Chapter 28: Investigation
The fireworks factory’s statement caused a subtle shift in online public opinion. Some questioned why the factory issued the statement, shouldn’t it be the police? Others believed it was the result of the factory’s internal investigation, hence the preemptive announcement, speculating that the police would release their statement soon. And some, after reading the statement, sighed: [What’s going on? So it was Zhang Xiaojie who made the mistake?]
[Hilarious, if it really was Zhang Xiaojie’s fault, shouldn’t those who were cursing at the factory owner apologize now?]
[What’s the situation? Did I misunderstand the factory’s statement? So it was Zhang Xiaojie alone who caused the explosion, harming everyone?]
[The most tragic are those who died like Chen Mo, while the culprit, Zhang Xiaojie, is lying in the ICU. Truly, a scourge lasts a thousand years!]
You Ruxu saw these comments immediately. Her expression was grim after the phone call. Zeng Jing, noticing this, asked, “Did something happen?”
Before You Ruxu could reply, Zeng Jing said, “I can handle it.”
You Ruxu said, “The fireworks factory issued a statement, claiming Mr. Zhang acted alone.”
“Bullshit!” This time it was Zeng Jing’s father who spoke. Unexpectedly, the usually quiet man couldn’t hold back, “What kind of factory is this? Xiaojie was blind to join such a place!”
“I told him this factory wasn’t good!”
You Ruxu looked at Zeng Jing’s father and asked, “Uncle, do you know something?”
“I!” Zeng Jing’s father said, “We advised Xiaojie to resign before. This factory isn’t good, the owner’s character is questionable.” He said, “Xiaojie’s parents are relatives of the factory owner. We knew some things before, like how the owner stole other people’s designs and almost got sued. Back then, we urged Xiaojie to resign. A leader’s character affects the fate of the company!”
His words were logical and insightful.
You Ruxu’s heart stirred: “Do you remember when this happened?”
“Several years ago.” Zeng Jing spoke, “My father didn’t want us to stay at that company back then.”
But the fireworks factory had been around for a long time, and it was owned by a relative of Zhang Xiaojie’s family. The salary was good, and they thought, how could they possibly scheme against their own family?
Zeng Jing regretted, “I should have listened to my father.”
She started crying. This statement was like a sword hanging over her neck, ready to fall at any moment. If the police issued a similar statement later, the case would be practically closed.
But she didn’t believe it.
Why Zhang Xiaojie?
Why would Zhang Xiaojie do such a thing?
She looked at You Ruxu: “Reporter You, was it really Zhang Xiaojie?”
Her eyes were filled with a mixture of despair and hope, red and swollen, as if she saw You Ruxu’s answer as her last lifeline. Meeting her gaze, You Ruxu’s heart clenched.
“Are you sure?”
“Was it really him?”
You Ruxu heard these words echoing in her ears, the person in front of her overlapping with another’s image. Her throat was dry, her lips moved, wanting to speak, but the words were caught in her throat, her face pale.
Zeng Jing also knew how difficult this question was for You Ruxu.
She lowered her head: “I…”
“I don’t know.” After a pause, You Ruxu said, “But I will find out.”
Hearing these words, Zeng Jing felt a surge of strength. When so many people didn’t believe her, only You Ruxu said, I will find out. She didn’t say Zhang Xiaojie was innocent, but it was more reassuring than claiming his innocence.
“Thank you, Reporter You.” At this moment, Zeng Jing was calmer than before. You Ruxu said, “You should rest.”
After leaving the ward, You Ruxu leaned against the door. Lin Luo, who was waiting outside, saw her come out and called, “Teacher You.”
You Ruxu’s hands and feet were cold, her face pale. Lin Luo asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”
“I’m fine.” You Ruxu tried to clench her hands, her palms sweaty. Zhou Tianzui came out of the ward, saw You Ruxu’s state, and paused slightly. You Ruxu was always calm and collected in public, maintaining a professional demeanor. Now, she was different. Zhou Tianzui walked over and, before Lin Luo could offer to help You Ruxu rest, said, “I’ll take her.”
Lin Luo turned and saw Zhou Tianzui holding a medical chart, tucking a pen into her chest pocket, her expression unchanged, her eyes still serious up close. Lin Luo swallowed, instinctively taking half a step back, but her gaze remained fixed on Zhou Tianzui.
Dr. Zhou’s profile was so beautiful.
Although her pursed lips looked sterner than even her professors from university, there was a reassuring strength in that sternness, not just composure, but a deep-seated confidence stemming from her professionalism. It was as if seeing her, any problem could be solved.
And wasn’t that the truth?
She had been trying to persuade Zeng Jing for so long, from last night until now, talking until her lips were dry.
But it was nothing compared to Zhou Tianzui’s five minutes.
