Chapter 309 - 307: Phone Call

Chapter 309: Chapter 307: Phone Call

Hearing a gentle call by her ear, Zhou Lian opened her eyes to see Sister Fang leaning over her, taking her temperature. Seeing the concern and heartache in Sister Fang’s eyes, Zhou Lian smiled in relief and said softly, "Sister Fang, I’m okay. I don’t have a fever!"

"Hmm, you’re right, no fever. Get up and wake yourself up a bit. We’ll get you something to eat in a little while." Looking at the thermometer in her hand, Sister Fang relaxed and said with a smile.

Gently helped up by Sister Fang, Zhou Lian felt much more relaxed after her sleep. In a cheerful mood, she changed her clothes and went to the dining room with Sister Fang. Seeing that Professor Xiao and Professor Fan were already waiting, she smiled sheepishly, but was interrupted by Professor Xiao before she could even speak.

"You’re up. Feeling better? Hurry and sit down, have something to eat," Professor Xiao said happily, looking at his student’s rosy-cheeked complexion.

Under the care of her professor, Professor Fan, and Sister Fang, Zhou Lian had a pleasant lunch. She then contentedly held a cup of red date, longan, and goji berry tea that Sister Fang had prepared for her, sipping it as she watched Professor Xiao and Professor Fan with a smile.

After a moment of thought, she said, "Professor, Professor Fan, everything’s fine now! It’s all been taken care of, so please don’t worry!" ’Her professor and Professor Fan are both incredibly astute,’ she thought. ’Even if they don’t know the specifics, they can probably guess the gist of it. It’s better to tell them the outcome and put their minds at ease than to say nothing and let them worry.’

"It’s all taken care of? There won’t be any lingering consequences, will there?" Professor Fan asked with concern. He couldn’t guess every detail, but he had a good sense of the situation. Zhou Lian was smart, but this kind of scheming and backstabbing wasn’t her forte.

Understanding Professor Fan’s meaning, Zhou Lian’s smile was as radiant as a spring blossom. She shook her head gently and said, "Professor Fan, even if you don’t trust me, don’t you trust Jin Chen? It’s all handled! There’s no problem!"

In the residence, the Ping Family’s Eldest Young Madam, Eldest Young Master, and Liu Shengnan were also sitting on the sofa after lunch, chatting. Liu Shengnan hugged her teacup, listening quietly to her brother and sister-in-law’s conversation. But inwardly, she was alarmed. She felt that something was off, but she couldn’t say what. Ever since the day Zhou Lian went home and came down with a cold and fever, Liu Shengnan had felt a sense of unease.

After a while, the Eldest Young Madam noticed Liu Shengnan’s absent-minded expression and asked with concern, "Shengnan, what’s wrong? Are you tired?"

"No, Sister-in-law," Liu Shengnan said uncomfortably, her head lowered. "I just miss Ping’an a bit. You know how much Brother-in-law dotes on Sister, yet she’s unwell and he’s not with her. It just doesn’t sit right with me."

Gently patting her arm, the Eldest Young Madam said, "Your brother and I are going to our room to rest for a bit. Why don’t you give Ping’an a call? You two should have a nice chat."

The phone in the residence had been installed on a rush order by Li Xiu after he learned of Liu Shengnan’s pregnancy, specifically so that Liu Shengnan could contact Ping’an at any time.

Watching the retreating backs of her brother and sister-in-law, Liu Shengnan grabbed the phone and dialed Ping’an. As she waited for the call to connect, she felt a persistent sense of panic.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Ping’an, it’s Shengnan!"

"What’s wrong? Speak slowly," Ping’an soothed gently, hearing the panic in Liu Shengnan’s voice.

"I don’t know, but I keep feeling like something’s wrong. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but it’s making me panic. Ping’an, I’m a little scared." Hearing Ping’an’s steady voice on the other end of the line, Liu Shengnan felt as if she had found her anchor.

