She is the most beautiful rose

Chapter 326 How could we possibly let you off so easily now?

The following day, heavy rain fell and a biting wind blew.

Shen Manzhi sneezed before leaving the house.

She did catch a chill, so she changed her long skirt into a sweater and trousers, and her high heels into ankle boots.

Qin Yanfeng sent a message saying he would arrive in Huaicheng at 7 p.m.

She parked her car at a busy traffic light intersection and looked at the familiar cars on both sides and behind her.

Has it become this blatant?

This wasn't the first time Shen Manzhi had come to the Qin family's old house alone.

This time, the old man did not come out to greet him. He sat on the sofa with a pale face and a haggard expression, with a blanket covering his legs, showing signs of fatigue from post-operative recovery.

His eyes lit up when he saw people come in, and Uncle Ye, who was standing to the side, quickly stepped forward to help the old man up, saying, "Why did you bring a gift when it's just a simple meal?"

Shen Manzhi's mind raced. She put down the gift box in her hand and went over to help the old man. "I heard you like this pastry shop."

The old man smiled gently and said, "Is that what Ayan said?"

Shen Manzhi's expression remained unchanged as she joined them at the dining table. "You mentioned it to me before; it just so happens that you have a friend at Chunxi."

"Have a heart."

Chunxi's pastries are renowned, but they are located far from the city center in the suburbs of Huaicheng, and are available in limited quantities, usually requiring pre-orders several days in advance.

This wasn't just intentional; she was also responding to the old man's words, implying that Qin Yanfeng was unaware of her presence here.

Qin Xianguo was clearly pleased and turned around to signal, "Bring Ruan Ruan down for dinner."

Shen Manzhi raised an eyebrow.

Not only did the little dumpling come down, but Qin Deyang, whom I had rarely seen before, was also there.

"Pretty sister!"

Ruan Ruan ran towards Shen Manzhi.

She's a beautiful older sister I like no matter how many times I see her or when I see her.

"I miss you so much!"

It was so sweet it made one's heart feel like it was filled with honey. Shen Manzhi picked up the little dumpling and smiled gently, "Sister missed you too."

"I heard Ah Yan is away on a business trip?"

Shen Manzhi then looked at the man walking behind her, "Uncle, yes, he won't be back until tonight."

The old man spoke up, inviting everyone to sit down at the table, "Let's eat first."

With Qin Zhen away, and the little dumpling clinging tightly to Shen Manzhi, she spent most of her time taking care of the child. The old man's pale face showed a rare hint of health as he smiled kindly, "You and Ayan both really like children."

Shen Manzhi turned her head to wipe the stuff off Ruan Ruan's chin, and smiled slightly, "I like Ruan Ruan."

She politely declined her elders' urging to have children.

Qin Xianguo laughed and said, "It seems that Ayan is too busy."

Shen Manzhi nodded, "It's the age for striving."

The old man was slightly taken aback.

Qin Deyang, who was sitting in the lower seat, finally spoke up, "Dad, these young people have their own ideas."

The old man gave him a look, pursed his lips and said seriously, "Yes, if anyone should be urged, it's you. You're over thirty and you still haven't brought anyone back."

This is not even worth acting.

Shen Manzhi glanced at the young man.

Qin Deyang corrected him, "He just turned thirty last year."

The old man frowned at Shen Manzhi, "Look at him, what can we expect from him?"

She agreed, saying, "My uncle has even more things to do."

“Ayan has taken over most of the company’s projects now, so your uncle has time to come and keep this old man company on weekends. What does he have to be busy with?”

Qin Deyang calmly got up to serve the old man some rice. "Yes."

Shen Man smiled but did not respond, and the meal suddenly became somewhat tasteless.

Qin Yanfeng's absence was also the old man's intention, but the conversation revolved entirely around him.

But her purpose in coming here was not to exchange pleasantries.

After dinner, Ruan Ruan kept pestering her, and she looked at Qin Xianguo.

"I know you'll spend some time playing with Ruan Ruan; it's a rare treat to come all this way."

