Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Great Family

Yu Chen was unmoved by what he said. "What do you mean, I'm your only friend? Don't you have a whole crowd of followers at school?"

Shen Henyun sighed. "They hang around me because my family is wealthy and influential—not because they really want to be my friends. Don't you get that?"

"Oh? Then why did you bring me here today?"

"Actually, today is my parents' wedding anniversary."

Hearing Shen Henyun mention his parents for the first time, Yu Chen was a little surprised. "So you came out to hang out instead of staying home and letting them celebrate?"

Shen Henyun shook his head. "They're long gone."

At those words, Yu Chen's hand paused mid-bite, his gaze fixed on Shen Henyun.

"Sorry, I didn't know."

"It's fine. I've never told you."

"So, you live alone?" Yu Chen tilted his head, studying him.

"Of course not. I live with my grandfather most of the time. That old man is over seventy, still full of energy, always pestering me to hurry up and take over his company. No way, I'm still young! I haven't had enough fun yet!"

Yu Chen pondered this. "Actually, have you ever thought that maybe your grandfather only puts on a strong front so you won't feel too much pressure?"

Shen Henyun paused, as if the idea had never crossed his mind.

"Well, never mind that. Do you know why I brought you here?"

"I just asked you—why?"

"This is where my parents first met. I only know the story because my grandfather told me. Who knows if the old man made it up?"

Yu Chen said nothing, quietly listening.

"When I was very young, my parents went on a business trip. There was a plane crash. After that, I was an orphan. But luckily, my uncles and aunts were all kind to me—they never tripped me up. They cared for me, especially my grandfather. He always felt he owed me, so even when I mixed with the wrong crowd, he never interfered much.

"My grandfather said my parents met right here. Look—this place is desolate, hardly any cars pass by. But one day, my mother and her friends' car ran out of gas here. It was already night, their phones were dead after a day out, so they had no choice but to sit by the roadside and try to flag down passing cars for help.

"A pretty old-fashioned story, right? Sometimes I feel like my grandfather made it up just to tell me.

"But my mother and her friends waited until late at night and no one came by. They were all tired and went to sleep in the car, except my mother. She wasn't sleepy at all—she sat on the car roof, watching the stars. Isn't that what they call fate in books?

"She actually did manage to flag down a car—that was my dad. But if she'd gone to sleep like the others, maybe they'd never have met.

"My father had just rushed back from another province over a family matter and happened to pass by. My mother and her friends decided she would go with him to get help, while the others stayed to watch the car. That's how my parents met.

"And then, you know, they had me."

"It's a romantic story! Not corny at all."

Shen Henyun laughed. "It's just a cliché Mary-Sue plot."

"But there's something I've always wondered." Yu Chen looked at him.

"What?"

"Why do you hang out with those people? Didn't you say your grandfather treats you well? Why upset him?"

Shen Henyun's expression turned serious. "It's not what you think. I have my reasons for hanging out with them."

Yu Chen looked puzzled. Shen Henyun glanced at him, as if making up his mind. "Alright, I'll tell you. I suspect my parents' deaths weren't an accident—they were murdered!"

"Why? Weren't you really young at the time? How can you be so sure?"

Shen Henyun shook his head. "After my parents died, my grandfather didn't believe it was an accident either. He secretly hired many private detectives, but they found nothing. But a few years ago, I stumbled across some files my grandfather had hidden—there was a clue."

"What kind of clue?"

"I found out my parents' deaths were connected to a local gang leader. Of course, someone else might have been pulling the strings, but I have to get close to him first to reach the real culprit behind the scenes."

Yu Chen frowned. "Are you sure? This isn't a small matter—and it's dangerous."

"I know. I'm about eighty percent certain. Because of our family's business, we had a lot of rivals. The year my parents died, our company was flourishing. It's normal for jealous people to try to sabotage us. Also, as far as I know, my parents flew abroad that day to negotiate a deal. After their accident, the deal fell through."

Yu Chen nodded. "I see."

"So what about Liu Quan and his company? Are they not suspicious?"

Shen Henyun smiled. "You're still hung up on that? No way. When our family was at its peak, their company had just started. Besides, their company's dirty business, they'd never dare covet ours."

"You know they're shady? Then why did you help him last time?"

"I helped him only that once—when you got into trouble. I helped him because he seemed to know that gang leader. That's the only reason." Shen Henyun unconsciously touched his nose, recalling when Yu Chen was beaten up.

