Chapter 509: Chapter 509 - 503: An Almost Indistinguishable Photo

Inconvenient?

What do you mean by inconvenient? How is it inconvenient?

Shi Su glanced at the time and asked, "Where is your Mr. Yi?"

The gentleman replied, "At the Mountain Spring Villa upfront, Mr. Yi has a social gathering tonight, just over there, and he knew you, Miss Shi Su, were here as well, so he sent us to invite you."

If Yi City wasn’t going to find her, it was just as well since she needed to talk to him about the incident involving Shi Wancheng from more than twenty years ago.

Shi Su herself used her phone to check his location via navigation. Indeed, it wasn’t far from here, but she glanced at that Mercedes SUV, then at her own car: "You lead the way, or we can navigate there ourselves, I’ll take my own car."

The two gentlemen nodded: "Alright."

Once they reached the Mountain Spring Villa, the two men in the car in front got out again, respectfully inviting her to get out, stopping only at the door, and politely said, "Miss Shi, Mr. Yi is inside, please."

Shi Su looked inside and indeed saw Yi City, who was talking to someone on a round sofa inside, also noticing her gaze, he glanced in her direction, raised his eyebrows, and nodded at her.

After confirming that the two men in the car didn’t relay any incorrect message, Shi Su turned and told Jun and Miss Chen to head back first.

She wasn’t sure how long her discussion there would take to avoid wasting their time.

"Alright, call us if you need anything, we’ll find somewhere nearby to eat first," Jun knew that Shi Su probably wouldn’t go hungry coming here, so having a meal would eventually be something left for her and Lin Chen to sort out on their own.

Shi Su entered, and Yi City had already risen to approach her. The two foreign gentlemen who had been seated with him on the round sofa turned to see her, nodded politely and moved to the other side.

This seemed like a recently concluded small business summit, albeit with a more relaxed atmosphere and environment. Most people were sitting in the villa’s first-floor living room, having tea and quietly discussing matters in various native languages.

After listening to a few exchanges, Shi Su sat with Yi City on another round sofa with fewer people nearby.

Yi City’s gaze swept toward the door and saw his car parked outside, and the two men who had picked up Shi Su were standing at the side of the car, smoking, backs facing his direction, discussing something unknown, with their faces hidden.

The villa’s waiter came to ask Shi Su if she wanted hot tea, room temperature lemon water, or coffee. Shi Su opted for lemon water and lifted her eyes to look at Yi City, who was gazing outward, "Why did you call for me?"

Yi City withdrew his gaze at her words and caught sight of the ring on her ring finger.

The last time, because Shi Su had just returned from filming, and the dance costume didn’t suit wearing other jewelry, she temporarily put the diamond ring in her bag, and only remembered to wear it again after showering at the Shi Family that night, though she wore it every day beyond then, it just happened that was the one night she didn’t.

A hint of self-mockery flashed through Yi City’s eyes as he looked at Shi Su, who once earnestly waited to marry him once she turned twenty...

He called his assistant over, received a dossier, and placed it on the marble round coffee table between them, speaking quietly, "I know you want to completely bring him down using these two angles, but there’s still a part of the evidence missing. I’ve sent people back to Jiang City to thoroughly investigate the personnel related to the incident from back then. Several have moved away from Jiang City, but they are still within the country. Based on their accounts and the evidence offered, it matches that incident my father mentioned back then closely. My father is retired abroad now and can’t return, but he’s aged, has been away from this circlesuffused with ambition and gain for years, and bears nothing to hide anymore. He gave me some information..."

Yi City looked at her, "Shi Wancheng is indeed a very cautious man, but no matter how cautious, he likely couldn’t imagine the indelible mark that incident left on both my father’s and his life over twenty years ago, particularly with his self-preserving choices, disregarding others. My father nearly got caught by the Jiang City’s Trade Commission because of this matter back then, but Shi Wancheng had returned to the capital This was a knot in my father’s heart, which now can exactly serve as a good card for you."

Shi Su opened the dossier, lowered her head to look through it, noticing among them was a copy of her mother’s ID card from back then, although already yellowed and blurry on the surface.

Her fingers gently caressed the almost unclear photo above.

Seeing Shi Su just looking without speaking, Yi City softly continued, "Susu, I know you wouldn’t ask anyone for help, least of all me, but since this matter involved my father back then, he is the most powerful witness around Shi Wancheng, making you have to suppress your aversion to see me. I won’t expect you to have any lingering feelings or affection for me again, but at least in the future, whether within or outside the circle, or in Jiang City, we’re still friends, should you require assistance, I..."

"I don’t need it," Shi Su continued the unfinished discussion she had at the Shi Family’s entrance that night, raised her eyes to him, placed the dossier in her bag, but showed no gratitude on her face: "This is what your dad and Shi Wancheng owe me, and of course, if you’re aiming for honesty, I reckon investigating these things does indeed require some effort, for which I do genuinely appreciate, but other than that, Yi City, there is nothing for us to discuss."

Yi City lightly clasped his hands, though not tightly, also not letting go, looking at her, wanting to call her name, yet his eyes fell on her ring finger, ultimately unable to voice it.

"Even if your father now undertakes these actions as a form of compensation, I understand his remorse over those blood-curdling experiences from his youth laced with ambition, but that doesn’t mean those events never happened. If he doesn’t want to be drawn into this matter, don’t let him return to Jiang City, and don’t let me see him," Shi Su calmly remarked: "Even though he is your father."

Yi City chuckled softly, "You truly give me no face."

His voice was low, yet also hoarse, realizing after all this time, Shi Su had never changed, just like that time in front of Yisu Villa, after witnessing him and Yunyin going inside, stood in the rain waiting for a while, and that version of her never looking back.

The music played here, beautiful and fluid light music surrounded them, standing a bit further away you couldn’t hear what was being discussed inside, the waiter had long gone to pour water at other seats.

There happened to be no other people nearby to interrupt, allowing for a normal conversation without needing to seek a private room with no one else present, and she didn’t want to be alone in a room with Yi City, to avoid rumors or by someone with ulterior motives capturing it, she was aware of her responsibilities as an artist.

"Is this necessary? What you want, I can’t give, and what I want, just happens that you own it, and also you feel guilt towards me, wanting to compensate, aiming to restore balance in our relationship. Whatever tasks or words you wish to convey, I can’t constrain, but I have no need to pretend to flatter either, some things can’t be acquired by just a smile your direction. It all depends on your willingness."

She looked at him coolly, not desiring many unnecessary talks: "Let’s discuss the main business, what did your father say, and can we fully reconstruct the events of the past? Since there’s always been a knot in his heart about them, over these years, there should be no shortage of evidence in his possession wanting to bring Shi Wancheng down."