After a while, Ruby knocked and entered again, holding a file bag.
"Mr. Ou, the reception received a file bag that was supposed to be for you," Ruby said.
"Leave it here," Ou Yunchen replied.
As soon as Ruby placed the file bag on Ou Yunchen's desk, he glanced at the name on it: "Shen Yuxuan."
Ou Yunchen immediately called out to Ruby, "Where's the person who delivered the file bag?"
"The receptionist said it was a girl who was heavily bundled up. She left as soon as she delivered it," Ruby replied.
Ou Yunchen grabbed the file bag and rushed out. By the time he reached the outside of the building, Shen Yuxuan was long gone.
Since Xie Youlin was sent away, Shen Yuxuan had been released without charge. However, she seemed to have disappeared, unwilling to show her face again.
Ou Yunchen opened the file bag, wondering where she could have gone. Did she know that her father had also disappeared after Mrs. Su's death?
A key?
And a letter.
--- Letter Content ---
"Mr. Ou, thank you for clearing my name.
My current freedom is thanks to you, and I will always remember this kindness!
However, there is still one matter weighing on my mind, and that is my father.
Uncle Xu Shuming picked me up the day I was released. He told me that my father had disappeared after I was imprisoned and had asked him to look after me before he left.
So, Uncle Xu decided to send me abroad to study and gave me a sum of money, telling me not to return to the country.
I don't know if he knows why my father disappeared, but I dare not disobey his wishes.
This is the key to the Xie family's home. Mrs. Xie entrusted it to me before she passed away.
I don't think I will ever return. Now I am giving it to you. Mrs. Xie would also be happy to know that you helped her find the real murderer.
If you see my father in China, please tell him that I will live well and study hard, and that he should not worry about me.
Sincerely, Shen Yuxuan."
--- End of Letter Content ---
Xu Shuming gave Shen Yuxuan an opportunity to go abroad and a large sum of money?
Heh.
Ou Yunchen shook his head as he read, the intention was obvious.
Shen Yuxuan's father must have done something he shouldn't have for Xu Shuming...
However, Shen Yuxuan leaving to study abroad was a very wise decision. She knew she was no match for Xu Shuming and all she needed to do was obey and get away from the trouble.
Ou Yunchen held the key in his hand, wondering why Mrs. Xie had entrusted Shen Yuxuan with the key to the Xie family home.
Did Mrs. Xie know her time was limited? Or was there something else in the Xie family that she valued?
As Ou Yunchen was about to put the letter away, he noticed something faintly printed on the corner of the paper.
"080910"
Ou Yunchen held it up to the sunlight and finally saw the row of numbers. What could it mean?
Was Shen Yuxuan trying to give Ou Yunchen a hint?
Suddenly, a mobile phone ring interrupted Ou Yunchen's thoughts.
--- Ou Yunchen on the phone ---
Ruan Miaomiao: "Brother, happy birthday!"
Ou Yunchen: "Thanks, but I'm too old to celebrate birthdays anymore."
Ruan Miaomiao: "How can you say that? We have to celebrate for you. Ah Cai has some friends who brought back some girls from Russia. Let's go for a drink tonight, shall we?"
Ou Yunchen: "I can't drink anymore..."
Ruan Miaomiao: "Oh, come on, Ah Cai and I have already planned a celebration for you."
--- End of Call ---
It was hard to refuse such an offer, so Ou Yunchen agreed.
After all, since these two kids started calling him brother, he had seen plenty of new things with them.
They saw things like the trendy blind boxes that young people were so into as mere toys for entertainment, but Ou Yunchen saw them as tools for making money and even invested in one with them!
He had to admit, as long as it was trendy, new, and unique, making money from young people was surprisingly easy!
But that was for tonight. For now, Ou Yunchen really wanted to visit the Xie family and see what this "password-like" thing was for.
***
The Xie family residence was located on a mountainside, in an area filled with such upscale villas.
Ou Yunchen produced the key and opened the Xie family's front door.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt a shiver down his spine. The house was so large and had been unoccupied for so long, it gave off an eerie feeling.
