Chapter 107: Bold

Chapter 107: Bold

He Jueyun returned to his office early in the morning, emanating a low pressure. Song Shu hadn't even had time to be happy that the group now had a leader when he realized his superior was in a strange state, immediately filling him with depression.

...It would be better if I didn’t come. Is he expecting me to guess his intentions?

Song Shu organized the documents that needed signing. He tidied the edges and arranged them in order of priority. Only after confirming that even the nitpicky He Jueyun couldn't find any mistakes did he take the file folder to find him.

Song Shu knocked and entered, placing several documents in the center of the desk to catch He Jueyun's attention.

He Jueyun leaned back in his chair, hands placed in front of his abdomen, eyes dull and spirit absent, resembling an old man pondering life. He casually said, "Just put them down."

A promising young man had fallen; work truly was the root of all evil. Song Shu thought to himself, unable to just stand by and watch. He urged, "Boss, these documents are quite urgent. Can you sign them so I can get them bound? Otherwise, I'll have to make another trip."

He Jueyun responded perfunctorily, "I'll give them to you in five minutes."

Song Shu hurriedly said, "Boss, can you take it seriously!"

He Jueyun's body jolted, quickly turning his head to glare at the person next to him. Song Shu was startled by his sharp gaze.

"What do you mean by 'take it seriously'?" He Jueyun launched a soul-searching question, "Do you know how much I can earn in one minute? Do you know how much I can earn in a day? Do you know how much it costs to hire me as a driver? I'm so rich that I scare myself. My time is my most precious asset! If we measure seriousness by monetary value, I can far exceed 99% of the people in this country!"

Song Shu was almost knocked out by the word "money." He gave He Jueyun a deep look, confirming that this was a man he couldn't afford to provoke, and silently picked up the report, wishing to leave the scene as if nothing had happened.

He Jueyun pressed down on his documents with a piercing gaze.

After a moment, Song Shu angrily shouted towards the outside, "Who is it! Who angered our boss again? Come out and fix this; I'll let it slide!"

He Jueyun's questions weren't fully vented yet, and he continued, "Am I not serious? I have countless things that can realize my self-worth, yet I still follow behind her. I even handle ordering takeout for her at the hospital personally. Honestly, even a lackey wouldn't be this diligent. If I'm being tactful, does she really see me as just friends?"

Song Shu wanted to cry and kneel before him, realizing he had made a grave mistake. "I was wrong, brother. You're extremely serious. Especially when it comes to romantic feelings."

Never get involved in the romantic feelings of a straight man.

He Jueyun grew angrier, "What kind of seriousness does she want? Should I suffer and share poverty with her? Is it my fault that I'm too rich?"

Song Shu felt envious, wishing that one day he'd have the problem of being too wealthy to comprehend. But for now, this was beyond his understanding.

Looking up with tears in his heart, Song Shu listened to He Jueyun's grievances from another dimension. However, without any response, He Jueyun quickly lost interest and fell into a thoughtful silence.

Song Shu comforted him, "Women, they're all unreasonable like this. Maybe after calming down, she'll understand."

He Jueyun narrowed his eyes and looked at him dangerously, "Are you about to speak ill of her?"

Song Shu was shocked.

...Okay, are all men like this these days?

·

He Chuanzhou changed into a pair of flats in the car and casually asked, "Where should I drop you off?"

"The hospital first. Thanks." Going to the hospital to pick up the bouquet of pure white roses was now the top priority on Qiong Cang's schedule, highlighted in red. Qiong Cang felt she would never forget that bouquet in her lifetime.

He Chuanzhou noticed the sudden complexity in her expression and assumed she was anxious about the hospital, so he easily shifted the topic, "Meeting Li Lingsong today left a strong impression on me."

The bitterness on Qiong Cang's face indeed disappeared, her lips slightly pressed as she said in a deep voice, "Honest and perfect."

He Chuanzhou nodded with a hint of seriousness, "Before meeting Li Lingsong, I asked a few people who knew him. Li Lingsong had a happy family, excellent academic performance, and was highly regarded. He started studying abroad in high school and actively returned to serve after graduation. Everyone who knows him holds him in high regard, including his ex-wife and students. Of course, he's had conflicts with people, but most weren't serious, and not all were his fault… In short, his resume and life experiences show that he's an outstanding, noble, and excellent person." He Chuanzhou became pensive.

Qiong Cang didn't react, looking calmly out the window, her gaze sweeping over rows of green trees along the avenue.

He Chuanzhou described Li Lingsong's virtues, but Fang Qi had already mentioned them to her at least a dozen times, with even more artistic exaggeration.

Professor Li had a certain charm that attracted admirers.

He Chuanzhou paused, slowly turning the vehicle, and asked, "Do you really think someone can fake it their whole life? Even deceive everyone under the sun?"

