Chapter 490

"More precious than one's own heart? Is there anything more important than life in the world?"

"Of course there is. When you grow up, Mom will tell you what Mom's heart is, okay? Then you have to tell Mom what your heart is too."

"Okay! It's a deal!"

"Okay, it's a deal."

Inside the simple and elegant Western-style house, a mother and son are having an intimate conversation. The little boy is nestled in the arms of the young and beautiful woman, blinking his big, watery eyes.

The dappled sunlight streamed through the French windows, bathing the woman in a pure and holy glow, making her appear like a saint. With a smile in her eyes, she lovingly stroked the boy's head; she was utterly happy.

But the scene suddenly shifts abruptly, and the tranquil and elegant afternoon suddenly transforms into a rainy night with thunder and lightning.

"Mom, what's wrong?! Wake up!!!"

The huge room was pitch black, and the boy's thin figure seemed so desperate and powerless at that moment.

The woman, dressed in a nightgown, lay fast asleep on the cold floor, showing no sign of waking up no matter how desperately the young child screamed and shook her.

"Is there anyone who can help my mother? Is there anyone who can help my mother!"

Unable to contact anyone, the violent storm roared like a prehistoric beast, and the young boy cried out frantically in the empty room.

The sounds of thunder, torrential rain, and howling winds surrounded the young child. It was as if the whole world had drifted away from him; he could not hear his voice, see his face, or touch his body.

His frail body struggled to drag the sleeping woman step by step, but when they reached the door, he found he couldn't open the tightly closed door.

No matter how hard he tried to hit or even violently break down the door, it was all in vain. Not only the door, but any exit from the house was sealed shut as if by magic.

Exhausted, the child sat vacantly in front of the door, clinging to his mother. He stared in despair at the home that had once been so warm and welcoming, now feeling like a cold, chilling prison.

The night passed quickly, and when the first rays of morning sunlight shone into the room, the door opened.

Countless men in black, wearing sunglasses, silently entered, staring at the child with bloodshot, lifeless eyes. They showed no sympathy, their cold gazes as if they were looking at a corpse.

The child's first thought was that they wanted to take his mother away.

When he tried to stand up and drive these people away, his exhausted body fell heavily to the floor. He could only watch helplessly as the group of men in black slowly carried his mother away before he lost consciousness.

When he woke up again, only an old man with gray hair and an aged face was by his side. The old man said that he would take care of him from now on and told him that this was his father's opinion.

Father, such a strange yet familiar word to the boy. Before this, his mother had described his father's greatness to him countless times. Under his mother's guidance, he always looked up to his father and hoped that he could become a person as respected as his father.

However, he had never seen his father's face. On the day his mother needed help the most, where was his so-called father?

At that moment, any beautiful fantasies the boy had about his father vanished like bubbles, leaving only deep disgust and incomprehension.

Memories buried deep within his heart, memories he had long refused to recall, flooded into Nan Zhu's mind like a torrent. Looking at the dark, gloomy alleyway in front of him, filled with a pungent stench, Nan Zhu's feelings were exceptionally complicated.

His mother's death was a huge blow to him. He loathed and hated his father, as well as the woman who later became his stepmother. He always believed that his father's failure to save his mother was the reason for her death.

But it wasn't until that heinous murder that he understood his father and mother's intentions; his stepmother had actually been very good to him.

"If your father and mother hadn't saved you from the clutches of the psychopathic killer at the last moment, what would Nan Qingshui be like now?"

Yao Qing sat down on a stone stool in the corner and silently looked at the dark alley. If he hadn't investigated the whole story, he wouldn't have believed that the incident was so complicated.

Nan Zhu's biological mother was actually just a good friend of Nan Qingshui's father, Nan Mu, but she suffered from severe delusions due to the breakdown of their relationship and found it difficult to recognize reality.

Nan Mu, as a good friend, has been helping the other person out of sympathy, hoping that the other person can recover and return to reality as soon as possible.

Who knew that over time, she began to imagine Nan Mu, her good friend, as her husband, and even imagined Nan Zhu as the fruit of her love with Nanmu.

Nan Zhu is not Nan Qingshui's biological brother, nor is he Nan Mu's son. His birth was a tragedy, and he should actually be a stranger who has no relation to Nan Qingshui.

However, the kind-hearted Nan Mu couple took the initiative to adopt Nan Zhu after his mother died. At that time, because Nan Zhu was still young, they kept the secret from him.

"How can I tell Qingshui about this? If it weren't for me, that murderer would never have targeted my father and mother."

Nan Zhu bit his lip and murmured in a trembling voice, "If I hadn't deliberately tried to make my father angry, why would my father and mother have gone up to argue with that man?"

