Chapter 179 - 177: Unable to Contact, a New Case

Chapter 179: Chapter 177: Unable to Contact, a New Case

After Shen Yanzhou realized they couldn’t discuss the matter, he sat for a little while longer before returning to his apartment. He also brought An’an over.

Su Miaoyi got a cat treat for it to eat.

Then she wiped its little paws.

As she paced around the living room holding the cat, she suddenly remembered something.

’Weren’t she and Shen Yanzhou just talking about money?’

’How did it go from him coming over, to them saying a bunch of outrageous things, to him just leaving?’

"Shen Jun’s niece. The richest man’s niece. Money you can’t possibly spend," the voice in her head said suddenly.

Su Miaoyi raised an eyebrow. "You know, when you put it that way, my life sounds pretty awesome."

"Your father is a bureau director, your mother is a professor, your uncle is the richest man in the country, and your aunt is an artist," the voice in her head recited coldly.

Su Miaoyi couldn’t help but smile. "I really hit the jackpot in the birth lottery."

Then the voice in her head added, "And there’s also you, who died in your prime."

The smile vanished from Su Miaoyi’s lips. "You know, you have a real knack for saying the ugliest things. You’re a total buzzkill."

"But you’re alive again now, aren’t you?"

Su Miaoyi snorted. "I can’t be bothered with you."

"My point is, stop obsessing over that piddling amount of money," the voice said. "If you went to the Shen family estate and pried a paving stone out of the ground, it’d be worth more than your entire savings. That sum is so small, you’d be embarrassed to offer it as a donation to charity."

Su Miaoyi fell silent. After a moment, she said, "Is there any way I can poison you so you’ll shut up?"

"Feed me two strawberries and I’ll stop talking."

"Next time, just state your request directly. Don’t preface it with so many unpleasant remarks. Be good," Su Miaoyi said.

The voice in her head scoffed in disgust. "Good, my ass."

"Do you still want them or not?" Su Miaoyi asked.

"Yes."

Su Miaoyi carried An’an back to the kitchen.

When she opened the refrigerator, she found it packed full and neatly organized with drinks, yogurt, fruit, and all sorts of other food.

Su Miaoyi stared at the full refrigerator.

’Even though she only possessed Su Miaoyi’s memories, she was still deeply moved.’

Cheng Yong and Ge Yu had been good to Su Miaoyi. Incredibly good.

’While Su Miaoyi lived with them, she was always the first to get the best of everything.’

’They considered her in everything they did.’

’Even after the Ji Family stopped giving them a single cent, they never once mistreated her.’

’But they were almost *too* good.’

’There was always a sense of boundary between them.’

’In their hearts, Cheng Yong and Ge Yu raised Su Miaoyi as their own daughter, but at the same time, they were always thinking about something else.’

’Su Miaoyi was the Ji Family’s daughter.’

’The eldest daughter of the Ji Family.’

’A young lady from a wealthy family.’

’They always felt that having Su Miaoyi live with them was doing her a disservice.’

’That someday, Su Miaoyi would have to return to the Ji Family, where a brilliant future awaited her.’

’So Cheng Yong and Ge Yu poured their hearts out for her, yet they rarely lectured or disciplined her.’

’When it came to Su Miaoyi’s affairs, they let her make all her own decisions and never interfered.’

’It was why Cheng Yong and Ge Yu always told her not to come home if she was busy, to visit less often.’

’They saw themselves as merely temporary guardians in Su Miaoyi’s life, not people of any real importance.’

’They never asked for anything in return.’

’They rarely got involved in Su Miaoyi’s life.’

’In fact, they avoided getting involved whenever possible.’

’They were worried they would hold her back.’

’They were always prepared for the day she might stop coming back, for the day she might cut off all contact.’

’That sense of boundary was always there.’

And yet, they were the only ones Su Miaoyi truly cared for in the end, the only ones she couldn’t let go of.

That was why Cheng Yong and Ge Yu rarely came to stay at her apartment.

