Chapter 29: The Qu Family’s Spectacular Drama Is About to Begin

Tang Panpan struggled to recall the events of her past life.

Right, not long after discovering her mother’s illness, she had actually tried to contact her older brother, Qu Jiaqiang. Even though he had chosen to live with their father after their parents divorced, he was still Tang Youlan’s son. In the face of life and death, no matter how much resentment or enmity existed, it seemed it could be set aside for a moment.

Tang Panpan had gone to great lengths to find Qu Jiaqiang’s phone number, but when she called, it went unanswered for a long time. She then composed a message, explaining her identity and giving a rough summary of Tang Youlan’s condition and the doctor’s diagnosis: "It might only be a matter of a month or two. Whatever the patient wants to eat or do, let’s try our best to fulfill her wishes."

However, that message vanished like a stone into the sea; she never received a reply. Tang Panpan assumed Qu Jiaqiang feared she would ask him for their mother’s medical expenses, so he had deliberately ignored it. Fearing it would break her mother’s heart, she kept it a secret. Fortunately, Tang Youlan never brought up the son she hadn’t seen in seventeen years.

Tang Youlan did not want to spend her final days in a hospital and insisted on returning home. Tang Panpan, who attended university in G City, would take the high-speed train back to Z City on weekends or whenever she had more than half a day free. The two cities were very close, only a thirty-minute ride apart.

Though Tang Youlan was already in significant pain, she insisted on walking around the neighborhood daily. This was the place where she had lived for over a decade; every glance was one less she would have.

As for why Tang Panpan had suddenly wanted to go on a trip to clear her mind and had chosen that specific mountain, it was because, in the period before her mother passed away, Tang Youlan had received several flyers for that tourist destination. The attractions were mundane, but Tang Youlan had been particularly fond of the final one: climbing the mountain! She wanted to stay at a bed and breakfast on the mountain, wake up early the next day to watch the sunrise, have breakfast, and then head back down.

When Tang Panpan returned on the weekend, she saw the flyer on the table and asked about it out of curiosity. When Tang Youlan was in good health, she loved to go hiking during her time off. However, Tang Panpan disliked hiking and rarely accompanied her. Tang Youlan felt a bit melancholy; it was a pity her body could no longer support her to climb another peak and witness the mountain views with her own eyes. As she finished speaking, she coughed up blood.

Tang Panpan could feel her mother’s life slipping away bit by bit. She took leave from school and stayed home to care for Tang Youlan. A few days later, Tang Youlan passed away. With her mother, the only person she had relied on and who loved her most, gone, Tang Panpan felt that her entire life had turned gray.

After handling her mother’s funeral, Tang Panpan returned to school, but her mind was in a haze. She deeply regretted that during the summer break, a few months prior, Tang Youlan had gone hiking with some friends and had desperately wanted Tang Panpan to join her. But at the time, Tang Panpan was addicted to video games and refused, wanting only to be a couch potato. Back then, Yun Zhi was interning at her father’s company and wasn't at school, and there was no one to stay with Tang Panpan at her off-campus apartment.

On her way back to the apartment, Tang Panpan was stopped by a freshman from the Tourism Management department who handed her a flyer. The girl said her family ran a B&B on Mount X, and if the senior went there for a vacation, she could stay at their place after hiking and get a forty percent discount by showing the flyer to the owner.

Tang Panpan’s heart was stirred. Mount X was the name of the mountain from the final flyer Tang Youlan had brought home. This flyer from the freshman was slightly different; while it introduced local sights, the focus was on the B&B on Mount X. It detailed several viewpoints, with watching the sunrise from the cliffside being a must. If guests were worried about oversleeping, the owners could even provide a wake-up call.

Mount X—the very mountain Tang Youlan had wanted to visit before she passed away but never reached! Remembering that Tang Youlan had been talking about wanting to hike one last time, even though she no longer had the strength… it was her mother’s regret, and it had become Tang Panpan’s own.

Tang Panpan was a senior at the time; many students were out interning, and the three remaining courses weren't very important—she could even apply for an exemption and just return for final exams. Thus, she took another week of leave and decided to go on a trip to clear her head.

First, she visited the two mountains near her home that Tang Youlan had frequented most. Then, following the address on the flyer, she went to Mount X, thinking that since her mother couldn't come here, she would walk the path for her and see the scenery she had longed to see.

