The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife-Chapter 494 - 497. Unexpected Gains (9 updates)

Zou Hongyang panicked even more the moment he heard they’d turn him over to the military, "Everything I’ve said is true, I didn’t lie to you."

"Just now I praised your intelligence, but you’re being foolish again. You should know that telling the truth is the best choice for you. Since I came to find you today, I have enough evidence. Do you think if you don’t speak up, I won’t be able to find out? Even if I can’t, the military won’t be able to? Think about what awaits you when they do find out. Make sure you understand."

Shen Qinglan spoke calmly, but her words turned Zou Hongyang’s face increasingly pale.

Zou Hongyang fell silent, and after a long time, he finally started to speak weakly, "It was a man. He approached me first, saying that if I uploaded the video online, he’d give me 50,000 yuan. I don’t know how I was so foolish to agree. I truly didn’t expect things to get so out of hand."

His family’s financial situation wasn’t good, and he paid his tuition with scholarship money. Beyond his studies, he also had to work part-time jobs to earn some pocket money for living expenses. A man offering 50,000 yuan out of the blue was an amount of money he had never seen before, and with that sum, he wouldn’t need to work part-time and could dedicate more time to his studies, so naturally, he was tempted.

Although he was aware that posting the video online would definitely affect the image of a soldier, he didn’t take it to heart. After all, there were plenty of other messages about soldiers fighting online, but only when the incident blew up did he realize something was wrong. However, by then, it was too late.

He contemplated retracting the video, but the man had threatened that if he did, he’d go to the school to expose him, claiming he maligned the image of the military deliberately. If the school found out, expulsion was inevitable, so Zou Hongyang could only choose to remain silent in the end.

These past few days had been difficult for him too, constantly checking the online comments and posts. Seeing the situation escalate was torture, but it was only when Tao Ran uploaded the second video and the public’s sentiment changed that he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps he hadn’t tarnished the image of the military completely. Could this reduce his guilt somewhat?

"What did that man look like?" Shen Qinglan inquired.

Zou Hongyang shook his head, "I don’t know; I never met him. All our communication was via phone, and he transferred the money directly to my card."

"And the video? How did he send it to you?"

"The video was sent directly to my email. I tried to track the sender’s IP, but couldn’t find anything." Zou Hongyang provided Shen Qinglan with the IP address to see if Jin Enxi could trace it, though there was a high probability they wouldn’t be able to.

"I’ve told you everything I know. Can you please not report me to the school or turn me over to the military? I truly realize my mistake now, and I promise I’ll never do anything like this again," Zou Hongyang pleaded.

Shen Qinglan looked intently into his eyes, "Everyone must take responsibility for their actions."

"But didn’t you say that if I told you everything, you wouldn’t turn me over to the military? You lied to me." Zou Hongyang’s anger flared upon hearing Shen Qinglan’s words.

"When did she ever say that?" Tao Ran interjected. She detested Zou Hongyang to her core at this point. The person behind this had ill intentions, and Zou Hongyang understood that too well but still chose to do it for his own selfish gain. People like him simply don’t deserve to be citizens of Z country.

"At any rate, you mustn’t turn me into the school or the military. If that happens, I’m finished. I worked so hard to get into C University; I don’t want to be expelled. I can help you find that man. If you don’t turn me over to the school or the military, I will contact that man for you, and then you can catch him," Zou Hongyang attempted to change Shen Qinglan’s mind.

Shen Qinglan remained unmoved. After all, whether she said anything or not, the military would eventually trace it back to Zou Hongyang. As for the man behind this, chances were he’d already left.

"This matter won’t stay undiscovered by the military just because I remain silent. Since I was able to find evidence, others can too. You might as well take the opportunity now, while they haven’t found you yet, and come clean about this. Strive for a more lenient treatment," Shen Qinglan said and then turned to leave, with Tao Ran following her. Zou Hongyang stood there, staring blankly at Shen Qinglan’s retreating figure, lost in thought.

"Hey, we haven’t formally introduced ourselves. I’m Tao Ran; what’s your name?"

"Shen Qinglan." Shen Qinglan parted her red lips slightly to utter the three words.

"How did you know it was Zou Hongyang behind this?" Tao Ran curiously asked.

"I did some private investigating."

"You’re amazing, being able to pinpoint him as the person behind this in such a short amount of time." Tao Ran also studied computer science and knew well how difficult such an investigation could be, especially after Zou Hongyang had hidden his IP address.

Shen Qinglan merely smiled. Jin Enxi was indeed outstanding in the field of computing.

"By the way, did the injured soldier brother go home?"

Shen Qinglan nodded, "He’s been sent home."

"What about the other one? He wasn’t punished after returning to the unit, was he?" With the incident having become so serious, Tao Ran couldn’t believe Gu Yang hadn’t been affected; most likely he was disciplined upon his return.

