Chapter 59. Zhou Lan only stayed here for a week...
Zhou Lan only stayed here for a week before returning to City C.
After Zhou Lan left, Tang Nian felt unsafe on her own, so Zhang Ma, who used to come and go every day, moved in with her, along with Jiang's private doctor.
Two weeks later, Tang Nian's friend took leave and flew over to be with her during childbirth.
Tang Nian was in low spirits. She was worried about Zhou Lan and often woke up in the middle of the night. Fortunately, Zhou Lan would video chat with her for a while every night.
The videos weren't long each day, and after a few times, Tang Nian started recording them on screen and playing them on a loop at night, only managing to fall asleep while listening to Zhou Lan's voice.
Until early June, Zhou Lan suddenly lost contact, but fortunately it didn't last long, and the daily video calls resumed on the third day.
Shen Li also often went to see Tang Nian and bought her several cute little outfits. Since they were twins, she prepared two sets of everything.
That day, as soon as Shen Li returned upstairs, Zhang Ma followed her over.
Zhang Ma lowered her voice and hesitated before saying, "Madam Tang's mood started to change a bit two days ago."
Shen Li paused: "Something's not right?"
"Yes, she used to eat little, but she ate voluntarily. But starting two days ago, she... seemed to be forcing herself to eat. I saw her secretly wiping away tears before I left last night."
Shen Li's heart sank as she considered the worst possible outcome: "Okay, I understand."
That evening, Jiang Huaichuan brought back some news.
Zhou Lan is dead.
Shen Li's heart sank instantly, and he almost smashed the vase next to him.
Shen Li asked in a trembling voice, "When did this happen?"
Jiang Huaichuan's eyes narrowed, and he stroked Shen Li's back: "Three days ago."
"How is that possible? Tang Nian was on video chat yesterday..." Shen Li suddenly realized, "That was fake?"
"Yes, it's a technologically synthesized artificial intelligence that has read all of Zhou Lan's behavioral habits." Jiang Huaichuan sighed. "He started preparing for it six months ago."
That means I had a premonition all along; it definitely wasn't a month ago as I told them.
Thinking of Tang Nian waiting downstairs for Zhou Lan to return, Shen Li's throat went dry. He buried his head in Jiang Huaichuan's neck, his voice muffled: "How did he disappear?"
Jiang Huaichuan stroked Shen Li's soft hair and said, "Shoot her, or throw her into the sea."
He paused, then continued, "We sent people to search for three days, but there's still no news."
If Tang Nian found out, she would be...
etc!
Shen Li suddenly sat up straight, a chill running from her tailbone straight up to the top of her head.
Shen Li stared intently at Jiang Huaichuan, suddenly unable to bear the thought: "Aunt Zhang said that Tang Nian's mood changed two days ago, and she started forcing herself to eat..."
Jiang Huaichuan: "You mean she knows Zhou Lan is dead? She's still video chatting with him every day."
Shen Li suddenly found herself unable to speak: "There's only one reason: she discovered that the person she was video chatting with wasn't the real Zhou Lan."
A loving partner with flesh and blood is ultimately different from cold, technologically synthesized data. Tang Nian loved her husband so much, how could she not have noticed?
Suddenly, Shen Li's jumbled thoughts came together, and he looked at Jiang Huaichuan: "What exactly does Zhou Lan do in City A?"
Jiang Huaichuan hadn't expected Shen Li to be so perceptive. He said softly, "He's here to perform a consciousness projection."
Shen Li was stunned. The Jiang family initiated this project four years ago. Jiang Huaichuan made bold moves and invested nearly half of the research and development expenses. Today, it has achieved initial results, but it is definitely not yet ready for implementation.
Zhou Lan's consciousness projection failed.
Otherwise, Zhou Lan would never have chosen artificial intelligence.
The next day, which was the weekend, Shen Li went downstairs to find Tang Nian.
When Tang Nian saw Shen Li, she was stunned for a while. Her gaze fell vaguely on Shen Li's face, and her voice was soft and gentle.
Shen Li sensed that Tang Nian's energy and spirit were almost gone. His gaze fell on Tang Nian's swollen belly. Perhaps she was only living for the child in her womb now.
Because this is the only bloodline left behind by Zhou Lan.
She forced herself to eat to replenish her energy.
Shen Li smiled gently, pulled the small blanket covering Tang Nian's legs up, and said softly, "How much longer?"
Tang Nian's lips twitched slightly, and an inscrutable light appeared in her eyes: "Ten days."
Only ten days left.
The search and rescue team is still doing its best to search. Although everyone knows the chances are slim, they cannot stop without orders.
In the days that followed, Shen Li often came to visit Tang Nian. Tang Nian's mother also came over. When she saw her daughter's thinner face, Tang's mother's eyes reddened, and she turned her head to wipe away her tears.
On the third-to-last day, there was still no news. Ten days had passed since Zhou Lan was shot and fell into the sea.
On the second-to-last day, Tang Nian was taken to the hospital due to labor pains. When Shen Li arrived at the hospital, she was lying in bed, gently stroking her lower abdomen with her hand, her lips moving slightly as if she were saying something.
Upon seeing Shen Li, Tang Nian waved to him.
Shen Li sat on the chair by the bed.
After a moment of silence, Tang Nian suddenly said, "One more day."
The two exchanged a knowing glance before looking away.
There's one more day until I give birth, and one more day until I see him.
As she was leaving, Shen Li suddenly asked, "Are you really not going to hold on any longer? Perhaps..."
