ATFBETIBM Chapter 552

Accompanying Mrs. Shen’s heavy breathing were the noisy sounds of the television outside.

Mrs. Shen’s complexion became even worse. She took out her asthma inhaler from her pocket tremblingly, stumbled out of the study and run into the living room.

In the living room, a program on antique appreciation was playing on the television.

Mrs. Shen sat down on the sofa with a pale face. Xiao Xin ran over, crying and shouting, “Daddy, Daddy was here watching TV just now. Mommy is bad, Mommy scolded me. Daddy, come out quickly.”

Mrs. Shen’s mouth was slightly open, her pupils constantly dilating and contracting, and she was trembling uncontrollably with indescribable fear.

Bai Lixin walked over and turned off the television. He took a tissue from the table and walked over to Xiao Xin, “Little friend, can Brother show you a magic trick?”

Xiao Xin’s crying softened a bit and she looked at Bai Lixin with confusion.

Ten slender fingers were wrapped in a soft square white tissue. Bai Lixin then swiftly pulled off the tissue, and in the hand that was empty a moment ago, there were suddenly two pieces of candy. “For you.”

Xiao Xin’s crying abruptly stopped, and she took the candy with curiosity on her face. Her voice still carried a strong nasal tone and sobbing, “Thank you, big brother.”

After Mrs. Shen and Xiao Xin’s emotions gradually calmed down, Bai Lixin casually asked, “Xiao Xin, who turned on the television just now?”

With candy in her mouth, Xiao Xin replied somewhat incoherently, “Daddy did. He loves watching this show the most. You can ask Mommy if you don’t believe me.”

Mrs. Shen nodded with a pale face, “Xiao Xin is right. My husband really likes this program.”

Bai Lixin asked again, “Xiao Xin, you said you saw Daddy just now? Where was Daddy just now?”

Xiao Xin blinked and pointed accurately at Mrs. Shen, “Daddy was sitting where Mommy is sitting now.”

Mrs. Shen immediately stood up from the sofa like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She moved away, her eyes staring fixedly at the indentation on the sofa, it was unknown what she was thinking.

“Mrs. Shen.” Bai Lixin called out, “Has Xiao Xin been like this before?”

Mrs. Shen’s face darkened slightly. She bit her lip and nodded, “A few times.”

“Sometimes, Xiao Xin says that she saw Daddy.” Mrs. Shen’s voice trembled a bit, “But I thought she just missed her father too much and dreamed of him. I didn’t take it seriously…”

She seemed to recall something and abruptly changed the subject, “I remember one time I had something to do in the afternoon and told Xiao Xin to stay home alone. I was delayed, and when I came back, I found Xiao Xin sleeping on the sofa with the TV on, playing cartoons.”

“Xiao Xin doesn’t know how to turn on the TV.” Mrs. Shen’s voice trembled more and more as she spoke, “She was alone at home. Who turned on the TV for her?”

With candy in her mouth, Xiao Xin ran to Mrs. Shen’s side, “It was Daddy.”

“Mommy, please forgive Daddy, okay? Don’t argue with Daddy anymore.”

Mrs. Shen stammered, “I, I didn’t argue with your father.”

“But when Daddy talks to you, you don’t respond to Daddy. You even refused to let Daddy sleep on the bed. He could only stand by the bed, looking so pitiful, like an abandoned puppy.”

Mrs. Shen stepped back two steps, and the blood on her face drained completely, “When did he stand by the bed?”

“Mommy.” The little girl caught up and held Mrs. Shen’s hand, saying coquettishly, “Just forgive Daddy, okay?”

Mrs. Shen screamed, stumbled, and sat down on the sofa, her face full of fear, and she couldn’t say a word.

_______

In the live broadcast room:

[Damn, is it this scary in broad daylight? My scalp is numb!]

[This scene reminds me of a horror story. A husband killed his wife, but their child, who was always attached to his mom, didn’t look for her for many days. Several days later, the husband couldn’t help but ask his son curiously, ‘Why didn’t you look for Mom?’ As a result, the son said, ‘Why should I look for Mom? Hasn’t Mom always been behind you?]

[Brother, this is terrifying! You want to scare people to death!]

[I’ve heard a saying that children are naturally very spiritual and can see supernatural things that adults can’t. So, could Shen Shukuang’s ghost really be lingering in the house?]

[Family, who understands the shock of Xiao Xin’s statement ‘Daddy could only stand by the bed’? I just imagined it. The bed should be the most comfortable and safest place. While you are sleeping, the ghost of your husband who died tragically is standing by the bed staring at you…]

[Damn it! Stop it! Stop it! These are not the main points. Shouldn’t the focus be on ‘the secret Shen Shukuang least wants to be discovered by others’?]

[So the question is, who killed Shen Shukuang?]

[Since the question has been asked, let me ask, where is Xiao Hua?]

[Is there a possibility that Shen Shukuang was killed by Mrs. Shen?]

[From the conversation between God Xin and Mrs. Shen just now, it’s clear that Mrs. Shen doesn’t seem to like Shen Shukuang as much as we thought, but rather seems a bit afraid of him. It’s like she has a guilty conscience. In the horror story mentioned earlier, the husband killed the wife, and the wife kept haunting the husband. So in this copy, it’s also possible that Mrs. Shen killed Shen Shukuang, and Shen Shukuang’s ghost is haunting Mrs. Shen.]

