Chapter 510 Shi Yu Shows Up
“The surveillance cameras must have been tampered with. Whoever this person is, they must be skilled. After all, they were able to damage the surveillance footage in such a short period of time without anyone noticing. They must have come prepared. Get the recordings back as soon as possible, Shaoqing!” Fu Chengyan ordered. His eyebrows were knitted into a tight knot.
“Of course, I will. For the time being, you need to be careful. My brother told me that things have been rocky in Sheen City and the capital. It’s very likely that the stock market will fluctuate greatly,” Su Shaoqing warned.
“Got it,” Fu Chengyan affirmed with a glint in his eye. “Be honest. You didn’t provoke anyone, did you?” Su Shaoqing asked. Fu Chengyan swept his gaze over him icily. “If I really have provoked someone, you might not be able to get away, either.”
Su Shaoqing raised his eyebrows in response. “Don’t scare me like that! I’m not the type to feel threatened easily.”
After that, Fu Chengyan simply remained silent. Su Shaoqing had figured out that things were likely more complicated than they seemed. “All right. I’ll get someone to recover the surveillance footage.”
“We need to be fast. I’ll give you two days,” Fu Chengyan stated. He buttoned up his cufflinks, then paused for a moment as if a thought had crossed his mind.
Then, he looked up at Su Shaoqing, who was beginning to get anxious under his stare. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
He continued gazing with his slender fingers hovering over his cufflinks. After a moment, he shook his head and questioned, “Are all of the hospital’s surveillance cameras not working?”
“Of course, that’s not the case,” Su Shaoqing answered immediately. Then, he jolted in realization. “Wait. Could they perhaps miscalculate and miss tackling those cameras? Wow. Why didn’t I think of that? Back when we were installing the surveillance cameras, I took extra precautions and installed a few more in discreet locations. I don’t think anyone else knows about them. Let me go and check those.”
Meanwhile, in the lounge, Shi Nuan was standing in the doorway as she listened to their conversation. Her heart sank further and further.
Shi Yunsheng’s funeral was scheduled to be held three days after his passing. Shi Jingzheng and Jiang Yu had taken his body to be cremated, and Jiang Yu was the one who paid for all of it. Even if Shi Nuan and Uncle Yang wanted to help, they were not in the position to do so.
It was drizzling on the day of the funeral. Fu Chengyan helped Shi Nuan out of the car, and Zhou Zheng immediately rushed over with an umbrella to shield her from the rain.
Shi Yunsheng’s grave was located in Peace Ridge Park. It was quite a long walk from the car to the grave. Fu Chengyan held Shi Nuan’s hand as they walked over. However, they were stopped by someone. “Old Mr. Shi’s funeral is being held today. Outsiders are not allowed to enter.”
The person who had stopped them was none other than a member of the Shi family. She was quite close to Jiang Yu, and Shi Nuan recalled that the woman seemed to be her aunt.
She protested, “I only came to see Grandfather. I-”
“Grandfather, you say? Don’t get ahead of yourself, Ms. Su. Everyone knows that you’re no longer a member of the Shi family. We have nothing to do with you,” the woman declared.
“I…” Shi Nuan mumbled.
Fu Chengyan, however, grabbed her hand and subtly shook his head. “Let’s go, May.”
“But I want to see Grandfather!” she insisted.
“No, May.” He shook his head once again and led her to the car. “I know how much you want to see Grandfather, but they’re right. You’re not a member of the Shi family anymore. They have the right to bar you from entering.”
“But…”
“Let’s wait for a bit. When they’re gone, I’ll go see Grandfather together with you, okay?” Fu Chengyan coaxed. He got Zhou Zheng to fetch a jacket for him and used it to cover Shi Nuan. “Even though we might be a bit late, Grandfather wouldn’t blame you for it.”
“Okay.” Shi Nuan nodded. She lowered her head and leaned onto the cushion.
She had lost sleep over the past few days because of what had happened to Shi Yunsheng.
All the while, she had convinced herself that Shi Yunsheng was just asleep and that he would wake up at some point. However, every time she woke up and saw the empty room around her, she could feel the void in her heart.
All of a sudden, they heard a sound from outside. Fu Chengyan rolled down the window only to see Uncle Yang standing there with an umbrella in hand. “Are you free tomorrow, Ms. Nuan?”
Shi Nuan looked at him in surprise. “I am. What is it? Thank you for coming, Mr. Yang.”
“No problem. There’ll be a lawyer coming to the Shi residence tomorrow to announce Old Master Shi’s will,” Uncle Yang explained.
She was stunned to hear that. “When did he even write one? Why wasn’t I aware?”
“He’s had it ready for a long time. Your name is also mentioned in his will, Ms. Nuan. That’s why you should come to the Shi residence tomorrow,” Uncle Yang replied as the rain grew heavier.
Shi Nuan stared at him through the rain and realized how much older he had gotten.
Uncle Yang couldn’t help but sigh. “I’ve been with the Shi family for so long. I thought I would pass before Old Master Shi did, but…”
“Don’t say that, Mr. Yang!” Shi Nuan protested.
“After announcing Old Master Shi’s will, I’ll be retiring to the countryside. Please take good care of yourself, Ms. Nuan,” he stated.
“Y-You’re leaving?” She stared at him blankly.
