Chapter 10 Am I a Bad Person?

Chapter 10: Am I a Bad Person?

"Hah—" Shi Yu woke with a start from the nightmare, and sighed in relief when he realized he was still in the car.

Thinking of the face in the dream, Shi Yu felt a sense of unreality: "Liu Zhixin..."

Jiang Ji, who was driving, glanced at Shi Yu's pale face. It was the first time he had seen the arrogant Shi Yu with such an expression on his face.

He replied flatly, "He's dead."

Hearing Jiang Ji's response, Shi Yu immediately knew that the scene he had witnessed earlier wasn't a dream, but something that had actually happened.

Liu Zhixin was truly dead.

"How did he die? Did he kill himself?" Shi Yu asked.

After the police arrived, they had immediately taken Shi Yu, as an eyewitness, to the police station for questioning. He had been there the whole time answering their questions, completely unaware of what was happening outside.

It wasn't until he had just walked out of the police station, still shaken by the sight of Liu Zhixin's death, that he finally calmed down enough to ask about the cause.

Jiang Ji told Shi Yu the rumor circulating at the company: "Killed by his mistress."

Shi Yu frowned. "Mistress?" He thought of the woman he had seen come into the company looking for Liu Zhixin earlier that day.

Jiang Ji: "Apparently the mistress was pregnant and wanted to force him into marriage. Liu Zhixin didn't want to divorce his current wife, so he was avoiding her. The mistress finally tracked him down at the company. They got into an argument on the rooftop. During the quarrel, the mistress accidentally pushed Liu Zhixin off the rooftop."

Shi Yu stared out the window, lost in thought. "A bit too coincidental."

Jiang Ji: "Something this shocking happening at the company has everyone on edge. The employees are all talking about it. The company has issued a notice giving everyone Thursday and Friday off. I've also notified the heads of each department that discussion of this matter is banned when work resumes on Monday."

Shi Yu: "I understand. I have some things to do tonight, so I won't be going back to the Shi residence. Drop me off at the school."

Jiang Ji didn't ask what Shi Yu was going to do at the school at this hour.

He followed Shi Yu's instructions and parked the car at the school gate.

But as Shi Yu was getting out, he received a call from Shi Ciye: "Get your ass back here right now!"

—

The moment Shi Yu stepped into the Shi residence, a stack of photos was flung into his face.

The photos scattered on the floor. Shi Yu picked one up—it was a picture of him being taken away by the police.

"Not a bad shot," Shi Yu said, admiring himself in the photo.

Shi Ciye was like an enraged lion, as if he might tear Shi Yu's throat out in the next second. "Shi Yu, no matter how you've messed around before, I've turned a blind eye. But now you've gone and gotten someone killed! Do you have any idea what kind of impact this will have on the Shi family if this gets out?"

Shi Yu waited for Shi Ciye to finish his outburst before speaking. "Dad, have you even verified this?"

Shi Ciye was taken aback.

Shi Yu looked at him calmly. "What did the person who gave you these photos say? That I was involved in a murder case? Did you have someone look into it after you got the photos? Or are you just ready to condemn me based on a few pictures?"

Jiang Ji, standing to the side, interjected. "Mr. Shi, the younger son was taken in as a witness."

Shi Ciye: "What's going on?"

Jiang Ji explained: "An employee named Liu Zhixin at Xinke was pushed off a building by his extramarital partner..."

The moment the name "Liu Zhixin" left his lips, Shi Yù, who was standing in the living room, gasped in surprise. "Liu Zhixin!"

That gasp drew everyone's attention to him.

Shi Yu stared at Shi Yù. "You know him?"

Shi Yù shook his head nervously. "No, I just... it sounds familiar, like I've heard it before."

Shi Ciye urged Jiang Ji to continue. "Go on. How was Shi Yu involved?"

Jiang Ji: "The younger son was just downstairs at the time. Liu Zhixin landed right in front of him after falling. That's why the police took him in for questioning."

Unexpectedly, Shi Yan, who had remained silent ever since Shi Yu came back, questioned him after Jiang Ji's explanation. "Are you sure Liu Zhixin's death has nothing to do with you?"

Shi Yu: "Why would you ask that, big brother?"

Shi Yan: "Why did you have someone investigate Liu Zhixin?"

Jiang Ji turned to Shi Yan. "The eldest son, I was the one who told the younger son to look into Liu Zhixin. The manager of Marketing Group Two is planning to resign, and I hope the new manager can be promoted from within the team. As my assistant, I assigned the younger son the task of investigating Liu Zhixin's professional capabilities."

"Alright. Since Shi Yu has nothing to do with this..." Shi Ciye turned to address Shi Yan. "Shi Yan, issue a statement. Don't let them sling any mud at the Shi family."

His tone suggested he wanted to let the matter drop.

But Shi Yu persisted. "If only you trusted me just a little more, Dad, no one would be able to sling that mud in the first place."

Shi Ciye looked displeased. "Are you blaming me?"

Shi Yu: "I'm just complaining about being wronged."

Shi Ciye: "Go to your room."

Shi Yu wore a careless expression. "Fine. After all, a father can never be wrong. It's always the son's fault."

Shi Yù helped Shi Ciye sit back down on the sofa. "Dad, don't be angry."

Standing at the foot of the stairs, Shi Yu turned back and asked, "Dad, in your heart, am I really such a villain?" Such a villain that just seeing a police officer standing next to him is enough for you to assume he's done something wrong.

Shi Ciye looked back, his expression calm. "You should ask yourself, in all these years, have you ever done a single good thing? If it weren't for you, would the Shi family have cut ties with the Gu family? Take Jiang Ji, for instance—if his brow injury had been just a little off to the side, he would have lost an eye."

Shi Yu turned his gaze to Jiang Ji.

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