Chapter 019: One Million or Two Hundred Thousand—Which Would You Choose?

My grandfather and I were released before Sun Tianyu. After all, we had only dug up a grave; we hadn’t stolen anything. Each of us paid a deposit of two thousand yuan and received a stern lecture. Once we were out, Grandpa yawned and headed back to the shop for a nap, telling me to bring Sun Tianyu back once he was released.

Half an hour after Grandpa left, several Maseratis pulled up in front of the police station. Zhang Shancai got out, surrounded by his entourage, striding confidently inside. His daughter’s grave had been exhumed, and what was buried inside wasn’t his daughter at all, but a woman who had been suffocated to death. As her father, he was bound to make a fuss, though as a victim this time.

He spent over forty minutes inside, and when he came out, he clutched the hand of a police officer, tears streaming down his face. “Officer, please, you must find out the truth. My daughter was just buried, and now someone has swapped her body. My poor girl!”

I watched from a distance. Despite his dramatic display of grief, I sensed not a flicker of sorrow in him. Instead, I caught the upward curve of his lips—a sign of smug satisfaction. As I observed, a stocky, middle-aged man with a buzz cut, an earring in his left ear, standing beside Zhang Shancai, also glanced my way. His gaze was chilling, and as our eyes met, I felt goosebumps prickle my skin.

He quickly looked away, following Zhang Shancai as they left.

Three hours later, already past three in the afternoon, Sun Tianyu finally emerged, exhausted. In the short hours we’d been apart, his face had grown stubble, and he seemed utterly lost. He looked at me without a word, his eyes bloodshot, and as he stared, tears spilled over.

“Why… why does no one believe me…” he sobbed. “Qingling really came to me in a dream!”

Not everyone believes in messages from the dead. At first, the police suspected Sun Tianyu had killed Chen Qingling and staged the whole scene, but after investigation, they found he had no opportunity to harm her. He’d been at the construction site before her disappearance, with plenty of witnesses.

Though Sun Tianyu was released, it didn’t mean the matter was settled. If required, even my grandfather and I would have to cooperate with the investigation.

I’d never been in love, nor faced such a situation, and had no idea how to comfort him. I simply stood before him, waiting quietly as he cried.

Men don’t shed tears unless their hearts are truly broken.

After ten minutes, he finally calmed down. He looked at me earnestly. “You believe me, don’t you?”

“Er…” I knew it was inappropriate to burp at such a moment, but hunger got the better of me.

I patted Sun Tianyu’s shoulder. “If I didn’t believe you, I wouldn’t be waiting here. Let’s get something to eat, then head to the shop.”

At the Lanzhou Noodle House, I ordered cumin beef noodles, while Sun Tianyu got fried rice. I ate heartily; he barely touched his food.

When I finished, I looked at him and saw he’d hardly eaten. After wiping my mouth, I said, “Some things are destined. Starving yourself won’t bring Chen Qingling back. Besides, if anything happens to you, those who hurt her will rejoice.”

Hearing this, Sun Tianyu trembled, stared at me wide-eyed, swallowed hard, and began eating spoonful after spoonful.

I rode my electric scooter; Sun Tianyu drove his car. Naturally, he arrived at the shop before me. When I got there, I found him being shoved around by a group—the very men from Zhang Shancai’s crew, led by the buzz-cut man.

Seeing this, I quickly pulled out my phone and started recording. “Hey, hey! Zhang Shancai’s men are beating someone up!”

At my shout, they all turned to look at me. The buzz-cut man frowned, pushed Sun Tianyu aside, and began marching toward me with his people.

“Hey, hey!” I aimed my phone at their faces.

I retreated step by step, filming and shouting, “What are you doing? What’s your intention? Touch me and this goes online!”

“Jiang Huai!”

At that moment, Grandpa emerged from the shop and called out to me. I turned to see him beckoning, and noticed Zhang Shancai standing beside him.

“Tang Buyu.”

Zhang Shancai addressed the buzz-cut man, waving him off. Tang Buyu immediately ordered his men to disperse.

I went to stand with Grandpa, keeping my phone raised. Zhang Shancai smiled at me, then turned to Grandpa. “Boss Jiang, about this matter…”

Grandpa caught on quickly, pulled me close, and patted my back. “Delete it, delete it. We're all old acquaintances.”

I shrugged, deleted the video, and showed Zhang Shancai the empty screen.

Zhang Shancai nodded in satisfaction. He turned to Grandpa. “Boss Jiang, I’m counting on you to get to the bottom of this girl’s case. Money’s no object. We’ve worked together before—you know what kind of person I am.”

“Of course, of course.” Grandpa grinned so wide his cheeks creased up unpleasantly.

Zhang Shancai clasped his hands. “I’ll take my leave, then, and await your good news.”

He got into his car, and his men followed, though Tang Buyu glanced at me sharply before boarding, a look of disdain on his face.

Once they had gone, Grandpa cast a brief look at me and Sun Tianyu. “Come inside.”

He sat on the sofa, yawning, then got straight to the point. “He wants me to help find proof that Sun Tianyu stole the corpse and committed murder. If I succeed, he’ll pay a million.”

A million!

Sun Tianyu sprang to his feet and cried, “Boss Jiang! You promised—you’ll help me! Help my girlfriend! I can’t give you a million, but… but I can give you two hundred thousand!”

“Heh… two hundred thousand…”