Plunder-Chapter 260: I’ll Wait for You to Come Out
"Cheng Lu, do you plan to be a shrinking turtle for the rest of your life?"
At the door, Qiao En asked sternly.
Cheng Lu’s back faced the door as he curled up on the small bed.
He heard the voice, but just refused to pay attention.
Seeing him curled up like an ostrich in his own world, Qiao En was furious.
"Cheng Lu, if you’re a man, you should make things clear to Youyou."
"Secretary Qiao, could you let me speak alone with Assistant Cheng for a moment?"
Lin Youyou’s voice was fine and delicate.
Qiao En was emotionally charged but struggled to calm down.
"Okay, I will wait outside. Call me if you need anything."
Qiao En walked out.
In the room, now there were only Lin Youyou and Cheng Lu.
She stood at the door, her wet clothes still dripping water, quickly forming a puddle at her feet.
Cheng Lu still had his back to her, his hands hugging his shoulders, maintaining a defensive posture.
"Do you have a towel? Could I borrow it to dry my hair?"
Lin Youyou asked.
Cheng Lu made no sound.
"Achoo!"
Lin Youyou sneezed several times in succession.
After standing for so long, her legs were already sore and aching.
There were no chairs or stools in the room; the only place to sit was at the edge of the bed.
Lin Youyou walked towards the bed and sat down next to Cheng Lu.
Now chilled to the bone, she sat there, hugging her arms, with her teeth chattering uncontrollably.
"Don’t worry, I won’t disturb you for long. I will be leaving on a plane after a while. The reason I insisted on seeing you is that I have something I want to ask you."
"You ask."
Cheng Lu mumbled.
He tightly closed his eyes, not daring to look at Lin Youyou.
At this moment, she was sitting right behind him.
His whole body was tense.
"Was what you said to me before true?"
Lin Youyou asked faintly.
"Which sentence?"
"Every sentence."
Although Cheng Lu was a man of steel, with Lin Youyou’s question, he guessed what she was referring to.
He had told her he didn’t care about the child in her womb, that he wanted to marry her, and the two of them would leave this place to live somewhere where no one knew them.
This was once the most beautiful hope in Cheng Lu’s heart, but now it had all become a dream.
He closed his eyes even more tightly in pain.
"I’m sorry, Youyou, I am not in control now, and I can’t fulfill the promises I made."
Lin Youyou’s emotions showed no fluctuation; she turned her body, placing one hand on Cheng Lu’s shoulder.
"I’m asking whether what you said before was true, not whether you can fulfill it."
These were two different questions.
The answers were completely different.
Cheng Lu slowly sat up on the bed. Afraid to face Lin Youyou, he kept his body coiled, maintaining a distance from her.
"When I said those things, I really meant them."
He gave his answer.
Lin Youyou let out a sigh of relief.
She stood up, nodded, and looked at Cheng Lu with a fiery gaze.
"As long as what you said is true, then I am reassured."
After saying that, she walked slowly towards the door.
"Assistant Cheng, no matter how big a mistake you’ve made, just focus on reforming yourself while you’re in there; I will keep waiting for you outside. One day, when you come out, don’t forget to keep your promise."
Cheng Lu was startled.
He never expected Lin Youyou to be not only stubborn but also so persistent.
"Youyou, it’s not worth it for someone like me."
If the charge of murder held, he didn’t know how many years he would have to stay inside.
Letting Lin Youyou wait for him was unfair to her.
Lin Youyou turned around, her smile blossoming as she looked at Cheng Lu, "Whether it is worth it or not isn’t for you to decide. I believed what you said, and now you have to take responsibility right to the end."
She touched her belly with her hand, "Although he is not your child, I will tell him that you are his father. I and he will wait for you at home. From now on, I will bring him to see you every month. You reform yourself well in there, and I will also live well outside."
"Assistant Cheng, I was too cowardly before, afraid of wolves before and tigers behind, and that’s why things ended up like this. After so many things happened, I suddenly realized that fear is useless, and only by confronting can problems be solved."
"Assistant Cheng, I want to thank you. It’s you who made me understand these truths, and it’s you who truly calmed my heart. I’m going now, I’ll come to see you again on this day next month. If you refuse to see me, I will wait just like today, until you are willing to see me."
