Plunder-Chapter 304: It is Mrs. Zhou

Detective Wu’s efficiency was extremely high, and he called Qiao En back the next morning.

"The Shan Ning you asked me to look for, I found her."

"Where?"

Qiao En asked anxiously.

The urgent matter at hand was to find Shan Ning; only by finding her could they learn the truth of the matter.

Detective Wu sent over an address.

Qiao En immediately relayed this information to Zhou Jin’an.

"Stay home with the child. I’ll order someone to bring him over."

Zhou Jin’an said, and immediately made a call to arrange for someone to capture Shan Ning.

Indeed, that afternoon, Shan Ning was brought to Gu Yuan.

When they saw him, Shan Ning was in a sorry state, his head hanging down.

"Young Master, Young Madam, I’m sorry."

Shan Ning cried incessantly.

Enraged, Zhou Jin’an stepped forward to give Shan Ning several kicks, "You ungrateful wretch, haven’t I treated you well all this time?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Shan Ning cried.

"Young Master, I will never forget your great kindness and generosity in this lifetime. Even if I am reborn as an ox or horse in my next life, I must repay your grace."

Zhou Jin’an had no outlet for his fury and was about to strike again, but Qiao En stopped him.

"Let me talk to him for a moment."

Qiao En stepped forward, stretching out her hand to help Shan Ning up.

"Shan Ning, I’m going to ask you a question, and you must answer truthfully, do you hear me?"

Shan Ning responded with tears.

"What exactly happened that day?"

Qiao En inquired.

That day, she fell asleep on the way back and didn’t know what had happened afterward.

The photos leaked online left her completely bewildered.

Shan Ning lowered his head as low as it could go, his hands nervously twisting together, yet he never gave an answer.

"Do you have some unspeakable difficulty? Shan Ning, what did you give me to drink that day?"

Qiao En asked pointedly.

This time, Shan Ning could no longer hide the truth.

He knelt down with a thud, "Young Madam, I deserve to die, I should not have harmed you. You can hit me, even kill me."

Zhou Jin’an grabbed his throat in one swift motion, "You indeed deserve to die, but not in such an unclear manner. Tell me, what exactly happened that day?"

Pressured by Zhou Jin’an, Shan Ning finally spilled the truth.

"The water I handed to you contained a large dose of sleeping pills, and after drinking it, you fell asleep quickly. Those photos were staged without your knowledge, and afterward, I sent you back home and then uploaded the photos online."

Shan Ning hadn’t finished speaking when Zhou Jin’an’s fist smashed toward him again.

Qiao En stopped Zhou Jin’an once more, understanding his anger at the moment, but knew that fury wouldn’t solve anything.

"Shan Ning, I know you are innocent, you are an honest and kind person, you could never do something to hurt Director Zhou like this. I’ve had someone investigate; your mother has been gravely ill and in the hospital, the surgery costs are high. Did someone blackmail you with this?"

Shan Ning panicked immediately, "Young Madam, this matter has nothing to do with my mom, she doesn’t know anything, please don’t..."

"Don’t worry, I’ve already arranged for Rong City’s best doctor for your mother’s case," Qiao En said, showing Shan Ning the photographs sent from the hospital.

"Your mother underwent surgery last night, and it was a success. In no time at all, she’ll be able to regain her health."

Upon hearing this, Shan Ning burst into tears, crying loudly.

"Young Madam, thank you, thank you so much."

He wouldn’t stop thanking her, then he started to slap his own face, "Young Master, I am guilty, I deserve to die."

Nobody stopped him as he vented his emotions.

Later, when he had calmed down a little, Qiao En finally spoke up.

"Can you tell us now, who made you do this?"

Shan Ning was still hesitant.

Zhou Jin’an had shown him kindness, but Mrs. Zhou had given him a chance.

Betraying Mrs. Zhou at this time was something he couldn’t do.

"Was it Mrs. Zhou who made you do this, am I right?"

Qiao En cut straight to the point.

Zhou Jin’an was shocked to one side.

In his mind, Mrs. Zhou was self-centered, but not to such a malevolent extent.

Shan Ning was also shocked; he hadn’t expected Qiao En to guess the truth so quickly.

"Young Madam, I..."

He didn’t say anything, but Qiao En already knew the answer.

She had merely confirmed her speculation, but it struck Zhou Jin’an like a bolt from the blue.

"Explain to me clearly, was it my mother who told you to do this?"

He glowered at Shan Ning fiercely.

Shan Ning cried incessantly, "Madam Zhou has been very kind to me. She helped pay for my college tuition, arranged my job, and even solved the medical expenses when my mother was hospitalized. Young Master, I know anything I say now is too late. I’ve betrayed your trust. I’m guilty. I deserve to die!"