If only he had known the truth from the beginning, if only he had known from the beginning that Nan Mu was not his biological father, the death of Nan Qingshui's parents could almost be said to have been caused by him.

This is why he later dared not face Nan Qingshui, because he was guilty, and his crimes were heinous.

"Why is she unwilling to speak out? She's not a child anymore; she has the right to know the truth."

Yao Qing glanced at the shadows behind her without making a sound and smiled faintly. That girl wasn't as stupid as Nan Zhu thought; perhaps she had already figured it out.

"Because... because I..."

"Because you're afraid I'll blame everything on you. Do you really think I'm that worthless in your eyes, brother?!"

A light and melodious voice rang out at the alley exit, where Nan Qingshui, dressed in JK uniform, stared intently at Nan Zhu with tears in her eyes...

Chapter 109: Completing the Chapter - Nan Zhu's Work

The dim sum shop was already packed with customers at this time. On weekend evenings, the number of customers was often several times higher than usual, and some customers even came from afar to queue up and order food.

Nan Zhu moves around the store like a carousel, serving the waiting customers. The slight beads of sweat on his forehead show how hard he works.

"Sister Leng, isn't the apple pie for table 17 ready yet? The customer is already asking for it."

Nan Zhu had run to the shop window, said apologetically that this was the fifth time he had come to urge Sister Leng. It was really too much for her to make so many pastries by herself. No matter how efficient Sister Leng was, she couldn't possibly make all the pastries in an instant.

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation since he started working at the store. No wonder the store manager suddenly sent him an urgent request for help. He never expected the store to be in such a state of chaos. Not only were there not enough staff of waiters, but even the pastry chefs were overwhelmed.

"Hey Nan Zhu... I feel like my arms and legs are about to break..."

The mature woman wearing an apron said with a long face, "Why are there so many customers today? And some people even bought all the spare snacks in the counter at once."

While she was probably happy to have such generous customers, running out of the spare pastries in the counter meant her workload would increase significantly.

"Thank you for your help, but it's really strange that there's been such a surge in customers today."

Nan Zhu smiled helplessly. If there were spare snacks to support Sister Leng wouldn't be so busy.

Moreover, this sudden surge in foot traffic is indeed very strange. The store manager said that the customer flow was quite normal for the first half hour, but now it has suddenly increased dozens of times...

"Okay, okay, I'm fine. We should be happy that there are many customers in the store, not complaining here."

"And we were a bit too willful, forcibly calling you back, even though today is your day off, you didn't actually need to come to the store."

The long-legged, mature woman with a high ponytail sighed heavily. Actually, she and the shop manager also wanted Nan Zhu to get some rest, as the boy worked far too hard every day.

In addition, since the other party is still a student, they try their best to let Nan Zhu relax and rest during his rest days, rather than making him continue to work.

But today was really bizarre. She and the store manager had been running the store for seven or eight years and this was the first time they had encountered such a situation. It was a bit too exaggerated.

They were so short-staffed that they had no choice but to call Nan Zhu back, because Nan Zhu's work efficiency was so high that he could do the work of three people without any problem.

If it weren't for Nan Zhu's timely return and the relief she provided, these employees would have collapsed very soon.

"It's okay. I'm already happy to be able to help. We're all friends, so there's no need to make things difficult for each other."

Nan Zhu picked up the handkerchief on his shoulder, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled brightly. He had nothing to complain about; on the contrary, he was very happy that the shop manager and the others had asked for his help.

The atmosphere, which had been tense due to Qingshui's sudden appearance, was broken up again, and he found a suitable excuse to avoid Qingshui's questioning.

He still doesn't know how to face Qingshui. Rather than being face-to-face and unable to say anything, he might as well do more work to numb himself.

"Hello, waiter, I'd like a latte and a milkshake, and could you also bring me a strawberry mille-feuille? Thank you."

"Okay, I'm coming right away, Sister Leng, let's cheer each other on."

Nan Zhu placed the sports drinks he had just bought in front of the mature woman with a faint smile. If it weren't for the store manager and the others, he probably would be too depressed to speak right now.

"Yeah, let's cheer each other on."

The long-legged, mature woman glanced at the packed store, covered her forehead, and smiled helplessly. She wanted a raise today, no matter what.

Busy times always pass by in an instant. After an inhumanly hectic period, Leng Yan finally enjoyed the most comfortable rest time of her life.

"I have a feeling that I'll be worked to death here sooner or later."

Leng Yan, sticking out her tongue, leaned on the table by the window, drinking her beverage. Her beautiful eyes gazed at the customers in the store as she relaxed with a sigh of relief.

"Hey beautiful lady, your place is so popular, why don't you hire more staff? It's too busy!"

The man at the table behind him blushed when he saw Leng Yan's beautiful face. "Is this the pastry chef who can make such delicious desserts? She's such a beauty!"