She truly admired Zhou Tianzui.
How could someone be so capable?!
Lin Luo carefully suppressed the admiration in her eyes and the strange feelings welling up in her heart. Zhou Tianzui didn’t look at her, just said to You Ruxu, “Come rest in my office.”
“I have to go back to the station…” Before You Ruxu could finish, Zhou Tianzui grabbed her wrist. Their eyes met. You Ruxu said, “Okay, I’ll rest for a bit.”
To organize the information she just obtained from Zeng Jing.
Zhou Tianzui released her hand. You Ruxu followed her, and they entered the office one after the other. Zhou Tianzui poured her a cup of tea, not asking about their conversation. You Ruxu sat on the sofa and heard Zhou Tianzui ask, “Do you need a computer?”
She had her own laptop and the hospital-provided desktop. You Ruxu said, “Yes, please.”
Zhou Tianzui handed her the laptop. It was light, a work laptop. You Ruxu opened it, and it prompted for a password. She looked at Zhou Tianzui, about to speak, when Zhou Tianzui walked over, lowered her head, and quickly typed in a few numbers. You Ruxu saw the last four digits were 0068. Zhou Tianzui opened the laptop and, seeing You Ruxu motionless, asked, “What’s wrong?”
You Ruxu snapped back to reality and said, “Nothing.”
She took the laptop, her fingertips cold, mistyping several letters. Zhou Tianzui looked down and asked, “What are you looking for?”
You Ruxu said, “Nothing, just browsing the news.”
She mainly wanted to see the direction of online public opinion. After the fireworks factory’s statement, as expected, all the criticism was directed at Zhang Xiaojie. Previously, some people were still concerned about the illegal production of fireworks, but now, after reading the statement and combining it with the “revelations” from Zhang Xiaojie’s colleagues, everyone was condemning him.
[So the source of the illegal fireworks was Zhang Xiaojie.]
[What was Zhang Xiaojie trying to do?]
[Just a wild guess, was Zhang Xiaojie trying to blackmail the boss with the illegal fireworks, and when the boss refused, he set them off in anger?]
[Possible, probably just for the money. Zhang Xiaojie truly deserves to die, he deserves it!]
The light from the screen fell on You Ruxu’s face, her profile serene. She didn’t type anything, just scrolled down with the mouse, switching between different platforms. Zhou Tianzui said, “Your water’s cold.”
You Ruxu picked up the cup and took a sip. The temperature was just right, still warm. The warmth gradually spread to her hands and feet.
Looking up, Zhou Tianzui was on the phone.
“What time?” Zhou Tianzui said, “I’m free at three this afternoon, okay, I understand.”
You Ruxu asked, “Surgery?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “A consultation.”
You Ruxu nodded, her emotions stabilizing. She received a message from Chen Xiang: [Teacher You, the station is asking about the interview.]
Presumably, they already knew she had withheld the second half of the interview. You Ruxu replied: [I’ll be right back.]
Chen Xiang: [The boss said she’ll handle it, you go ahead with your work.]
You Ruxu: [Huh?]
Not only You Ruxu, but Chen Xiang was also puzzled. Normally, their boss would be furious by now, calling You Ruxu back for a scolding. Unexpectedly, she was so accommodating today, even telling her to continue with her work.
After a moment of thought, You Ruxu understood. She replied: [Then drive over here.]
Chen Xiang asked: [Where?]
You Ruxu: [Meet me at the hospital.]
After sending the message, she put down her phone. Zhou Tianzui sat in her office chair, looking at You Ruxu while typing. You Ruxu was browsing webpages on the sofa, very quiet, occasionally clicking the silent mouse, the clicks barely audible. Zhou Tianzui only saw You Ruxu’s hand on the mouse, her fingers slender and long, her nails short but coated with clear nail polish, making them look even whiter, a seemingly cold color. But Zhou Tianzui knew how warm and soft those hands were.
She focused, lowering her head to continue typing. In the quiet office, they sat at their respective computers, their expressions serious. You Ruxu occasionally rested her hand on her knee, her fingers by her lips, deep in thought. A notification sound broke the silence. She glanced at the time, Chen Xiang had arrived. You Ruxu looked up, about to speak to Zhou Tianzui, but saw she was looking at her computer.
Due to her work, she often wore this serious expression. You Ruxu remembered a few times when she came to find Zhou Tianzui, hearing the newly recruited doctors discussing who was the strictest, Zhou Tianzui’s name always being mentioned the most. But after a while, the same people would say, “Dr. Zhou took her into the operating room.”
“So envious.”
“I also want to work with Dr. Zhou.”
You Ruxu gripped the mouse and heard the cool voice, “What are you looking at, Teacher You?”
Looking at what?
Looking at her.
This person who always made her feel both love and hate.