Having said all this, Lin Youyou walked out decisively.
Cheng Lu couldn’t hide the shock in his heart.
Before, he had only seen the frailness in Lin Youyou.
Thus, he wanted to protect her.
But now, a different kind of emotion was rising in his heart toward her.
This feeling was so strong, it violently collided within his inner self.
Scalding tears slid from his eyes as he covered his face with both hands, crying out loud.
"Are you okay?"
Lin Youyou came out, and Qiao En immediately went up to her.
She looked somewhat haggard but strained her lips into a smile.
"Secretary Qiao, thank you, let’s go."
As she spoke, she walked towards the exit.
Qiao En hurriedly followed.
"Come home with me, take a hot shower, eat something, and you can go tomorrow, okay?"
Qiao En suggested.
But Lin Youyou shook her head firmly, "I’m fine, I’m leaving now."
Qiao En knew she couldn’t persuade Lin Youyou.
Zhou Jin’an had people book a plane ticket, and the car headed straight for the airport.
Along the way, Lin Youyou seemed quite relaxed.
She looked through the window to the outside.
The rain continued to fall, and the entire city was silent in the rain mist.
"It’s nice on rainy days!"
She murmured faintly.
Once at the airport, she took the initiative to say goodbye to Qiao En.
"Secretary Qiao, thank you."
She reached out and hugged Qiao En.
"Youyou, take good care of yourself."
Lin Youyou broke into a smile, "Yeah, you too. But I’ll be back again this time next month, and then you’ll have to share some more parenting advice with me."
What Lin Youyou and Cheng Lu had talked about, no one knew.
On the way back, Qiao En’s mood was inexplicably low.
Zhou Jin’an grabbed her little hand and held it tightly in his palm.
"What are you thinking about?"
Qiao En sighed softly, "I feel sorry for Cheng Lu and Youyou."
"Love is the most complex thing, let them deal with it slowly. I think Youyou seems to have taken a liking to Cheng Lu."
"But Cheng Lu is a stubborn mule!"
Qiao En complained.
Zhou Jin’an chuckled, "He’s not just stubborn, he’s also dumb, quite a stubborn and dumb donkey."
Yet it was this stubborn and dumb donkey who, after Lin Youyou left, suddenly came to his senses.
The next morning, while Zhou Jin’an was working out on the treadmill, Director Huang called.
"Assistant Cheng has confessed everything!"
"Confessed!"
Director Huang spoke with certainty.
So, he told Zhou Jin’an about Cheng Lu being drugged and taken from the bar, which shocked Zhou Jin’an.
"This person truly deserves to die!"
This sort of thing, for any man, was an immense humiliation.
Now, Zhou Jin’an finally understood why Cheng Lu had refused to speak up.
"Director Huang, thank you for your hard work. I hope you will take care in the follow-up investigation."
Zhou Jin’an spoke politely.
"Rest assured, the truth will surface soon. We’ve found some key clues. Although it’s not convenient to discuss them with you now, I can confidently say that Assistant Cheng definitely hasn’t killed anyone."
Zhou Jin’an’s mood lifted with this news from Director Huang.
During breakfast, he shared the news with Qiao En.
Sure enough, like him, she too felt much more relieved in an instant.
"It seems that Youyou’s words really worked. I’ll tell Youyou about it later too."
Qiao En said.
However, Zhou Jin’an stopped her.
"Don’t tell Youyou about this for now. Director Huang said the truth will be investigated soon, so when everything is clear, let Cheng Lu tell her himself."
Qiao En understood and smiled.
"You always consider everything so thoroughly."
Cheng Lu was now detained, and many of his work responsibilities had been left unattended.
Qiao En volunteered to step in.
"Let me go to the company with you today."
"You’re pregnant, better stay at home and rest. Some things can wait until he’s out."
Zhou Jin’an was concerned for Qiao En.
But she insisted, "I’m just pregnant, not incapacitated. I’d better come with you, there are some things you won’t feel comfortable having others handle."
Zhou Jin’an finally relented, and they got into the car, holding hands.
However, as soon as the Maybach parked in Nanchen, reporters emerged from nowhere, swarming over like flies.
