Chapter 55 Marrying the Wrong Person Ruins a Lifetime

Shu Yan glanced quietly at Lu Chengfeng.

His expression was serious, and his brows were slightly furrowed.

After working together for this period, Shu Yan felt not only trust for Lu Chengfeng but also deep admiration.

He always managed to spot details that others overlooked, and perhaps by now, he already had a clear idea in his mind.

As for her, she needed to fulfill her own duties and support him with solid evidence.

At that exact moment, Shu Yan suddenly realized that whether at work or in daily life, the two of them shared an incredible tacit understanding.

They were just like the classic match made in heaven that people often talked about.

As the people ahead walked on, Taozi let out a sudden shriek, then spun around and threw her arms around Liu Xun, who was walking right beside her.

Clinging to Liu Xun like a little monkey, she cried out in terror, "A snake, a snake, a snake..."

Liu Xun froze in place, his entire body instantly tensing up.

This was his first time in such close physical contact with a member of the opposite sex.

Feeling the warm and soft body in his arms, his heart felt as though it was about to leap straight out of his chest.

Now he finally understood why people called men tough guys and women delicate maidens.

Shu Yan wasn't afraid of corpses, but she was somewhat afraid of snakes.

Seeing everyone else come to a halt, she instinctively moved closer to Lu Chengfeng, her hand tightly gripping the hem of his jacket.

Lu Chengfeng naturally pulled his wife behind him, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the snake.

"It's a bamboo viper, don't worry, I'll scare it away," Liu Xun said, putting on a facade of ease to comfort Taozi, though in truth, he was a bit afraid of snakes himself.

With that, he raised the stick in his hand and struck the bamboo stalks nearby. "Beat the grass to startle the snake, it'll leave right away."

Yet, after striking it several times, the snake still remained motionless, staring right at them.

Taozi turned pale. "Why isn't it leaving?"

Liu Xun lost a bit of face, silently cursing the snake for not cooperating when he was finally trying to play the hero.

Village Chief Huang called out to the dog in front, "Dahuang!"

Hearing its master's call, Dahuang came running over, wagging its tail, and stopped right in front of the bamboo viper, barking furiously at it.

The snake shrank back a little, then slowly turned its head and slithered away into the depths of the bamboo grove.

Village Chief Huang smiled and said, "It's fine now, it won't dare come back. We see these snakes all the time, they rarely bite."

Only then did Taozi let out a sigh of relief, only to suddenly realize she was still wrapped in Liu Xun's arms, her face flushing crimson.

She quickly jumped down, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into—it was just too embarrassing.

Did everyone think she had used this opportunity to take advantage of Liu Xun?

Liu Xun chuckled and said, "Scared out of your wits, huh? Your face is all pale."

Fortunately, at that moment, everyone began walking again and no one said a word, which gradually eased Taozi's mind.

After walking for a bit longer, Shu Yan began to feel her physical strength waning.

Although Chief Huang had said it was only a dozen minutes away, most of the path was uphill.

It felt just like constantly climbing flight after flight of stairs, putting a tremendous strain on her legs.

She thought of the deceased woman, who had come all the way to the mountains to dig for bamboo shoots while pregnant, and found it deeply baffling.

Lu Chengfeng sensed that Shu Yan's breathing had grown heavier.

He turned his head to look at her.

A dense layer of sweat had broken out across her forehead.

Filled with distress, he lowered his voice and asked, "Do you want to stop and rest for a bit?"

Shu Yan bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm fine."

Only then did she realize that even speaking made her pant.

Lu Chengfeng thought for a moment, pulled her to a stop, and called out to the people ahead, "Liu Xun, take the crime scene investigation team up first. Anyone else who can't keep going can stop and rest for a while."

Taozi immediately raised her hand. "Captain Lu, can I rest for a minute? My legs have turned to jelly."

Gao Yi looked back at the exhausted Shu Yan and understood Lu Chengfeng's intention.

He smiled and said, "Taozi, you stay behind and rest with Sister Yan for a bit. Yang Guang and I will head up first."

Taozi beamed with delight. "Got it, Brother Yi."

Liu Xun handed the stick he was holding to Taozi. "Here, take this stick. Watch out for snakes."

