After Marrying The Wrong Person, I Can’t Leave

Chapter 13

Tan Yue frowned slightly.

His grandfather was not someone who would cause trouble without reason. There must be some basis for him to come and scold him like this.

However, Song Linchu was not the kind of person who would lie to his grandfather either. There must be some misunderstanding between them.

After sorting out his thoughts, Tan Yue calmly said, “I did indeed add him. Why don’t you ask him in person?”

“He’s right next to me now. Are you still trying to trick me? Ah! I trusted you so much, and yet you are shamelessly trying to deceive me like this!”

Tan Yue: “…”

Tan Yue’s frown deepened. He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the rooftops of several villas not far away that were already covered in a thin layer of white frost. He said in a low voice, “Give him the phone, let me talk to him.”

The old man snorted coldly, ”Fine, let’s see what you can come up with!”

After a moment of silence on the other end, a timid voice came through the receiver, “Umm, hello, Mr. Tan.”

Just from the voice, Tan Yue knew that it wasn’t Song Linchu. Not only that, but the tone was also different. Song Linchu’s voice was clear and pleasant, much nicer than this one.

As expected, there had been a mistake.

His WeChat wasn’t very private, and he would use it to join chat groups for certain collaboration projects. This made it easier to share information like pictures and files that couldn’t be expressed in words. As a result, he had quite a few friend requests on his WeChat.

The person his grandfather introduced him to had sent a WeChat request before Song Linchu did. And because Song Linchu’s friend request had matched his grandfather’s description so well, and Song Linchu’s behavior afterwards had been consistent with that of a potential romantic partner, Tan Yue had never suspected anything.

He never thought that he could still make a mistake.

Tan Yue rubbed his forehead and asked the other person to pass the phone to the old man. After soothing him with a few words, he hung up and thought for a moment before calling Cheng Bin.

Cheng Bin was very efficient in handling things, and he handed over Song Linchu’s information the next morning when he came to the hospital.

He didn’t know why Tan Yue suddenly wanted to investigate Song Linchu. Having been by Tan Yue’s side for several years, he also knew a little bit about his temperament. He knew that Tan Yue wouldn’t investigate someone he was interested in, out of respect for that person.

The only people who would be investigated were those like Yuan Ruidong, or some difficult business partners.

Of course, there weren’t many business partners who were more difficult to deal with than Tan Yue himself.

But when Cheng Bin thought about what he had found out, he couldn’t help but sweat for Song Linchu in secret.

Tan Yue turned the thin pages of the report upside down and asked directly, without even looking at it, “Where do our paths cross with him?”

Cheng Bin stated his findings in a straightforward manner: “Tang Mingqing pursued him for over half a year. However, after successfully starting a relationship, he cheated on Mr. Song with his roommate, Su Zhan, in less than four months.”

After speaking, Cheng Bin couldn’t help but steal a glance at Tan Yue’s expression.

Tan Yue’s face remained unchanged as he asked, “Why did he cheat?”

Although Tan Yue didn’t know much about Tang Mingqing, he remembered that the latter was obsessed with looks. With someone as outstanding as Song Linchu, it would be hard to find anyone else who could compare.

Cheng Bin truthfully answered, “As far as I know, his roommate moved in later and is quite materialistic. Seeing that Mr. Tan is handsome and generous, he had the desire to compete for him. He is quite scheming, has many methods, and also has a hobby of cross-dressing. Mr. Tan couldn’t resist and ended up cheating.”

Tan Yue’s fingertip paused mid-air, “Cross-dressing?”

“Uh-huh, yes. There are photos in the files,” Cheng Bin replied.

Tan Yue picked up the stack of papers and flipped to the back. Indeed, there were printed photos of someone dressed in maid attire and black stockings. At first glance, the person looked cute, but upon closer inspection, there was an unsettling feeling.

The similarity between the person in the photo and the face Tan Yue saw in the live broadcast he clicked into the day before was extremely high.

Tan Yue tapped his fingertip lightly on the desk. So that was it.

“Anything else?” Tan Yue asked.

“No, that’s all. The information we have on Mr. Song and your intersection is just this. As for whether Little Tan mentioned anything to him about you, or what he said, we don’t know. If you want, I can try to-“

“No need,” Tan Yue’s voice was indifferent. “I understand.”