The furniture in the living room was covered with white sheets. Ou Yunchen recalled a sense of warmth the last time he visited the Xie house, but now the empty house was terrifyingly quiet, as if even his breathing echoed.
Ou Yunchen carefully examined the house, wondering what needed a password.
A safe?!
Where would it be kept?
Most people would hide safes within the walls, concealed by paintings or calligraphy.
But Ou Yunchen moved several pieces of calligraphy and tapped on several walls, finding no hidden compartments.
As he pondered, Ou Yunchen went up to the second floor. He gently pushed open the door to Mrs. Xie's former room, which was still devoid of life.
There were no paintings or even photographs in Mrs. Xie's room. Just as Ou Yunchen was about to close the door and check the study, he was drawn to Mrs. Xie's vanity table.
Her cosmetics were still arranged on the table, but why was one bottle placed so high? And was there a drawer underneath that bottle?
Ou Yunchen walked over to investigate for any hidden mechanisms.
Indeed, he found that what looked out of place wasn't a drawer, but a small door resembling a drawer.
Upon pulling it open, he found a safe, albeit a very small one.
The keypad looked somewhat faded, suggesting that Mrs. Xie had opened the safe frequently.
He tried entering 080910, and with a click, the safe door opened.
Ou Yunchen bent down and peered inside. There was a notebook and a button.
The button, besides looking very expensive, had no other distinguishing features.
As for the notebook, when he opened it, he discovered it was Mrs. Xie's diary, filled with many of her daily accounts.
For example, she wrote about how she often forgot things, so she made it a habit to record the day's events, ensuring that she wouldn't forget them upon waking if she maintained her journaling habit.
And then...
Ou Yunchen turned to a page that sent chills down his spine!
***
--- Mrs. Xie's Diary ---
"That day, Song Yuandong came to our house. She used the excuse of helping Old Xie with something and entered the study.
Only when Old Xie returned did I realize that she might not have gone to get something, but to steal.
But what could Old Xie possibly have that Song Yuandong would risk so much to steal from our home?
It wasn't until I saw the USB drive in Song Yuandong's hand that I understood that the things Old Xie had been recording on his computer, painstakingly typing away whenever he locked himself in his room, were extremely important documents!
I think it was because of that...
Later, when I wasn't paying attention, Song Yuandong suddenly grabbed little Youlin and placed him on the clothes rack.
I was truly terrified, afraid that the child would fall.
So I told Old Xie to forget about the USB drive and save the child first!!!
In the chaos, Song Yuandong ran away. I was so scared my legs turned to jelly, I couldn't even reach the balcony. I yelled for Old Xie to save the child...
However, Old Xie ran to the edge of the balcony and pushed my son off!!!
He killed my son!!! Old Xie is the murderer of my son!!!"
***
Ou Yunchen broke out in a cold sweat. So, Song Yuandong was not the one who killed Mrs. Xie's biological son. The one who truly killed the child was Xie Hongtian!!!
Ou Yunchen flipped further back and found another diary entry.
***
"Today, Xie Hongtian came to apologize to me again.
He knows I cannot forgive him for killing our son. He told me he also grieved deeply, but he did not regret it.
Because little Youlin was born with a fatal condition. Doctors said he would likely only live until he was six years old...
Xie Hongtian did not want it to be known that his son had such an illness, nor did he want me to spend my time and energy on a child who would only live for a few years...
He is a demon! How could he kill his own son! I will never forget that day!!!"
--- End of Mrs. Xie's Diary ---
***
Closing the diary, Ou Yunchen felt a tightness in his chest. He had never imagined that the Xie family's fate was so tragic.
The real Xie Youlin had such a short lifespan. Even if he hadn't fallen to his death, he would have died prematurely due to his illness.
Perhaps this was why Xie Hongtian, to appease Mrs. Xie, adopted a seven-year-old child from an orphanage, Xiao Yu, to live as their recovered son by Mrs. Xie's side.
However, Song Yuandong would never know about this. She would forever live with the guilt towards Mrs. Xie.