Chapter 296: A Major Incident in the Du Family

Xu Shaochen parted ways with Dean Fu and returned home at half-past ten in the evening.

Just as he was about to fall asleep while holding Linda, the phone on the nightstand started ringing.

“Who the heck is calling at this hour?”

Xu Shaochen murmured impatiently, ignoring it. He pulled off Linda’s towel with a sudden tug.

Just as he was about to take things further, Linda lifted one of her flawless, white feet, pressing it against his chest. Blushing, she said, “Answer the phone. What if someone is trying to contact you about something important?”

Xu Shaochen had no choice but to pick up the phone. When he saw the caller ID, he was a bit surprised.

“Du Ruyan? Why is she calling me at this hour?”

“Hello?”

Xu Shaochen answered the call, his mind filled with curiosity.

“Wooo… wooo…”

All he could hear on the other end was the sound of sobbing, hoarse and desperate, as if the caller’s voice had gone raw from crying.

“Ruyan, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Hearing Du Ruyan’s tearful voice instantly made Xu Shaochen tense up. He momentarily forgot about the half-clothed Linda beside him.

“Shaochen… Brother Shaochen, my… my dad and brother died in a car accident… Wooo… I’m so scared. Could you come to my house? Wooo…”

When Xu Shaochen heard her words, his mind went blank for a moment. Du Feng and Du Jun died in a car accident?

The Du family was a prominent household in Jiangzhou, and both their leader and future successor died in a car accident? How could that be? “Don’t worry. Wait for me at home. I’ll be there right away.”

After Xu Shaochen finished speaking, he hurriedly dressed.

“What happened?”

Linda, seeing Xu Shaochen’s anxious expression, sat up from the bed as well, looking at him with concern.

“Something came up. I need to go out. I won’t be back tonight. Get some rest.”

After quickly putting on his clothes, Xu Shaochen kissed Linda on the forehead, grabbed his wallet and phone, and rushed out of the villa.

He woke up Long Yi and Long Er in the neighboring villa, and asked them to drive. He couldn’t drive after drinking earlier.

Besides, Du Feng and Du Jun had just died in a car accident. If he were caught driving drunk, that would be just asking for trouble.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the Du family’s villa.

“Mr. Xu, Miss is in her room. Please talk to her. She hasn’t eaten dinner or even had a sip of water. I’m really worried something might happen to her.”

The housekeeper had already been waiting at the villa’s entrance when he arrived.

“Got it.”

Xu Shaochen responded casually, striding quickly into the living room and heading directly upstairs to Du Ruyan’s room.

“Knock, knock, knock…”

Standing at the door, Xu Shaochen knocked gently.

“I don’t want to eat. Stop bothering me. Can’t you just leave me alone for a while?”

Du Ruyan’s irritated voice came from within the room.

“It’s me, Ruyan. Open the door,” Xu Shaochen said in a deep voice.

“Creak—”

“Wooo, Brother Shaochen.”

Moments later, the door opened, and a figure rushed out to embrace Xu Shaochen tightly, crying uncontrollably in his arms.

Seeing the girl weeping so heart-wrenchingly in his arms, Xu Shaochen could only carry her into the room, comforting her continuously.

“Alright, stop crying. I’m here now, aren’t I? Tell me, what happened? How did Uncle Du and Du Jun end up in a car accident?”

Xu Shaochen gently stroked Du Ruyan’s soft hair. To be honest, he suspected that this might not be just an accident.

It wasn’t him being overly suspicious. But if someone like Du Feng died in an accident, especially a car accident, it would naturally raise doubts—let alone when even Du Jun, the future successor, also died.

“Today…”

Under Xu Shaochen’s comforting, Du Ruyan’s loud cries turned into soft sobs as she began to recount the events in a broken voice.

Du Jun and Du Feng were returning from the company together in the afternoon when a dump truck ran through a red light. Du Feng’s car was directly caught underneath and was subsequently buried entirely with dirt.

She had only just returned from the funeral home. Her father and brother’s bodies were no longer recognizable.

“What about Uncle Du’s driver? And the dump truck driver?”

Xu Shaochen asked about the two key individuals. If there was any foul play, it would likely involve these two.

“My father’s driver also died. The dump truck driver was injured and turned himself in immediately.”

Du Ruyan, her face pale, said with tears once again welling up in her eyes as she spoke of her father.

“He turned himself in?”

Hearing this, Xu Shaochen furrowed his brow. If the dump truck driver had fled, it would have seemed normal. But the fact that he turned himself in made Xu Shaochen even more suspicious.

Maybe he was being overly paranoid, but with such a serious incident, he just couldn’t help but be suspicious.

“What did the police say?”

Xu Shaochen mentally made a note of the dump truck driver and then turned to ask Du Ruyan.

“The police preliminarily ruled out foul play because the dump truck driver turned himself in right away. They’ve already investigated and concluded that it was purely an accident.”

Du Ruyan was clearly dissatisfied with this conclusion and refused to believe it was just an accident, possibly clinging to the notion that it might have been a conspiracy. It could also be that she needed some outlet for her emotions.

Xu Shaochen nodded slightly before making a phone call. The person he called was Sun Hai.

“Hey, Chairman Sun, have you heard about the Du family?” Xu Shaochen got straight to the point, bypassing any pleasantries.

“Sigh, I just found out not too long ago. It’s truly a tragedy for Old Brother Du.”

“Chairman Sun, I need all the information on that dump truck driver, including details on his wife, children, and parents.” Xu Shaochen said.

“Sure, I’ll have someone look into it immediately. Give me an address, and we’ll deliver the information to you.”

Chairman Sun evidently understood what Xu Shaochen was suspicious about. In fact, Sun himself had his doubts.

After all, for the chairman and heir of the Du Group to die so suddenly… who wouldn’t be suspicious?

“Alright, I’m here now. So let’s go downstairs to eat, okay?”

After hanging up the phone, Xu Shaochen cupped Du Ruyan’s delicate face in his hands and said.

Du Ruyan shook her head, leaning into Xu Shaochen’s chest. “I don’t want to eat.”

“I’m hungry. Keep me company while I eat?” Xu Shaochen tried a different approach.

“Okay.” Du Ruyan nodded, holding onto Xu Shaochen’s arm as they descended the stairs together.

“Auntie, please prepare something to eat.”

Xu Shaochen addressed the housekeeper. He noticed that she seemed genuinely concerned about Du Ruyan.

Du Ruyan’s mother had died when she was young, and this housekeeper had essentially raised her. The bond between them was undeniable.

“Thank you, Aunt Li.”

Du Ruyan forced a smile onto her pale face, as if she had matured significantly in a matter of moments.

Xu Shaochen held her tighter, his heart aching at seeing her like this.