Chapter 23
Qin Qianrou quickly gathered her things. Shen Yiqiu licked her lips, wanting to say she’d go with her, but feeling it wasn’t appropriate.
Seeing her hesitate several times, Qin Qianrou guessed her thoughts. This matter truly wasn’t suitable for Shen Yiqiu to be involved in.
“It’s about the sulfuric acid incident.”
“Oh, I understand. Be careful.”
After Qin Qianrou left, Shen Yiqiu quickly turned and walked to the window, pulling the curtains closed. Peeking through a gap in the drapes, she tried to see who was picking Qin Qianrou up.
Unfortunately, her ward faced the back courtyard, so she couldn’t see what she wanted.
**
Qin Qianrou got into Qian Zhifei’s car, exchanged a brief greeting, and immediately got down to business.
“My buddy is on the criminal police team. He informed me as soon as there was news. That woman was specifically targeting you for revenge, and the car accident the night before was also orchestrated by her.”
Qin Qianrou had heard on the phone that there had been a major breakthrough in the case, but she hadn’t expected it to be resolved so quickly.
“Why would she target me?” Qin Qianrou didn’t know the woman and couldn’t understand why she had incurred such deep resentment.
Qian Zhifei started the car and drove towards the police station.
“Tuohai Technology.”
Qin Qianrou frowned. As expected, there was a connection.
“After an all-night interrogation, the woman’s psychological defenses crumbled. She didn’t hold out for long before confessing everything.”
Qin Qianrou listened intently. When Qian Zhifei paused, she couldn’t help but glance at him, causing his heart to skip a beat.
“Ahem, she was the mistress of Tuohai Technology’s CEO. She had been with him for many years and had just given birth to his son. She thought she could finally secure her position, but then Tuohai Technology went under, its assets were seized, and the CEO was sentenced. In the end, she was left with nothing.”
Qin Qianrou knew about this incident, but she hadn’t expected the mistress to be so vicious.
“The initial investigation into Tuohai Technology only reached the CFO level, and someone even came forward to take all the blame. It was your persistent questioning over three consecutive programs that shifted everyone’s attention back to Tuohai Technology, which ultimately led to the CEO being investigated.”
Initially, Tuohai Technology was exposed for misappropriation of public funds, but as the investigation deepened, more alarming facts surfaced. This company, whose main business was biopharmaceuticals, had been selling a large amount of undisclosed clinical trial data.
It was said that the CFO had taken all the blame at the time. Just as things were calming down, Qin Qianrou relentlessly pursued the matter, finding flaws in the vast amount of data and tearing apart Tuohai Technology’s facade.
The CEO of Tuohai Technology, who was about to flee the country, was apprehended and completely lost his freedom, paying the price for his wrongdoings. However, his mistress, whom he had arranged to go abroad, suddenly returned and acted with such ferocity, seemingly driven by the final verdict.
“She first hired someone to cause a car accident. After that failed, she devised a new plan overnight and decided to do it herself.” Recalling the scene from that day, Qian Zhifei still felt a lingering fear.
He took the opportunity to steal a glance at Qin Qianrou and saw that her expression was serious but not panicked. He, a grown man, still felt apprehensive about that scene, yet Qin Qianrou remained so composed, earning his admiration.
“I suspect she was prepared to die with you that day.”
“Thank you for saving me that day.”
Qin Qianrou recalled many things about Tuohai Technology, the details of the investigation, and the obstacles and difficulties she encountered.
“Are you scared?” Qian Zhifei asked, curious despite her calm demeanor.
Qin Qianrou pondered for a moment, then firmly shook her head.
“I was a little scared afterward. But being a reporter, there’s always danger.”
**
Although the case wasn’t difficult to investigate, its quick resolution undoubtedly involved pressure from relevant authorities. Qin Qianrou didn’t know if her mother had exerted influence from afar, but she knew that the end of her vacation was near.
Li Wan was choosing a birthday cake design when she heard the news and was delighted.
“Finally, it’s been cleared up. Now the station director has no reason to keep you away from work.”
“I called him today. From his tone, it seems he doesn’t want me back at work yet.”
“Why is that?” Li Wan couldn’t help but look up from the display case, puzzled.
“I guess he doesn’t want me involved in the Dongsheng matter.”
“That makes sense. Just one Tuohai Technology caused such a big aftermath. If you really went after Dongsheng, who knows if the station director could handle the pressure.”
Li Wan chuckled at her own words and then casually pointed to a cake in the display case.
A pale pink base, not too much cream. It looked gentle and refreshing.
“This one looks good, quite fitting for Shen Yiqiu’s style. What do you think?”
Qin Qianrou’s mind was focused on the Tuohai and Dongsheng matters, so she just glanced at the cake when Li Wan mentioned it.
At first glance, the light pink cake did look soft. It looked fluffy but not greasy, making one want to take a bite.
Indeed, it was a bit like Shen Yiqiu.
“Hurry up and give me your opinion. I’ve been choosing for ages, and this is the only one that seems suitable.” Li Wan nudged her, urging her to hurry up.
“Okay, this one’s good.”
With Qin Qianrou’s approval, there was no need for further selection. Li Wan thought to herself that, among them, Qianrou knew Shen Yiqiu best. She and Rong Fei were just doing the grunt work.
With the cake chosen, Rong Fei called to say she had also finalized the restaurant reservation. Next, they discussed whether to decorate the hospital ward.
“Qianrou, do you think it would be better to take Shen Yiqiu out to celebrate?”
“Why?”
