Sheng Yan paused in his steps, turned to look at Qi Zhicheng, and said with a smile, "If I said it wasn't me, would you believe me?"
"Of course." Qi Zhicheng's prompt answer took Sheng Yan a bit by surprise. However, what Qi Zhicheng thought didn't really matter to him.
"But it doesn't matter anymore."
Let them think whatever they wanted.
"It does matter. How could it not?" Feng Qing walked out of the ward and gently closed the door behind her. "If it really wasn't you, you should tell me, shouldn't you?"
Feng Qing stood in front of him, firmly asking him back. How could there be someone who didn't want to prove their innocence?
Sheng Yan saw a glimmer of trust in her eyes, but it was just a tiny bit. It was hard - won, but unfortunately, this only bit of trust was also very fragile.
"I can only say that it wasn't me who told your father, but this matter is related to me. I can't shake off my responsibility."
Feng Qing frowned slightly and asked him, "So you won't tell me who that person is?"
"Right, I won't say." He smiled, a bit playfully. "Just consider it as compensation for my being misunderstood. I'm also sorry about what happened to your father."
Feng Qing didn't press further and watched Sheng Yan leave. Only after Sheng Yan was completely out of sight did she ask Qi Zhicheng, "In your opinion, is the person he mentioned Sheng Sibai or Sheng Qingran?"
"Both are possible, but I'm more inclined to Sheng Qingran."
"Why?"
"Sheng Sibai has no grudges against the chairman. There's a generation gap between them, and there's no need for him to do such a thing. He can't gain anything from it."
Hearing what Qi Zhicheng said, Feng Qing just felt even more confused. "Are you saying that Sheng Qingran can gain something from it?"
The Sheng family's business was passed down in one line. Although they were their competitors, if her father really had an accident, they wouldn't be the beneficiaries. So how could they gain anything?
Qi Zhicheng hesitated for a long time but finally told Feng Qing something she had never known under her innocent and expectant look.
"You seem to have underestimated the Sheng family. As far as I know, this isn't the first time they've targeted Fengxing." Qi Zhicheng had a serious face, and what he said sounded much more serious than what Feng Qing had thought.
"The chairman sent you abroad in a hurry back then because of them, too."
Qi Zhicheng didn't say much because this single piece of information was enough to make Feng Qing feel bewildered.
Feng Qing just couldn't figure out that her father had sent her abroad because of the Sheng family.
If it was just a normal collision in the business field, it would be okay. But the Sheng family and Fengxing had no overlapping business, so this wasn't a matter of business but a personal one.
Most likely, Sheng Qingran had a personal grudge against her father. Five years ago, her father sent her away when he sensed the danger. Five years later, when her father was lying in the hospital bed, he still sent that 'shocking secret' to strike him and almost cause his death.
What kind of deep - seated hatred could make Sheng Qingran so cruel?
Even long after Lawrence left with Cathy, Feng Shengyang still had a smile on his face, which was in sharp contrast to Feng Qing's worried look.
"What's wrong with you? Why do you look so pale after going out?" After Cathy's visit, Feng Shengyang's spirit had improved a lot, and his voice was full of energy when he spoke.
Feng Qing didn't even try to hide her worry. After sitting down on the chair, afraid that her father wouldn't tell the truth, she decided to approach the topic indirectly.
"Dad, could you tell me something about you and Mom? Was I as cute as Cathy when I was a kid?"
Feng Shengyang didn't expect Feng Qing to ask this. His smile froze for a second. It seemed that he remembered something, and he didn't really want to talk about it.
Feng Qing noticed it, and was just about to say never mind, but Feng Shengyang still spoke.
"Your mom and I met during a blind date." Feng Shengyang recalled that past time. It seemed that the air was sweet. Just the illusion of it made him feel happy.
"She was very beautiful, even more beautiful than you. She was also very gentle, but she didn't like to smile. We got married soon, and you were born the next year. Our family of three should have been very happy."
Seeing that Feng Shengyang seemed a bit unhappy, Feng Qing quickly apologized. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."
"It's okay," Feng Shengyang waved his hand. "I haven't thought about your mom for a long time. Maybe she's scolding me for not thinking about her."
"Before I was rushed to the emergency room, I was thinking that if I just went to see your mom like this, and if she asked me who I married and how our baby was, how could I answer? I couldn't say I didn't know. So I insisted on coming back. After seeing your family, I could give an account to your mom."
Feng Qing's eyes were red. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. "But you still can't give an account now. You have to stay by my side."
"Yeah, I can't give an account. Your mom doesn't want to see me."
After saying this, Feng Shengyang clearly didn't want to talk anymore. Feng Qing didn't bother him and went outside the ward to call Qi Zhicheng.
"Are you sure you want to know? I must remind you that those old matters may not cause a butterfly effect, but there must be parts you can't accept, maybe even a large part. Are you sure you still want to investigate?"
Qi Zhicheng had considered this very carefully. He had been worried about this from the beginning, but now he still wanted to leave the decision - making power to Feng Qing.
And Feng Qing was more decisive than he had thought. "Even if it's Pandora's box, I'm going to open it."
She must know the truth of that year.
"I'll tell you after I find out."
Feng Shengyang's condition gradually stabilized. Feng Qing still shuttled between home, the hospital, and the company. To prevent a recurrence of the previous situation, she specially hired four bodyguards to take turns guarding outside the ward, fundamentally preventing external factors that might affect her father's mood.
Lawrence's visa expired. Since all his focus was in the United States, he decided to return to the US as scheduled.
"You can think it over carefully. It's okay." Lawrence hugged Cathy and said goodbye to Feng Qing. Before leaving, he comforted Feng Qing that she could take her time to consider.
He thought there was no need to be in a hurry, but Feng Qing couldn't stop being anxious.
If she didn't divorce Lawrence, Lawrence couldn't marry Joy. The child was surely going to follow Lawrence, but she was a bit reluctant to part with Cathy.
Back and forth, she was annoyed by her own entanglement. "Human emotions are so troublesome."
It had been two weeks since Lawrence and Cathy returned to the US. Every day when she got home from work and saw the empty house, she still felt a sense of loss. Fortunately, Sheng Yan didn't cause any trouble for her, allowing her to spend a long time in a boring but comfortable state.
Qi Zhicheng contacted her again almost a month later.
"I think you may need to prepare yourself mentally."
After taking a deep breath, Feng Qing immediately said, "I'm prepared. Just tell me."
"Your mother and Sheng Qingran were lovers many years ago."