After Breaking Up, I Married the Dying Tycoon in a Flash
Chapter 174: Too Much Has Changed

Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Too Much Has Changed

Bian Yue looked in the direction of the voice and saw Shen Jinci standing at the door, his face filled with nervousness as he looked at her.

Bian Yue had a sense of being caught red-handed in wrongdoing.

She subconsciously got up slowly, clutching the photograph in her hand. When she saw Shen Jinci striding towards her, Bian Yue defended herself in a soft voice, "I actually came today to see if there were any documents related to Honey... Shen Jinci, I..."

Shen Jinci stood in front of Bian Yue, calmly closed the door of the safe, and the slight noise made Bian Yue’s eyelashes tremble.

But Shen Jinci’s expression was gentle, and he softly said, "Yueyue, give me the photograph."

Bian Yue was no fool. If at first, she didn’t know who was in the photograph, now the number 16 on the back of the photo, combined with Shen Jinci’s current reaction, had starkly exposed the truth to Bian Yue.

Bian Yue bit her lip, looking at Shen Jinci with nervous unease in a soft voice, "Jinci, tell me, is this photo me? Is the 16 my age?"

Shen Jinci knew that many things could not be hidden for a lifetime.

Time would not flow backward, and the truth would not forever be buried in the sands of time, unasked after.

Shen Jinci understood that he couldn’t hide it from Bian Yue forever.

But he was still afraid. His Adam’s apple moved rapidly as he looked into Bian Yue’s clear eyes, and for a moment, Shen Jinci wanted to lift his hand and cover her eyes.

What neither of them noticed was that at the doorway, Shen Zhaoli was watching this scene.

"Yueyue..." Shen Jinci’s voice became even more strained, his hoarse tone full of helplessness, "Are these things important? Can’t we just let it go, all right?"

Bian Yue wasn’t trying to pursue it.

"Jinci, you misunderstood, I just wanted to know, did you know me before? Why do you have my old photos?"

When faced with Bian Yue, Shen Jinci couldn’t spit out any lies.

"I was wondering why you two didn’t come down for dinner. So it turns out you were chatting!" Shen Zhaoli’s voice captured their attention.

Before Bian Yue had time to put down the photograph in her hand, Shen Zhaoli glanced over with a composed look, smiled, and said, "Didn’t I give you that photograph? Shen Jinci, how did Bian Yue find it?"

Bian Yue didn’t expect that answer, "You gave...."

"Yeah," Shen Zhaoli interrupted Bian Yue’s words, speaking lazily, "Didn’t Shen Jinci marry you? At that time, I didn’t get along with you and seeing Shen Jinci also bothered me, so I found some of your photographs to get a good look at what kind of person you really were."

Shen Zhaoli patted Shen Jinci on the shoulder and said, "I really hadn’t thought of it, you hid these photographs. Shen Jinci, do you like Bian Yue that much?"

Shen Jinci looked at Bian Yue, who clearly already believed Shen Zhaoli’s words, and was staring at Shen Zhaoli with eyes wide and a red face of anger.

"Shen Zhaoli! Can’t you respect a citizen’s privacy? Stealing my photos like this is an invasion of my portrait rights!"

"Oh, you’re talking about portrait rights now?" Shen Zhaoli snatched the photograph from Bian Yue’s hand, clicked his tongue lightly, and shaking his head said, "You look like this, back then I looked at your pictures every day, I almost suffered a work injury!"

"What are you saying? You little brat!" Bian Yue was so angry she wanted to kick Shen Zhaoli, and the two of them started chasing and play-fighting in the study.

Shen Jinci stood in place, watching Bian Yue’s lively and dynamic figure, yet a boundless desolation bloomed in his heart.

Was he really collaborating with Shen Zhaoli in lying to Bian Yue?

That was truly despicable.

He himself felt contempt, yet paradoxically, he didn’t dare to truly face reality...

Bian Yue seemingly believed Shen Zhaoli’s words, so by the time dinner came around, she had pinned the cause of the whole affair solely on Shen Zhaoli.

At the dining table, the three of them ate together. Bian Yue spoke without restraint, her tone relaxed, essentially jesting.

"You even hired a private detective to investigate me, Shen Zhaoli, you’re really inhuman!" Bian Yue gripped her fork, looking disdainfully at Shen Zhaoli with a ’tch’ sound, saying, "I’m really unlucky, how did I even come to know you."

She didn’t mind the incident.

Shen Jinci just sat opposite Bian Yue, watching her trust without reservation, his heart as if corroded in an instant, an indescribable pain.

While Shen Zhaoli said with a smile, "Please, be happy that I didn’t ask you for money! I spent so much effort investigating you, only to find out that your life is remarkably boring. I still don’t know what Shen Jinci likes about you."

Then Bian Yue looked at Shen Jinci with smiling eyes, softly saying, "Someone with no substance like you wouldn’t understand. Jinci likes me, of course, for my inner qualities! Such things, you fool, are invisible to you."

Shen Jinci couldn’t help but smile.

The atmosphere actually turned quite pleasant as Bao Bian Yue and Shen Zhaoli bantered back and forth with each sentence.

After eating, Bian Yue had to go to the company to deal with the remaining issues of "Shengshi Yan." They had already filed a lawsuit against Lixing Group, and in the afternoon, Bian Yue needed to continue to finalize the details with her lawyer.

Therefore, after eating, she was ready to leave.

According to Shen Zhaoli’s usual antics, he would normally have kept teasing Bian Yue for a bit longer, but today, he quieted down after the meal.

He watched as Shen Jinci meticulously helped Bian Yue with her belongings and saw her to the door.

"I’ll come back early tonight to have dinner with you," Bian Yue said with a smile, tugging at Shen Jinci’s hand.

"Okay, I’ll wait for you at home," Shen Jinci replied, his tone gentle and indifferent, revealing nothing unusual.

It wasn’t until Bian Yue left that Shen Zhaoli leisurely turned to Shen Jinci, speaking lightly, "Bian Yue’s gone, isn’t there anything you want to say to me?"

Shen Jinci sat across from Shen Zhaoli with an indifferent expression, his temperament cold, his entire being exuding a sense of distance and disinterest, tinged with a hint of weariness, "What do you want to hear?"

"The person you wanted me to find, I’ve found him. I’ve settled him in Mansion No. 6, when do you plan to meet him?" Shen Zhaoli suddenly changed the subject.

Shen Jinci was still unflustered, calmly replying that he would visit in a few days, after Bian Yue was less busy with her current matters.

"Before you go to see him, shouldn’t you explain to me what’s the deal with this photo? Shen Jinci, I think that there should be a basic spirit of cooperation between people." Shen Zhaoli seldom showed seriousness; his usually youthful, handsome face was now stern to the extreme, "I’m really curious, do these photos belong to you?"

Shen Jinci’s expression remained unchanged as he lifted his eyelids to look coldly at Shen Zhaoli, his hand tapping on the armrest of the sofa, his tone slow, "What do you mean?"

"I’ve seen you when you were younger. Of course, that was done secretly, without Shen Shu knowing. But even after so many years, I still remember you from back then. Shen Jinci, you’ve changed too much, especially recently." Shen Zhaoli simply stated.