On the other side of town, Wang Ye, the Chief of the Chengyang County Public Security Bureau, stared blankly at his phone for a long while. Suddenly, he shot up and with a loud BANG, hurled the ashtray from his desk.

Across the room, a glass pane on an aluminum cabinet shattered on impact, its shards clattering to the floor. The broken glass obliquely reflected his face, which was contorted with rage and an uncontrollable, spiraling anxiety.

"Chief, what happened…?" This scene instantly alarmed several people outside the office, who rushed in to ask. When they saw the scattered glass and the ashtray with its corner smashed in, their faces filled with shock and panic.

What in the world is going on?

"Get out," Wang Ye growled, waving a dismissive hand at them.

"But, Chief…" one of them started, wanting to ask more.

"I told you to get out! Are you deaf?" Wang Ye's expression turned frigid as he barked at them. He was clearly in no mood for explanations.

"Oh, right… Chief, we'll go then. Please call us if you need anything." Jolted by his roar, the men shuddered. They exchanged a bewildered glance before quickly retreating from the room.

After they left, Wang Ye collapsed back into his chair, utterly drained. He closed his eyes for a long time before finally, slowly opening them. Shaking his head, he muttered through clenched teeth, "That goddamn idiot Wang Dazhi… He almost got me killed. Thank God I was lucky this time."

Mr. Chen! How could anyone dare to meddle in his affairs? How many lives did a small fry like Wang Ye have? If this wasn't Wang Dazhi setting him up to take the fall, what was?

At the same time, Chen Fei finally arrived at the xxx residential area and hurried home.

"Xiaofei, you're back! Come, sit down. Are you tired from the trip? Let Aunt Deng get you a glass of water," Aunt Deng said with a warm smile, greeting him the moment he walked in.

"Aunt Deng, you're here too. There's no need, really… Where's my mom?" Chen Fei said, shaking his head before asking.

"I'm in the kitchen. You're back?"

Just as Aunt Deng was about to answer, Lin Ling's voice drifted out from the kitchen. A moment later, she emerged wearing an apron, a chiding smile on her face. "Look at you, just look at what you're wearing. Haven't I told you to buy yourself some decent, presentable clothes? What will people think, seeing you so scruffy?"

"Exactly, Xiaofei. You're so handsome, and it's not like you're short on money. You should dress yourself up a bit better. How else will you attract any young women, right?" Aunt Deng added, chiming in with the sagely tone of an experienced elder as she eyed his cheap, street-stall clothes.

"Mom! Aunt Deng, what are you two talking about? I was in a hurry to get back; I didn't have time to think about all that," Chen Fei said, a wry smile on his face. Then his expression turned serious. "Mom, what exactly happened today? Who was that guy from Capital City? And that deputy chief of the Xicheng Police Station, Wang Dazhi—did he run off?"

"It was nothing, really. Just someone who came by trying to scare me a little. It's all over now," Lin Ling said, deliberately downplaying the incident.

"Mom, can you please not change the subject? Tell me what really happened," Chen Fei said with a hint of exasperation.

"That's right, Little Lin. Those people were clearly here to cause trouble. Why aren't you telling Xiaofei?" Aunt Deng suddenly interjected, her voice filled with indignation. "If you won't tell him, I will! Xiaofei, just a little while ago…"

She had seen the whole thing from start to finish. It was obvious those men were looking for trouble! What was there to hide? And that Wang Dazhi, the deputy chief of the Xicheng Police Station who only knew how to bully ordinary folks like them—the man had smashed her phone to smithereens! He should be made to pay for it!

"Sister Deng…" Lin Ling hadn't expected her friend to speak up like that. She shook her head but didn't try to stop her.

A mother knows her son best. She was well aware of his personality; if she didn't tell him, he would find out through other channels anyway. There was no point in hiding it.

Just then, Aunt Deng began to recount the detailed events she had witnessed, leaving nothing out.

"Aunt Deng, are you saying those people from Capital City nearly hit my mother? And the police stood by, twisting the truth and trying to arrest her?" A deep chill spread across Chen Fei's face, and a murderous glint appeared in his eyes. His voice became as cold as ice shards clattering on the ground.

As her son, how could he not know his mother's personality and character? He could figure it out with his eyes closed; this was undoubtedly a case of foul play.

