Chapter 86: Important
After the routine questioning, Zhou Tianzui remembered seeing Xu Jinwan at the mall and told Captain Zhou. You Ruxu asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Zhou Tianzui glanced at her and didn’t answer.
You Ruxu’s heart sank. She looked at Zhou Tianzui, her profile tense, her expression serious.
Zhou Tianzui was angry.
Although her expression seemed no different from usual to others, You Ruxu knew she was angry. Was it because she took over the Fengyuan case, or because she didn’t tell her beforehand?
You Ruxu bit her lip and stood silently.
Captain Zhou, after asking a few more questions, received a call and was called away. She asked You Ruxu, “Are you coming?”
You Ruxu shook her head: “You go ahead.”
Captain Zhou said goodbye to Zhou Tianzui and left. The office was quiet. You Ruxu called out, “Zhou Tianzui.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Zhou Tianzui frowned, her usual stern demeanor even colder now, an unapproachable aura. You Ruxu said, “I was planning to tell you when we got home tonight.”
“Tell me?” Zhou Tianzui said, “Am I only worthy of being informed after the fact?”
You Ruxu said, “That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” Zhou Tianzui said, “Isn’t that exactly what you did? Before taking over the Fengyuan story, did you ask me? Did you discuss it with me? Why would you take over, knowing that Xu Jinwan is missing?”
You Ruxu said, “I’m the only one at the station who’s familiar with the Fengyuan case.”
“So?” Zhou Tianzui’s voice was low and laced with anger. “You’re familiar with the case, but not the risks involved?”
You Ruxu said, “I’m aware…”
“Then why did you still take it?” Zhou Tianzui’s anger, simmering since You Ruxu’s phone call at noon, now erupted. You Ruxu hadn’t mentioned taking over the Fengyuan case, she should have discussed it with her.
It was different now, the awkwardness between them gone, they were supposed to be the closest, she didn’t want to be just someone who was informed.
But You Ruxu still chose to just inform her.
This fueled Zhou Tianzui’s anger, which she had suppressed while talking to Captain Zhou. Now, with no one else present, she couldn’t contain it any longer.
You Ruxu said, “I just want to find Xu Jinwan as soon as possible.”
Zhou Tianzui looked at her, “Does finding Xu Jinwan quickly have anything to do with informing me? Did I say you couldn’t take the case?”
No, she hadn’t.
Zhou Tianzui had never interfered with You Ruxu’s work, no matter how dangerous. She would just tell her to be careful, to stay safe. She would never forbid You Ruxu from pursuing a story.
You Ruxu looked down.
Zhou Tianzui hadn’t meant to lash out at her, she just couldn’t control her emotions. She looked away, and there was a knock on the door, Lin Luo calling out, “Dr. Zhou, the director wants to see you.”
Zhou Tianzui said to Lin Luo, “I’ll be right there.”
She didn’t look at You Ruxu, didn’t say goodbye, just walked out.
You Ruxu stood in the office, a sudden silence, a silence that made her heart race. Zhou Tianzui’s moods used to be unpredictable, her temper fluctuating, but she rarely got truly angry, better at hiding her emotions than You Ruxu.
You Ruxu followed her out of the office. Zhou Tianzui went to the director’s office. Doctors and nurses bustled in the corridor. She reached the director’s office, the door closed. She stood there, and her phone rang. It was Captain Zhou, saying she was going to the abandoned building, asking if You Ruxu wanted to come. You Ruxu hesitated for a moment, then turned and left the hospital.
The police car was waiting for her downstairs. You Ruxu got in. Captain Zhou, driving, asked, “Something on your mind?”
You Ruxu turned to her, “No.”
“Worried about Xu Jinwan?” Captain Zhou said, “We’ve expanded the search area, we should have some results soon.”
You Ruxu asked, “Have you found her informant?”
“Not yet.” Captain Zhou said, “We’re still analyzing her computer, hoping to find some clues.”
Currently, they didn’t know who the informant was, the USB drive was missing, and the only “evidence” they had were from Xu Jinwan’s chat logs, which wouldn’t hold up against Fengyuan’s lawsuit.
Public opinion had shifted, some of those who had initially criticized Fengyuan were now questioning Xu Jinwan.
Captain Zhou asked, “Do you think Xu Jinwan orchestrated her own disappearance?”
You Ruxu said, “Fifty-fifty.”
Captain Zhou chuckled, “Always so cautious.”
It wasn’t just caution. Without any concrete evidence, any possibility was valid, but she felt it was more likely that it wasn’t staged. For Xu Jinwan to leave her apartment so late at night, wearing pajamas, she must have been meeting someone she knew well, and currently, this person was the prime suspect.
