Chapter 85: Find Her
Zhou Tianzui finally had time to call You Ruxu during her lunch break. You Ruxu’s side was noisy, with people talking in the background. You Ruxu said, “One moment.”
The sound of footsteps moving away, then silence.
Zhou Tianzui asked, “Where are you?”
“In the meeting room.” You Ruxu said, “No one’s here right now.”
The midday news team was busy. It wasn’t her turn for the live broadcast today, so she had some free time. Zhou Tianzui had just finished lunch, feeling a little tired, resting in her chair, listening to You Ruxu ask, “Have you eaten yet?”
She said, “Yes.”
You Ruxu asked again, “What about breakfast?”
Zhou Tianzui chuckled, “Am I three years old?”
You Ruxu pursed her lips, looking at the people coming and going outside the meeting room, “Are you working overtime today?”
“Not unless something comes up.” Zhou Tianzui said, “Should I pick you up tonight?”
You Ruxu said, “Okay.”
She softly called out, “Zhou Tianzui…”
He Wei knocked on Zhou Tianzui’s office door, “Dr. Zhou, patient in bed two is asking for you.”
You Ruxu said, “You go ahead, I’ll wait.”
Zhou Tianzui asked, “What were you going to say?”
You Ruxu said, “Something came up, I’ll tell you after work.”
Zhou Tianzui frowned slightly, wanting to ask, but seeing He Wei still waiting at the door, she said, “Okay, we’ll talk after work.”
After hanging up, You Ruxu stood by the meeting room window, looking outside. A police car arrived. She smoothed her clothes, checked her reflection in the mirror, and went downstairs. Captain Zhou saw her as soon as she entered, calling out, “Reporter You.”
You Ruxu walked over. She and Captain Zhou had worked together several times and were familiar with each other. Without much preamble, she asked, “Have you found Xu Jinwan?”
“Not yet.” Captain Zhou said, “We’ve checked all the vehicles that passed through the area during that time, but no sign of her.”
It was as if she vanished into thin air after entering that alley, without a trace.
There were no cameras in the alley itself, just a few on the nearby shops, but most of them were pointed inside the stores, only two or three facing the street. The distance was too far, the alley entrance not visible.
And it was past ten o’clock at night.
Too dark.
You Ruxu and Captain Zhou took the elevator to Team 1’s office. The team leader was looking at the messages Xu Jinwan sent before she disappeared, hoping to find a clue, but there was nothing unusual, the conversations perfectly normal.
Xu Jinwan hadn’t mentioned meeting anyone.
Captain Zhou sat on the sofa, a cup of warm water in front of her. She asked, “Does she usually use just one phone for work?”
The team leader said, “No.”
“She has a separate phone for contacting informants.”
Informants weren’t uncommon in their line of work, but they mostly contacted reporters, rarely anchors. The team leader said, “She cultivated these contacts when she was a reporter, there’s only one informant she’s still in regular contact with now.”
Captain Zhou looked at her, her expression serious, “Do you know this person?”
“No, I don’t.” Although reporters’ informants were different from police informants, the confidentiality was similar. Usually, only the reporter themselves would be in contact, their identity not revealed to others, to protect them.
Captain Zhou said, “Do you know the number of this other phone?”
The team leader shook her head.
You Ruxu, looking at Captain Zhou, suggested, “What about checking the registered phone numbers under Xu Jinwan’s name?”
Captain Zhou said, “She only registered one number.”
In other words, the other phone wasn’t registered under her name, perhaps to protect the informant. But this made the investigation more difficult.
The team leader looked at Captain Zhou, “What about Zhou Heng? What did he say?”
Captain Zhou said, “He claims he doesn’t know Xu Jinwan.”
This was clearly a lie. With how closely Xu Jinwan had been pursuing the Fengyuan story recently, there was no way Zhou Heng didn’t know about her, but he claimed he didn’t know her, and the police couldn’t do anything without evidence.
“How could he not know her?” The team leader said, “Besides Fengyuan, who else would do such a thing?”
Captain Zhou remained silent.
Zhou Heng’s exact words were that Xu Jinwan’s disappearance was most likely self-orchestrated, that her claims of having evidence against him were a deliberate attempt to create buzz, and now, unable to maintain the charade, she wanted to back out as the “victim,” shifting the blame onto Fengyuan, and then after a few days, reappear, claiming the evidence was stolen.
All the attention and sympathy, all for Xu Jinwan.
Such things weren’t unheard of.
The office was quiet. There was a sudden knock on the door. The team leader opened it. Her assistant stood outside, his expression anxious, “Mr. Zhou is suing us.”
The team leader’s grip on the doorknob tightened.
You Ruxu’s face darkened.
Zhou Heng was suing the TV station for defamation, just fourteen hours after Xu Jinwan’s disappearance. While a search was underway for Xu Jinwan, the news of the lawsuit was already online.
The station was in chaos, a tense atmosphere permeating every department.
The initial reaction online was mockery, then some netizens started saying there was indeed no evidence, that while the V1 issue was undeniable, they had no proof regarding Zhou Heng and his brother, wasn’t it unfair to convict him without evidence? And if they really had evidence, wouldn’t the police have found it during their investigation abroad?