The sunlight streaming through the window cast shadows across her brow, sharpening her already striking features.

Hearing this, Qiong Cang turned her head and said seriously, "If you think it's him, then investigate thoroughly. Maybe during the investigation, someone else will come up. Besides, he's not entirely innocent."

Is there really such a reckless approach? If so, Director Li’s hair would probably fall out from the stress.

He Chuanzhou glanced at her a few more times and chuckled, "Isn’t he your relative? I thought you’d stick up for him."

"Hmm? Based on my relationship with him, my rationality doesn't allow me to be biased," Qiong Cang said with a smirk, her nostrils flaring slightly, "Seems like being related to me doesn’t come with many perks."

He Chuanzhou sighed, "Seems like there really was a quarrel."

Qiong Cang shook her head after a brief daze, "No, not really. It's just that we have different understandings of the future."

He Chuanzhou asked, "What's your understanding?"

Qiong Cang fumbled, unable to answer the question, and instead asked stiffly, "What about the drug dealer who attacked me last time?"

At this, He Chuanzhou's expression immediately soured, "He's still with the Narcotics Unit. He's deeply addicted and has been pretending to be insane. When he's somewhat sober and we interrogate him, he admits nothing. He says he was high on drugs, wandered the streets hallucinating, and lost consciousness, which is why he went berserk on you. He doesn't remember what he did at that time."

Qiong Cang sneered, "He knew who I was, called me by my name. He deliberately followed me."

"No surveillance, no proof," He Chuanzhou glanced in the rearview mirror and asked, "Do you know him?"

Qiong Cang shook her head, "No, never seen him."

"It's okay," He Chuanzhou said, "Tomorrow I'll bring him over and see if we can get him to talk."

Qiong Cang's eyes flickered with some uncertainty, "Actually, I have a bold guess."

He Chuanzhou, who loved divergent thinking, smiled and said, "Go on."

Qiong Cang said, "When he confronted me, he was extremely agitated, saying I wanted to kill him, so he attacked me. The force and the killing intent were real. Given how high he was and how excited his mind was, what he said might have been his true feelings. The one who wanted to kill me was him, not someone else's instigation. But I don't know him, and we shouldn't have any life-threatening conflict of interest. The only thing that might be considered a connection was..."

The car passed under a viaduct, and the shadow engulfed it like a giant gray maw swallowing them whole.

"Fan Huai?" The two words hung heavily in the silent cabin.

Qiong Cang's hoarse voice trembled in the air, "His actions were practically a public assassination attempt. Such a move was stupid and pointless, completely unlike the usual methods of the mastermind. I believe it was his own decision, or perhaps years ago, the mastermind helped him frame Fan Huai, successfully evading legal punishment, and then abandoned him like he did with Han Xiao and others. All these years, he had been safe, but my sudden appearance made him feel threatened. He no longer had anyone to turn to for help. Combined with the brain stimulation from drugs and the dark life of an addict, he impulsively followed me, seeking revenge..."

He Chuanzhou didn't say anything but furrowed his brows.

Could this "self-proclaimed" addict really be the true murderer in Fan Huai's case?

In their subconscious, the person should have been more mysterious, smarter, and more prudent to evade the intense scrutiny of so many professionals, fitting their impression of the BOSS.

Yet, what they found was just some thug-like addict? Hiding right under their noses in such a ridiculous way?

Yes, they seemed to have overlooked that people like Han Xiao and Mei Shiyong weren't very smart. The scriptwriter was far more terrifying than the real murderer.

He Chuanzhou had previously harbored a similar, albeit vague, suspicion, but she was not as certain as Qiong Cang. Once she delved deeper into this thought, her mind started churning like a stormy sea, tearing apart the information she once held and piecing it back together in new ways.

As her heartbeat grew more intense, her thoughts flickered between clarity and confusion. He Chuanzhou wanted Qiong Cang to continue and analyze the situation methodically, but before she could speak, the phone mounted in front of her rang.

It was one of her subordinates, a fellow disciplinary officer.

After a brief exchange, He Chuanzhou hung up, her expression returning to calm.

"If it’s not urgent, let’s head somewhere first."

Qiong Cang asked suspiciously, "What’s going on?"

He Chuanzhou said seriously, "Some of the victims' families have come to the bureau wanting to see me."

Qiong Cang, "Who?"

He Chuanzhou, "The family members of the witnesses."

Ding Tao (pseudonym San Yao), Wu Ming (pseudonym), Mei Shiyong. The three witnesses have essentially admitted to giving false testimony for Fan Huai years ago. Public opinion will likely shift as a result. The families of the other two witnesses are probably getting anxious.

"Of all the witnesses, their testimonies worry me the most."

He Chuanzhou turned onto another road, pressing the gas pedal, her fingers continuously tapping the steering wheel.

"I've interacted with them and conducted multiple investigations. I believe they... truly weren’t lying."