You Ruxu ignored her, lowered her head, closed the laptop, and packed her bag. Just as she was about to stand up, Zhou Tianzui walked over to her, standing so close they were almost touching. You Ruxu would have bumped into her if she had stood up, so she instinctively took half a step back, her calf hitting the edge of the sofa, making her fall back onto the seat. Looking up, surrounded by Zhou Tianzui’s scent, she asked, “What?”
Zhou Tianzui asked, “You haven’t answered me yet.”
You Ruxu asked, “Answered you what?”
Zhou Tianzui asked, “What were you looking at just now?”
You Ruxu said, “Looking at you.”
A hint of amusement flickered in Zhou Tianzui’s eyes. She lowered her gaze, her eyes resting on You Ruxu’s lips, coated with light-colored lipstick. She reached out and touched You Ruxu’s lips. You Ruxu froze. Zhou Tianzui said, “It’s smudged, let me fix it for you.”
Her fingertip brushed across You Ruxu’s lips.
You Ruxu’s heart pounded like a drum.
The quiet atmosphere was broken by a knock on the door. You Ruxu looked over, past Zhou Tianzui’s shoulder, and heard the voice outside call, “Dr. Zhou.”
It was He Wei.
Zhou Tianzui’s movement of standing up paused. She released You Ruxu’s hand and placed it on her shoulder instead. You Ruxu tried to stand, but Zhou Tianzui gently pressed her back down. Neither used much force. You Ruxu looked up at Zhou Tianzui, her eyes deep and dark, unreadable. There were two more knocks on the door, followed by the sound of the doorknob turning. You Ruxu and Zhou Tianzui continued to look at each other.
A silent standoff.
The moment the door opened, Zhou Tianzui straightened up, picked up an empty cup from her desk, and asked, “Would you like some more water, Teacher You?”
As if she had just come to pour her some water.
You Ruxu pursed her lips and said, “No, thank you.”
Her tone was as calm as ever, but her heart was racing. Was it because He Wei almost saw their intimate moment?
Or was it—because of the lipstick being “fixed”?
You Ruxu could still feel the warmth of Zhou Tianzui’s fingertip on her lips. Her gaze involuntarily fell on Zhou Tianzui’s hand, its beautiful shape, every line and curve perfect, a work of art in her eyes.
This work of art was now taking the medical chart from He Wei’s hand, hearing He Wei call out, “Teacher You.”
Her voice was filled with uncontainable excitement. He Wei had originally come to find Zhou Tianzui, but unexpectedly, You Ruxu was also there. She heard You Ruxu was here to interview Zeng Jing. She had just passed by Zeng Jing’s ward, but hadn’t seen her, and assumed she had left. It turned out she was in Zhou Tianzui’s office.
You Ruxu nodded slightly at her, smiled, and said to Zhou Tianzui, “I’ll be going now.”
Zhou Tianzui glanced at He Wei, her voice cool, “I won’t see you out then, Teacher You, take care.”
Ever since that day at Yu Qiao’s apartment, hearing this formal address, You Ruxu felt a strange mix of emotions. She turned her back to Zhou Tianzui, her posture straight and elegant, her hair neatly in place, her demeanor no different from usual, except for the slight flush on her face.
Chen Xiang, seeing her come out, quickly got out of the car and called, “Teacher You! Over here!”
You Ruxu walked over. Chen Xiang opened the passenger door and asked, “Teacher You, did you get anything from the interview?”
“I still need to verify some things.” You Ruxu said, “Let’s go to the police station first.”
Chen Xiang quickly agreed.
On the way, You Ruxu called Captain Zhou. She heard noise on the other end and asked, “Where are you?”
“I’m at the factory.” Captain Zhou’s voice was bright. “Is something the matter?”
You Ruxu said, “I’ll tell you when I see you, I’m coming over.”
Captain Zhou seemed to know what You Ruxu wanted to talk about and didn’t refuse. After hanging up, You Ruxu saw a group of people standing by the factory entrance, asking her and her team members, “What does the factory mean? Are they not going to compensate us?”
Her team members were trying to appease the victims’ families. Captain Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, turned to the little troublemaker, and whispered something to him. The troublemaker went to the entrance to wait for You Ruxu.
Chen Xiang, after parking, saw the troublemaker approach. She asked, “Where’s your captain?”
“Inside.” The troublemaker shook his head, his face filled with helplessness. “Surrounded, can’t leave for even a moment.”
They were originally here to investigate the fireworks, but somehow the victims’ families heard that the factory wasn’t going to compensate them. Some had children, some had husbands or wives lying in the hospital. How could they not be compensated? So, they started protesting.
You Ruxu frowned, “Where’s the person in charge of the company?”
“He hasn’t arrived yet.” The troublemaker said, “We called him twice, urged him repeatedly, but he still hasn’t come.”
