Shen Zhenghao woke up again to find himself in a hotel. His head pounded from the hangover, and he rubbed his throbbing temples, wondering how he had ended up in a hotel when he was drunk last night.
Upon going downstairs after tidying himself up, he learned that Shen Chiyan had brought him to the hotel. Shen Zhenghao had continued drinking after his phone died, and by the time the bar was about to close, he was still there. The day's events had been overwhelming, leaving him in a daze. He had gone to the bar to drown his sorrows. As the last patrons left and the staff began clearing tables, they found him passed out on the table, completely drunk. The server patiently questioned him for a long time until he finally revealed that his son was Shen Chiyan. Shen Chiyan's name was well-known throughout Jinghua City. The server immediately notified the owner, who used various connections to reach Shen Chiyan. Shen Chiyan did not take him back to the villa where Ji Luofei resided, nor did he bring him to the Shen family home. Instead, he booked a hotel room for him.
Feeling frustrated that he had gotten so drunk that his son had to pick him up, Shen Zhenghao tidied himself up a bit and returned home. Ji Luofei hadn't slept all night. Seeing Shen Zhenghao return, she initially wanted to lash out. However, remembering that she needed to use Shen Zhenghao to save Li Junshen, she patiently went to help Shen Zhenghao take off his clothes. "Where were you last night? I had people looking for you all night and couldn't find you."
If it were in the past, Shen Zhenghao would have happily embraced her and given her a sweet kiss when Ji Luofei came to him like this. But today, he avoided Ji Luofei's hand, gave her a faint glance, and walked towards his room. The anger that Ji Luofei had suppressed all night instantly erupted. "Shen Zhenghao, stop right there!"
Shen Zhenghao slowly stopped but didn't turn to look at Ji Luofei. His attitude completely infuriated Ji Luofei. She strode up to him. "What do you mean by this? Jun Shen is also your son. He's in trouble now, aren't you going to save him?"
Shen Chiyan sighed wearily. "I'm waiting for the results."
Ji Luofei frowned. "Results? What results?"
"The results of whether Jun Shen actually harmed Ah Yan."
Ji Luofei clenched her fists tightly. "If Jun Shen harmed Ah Yan, you won't save him?"
Shen Zhenghao remained silent, his brow furrowed, clearly conflicted.
"Shen Zhenghao, don't forget that you wronged us mother and son back then. You never fulfilled your responsibilities as a father to Jun Shen since he was a child. The child's misbehavior is the father's fault. Jun Shen has become this way because of you!"
Shen Zhenghao suddenly let out a laugh. "My fault? Did I ask you to leave me? Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? You left and gave birth to him, clearly not trusting me to give you and your son happiness."
"You're right! I didn't trust you. Look at you, Jun Shen is in trouble, and you're only concerned with drinking and not saving him. How can I trust you?" Ji Luofei began to cry as she spoke. Ji Luofei, who hadn't slept all night, looked very haggard, and her crying was even more heart-wrenching.
Shen Zhenghao still had feelings for her. Just as he was about to reach out to comfort her, he suddenly remembered what Shen Chiyan had told him a long time ago. He clenched his fist and looked at Ji Luofei. "Luofei, tell me, were you involved in what Jun Shen did?"
Ji Luofei looked at Shen Zhenghao in disbelief, her eyes full of sadness. "You suspect me?"
Shen Zhenghao didn't want to suspect her, but he clearly remembered her colluding with the major directors to put Song Qinian in a difficult position. "Answer me!"
"I was not involved!"
"Then do you know what Jun Shen did?"
"I don't know."
Shen Zhenghao stared at Ji Luofei for a long time. He didn't say whether he believed her or not and went back to his room. Ji Luofei gritted her teeth as she watched his retreating back.
As soon as Shen Zhenghao plugged in his phone to charge, it rang. Seeing that it was from the old lady, he answered without hesitation. "Mom..."
The old lady's voice was cold. "Ah Yan said you went drinking at the bar last night? What's wrong? Are you unhappy?" A mother knows her son best. Although Shen Zhenghao was simple and kind, he was deeply emotional. Because of this, he would undoubtedly be the most pained when facing such events. "Mom... I didn't know Luofei and Jun Shen colluded with the directors to embarrass Nian Nian. I'm sorry."
The old lady let out a soft hum. "There are many things you don't know. Zhenghao, I didn't tell you some things because I was afraid you would be hurt. Now I realize that good intentions are sometimes not a good thing."
Shen Zhenghao's heart sank slightly, a bad premonition suddenly surging within him. "Mom, what do you mean by good intentions?"
"Actually, back then... it wasn't me who found Ji Luofei and gave her money to leave you. It was she who came to me and asked me for five million, saying that if she was given five million, she would leave you."
The old lady's words struck Shen Zhenghao like a bolt from the blue, leaving him stiff and his head buzzing. "From that moment on, I knew Ji Luofei was not a good person. Later, when I found out Ji Luofei was instigating discord between us mother and son, I let her off the hook because I pitied her family and her difficult life since childhood. I kept it from you to avoid hurting you, but I never expected you to love her so deeply that you would leave the Shen family to be with her."
"It's also my fault. I should have told you what kind of person she was a long time ago. Perhaps then, you wouldn't be so heartbroken now." Shen Chiyan's hand holding the phone trembled. He knew deep down that it wasn't the old lady's fault at all. When he was determined to be with Ji Luofei, even if the old lady had told him the truth, he might have thought she was lying to slander Ji Luofei to keep him away from her. He was a stubborn person, and he paid the price for his stubbornness. "Mom, I'm sorry!"
"Knock, knock, knock..."
There was a sudden knock on the door. Knowing it was Ji Luofei, Shen Zhenghao said into the phone, "I'll come to apologize another day," and hung up.
Gu Zhiyan pushed the door open and saw Shen Zhenghao with a dark and grim expression, his eyes red. Gu Zhiyan was startled by Shen Zhenghao's current appearance. She then entered with fruit. "What's wrong? I'm sorry, my voice was too loud just now. I was just worried because Jun Shen was arrested. You..." Before Ji Luofei could finish speaking, Shen Zhenghao coldly interrupted her. "Luofei, when you left me back then, you took five million from my mother, didn't you?" Although Shen Zhenghao was asking, his tone was quite certain. Ji Luofei's heart sank. Shen Zhenghao was fine when he returned, and now, after such a short time, he was questioning her about this. He must have received a call from the Shen family's old lady.