Strangely, when she finally reached the top of Mount X, she couldn't find the "Longing Inn" the freshman had mentioned. She asked a girl at a convenience store on the mountain, who told her that it had existed once but had closed down last month due to poor management; it had long since changed owners. Tang Panpan assumed the freshman simply didn't know the situation back home and was still trying to promote the B&B while at school. She didn't think much of it and just picked a random B&B to stay in. Since she was already there, she had to see the sunrise, so she set five alarms to ensure she woke up early.

At the time, Tang Panpan never suspected there was anything wrong with the flyer she had received. Now, looking back, it gave her a chilling feeling. Perhaps, from the moment her mother received those flyers for Mount X, it had been the beginning of someone’s scheme.

The freshman she didn't recognize who handed out the flyers was also part of the plan to lure her to Mount X! And the person who understood her mother’s deep love for hiking better than anyone... was naturally her father, whom she hadn't seen in seventeen years, Qu Guida!

Not long ago, Tang Panpan had subconsciously defended Qu Guida, thinking that even though they hadn't seen each other for years and he was indeed a scumbag in marriage who had failed her mother, he had truly loved and pampered her when she was a child. Therefore, at first, she hadn't wanted to think the worst of her biological father. But now, looking back carefully, there were flaws everywhere.

Tang Panpan felt cold all over; her hands trembled as she told Yun Zhi everything she had remembered.

Yun Zhi said, "I’ll have Xiao Jiu look up the photos of the freshman class in the Tourism Management department at your school. Give me a moment."

Before long, Yun Zhi sent two group photos of the freshman classes from the school’s sports meet. Tang Panpan searched through them carefully several times. She stated firmly, "The girl who stopped me to give me the B&B flyer is not in these photos."

Tang Panpan was much calmer now. She still held onto some fond childhood memories of her father, whose face had grown blurry in her mind, but that was so long ago that there wasn't much deep affection left. Tang Panpan had thought that the worst thing her father and brother could do to her was to ignore her existence or treat her like a stranger after her mother died. She had never imagined that they would plot step-by-step, lure her to Mount X, and push her off a cliff—all just to seize her and her mother’s property.

Tang Panpan said solemnly, "Xiao Zhi, please help me. Find out who else was involved in this. We absolutely cannot let them get away with this, killing me and then wantonly squandering the assets my mother worked so hard to save for me!"

"As for the payment for the task, I don't have anything particularly special. A while back, after using the cosmetics you gave me to disguise myself as a man, I went to the black market to sell some cloth and managed to get some gold and jade antiques. The quantity isn't huge, and the quality is average. I’ve arranged to make another trade with the black market manager tonight! I'll ask for more of these items then and give them all to you."

Yun Zhi comforted her, "Don’t worry. I obtained a special prop a few days ago that can make people involuntarily speak their true thoughts. I will definitely not let the people who harmed you go unpunished!"

"Also, when you are making trades, remember that safety comes first! If you encounter someone trying to swindle you, it’s better to give up a batch of supplies than to confront them head-on."

"We’ve been best friends for so many years; even if you just pulled a blade of grass to give me as payment, I would still uncover the truth behind your death!"

Tang Panpan was deeply moved and urged Yun Zhi to be careful as well. As for the Qu family, she didn't know the full details of the others, but the father and son were capable of harming their own daughter/sister for money. Zhang Huiyu was no saint either; she was the prime suspect in pushing Tang Panpan off the cliff. If they found out Yun Zhi was investigating them, who knew what kind of underhanded tricks they might use.

Yun Zhi told Tang Panpan that she had a "Substitute Doll," a peace amulet, and a space for emergency avoidance. Tang Panpan felt slightly relieved, but still advised Yun Zhi to find one or two people to accompany her. A young, pretty girl acting alone had a higher chance of encountering danger. She didn't want Yun Zhi to meet with any accidents while investigating her death.

Yun Zhi promised repeatedly that she would be careful, and that with her current strength, dealing with three or five adult men was no problem, which finally stopped Tang Panpan’s fretting.

...