"Perhaps he's not dead...is that right?" Tang Nian chuckled softly, and Shen Li seemed to see her again as she was when they first met, bright and charming.
“I noticed that AI the moment it appeared,” Tang Nian said. “It’s different from Zhou Lan. When we connected on video, Zhou Lan wouldn’t stare at me directly; his pupils would blink unconsciously. I felt that this was my secret, one that I hadn’t even told him. Sure enough, he didn’t notice.”
"Ah Li, thank you for saving me before, but this time, please give me a chance to choose for myself." Tang Nian turned her head to look at Shen Li, took out her phone case, and took out a photo. "It's so nice to see you again, my little benefactor."
Shen Li took the photo, and his fingertips slowly brushed over it, the pale face of the girl on the hospital bed slowly overlapping with the smiling face of the blue pheasant in the photo.
Shen Li: "Long time no see, Sister Nian Nian."
——
The following afternoon, Tang Nian was wheeled into the operating room.
Two hours later, the nurse brought out two babies, a boy and a girl.
Shen Li also joined in.
My younger sister looks a lot like Tang Nian. She sucks her fingers, just like her mother did when she was a child.
At 5:30 p.m., less than half an hour after the child came out, Tang Nian's heart rate and blood pressure began to drop rapidly, and the equipment emitted a sharp alarm.
——
As August arrived, the outside had turned into a sauna; a single trip outside left you drenched in sweat.
"Mr. Shen has arrived?"
When her friend saw Shen Li, she stood up and quickly poured him a glass of water.
"Aren't you going back yet?" Shen Li asked, her gaze sweeping over the hospital bed.
My friend handed me a water glass: "I'm not going back. I quit my job. I'm worried about Niannian like this."
Tang Nian fell into a deep sleep. Perhaps it was Zhou Lan pulling her along in the dark, or perhaps a glimmer of hope remained deep within her heart. After her heart stopped, it miraculously started beating again.
Zhou Lan's matter seemed to be over, but Shen Li knew that it was far from over.
The large net hidden in the shadows could no longer hold back and began to tighten.
Destroying HCL was his first step.
The matter of Zhou Lan was suppressed for half a month but it still could not be suppressed. Although HCL had been acquired by the Jiang family at the beginning of the year, Zhou Lan, as the previous leader of HCL, caused a huge uproar in the business world due to his unexpected death.
Being shot and falling into the sea to die is completely different from dying from illness. Everyone is speculating whether he offended someone, and some companies that cooperate with HCL are also quietly assessing the risks.
Meanwhile, negative online sentiment towards Zhoulan and HCL has increased, with a mix of truth and falsehood, leading the general public to believe that this is the consequence of the company and its leadership's "numerous misdeeds."
HCL's stock price plummeted immediately.
The day after Zhou Lan fell into the sea, Zhou Lan's second uncle was arrested by the police at the port as he was trying to leave. When questioned, Zhou Fang confessed to hiring someone to kill him, claiming that it was to get revenge on Zhou Lan.
He couldn't swallow this insult. Not only did a mere brat disrespect him, but he also kicked him out of the company. This was a tremendous humiliation for Zhou Fang, who had enjoyed a life of success.
Zhou Fang's hands were cuffed to the interrogation chair. He looked to be in his early fifties, and the years of being supported by power and money made him look much younger than the average person.
He remained calm during police questioning, as if he were attending an ordinary afternoon tea.
The evidence was so perfect that it was like a pre-arranged procedure, from placing the order to transferring the money, and then to the final payment after the crime was completed; from the arrest to the evidence, to the motive for the crime, and then to the suspect's confession. There was not a single flaw.
Three days later, the people Jiang Huaichuan sent out brought back a message.
Zhou Fang's wife, daughters, and parents did not go to Country R as they had investigated. Country R customs had no entry record for them, and domestic customs had no exit record for them either.
If we exclude the smuggling route, they are still in China.
It was lunch break time, and Shen Li was sitting in Jiang Huaichuan's office when she heard this, and he frowned.
Shen Li: "No entry/exit records?"
The man in the suit nodded to Shen Li: "Yes, we had people check the recent illegal immigration records of R country, but we didn't find any information about them. We can't rule out the possibility that they went to other countries, nor can we rule out..."
"They have been murdered." Shen Li put the water glass back on the coffee table.
A week later, on the same day that the bodies of Zhou Fang's wife and daughter were found, the police reported that Zhou Fang had died unexpectedly in prison in the middle of the night due to a brain hemorrhage.
When they received the message, Jiang Huaichuan and Shen Li were on their way to the Shen family home.
Jiang Huaichuan and Shen Li exchanged a glance, then said in a deep voice, "Are you sure it was an accident?"
"Yes, an autopsy was performed, and it was confirmed to be an accident."
Jiang Huaichuan: "Did anyone see Zhou Fang before the cerebral hemorrhage?"
"No, no one has come to see Zhou Fang since he was imprisoned."
"Okay, I understand."
Jiang Huaichuan hung up the phone and looked at Shen Li. The two of them realized the problem at the same time.
The biggest problem is that no one comes to see Zhou Fang.
Someone has been bribed.
To prevent Zhou Fang from turning against them, they informed him before the police did.
Zhou Fang thought that he had done a good job for someone and that his wife and daughter would live a worry-free life abroad. However, he never expected that the other party would turn around and try to kill him. Zhou Fang could not accept this and died of a brain hemorrhage due to anger.
Now, there's truly no way to prove it when the dead are dead.
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