Chapter 264: Exposing Interrogation: Returning Items to Their True Owner

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Catching a glimpse of the duo who had already walked a distance, Lushen’s determination surged. “Hey! Are you coming out or not? We’re all adults here; you have to take responsibility for your mistakes!”

“President Shen…” Tan Yao looked anxiously at his side, only to see Shen Qian’s hands, previously relaxed at his sides, now clenched in quiet determination.

“Shut up-” Shen Wan emerged, flinging a napkin in Lushen’s face. “Enough already! Your hand trembles, and you want to blame me? Are you out of your mind?!”

Lushen stopped protesting, his eyes signaling her to look in that direction. Following his gaze, Shen Wan’s brows furrowed deeply the next second.

An eerie silence lingered for three seconds, maybe longer…

Shen Qian turned back, seizing her slender wrist without a word, only saying “Come with me.”                             r &>

Before Shen Wan could react, her other hand was caught by Lushen.

“Shen Qian, what do you mean? Not a word of explanation, and you want to take my person away? Who do you think you are? Don’t you have any self-awareness?”

“Say it again, who is your person?”

“There, her.” Lushen blatantly shook Shen Wan’s hand he was holding, provocative and arrogant.

The gentle look in the man’s eyes was instantly overshadowed by a dark cloud his grip tightening without any regard for whether Shen Wan could endure it ’ as he forcefully pulled her along.

Lushen felt a chill from his piercing gaze, but pride overruled discomfort.

Despite the tingling scalp, he too held on tightly.

For a moment, Shen Wan was like a tug-of-war rope, yanked back and forth neither side yielding. Trapped between advancing and retreating, she finally’ reached her limit—

“Let go!”

Both men acted as if they heard nothing.

“Lushen, you let go first,” she said, frowning.

“Why should I? I won’t!”

Shen Qian said, “Because I’m her brother. What right do you have to refuse?”

Lushen found himself at a loss for words, he couldn’t deny that, but surrendering like this without a fight was really humiliating… ’ “Shen Wan, don’t forget, we’re in the same boat.” In Lushen’s view, since Shen Wan helped him deal with Shen Qian, the division between the two factions became clear and unmistakable.

“You tell me, are you with him or with me?”

The way Shen Wan looked at him was like she was looking at a pig, no, even dumber than a pig!

In just two sentences, the relationship between the two of them was made clear, as long as Shen Qian wasn’t foolish, he would understand.

“Are you with him or with me?” Have you watched too much teenage idol drama?

Lushen, however, was oblivious and kept asking whom she would choose.

Shen Wan was speechless.

Her teammate was so foolish, that she felt hopeless.

Just as Lushen looked at her with eager eyes, Shen Wan broke free from his grasp, turned her head, and smiled at Shen Qian, “Brother, let’s go.”

Lushen couldn’t believe it!

Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?

By the time he realized it, the siblings had already disappeared.

And then…

“Shen Wan, you traitor!”

He had fed her, given her drinks, and listened to her badmouth Shen Qian for half an hour, only for her to be lured away by the enemy?!

Lushen was puzzled and felt deeply wronged!

Outside the gate, Shen Wan was pushed into the passenger seat all at once. Tan Yao just wanted to get in when Shen Qian stopped him with a single sentence- “1’11 drive, you take a taxi back.”

Tan Yao could only watch as the car’s tail lights disappeared into the distance, sighing and shaking his head in frustration. Soon, a taxi arrived.

The journey was silent. Shen Qian had a serious expression, staring ahead at the road, and his grip on the steering wheel made the car swerve and shake.

Shen Wan fastened her seatbelt and didn’t feel uncomfortable even though the ride was bumpy.

As for the issue of safety, there was no need to worry at all, mainly because Shen Qian valued his life even more than she did. The speed of the car was well within control.

So, at this moment, Shen Wan was as calm as could be.

AS they passed by Binjiang Road, the man hit the brakes, took out a cigarette and a lighter, and got out of the car. Shen Wan thought for a moment and walked over to him.

The two of them stood side by side, facing the Ning River.

-Why did you go out to dinner with Lushen?” The man lit his cigarette, holding it between his fingers as white smoke curled up.

Shen Wan replied, “He treated.”

“When did you meet him?”

“After you two had a fight, he came to me for trouble.”

Shen Qian frowned and turned to look at her.

“It was a minor issue, and it’s already resolved. You could say we became acquainted through that incident.”

There was a brief silence.

He suddenly spoke, “Tianshui lost the development project for Huihai.”

Shen Wan remained expressionless.

“Lushen isn’t that clever.”

Shen Wan said nothing.

Shen Qian’s sharp eyes suddenly flashed a hint of mockery and sarcasm. “It was you who reminded him.”

Shen Wan chuckled and, as he reached out as if to touch her shoulder, suddenly took two steps back, creating distance between them. “Reminded? We have no personal connection, why would I remind him?”

He took a drag of his cigarette, a slight smile playing on his lips, tinged with sarcasm.

Shen Wan remained unfazed. “I just didn’t want Lushen to get too entangled with the bracelet, so I used some words to divert his attention.”

“What words?”

“I told him that you intentionally had a falling out with him, but you actually had ulterior motives.”

Shen Qian paused, and chuckled softly. “Ah… I see. You’re even smarter than I thought.” Suddenly, his smile disappeared, replaced by a sharp edge. “Why did you help him?”

I already said, to divert the focus to protect myself.

“Do you know that your way of self-protection has put Tianshui in a deep crisis?!” He stepped closer, his gaze intimidating.

Shen Wan continued to step back, always maintaining a safe distance, and sneered. “Isn’t it you who made the first mistake?”

“The business world is ever-changing, a war where you can’t see the smoke of gunpowder, full of deceit, intrigue, there’s no right or wrong, only winners and losers!”

He didn’t believe he was wrong to use Lushen to show goodwill towards the Yan family. What was wrong was his underestimation of Huihai’s business nature and overestimation of the conflict between the Lu and Yan families.

“Yeah, only winners and losers.” Shen Wan sighed lightly. “Lushen won in his own way, but are you unwilling to admit defeat, or can you afford to lose?!” Shen Qian’s eyes were dark, not angry or upset, he just smirked slightly, “Is that how you see me in your eyes?”

Shen Wan turned away. “Whether it is or isn’t, what I say doesn’t matter And ” She took something out of her bag and handed it to him. “Here, I’m returning this to you, it belongs to its rightful owner.”

The man opened his palm, and a platinum bracelet gleamed in the light of the streetlamp, its center adorned with sparkling diamonds that reflected a delicate and bright light.

Dazzling.

Shen Qian’s pupils contracted, his voice hoarse, “What does this mean?”

“You used this bracelet to provoke conflict between Lushen and you. Now that the dust has settled, whether your goal was achieved or not, it has lost its utility. It can fetch a good price now, so take it back.”

“■••My original intention for giving you the bracelet was not to use it to offend Lushen!”

“But in the end, you did it to further your own goals. As for your original intention, does it really matter?”

Shen Qian remained silent.

His silence, his lack of refusal, and his lingering hope had all tainted the purity behind the meaning of this bracelet.

So, she was disgusted, she didn’t want it.

“If you insist on giving it to me, I’ll do as you said before-I’ll throw it away on the spot. Right now, we’re by the Ning River, and unlike a trash can, once it’s gone in there, you won’t ever find it again. It would be a clean break “