He made no mention of what he had told Shen Manzhi on the phone yesterday about inviting her to the old house.

Ruan Ruan blinked her grape-like eyes at her, "Sister."

Shen Manzhi could only agree.

After playing in the toy room for a while, the child started to get sleepy, rubbing his eyes and snuggling into Shen Manzhi's arms.

"Sister, it's time to sleep."

She picked the little one up and patted his back. "Let's go."

Familiar places always offer a sense of security, even though... I haven't been here many times.

Ruan Ruan blinked as she looked at her brother's room, then suddenly remembered, "Where's my brother?"

"He is very busy."

"Oh," the little dumpling yawned, "Sister, have you ever argued with your brother before?"

Shen Manzhi put her on the bed, turned around to turn on the air conditioner, paused for a moment, thinking that she should set the right values ​​for the child, and then smiled and said, "No, what's wrong?"

"But my brother was so sad that day."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she knelt down beside the bed, looking intently at Ruan Ruan. "When?"

The little dumpling tilted its head and said, "It's been a long, long time."

A child's "good time" doesn't necessarily mean a long time.

But when will Qin Yanfeng be sad?

Shen Manzhi's eyes narrowed slightly. Was it during the time they were separated?
Ruan Ruan leaned in and kissed her cheek, "Sister, don't be angry with brother."

Shen Manzhi came to her senses and said softly and gently, "Why would my sister be angry with him?"

She left first; he should be the one who's angry.

It was my first time taking care of a child. I finally managed to get him to sleep and put him in bed, but when I came out, the living room was completely empty.

It was already four o'clock in the afternoon.

Shen Manzhi stood on the balcony, where the rain continued to fall.

"Young Madam, the old gentleman is waiting for you next door."

Yeshu came in from outside and gestured for her to follow. They continued playing chess.

The old man must have rested for a while; he looks much better now.

"Come on, Manzhi, play a game with Grandpa."

Last time, it was a black and white chess endgame.

This time, it's a fresh start for the Chu-Han Contention.

“It’s been more than half a month since I last saw you and Ayan together at the hospital.”

Shen Manzhi sat down opposite her, calmly pushing the cart. "You're feeling much better now."

"As long as you younger generation are doing well, I don't care what happens to my health."

We've come full circle back to this topic.

“Ayan has been coming more frequently lately,” the old man sighed as he crossed the river on horseback. “You must have some grudge in your heart, which is why you don’t want to see me.”

Shen Manzhi lowered her eyes, "Haven't we already explained everything before?"

“What I’m saying,” the old man suddenly said, dramatically confronting her with a screen-like formation of soldiers, his gesture abrupt but his tone gentle, “is something that happened twenty years ago.”

Shen Manzhi was slightly taken aback, but then slowly moved the horse with its head in a zigzag pattern to restrict the opponent's movements.

Before deciding to get engaged to Qin Yanfeng last year, the old man had a private talk with her about her mother, Zhan Yunqing.

She remained calm and composed, saying, "Since it concerns my mother, how could I possibly hold a grudge against you?"

“A group of people fell in Huaicheng recently. In fact, it wasn’t just Huaicheng. Those who planned your mother’s car accident twenty years ago have all been imprisoned.”

Shen Manzhi raised her eyes, her gaze already somewhat cold.

"So you've always known that my mother's death wasn't an accident?"

They also knew that Shen Manzhi was the one who orchestrated everything behind the scenes.

Qin Xianguo looked at her with concern, "Child, I only briefly mentioned your mother's death back then because I didn't want you to carry hatred into this situation."

Shen Manzhi's expression was cold and stern, showing no sign of evasion.

“Your mother’s matter involves your maternal grandparents,” Qin Xianguo frowned, speaking slowly. “I am indeed very surprised that you could go this far. You should also know that the group that planned your mother’s car accident is related to your maternal grandparents’ suicide case.”

He sighed, “These people are already heinous criminals, from your maternal grandparents to your mother… how could they possibly let you off so easily now?”

It seems that only Shen Manzhi can avenge what happened back then.

It was only a matter of time before they found out.

