Chapter 13: Obstruction
Qin Qianrou wasn’t one for idle chatter. Since they had discussed almost everything, and it was almost time for work, she had to head back to the station.
Seeing her get up, Shen Yiqiu sat up straight and tried to get out of bed, “Are you leaving?”
Qin Qianrou placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her, “I have to go back to the television station. I’ll arrange the things I promised you as soon as possible. Just stay in the hospital and rest.”
Concise and to the point, Qin Qianrou’s words were devoid of unnecessary embellishments or emotional inflection, yet they were inexplicably reassuring.
Since she said she would arrange it, Shen Yiqiu would trust her for now.
Shen Yiqiu leaned against the headboard, smiling as she watched her leave. Qin Qianrou glanced back at her before closing the door. Seeing that her expression was much better than before, she left with peace of mind.
Li Wan was busy sending messages outside the ward. Seeing Qin Qianrou emerge, she immediately stood up. Without asking much, they left together.
On their way back, Li Wan listened to Qin Qianrou recount the earlier events and frowned.
“Qianrou, weren’t you a bit impulsive?”
Qin Qianrou leaned against the car window, exhausted, desperately needing a cup of coffee. Her friend’s tone was slightly agitated, but she knew it was out of concern.
“Perhaps a little, but that child’s situation is special. I didn’t have any other choice under those circumstances.”
Li Wan focused on the road, her mood heavy.
“I saw Shao Qidong storm out of the ward. He was stunned when he saw me, and then he saw the couple you mentioned leave. I thought you had resolved the issue.” Li Wan sighed softly, “Who knew you’d be taking on such a big problem for yourself?”
A big problem? In Qin Qianrou’s slightly aching head, she saw Shen Yiqiu’s lonely expression and heard her words, spoken with forced strength despite her obvious vulnerability.
“It’s only temporary. Once she turns eighteen and can make her own decisions, I won’t be involved anymore. For now, I’ll help as much as I can.”
Li Wan’s frown remained, but she didn’t say anything more to dissuade her. She understood Shen Yiqiu’s current predicament; if it were her, she would probably make the same choice as Qin Qianrou.
“Fine, it’s only a month or so. Let’s help as much as we can.”
Hearing her friend’s words, Qin Qianrou couldn’t help but smile.
Li Wan kept her eyes on the road, her tone not as soft as her attitude, “Hmph, be prepared; your life won’t be easy during this time. The team leader asked when we would be back at the station. It’s probably about the project meeting.”
“We have to investigate Dongsheng Group. If there’s truly a problem with Shao Qidong, and we don’t investigate now, it would be irresponsible to the public.”
Qin Qianrou was firm in her stance. She hadn’t had a good impression of Shao Qidong, but she didn’t hold any strong prejudice either. To prepare her analysis report, she had gathered detailed information on Dongsheng Group.
And she discovered that there were quite a few problems.
Now, with Shen Yiqiu as a potential witness, her suspicions about Dongsheng Group grew even stronger.
Li Wan, being her longtime friend, understood her resolve from her tone. She parked the car, walked around to Qin Qianrou’s side, and put an arm around her shoulder with a smile.
“Then let’s investigate this thoroughly together!”
Qin Qianrou rarely engaged in physical contact with others. Besides her family, she only tolerated Li Wan’s occasional displays of affection. But she didn’t find Shen Yiqiu’s closeness repulsive. When she thought of her, she only remembered that pitiful little face.
Having just been laughing and chatting, they became serious as they reached the elevator. Li Wan took out her ID card and put it on, tying her long hair up in a bun. She and Qin Qianrou had different personalities and different working styles, but their serious attitude towards work was remarkably similar.
“The team leader said we’ll have another meeting this afternoon and told us to be prepared.”
Qin Qianrou knew what “prepared” meant, but all the evidence she currently had was already compiled in the report she had submitted. If there was anything else she needed to prepare, it was to be mentally ready for a tough battle.
**
They went straight to the station from the hospital. It was still some time before the 9 am start of work. They had thought they would be the earliest to arrive, but when they pushed open the door, the light in the team leader’s office was on.
Li Wan couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my god, don’t tell me she hasn’t left since she called me last night?”
Qin Qianrou peered through the glass at the person inside. The desk was piled with documents, and two empty coffee cups lay discarded.
It seemed she wasn’t the only one who had pulled an all-nighter.
Lin Shuangzhi saw them and came out of her office.
“Just in time, come to my office. I have something to discuss.”
Li Wan and Qin Qianrou returned to their respective offices, put down their bags, hung up their suit jackets, and grabbed their notebooks before heading to the team leader’s office. Habitually glancing at the mirror by the door, Qin Qianrou stopped.
She was wearing a black shirt today. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but now, looking in the mirror, she saw a small mark on her left chest, just above her breast. Thinking about it, she realized when and how it had gotten there. Qin Qianrou took out a wet wipe and tried to rub it off, but it didn’t work very well.
Li Wan passed by her office and saw her still lingering. She knocked on the door, urging her to hurry.
Slightly annoyed, Qin Qianrou put her jacket back on, buttoning it up almost completely to cover the mark.
When they sat down, Lin Shuangzhi looked up at Qin Qianrou and paused, clearly surprised.
“Is it too cold in my office, Qianrou? Are you cold?”
Li Wan had borrowed a light gray silk shirt from Qin Qianrou this morning. Having just come in from outside, she had been so hot that she immediately took off her suit jacket. But the person sitting next to her not only hadn’t removed her jacket but had also buttoned it up more neatly than before, which seemed odd.
