Chapter 65: Absolutely Not, Absolutely Not – A Sudden Change
“She might not be the one you should seek revenge on the most. You know who the true culprit is, right? Perhaps you can retaliate, but at least… don’t go too far.”
Dong Ling’s tone was heavy, she couldn’t ask He Diesheng to let go of her resentment or forgive, she just hoped she wouldn’t go too far, at least not cross the line.
There wasn’t always a clear cause and effect in this world, it was just something humans hoped for, but in the feud between He Diesheng and Xuan Du, there was a cause and effect.
It all started because of the man in their family, morally speaking, neither Mayor He nor the current Mrs. He were innocent, but Xuan Du bore the brunt of the resentment from his first wife and her children. If there hadn’t been any betrayal in the first place, there wouldn’t be such consequences.
He Diesheng took a sip of black tea from her porcelain cup, put it down slowly, and mouthed a few words to Dong Ling.
Dong Ling’s heart sank even further.
He Diesheng said, no one escapes.
He Diesheng was so cautious that she was worried about being overheard or recorded even at this time.
Dong Ling thought, Xuan Du was right, He Diesheng was truly crazy, but it wasn’t scary when someone was insane, what was scary was when they were sane in their madness, knowing exactly what they were doing, and putting it into practice.
Someone like He Diesheng, with her upbringing, probably had no filial piety at all. Dong Ling thought the reason she didn’t target her father wasn’t because of tolerance, but because of intertwined interests, when He Diesheng had enough evidence or power to destroy him, she would definitely strike.
She already had the confidence to do so? Dong Ling thought of the deeper implications, a chill running down her spine.
“This pastry is quite delicious, the flavor is very good.”
He Diesheng beckoned to the waiter and asked for another serving.
“It’s rare to see you so indulged in food, it seems my chef did a very good job today.”
Zhao Yudong, seeing this, approached and said with a smile.
He Diesheng smiled, clearly in a good mood.
When Dong Ling left the manor, the early September sun shone on her, but she didn’t feel any warmth.
She returned home with a heavy heart and saw her brother reading in the living room, a plush toy-like object on the table.
“You’re just in time, someone just sent you a gift, I was going to have it sent to your room, but since you’re here, take it yourself.”
Dong Ling only recognized the plush toy up close, it was a chubby hamster stuffing food into its mouth.
Wasn’t this the cute hamster from the movie she and Song Mingzhi watched that day?
Dong Ling immediately knew who the gift was from, and her heavy mood eased slightly, she took the plush toy and went upstairs.
The material of the hamster was very soft and comfortable to the touch, very stress-relieving.
As soon as she entered her room, Dong Ling eagerly sent a message to Song Mingzhi, resting her head on the hamster’s belly, as if resting on Song Mingzhi.
She had rested her head on Song Mingzhi’s shoulder once before, when Song Mingzhi was rubbing her belly.
[Song Mingzhi]: I’m glad you like it, I hope it cheers you up a bit.
[Song Mingzhi]: I hope it can keep you company when I’m not around.
Dong Ling was surprised by Song Mingzhi’s quick reply, and found the last sentence particularly ambiguous.
Dong Ling didn’t want to overthink things she couldn’t find answers to, so she leaned on the hamster and continued replying.
[Dong Ling]: Yes! I feel a little better now, as for Xuan Du, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.
[Dong Ling]: And it seems the situation in Beihai is about to change, I’m a little uneasy, it doesn’t seem that simple.
It wasn’t just about Xuan Du, if He Diesheng wanted to bring down her father without leaving any traces, then she definitely didn’t just start planning after returning to Beihai, she must have started before that, when she was still in Haicheng.
Perhaps she had been sane for longer than they thought.
If there was turmoil in Beihai, it definitely wouldn’t just be the He family’s business, she would also be affected.
[Song Mingzhi]: What happened?
When Song Mingzhi typed that slightly ambiguous message, she was a little expectant, she had been waiting for Dong Ling to take that step, but in reality, she was the impatient one.
But Dong Ling didn’t give her the response she wanted, or perhaps, the timing wasn’t right, which was confirmed by Dong Ling’s next two sentences.
Dong Ling briefly explained the situation to Song Mingzhi and expressed her concerns.
[Dong Ling]: I’ll ask my parents for help after they return. If we can find Xuan Du and her mother, it will not only save them, but also help us counter He Diesheng and understand the situation.
Dong Ling admitted she was being pragmatic and calculating. For the sake of her family’s safety, she had to figure out what He Diesheng was planning, whether her actions would affect them, and to what extent… these were all more important than her anger towards the scumbag, it wasn’t tolerance, but strategy.
[Song Mingzhi]: I asked my friend, there are records of Xuan Du and her mother leaving the country, on that day.
In fact, Song Mingzhi started investigating on the day Dong Ling returned to Beihai.
Just like Dong Ling said, He Diesheng was meticulous. There were records of Xuan Du and her mother leaving the country, but whether they actually left was still uncertain.