Fu Hengyi had already informed her about Gu Yang’s punishment, but Shen Qinglan didn’t share that with Tao Ran, "I’m not too sure about that, you might want to ask him yourself. But avoiding punishment is doubtful."

"Could you... could you..." Tao Ran hesitated, Shen Qinglan waited for her to continue, a subtle smile flickering in her eyes.

Tao Ran gritted her teeth and said, "Can you please plead with that soldier’s superior on my behalf? It wasn’t his fault, I can testify. Please ask them not to punish him severely." Tao Ran was aware that discipline in the military was strict. Once a soldier made a mistake, the punishment would only be more severe than that for ordinary citizens.

"This matter isn’t something I can decide, nor do I have the authority. But don’t worry, he won’t die."

Of course, Tao Ran knew that Gu Yang wouldn’t die. What she was concerned about wasn’t that. It was just... well, she actually had no idea what she was worried about; she just wanted to know how Gu Yang was doing.

"Then, could you give me that soldier’s contact information?" Tao Ran felt it would be better to ask Shen Qinglan than to ask around herself.

Shen Qinglan raised an eyebrow at her, and Tao Ran’s face turned red. "I’ve admired soldiers since I was young, and I just thought that soldier looked very impressive that day... The incident that day must have affected him, and I just wanted to check how he is," Tao Ran tried to explain, somewhat incoherently, and couldn’t help despising herself in her heart. Tao Ran, Tao Ran, it’s just asking for contact information, what is there to be nervous about?

The smile deepened in Shen Qinglan’s eyes, and she unhesitatingly gave Gu Yang’s WeChat ID to Tao Ran.

Tao Ran thanked her repeatedly, and Shen Qinglan waved her hand and left C University.

Shen Qinglan only found out about Zou Hongyang voluntarily admitting his mistake to the school principal on the third day. After the principal of C University learned about this matter, he directly contacted the military.

And just as Shen Qinglan had predicted, the military had already traced the issue to Zou Hongyang but hadn’t taken action before Zou Hongyang confessed his wrongdoing.

Because he admitted his mistake with a good attitude and voluntarily returned the 50,000 yuan, providing all contact information he knew about the man, the military didn’t make things hard for Zou Hongyang. However, the school still gave Zou Hongyang a warning, and he lost out on this year’s national scholarship.

Despite the disappointment, Zou Hongyang accepted the outcome, which was much better than going to jail.

"So, you suspect this man is an international spy?" Shen Qinglan asked Fu Hengyi, who nodded. An ordinary person wouldn’t need to do this. "This matter isn’t targeted at Gu Yang personally."

Shen Qinglan naturally knew that the matter wasn’t targeting Gu Yang personally. Although he was impulsive and his mouth could get him into trouble occasionally, angering people, ever since Gu Yang joined the military, he had been staying with his comrades, and soldiers are straightforward and simple-minded, not harboring malicious intentions nor would anyone deliberately target Gu Yang. Therefore, Shen Qinglan tended to agree with Fu Heng’s speculation.

"I had Enxi look up the IP address Zou Hongyang provided before, but there were no useful leads. Did you find anything?"

Fu Hengyi shook his head, his expression turning slightly grim, "The mobile number that man used to contact Zou Hongyang had fake registration information, untraceable. He’s very sly, probably an old hand at this."

Such results were entirely within Shen Qinglan’s expectations. If that man was really an international spy and they had found him so easily, they’d have been concerned about whether there was an ulterior motive behind it.

International spies are in every country, and it’s possible that a seemingly ordinary person beside you is a spy from another nation.

But these matters were not for the two of them to deal with. The state naturally had people specifically in charge of this area. So, once the issue was handed over to the national security bureau, Shen Qinglan and Fu Hengyi let it go from their minds.

Gu Yang received a disciplinary action from the military because of the video incident, and after five days of confinement, he returned home, as he was suspended for a month.

While he was idling at home, getting moldy, and thinking about whether to invite Gu Kai and the others out, he suddenly received a new friend request. Upon checking the profile, to his surprise, it was the red-clothed girl he had met on the train, and he accepted the request.

Half a month later, Gu Yang brought Tao Ran to see Shen Qinglan. Shen Qinglan glanced at Gu Yang and then at Tao Ran. Tao Ran was slightly bowing her head, her cheeks flushed, while Gu Yang grinned and put his arm around Tao Ran’s shoulders, "Sister-in-law, this is my girlfriend, Tao Ran. You two have met before, so I’ll skip the introductions."

Shen Qinglan was not surprised by the outcome. She had noticed it when Tao Ran asked for Gu Yang’s contact information, but she hadn’t expected the two to move so quickly and establish a relationship in just half a month.