You Ruxu walked inside and heard Captain Zhou say, “Quiet! We’ll handle everything, alright?”
Her voice was loud and commanding, calming the crowd. Captain Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and heard someone ask, “So is the factory not going to pay us a single cent?!”
“No.” The speaker was You Ruxu. She walked over to Captain Zhou and said, “Regardless of whether Zhang Xiaojie was responsible, the company must compensate everyone according to the standards for work-related injuries.”
Hearing her words, the agitated crowd calmed down somewhat.
Captain Zhou said, “Thanks.”
You Ruxu asked her, “Why are you here at the factory?”
And then, “What’s with the statement?”
Captain Zhou glanced at the crowd and said, “Let’s talk somewhere else.”
They walked to the side. The other members of her team were still appeasing the families. The troublemaker walked over to them and said to Captain Zhou, “He said he’ll be here in a few minutes.”
Captain Zhou nodded and said to You Ruxu, “We checked the statement, it’s accurate.”
You Ruxu looked at Captain Zhou: “The rumors were spread by Zhang Xiaojie?”
Captain Zhou nodded, “We traced the account he used, he was the one who spread the rumors.”
You Ruxu nodded. The second point in the statement, that Zhang Xiaojie set off the fireworks himself, was also supported by video evidence. She asked Captain Zhou, “Then what was Zhang Xiaojie’s motive?”
Captain Zhou shook her head.
Mr. Zhao had offered some possibilities, such as Zhang Xiaojie trying to extort money from him, or having a grudge against the factory, but there was no evidence to support these claims.
You Ruxu said, “What are you doing here today?”
Captain Zhou looked at the troublemaker.
The troublemaker said, “The fireworks that exploded were newly produced. We’re here to check the production quantity.”
There were no illegal fireworks, no violations in storage, not even any surplus. Combined with the factory’s statement, it seemed they were completely innocent. But being too clean also aroused suspicion.
You Ruxu said, “Newly produced fireworks?”
Captain Zhou, noticing the change in her tone, asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” You Ruxu said casually, “I just remembered that when I interviewed Zeng Jing today, she mentioned something about ‘special fireworks’ that Chen Mo’s ex-girlfriend mentioned.”
Captain Zhou’s interest was piqued: “What special fireworks?”
You Ruxu said, “Chen Mo’s ex-girlfriend said she would develop new fireworks for their wedding and for the baby’s birth.”
Captain Zhou hesitated for a few seconds.
You Ruxu said, “Unfortunately, she passed away two months ago.”
Captain Zhou said, “Zhang Xiaojie started spreading the rumors about a month and a half ago.”
It seemed they had found a clue from these small details. Only the troublemaker was confused: “Captain Zhou, what are you talking about?”
You Ruxu looked at him and said, “We’re saying that this statement is very strange.”
Huh?
The troublemaker frowned.
Had they been talking about the statement?
Weren’t they talking about the ex-girlfriend?
He asked, “Strange how?”
You Ruxu asked, “Why did the factory wait until now to release the statement, instead of releasing the evidence earlier?”
The troublemaker froze.
Captain Zhou said, “Because they were waiting for public opinion to shift.”
You Ruxu asked again, “How could they be so sure that public opinion would shift in their favor?”
Captain Zhou said, “Someone helped them.”
The troublemaker was confused, “Who?”
Captain Zhou knocked him on the head, “Go contact Chen Mo’s parents.”
The troublemaker rubbed his head: “Captain Zhou, what are you planning to do?”
“Overturn the case and re-investigate.” Previously, their focus had been entirely on Zhang Xiaojie and Mr. Zhao, investigating them thoroughly. They had also investigated Chen Mo, but not as meticulously. Now, from these small details, they realized he might be the key.
The troublemaker let out an “oh,” seemingly understanding. He said, “Captain Zhou, you’re so awesome!”
He looked at You Ruxu, who was talking to the victims’ families not far away, and said, “Reporter You is awesome too.”
“Of course.” Captain Zhou said, “You know what her father did, right? The number of cases she’s seen and criminals she’s met since she was young is more than all the cases we’ve handled combined. How could she not be awesome?”
The troublemaker said, “Then she should be a police officer!”
Captain Zhou laughed: “I heard she was planning to join the court system before.”
The troublemaker was surprised, “Then why did she become a reporter?”
Captain Zhou sighed, “No one knows that.”
She looked at You Ruxu. Standing under the sunlight, her head slightly lowered, listening attentively to the person beside her, her calm and collected demeanor only piqued one’s curiosity further.
He Wei: Dr. Zhou.
Zhou Tianzui: Don’t talk.
He Wei: …
Zhou Tianzui: Teacher You.
You Ruxu: Don’t talk.
Zhou Tianzui: …
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