“I’m old, you know. I wouldn’t mind staying in the Shi residence if Old Master Shi is still around, but since he’s gone, there’s no need for me to stay around anymore. They’re still caught up in anger, Ms. Nuan. You shouldn’t go there now. I’ll let you know once they leave,” Uncle Yang advised.
“Okay.”
Shi Nuan and Fu Chengyan waited until the members of the Shi family had left before making their way up the hill.
Shi Nuan was getting weaker by the day. They had barely walked a few steps when she began to feel fatigued. Thus, Fu Chengyan decided to pick her up in his arms and walk over.
By then, the rain had stopped, and it took them a while to reach the top of the hill. Upon reaching the top of the hill, Shi Nuan told Fu Chengyan to put her back down.
Shi Yunsheng’s grave had been reserved for him a few years back. In fact, he had chosen the spot himself. She walked over and knelt beside it. As she reached out to touch Shi Yunsheng’s engraved name on the tombstone, she forced a smile and mumbled, “I really miss you, Grandfather. Do you miss me too?”
Fu Chengyan stood by her side. He couldn’t help but sigh when he saw Shi Nuan’s devastating look. He walked over and knelt down as well before saying, “Don’t worry, Grandfather. I’ll take good care of May.”
Shi Nuan smiled and looked at him. “You have to take over Huancheng, Yan. No matter what, you have to keep it alive. Huancheng was Grandfather’s lifeblood. You can’t let it collapse just like that.”
“Of course,” he affirmed.
Meanwhile, there was a dark figure standing behind a nearby tree. She stared at Shi Nuan from a distance with both hands tightly gripping the tree bark. Her gaze was dripping with killing intent.
It’s all because of you, Shi Nuan. If not for you, the Shi family would never end up like this.
The next day, Shi Nuan went to the Shi residence as promised. The other members of the family were already there.
When they saw her, their faces darkened immediately. “What are you doing here?”
“I was the one who told Ms. Su to come. She used to live in the Shi residence, after all, and Old Master Shi treated her like his own granddaughter. Of course, she should be here,” Uncle Yang chimed in and stepped in front of Shi Nuan protectively.
“That’s impossible! She’s a member of the Su family, not the Shi family. She doesn’t have the right to inherit any of Old Master Shi’s assets. Someone escort this outsider out of here!” Jiang Yu ordered.
“Wait!” someone cut in.
The man walked in through the main door with a briefcase in hand. He was wearing a pair of vintage glasses. “Hello, everyone. My name is Zhang Quan. I’m Old Mr. Shi’s appointed lawyer. When he was still alive, he entrusted me to prepare his will. He said that he would distribute his assets posthumously following what was written in this will.”
“Oh, so you’re Mr. Zhang. Please, have a seat!” Shi Jingzheng quickly pulled Jiang Yu away and invited Zhang Quan to sit down. “When will you read out my father’s will, Mr. Zhang?”
Zhang Quan scanned the area before responding, “Is everyone here? If everyone’s here, then I can begin. There are a total of five people mentioned in this will – Shi Jingzheng, Jiang Yu, and your daughter, Shi Wei. Aside from that is Su Nuan, whom Old Mr. Shi considers his granddaughter, and Shi Yu, his adopted son.”
“That’s impossible. Shi Nuan and Shi Yu aren’t a part of the Shi family. Why would their names be in his will? Not to mention, Shi Yu’s been missing for a long time. If he’s not even here, how can you recite the will?”
Jiang Yu refused to accept what Zhang Quan had said. “Have you gotten it wrong? Why would my father include them as inheritors of the Shi family’s assets?”
“What are you trying to say, Mrs. Shi? Are you questioning me and my professional integrity?” Zhang Quan asked.
“That’s not it, Mr. Zhang. It’s a misunderstanding. That’s not what she meant,” Shi Jingzheng fervently denied. He shot Jiang Yu a fierce glare and muttered, “Shut up!”
Then, he began, “Um… I’m not sure where my daughter is right now, and my brother hasn’t been home for a long period. Doesn’t that mean this will is-”
“Who says I’m not home?” A clear voice cut through the air before Shi Jingzheng could even finish his sentence.
Shi Nuan was startled as well. It was an incredibly familiar voice to her like she heard it all the time. She turned to the side and saw a man standing in the doorway of the Shi residence.
The man walked in steadily with a grim expression.
His gaze landed right on Shi Nuan, who stared back at him with her eyes wide open.
The man had an extraordinary demeanor, and he seemed to emanate an intimidating aura. Eventually, he walked over and stopped in front of Shi Nuan while staring right at her. There was a playful look on his face as he greeted, “It’s been a while, Nuan.”
“Uncle Shixiu!” she exclaimed in astonishment. The whole situation seemed even more unreal at that moment.
Shi Nuan slowly blinked as she began to frown. She pointed at him and muttered, “You… Y-You’re…” Shen Shixiu!
She was sure of it. The man was Shen Shixiu.
At first glance, he had an aloof vibe to him. There was the scent of mint on his body, which smelled refreshing. There also seemed to be the faint smell of tobacco wafting in the air surrounding Shen Shixiu, which was specific to him.
Shi Nuan clenched her fist and gave him a piercing stare. There were mixed emotions in her eyes as she muttered, “You…”
“What is it, Nuan? Do you not recognize your uncle anymore?” he teased.