“She’s been cooped up in the hospital ward all day. It would be too much trouble to get her out and then decorate. Also, celebrating a birthday in the hospital will definitely attract attention. If someone posts it online, it’ll cause more trouble.”
“Alright, let’s do it outside then.”
Li Wan was best at this sort of thing, and Qin Qianrou respected her opinion.
“But where would be best? Reserve a private room at a restaurant? Go to karaoke? Or go to Haidilao?” Li Wan shook her head as she spoke. Thinking of celebrating a birthday at Haidilao, the scene wouldn’t be much better than staying in the hospital ward.
“Given her situation, it’s best to avoid overly lively environments. I’m afraid it might trigger her emotions.”
Li Wan had just thought of this point as she spoke, but Qin Qianrou brought it up first. Shen Yiqiu’s eighteenth birthday should indeed be celebrated, but it was important to avoid anything similar to previous celebrations.
After all, this year, she had no family by her side.
In the end, they decided to celebrate at Qin Qianrou’s home. This surprised Rong Fei a bit, as Qin Qianrou was never one for hosting or entertaining.
When Qin Qianrou picked Shen Yiqiu up, the latter felt conflicted.
“Are you in a bad mood?” Shen Yiqiu was unusually quiet after getting in the car, resting her chin on her hand and staring out the window in a daze.
Qin Qianrou wasn’t very talkative either, but with neither of them speaking, it felt too stuffy.
“Not bad, just nothing to be particularly happy about.” Shen Yiqiu’s tone was calm, but it didn’t hide her slight disappointment.
She hadn’t expected Qin Qianrou to suddenly take her out today. She had wanted to ask if they could reschedule, but then she thought that whether or not she celebrated her birthday alone didn’t really matter.
If Qin Qianrou had sought her out, there must be something important, and she shouldn’t let her own small matters interfere with bigger things.
Li Wan had repeatedly emphasized the need to surprise Shen Yiqiu, so Qin Qianrou couldn’t give anything away. Qin Qianrou wasn’t one for exaggerated expressions or gestures anyway, so with her usual calm demeanor, the surprise was naturally well-concealed.
However, seeing Shen Yiqiu’s slightly dejected appearance, Qin Qianrou couldn’t help but want to say a few more words.
“Did you have your own plans today, and didn’t want to come out?” Qin Qianrou suddenly wondered if their well-intentioned gesture had disrupted Shen Yiqiu’s plans.
Shen Yiqiu was startled, glancing at her with surprise before looking away again, feigning composure.
“What plans could I have? Same as always.”
A few days ago, the college entrance exam scores had been released. Shen Yiqiu learned from her homeroom teacher that she would soon receive an acceptance letter from Meng City University. Everyone was happy for her, but she was the only one thinking that, this time, she could finally properly experience university life.
Her eighteenth birthday in her past life was filled with fear and deception. She had counted the days in fear and anxiety. University life was something she hadn’t had the chance to properly experience and enjoy. She wasn’t even very familiar with her roommates.
In the end, her tormented life ended before her university graduation.
This time, she wanted to be a proper university student. She knew her parents would also want to see her in her graduation gown.
Seeing that Shen Yiqiu had no intention of continuing the conversation, Qin Qianrou felt a bit disappointed and focused on driving.
When the car reached her building, Shen Yiqiu was visibly taken aback.
“I’m inviting you to my home. I didn’t inform you in advance, I hope you don’t mind.” Qin Qianrou unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door, her light tone dissipating the previous awkward atmosphere.
Before Shen Yiqiu could figure out Qin Qianrou’s intentions, she was led into the apartment in a daze.
Li Wan and Rong Fei were ready and waiting for the evening’s guest of honor.
To avoid overwhelming Shen Yiqiu, they had agreed not to startle her at the door.
However, this didn’t prevent the strong, vibrant scent of Li Wan’s perfume, carefully chosen for the occasion, from prompting Shen Yiqiu to sneeze three times in a row.
“You child, I put in so much effort and thought, and this is how you repay me?” Li Wan playfully glared at Shen Yiqiu.
Having had limited interaction with Li Wan, and finding this fiery beauty a bit intimidating when she was being fierce, Shen Yiqiu rubbed her nose and kept quiet.
Rong Fei smiled and pulled her over. “Look at you, you scared the little one.”
Shen Yiqiu quickly looked up, softly emphasizing, “I’m not a little one.”
The other three couldn’t help but laugh at her serious expression.
Shen Yiqiu glanced at them and softly added, “After today, I’ll be an adult.”
Today was her different eighteenth birthday.
Li Wan was nearly moved to tears by her words. Rong Fei pushed her towards the kitchen to bring out the dishes, leaving Qin Qianrou and Shen Yiqiu alone in the living room.
“I didn’t tell you about tonight’s arrangements beforehand. I hope you don’t mind.”
Seeing the setup, Shen Yiqiu quickly guessed why Qin Qianrou had brought her here.
She had to admit, her current feelings were a mix of joy and bittersweetness.
Seeing Shen Yiqiu’s silence, Qin Qianrou was unsure of her thoughts. Just as she was hesitating about what to say next, Shen Yiqiu suddenly looked up at her, her eyes slightly reddened.
“I even asked the nurse to buy me a small cake. I would have brought it along if I had known.”
After a moment of surprise, Qin Qianrou smiled and said, “It’s alright. There’s a big cake tonight. You’ll like it.”
Even though she hadn’t seen the cake yet, Shen Yiqiu somehow sensed something wonderful in Qin Qianrou’s words. A sense of anticipation blossomed in her heart, and she looked forward to the evening even more.
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