As he spoke, he smashed his head into the ground.

Qiao En wanted to stop him, but she was still a step too late.

Shan Ning’s forehead hit the ground, and blood rolled down from her temple unstoppably.

"You do deserve death, but you can’t die now. Your mother is still waiting for you in the hospital. Shan Ning, I only hope you do one thing—clarify the facts,"

Qiao En said, neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Shan Ning cried with tears and snot streaming down his face, knowing this was his only chance to make amends.

"Young Madam, rest assured, I know what to do."

"Get up now and go to the hospital to be with your mother. She misses you."

Qiao En helped Shan Ning rise from the ground.

Shan Ning looked toward Zhou Jin’an who had a grim expression, like a lion restraining his fury.

Qiao En reached out to shake Zhou Jin’an’s arm, "Jin’an, as long as things are cleared up, don’t take it too hard."

But Zhou Jin’an couldn’t just let it go.

His mother had been a victim of that past incident, and he knew all too well how a woman felt after being slandered.

Yet now, she had allowed someone to sling mud at Qiao En.

He could not understand and was furiously angry.

"I’m heading back to Rong City now."

Zhou Jin’an said and quickly headed outside.

Fearing Zhou Jin’an might lose control of his emotions, Qiao En, holding the child, immediately followed, "I’ll go back with you."

Once in the car, Zhou Jin’an started the engine, and as the vehicle left Gu Yuan, he lowered his voice, "En’en, I’m sorry."

Qiao En didn’t speak; she just gripped Zhou Jin’an’s hand very tightly.

The car continued toward the Zhou Residence.

When Zhou Jin’an arrived, only Aunt Liu was in the room.

Without a word, Zhou Jin’an strode inside.

Aunt Liu hurried after him, "Young Master, Madam is ill and resting in the upstairs bedroom. Please go see her."

Zhou Jin’an’s heavy footsteps moved towards the second floor, followed slowly by Qiao En.

The bedroom door was tightly closed, and without knocking, Zhou Jin’an turned the doorknob and the door opened. Mrs. Zhou lay on the bed, looking wan and forlorn.

Her pitiable appearance did nothing to sway Zhou Jin’an’s heart.

"Why did you do this? As a victim yourself, why did you become a perpetrator?"

The veins on his forehead bulged as he rebuked Mrs. Zhou harshly.

Mrs. Zhou opened her weary and weak eyes, looking lifelessly at Zhou Jin’an.

"Am I a perpetrator? In what way am I a perpetrator? Zhou Jin’an, she is just your wife, but I’m your mother, the blood in your body is mine!"

Zhou Jin’an’s eyes reddened as he spoke.

"She’s not just my wife; she’s the witness of my life, the woman Zhou Jin’an is vowed to protect for the rest of his days. I’ve sworn that anyone who dares to harm her, I will never forgive."

Mrs. Zhou’s clouded eyes immediately misted over, her lips trembling, wanting to say something, yet in the end, she said nothing.

"From now on, there will only be a mother-son relationship between us. You cannot interfere in my life anymore, and you certainly can’t harm my family. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to lose you as a son forever."

"You want to sever our mother-son relationship?"

Mrs. Zhou’s voice was incredulous, mixed with sobs.

"My patience has its limits, don’t waste your efforts anymore. Withdraw all the pawns you’ve placed around me. Otherwise, my dislike for you will only grow."

"Have you forgotten? She was one of my pawns too,"

Mrs. Zhou pointed at Qiao En.

Even now, she showed no sign of yielding.

"That was then, now it’s different," Zhou Jin’an drew Qiao En close to him, "If you dare to target her again, don’t blame me for being ruthless."

Zhou Jin’an’s threat left Mrs. Zhou unable to keep face, her muscles twitching.

"Let’s go."

Zhou Jin’an wrapped his arms around Qiao En, turning to leave, but Qiao En pushed him away.

"You go out with the child first and wait for me for a while. I have a few words to say to mom."

Qiao En said softly.

Zhou Jin’an looked at Mrs. Zhou in surprise, "I’ll be waiting outside. If anything comes up, call out loudly for me."

Qiao En smiled and nodded, and only then did Zhou Jin’an leave the room.

As soon as he was gone, Qiao En walked over and locked the bedroom door.

"Mom, do you want some fruit?"

Qiao En took an apple from the fruit basket and asked Mrs. Zhou.

She coldly shook her head, "Did Shan Ning tell you?"

As Qiao En peeled the apple with a fruit knife, she smiled and said, "There was no need for him to tell me; I already knew it was you."