This person, bribed by Fengyuan?
But why would Xu Jinwan meet this person, and bring the USB drive with the evidence?
Unless, this person was also connected to Fengyuan, and the USB drive.
You Ruxu said, “I remember she said she had evidence.”
Captain Zhou nodded.
You Ruxu said, “Where did she get the evidence?”
Captain Zhou said, “Someone sent her a message.”
Mentioning the evidence.
But that message only contained four simple words, I have evidence.
What evidence?
What if it was about the V1?
Xu Jinwan had called the number later, but there was only a call log, no other information. And the number hadn’t contacted her again.
They checked the number, it was an international number.
You Ruxu said, “International? Could it be Zhou Heng’s brother?”
Captain Zhou said, “We’re also trying to contact Mr. Zhou.”
You Ruxu pursed her lips.
The biggest problem now was this evidence. If Xu Jinwan’s evidence was real, then how did she obtain it? Why did she bring it with her that night? It was highly likely that the person who provided the evidence was also the one who asked her to meet.
Even more likely.
This person was Xu Jinwan’s “informant.”
If the evidence was fake.
Then it would confirm that Xu Jinwan staged her own disappearance.
You Ruxu said, “Could it be that the informant was bribed by Fengyuan?”
Captain Zhou said, “That’s a possibility.”
The informant, bribed by Fengyuan, kidnapped Xu Jinwan? No, that didn’t seem right either.
You Ruxu felt they were missing something. She lowered her head, lost in thought. Captain Zhou said, “We’re here.”
The abandoned building was right in front of them. There was only one residential complex nearby, no shops, the nearest surveillance camera was by the roadside, quite far from here. You Ruxu followed Captain Zhou inside, “Is this where Xu Jinwan met with her informant?”
Captain Zhou asked, “Why do you say that?”
You Ruxu said, “Before she went in, no one at the station mentioned anything about evidence, but after she came out, she said she had a big story, so it’s highly likely the exchange happened here.”
Captain Zhou nodded.
But the building was only half-finished, no lights, no proper pathways, just dirt, cement, and construction materials scattered everywhere, easy to trip over.
This place was quite secluded.
Difficult to navigate even during the day, let alone at night.
You Ruxu asked, “Is there anyone in charge of this place?”
Captain Zhou said, “There is, but he’s gone back to his hometown for the New Year. We’ve already contacted him.”
You Ruxu nodded. Just as Captain Zhou finished speaking, a man in his fifties, bundled up in thick winter clothes, hurried over. Hearing that Xu Jinwan was here last night, Captain Zhou asked if he had seen her before. He said, “I don’t know, many people come here, especially after the developer ran off, people often come here at night to steal cement, steel bars, pipes, it’s impossible to stop them all.”
You Ruxu asked, “Why not install security cameras?”
“No one cares enough to.” The man clearly wasn’t really in charge. After the developer ran off, the government took over, but construction hadn’t resumed, and the materials hadn’t been inventoried. His title was “person in charge,” but it was just a formality, he just came by every day to check, turning a blind eye to the theft. The people nearby weren’t wealthy, stealing materials to repair their houses was understandable, so he didn’t interfere.
Asking further, he didn’t know anything else.
He wasn’t here last night, he said he was at his hometown.
This place was so large, forget finding any traces from last night, even finding a person would be difficult. You Ruxu followed Captain Zhou and a small search team inside. There was a lot of garbage scattered around. You Ruxu went to the right. The man in charge looked around, then followed You Ruxu, telling her to call him if she needed anything.
You Ruxu nodded, not speaking.
The man said, “Are you close with Xu Jinwan?”
You Ruxu looked at him.
The man chuckled awkwardly, “You’re the only one from your TV station here.”
You Ruxu said, “You know which station I’m from?”
“I often watch your news reports.” The man said, “Was she kidnapped?”
You Ruxu said, “There’s no conclusion yet.”
The man smiled, a simple, honest smile. He looked at You Ruxu, their eyes meeting, and You Ruxu asked, “Do you have something to tell me?”
“No.” The man said firmly, “Nothing.”
You Ruxu watched him return to the entrance. She returned to her search. They searched all afternoon, but found nothing. Time was running out. More and more police officers were dispatched, preparing to search through the night. Captain Zhou said, “It’s getting late, should I drive you home?”
You Ruxu said, “I’ll take a taxi, you’re busy.”
Captain Zhou didn’t insist.
You Ruxu got into a taxi. The radio was reporting on Xu Jinwan’s disappearance. She opened the window, the cold air clearing her head. The driver sneezed twice. You Ruxu closed the window and said, “Sorry.”
The driver chuckled, “You’re quite resistant to the cold, young lady.”
