If You Could Hear My Heart

"Have I ever hurt you?" Shen Chi said.

"…" Xiaobao fell silent. Going up against his old man? He would lose so badly he'd be left with nothing.

"Let go." Shen Chi glared at him again.

He looked at the greasy stains all over his suit and could barely stop himself from dragging the little guy outside.

"Old Shen… Mom's gone…" Xiaobao finally remembered.

When he came out of the restroom, the woman he saw wasn't his mom. So, where was his mom? Where?

"Let go, and I'll take you to see your mom." Shen Chi looked at him.

Xiaobao obediently let go this time and nodded. "I want mommy."

Shen Chi sighed, straightened his suit, and headed toward another sealed room in the suite.

Xiaobao trotted behind Shen Chi. When the gunshot sounded earlier, he was scared, but a child's fear comes and goes quickly. Right now, all Xiaobao wanted was to see his mom.

Shen Chi entered a series of passwords, and the sealed door opened.

Lying quietly on the bed inside was a woman—not someone else, but Xu Chaomu.

Xiaobao immediately darted past Shen Chi, running toward her. "Mommy, mommy!"

In a daze, Xu Chaomu heard someone calling her. She tried to open her eyes, but her head hurt so much.

Shen Chi walked over, sat at her bedside, pinched her cheek, and helped her sit up.

"Mumu, Mumu…"

Xu Chaomu finally managed to force her eyes open. There were two blurry figures in front of her—one was Shen Chi, and the other was Xiaobao.

"Mommy's awake, Mommy!" Xiaobao dove into Xu Chaomu's arms like a little rabbit.

"Be gentle." Shen Chi cast a disapproving glance at his son. "Go wash your hands."

But it was already too late. Xiaobao was already snuggled in Xu Chaomu's arms.

Of course, he'd also managed to leave a greasy little handprint on Xu Chaomu's delicate dress.

Xu Chaomu didn't mind. She ruffled Xiaobao's hair, then turned to Shen Chi and asked, "Why am I asleep here? I remember Xiaobao going to wash his hands in the restroom, and then… I fell asleep…"

Shen Chi sat beside her and said, "It's nothing."

"I think I dreamt I heard gunshots…" Xu Chaomu said, still groggy as she tried to recall.

"There were gunshots. Someone fired a shot!" Xiaobao clung fearfully to Xu Chaomu's hand.

"What happened?" Xu Chaomu looked at Shen Chi, utterly confused.

Left with no choice, Shen Chi told her the truth. "At the press conference today, surveillance caught a woman sneaking around, following you. I set up a trap to draw her out."

"What kind of trap?"

"After Xiaobao went into the restroom, I had Ayu knock you out and bring you to this lounge. Then she impersonated you, keeping calm to lure the woman into revealing herself," Shen Chi explained. "Sure enough, the woman followed her all the way here and fired at you."

"Who's Ayu? And where is she now?" Xu Chaomu asked, startled.

Shen Chi hadn't discussed any of this with her beforehand!

"Don't worry, Ayu's fine. She's a police officer and highly skilled. This was all part of a prearranged plan between us."

As he spoke, Shen Chi gestured to a pane of glass near the dining table. "See that bright glass over there? Even if someone doesn't turn around, they can clearly see what's happening behind them through its reflection. The woman who fired those shots didn't expect the occupant of the room not to be you, nor did she realize Ayu had spotted her long before."

"The woman who fired the shots?" Xu Chaomu frowned. "Where is she now?"

"She's already been subdued by my people. But she has an employer behind her, so I'm interrogating to get more information."

"What about Xiaobao? Is he okay?" Xu Chaomu looked anxiously at the little boy in her arms.

"What could happen to him? Look how lively he is." Shen Chi snorted.

"Children can be traumatized psychologically," Xu Chaomu fretted. "Even adults get scared when they hear gunshots."

"I was scared," Xiaobao said, blinking his big eyes and looking at Shen Chi.

"Scared? Then what should we do?" Shen Chi bent down, pretending to tease him.

"You have to praise me, Old Shen. Then I won't be scared anymore," Xiaobao declared very seriously.

Xu Chaomu couldn't hold back her laughter. Her son really was too adorable.

Shen Chi's face darkened, but he still humored his child with a compliment. "Xiaobao is very brave."

"Hmm!" The little guy nodded vigorously!

Xu Chaomu looked at Shen Chi, still full of doubts. "Why didn't you let Ayu lock Xiaobao in the restroom too? It was so dangerous—don't you know that?"

"Ayu was protecting Xiaobao."

"But he's your biological son! What if something went wrong? How could you live with yourself?" Xu Chaomu huffed.

"If I had locked both you and Xiaobao away, that woman would have immediately sensed something was off," Shen Chi said.

"How did she even get in? Isn't Shen's security system supposed to be top-notch?" Xu Chaomu asked.

"I let her in on purpose," Shen Chi said. "Do you think she could've entered this hotel or stolen a keycard without me loosening security on purpose? Do you take the Shen team for amateurs?"

"So this was a bait-and-trap strategy?"

"Exactly."

Xu Chaomu sighed. "Tsk tsk, that woman really was foolish, not suspecting a thing."

"Not foolish—just highly anxious. In such a tense state, she wouldn't have overthought it. She probably thought she was clever for slipping through unnoticed."

"Is she one of your enemies? How did you know she would show up today?" Xu Chaomu asked curiously.

"Whether she's an enemy or not, I'll have to investigate further. As for why today—it just happened to be today," Shen Chi explained. "I've had Ayu shadowing you and our son for days. Whether it was today, tomorrow, or the day after, the outcome would've been the same."

Xu Chaomu was stunned. "Ayu has been following us for days?! And I didn't even notice her! What does she look like?"

"Someone as clueless as you wouldn't notice." Shen Chi touched her head, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips, his gaze full of meaning.

"Did you already know someone had bad intentions toward me and our child?" Xu Chaomu widened her eyes at Shen Chi.

"Yes, that's why I fished her out," Shen Chi said.

"How many enemies do you even have?" Xu Chaomu sighed.

"Regretting being with me and living in fear?" Shen Chi stroked her hair gently.

Xu Chaomu shook her head. "I trust you more than I'm afraid. I just worry about our son. You're not allowed to gamble with his life again."

"Don't worry. I never take risks I'm not sure of."

Xiaobao didn't quite understand what his parents were discussing. He had already buried his head in Xu Chaomu's arms. After all, seeing his dad treat his mom so well every day made him jealous.

"Mumu, just act as if you know nothing. Leave the rest to me," Shen Chi reassured her.

"Be careful!" Xu Chaomu said, feeling a wave of nervousness.

"I will. Don't worry."

"Can I meet Ayu sometime? She must be amazing, right?" Xu Chaomu asked Shen Chi in curiosity.