[Reasoning isn’t just reasoning. Besides having the opportunity to commit the crime, there should also be a motive, right? Mrs. Shen didn’t have the motive to kill Shen Shukuang at all. What benefit would it bring her to kill Shen Shukuang? For money? She’s a housewife, and the daily expenses at home are all covered by Shen Shukuang’s salary. If Shen Shukuang dies, who will pay for her high expenses?]

[For love? That should be even more impossible, right? The couple seems to be at odds. Mrs. Shen doesn’t love Shen Shukuang, so how could she be crazy in love?]

[At first, I thought this copy was a supernatural one, but then it turned out to be a detective one. Just when I thought it was a detective one, it became supernatural again.]

—————–

Mrs. Shen’s condition wasn’t very good and she offered to see off the guest.

Before leaving, Bai Lixin wrote an address and handed it to Mrs. Shen, “Mrs. Shen, this is my home address. If you have any trouble, feel free to come to me.”

After taking a casual glance at it, Mrs. Shen suddenly exclaimed, “Ah! You live in Shengda Community?”

The young man blushed slightly and nodded, “I live with my girlfriend. We plan to get married after graduation.”

When it came to young people’s marriage and love affairs, Mrs. Shen, who was originally looking haggard, changed her attitude and even took the initiative to talk.

“She and I were high school classmates. Shengda Community is closer to her university, so we rented a house there.”

“That’s great. Congratulations to both of you.” Mrs. Shen smiled, “It’s also a coincidence. I used to live in Shengda Community too. Me and your Teacher Shen were also high school classmates. Let me tell you, if it wasn’t for me back then, my husband would never have reached this level now. He was handsome in high school, and it took me a lot of effort to catch up with him. He came from a rural area and was very poor before. But he was very proud and didn’t want to work to earn money. Although I am not good at studying, I was willing to work hard, and I used all the money I earned to support him through school.”

“I envy you.” The young man’s eyes sparkled with admiration. “You treat Teacher Shen wholeheartedly, and Teacher Shen also treats you sincerely. By the way, Mrs. Shen, how did Teacher Shen propose to you back then? I plan to propose to my girlfriend in a while, but I’m afraid she might refuse. She always says that studies and career come first.”

“He didn’t propose to me.” Mrs. Shen rolled her eyes. “It was me, I proposed to him. I supported him through his doctoral studies, and by the time he returned to R University to teach, I was already quite old. He also said that career comes first, but he could afford to wait, while I couldn’t. Now that my husband is gone, I have nothing to hide. Let me tell you, regardless of gender, in relationships, the longer you wait, the less likely it is to happen, unless you resort to drastic measures, understand?”

Bai Lixin blinked. “Drastic measures?”

Mrs. Shen lowered her voice. “Either find some leverage over the other person, so they have to submit. Or… quickly get her pregnant. Once there’s a child, why would she hesitate to marry you?”

Bai Lixin glanced at Xiao Xin meaningfully.

Mrs. Shen seemed to understand Bai Lixin’s glance and quickly waved her hand. “It’s not the same as me and my husband. Xiao Xin was born after we got married. We’ve been married for eight years, and Xiao Xin is only six years old now.”

The young man’s clear eyes were filled with curiosity.

Mrs. Shen was pleased with this dependency and continued, “Because you’re my husband’s student, I’ll teach you another trick. Two people in a relationship are like two weights on a balance scale, if the east wind doesn’t overpower the west wind, the west wind will. Don’t think I’m naive. While you give wholeheartedly, you must have a trump card in your hand.”

Bai Lixin asked, “For example?”

Mrs. Shen smiled, “That’s the secret between Shukuang and me. I can’t say anymore.”

———————————

In the live broadcast room

[Wow! Isn’t the secret coming out now?!]

[So Mrs. Shen really knows Shen Shukuang’s secret. Who guessed it earlier? Impressive.]

[From Mrs. Shen’s advice to God Xin on relationships, she doesn’t seem like a kind person. What does ‘quickly get her pregnant’ mean? And ‘once there’s a child, why would she hesitate to marry you’? It’s suffocating.]

[So, when Shen Shukuang married Mrs. Shen, was it because Mrs. Shen had something on Shen Shukuang. Didn’t it say ‘the secret Shen Shukuang least wanted to be discovered by others’?]

[Quick! Let’s delve deeper, God Xin, ask her how she pursued Shen Shukuang back then. There might be more to it!]

[You speak as if God Xin can hear us.]

On the big screen, the young man’s eyes curved with a harmless smile. “Mrs. Shen, listening to your words is worth ten years of study. How did you pursue Teacher Shen back then?”

[..Is this copy voice-controlled?]

[Is that a question? The brother upstairs, isn’t this the prosperous world you wanted?]

[God Xin’s main goal is to fulfill everyone’s wishes.]

——————————-

“After graduating from high school, I failed the exam. He got into R University but didn’t have the money for tuition. I found him and told him that for four years, I would be his girlfriend, and during those four years, he wouldn’t have to do anything. I covered all his tuition, living expenses, and study expenses.”

“That’s how practical it was, and then we got together.”

“Don’t believe in romance; what’s profitable is the essence of love. I wanted his looks, and he wanted the stable life I provided him.”