Chapter 89: The Request
Xu Jinwan was dead. When You Ruxu arrived at the scene, it was already crowded. She had been found downstream, not the primary crime scene. Yellow tape cordoned off the area. The police were questioning witnesses. People were taking photos, pushing and shoving. You Ruxu, holding an umbrella, walked over to Captain Zhou, who was wearing a raincoat, her hair completely drenched. Captain Zhou angrily kicked a nearby stone, frustrated. You Ruxu asked, “What’s the situation?”
Captain Zhou looked at Xu Jinwan’s body, covered by a white sheet: “She died last night.”
Her wrists were slit, a staged suicide. There were no other injuries, her clothes clean, no signs of struggle, just her body dumped by the river. The rain had washed away most of the evidence.
The witness was a school kid, walking home for lunch, taking a shortcut when he saw the body. The river was long, they didn’t know where the body was dumped, or if it was placed there directly. Any footprints were washed away by the rain. The boy, seeing the body, immediately called the police. Then, recognizing Xu Jinwan from recent news reports, took a photo and sent it to his friends. The photo spread rapidly, ending up online. Although the photo and the related Weibo posts were quickly taken down by the police, the news of Xu Jinwan’s death still spread like wildfire.
The netizens who had been accusing her of faking her disappearance fell silent.
Posting comments like: [Rest in peace.]
Others, enraged, started tagging the police, asking if Zhou Heng was responsible.
Zhou Heng slumped in his chair, unable to process the news.
Dead?
Xu Jinwan was dead?
Impossible.
He had never ordered them to kill her. Zhou Heng’s face paled, a feeling of things spiraling out of control, but how? He immediately called Chen Jiushu.
This loss of control was unsettling.
Chen Jiushu answered.
He said, “Mr. Zhou, it’s done.”
Zhou Heng frowned, “Done? What are you talking about? I told you to release her, what did you do?!”
Chen Jiushu said, “But Xu Jinwan knew it was us.”
Zhou Heng’s grip on the phone tightened. Xu Jinwan knew it was him. If they released her, she would definitely come after him. But why did Chen Jiushu kill her?
Zhou Heng was furious: “Then you should have told me!”
Chen Jiushu said, “I apologize.”
Was this something a simple apology could fix? Zhou Heng wanted to flip the table. He took two deep breaths. He had expected Xu Jinwan to come after him, even if she knew the truth, did she have any evidence? The previous evidence was fake, even if she tried to use it against Fengyuan, no one would believe her, there was no need to kill her!
Now he was in a difficult position.
Zhou Heng hung up. He was about to call for his assistant when there was a knock on the door, two police officers standing outside. Zhou Heng’s face darkened. Hearing them ask him to cooperate with the investigation, he gritted his teeth and said to his assistant, “Ask Lawyer Song to come over.”
The assistant hurried out. Zhou Heng went to the police station with the officers.
He feigned ignorance, saying he didn’t know anything. When You Ruxu arrived at the police station, he was sitting in the interrogation room, sipping tea, his lawyer beside him. Captain Zhou said, “He’s like a clam, refusing to open up.”
You Ruxu said, “He didn’t say anything at all?”
“Just that he doesn’t know anything.” Captain Zhou said, “We’re still waiting for the forensic report.”
You Ruxu, looking through the glass, clenched her hand.
The internet was in an uproar over this reversal, accusing the police of incompetence, of lacking credibility, even claiming the TV station was colluding with Zhou Heng. All sorts of accusations were thrown around, their anger unrestrained. The entire country was following this case.
You Ruxu left the interrogation room and crouched down in the corridor, the image of Xu Jinwan’s pale, swollen face flashing before her eyes. She closed her eyes, and her phone rang. It was Zhou Tianzui.
You Ruxu answered the call.
Police officers bustled around her, their footsteps hurried. She leaned against the wall, a sense of helplessness washing over her.
Zhou Tianzui had seen You Ruxu from afar. She was on duty, but had switched shifts with Fu Shushu. After asking You Ruxu where she was, she drove straight to the police station. Just as she entered and was calling You Ruxu, she saw her slumped figure.
She hadn’t even looked this dejected when she was injured before.
Zhou Tianzui felt a pang in her heart. She held her phone and called out, “A Ran.”
You Ruxu gave a soft response and heard Zhou Tianzui say, “Look up.”
You Ruxu looked up.
The white tiles of the police station were gleaming, reflecting the light onto Zhou Tianzui, making her features even more striking. She walked over to You Ruxu, “What are you doing here?”
You Ruxu stood up. After running around all day, and having crouched down just now, she almost couldn’t stand. Zhou Tianzui reached out and helped her up. You Ruxu stretched her numb legs, “Nothing.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Waiting for news?”
You Ruxu nodded: “Zhou Heng hasn’t come out yet.”
Zhou Tianzui sat down beside her on a bench. You Ruxu’s face was pale, her gaze occasionally drifting towards the interrogation room. After a few minutes, she took out her laptop and started working. Zhou Tianzui admired her, always carrying her laptop everywhere, she didn’t know how it wasn’t heavy.
You Ruxu’s typing was fast, her fingers slender, her gaze focused as she typed, the screen’s light reflecting in her eyes, making them seem clear and bright. After a while, she finally looked up at Zhou Tianzui, “Why are you here?”
