A Sharp Edge Emerges From The Mist Chapter 21

trust rebuilding

The fourth day, four o’clock in the morning.

Lin Jianfeng parked his car in the shadow opposite the Qingyuan Capital Building again.Same position, same posture.The short rest after two consecutive days of intense work did not dispel the fatigue, but instead made the tense nerves more sensitive.The wound on my left shoulder ached vaguely at night, like a stubborn reminder.

She looked up.The light on the top floor was still on, hanging a little alone in the dark night, seemingly more stubborn than last night.

In the past few days, the only “communication” between them was the update of the encrypted channel key automatically synchronized by the system.There were no messages, no conversations, only cold technical protocols maintaining the fragile connection.

Lin Jianfeng thought about rushing forward directly.Ask clearly, speak clearly, break this suffocating silence.But she didn’t know how to speak.Question?She had already asked.comfort?She made a promise.What then?Those sharp fragments that stand between principles and emotions will not automatically dissolve with a few words.

She lit a cigarette and held it between her fingers without smoking, just watching the scarlet sparks flickering in the darkness.The smoke was blown away by the night wind, taking away a trace of negligible warmth.

The phone vibrated in my pocket.Not a work message, not an encrypted channel.It was a text message sent from an unfamiliar local number, with only two words and an address:

【Come quickly.Shen.】

The address is a high-end apartment in the city center, registered under Shen Qingwu’s name, but it is not the one where she usually lives.

Lin Jianfeng’s heart suddenly shrank.Without hesitation, she immediately put out her cigarette, started the car, and drove like an arrow into the empty streets in the early morning.The mind raced: What happened?danger?Or…?

She opened the encrypted channel and quickly typed: [Received message, heading there.How are you doing?】

No reply.

Twenty minutes later, Lin Jianfeng arrived at the apartment downstairs.Security was tight, but the access control system seemed to have been unlocked in advance, and she successfully entered the elevator and reached the top floor.

Standing in front of the heavy solid wood door, Lin Jianfeng took a deep breath, raised his hand and rang the doorbell.

After a few seconds, the door opened.

Shen Qingwu stood at the door.She looked even more haggard than three days ago, her face was so pale that it was almost transparent, her eyes were bloodshot, her long hair was hanging casually, she was only wearing a thin silk nightgown, and her feet were bare on the cold marble floor.There was no main light on in the room, only the lamp in the corner of the living room emitted a dim glow, outlining her thin and tight figure.

The moment she saw Lin Jianfeng, she seemed to be almost imperceptibly relieved, but then, a deeper, almost collapsed emotion surged up, making her whole body tremble slightly.

“Come in.” Her voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.

Lin Jianfeng walked in quickly and closed the door with his backhand, blocking out the cold wind in the corridor.She did not ask immediately, but glanced around keenly – the room was almost empty and tidy, with no traces of a fight. There was a faint smell of alcohol in the air, and there was an empty whiskey bottle and a crystal glass on the coffee table.

“Have you been drinking?” Lin Jianfeng frowned, his eyes falling on Shen Qingwu’s bare feet, which were slightly blue from the cold.

Shen Qingwu didn’t answer.She just stood there, her body shaking more and more violently, her hands hugging herself tightly, as if she was cold, and as if she was trying to suppress something.

“Shen Qingwu?” Lin Jianfeng took a step forward and reached out to touch her shoulder.

Just when his fingertips were about to touch, Shen Qingwu took a step back suddenly, as if he had been burned.She raised her head, tears bursting out without warning, instantly flooding her pale cheeks.

“I can’t do it…Lin Jianfeng…I tried…I really tried…” She was incoherent, her voice broken, full of despair and self-loathing, “I put those documents…those transaction records…I organized them…I wanted to give them to you…in the way you said…but…”

She staggered back to the wall, leaning against the cold wall, as if she needed support to stand firm.

“But as soon as I closed my eyes… I saw my parents… I saw Zhao Ming… I saw those people who might be hurt because of my ‘tacit consent’… I can’t forget… those methods… those darkness… they are the only things I know… I’m afraid… I’m afraid that even if I leave it to you, it will be the same in the end… nothing will change… I’m afraid that in the end… I won’t be able to bear it…”

She burst into tears, slid down the wall, and curled up on the floor, like a child abandoned by the world.All the cold shell and shrewd calculations were gone. At this moment, Shen Qingwu was left with only the most primitive vulnerability, penetrated by pain and fear.