Rational voices emerged, citing similar past incidents, where a media worker fabricated a story for attention, then staged their own disappearance.
Xu Jinwan, whose safety people were concerned about just this morning, was now being suspected of orchestrating the whole thing. The shift in public opinion was swift.
Chen Xiang said, “Staged her own disappearance? Really?”
Although she despised Xu Jinwan for stealing the story, she didn’t think she would do such a thing.
You Ruxu’s brow furrowed deeply. Zhou Heng’s timing for the lawsuit was perfect. Although they were being criticized relentlessly this morning, the lawsuit shifted the focus, silencing many of the critics. And they hadn’t responded to any of Xu Jinwan’s accusations before, which was interpreted as guilt. Now, they claimed they were gathering evidence for the lawsuit.
A seemingly reasonable explanation.
Xu Jinwan’s image instantly transformed.
You Ruxu remained silent.
The editor beside Chen Xiang said, “Xu Jinwan staged her own disappearance? I was thinking Fengyuan kidnapped her, stole the evidence, and that’s why they’re suing us.”
That was also a possibility.
It was like an online debate, one topic branching into another. Xu Jinwan’s role kept changing, her supporters claiming she was brave for revealing the truth, now being targeted in retaliation, even speculating that Fengyuan was hiding her and had stolen the evidence, which was why they dared to sue the station now. The other side held the opposite view, claiming Xu Jinwan orchestrated everything, that no one had ever seen the so-called evidence. If she really had evidence, she would have given it to the police, even if she wanted an exclusive, it wouldn’t have prevented her from handing over the evidence, but she hadn’t. The two sides argued endlessly.
Bringing up You Ruxu’s car accident from a few days ago.
You Ruxu hadn’t deliberately hidden her accident. At the time, because of Xu Jinwan’s report, many people were paying attention, but she had never denied the police report, which stated that the driver who hit her had no connection to Fengyuan. Combined with Xu Jinwan’s mention of the accident in her report, many people assumed there was a connection. So those supporting Fengyuan used this incident to attack Xu Jinwan, claiming she was just chasing clout.
The debate continued, even reaching Jindu TV, people asking You Ruxu what was going on.
You Ruxu, rubbing her temples, heard Chen Xiang say, “Teacher You, the boss said you shouldn’t respond yet.”
You Ruxu understood, if she responded now, it would only worsen the situation for Xu Jinwan, not only damaging the TV station’s image, but also making it more difficult to find her.
The priority now was Xu Jinwan’s safety.
You Ruxu stood up, took her laptop. Chen Xiang asked, “Teacher You, where are you going?”
You Ruxu said, “To see Captain Zhou.”
Captain Zhou was still at Team 1, questioning their members, trying to find any information about the informant. Currently, besides Zhou Heng, this informant was also a key suspect. For Xu Jinwan to leave her apartment at ten o’clock, dressed so casually, it had to be someone she knew. If it was an ordinary acquaintance, there would be some form of communication, but her phone records showed no contact with anyone during that time, except for her team leader, which meant another possibility, that the informant had asked her to meet.
But if the informant asked her to meet, why would she bring the USB drive with the evidence?
Fengyuan was also focusing on this point.
Claiming that Xu Jinwan staged her own disappearance.
When You Ruxu arrived at Team 1’s office, Captain Zhou had just finished questioning everyone and was closing her notebook. She heard You Ruxu say, “I also saw Xu Jinwan last night.”
Captain Zhou turned her head: “When? Where?”
You Ruxu said, “At Hongguang Residential Complex, there’s an abandoned building nearby, she went inside.”
Captain Zhou nodded, they had already investigated Xu Jinwan’s movements yesterday, and she had indeed been to the abandoned building, but they hadn’t found anything there. Captain Zhou asked, “Were you alone?”
“No.” You Ruxu said, “Zhou Tianzui was with me.”
Captain Zhou looked at her. Before this, You Ruxu always called her “Dr. Zhou,” although they lived together, there was always a formal politeness between them, but hearing her call Zhou Tianzui by her name now, it felt different.
Captain Zhou said, “Okay, I’ll take your statement later, I’ll also go to the hospital to see Dr. Zhou.”
You Ruxu said, “I’ll go with you.”
Captain Zhou said, “Alright.”
They got into the police car. You Ruxu looked out the window, then after a while, looked away, took out her phone, and messaged Zhou Tianzui: [Are you working? Are you busy?]
There was no reply.
As they neared the hospital, You Ruxu called Zhou Tianzui, no answer, she must be in surgery.
Zhou Tianzui was indeed in the operating room, delivering a premature baby. The surgery went smoothly, both mother and child were safe. Zhou Tianzui came out of the operating room, removing her mask, opened the door, and saw You Ruxu standing outside. Her expression softened, a smile about to appear on her lips, when she noticed Captain Zhou beside You Ruxu.
Zhou Tianzui: Why is today’s lunch so sour?
You Ruxu: …
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