Chapter 10: The Sea of Resentment Knows No Boundaries

The net of justice is vast and loose, yet nothing escapes its reach! No matter how meticulous the arrangements, the truth cannot be concealed!

It turned out that Jia Chunfang’s husband had long known of his wife’s infidelity. He tolerated it at first, because he too coveted the money she earned from her live-streaming rewards. For a time, he endured in silence.

But Jia Chunfang grew increasingly reckless, indulging her desires with abandon. She not only flirted with her male fans online, but took things further offline. At times, she no longer even bothered to hide her communications from her husband.

Wang Changli’s patience had reached its limit. He hoped that the appearance of a new “top fan” would sever Jia Chunfang’s ties with Wang Changli, but instead, Jia Chunfang staged a spectacle of her male admirers vying for her favor, escalating matters to the brink of divorce.

Yet the situation became truly dire due to disagreements over the division of their assets. He conceived murderous intentions only when Jia Chunfang insulted him.

Jia Chunfang taunted him, saying that even if he knew she was cheating, he wouldn’t dare utter a word because he was after her money. Now, she said, he wanted a divorce and her money—he could forget it.

Those words struck a nerve. Years of humiliation twisted his psyche, and he devised a scheme to frame the “top fan” for Jia Chunfang’s murder, seeking vengeance for himself and killing two birds with one stone.

Sadly, several innocent people were caught up in this plot, becoming unwitting victims.

At last, the case was solved. Though the truth arrived late, it never failed to come. Liu Dong’s spirit could finally rest, though he left this world so reluctantly.

Xia Wuyou regained her former brightness, as the radiant Xia returned once more, full of life!

“Chief, what do you think of this tea? Just look at the packaging—it’s impressive, isn’t it? I specially ordered this health tea for you online!”

In the chief’s office, Xia Wuyou bowed and scraped, the Holmes-like determination she’d displayed before her ordeal now nowhere to be found.

The “Fat Chief,” seeing that Xia Wuyou had wholly submitted, decided to stop “spurring” her for now, letting her recover. After all, generating results was the ultimate goal.

But Su Tianmu was not as elated by the resolution of the case. He remained immersed in Liu Dong’s tragic world, unable to extricate himself.

The summer twilight was beautiful, and Su Tianmu rarely wanted to relax.

For reasons unknown even to himself, he gave this rare moment of leisure to Xia Wuyou.

He ordered barbecued food at a small stall by the docks, sitting alone on a little chair, watching the busy fishermen and sailors on the sea.

The sea breeze lifted his dark hair, revealing a prominent forehead. His calm face, marked by deep-set eyes, gazed into the distance. The golden glow of sunset traced his sharply hewn profile, making him look like a solitary statue at the water’s edge.

“Brother Su!”

Xia Wuyou, who had been secretly admiring him for some time, called out from afar.

“How come you’re so free today? Treating me to dinner like this!”

Seeing Xia Wuyou flutter onto the chair beside him like a butterfly, Su Tianmu’s eyes softened.

“Come, sit here.”

He patted the chair next to him, beckoning her over.

Xia Wuyou was startled by his sudden gesture, her cheeks flushed.

“Brother Su, there are so many people around...”

“What are you thinking? I just want you to sit here for the view. This is the best spot to enjoy it.”

Seeing her silly reaction, Su Tianmu reverted to his usual aloofness.

“Oh, I see. I thought... haha.”

That’s right, this is how you should behave. The way you acted just now was too unnerving!

Xia Wuyou muttered to herself, obediently scooting over.

They ordered some beer. Tomorrow was the weekend, and with the case freshly solved, they could afford to relax.

Seeing his silence, Xia Wuyou sensed his somber mood and tried to break the awkwardness with a joke.

“Did you know? The Liu Dong incident almost made me want to write a will! But when I picked up the pen, I realized there was no one I could leave it for. Haha, isn’t that ridiculous?”

Hearing her words, watching her self-deprecate so nonchalantly, Su Tianmu suddenly felt a surge of compassion for her.

Realizing her joke had fallen flat, Xia Wuyou lowered her head and started eating her skewers.

Though it was summertime, the evening sea breeze was chilly.

Su Tianmu said nothing, but quietly shifted his chair, using his body to shield Xia Wuyou from the wind.

“How did you make it through?”

Xia Wuyou glanced at him, understanding what he meant.

She put down her skewer and took a sip of beer.

“If I told you I never made it through, would you believe me?”

Su Tianmu looked at the carefree, boisterous girl before him and suddenly found himself admiring her. She had endured such pain and yet remained strong and sunny—what kind of resolve did that require?

Why couldn’t he do the same? His brother’s death was always a knot he couldn’t untie.

“I actually had a younger brother, but he died when he was sixteen.”

Su Tianmu spoke with sorrow, draining his beer in one gulp.

Xia Wuyou watched him silently, recalling how he seemed off during the Liu Dong case. He rarely showed concern for strangers, but Liu Dong had clearly struck a chord deep within him.

“He died because of me. The car should have been mine, but I had something to do and asked him to swap with me.”

Even now, remembering it, Su Tianmu’s pain was unbearable.

He lowered his head, hiding his expression.

“There was a crash. He died. My brother died.”

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but he suddenly began to cry softly.

Xia Wuyou was startled and at a loss for what to do.

“Hey! Hey! What’s wrong? Don’t scare me!”

She hurriedly pushed him, but the push nearly made Su Tianmu topple over. Luckily, she reacted quickly and caught him.

With that grab, Su Tianmu collapsed into her arms.

She saw his eyes tightly shut, unresponsive to her calls, and Xia Wuyou’s face burned with embarrassment.