Yu Chen didn't mind and didn't take it to heart. Brother Gu Yan had told him the matter was resolved, and the evidence against Liu Quan's company had been handed to the police. Liu Quan probably wouldn't dare make trouble now.

"It's a good thing he got caught, or who knows how he'd take revenge. He only got exposed because of me," Yu Chen said casually.

He hadn't meant much by it, but Shen Henyun looked stunned. "Liu Quan wasn't arrested."

"What?! That's impossible! Brother Gu Yan said he had evidence against Liu Quan."

"You didn't know? Liu Quan disappeared a long time ago. He went missing just days after he threatened you. His own people couldn't find him—they even asked me about it."

"Then... who got arrested?"

Something wasn't right. Did Brother Gu Yan know about this?

"The company is still operating just fine. But I did hear their manager got arrested for drug possession."

No, something was definitely off.

"Is there a problem?" Shen Henyun noticed Yu Chen's serious expression.

"It's nothing." Yu Chen thought for a moment and decided not to say more. Shen Henyun already had enough to deal with—if he knew how serious this was, he'd do anything to help, and if anything went wrong, it would all be for nothing.

If Liu Quan hadn't been caught, he'd surely find out Gu Yan was the one who reported him. But it all started because of Yu Chen and his father investigating them. But since his father was a policeman, they wouldn't dare touch him. The one in danger was now Brother Gu Yan. As for the friend who had helped Gu Yan, he'd already gone abroad and should be safe.

As these thoughts raced through Yu Chen's mind, Shen Henyun spoke again. "Yu Chen, there's something else I should tell you. I wasn't going to bother, but on second thought, you should know."

Yu Chen snapped out of his thoughts. "What is it?"

Shen Henyun hesitated. "I might go abroad next year. If I don't find out the truth before I leave, I'll have to give up. I'll probably be gone four or five years. By the time I get back, the people who hurt my parents—and the evidence—might be long gone."

But Yu Chen wasn't as surprised as Shen Henyun expected. He simply nodded. "I know."

"How did you know?!" Shen Henyun looked shocked.

"Please, you're famous at school. Everyone knows. It's not about your parents—everyone says you're going abroad next year to study business, to take over the family, right?" Yu Chen looked at him for confirmation.

Shen Henyun nodded, gazing out at the river.

"The old man isn't getting any younger. I have to step up. I can't just let my father's hard-built legacy fall into someone else's hands."

"What, you have rivals?"

"Come on, haven't you seen any TV dramas? In families like ours, with lots of wealth and power, there are plenty of competitors. If I didn't act so careless all the time, who knows, maybe I'd have been eliminated in the years after my parents died!" Shen Henyun said dramatically.

"Yeah, right. You think I'm three years old?" Yu Chen scoffed.

Shen Henyun only smiled, letting it pass.

Thinking of everything that had happened, Yu Chen realized he couldn't just sit and wait.

"You eat first. I just remembered something—I need to call my sister." He stood up and walked a little way off, dialing Gu Yan's number.

"Hello?"

"Brother Gu Yan, it's me, Yu Chen."

Gu Yan sounded surprised. "What's up? Didn't your sister say you were out having fun?"

"Brother Gu Yan, I just found something out about Liu Quan. He wasn't actually arrested!"

Gu Yan was startled by the news. He had already sent all the evidence on Liu Quan and his company to Yu Sheng's father—how could this be?

"Where did you hear that? Is it reliable?"

"Shen Henyun just told me. He said Liu Quan's men have been asking him if he's seen Liu Quan. He also said only a manager from Liu Quan's company got arrested, for drug possession. The company is still running."

Now it was Gu Yan's turn to be confused. If Liu Quan wasn't caught and his company was fine, then everything he'd done was for nothing. More importantly, if Liu Quan investigated, he'd find out Gu Yan was the one who reported him. That would put Gu Yan in real danger.

Thinking of the people who'd been watching and following him lately, Gu Yan began to piece things together.

"Alright, I understand. Don't tell Shen Henyun about this yet. The fewer people who know, the better. Don't alert anyone."

Yu Chen nodded. "Okay. Be careful, Brother Gu Yan."

After hanging up, Gu Yan thought of Yu Dong.

He had to talk to Yu Dong—right now!