Lin Jianfeng’s heart felt as if it was tightly clenched by an invisible hand, and the pain was so painful that he could hardly breathe.All the principles, all the anger, and all the disappointment were crushed to pieces by the collapsed woman in front of him at this moment.

She didn’t hesitate anymore, strode over, squatted down in front of Shen Qingwu, stretched out her hand, not to pull her, but to gently and firmly hold her whole body in her arms.

Shen Qingwu’s body stiffened for a moment, and then, as if she had found the last safe haven, she stretched out her arms, hugged Lin Jianfeng’s neck tightly, buried her face deeply into her shoulder, and cried loudly.The tears were hot and quickly soaked Lin Jianfeng’s collar.

Lin Jianfeng didn’t speak, he just hugged her tightly with his uninjured right arm, and gently stroked her hair and trembling back with his other hand.She could feel the coldness and thinness of the body in her arms, and she could feel the despair and helplessness that had accumulated for ten years in her cries.

At this moment, she realized very clearly that what Shen Qingwu needed was not reason, not judgment, or even a promise.What she needs is a hug that allows her to take off all pretenses and collapse with peace of mind.He is a person who can take over all her darkness and unbearableness, but will not abandon her because of it.

“Shh…it’s okay…I’m here…” Lin Jianfeng whispered in her ear and repeated in a soft voice that she had never noticed, “Cry, cry out all your grievances and fears. I’m here and I won’t leave.”

I don’t know how long it took, but Shen Qingwu’s crying gradually turned into suppressed sobs, and the trembling of his body gradually subsided.But she still hugged Lin Jianfeng tightly and refused to let go, as if she would fall into the bottomless abyss if she let go.

Lin Jianfeng let her hold him until he felt her breathing became more steady, then he said softly: “The ground is cold, let’s get up, okay?”

Shen Qingwu didn’t speak, but nodded slightly.

Lin Jianfeng supported her and stood up slowly.Shen Qingbing’s feet stepped on the floor and shrank from the cold.Lin Jianfeng bent down and picked her up.

Shen Qingwu exclaimed lowly and subconsciously wrapped his arms around her neck.

“Don’t move, your feet are too cold.” Lin Jianfeng hugged her, walked to the sofa in the living room, carefully put her down, and took a soft cashmere blanket next to her, wrapping her whole body, even her cold feet.

Then she got up and went to the kitchen to boil a pot of hot water.

While waiting for the water to boil, she returned to the living room and sat down next to Shen Qingwu.Shen Qingwu was wrapped in a blanket, revealing only a pale, tear-stained face, with red and swollen eyes, staring at her blankly. There was no coldness or calculation in his eyes, only a blank, dependent vulnerability.

“You…don’t ask me what happened?” Shen Qingwu asked hoarsely.

“When you want to say something, you will naturally say it.” Lin Jianfeng looked at her, “If you don’t want to say it, it doesn’t matter.”

The water is boiling.Lin Jianfeng poured a cup of hot water, mixed it with some cold water, tested the temperature, and handed it to Shen Qingwu.”Drink some hot water and warm yourself up.”

Shen Qingwu held the warm water cup, and the color of his fingertips slowly returned to a little bit.She drank in small sips, and the hot water seemed to warm her cold limbs.

“I…received an anonymous message.” Shen Qingwu finally spoke, his voice still hoarse, but much calmer, “It was sent to my…most secret private secure email address that even you don’t know about. There are…several photos in it.”

Lin Jianfeng’s heart trembled: “What photo?”

“The day before my parents’ accident… they took a photo with a man. They were in a small restaurant near the construction site. It looked very ordinary.” Shen Qingwu tightened his fingertips. “The man… was a small section chief responsible for the safety production supervision in that area at the time, and his rank was not high. But behind the photo… there was a date written in my father’s handwriting, and a line of small words: ‘Something is fishy, interview this person.'”

She raised her teary eyes and looked at Lin Jianfeng: “I recognize my father’s handwriting. He must have noticed something and wanted to find this person to ask. But the next day… they had an accident. The small section chief was also transferred to a remote idle position not long after the accident investigation was completed. He retired early due to illness three years ago and… passed away last year.”

“Who sent the photo? Can it be traced?” Lin Jianfeng asked.

