Chapter 62

Chapter 62

◎"Your heart is beating so fast."◎

With the crucial phone number found on Meng Yi's desk as a lead, the police quickly located the phone's owner.

At the hospital, an officer handed Shen Ruzhen a sheet of paper—a photo of a burly, vicious-looking man, accompanied by a written description.

"Do you recognize him?"

Shen Ruzhen studied the photo, then shook her head. "No."

But understanding the police's intent, she pressed further, "Was he the one who did it?"

The officer sighed. "You're correct. He admitted to tampering with your car's brakes and deliberately manipulating the navigation to lead you to the maintenance route."

"However, he denies any involvement in a hired-killing arrangement with Meng Yi."

Shen Ruzhen frowned. "But he and I are complete strangers. For him to try and kill me without being hired makes no sense, does it?"

The officer replied, "We thought the same. His excuse was that he saw you outside the courthouse and took an instant dislike to you."

Shen Ruzhen scoffed. "Rather than dislike, I’d sooner believe he concocted that story to help Meng Yi cover his tracks."

The officer sighed again. "But we haven’t found any direct link between the suspect and Meng Yi, especially evidence pointing to a hired killing."

Shen Ruzhen said, "My client mentioned that Meng Yi had his phone number and called it that very day to discuss the murder-for-hire."

The officer scratched his head, troubled. "That’s solely Ms. Cheng Yan’s account. The phone recording can’t be recovered, so we can’t verify her claims. Ms. Shen, as a lawyer, you know that even if two people know each other, it doesn’t mean one hired the other to kill. Right now, both Meng Yi and the suspect insist they only had a business relationship, and our evidence corroborates their statements."

Shen Ruzhen met the officer’s gaze and said softly, "So this case will be closed, despite its glaring inconsistencies? Officer, with your years of sharp intuition and investigation into case details, do you truly believe this is the whole truth?"

After a pause, the officer lowered his head and sighed once more. "I won’t close the case yet. I’ll keep investigating. Ms. Shen, if you uncover any new leads, please inform me immediately."

After nearly half a month in the hospital, Shen Ruzhen was finally discharged.

During that time, Chao Wendao had made her hospital bed his daily destination, coming religiously, rain or shine.

On the day of her discharge, he even lingered with his gaze at her hospital bed.

Shen Ruzhen knew exactly what he was thinking. After urging him to complete the discharge formalities, she held up the lengthy medication regimen and sighed dramatically.

Chao Wendao looked puzzled. "What’s wrong?"

Shen Ruzhen lamented, "There are so many medications to take after leaving the hospital—some need hot water, some warm, some cold, some to be swallowed intact, some once a day, some three times, some six. How am I supposed to remember all this?"

Chao Wendao considered it and realized it was indeed too complicated. He hadn’t expected human medication schedules to be so intricate.

Shen Ruzhen continued, "And though my concussion has mostly healed, I still feel dizzy now and then. Living alone, I’m worried about the risks while cooking or doing chores." Her expression was full of feigned distress.

Chao Wendao nodded again, finding her argument perfectly logical—so much so that he turned to leave.

Shen Ruzhen quickly grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?"

Chao Wendao: "To ask the nurse if you can stay a few more days."

Shen Ruzhen laughed helplessly, her earlier gloom vanishing as she said softly, "You're such a blockhead."

Chao Wendao froze, eyes widening.

"I was going to ask—do you have a spare room for me to stay in?"

Spare rooms? Naturally, there were plenty.

In a Domineering CEO Novel, the Second Male Lead’s setup might not rival the male lead’s, but it certainly couldn’t be lacking.

Chao Wendao’s identity in this world was that of a reasonably successful investment professional. Not born into wealth, he had built his empire from nothing—starting in the bullpen of investment banking, then moving to venture capital and private equity firms, where his keen investment acumen earned him considerable wealth.

But how could a self-made small-town overachiever compare to the male lead, born into a wealthy family? Eventually, he fell into the male lead’s bear trap, losing everything overnight and plunging into utter destitution.

After touring Chao Wendao’s villa, Shen Ruzhen’s immediate impression was exhaustion—just going up and down the stairs would be exhausting. To preserve the refined classical aesthetic, the villa had no elevator.

Wait, really no elevator?

Noticing her skeptical look, Chao Wendao coughed and led her to the other side of the hallway, where an elevator was installed.

Now that's more like it!

Shen Ruzhen thought with satisfaction. Otherwise, she couldn’t imagine a high-powered executive climbing stairs every day.

Chao Wendao said, "I originally wanted you to stay close to me." He lowered his head slightly, his voice barely audible.

His primary suite was on the second floor, with only one adjacent guest suite. The others were scattered across the third and fourth floors.

Shen Ruzhen folded her arms behind her back and provoked, "What was that? I couldn’t hear. Were you saying I should stay on the fourth floor? Actually, the fourth floor isn’t bad—there’s a rooftop terrace with scenic views."

The next moment, a burning arm wrapped around her waist, and her world tilted as Chao Wendao pressed her against the wall.

His arms encircled her, caging her in a small corner, with no escape.

Pressed against his chest, she could feel the frantic pounding of his heart. Resting her palm over it, she murmured, "Your heart is beating so fast."