You Ruxu smiled faintly.
She lowered her head and typed on her phone, then took out a pen and paper from her bag. The traffic was slow, and she wrote quickly, filling half a page before they arrived. She got out of the taxi, bought some crispy pastries from a nearby shop, and returned home. Zhou Tianzui wasn’t there.
You Ruxu looked at the time, Zhou Tianzui said she wasn’t working overtime today, why wasn’t she home yet? Remembering their argument at the hospital, she called Zhou Tianzui.
Several rings.
Zhou Tianzui was sitting in her car. You Ruxu had already left when she came out of the director’s office. You Ruxu hadn’t called or messaged her all afternoon. She was still sulking, sitting in her car, not going home.
Seeing You Ruxu’s call, she almost hung up.
So childish.
She mocked her own childishness, but her hand, disobeying her mind, answered the call.
You Ruxu’s voice was softer than usual: “Where are you?”
Zhou Tianzui swallowed the cold words on the tip of her tongue, “In the car.”
You Ruxu asked, “When will you be home?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “A little while longer.”
You Ruxu said, “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
Zhou Tianzui hung up, rubbed her temples, slapped her face lightly, then got out of the car and entered the elevator, all in one smooth motion.
You Ruxu had just entered the kitchen when she heard a noise at the door. She walked over, Zhou Tianzui took off her jacket and entered, her expression tense. Before, when there was tension between them, neither would initiate reconciliation, it was as if it wasn’t needed, they would just sleep, and the next day, everything would be fine, or rather, they deliberately ignored those moments of conflict, because they had no defined relationship.
No relationship, no right to be angry.
Back then, Zhou Tianzui was also good at hiding her emotions, if she was truly angry, she would just make a few sarcastic remarks, and You Ruxu would endure it. But it was different now.
You Ruxu said, “There are crispy pastries on the table, have some if you’re hungry, I just started cooking the rice.”
Zhou Tianzui didn’t speak, just walked over to the sofa and sat down.
She looked down, not at the pastries, but at a piece of paper beside them.
A full page, densely filled with characters.
The title, simple and straightforward.
Letter of Apology.
Zhou Tianzui, who had been sulking, chuckled, a mixture of amusement and exasperation, seeing this. She picked up the paper. You Ruxu’s handwriting was elegant and beautiful, just like her name, flowing like calligraphy.
She read the letter while eating a crispy pastry, it tasted sweet.
You Ruxu, coming out of the kitchen, saw the softened expression on Zhou Tianzui’s face. She pursed her lips and walked over. Zhou Tianzui, holding up the paper, asked, “What’s this?”
Asking the obvious.
You Ruxu said, “An apology letter.”
Zhou Tianzui’s lips curved into a smile, pretending indifference despite her obvious pleasure, “Who taught you this?”
You Ruxu asked, “Don’t you like it?”
Zhou Tianzui loved it to death, but she still said, “It’s alright.” She reread the letter carefully, placed it on the coffee table, a remote control on top as a paperweight, and said, “You think you can just appease me with an apology letter?”
You Ruxu said, “And crispy pastries.”
Zhou Tianzui: “That’s it?”
You Ruxu said, “I also made you dinner.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Anything else?”
You Ruxu said, “What more do you want?”
Zhou Tianzui looked at her intently. You Ruxu pursed her lips, about to stand up, when Zhou Tianzui leaned in and bit her hard on the lip.
Harder than before.
Hard enough to bring tears to You Ruxu’s eyes.
But she still didn’t say anything, just endured it silently.
Zhou Tianzui said in exasperation, “Blockhead.”
She said, “It’s not like I forbade you from investigating.”
You Ruxu said, “I know.”
Zhou Tianzui said, “You know? Then why didn’t you discuss it with me?”
You Ruxu said, “I’ll discuss it with you next time.”
“Next time?” Zhou Tianzui said, “Next time, could you please, consider your own safety before taking on a story?”
She looked at You Ruxu, “A Ran, maybe in your eyes, news is more important than anything else, but to me, you are more important than anything else.”
“So I want you to think about yourself, even if I’m in danger, I don’t want you to do anything risky, understand?”
You Ruxu looked at Zhou Tianzui, her eyes welling up. She didn’t speak.
Zhou Tianzui asked, “Does it hurt?”
Her finger gently touched You Ruxu’s bitten lip. You Ruxu said, “It hurts.”
Zhou Tianzui’s heart ached. She was about to lean closer to examine it when You Ruxu suddenly hugged her, her head lowered, her lips brushing against Zhou Tianzui’s neck, and then, gently biting her.
Zhou Tianzui’s heart skipped a beat.
Zhou Tianzui: My wife wrote me a love letter.
You Ruxu: …
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