Chapter 1524: Chapter 1524: Recreating the Scene from That Year
The small recording device was placed on the desk, some distance away from Shen Chi’s hand.
He didn’t reach for it. Suddenly, he thought—truth... what exactly is the truth? And what meaning does knowing the truth even hold?
"Mr. Shen, if you don’t want to listen, I can tell you about it," Miao Xiu said as he stood before him.
The recordings in the device had all been listened to, from beginning to end.
Miao Xiu didn’t consider himself sentimental, but after hearing them, an indescribable feeling stirred in his chest.
"Is there anything else?" Shen Chi asked.
"Yes, there are photos and personal belongings, but they’re all in Qing City," Miao Xiu replied. "The house has been sealed off. If you want to see them, I’ll arrange for someone to accompany you. The things Xu Mengxi said to Mrs. Shen before her death are all recorded in the device."
"Did she know about her daughter’s current condition?"
"From what I heard in the recordings, yes, she knew."
"Then why wouldn’t she even want to see her own daughter? How could there be such a heartless mother?" Shen Chi’s eyes reddened, his emotions caught somewhere between anger and sorrow.
Xu Chaomu often told him that her mother was so good to her, that her mother loved her very much, and that she missed her mother dearly...
But Xu Mengxi? Did she truly love Xu Chaomu so much?
Did she not realize how much Xu Chaomu had missed her over all these years, waking up from dreams longing for her?
"No... Mr. Shen, how about you let me finish explaining?" Miao Xiu suggested.
"I’ll make a call." Shen Chi reached for his phone on the desk.
It wasn’t anyone else he was calling—it was Zhou Ran.
Zhou Ran was at the Luo Family’s hospital, talking to a doctor alone.
"Achi, what’s the matter?" Zhou Ran answered the call.
"Mom, could you come to my office? I need to talk to you."
Zhou Ran felt a jolt in her heart. She knew her son’s temperament—it seemed something serious had come up.
"What’s the matter? I’m with your dad’s attending physician here."
"It’s important. I’ll wait for you." With that, Shen Chi hung up.
Miao Xiu had heard everything. Clearly, Shen Chi intended to hear the full truth. Back then, only Xu Mengxi and Zhou Ran were the direct parties involved.
Though Zhou Ran was puzzled, she instructed the driver to take her to Shen Group.
She hadn’t been there in years, but still remembered where Shen Chi’s office was.
She headed directly upstairs, brought up personally by Ruan Hang.
Entering the office, she was surprised to see a young man she didn’t recognize.
"Hello, Mrs. Zhou," Miao Xiu greeted first.
"Hello, and you are..."
"I’m Shen Chi’s friend, Miao Xiu."
Shen Chi didn’t object, only speaking flatly, "Mom, take a seat."
Zhou Ran sat down on the sofa, casting a quick glance across the office.
She didn’t notice anything special, just some items brought by the young man named Miao Xiu.
"Did you need something?" Zhou Ran smiled faintly.
Today, Zhou Ran wore a dark purple dress, her hair elegantly tied at the back of her head. She still exuded that same air of nobility, composure, and grace.
However, when she saw the heaviness in Shen Chi’s expression, she paused internally—something must have happened.
Shen Chi didn’t speak, giving Miao Xiu a look.
Miao Xiu understood and handed over the folder in his hand to Zhou Ran.
"Mrs. Zhou, take a look at these. You’ll understand."
Skeptical, Zhou Ran accepted the folder and began flipping through its contents.
Various documents, identification files, and photographs...
The moment her eyes landed on the photographs, her hand shook, and all the files in her grasp fell to the ground!
With a loud "thud," the items landed, plunging the office into an eerie silence.
On the floor, atop the scattered files, was a photo of Xu Mengxi—her smile faint, just as she had seemed all those years ago.
After all these years, Zhou Ran instantly recognized her as Xu Mengxi—though time had washed away her youthful fairness and innocence.
In that moment, Zhou Ran understood everything. Her son had found Xu Mengxi, and all the truths she had tried to keep hidden were now laid bare.
Her heart raced uncontrollably, as if it were suddenly trapped in her throat. She could even hear the sound of her heartbeat!
Zhou Ran tried desperately to calm herself, bending down to retrieve the thick pile of documents scattered on the floor.
Beneath the photograph was another file. Its contents confirmed that Xu Mengxi had passed away at the start of last month.
Zhou Ran found her emotions slipping out of control. All these years, she hadn’t known if Xu Mengxi was alive or dead, and now this news hit her out of nowhere, leaving her vision momentarily dark.
She held her head, attempting to stabilize herself for a long, long time.
Miao Xiu, perceptive as ever, poured Zhou Ran a cup of tea. "Mrs. Zhou, have some tea."
Zhou Ran accepted the cup, though her hands were still trembling slightly.
For someone usually so composed, what she encountered today had pushed beyond even her expectations.
For a moment, the office was completely silent.
After what felt like forever, Zhou Ran placed the files on the sofa and said to Shen Chi, "You know everything now."
Shen Chi’s gaze was deep, like a bottomless pool, impossible to fathom.
"I don’t know as much as you do," Shen Chi replied indifferently.
"What do you want to ask me?" Zhou Ran looked at him, knowing that, at this point, many things could no longer be hidden.
"Miao Xiu, what were you just about to tell me?" Shen Chi redirected his attention to Miao Xiu.
Miao Xiu sat down, his expression solemn and serious—a stark contrast to his usual carefree demeanor. "Mr. Shen, I can recount the events of the past for you. However, if I get anything wrong along the way, I hope Mrs. Zhou can correct me."
Zhou Ran didn’t speak. It seemed Shen Chi still didn’t know the full story.
He had brought her here clearly to hear the truth and uncover the missing details.
Miao Xiu began, "Seventeen years ago, before the gas explosion, Xu Mengxi was indeed with Mrs. Zhou. Prior to that, Xu Mengxi had encountered Mrs. Zhou at the hospital while picking up medicine."
"It was during that visit to the hospital that Xu Mengxi saw Mrs. Zhou. There wasn’t any conflict between them at the time—they just casually talked. Xu Mengxi knew Mrs. Zhou had a good family background and that marrying Mr. Shen had only improved her life. Unlike her, who lived in the countryside with her illegitimate daughter. She watched her daughter struggling in life but was powerless to change anything. To make matters worse, it was during this time that she was diagnosed with cancer at the hospital, with the doctor saying she only had a few years to live."
"As they chatted, Xu Mengxi grew emotional. Although Mrs. Zhou held some resentment toward her because of past affairs, they had once been the best of friends."
Miao Xiu narrated the events piece by piece to Shen Chi, as if piecing together the scene from back then.
Shen Chi remained silent; it seemed Xu Mengxi had laid everything bare in the recordings.
Miao Xiu continued, "Because Xu Mengxi was eager to return to the countryside, she arranged to meet Mrs. Zhou again a few days later. Xu Mengxi was a clever woman—she understood that Mrs. Zhou resented her because Mr. Shen had never completely let her go."
"Mrs. Zhou eventually agreed. After all, they had been friends, and Xu Mengxi had terminal cancer."
At this point, Zhou Ran lowered her head slightly, without refuting a word.