Cheng Bin silently sweated for Song Linchu.

He had thought that Song Linchu was introduced to Tan Yue by the old man, and that he was going to have another boss. But it was obvious that Song Linchu had no connection with the old man whatsoever. In addition to his past with Tan Mingqing, Song Linchu’s behavior was worth investigating.

Most likely, out of a desire for revenge, he wanted to try to seduce the uncle that Little Tan feared the most, and become his little aunt.

Their patriarch had never tolerated anyone with impure intentions approaching him, and he didn’t know how he would handle Song Linchu.

——————–

When Song Linchu thought that he had successfully advanced in his pursuit of Tan Yue to 50%, with his superb culinary skills and outstanding performance, the victory horn suddenly sounded as his progress was reset to zero.

Specifically, no matter how much he tried to flirt with Tan Yue, the latter would often ignore his WeChat messages or not respond at all, making Song Linchu feel frustrated. He even began to wonder if Tan Yue had some sort of mental illness.

Initially, he could use the excuse of delivering medicinal food to go and see him. However, Tan Yue claimed to have been discharged from the hospital and no longer needed medicinal food. From then on, he never responded to Song Linchu’s messages again. Song Linchu even suspected that he had been put on the “Do Not Disturb” list.

So even after being a “licking dog” to the end, he couldn’t deny the truth anymore.

Over the weekend, there was a jewelry exhibition in their city, with hundreds of internationally renowned brand merchants and high-quality suppliers invited to participate. For students in their jewelry design major, this was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for learning and observation.

Song Linchu had to rush a manuscript on Saturday and could only go on Sunday. Li Chang was celebrating his anniversary with his girlfriend, so he went alone.

The exhibition was crowded, and mostly attended by women. Song Linchu was approached by several girls for his WeChat before he had even looked at two booths, and he had to buy a mask to ward off their advances.

The exhibition had four floors, with the first two floors showcasing popular styles, the third floor exhibiting celebrity customized diamond tokens, including those worn on TV dramas, red carpets, or at some evening events, and the fourth floor showcasing high-end designer styles that were exclusive to luxury brands.

After browsing the first floor for a while, Song Linchu didn’t find anything particularly interesting and decided to head up to the fourth floor. He believed that only the high-end jewelry pieces would truly showcase the designer’s creativity.

As he boarded the elevator, a group of people entered with him, and one of the young ladies had a strong scent of perfume that Song Linchu could even smell through his mask. He didn’t particularly enjoy the smell, so he moved to the back and adjusted his mask.

Luckily, the elevator arrived on the fourth floor soon after. As soon as Song Linchu stepped out of the elevator, a lady in front of him started searching for something in her white bag. Suddenly, she grabbed his arm and accused him of stealing her necklace.

Song Linchu was bewildered and before he could speak, the woman accused him again of being a thief, causing a scene that attracted a crowd of onlookers despite the fact that the fourth floor was less crowded due to its high prices. With his patience and good temper, Song Linchu tried to explain, “Madam, you might have misunderstood me. I stood behind you just now because the lady who came up last had a strong perfume scent.” However, the woman refused to listen and insisted that Song Linchu was the thief.

She even snatched the mask off his face, revealing his handsome features, which attracted more attention from the people around them. If Song Linchu were really a thief, the public outcry would have been even greater if the incident went viral on the internet.

Frowning, Song Linchu realized that the woman was unreasonable and aggressive. Instead of wasting his breath on her, he suggested, “There are surveillance cameras in the elevator. Let the security guards check the footage.”

Many security guards rushed over to maintain order and solve the conflict. They quickly contacted the surveillance room and went with Song Linchu and the woman to wait for the footage.

“This is the elevator entrance, and blocking here will affect other customers’ access,” the woman tightened her grip on Song Linchu’s arm.

“No, who knows if he will transfer the evidence or switch the item? My necklace is worth more than 500,000 yuan, the one that Gao Wanner wore on the red carpet. If it is replaced with a fake one, can you afford to compensate me?”

The security guard: “…”

Just as the security guard was about to say something, his walkie-talkie rang again. It was the person from the monitoring room, who said that unfortunately, the elevator’s monitoring system had been out of order since yesterday and had not yet been repaired.