She couldn’t deduce the situation based on that fragmented phone call, so it was naturally difficult to investigate, Song Mingzhi felt that the situation probably wasn’t that dangerous, if it was a physical assault or some other dangerous act, in such a noisy public place, Xuan Du screaming for help would be much more effective than calling Dong Ling.
Based on Xuan Du’s words, it must have been something that terrified and shocked her, Song Mingzhi didn’t know her that well, so it was hard to guess.
Seeing this message, Dong Ling’s eyes widened. She had only been searching within Beihai, because based on her understanding of He Diesheng, she would prefer to keep people within her sight, and anything was possible otherwise.
[Dong Ling]: Mingzhi, you’re so amazing, I’ll investigate further.
Dong Ling didn’t overthink it, assuming Song Mingzhi just had friends with such capabilities.
Dong Ling immediately made a call, she thought of another friend of Xuan Du’s, the police chief’s daughter, Yu Hui, whom Xuan Du introduced her to at a party a long time ago.
“What? A Du is missing? She told me a few days ago that she was going abroad, but we don’t contact each other often, I’ll help you ask around.”
Yu Hui quickly gave her a reply, there were indeed records of Xuan Du and Mrs. He leaving the country, their destination a certain continent across the ocean.
“Do you have any concrete evidence that A Du is missing? Maybe she’s just taking her mother on a trip, she told me she was going out to have some fun. If it’s just your verbal statement, we can file a report and do a symbolic search, after all, there are exit records, and other countries won’t cooperate with our investigation.”
Even Yu Hui didn’t quite believe Dong Ling’s words, thinking Xuan Du had just gone on a trip, and Xuan Du herself had told her that they wouldn’t be in frequent contact.
If Xuan Du wanted to escape He Diesheng, she would definitely reduce contact with people back home to avoid being found, but this, in the current situation, became a tool for He Diesheng.
Even so, Dong Ling didn’t give up.
During dinner that night, she told her parents and brother about the information and her speculations, asking them to investigate further and also to protect themselves, regardless of whether Mayor He would fall or not, they had to be prepared to cut ties quickly.
Underground, the river flowed turbulently, but on the surface, everything was calm.
Dong Ling couldn’t find any leads in Beihai, so she returned to the film set and asked Director Yu to film her scenes first.
Seeing the tense girl, Song Mingzhi gave her a hug.
This action slightly eased Dong Ling’s recent stress, she hugged Song Mingzhi back, an inexplicable melancholy in her heart.
Under pressure, Dong Ling’s performance was actually better than before, her efficiency also higher.
Because she was working hard, Dong Ling finished all her scenes within six days and officially wrapped up filming.
She didn’t stay for the wrap party, but rushed back to Beihai.
Because on the night she finished filming, news came from Beihai: Mayor He was reported by name, the investigation team had already obtained evidence, and Mayor He, who had just returned from his trip to the countryside, was caught off guard.
It was like the most intense part of a violin concerto, even on the plane, Dong Ling could almost hear the urgent, almost frantic, sound of the bow against the strings.
An invisible hand was frantically stirring and tearing apart the dark clouds, then weaving even darker ones.
This wasn’t He Diesheng’s doing alone, Dong Ling didn’t know how many people were behind this, she counted down the days in her mind.
It had been eight days since Xuan Du disappeared.
There were no leads within Beihai. Not only was Dong Ling investigating, she also asked Chen Shang Shang, Tang Qianxi, Dong Nuo, and even Yu Hui to mobilize their connections, but they couldn’t find her.
There seemed to be only one possibility, that Xuan Du was abroad, but Dong Ling didn’t believe it, her intuition told her something was wrong, but her intuition couldn’t tell her where Xuan Du was.
The mayor was placed under investigation, and everything related to him was being scrutinized, many people were destined to have a sleepless night, even the Dong family’s lights were on all night.
Fortunately, Dong Ling had warned them early, and the Dong family had already distanced themselves. Some people were busy covering their tracks, the Dong family’s phone hadn’t stopped ringing tonight.
Dong Ling went to find He Diesheng, they met in a car.
He Diesheng was in a good mood, her entire demeanor radiating joy.
“Why are you still looking for me? Didn’t I already remind you? Your family is safe from this.”
He Diesheng turned the steering wheel, driving leisurely.
Her words were true, the Dong family had already benefited, why was she still looking for her?
“It started a long time ago, didn’t it? You were never really crazy, were you?”
Dong Ling even wondered, was He Diesheng’s mental breakdown real? Or was it a way to escape Xuan Du and the current Mrs. He’s revenge?
“A Ling, is that what you think of me?” He Diesheng looked at Dong Ling with surprise, a lonely look on her face, “I was truly insane for a while.”
Just not for eight years.
“Where is Xuan Du?”
He Diesheng’s expression suddenly turned cold: “You said you wouldn’t interfere, so don’t meddle.”
Dong Ling thought, at least this meant Xuan Du was probably still alive.
She looked into the distance, lost in thought, her eyes widening a moment later.
A car not far away seemed to be out of control, or rather, deliberately, heading straight for them.
Through the two layers of glass, she seemed to see a familiar, distorted face.
The screeching of tires and the loud crash, like fireworks celebrating the changing landscape and the end of a feud in this city.
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