But upon reflection, it made sense. Tao Ran was straightforward and decisive, while Gu Yang wasn’t the type to drag his feet. If they got along, the rest was just a natural progression.

"Are you serious?" Shen Qinglan asked, and Gu Yang patted his chest, "Of course, our relationship is aimed at marriage."

Although Tao Ran’s face was red, she also nodded along. At this time, she didn’t know the true identities of Gu Yang and Shen Qinglan, and always thought they were just ordinary people like her.

When Fu Hengyi heard about this from Shen Qinglan, he couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t expected to have facilitated a match.

**

Time flew by, and soon it was three months later.

Tong Yushi was over four months pregnant, nearly five. In the past few months, she had adhered to the agreement with Li Bomming and hadn’t sought out Fang Tong.

She only occasionally sent texts or called Li Bomming, all of which he ignored. She thought about looking for him but worried that it might annoy him, and if he truly started ignoring her, she would only be tormented further. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

That day, Li Bomming was accompanying Fang Tong to a prenatal checkup when they ran into Tong Yushi, who was also there for a prenatal exam.

Tong Yushi glanced at Fang Tong, then set her gaze on Li Bomming’s face, "Bomming."

Li Bomming looked cold, "What are you doing here?"

"I’m here for a prenatal checkup today," Tong Yushi said, "Our child is already over four months old." Her eyes held a hopeful look as she watched Li Bomming.

She didn’t consider Fang Tong’s feelings at all; since the truth was out and Fang Tong knew about the pregnancy, there was no point in hiding anything.

Tong Yushi had expected some reaction from Fang Tong upon hearing this, but to her surprise, she just stood there quietly, as if having heard nothing. This was different from what Tong Yushi had anticipated. She had even hoped that Fang Tong might make a scene in public.

Fang Tong had no reason to be angry. Li Bomming had been clear about the events of that night and his plans. Initially, Fang Tong had some sympathy for Tong Yushi, but her recent words had caused that bit of sympathy to vanish without a trace. She stood emotionlessly beside Li Bomming, playing the part of a wooden stake.

The last time she had seen Li Bomming and Fang Tong together, Fang Tong had been tender and affectionate towards him. Today, both were unusually silent; Fang Tong was stoic the entire time. Could it be that they had truly fallen out? With that thought, a glimmer of joy couldn’t help but appear in Tong Yushi’s eyes.

"Bomming, my parents already know about my pregnancy. They are very angry. They kept demanding to know the father’s identity and told me to abort the child. I..." When she spoke again, Tong Yushi had suppressed any sign of happiness, adopting a pitiable expression instead.

Li Bomming’s gaze shifted slightly, and he finally glanced at Tong Yushi. Her heart leaped with joy; clearly, Li Bomming wasn’t utterly indifferent to her. At the very least, he cared about the child in her womb. She thought to herself that no matter how callous a man might be, he would definitely care about his own child.

She touched her belly and, when Li Bomming wasn’t looking, cast a provocative glance at Fang Tong. Fang Tong remained like a wooden pole, unresponsive.

"Bomming, I’m a bit worried about getting a prenatal checkup alone. Could you accompany me?" Tong Yushi’s voice was soft and helpless as she spoke. She was testing the limits of both Li Bomming and Fang Tong.

Fang Tong finally reacted, lifting her head to look coldly at Tong Yushi, who sensed a flash of triumph. She had thought Fang Tong was utterly disheartened, but it seemed she was mistaken.

Li Bomming’s eyes moved faintly, and he looked down at Fang Tong, "Go wait for me in the car." Fang Tong had finished her checkup, and they were on their way home when they encountered Tong Yushi, who was just about to get her prenatal checkup.

Fang Tong sensed what Li Bomming was about to do. She opened her mouth to say something but, upon seeing the triumphant look in Tong Yushi’s eyes, the words died on her lips, and she nodded instead.

Li Bomming first escorted Fang Tong to the car, "Wait for me, I’ll be down soon."

"No problem, take your time."

Once he was sure she was settled, he turned back to find Tong Yushi.

Li Bomming took Tong Yushi directly to the second floor of the hospital, stopping at the elevator, where Tong Yushi grabbed Li Bomming, "Bomming, the prenatal checkup is on the fourth floor. Why did you bring me to the second?"

Li Bomming brushed off her hand, "The second floor houses the paternity testing center."

Tong Yushi’s face stiffened, "Bomming, I’m here for a prenatal checkup." She had completely forgotten about the paternity test.

"And I’m here for a paternity test," said Li Bomming indifferently. If it weren’t for the paternity test, he wouldn’t have bothered coming up.

