Kindness

"Thank you!" Xue Chen looked at Mother Lin and the guilelessly smiling man behind her. Suddenly, he felt a crack appear in his heart, which had once seemed frozen over...

Kindness

"Here are the files you wanted." Fan Tianwen placed a thick stack of document folders in front of Xue Chen, then added, "But there are some other things I need to tell you."

Xue Chen glanced at the document folders on the table, his face expressionless. "What is it?"

"This may be me being overly suspicious, but while I was at it, I looked into your background and found these. Consider them a bonus." As Fan Tianwen spoke, he took a videotape and several newspaper clippings from his pocket and placed them before Xue Chen. "Sometimes, if you look a little further ahead, you'll find that many things you couldn't understand before will become clear."

Xue Chen said nothing. He merely sat there quietly for a long time. "Thank you." He picked up the things on the table and turned to leave. Just as he was about to walk out the door, he looked back at Fan Tianwen. "Since you helped me solve half my problem, I'll tell you something too. Watch out for the people closest to you. If you're interested in looking into it, you might discover something unexpected." With that, he turned and left, leaving Fan Tianwen behind alone.

Fan Tianwen froze, staring at Xue Chen's retreating figure for a long while. Only when he had vanished completely from sight did he withdraw his gaze. "What exactly is that kid trying to say?" he muttered. Then, as if he had thought of something, his eyes turned sharp. "Six!"

A man entered from outside. It was the buzz-cut man Xue Chen had met before. He respectfully said, "You called for me, Boss?"

Fan Tianwen said, "Go investigate immediately. Find out who has been in contact with Xiao Gua recently, especially anyone I know. Notify me the moment you find anything. Also, contact Fourth Uncle's side."

"Yes." The buzz-cut man did not hesitate. He immediately turned and left.

Fan Tianwen fell silent. After a long while, he said, "That kid is no ordinary person."

Xue Chen returned home carrying the things in his hands. Lin Ran was already waiting outside his house for him. The moment he saw him, he hurried over. "My dad's been looking for you. Where did you go?"

"I didn't want to stay at home." Xue Chen concealed where he had gone. He knew Lin Ran was worried about him, but he did not want to drag unrelated people into this.

"My mom made your favorite dishes today. Hurry up!" Lin Ran did not ask where he had been, afraid that one wrong word might bring up his painful memories.

Xue Chen did not refuse his kindness and followed him into the Lin Household. Mother Lin and Father Lin were already waiting at the table, which made him feel a little embarrassed. "Uncle, Auntie, sorry I'm late."

Mother Lin smiled. "It's fine, it's fine. We're happy as long as you came. Hurry and eat!"

Father Lin also smiled. "Xiao Chen, you're here. Sit down and try your auntie's cooking." As he spoke, he placed a piece of chicken into Xue Chen's bowl.

"Mom, you've never put food in my bowl before," Lin Ran said, pretending to be jealous.

"You little brat, when have you ever given me the chance? Every meal, you eat like a pig that's been starving for days. I can't even give you a little fatherly love." Father Lin rolled his eyes.

"I completely agree with your father. Comparing you to a pig is already an insult to pigs," Mother Lin chimed in.

"What? Am I even your son? At least save me some face." Seeing Xue Chen trying not to laugh, Lin Ran felt that his tall and mighty image had been utterly destroyed.

"Xiao Chen, I contacted a few old classmates who specialize in inheritance and debt matters. Don't worry. We absolutely won't let you suffer a loss over what happened today." Father Lin worked in politics, and most of the people he knew were in administration.

"Thank you, Uncle Lin. Actually, I went out these past two days to find someone to help me investigate my parents' car accident. Please take a look at this videotape." Xue Chen took out the materials Fan Tianwen had given him and handed them to Father Lin.

Father Lin accepted them and examined everything inside. Every photograph was shocking, and together with the newspaper clippings, they made him look at Xue Chen with sympathy and heartache in his eyes.

Since they had a video player at home, he put the videotape in right away. At first, the screen was filled with static. Then a parking lot appeared. A car drove in, and a man and woman got out—Xue Chen's parents.

After they went inside, another car drove up behind them. This time, a man got out, looked around, then slipped underneath the car. Not long after, he came back out.

The man's movements were swift and without the slightest hesitation. Three women remained seated in the car, each watching in a different direction. It was obvious they were keeping watch. Once the man had finished, the car sped away.

The screen quickly went dark, then brightened again shortly afterward. It was still Xue Chen's parents. The two of them were smiling as they discussed something, then got into the tampered car and drove out of the parking lot.

"Xue Chen, if you want to cry, then cry! Don't just stay silent!" Lin Ran had seen the videotape too. Seeing that Xue Chen did not speak, he thought he was frozen in shock and disbelief, so he patted his shoulder and tried to comfort him.

Xue Chen did not answer. He only smiled faintly and looked at Father Lin. "Uncle Lin, is this enough to get them sentenced?"

Seeing Xue Chen like this pained Father Lin deeply. This child was truly too pitiful. He knew how serious this matter was. "If it can be proven that these recordings are real, then your second... Xue Hui's death sentence is practically guaranteed.

Originally, Xue Qing and Xue Pan could at most be considered accomplices. But the recording Xiao Ran brought back yesterday proves that all three of them planned and carried out this accident together."

"Those filthy bastards! Ungrateful wolves." The Lin Household and the Xue Household lived directly across from each other, and the two families had always been close, so they knew most of each other's troubles.

Nearly everyone in the neighborhood knew about the leeches in the Xue Household. After the Xue couple died, some people had wondered whether it had really been an accident. Later, others said those people probably were not ruthless enough to do something like that. Yet it turned out they had guessed right.