A White Cloud (GL ABO) - Chapter 53

Pei You drove into the government hotel.

Shen Zhiqing noticed the discreet cars in the parking lot, some bearing official plates.

“Doctor Shen,” Pei You said, stepping out and locking the car.

Her high heels didn’t faze her. Her beaming smile suggested something joyful had happened.

Shen Zhiqing, as agreed, took her arm as her companion.

She didn’t know the officials present but unexpectedly met Xiao Zhiman.

“Why are you here?” Xiao Zhiman asked, attending on her father’s behalf.

Shen Zhiqing never attended such events, so her presence drew Xiao Zhiman’s gaze to the person beside her.

Why was a Pei family member with her?

Shen Zhiqing had anticipated meeting acquaintances, so Xiao Zhiman’s appearance didn’t stir her.

Pei You left them space to talk, picking up a wine glass and stepping aside.

“Why are you with her?” Xiao Zhiman asked, thinking Shen Zhiqing’s territorial display meant something.

But now, seeing her with another Alpha, she couldn’t help overthinking.

Wasn’t Tomb Cheng enough?

Did she truly like Tomb Cheng?

If so, why was she indifferent back then?

Countless questions swirled in Xiao Zhiman’s mind.

Shen Zhiqing didn’t mention Xu Yiyi directly, instead asking, “I recall you found her soon after her injury. You’ve kept in touch over the years. Has she ever mentioned that child to you?”

She didn’t rule out their discussing it without her knowledge.

Shen Zhiqing spoke tactfully, showing no disdain.

Xiao Zhiman assumed she worried about becoming a stepmother.

“Though I don’t know what you’re thinking, you know ignoring her all these years was a bit much, right?” Xiao Zhiman said, still resentful of Shen Zhiqing’s past attitude.

How could someone be so cold to their savior?

She never even sent Tomb Cheng a signed condolence letter.

After criticizing, though disapproving of her past actions, Xiao Zhiman noted recent signs of their reconciliation and shared what she knew, saying, “She didn’t say much. I only know she said she’d raise her as her own.”

A simple statement, yet it clarified Shen Zhiqing’s doubts.

Xu Yiyi wasn’t Mu Mu’s child.

Why did Mu Mu take her in?

Why adopt a child when she didn’t know Xu Yiyi’s mother?

They spoke briefly until Xiao Zhiman said goodbye and returned to her seat.

Shen Zhiqing didn’t explain why she came with Pei You.

Before leaving, Xiao Zhiman made her stance clear, saying, “I don’t know what’s happened between you and Tomb Cheng lately, but you’ve always owed her an apology back then.”

In that urgent moment, no one knew when the person would snap.

But Xiao Zhiman distinctly remembered Shen Zhiqing saying something that made the person approach them menacingly.

The gala hadn’t started, but invited elites gradually took their seats.

Yuan Jin wore a sharp, tailored tailcoat skirt.

Guided by a server, she sat in the front row, separated from Xiao Zhiman by one person, a military district commissar who came to Huajing after Xiao’s father’s transfer.

Soon, Fang Lianwen entered, supported by a younger relative.

A former soldier, he bore a chronic illness and a fearsome scar on his face, making him intimidating when serious.

“Zhi Zhi,” he said.

“Little Zhi,” another voice added.

Accompanying Fang Lianwen was Fang Yang, Fang Qing’s brother, Shen Zhiqing’s uncle.

“Grandpa, Uncle,” Shen Zhiqing said, embracing her grandfather.

Fang Lianwen’s joy at seeing her was evident, his smile softening the scar’s menace.

After brief pleasantries, Fang Yang guided his father forward, reminding Shen Zhiqing to visit the family mansion for dinner.

Shen Zhiqing agreed.

The host soon announced the gala’s start.

Shen Zhiqing still didn’t grasp Pei You’s motive for bringing her.

When Fang Lianwen arrived, Pei You acted as if she didn’t know Shen Zhiqing.

As she pondered, Pei You interrupted, saying, “Miss Shen.”

“You must be curious about my secrets and what I know,” Pei You said openly, accepting Shen Zhiqing’s scrutiny.

As the charity auction began, their corner conversation seemed less significant.

Shen Zhiqing furrowed her brow, not denying it.

Pei You gave a cryptic smile, then shifted her gaze to a front-row seat.

Shen Zhiqing followed, spotting several upright figures.

The most notable was Qin Yishui, seated in a wheelchair on the edge.

Qin Yishui was older than Shen Zhiqing, who knew little about her, only that she was Shen Zhihe’s special patient and her father was a colonel.

“Qin Yishui,” Pei You said, seeing Shen Zhiqing notice her.

She asked pointedly, “Do you know how Qin Yishui injured her leg?”

“I’ve heard a bit,” Shen Zhiqing replied.

Qin Yishui’s Omega father died in childbirth.

Raised by her Alpha father, who was rarely home, she grew wild and unruly in the compound, causing resentment.

Her father kept her close like an accessory, so Qin Yishui grew up in the military district.

As a reserve Alpha, Qin Yishui joined her father’s guard company, learning about weapons and survival skills.

Later, she recklessly entered a minefield in the military forest, losing a leg in an explosion.

Pei You’s eyes dripped with undisguised scorn, staring at Qin Yishui as if wanting to tear her apart.

“Did you know an officer died in that explosion?” Pei You asked.

Shen Zhiqing didn’t know this.

She recalled Qin Yishui’s injury coincided with Fang Qing’s hardest time.

Shen Zhihe refused to return from the military, even cruelly hanging up on Fang Qing’s plea.

“Miss Pei, why not state your purpose for bringing me here?” Shen Zhiqing said, calming her racing heart from recalling Fang Qing, feeling slightly irritable.

Pei You sneered, hatred in her eyes. Her uncle’s death was to save that wretch.

Feeling it unjust, her loathing intensified, eyes bloodshot, saying, “Miss Shen, for the answers you seek, investigate her.”

Pei You gritted her teeth, each word laced with venom, “Check how this paraplegic Alpha ‘forced the innocent into ruin.’”