come back for Cheng Jianbin’s funeral.”

“Thinking back now, it’s possible she thought I killed Cheng Jianbin, believed the matter was exposed, and was afraid that if she came back, I would kill her too, so she never dared to return.”

The police officer glanced at him.

Cheng Ye’s eyes were downcast. He appeared calm, but his eyes were red-rimmed.

Finally, the police officer sighed softly. “We understand the situation. We will send people to verify it. During this time, if anything comes up, we hope Mr. Cheng will cooperate with us.”

The questioning ended there, and the livestream also ended there.

The computer screen went black, reflecting Jiang Shi’s face.

The phone rang. It was Huo Ji’s fiancée, Li Xuelan. She said to him, “Jiang Shi, I finished watching the livestream. I’m willing to help you.”

Jiang Shi asked her why she had changed her mind.

Li Xuelan laughed. “You were right. People are not puppets. I have my own thoughts, I have my freedom. I have to live for myself for once. Besides, whether I like Huo Ji or not, he is indeed not a man worthy of my entrusting my life to.”

“Our family and the Huo family have always had business dealings. Our marriage was arranged since we were children. A few years ago, he wanted to break off the engagement, and the result was him being sent abroad. My father, to curry favor with the Huo family, also sent me abroad.”

“I knew he always played around, but I also knew that our relationship was purely based on benefits, so I never bothered with him. Perhaps because of this, he never hid anything in front of me. I know more about him than anyone else.”

“Jiang Shi, Huo Ji is on drugs…”

“…”

There was a knock on the door. Jiang Shi looked at the already disconnected, black-screened phone and got up to open it.

Cheng Ye was standing outside.

Despite the storms raging in the outside world, he himself didn’t seem too affected. He stood at the door holding a thermal container. “It’s mealtime. I came to bring you food.”

Jiang Shi was speechless.

He pulled him inside. “Didn’t I tell you to stay home?”

“It’s boring. Those reporters outside can’t trap me. Gao Xinhe said he contacted a lawyer who is willing to help us for free. I came to see.”

The lawyer wasn’t at the company. Cheng Ye, carrying the boxed meal, changed course to a restaurant with Jiang Shi. This was the first time Jiang Shi had gone out to eat while carrying a boxed meal. He nudged Cheng Ye with his elbow. “What were you thinking?”

Cheng Ye chuckled. “I wanted to see you. I just found a random excuse.”

The setting sun was like molten gold, dyeing the sky orange-yellow. The orange-yellow spread and reflected on Jiang Shi’s face. He curved his eyes into a smile.

The lawyer was a young-looking woman, dressed very capably. She smiled and extended a hand to Cheng Ye. “Hello, you can just call me Zhang Yuan.”

Zhang Yuan took a stack of case files from her bag and handed them to Cheng Ye. “These are the cases I’ve handled over the years. I know with your capabilities, you can find a more prestigious lawyer, but I’ve been following the issue of problem children in the country and hope I can help you.”

Gao Xinhe was smiling beside them, showing a row of teeth. “Let’s eat first, eat first…”

They talked a lot over the meal.

Zhang Yuan said, “If you want to sue Gao Lan, human trafficking is undoubtedly the best entry point. Although many years have passed, it’s not without leads. From your testimony, Li Zong said the person was an older ‘brother’ he met at school. Who is that person? Since he knew him, was he involved? Is there a larger industrial chain behind this?”

Cheng Ye listened to her analysis without showing joy or sorrow. After she finished, he spoke, “I’ll trouble you with this matter. I will contact the company’s finance department to give you the payment.”

“No need…” Zhang Yuan looked at Jiang Shi, revealing a very embarrassed smile. “Actually… I’m a fan of Jiang Shi.”

Jiang Shi looked at her, somewhat surprised.

Zhang Yuan fumbled for a notebook in her bag. “I… I quite like you. Can you give me an autograph?”

“Sure…” Jiang Shi took the notebook. “What should I sign?”

Zhang Yuan said with a blush, “Just… just sign ‘To Yuan Yuan, who loves Jiang Shi the mostest mostest mostest in the world’.”