"Yes, Xiaofei, you have no idea how arrogant that man was. Not only was he threatening your mother, but he kept going on about the 'Old Chen Family, Old Chen Family,' as if they were incredibly powerful," Aunt Deng said indignantly.

"The Old Chen Family?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fei froze. From Capital City, and talking about the 'Old Chen Family'... Could it be…

"Sister Deng, that's enough," Lin Ling suddenly cut in.

"Oh… alright then." Sensing the change in Lin Ling's tone, Aunt Deng hesitated for a moment before obediently falling silent. At her age, she had enough basic perceptiveness to see that Lin Ling truly did not want to continue the topic. But Chen Fei wasn't about to let it go.

"Mom, I'm your son. Is there really something you can't tell me?" he asked slowly, his eyes, as dark and clear as black glaze, fixed on her.

"It's not that, I…" Lin Ling's expression became conflicted. It wasn't that she didn't want to say anything; rather, she had grown so used to the silence that she no longer knew how.

"Sigh."

After a moment, she sighed and shook her head. "Sister Deng, could you please keep an eye on the food in the kitchen for me?" Then, turning to her son, she said, "You, come with me."

"Oh, okay." Seeing that his mother was finally willing to tell him the truth, a sharp glint flashed in Chen Fei's eyes. He followed her into his room.

Upon entering, Lin Ling picked up a photo frame from the desk that held a picture of Chen Fei as a child. A soft, nostalgic look filled her eyes. She turned back to him and said gently, "You must have many questions in your heart… Ask whatever you want to know. I'll tell you."

"Alright then, Mom, I'm asking."

Hearing this, Chen Fei's dark, glaze-like eyes flickered. "Why would someone from the Chen Family of Capital City be looking for you? How… do they know you?"

"I knew you would ask that," Lin Ling said, shaking her head. "But they weren't here to look for me. They were… here to look for you."

"For me?"

Chen Fei was stunned. "Why would they be looking for me? I don't have any grudges or connections with them, do I?" He was clearly puzzled, not understanding the implication of her words.

"That's because… never mind. Let me tell you a story first," Lin Ling said.

"A story?"

Chen Fei was startled again, but his mother had already begun, her eyes filled with sorrow and nostalgia. "Over twenty years ago, a country girl was accepted into a prestigious university in Capital City. Carrying dreams of a bustling world and a bright future, she came to the city alone. There, she met the first man in her life who ever made her heart flutter, and they quickly fell in love…"

Hearing this, Chen Fei shuddered violently, his gaze filled with intense shock and a storm of complex emotions.

"He was brilliant, the president of the student council at the time. He was also incredibly romantic and touching. He would wait outside her dormitory in the freezing cold, well before dawn, just to bring her a hot breakfast he had made with his own hands. And so, later on, she became pregnant. They had a child together," Lin Ling said, her body trembling slightly at the memory.

Then, her voice abruptly became cold and detached. "However, the happy life she had imagined never came, because he didn't want the child. He wanted her to have an abortion, but she refused. This was the fruit of their love, his own flesh and blood. How could she bear to part with it?

"But it was only then that she suddenly realized he had hidden so many things from her. For example, he came from a very large, prominent family in Capital City. Not only that, he was of the Direct Lineage, someone who received great attention and held a high status. Therefore, it was impossible for him to ever end up with a simple country girl like her. The two of them were simply not a match.

"From that day forward, their conflicts became more pronounced with each passing day. She truly couldn't bear to get rid of the child in her belly, but his insistence was so firm that she grew disheartened and disillusioned. In the end, heavily pregnant, she chose to leave him. Amid the jeers and whispers of her classmates, she completed the paperwork to withdraw from the university. With a baby on the way, she could no longer attend classes… It's truly a shame, when I think about it.

Hearing this, Chen Fei's fingernails dug so deep into his palms they nearly drew blood. The chilling light in his eyes was terrifying, but he bit down hard on his trembling lip, not wanting to interrupt his mother's story.

"Later, because her child had no father and her education was unfinished, she was too ashamed to return home. She had to swallow her pride and remain in Capital City alone. With the help of a very kind-hearted elderly couple, she found a place to live and a relatively easy job. She had food to eat and slowly managed to get by. She lived this way for about three years. In that time, her child was born and grew to be over a year old."

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