Taozi crinkled her nose at Liu Xun. "Don't scare me, my heart is still pounding away."

Liu Xun curved his lips into a smile—his heart was pounding too.

Lu Chengfeng stayed behind to keep Shu Yan and Taozi company while they rested, and Village Chief Huang left one officer behind to guide them before the rest of the group pressed on.

Taozi hurried over to Shu Yan, pulled a box of chocolates out of her bag, and handed one to her.

"Sister Yan, have a piece of chocolate to boost your energy. Your appetite hasn't been good lately, so your physical stamina is dropping too."

Shu Yan took a piece of chocolate. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Taozi handed pieces to Lu Chengfeng and the police officer as well.

Shu Yan took a sip of the water Lu Chengfeng handed her and slowly chewed the chocolate.

Looking somewhat embarrassed, she said, "I'm holding everyone back."

"Don't say that," Lu Chengfeng comforted her. "It's not just you. My legs are feeling like jelly right now too."

The police officer chimed in, "Yeah, we don't actually climb mountains all that often either. My legs feel weak right now as well."

Taozi puzzled aloud, "How could the deceased woman still come all the way to the mountain to dig for bamboo shoots when she was pregnant? When my sister was pregnant, she stayed at home the whole time and didn't even do housework."

"Well, country folk," the police officer explained, "still have to work even when they're pregnant. All the women in the village are like that. Besides, I heard the deceased gave birth to two daughters back-to-back, so her mother-in-law didn't think much of her."

"Even if she wanted to stay home and take it easy, her mother-in-law wouldn't allow it. Plus, this is the prime season for bamboo shoots; a lot of people come to the mountains to dig them up and sell them in town."

"I heard from Village Chief Huang that the deceased woman's husband doesn't make much money, and her mother-in-law refuses to give them any financial help. That's why she's been coming up the mountain frequently to dig shoots and sell them lately, hoping to save up some money for when the baby is born."

"How pitiful," Taozi sighed. "That's why women shouldn't just get married off to anyone. Marrying a man who can't even support his wife and kids, with a mother-in-law obsessed with boys over girls, completely ruins a woman's entire life."

"Right, Sister Yan?"

Suddenly put on the spot, Shu Yan subconsciously glanced at Lu Chengfeng and replied, "Mm."

After resting for about five minutes, Shu Yan stood up and urged the others, "Let's get moving, we shouldn't delay any longer."

Looking at her with concern, Lu Chengfeng offered, "I'll carry you up on my back."

Shu Yan felt a dark shadow cross her mind. "Captain Lu, stop joking. Let's go."

With that, she quickly picked up her pace and continued up the mountain.

Taozi teasingly poked fun at Lu Chengfeng with a grin, "Captain Lu, are you trying to use this chance to take advantage of Sister Yan?"

Lu Chengfeng shot back, "Do you take me for you?"

Taozi's smile stiffened, and her face flushed red. "I didn't mean to take advantage of Captain Liu earlier! I was just scared by that snake. Besides, Captain Liu is so much older than me—if I were going to take advantage of someone, I'd pick Yang Guang!"

"Captain Liu is only six or seven years older than you," Shu Yan laughed. "Don't make him sound like an old geezer in his seventies."

Lu Chengfeng added, "Indeed, Taozi, Liu Xun is right at a man's prime age."

Pouting, Taozi retorted, "Well, I still wouldn't like him. A straight-laced guy like him definitely has zero romance in him and only knows how to catch criminals."

Shu Yan replied, "Catching criminals is his job."

Taozi argued, "I know that, Sister Yan. I just mean he doesn't know how to pamper someone."

Shu Yan smiled. "You've never dated him, so how do you know he doesn't know how to pamper someone? Everything you're saying is just guesswork."

Taozi's face grew even redder. "Sister Yan... stop teasing me! I have zero desire to date a colleague. You see each other at work, and when you get off work, you still see each other at home—hanging out twenty-four hours a day would just get annoying."

Shu Yan the corners of her lips twitched upward in a faint smile and glanced at Lu Chengfeng.

He looked back, a trace of a smile lingering on his lips, but he remained silent.