If You Could Hear My Heart

"How are Chaomu and the child?" After a long silence, Bai Xuan asked.

"They're both doing well."

"I heard Chaomu had another son in October."

At these words, a faint glimmer of light appeared in Bai Xuan's eyes, a light that shimmered with affection.

"Yes."

"Can... can I visit them?" Bai Xuan cautiously asked. He no longer dared to make too many requests, but he missed Chaomu and her son very much.

"You can give Chaomu a call," Shen Chi replied indifferently.

"Alright." Bai Xuan nodded.

Everyone has emotions; no heart is truly made of iron.

Shen Chi knew that, although Bai Xuan's feelings for Xu Chaomu were faint, they still existed.

Similarly, although Xu Chaomu wasn't close to this father, the ties of blood couldn't simply be erased.

Shen Chi didn't say much more to Bai Xuan. After he finished speaking, he left the Bai Family residence.

The Bai Family estate in early winter felt a bit desolate and chilling, devoid of much vitality.

Before leaving, Shen Chi said to the butler, "Find some time to look for an apartment in a livelier part of the city. Once you've found one, report back to me."

"Yes, Mr. Shen."

This place was ultimately unsuitable for an elderly person to live, Shen Chi thought. It would be better for Bai Xuan to reside somewhere more bustling.

After all, he was Xu Chaomu's father.

After leaving the Bai Family residence, Shen Chi instructed the driver to head straight to the police station.

"Mr. Shen, you're here," the police chief said, shaking hands with Shen Chi.

"Chief Tang, where is she?"

"This way." The chief led Shen Chi towards the area where Bai Man was being held.

Bai Man, as a high-security prisoner, couldn't be kept with the general inmates and was instead held in a tightly guarded room of her own.

After winding through various corridors, the chief finally brought Shen Chi to the holding room.

Separated by several iron doors, Shen Chi saw Bai Man.

Bai Man looked terrible. She hadn't expected Shen Chi to come, and she kept her head bowed, silently staring at the floor.

Shen Chi stood outside, casting a glance at Bai Man. This woman had changed drastically; it was impossible to associate her with the once-celebrated actress of C City.

Now Bai Man wore a prisoner's uniform, her eyes vacant and lifeless, devoid of any sparkle. Her once-lustrous hair had been cut short, messy and dull. Her face was completely bloodless, without the slightest hint of color.

Shen Chi felt no sympathy for her. His compassion didn't extend to a murderer.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Bai Man raised her head in a panic.

Expecting to see a police officer, she was startled to see Shen Chi instead.

Instinctively, she leaned back, for she saw the cold, merciless look in Shen Chi's eyes.

Cold, bloodthirsty, sharp.

That gaze was like a blade, piercing directly at her.

Her hands clenched at the corners of her clothing, and her lips quivered with fear.

"Mr. Shen, would you like me to accompany you?" the police chief asked.

"No need."

"Alright, feel free to question her. If you need anything, just press this button," the chief said.

"Understood."

The chief stepped out and shut the door behind him.

The holding room was now left with only Shen Chi and Bai Man. Shen Chi didn't speak, merely fixed his sharp gaze on Bai Man.

Bai Man was visibly afraid, her body trembling.

But her eyes still tried to meet Shen Chi's gaze, though she lacked his resolve. Soon enough, she faltered and lowered her head.

She hadn't expected Shen Chi to still be alive—and well, at that.

Shen Chi took two steps forward, moving closer to Bai Man.

As he approached, Bai Man could feel his distinct presence: calm and composed, yet pressurizing enough to leave one stifled.

"The chief says you refuse to say anything," Shen Chi said coolly, staring at her.

Bai Man let out a cold laugh. "Say what? My motive for murder? My emotional 'journey' after being arrested? Or should we talk about how I feel now?"

"I just want to ask you a few simple questions," Shen Chi responded.

Perhaps it was the oppressive atmosphere of the room, but Shen Chi felt uncomfortable, as though even the air here carried an unpleasant stench.

He reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, took one out, and lit it.

The scent of smoke quickly spread, curling around Shen Chi's face.

"What do you want to hear? I can tell you anything you want," Bai Man said suddenly, her tone seductive as she sneered, her lips curling into a smile as dangerous as poppies.

Shen Chi chuckled coldly. "Don't play that game with me."

"Then what should I do? Should I feel grateful that you came to see me and I get to see you?" Bai Man scoffed. "Shen Chi, you're hard to kill. But what about that bastard child of yours? Is he still alive?"

"If he weren't alive, how could your carefully laid plans have meaning?" Shen Chi's gaze darkened.

"You treat that bastard child so well, even willing to risk your own life to save him. So noble," Bai Man sneered.

"Of course, I'd treat my biological son well."

"Biological son? Don't you think he's starting to look more and more like Nie Chenglang?"

"Is that so? I'd say your eyes are probably just ornamental at this point," Shen Chi retorted bluntly.

After all these years, Bai Man still only knew how to employ such petty tricks—whether it was with Xu Chaomu or with him.

She thought her clumsy lies could deceive everyone, but no one falls into the same trap twice.

"Shen Chi, does lying to yourself feel good? That child..."

"Whether that child is mine or not, I think you know better than I do," Shen Chi interrupted her icily, staring at her with a frosty expression.

Bai Man lifted her head and glanced at Shen Chi briefly but quickly looked away.

Shen Chi's gaze was like a blade, sharp enough to instill fear.

She admitted she didn't dare face him.

She also knew that crossing Shen Chi would result in a fate worse than death.

But she feared no living hell—after all, she no longer feared death itself.

"The video you stole from the Shen Family—where did you hide it?" Shen Chi pressed.

Bai Man realized it now—Shen Chi had spared her life because there were things he wanted to know.

The video... so he knew about it after all.

Bai Man smirked. "What video? I have no idea what Mr. Shen is talking about."

"Playing dumb?"

"Heh." Bai Man fell silent, her cold gaze fixed emotionlessly on the wall in front of her.

Shen Chi understood then that he wouldn't get answers out of her anytime soon.

If it weren't for Xu Chaomu insisting on retrieving that video, he wouldn't have come to this place at all.

Taking a drag from his cigarette, smoke coiled around Shen Chi's figure.

Silence. An unnerving, oppressive silence.

Whenever silence fell here, the place took on an eerie quality—like a threshold between the mortal world and Hell.

"You schemed to steal the video from the Shen Family, then meticulously planned to drug Chaomu when she was over seven months pregnant. Tell me, what was the point of it all?" Shen Chi's tone was detached.

With someone who feared death no longer, Shen Chi knew better than to provoke her unnecessarily.

Provoking her would do no one any good.

"Obviously to get revenge on Xu Chaomu. Can't you tell?" Bai Man said with a smug smile.

But that smile lasted only a moment before despair replaced it.

Her meticulous schemes hadn't avenged Xu Chaomu at all. Instead, they had ruined her completely.

In the end, she'd lost to the man standing before her.