She asked softly, "And what about you?"

Her only lingering resentment stemmed from her suspicion that the Qin family was also behind the Zhan couple's case.

Qin Xianguo looked compassionate. "You actually found out, didn't you? But you haven't taken any action against the Qin family."

Shen Manzhi remained noncommittal.

Although it was not inappropriate for the old man to withdraw from the cooperation and cut his losses in time under the circumstances, this was precisely the root cause of the broken capital chain.

Whether she was an outsider or a participant, she couldn't figure it out; she could only confront them directly.

"What was the real reason you agreed to this marriage in the first place?"

It is true, as he said, that he had worked with the Zhan couple before and was entrusted by them to protect her.

Or is it because he feels guilty about what he did back then, or... he wants to use this marriage relationship to ensnare her?
Qin Xianguo looked at the evenly matched moves on the chessboard, then withdrew his attacking piece. "I want you and Ayan to be well."

Shen Manzhi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly chuckled to herself.

"Then why were other people placed around him later?"

Her tone was relatively gentle, but the topic was inevitably a bit sharp; in fact, the answer was already obvious.

What else could it be? It's just that he realized the path of cultivating feelings through marriage was not working, so he casually abandoned her and then dragged Qin Yanfeng into other relationships based on mutual interests.

Ultimately, they are all just pawns.

When I left the old house, the rain had stopped, the sky was getting overcast, and dark clouds were gathering.

As soon as they entered the city, Shen Manzhi slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road.

She indifferently looked away from the rearview mirror, rolled down the car window, and leaned over to take out the cigarettes she had bought the night before from the glove compartment.

The old man didn't give her an answer, he only said one sentence.

From the very beginning, I said that once you married into the Qin family, as long as I'm alive, I will protect you.

Should we protect her, or control her?

Shen Manzhi lowered her long eyelashes slightly, raised her hand to cover her lips, and was about to light the fire when Qin Yanfeng called.

Don't take your anger out on him.

Her mind focused slightly, she glanced sideways at the lit phone, and through the billowing smoke, swiped to answer, her voice rising slightly, "Hmm?"

She won't answer if it's a video call.

"Boarding is about to begin."

She replied in a low voice, "Mmm."

Qin Yanfeng paused for half a second, sensing something was wrong, "Where are you?"

Shen Manzhi looked into the distance. "Outside."

Before he could speak, she said, "We're going to Kyōwei later, so I won't be picking you up."

Qin Yanfeng stroked the wedding ring on his ring finger and whispered his agreement.

Shen Manzhi's expression gradually faded. After smoking half a cigarette in the car, he heard the roar of a motorcycle approaching from afar.

More than one.

She reached out and connected to the car's Bluetooth to play music, then started the car and sped off, the wheels splashing tiny droplets of water as they rolled over the asphalt.

The motorcycles behind her were hot on her heels, some even riding to her side and frequently cutting off her path when she slowed down.

She smirked and turned the steering wheel to the side. Just as the other rider got close, she suddenly swerved back. The motorcyclist reacted quickly to avoid her, but the double yellow lines on the wet road caused the motorcycle to overturn, and the rider and motorcycle fell more than ten meters.

As the music transitioned to the chorus, Shen Manzhi, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, gave a flippant whistle and slowed down, heading towards a side road off the main road.

Dark clouds loomed over the city, and torrential rain poured down.

The streetlights appeared even dimmer in the rain, and almost no other vehicles passed through the narrow side road.

Shen Manzhi turned on the headlights and stopped at the roadside, slowly zipping up his jacket all the way and then putting on his baseball cap.

In just a short while, the motorcycle convoy behind her had surrounded her car.

She slowly pulled an iron rod used for binding ribbons from under the seat, held it in her hand, and pushed open the car door.

Rainwater dampened the embers of the cigarette. Shen Manzhi squinted slightly, raised her hand to extinguish it, and as she stepped on it, she looked up. Her cold, deep eyes, hidden in the gray shadows, were captivating.

The next second, a spinning kick sent raindrops flying from her body, and she took the initiative.