Frowning, Ping’an held the phone and said softly, "It’s okay, Shengnan. I’m here. Take your time. Just say whatever comes to mind. There’s no rush."

"Okay... it’s just... I just feel like something is off with Brother, Sister-in-law, and Sister. But I can’t explain what it is."

Hearing his wife’s words, Ping’an furrowed his brow. ’Sister is gentle,’ he thought, ’but you must never, ever cross her bottom line.’ With that in mind, he said softly into the phone, "Alright, how about I ask the questions, then? I’ll ask, and you answer."

"Okay!"

"You mentioned Brother, Sister-in-law, and Sister. What about Jin Chen?"

"Brother-in-law took the two kids back to his hometown a few days ago. It was from the day he left that I started feeling something was wrong. As soon as he was gone, Sister had the Sun Family completely dismantled, and..."

"Wait a minute," Ping’an asked, confused. "You’re saying Jin Chen left Sister all alone in the Capital City, and right after he left, she had someone take down the Sun Family? Is that right? And how did you find out about it?" ’How could a guy like Li Jincheng, who’s addicted to doting on his wife, possibly be okay with leaving Sister alone in the Capital City?’ he wondered.

"The moment she sent people to do the job, she came to the residence and told Brother, Sister-in-law, and me everything. She said she was doing it in Brother’s name. At the time, Brother, Sister-in-law, and I were all stunned. Sister was just like Brother-in-law in that moment. Ping’an, from that day on, I’ve just felt that something is wrong, but I don’t know how to describe it!" Liu Shengnan said, scratching her hair in frustration.

His heart tightened. ’Please don’t let it be the worst-case scenario,’ Ping’an thought. ’Brother has been listless for over a decade; I’m afraid he doesn’t know the proper measure of things. But Sister-in-law is there. She’ll definitely keep an eye on him... right?’

"Shengnan, don’t worry. Can you tell me exactly what happened that day, without leaving out a single detail?"

...

...

’After listening to Liu Shengnan’s detailed account of the past few days, Ping’an was so furious he nearly coughed up blood. ’What is all this nonsense?!’ he fumed. ’Brother is unreliable, but since when did Sister-in-law become unreliable too? How did things get to this point? Forget about Zhou Lian—if something like this happened to me, Ping’an, I would’ve thrown in the towel and washed my hands of everything!’’

’And after all that, they still asked her to help figure out how to deal with the Ping Family’s eldest daughter and her hysterical tantrums. Damn it, that’s the Ping Family’s private affair! How could they ask an outsider for help? How was she supposed to know how to handle it, whether to be firm or gentle? How could Sister-in-law possibly agree to that?’

"Shengnan, you said Sister had a fever? When was that? Was it serious? Is she better now?" Ping’an asked anxiously, thinking about Zhou Lian’s fever and cold.

"I don’t know the specific details. They all stopped me from going to see her. Sister also sent a message telling me not to get close, saying she was afraid of infecting me. The fever is gone; it broke that same night. But I asked around, and they said Sister fell ill from a fit of rage. Brother-in-law isn’t here now, and Sister won’t let anyone tell him, so no one dares to inform him. Ping’an, what should we do?"

"Who did you hear that from? And what happened right before Sister got the fever? Shengnan, think it over carefully and tell me everything. Don’t leave anything out." Wiping a hand over his face, Ping’an forced himself to focus. ’Please, don’t let it be because she was angered by that idiotic brother and sister-in-law of mine!’ he prayed.

...

’After hearing Liu Shengnan’s detailed explanation, Ping’an wanted to die. ’What a complete mess!’ he thought. ’No, wait. Zhou Lian doesn’t know my brother and sister-in-law very well. Given her personality, she wouldn’t get angry over their words and actions, let alone become so enraged she’d fall ill!’’

’So, if it wasn’t because of my brother and sister-in-law, then it must be because of Liu Shengnan and me... Ping’an. Don’t tell me Sister thinks this was our idea!’ He couldn’t help but let out a groan of despair. ’She must have thought it was my idea. What in the world is this goddamn mess!’