Su Miaoyi had lived alone ever since she graduated.

Occasionally, Cheng Jue would come stay for a few days.

When she missed her aunt and uncle, she would go back to their place.

This refrigerator... usually, the only thing in it was some Coke. Most of the time it was empty.

It had never been this full before.

Su Miaoyi took out the strawberries.

There was a sticky note on the container: [Already washed.]

Realizing she didn’t have to wash the fruit, Su Miaoyi laughed out loud with delight.

She took the strawberries and returned to the living room.

She settled onto the sofa, eating strawberries and cuddling An’an while scrolling through videos on her "new" phone.

This phone...

’You get what you pay for.’

’It works great.’

"Stop kidding yourself. Any new phone would work great," the voice in her head piped up again.

Su Miaoyi tutted.

The voice in her head went silent.

Su Miaoyi went back to scrolling through videos...

...

When she wasn’t on a case, Su Miaoyi kept regular work hours.

Since she wasn’t required to be at a desk, she would occasionally stop by the municipal bureau in the morning, and if nothing was going on, she would leave.

To look for a burial plot.

She wanted to pick a good spot for Su Miaoyi.

She spent her time comparing and choosing different options.

An’an had been with her all week.

Every day when she got home from work, the first thing she did was cuddle the cat. In the evenings, she would even take it out to play for a bit.

After dinner, Su Miaoyi flipped a page on the calendar that sat on her coffee table. There were only three days left until the college entrance exam scores were released.

She glanced at the calendar, then lay back down on the sofa, scrolling through her phone while cuddling An’an.

As she was scrolling, she came across a video that was just text set to music.

She swiped past it immediately, but after a few seconds, she found herself thinking about the words she’d seen and swiped back.

It was about the variety show Cheng Jue was filming.

Someone was leaking information: there had been an accident on set, and someone had died.

Su Miaoyi was reading the text on the screen when the video suddenly disappeared.

She quickly opened Weibo and ran a search.

She couldn’t find any official news about it.

But there were definitely people discussing it.

They were debating whether the rumor was true or not.

Su Miaoyi immediately called Cheng Jue.

Cheng Jue had said they filmed two days a week.

But for these things, the schedule depended on the availability of the main cast and the overall progress of the shoot.

The first shoot had lasted for three days.

He came home, rested for three days, and was then called back again.

This time, they had changed locations. Su Miaoyi had even been the one to book the hotel for him.

Cheng Jue had been filming for several days now and still hadn’t returned.

The call didn’t go through, so Su Miaoyi tried again.

Still no answer.

She set An’an down, stroked its head, and decided to go there directly.

She found the car keys Shen Yanzhou had left for her in a drawer.

She kept trying to call Cheng Jue as she headed for the door.

The call still wouldn’t connect, but then she got an incoming call from Zhuang Yanzheng.

She answered his call. "Captain Zhuang."

"We’ve got a case. I’m almost at Weiyang Palace. Meet me at the entrance to the complex," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

"Okay." Su Miaoyi grabbed her jacket from by the door, then looked at An’an, who had followed her. "Be good and stay home. I’ll be back as soon as I’m finished."

She quickly made her way to the entrance of Weiyang Palace. She waited less than a minute before Zhuang Yanzheng and the others arrived.

Su Miaoyi got in the car, greeted Yan Cheng and Chu Xingrou, then asked Zhuang Yanzheng, "Where’s the case?"

Zhuang Yanzheng glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Shunshi Film and Television Base."

Su Miaoyi’s heart dropped into her stomach.

"What’s wrong?" Zhuang Yanzheng asked, noticing her anxiety.

"Is it for a variety show?" Su Miaoyi asked. "Midnight Case Breakthrough?"

"It is."

"Cheng Jue is on that show. I just tried to call him and couldn’t get through, so I’m a little worried," Su Miaoyi said. "Who is it? Who got hurt?"

"Liu Namo," Zhuang Yanzheng said. "The case was transferred over from the local branch."

...