Cheng Ye: “…”

Gao Xinhe: “…”

“Ahem!” Jiang Shi coughed. “Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

Gao Xinhe reached out to pull her, feeling like a clown. “Yuan Yuan, isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

Jiang Shi looked at the two of them and suddenly remembered something. “Is she that…”

Gao Xinhe chuckled. “My girlfriend. She said she was afraid that because of our relationship, you’d feel awkward refusing, so she told me not to say anything.”

Zhang Yuan cupped her face. “I also didn’t expect you two to be cousins. Does that mean I can call you cousin?”

Jiang Shi smiled good-naturedly. “Of course, you can. Maybe we’ll even be family in the future.”

Zhang Yuan laughed with a honk, unsure if she was happy about marrying Gao Xinhe or about becoming family with Jiang Shi.

The only two people who were not happy were Cheng Ye and Gao Xinhe.

Cheng Ye gave Gao Xinhe a look: Control your girlfriend.

Gao Xinhe: “…”

Gao Xinhe couldn’t afford to offend anyone.

In the end, Jiang Shi signed for her “To the kindest Yuan Yuan in the whole wide world.”

Zhang Yuan hugged the notebook and bounced on the spot several times, looking at Jiang Shi reluctantly. “Can I have a hug with you?”

Cheng Ye stood between them. “No.”

Jiang Shi tugged at him. “How can you talk to Lawyer Zhang like that?”

Zhang Yuan wasn’t angry either. She switched back to work mode. “I’ll go back and gather the materials first. CEO Cheng, let’s stay in touch.”

Before leaving, Zhang Yuan said goodbye to Jiang Shi.

“Goodbye, little cousin-in-law.”

After a thought, she added, “Goodbye, little cousin’s wife.”

The private room door slowly closed. Jiang Shi smiled at Cheng Ye. “Little cousin’s wife, how does it feel?”

Cheng Ye said, “Pretty good.”

He reached out to pull Jiang Shi, expressing his grievance. “You haven’t even given me a personalized ‘To:’ autograph.”

Considering how much he had suffered recently, Jiang Shi stroked the man’s stiff hair. “I’ll sign it for you. I’ll sign as many as you want, as long as you want.”

Cheng Ye said, “Just sign ‘To Cheng Ye, who loves Jiang Shi the mostest mostest mostest mostest in the world’.”

One more “mostest” than Zhang Yuan.

“Fine. Where do you want me to sign it?”

Cheng Ye’s throat bobbed. “Sign it on my big Jinjiang.”

Jiang Shi: “?? “

He said, “Get lost.”

Some people really can’t be given an inch.

By the time the two came out of the private room, the sky had already darkened. The horizon was stained a deep blue-black, and there were few pedestrians on the street.

Jiang Shi wore a hat and a mask, and Cheng Ye also wore a mask. Away from the internet and the reporters blocking the company entrance, no one in the real world paid attention to their faces.

The two walked side by side for a while. Jiang Shi reached out and patted Cheng Ye’s shoulder. “How about you carry me on your back?”

Cheng Ye crouched down in front of him.

Jiang Shi jumped onto his back, watching the streetlights stretch and flatten their shadows.

The evening breeze carried a chill. Jiang Shi reached out and plucked a leaf from a plane tree. “Even now, I feel like I’m still in a dream. Fortunately, everything is about to pass.”

Cheng Ye hummed in agreement.

Jiang Shi leaned down and wrapped his arms around his neck. “Cheng Ye, we’ve come this far. Is there nothing you want to say to me?”

Cheng Ye’s step faltered. “Say what?”

Jiang Shi reached up and tweaked his ear.

“You lied at the police station that day. Or rather, you didn’t tell the whole truth.”

A laugh was squeezed from Cheng Ye’s throat. “Why do you say that?”

“You can deceive others, but you can’t deceive me. The eleven- or twelve-year-old Cheng Ye might have yearned for love, but the seventeen-year-old Cheng Ye would not have.”

He only gave himself the time it took to smoke a cigarette.

From anger and numbness to calmness and cold-bloodedness, what was trampled in the snow was not just a cigarette butt, but also the last shred of emotion left in his heart.

Gao Lan and Cheng Jianbin sold out his entire life in the time it took to smoke a cigarette.

He also used the time it took to smoke a cigarette to decide how he would walk his future path.

The Cheng family’s genes were just like that; everyone was terrifyingly cold-blooded.