Shen Qingqing then went with Fu Jingshu to visit the financial manager.
He was awake, lying in bed, motionless, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, looking as if his eyes were devoid of any spirit.
It was as if his soul had been lost.
Shen Qingqing walked to the bedside, observed him for a moment, then said, "Do you want to know the whereabouts of your brother?"
The manager remained still.
Shen Qingqing did not rush. She sat down on the chair handed to her by Fu Jingshu and, in a rather casual manner, adjusted the cast on her left hand. "Actually, even if you don't tell me, I've already guessed it. Your brother was taken away by Fu Tingyi, wasn't he?"
The manager's eyelashes twitched slightly.
A faint smile curved Shen Qingqing's lips. She continued slowly, "I've had people investigate. Your brother has been missing for a long time, and you haven't reported it to the police or even looked for him. This suggests you know where he is..."
"My brother and I don't have a good relationship."
The manager suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse from not having spoken for a long time.
Since waking up, he had refused to eat, as if intending to starve himself to death. He had only been kept alive by intravenous glucose drips, barely clinging to life.
Shen Qingqing hummed, "Are you trying to tell me that you have a bad relationship with your brother, so you don't care about him, is that right?"
The manager remained silent.
"But I don't believe it." Shen Qingqing propped her chin in one hand. "As Ah Xu's grandmother wisely said, you are brothers. No matter what conflicts you have, as long as you are brothers, the bond is unbreakable, like broken bones still connected by tendons. Besides, who knows if your so-called conflicts were intentional?"
At these words, a flicker of spirit suddenly appeared in the manager's eyes. His eyes turned red, and he glared at her.
"What exactly do you want?"
"I want to know the truth." Shen Qingqing sat up straighter. "I can tell you explicitly, I already know who took your brother away. If you are willing to help me, I can help you rescue him."
The manager pulled at his cheek. He seemed not to have made expressions for a long time, and his face was a little stiff. "Don't try to deceive me. No one can stop what Fu Tingyi wants to do, including you."
"You certainly have a high opinion of him."
Shen Qingqing remained unruffled. "Unfortunately, he's not that powerful. He's just a stray dog, and you really think he can control everything?"
The manager let out a cold laugh and turned his head away, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.
"What will it take for you to tell me the truth?"
"I want to see my brother." The manager finally couldn't hold back. He had done all this initially for money, for a better life for himself and his brother, but his original intention had never changed.
He was already trapped, and Fu Tingyi would not let him go easily. Since he couldn't escape, he had to ensure his brother's safety.
"You can."
The manager blinked and repeated, "I said, I want to see my brother. Didn't you hear me clearly? My brother is in Fu Tingyi's hands now, and you can't easily rescue him."
"I said, you can." Shen Qingqing calmly repeated. "Just trust me. Now, you need to ensure you stay alive. Only then can you see your brother when I find him."
With that, she turned to leave. However, at the doorway, she suddenly stopped and looked back at the manager.
"But there is one thing you must remember: I'm not doing charity. I'm saving him because you have value. If you don't show me that value..."
She didn't need to finish. The manager understood the unspoken words.
After the two left, the room fell into silence. The manager exhaled deeply. Along with his relief, there was a hint of anxiety.
Could she really save Ah Qi?
...
On the way back, Fu Jingshu was driving. He glanced at his wife in the passenger seat, took her hand with one hand, squeezed it gently, and then released it.
"Why did you have to be so harsh on yourself?"
"I was just telling the truth." Shen Qingqing said calmly.
"But I know that even if something happened to the manager, you would still be willing to save An Qi." Fu Jingshu looked at her with understanding.
As if he could see through everything.
Shen Qingqing pouted. "Why do you always see through me? It's so annoying."
She didn't deny it. Fu Jingshu's lips curved into a smile, and his eyes twinkled. "Because you are my wife, I know you are a person who is easily softened."
Shen Qingqing huffed, "That depends on the situation."
"Oh?"
Fu Jingshu indicated he was all ears.
Shen Qingqing glanced at him sideways. "In situations like this, I can be soft-hearted. But if you were to cheat, I wouldn't be so easygoing."
"Then what would you do?"
He didn't deny the possibility of him cheating!
Shen Qingqing got angry and said fiercely, "Then I'd break your third leg, divorce you, take the children, and leave, so you'd never find us in this lifetime!"
Fu Jingshu couldn't bear to imagine that scene. "Don't you dare say divorce."
"...Is that the point?"
He didn't care about losing his third leg?
Fu Jingshu insisted, "Take those words back. You are not allowed to say them again from now on. I will never divorce you in this lifetime."
Shen Qingqing hadn't expected his focus to be so peculiar. She couldn't help but say, "People say a man's third leg is his life. How come you don't seem to care about it?"
Fu Jingshu's mouth twitched. "You're saying I don't care?"
"Then you still..."
Shen Qingqing looked into his affectionate gaze and suddenly understood.
Perhaps for him, the word "divorce" carried a meaning far greater than anything else. Realizing this, she couldn't help but laugh.
As it happened, they encountered a red light ahead. Fu Jingshu stopped the car and turned to say something, but suddenly felt a soft touch on his lips.
He stiffened slightly.
The one who initiated the kiss had already sat back, looking perfectly composed, as if she hadn't just done something mischievous.
Fu Jingshu's lips moved, and just as he was about to speak, Shen Qingqing's phone rang. It was Xixi calling. "Mommy, there's news from that side. I've sent the call content to your phone in real-time!"
"Okay, thank you, Xixi. You've worked hard."
Hearing her mother's praise, Xixi's smile widened brilliantly.
Shen Qingqing opened the link Xixi had sent. A voice blared from the phone: "How did you let him get away? How could you let him escape?"
"Mr. Fu, I didn't expect it either. This person is too cunning. He tricked us into going to the restroom, and then jumped out the window."
"Enough, enough. Stop with the nonsense. Hurry up and find him. Where did he run off to?"
"The outside is a busy downtown area. It might be hard to find him..."
"A bunch of useless people!"
Then came the beeping sound as the call was hung up.
Shen Qingqing looked at Fu Jingshu. He immediately turned the steering wheel and headed towards the busy downtown area.