With her big breasts, long legs, and perky butt, she'd be a street style model if she were out in public. It makes him want to work here...

"We're not usually this busy; we have enough manpower. But today, I don't know which foodie bought all the snacks I prepared in one go. Otherwise, I wouldn't be this tired."

Leng Yan frowned and muttered to herself, her face full of black lines. In fact, even when there are many customers on weekdays, it is not as busy as today. The main reason is that there are no spare snacks.

"If I find out who's playing this prank..."

Leng Yan clenched her hands tightly, and the empty beverage can in her hands instantly turned into a piece of metal.

Who on earth was this person? What kind of beast bought up all the pastries she had prepared? Did they want to work her and everyone in the shop to death?! If it weren't for Nan Zhu coming back in time...

By the way, speaking of Nan Zhu, it seems that the child's friend has been staying with him at the store the whole time.

"That's really impressive."

Sitting in the corner, Yao Qing watched Nan Zhu bustling around the shop with a smile. She never expected that Nan Zhu could stabilize such a chaotic situation all by himself.

His practical and planning skills are exceptional; his personal abilities far surpass those of the other waiters. No wonder he's the man the young master has his eye on, and it's worth the effort he put into this whole charade.

First, let Nan Zhu immerse himself in work to alleviate some of his guilt and unnecessary feelings towards Nan Qingshui. At the same time, let Nan Qingshui seriously understand her brother's excellence and competence. It's a win-win situation.

"Has my brother always worked this hard...?"

With red eyes, Nan Qingshui sat opposite Yao Qing, biting her lip and murmuring forlornly. It turned out that she didn't understand her brother at all.

She had always thought that her brother's job was very leisurely and easy, and that he didn't want to stay at home just to avoid her, but now it seemed that was not the case at all.

My brother is very busy, and all of this is so that she can have a better life, but she's always so unreasonable and domineering towards him. What has she been doing all this time...?

Chapter 110: The Complete Story - The Truth We Already Knew

It may have been an hour, or it may have been two hours, but by the time all the customers had left the store in twos and threes, it was already 1 a. m.

After his busy work, Nan Zhu felt weak in the legs and powerless all over. His stiff arms made cracking sounds, and the intense exhaustion made it impossible for him to even stand up.

The intense, long hours of work left him exhausted, collapsing in the staff rest area. He was panting heavily, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"This is terrible..."

Nan Zhu sat on a bench, gulping down mineral water, his stiff neck craning as he stared at the snow-white ceiling above.

He could roughly guess what was going on. If Yao Qing hadn't been secretly causing trouble, their shop wouldn't have been this busy.

It has to be said that Yao Qing really knows how to ease the tension. Even though the other party is just an outsider, Yao Qing has observed far more details than he has.

This time, he owed Yao Qing a debt, and he wanted to thank her properly for giving him a chance to calm down and give him time to cool off, while also soothing Qingshui's feelings.

If Yao Qing hadn't made the shop so popular, he probably wouldn't have been able to find a suitable reason to persuade Qingshui, let alone communicate with her in that somber atmosphere.

"But what should I do now? Even if I've calmed down, how am I supposed to explain this to Qingshui?"

The troubled Nan Zhu closed his eyes and muttered to himself. He didn't have the courage to face Qingshui, nor did he have the courage to tell her the truth.

It was his unreasonable behavior that led to a conflict between his father and mother and the other party, which ultimately resulted in the tragedy.

The tragedy was entirely avoidable. Nan Qingshui's parents had absolutely no connection to him, yet his flawed perceptions led to the family's disintegration.

"I am a sinner, what right do I, a sinner, have to be with her?"

Nan Zhu smiled self-deprecatingly, because his mother had given him the wrong education since he was a child, which led to the tragedy that happened later. He felt sorry for Qingshui's family, and even more sorry for Qingshui herself.

It is wrong for a sinner like him, whose hands are stained with blood, to not only go unpunished but also live a shameless and happy life. He should atone for his sins, not enjoy life here.

"Your sister will look down on you if you secretly wipe away your tears here."

The sudden sound beside him startled Nan Zhu. Leng Yan, who had changed into casual clothes, was leaning against the door of the lounge, whistling.

She glanced at Nan Zhu, who was huddled in the corner talking to himself. In fact, she had noticed him when Nan Zhu first came back to the shop to help.

Something happened to this child, and he's acting very strangely. Although he's trying to hide it well, he's still quite different from his usual self.

This was not the Nan Zhu who always had a smile on his face. His sadness was almost overflowing, and even she, an outsider, could clearly feel it.

"That cute girl outside must be the younger sister you always talk about. She's worried about you and even wanted to come to the rest area to find you, but the manager stopped her."