Realizing that two pairs of eyes were on her, the usually composed Reporter Qin felt a little awkward.
She didn’t want to explain, so she simply mumbled in agreement, quickly ending the topic.
Lin Shuangzhi didn’t say anything else, getting up to increase the temperature by two degrees.
Returning to her desk, she handed each of them an A4-sized document.
“Take a look at this first.”
After reading it, both Qin Qianrou and Li Wan showed varying degrees of anger.
Li Wan, with her quick temper, almost threw the paper onto the desk, but knowing it wasn’t Lin Shuangzhi’s fault, she restrained herself.
“Who did this? Reporting Qianrou? If you have the guts, don’t do it anonymously! Don’t just make vague accusations; show some real evidence!”
Lin Shuangzhi was used to Li Wan’s outbursts and waited for her to calm down before turning to the person who had remained silent.
“Qianrou, what do you think?”
Qin Qianrou tightly gripped the corner of the paper, her voice as calm as the room’s temperature.
“I have nothing to say. What’s written there is completely baseless, pure fabrication.”
Lin Shuangzhi smiled knowingly, “Don’t worry about this. I never doubted you from the moment I received this letter. But this matter is indeed troublesome.”
Silence filled the office. Experienced as they were, they knew what the sudden appearance of this anonymous complaint meant.
Lin Shuangzhi spoke slowly, her tone firm, “Qianrou, someone doesn’t want you investigating Dongsheng Group. They’ve taken action to stop you.”
The glimmer in Qin Qianrou’s eyes indicated that she wasn’t afraid.
“Obstruction isn’t entirely a bad thing; it means someone is feeling guilty and anxious. Doesn’t that prove Dongsheng Group has a problem and is afraid of us investigating?”
Although Li Wan had a fiery temper, she wasn’t foolish. She naturally understood what the team leader and Qin Qianrou were thinking.
“Anyway, Qianrou, just do what you want to do. Even if Dongsheng is a tough nut to crack, I don’t believe anyone in Meng City would dare to do anything to you!”
After all, she was the daughter of the deputy mayor. She didn’t like using her background to exert pressure, but she wasn’t afraid to use it to protect her rights.
In Meng City, Qin Qianrou was alone, and protecting her was Li Wan’s responsibility.
Lin Shuangzhi coughed lightly, attracting Li Wan’s attention.
“If the team decides to investigate Dongsheng Group, Qianrou’s safety will naturally be the station’s responsibility. Do you really think I, as the team leader, only take credit and don’t take responsibility?”
Li Wan snorted and looked away. Her earlier words were actually meant to provoke Lin Shuangzhi. She knew the team leader mostly supported them, but her approach was too tactful and roundabout, just like her father, the deputy mayor, who was steeped in officialdom!
**
The matter of the anonymous complaint was temporarily suppressed by Lin Shuangzhi and didn’t spread within the team. However, the project meeting was postponed because of it. Suddenly free in the afternoon, Qin Qianrou, contrary to her usual practice, didn’t continue researching but made several phone calls, contacting friends in different industries.
Shen Yiqiu didn’t expect to see Qin Qianrou again so soon. She had just left this morning and was back in the evening.
“You… why are you here again?” Shen Yiqiu was peeling a tangerine, her hands sticky, but her surprised expression was truly amusing.
Qin Qianrou pursed her lips and walked over, trying to maintain a neutral expression, “What? Not welcome?”
Shen Yiqiu snapped back to her senses, quickly putting down the tangerine and wiping her hands. She was alone in the ward now. Although still a patient, she could move around freely.
“No, no, I just didn’t expect you to come twice in one day.” Shen Yiqiu’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was audible in the ward.
This, of course, included the person following behind Qin Qianrou, who chuckled softly.
Shen Yiqiu then realized there was someone else. She looked and saw a person half a head shorter than Qin Qianrou, dressed casually, but with delicate features, clearly of the same caliber as Qin Qianrou.
“I found a new caregiver for you, Rong Fei, Auntie Rong. This way, you won’t have to worry about being constantly watched.”
Uh… so that was why Auntie Liu was gone today. Qin Qianrou was very efficient.
Shen Yiqiu obediently nodded at the newcomer and politely greeted her despite her hesitation, “Auntie Rong, hello.”
But the person behind her protested in a low voice, “Hey, how did I become a caregiver? We agreed I was just here to help.”
Qin Qianrou turned around. Shen Yiqiu couldn’t see their exchange, but the person quickly gave up resisting, accepting the new role with a grumble.
Qin Qianrou then took out a phone from her bag and handed it to Shen Yiqiu, “You can use this to contact me.”
Shen Yiqiu accepted it gratefully. Her phone had been smashed in the accident, and she hadn’t gotten a new SIM card yet, as the procedures were quite troublesome for a minor.
Then she heard Qin Qianrou add, “But it’s best not to use it for anything you shouldn’t, as this is my secondary SIM.”
Shen Yiqiu hadn’t expected Qin Qianrou to give her a phone registered under her own name. This was a sign of trust and closeness.
Clutching the phone, she said solemnly, “I won’t. Thank you.”
Qin Qianrou smiled slightly, a little unaccustomed to Shen Yiqiu’s sudden solemnity.
Just as she was about to leave, Shen Yiqiu’s expression suddenly changed again.
Qin Qianrou felt a tug on her clothes and saw Shen Yiqiu looking at her nervously.
Her expression was similar to last time.
“Don’t drive later. Take the bus, okay?”
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