Zhou Tianzui: “Just noticed I’m here?”
You Ruxu said, “No.”
She had just been thinking about Xu Jinwan, her mind in turmoil, only calming down after working for a bit, “I switched shifts with Dr. Fu.”
You Ruxu said, “You didn’t have to…”
“Didn’t have to what?” Zhou Tianzui said, “You almost fell just now.”
You Ruxu wanted to say she wasn’t that fragile, but Xu Jinwan’s death had been a shock, the image of her body lying on the ground replaying in her mind every time she closed her eyes. It wasn’t that You Ruxu hadn’t seen crime scenes before, but this was different.
She felt guilty.
The door to the interrogation room opened. The lawyer came out. You Ruxu walked over to Captain Zhou, “Where’s Zhou Heng?”
“He’s still inside.”
You Ruxu handed her laptop to Zhou Tianzui, “Wait for me here.”
Zhou Tianzui nodded, watching You Ruxu and Captain Zhou enter a room next to the interrogation room. She held the laptop, glanced at the bag, and suddenly felt like she was waiting for her girlfriend to finish work.
You Ruxu said to Captain Zhou, “There’s no reason for Zhou Heng to kill Xu Jinwan.”
This was an objective analysis.
Captain Zhou said, “I know.”
But they couldn’t release him yet, they still needed to find more clues, “We have a lead on Xu Jinwan’s informant.”
You Ruxu’s eyes lit up, “You do?”
The police had been investigating the locations Xu Jinwan visited, the people she contacted, the sources of her information, filtering through everything.
“We haven’t identified the person yet, but we’re checking the surveillance footage.”
You Ruxu nodded.
Once they identified the informant, it would be much easier to find out who he was working with.
She said, “Okay, then I’ll organize the information and publish a report later.”
The entire country was following the case. You Ruxu didn’t go back to the station, but sat on the bench with Zhou Tianzui, organizing the information on her laptop, sending the finished draft to the group chat. Shi Qi and the leader of Team 3 reviewed it and approved it. She would be reporting on the case live during the evening news. It was the biggest story in Jindu now. Xu Jinwan’s death had made the case even more serious, the criticism against Fengyuan and Zhou Heng intensifying. The police had mobilized all their resources, even requesting assistance from IT specialists from other districts.
She heard that Fengyuan was in chaos. Zhou Heng, now under close scrutiny by the police, had been temporarily suspended by the board, and Zhou Yun was now in charge of all Fengyuan’s affairs.
You Ruxu, waiting for the cue from the evening news team, held her phone, her lips pressed into a tight line. Even under such immense pressure, she maintained her composure, her voice calm and steady during the live broadcast. But the moment it ended, she leaned against Zhou Tianzui, her body suddenly weak and heavy.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Going home?”
You Ruxu nodded, “Yes, going home.”
Zhou Tianzui asked, “What about Xu Jinwan’s case…?”
“We’ll wait for the police to find her informant.” You Ruxu’s phone rang as she spoke. She answered, it was the 4S shop, saying her car was ready, asking when she would be free to pick it up. You Ruxu said, “I’ll come by when I have time.”
“Okay, you can contact Mr. Chen before coming over, the insurance money has been processed, and he paid for the repairs in advance.” The staff member said, “We’ve been trying to reach him for the past two days, but no answer. We’ll need his signature when you pick up the car.”
You Ruxu said, “Okay, I understand.”
She hung up, and Zhou Tianzui asked, “Your car’s ready?”
You Ruxu nodded, “Yes.”
They stood up. Zhou Tianzui took her laptop bag, and they walked out together. Captain Zhou, emerging from the monitoring room, saw them leaving, You Ruxu looking very comfortable and at ease in Zhou Tianzui’s presence.
She felt a little envious of Zhou Tianzui.
Zhou Tianzui opened the car door, “What do you want for dinner?”
You Ruxu said, “I’m not hungry yet.”
Zhou Tianzui asked, “What did you have for lunch?”
You Ruxu was silent.
Zhou Tianzui glanced at her, then drove to a restaurant near the hospital. It was raining, so there weren’t many people inside. The owner and his wife were chatting. Listening to their conversation, You Ruxu suddenly said, “I’m having second thoughts.”
“Second thoughts about what?” Zhou Tianzui handed her the takeout containers she had wiped clean and looked at her.
You Ruxu said, “If I hadn’t given her the Fengyuan story…”
Would Xu Jinwan still be alive?
Zhou Tianzui said, “If you hadn’t given her the story, she would be fine?”
You Ruxu was silent.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Anyone could have investigated that story, even if you hadn’t given it to her, she would have investigated it herself.”
You Ruxu understood, but seeing someone alive just a couple of days ago, now a cold corpse, she still felt a deep sadness, The noodles arrived. You Ruxu added some vinegar and stirred the bowl, “But it’s still partly my fault, if I hadn’t been in that car accident…”
She stopped mid-sentence.
And looked at Zhou Tianzui.
Zhou Tianzui also looked at her: “What?”
You Ruxu said, “I need to make a call.”
She took out her phone and called Captain Zhou, “I want to make a request.”
Captain Zhou: “Go ahead.”
You Ruxu said, “I request an investigation into the driver who hit me, to see if he had any contact with Zhou Yun.”