Hearing this, the woman’s eyebrows furrowed. “See, he is a habitual criminal. He must have known that the monitoring was broken, which is why he dared to steal my necklace so blatantly. If I hadn’t caught him in time, it would have been impossible to trace him.”

As soon as the woman said this, the eyes of the onlookers looking at Song Linchu became very subtle.

They didn’t really believe it at first. Most people’s three views follow their five senses, and they felt that Song Linchu looked like a celebrity, so he wouldn’t do such a thing.

But what the woman said seemed to make sense.

In addition, most of the people on this floor are rich people, and all of them are dressed in luxurious clothes, but Song Linchu’s half-worn clothes look like Taobao goods bought for hundreds of dollars.

Based on such an analysis, the possibility of him stealing was really not small.

Song Linchu was taken aback when he heard that the monitoring system was broken, and he didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence.

But he remained calm and said, “Madam, I didn’t steal your things. Perhaps you could go back and look in the shop you left?”

“When I left the store, I was certain that my things were inside. After that, I took the elevator here. Don’t pretend you didn’t steal them. If you didn’t, let the security guard search you. Everyone here can be a witness,” replied the woman firmly.

Song Linchu immediately refused, “It’s impossible.”

Even if there was no one else around, he would not let anyone search him.

The woman immediately seized upon this opportunity, “Hey, look at him. He’s scared and guilty. If he didn’t steal, he would have eagerly let someone search him to prove his innocence.”

Onlookers also felt that Song Linchu was suspicious. Someone chimed in, “Young man, if you didn’t steal, let them search you. It’ll help clear your name.”

“Exactly, if you don’t let them search you, you must have something to hide.”

“Why would someone so good-looking resort to stealing?”

Song Linchu pursed his lips tightly and did not want to prove his innocence in this way. He was about to suggest calling the police when several people hurriedly came over. They were in charge of the exhibition.

After learning about the situation, the exhibition officials agreed with Song Linchu’s idea and said, “Let’s just call the police.”

However, the woman disagreed.

“It’ll take at least half an hour for the police to arrive. I have a beauty spa appointment to attend. I don’t have the time or patience to wait. Plus, when the police come, they will definitely search him. If my things were stolen, I wouldn’t pursue it further. It’s already enough that your exhibition’s security is so poor. If you make it worse for me, I’ll have my husband contact your CEO!” she threatened.

As she spoke, she tightened her grip on Song Linchu’s arm. Despite wearing thick clothing, his arm still hurt.

The exhibition leader’s expression froze. He knew that the people who came to this floor were either rich or influential, and they could not afford to offend them. However, her demands were unreasonable.

Suddenly, Song Linchu spoke up, “There are no surveillance cameras in the elevator, but there are cameras in the shop where she bought her items and along the way to the elevator. Madam, why don’t you tell us your whereabouts? It will help us locate your missing items quickly.”

Upon hearing the suggestion, the exhibition leader agreed, but the woman stubbornly retorted, “Clearly, you’re the suspect. You should prove your innocence by allowing a search. Why should I have to reveal my whereabouts?”

Song Linchu remained silent. It was simply an unreasonable demand.

“Because an unlawful search is a criminal act. Do you want to knowingly break the law?” An indifferent voice came from outside the crowd, causing everyone to turn their heads, and Song Linchu to freeze in place.

The voice was…

“Tan…” someone exclaimed in surprise, using the surname but not daring to address him by name. After a few stutters, they finally came up with a title, “Mr. Tan.”

Song Linchu stared blankly at the dispersing crowd, and Tan Yue, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, walked towards him.

It had been a week since they last met, but Tan Yue’s complexion was still pale with a hint of frailty. However, his gait was steady and strong, and it was hard to tell that he had just undergone surgery.

Money could truly work wonders, it could even make a terminally ill patient like him bounce back so fast.

Song Linchu had only seen Tan Yue in hospital gowns, and never in formal wear. Apart from being handsome, he couldn’t think of any other words to describe him.

Surrounded by wealthy ladies and their daughters bedecked in jewels, none of them exuded the same regal and commanding aura as him – as if he were born to be a king.

Song Linchu opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

‘I had given up on being a licking dog, yet here you are teasing me to continue licking!’