Upon reaching Q City, Yun Zhi decided to lay low, disguising her appearance to look ordinary and inconspicuous. She didn't know how many people were involved in the plot against Tang Panpan. To avoid a situation where she only caught two or three ringleaders while the others sensed something wrong and fled in the chaos, she couldn't be too hasty. It would be best to find the right moment to gather everyone suspected of harming Tang Panpan.

Yun Zhi’s mental power could now extend five hundred meters. She planned to observe from a distance... or rather, eavesdrop on the Qu family’s private conversations to see if she could find anything.

It was afternoon, and most of the Qu family members were at work or tutoring. Qu Jiaqiang and Zhang Huiyu had gone to look at new storefronts for sale. Hao Fang had rented a shop in a department store to open a women’s clothing store, funded by the two hundred thousand provided by Qu Guida.

As for Qu Guida himself, he used to work as a truck driver, but with the economic downturn in recent years, his work had been significantly affected. Having recently come into a windfall, he wasn't short of cash, and with over three million coming to the Qu family soon, he hadn't taken any long-distance freight orders for a long time, mostly staying in a state of semi-retirement.

Today, he wasn't out driving; he was resting at home. Or rather, he wasn't resting at the Qu residence, but at their neighbor, Old Wang’s house...

Arriving at the park opposite the Qu family’s residential complex, Yun Zhi sat on a stone bench under a large banyan tree, pretending to play on her phone while extending her mental power to investigate the situation at the Qu home.

The more Yun Zhi listened, the more speechless she became. She really didn't want to hear Qu Guida calling another man’s wife "baby" and "sweetheart"—it was nauseating.

And Old Wang’s wife, Shu Rou, responded in a syrupy voice, "Da-ge, you’re the only one who knows how to care for me, unlike that deadbeat Wang Hongshun..."

Ah, it was absolutely ear-piercing!

Suddenly, Yun Zhi’s eyes lit up. She thought of a great way to get the Qu and Wang families all together in one place!

Under normal circumstances, even if they were together in private, they wouldn't constantly talk about the shameful things they had done. After all, people like to save face. Even if they did evil things in the dark, they would whitewash the peace on the surface. But if the Qu family fell into internal chaos, that would be different. Once they could no longer maintain their harmonious and loving relationship of mutual benefit, they would surely tear each other down in their desperation!

Regarding the inheritance of Tang Panpan and her mother, Qu Jiaqiang was essential; without him, they couldn't legally inherit it. The one who had personally acted to take care of Tang Panpan was likely his wife, Zhang Huiyu, who had contributed much effort. This couple might accept sharing a portion of the money with the biological father, Qu Guida, and the half-sister, Qu Jiani, and even let Hao Fang—who had been called "Mom" by Qu Jiaqiang and Qu Jiani for seventeen years—use a small amount.

But Qu Jiaqiang and Zhang Huiyu would absolutely never accept that money being used by Qu Guida to support another son from the neighbor, Old Wang!

And Hao Fang? She didn't even need to be mentioned. She had been a mistress for several years to be with Qu Guida, and her reputation in the circle of friends and family who knew her past had never been good. Having finally made it to the top, how could she tolerate Qu Guida having a mistress on the side, and even a sixteen-year-old illegitimate son? It would make her look even more foolish and pathetic than the Tang Youlan she had looked down upon!

Not to mention that Qu Guida’s illegitimate son, Wang Chaoliang, lived right across from them, was seen almost every day, called her "Auntie," and had even seduced her only daughter...

Just thinking about the scene when they discovered the truth—it would definitely be lively!

Yun Zhi made up her mind: she would stir up the Qu family’s muddy waters, starting with a massive bombshell! Should she expose the affair between Qu Guida and Old Wang’s wife, Shu Rou, or the secret relationship between Wang Chaoliang and Qu Jiani? Neither pair should continue! It went against morality and ethics! One pair was committing adultery/betrayal, and the other was likely biological siblings...

Yun Zhi hesitated for a moment, then decided... why should an adult have to choose? All in!

...

More than three hours later, Yun Zhi looked at the high-definition audio and high-definition video she had freshly produced on her phone and smiled with satisfaction.

The audio was recorded by holding a voice recorder up high with a clothes pole outside the back window of the Wang house; it lasted over ten minutes! Fortunately, both the Qu and Wang homes were on the second floor! As for why it wasn't video, well, a phone was too conspicuous, and it would be too