Chapter 620: The Fleeting Happiness of a Night-Blooming Cereus

In the blink of an eye, three more days passed; Haishan Police launched a citywide manhunt, yet still failed to find Wu Changsheng.

But this wasn't what made Lin Dongfan angriest; what truly angered him was that someone was secretly scheming behind his back, trying to get hold of his weakness!

That morning at 10:30, at Hai'an Guoji Dajiudian.

Lin Dongfan stared at Zheng Qingxuan, who sat on the edge of the bed, like a stern interrogator. Zheng Qingxuan kept her head bowed the whole time, so nervous she didn't know what to do, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

A soft knock came at the door.

"Come in."

Lin Dongfan's voice wasn't loud, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

"Director Lin, the person has been brought."

The visitor was Chen Shaokang of the Provincial Criminal Investigation Brigade, escorting a woman.

This woman was the front-desk clerk on duty that night—Zhou Xiaowen, in her early twenties, her expression just as tense as Zheng Qingxuan's, anxiety at its peak.

"Lin… Mr. Lin, what do you need from me?"

Zhou Xiaowen's voice was as tiny as a mosquito, barely audible.

Lin Dongfan glanced at her nameplate: "Zhou Xiaowen, why did you enter my room at 3:30 a. m. on Monday night?"

Zhou Xiaowen trembled all over, lowering her head further: "That… that night you called me, saying… someone had vomited and needed the bedding changed, so I came up to check…"

"Lift your head and look at me when you speak!"

Lin Dongfan's tone suddenly turned cold; his austere pressure made the room's atmosphere much tenser. Zhou Xiaowen not only dared not lift her head, she pressed it even lower.

Lin Dongfan said sternly: "At first I called you, but you were unresponsive. By after three in the morning I was already asleep—why did you come up?"

Zhou Xiaowen's face turned deathly pale, her voice dwindling: "I came up to help you change the sheets…"

"Tell the truth!"

Lin Dongfan issued a cold warning, making Zhou Xiaowen shudder.

Zhou Xiaowen mumbled with her head down: "I… I'm telling the truth, I'm not making it up…"

"You're being stubborn!"

Lin Dongfan pulled a pair of handcuffs from his waist, grabbed Zhou Xiaowen's hand, and slammed the cold cuffs onto her wrist.

This thing still works!

Zhou Xiaowen panicked at once, blurting out the truth: "I said a man gave me tens of thousands of dollars to go to your room and check the situation. I said you were drunk and asleep on the floor. That man then told me to strip your clothes and put you on the bed. He took a few photos, and that was it…"

"Who is that man? What's his name?" Lin Dongfan coldly stared at Zhou Xiaowen.

Zhou Xiaowen stammered: "I don't know his name either; he's very tall. You've seen him—he once pretended to be a cleaner and came upstairs."

"Take her away!"

At Lin Dongfan's order, Chen Shaokang immediately took Zhou Xiaowen away.

The room fell silent again.

Zheng Qingxuan, still seated on the bed's edge with her head down, looked like a little girl who had done wrong—her face showed both grievance and resentment, and she dared not meet Lin Dongfan's gaze.

Lin Dongfan walked to the window, pulled back the curtains, and gazed at the bustling city below.

After a moment of silence.

Lin Dongfan pulled a check from his inner pocket, turned, and walked to Zheng Qingxuan.

His voice softened somewhat: "Here is ten million yuan. Take the money and you can leave this place, go anywhere you wish—no one will dare bother you again."

This sudden sense of estrangement made Zheng Qingxuan feel as if her heart were being pierced by needles.

Zheng Qingxuan glanced at the check in Lin Dongfan's hand but didn't reach for it; her eyes reddened, filling with tears of grievance.

She lifted her head and asked Lin Dongfan: "Brother Fan… what is this? Compensation? Or… severance pay?"

Lin Dongfan didn't answer her question, but coolly turned it back on her: "How exactly did you meet Xu Jijun? Why were you at Wang Chao Ge for that dinner gathering?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qingxuan's body stiffened and her face instantly turned even paler.

She instinctively avoided Lin Dongfan's gaze, clutching the bedsheet tightly, and stammered: "I… I…"

"Think it over before answering." Lin Dongfan's tone allowed no argument.

Zheng Qingxuan lowered her head and agonized for a while, clearly realizing belatedly that she had been too naive and had been used.

She replied, voice full of hurt: "The day before you returned to Haishan, a boss cornered me at my doorstep to collect a debt. When I was being bullied, Xu Jijun showed up and helped me—that's how we met."

"And then?" Lin Dongfan pressed: "Tell me about the dinner gathering."

Zheng Qingxuan answered with her head down: "That day he called me, urging me to find a backer—meaning to get close to you. At first I was conflicted, not wanting to ruin your family. But Xu Jijun said that if we couldn't be lovers we could be friends or confidants, which seemed reasonable to me, so I stayed and waited for you."

"Was all of this arranged by Xu Jijun?" Lin Dongfan's face grew colder, his gaze sharper, fixed on Zheng Qingxuan's reaction.

Zheng Qingxuan blinked, and tears she could not hold back spilled down.

She bowed her head and whispered: "At first I didn't realize he was trying to use me. If I had known, I would never have done this. I like you—you know that—and my feelings are genuine… I don't know how to put it, but I really want to be with you, even though I know it's impossible, leaving me torn inside."

As she spoke, her voice grew smaller, filled with embarrassment and shame.

She suddenly lifted her head, tear-filled eyes looking at Lin Dongfan: "Brother Fan, will you believe me? I truly didn't know this was a setup; I never meant to harm you. My feelings for you are completely genuine…"

Her voice was thick with sobs, sincerity and grievance mingled together.

Seeing her tearful state, Lin Dongfan's heart was also torn.

After a moment of silence, Lin Dongfan finally shoved the check into her hand. His tone softened somewhat, but his stance remained firm: "This money, as long as you don't squander it recklessly, is enough for you to live comfortably for a lifetime. The waters of officialdom run too deep—you shouldn't get involved. Go."

"……!!!"

Zheng Qingxuan clutched the check Lin Dongfan had forced into her hand, unable to lift her head, silent tears streaming down incessantly, unstoppable.

That day, fortunate to have become Lin Dongfan's woman, she had originally thought it was a beautiful beginning.

She never expected that this brief happiness would be as fleeting as a night-blooming cereus.

Just because she is Zheng Canghai's daughter, does she not deserve worldly happiness? This heart‑piercing question has weighed on her mind for Along, long time.

She didn't dare ask Lin Dongfan.

Finally, she could only lower her head and compromise, tears silently sliding down: "Okay... I'll listen to you, I'm leaving..."

That afternoon, Zheng Qingxuan took that check and left Haishan, this place of sorrow.

None of her father's enemies dared to come forward to collect debts anymore, because Haishan Shi's Executive Vice Mayor Zhang Yinlan personally saw her off, sending Zheng Qingxuan to the airport.