Shen Qingwu shook his head: “The source is completely anonymous, layer-by-layer encryption, and the technology is very high. I tried reverse tracing, but the other party was obviously more proficient in this than me, and all traces were wiped clean. The person who sent the photo… seemed to be reminding me of something, but also… seemed to be… laughing at me.” She twitched the corner of her mouth bitterly, “Look, you have been searching for ten years and you haven’t even found such a key clue. Your so-called revenge has chosen the wrong direction and used the wrong method from the beginning.”

She closed her eyes and tears fell again.”After receiving the photo, I re-read all the information I had collected over the past ten years, all the evidence I had obtained through dishonorable means. The more I looked at it… the more I felt like a joke. I used so many dirty methods to hurt possibly innocent people, and turned myself into a human being and a ghost… As a result, even in the end, evenThe basic direction of the investigation may be wrong.My parents’ death may not be the complicated conspiracy I imagined, but a simpler, but more desperate reason – they just accidentally uncovered a stupid thing done by a small person for personal gain, and then it was easily erased.”

“So you feel that all your efforts, all your persistence, and even… the darkness you were stained with for revenge, have lost their meaning?” Lin Jianfeng asked softly.

Shen Qingwu said nothing, just buried his face in the blanket and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

Lin Jianfeng reached out and gently held her hand that was still cold outside the blanket.”Shen Qingwu, look at me.”

Shen Qingwu hesitated for a moment and slowly raised his head.

“First of all, there are problems with the source and purpose of that photo. If, as you said, it was your father who noticed the key person in the strange interview, why did the other party send it to you at this time and in this way? Is it a ‘well-intentioned’ reminder, or is it to disturb your mind, make you doubt yourself, or even… give up the investigation?” Lin Jianfeng’s eyes were sharp and calm, “OthersSecondly, even if the cause of your parents’ death may be ‘simpler’ than you thought, it does not mean that those who cover up the truth, create ‘accidents’, or even clear up clues afterwards are less guilty.On the contrary, this illustrates the horror of ‘dark rivers’ or similar networks – they can easily take two lives and keep the truth silent for ten years just to cover up a ‘small mistake’.”

She held Shen Qingwu’s hand tightly: “The tragedy of your parents, the death of Zhao Ming, the attack of the ‘Gemini’, the ambush in the west city warehouse… these are not isolated incidents. Behind them is a network that ignores life, tramples on the rules, and puts self-interest above everything else. What you fight against is never a specific murderer, but this dark logic of ‘obstructions can be erased at will’. Your persistence and your revenge may have the wrong method, but the direction is not wrong.”

Shen Qingwu stared at her blankly, the despair and confusion in his eyes seemed to be opened by these words, and a little light shined through.

“As for the methods you used…” Lin Jianfeng sighed and his tone became heavy, “That is a fact and cannot be changed. The damage may have been done. What we can do is not to indulge in self-blame and regret, but to use the next actions to make up for it and correct it. We have you in our hands.Give me all the information.Let me investigate and collect evidence in a legal way.This will not only be for your parents, Zhao Ming, but also for yourself – giving you a chance to explain and redeem your past mistakes.”

She looked into Shen Qingwu’s eyes and said word by word: “Shen Qingwu, trust is not blind. I know what you have done in the past, and I also know what you are afraid of and doubt about now. But I still choose to believe you. I believe in your determination to get out of the darkness, and your willingness to try to end it all in the right way. Are you… willing to believe me again? It’s not that I can solve all problems instantly, but that I will always be with you, using my way to illuminate the darkness bit by bit.”

Shen Qingwu’s tears welled up again, but this time, they were no longer pure despair.She looked at Lin Jianfeng, into those clear and firm eyes. There was no false comfort in them, only heavy and true promises.

For a long time, she nodded very softly but very clearly.

“Yes.” She responded, her voice still hoarse, but with a calmness after the dust had settled, “I believe you.”

She paused and added: “I will also…work hard to believe in myself.”

Lin Jianfeng finally showed his first real, tired but relieved smile in the past few days.She reached out her hand and gently wiped away the tears on Shen Qingwu’s face.

“Okay.” She said, “Then let’s start over.”

It’s not about returning to the temporary alliance that existed before the confession, or pretending that the darkness of the past doesn’t exist.

But with all the scars and heaviness, truly standing side by side on the ruins of rebuilding trust.

Outside the window, the sky began to light up.

The long night finally came to an end.

And a new day arrives quietly, with scars and hope.