"Bomming, there’s no rush with the paternity test. Let’s reschedule and do the prenatal today, I’ve already made an appointment with the doctor," Tong Yushi pleaded softly, clinging to Li Bomming’s sleeve. People around them were watching. With a pregnant belly and coming to the paternity testing center with a man, the reason was self-evident. She felt even the nurses’ glances were peculiar.

Li Bomming was unmoved by her pleading, "Either we do the paternity test now, or you never appear before me again."

Tong Yushi hadn’t expected Li Bomming to be so heartless. She clenched her teeth, "Fine, let’s do it."

Li Bomming had connections at this hospital, which made the paternity test convenient.

"Wait," Tong Yushi stopped the nurse, "Can I get a copy of the sample?" She was referring to Li Bomming’s blood sample.

A look of mockery flashed across Li Bomming’s eyes. Tong Yushi, feeling embarrassed, explained, "It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just... You know how important this is for us. It’s better to have another hospital confirm it too, don’t you agree?"

Li Bomming didn’t speak as he rolled up his sleeve again and let the nurse draw another tube of blood. Tong Yushi carefully placed the sample of Li Bomming’s blood into her bag; she wanted to take it to another facility herself. What if the hospital’s doctor had colluded with Li Bomming to produce a fake paternity test report to deceive her?

"Bomming, where are you going?" Tong Yushi called out to Li Bomming as he was about to leave. "I haven’t had my prenatal check-up yet."

"Fang Tong is still waiting for me downstairs; you can go on your own," Li Bomming said, shaking off Tong Yushi’s hand that was clutching at his clothes, and turned to go downstairs.

Tong Yushi stood alone in the corridor, facing the strange looks of others. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she tilted her head back slightly, struggling not to let them fall. Just you wait, once she proved to Li Bomming that the child in her womb was his, she wondered if he would still be so cold and indifferent towards her.

By then, Fang Tong would surely have a row with Li Bomming. Maybe after Fang Tong had their child, the two of them would end up divorcing. Thinking of this, Tong Yushi’s mood brightened somewhat, and she made her way upstairs alone for the prenatal check-up.

"Is everything taken care of?" Fang Tong asked. Li Bomming nodded, "The results will be available in a week, just bear with it a little longer."

Fang Tong smiled slightly. She didn’t mind at all; these past few months Tong Yushi hadn’t bothered her again, and her life had been quite comfortable.

"We won’t go back for dinner today, I’ll take you out. What do you feel like eating?"

For the last few months, Fu Fanghua had been in charge of Fang Tong’s diet, which was mostly bland and light. Even though Fang Tong loved her mother’s cooking, even that could become tedious after a while, so seizing the opportunity of being out, they decided to switch things up. Fang Tong thought for a bit, "I want to eat the Peking Duck from that place on Xinhua Road."

"Alright, then let’s have Peking Duck today." Li Bomming was always ready to fulfill Fang Tong’s wishes.

**

A week later, when Li Bomming received the paternity test report and saw the final results, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch, and a ruthless smile lurked in his eyes. For the first time, he took the initiative to call Tong Yushi.

Tong Yushi was at home doing prenatal yoga when she received Li Bomming’s call. She instantly smiled, "Bomming."

"The result of the paternity test is out, do you want to see it?" Li Bomming was straightforward.

"It doesn’t matter whether I see it or not, as long as you have." Tong Yushi spoke with a smile.

"I suggest you take a look."

"Shall I come to your place to pick it up?"

"Give me an address, and I’ll deliver it to you shortly." Some things were better said in person.

"Bomming, how would you not know where I live?" Tong Yushi said in a coquettish manner. She had previously been living right below the marital home of Li Bomming and Fang Tong, but after being unable to tolerate Tong Yushi’s repeated entanglements, Li Bomming bought a new house in a different residential area.

Li Bomming had no important matters that afternoon. After having lunch, he called Fang Tong to inform her of his plans before driving off.

Tong Yushi was waiting at home for Li Bomming early, having changed into a new outfit and applied light makeup.

Upon hearing the doorbell, she immediately went to answer it; as expected, it was Li Bomming standing outside.

"Come in and take a seat."

Li Bomming walked in slowly but didn’t sit down, instead, he directly handed the document he was holding to Tong Yushi.

Tong Yushi took it without looking and placed it on the coffee table, "Bomming, what would you like to drink? Tea? Coffee, or a soft drink?"

"There’s no need; I’ll just say a few words and go."

Seeing Li Bomming’s eagerness to leave, a hint of sadness flashed in Tong Yushi’s eyes, "Bomming, can’t you sit with me for a while?"

"I’ve left the paternity report here for you," Li Bomming began, his tone blunt. "The father of your child isn’t me. Whoever it should be, go find him. I hope you will keep your word and not bother me and Fang Tong anymore." Li Bomming didn’t want to waste time on Tong Yushi and spoke directly.