Chapter 231 Hollowing Out the Future
The VIP medical examination room is where medical staff are waiting.
More than a dozen parents and students lined up for physical examinations with excitement and curiosity, whispering among themselves in amazement. Some parents with a business sense were even saying to the parents next to them, "If you don't want the gift package, can you give it to me? I'll give you cash."
"Dream on, I'd like to take it back and sell it for money."
The man with the silver-rimmed glasses stood guard at the entrance, flanked by four burly security guards.
There was only one exit, and Shenzhen Pearl was unable to find the reservoir where Jiang Han drowned within the factory area. However, the surveillance of visitors here was far greater than imagined, making it highly suspicious.
"This is a machine for measuring bone age." Shen Zhenzhu walked back from it and said to Zhang Xiaopang, "No problem."
Zhang Xiaopang said with little interest, "They check my skin, they check my bones, and they even ask for my exact date of birth. Are all nutritional supplement manufacturers this meticulous?"
“I think they have other purposes. You—” Shen Zhenzhu noticed someone looking over and pushed Zhang Xiaopang: “Go ahead.”
Zhang Xiaopang stopped on the "bone testing machine" and felt that he had come to a private hospital rather than a fun factory.
"I can't believe you're thirty years old." The man with silver-rimmed glasses looked at Chen Zhenzhu's figure and appearance and said with admiration, "To be able to stay up all night drinking and still look like this, you're incredibly talented."
Shen Zhenzhu said in an offensive tone, "Don't let others hear this, it's not good for my brother."
The man with the silver-rimmed glasses made a "shh" gesture and beckoned Chen Zhenzhu to walk towards the blood-drawing table: "Do you know your blood type?"
Shen Zhenzhu rambled on: "C, I guess."
"..." The man with the silver-rimmed glasses said, "I'll give you another hundred yuan so you can get a blood test to check your overall health."
Shen Zhenzhu bargained: "Give me the money first, two hundred."
The silver-rimmed glasses were reassured by his money-grubbing attitude, and he took out a brand-new two-hundred-yuan note from his pocket and stuffed it into Chen Zhenzhu's hand.
The classmate I met at the "Roast Chicken Queen" shop was named Xu Nan. His mother, wearing old blue-black rain boots, rushed over and said, "Why are you giving her money separately? I want some too."
Seeing Chen Zhenzhu roll up her arm to have blood drawn, the man with the silver-rimmed glasses turned to Xu Nan's mother and said, "Don't worry, ma'am, you'll get your money."
Xu Nan's mother felt a little embarrassed when addressed as "Ms." by the gentlemanly silver-rimmed glasses.
The man with the silver-rimmed glasses flipped through the medical report and said, "You and Xu Nan should come for your blood tests together. It'll be passable."
Xu Nan's mother asked quickly, "How much money?"
The man with the silver-rimmed glasses said, "Fifty. If you don't agree, then forget it."
“I don’t disagree.” Xu Nan’s mother immediately called to Xu Nan, “Come on, it’s a business that makes money for free.”
Other parents, seeing this with envy, surrounded the man with the silver-rimmed glasses, wanting to have their blood drawn as well. The man with the silver-rimmed glasses spread his hands, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry, there are limited spots available."
Chen Zhenzhu observed the equipment in the blood-drawing room; it wasn't much different from the equipment in the hospital. The nurse who drew the blood took a tube of blood, handed her a cotton ball, and told her to leave.
"After the checks, adults and children alike can head to the Happy Restaurant for some delicious food! You can wash your hands and there are restrooms there." The man with silver-rimmed glasses waved a small flag as he walked to the entrance. Security guards stood in a line in the corridor, keeping a close eye on the crowd emerging.
Shen Zhenzhu, wanting to find clues about Jiang Han's death, was the first to walk out and head towards the Happy Restaurant.
The man with silver-rimmed glasses was still in the examination room talking to the medical staff when only the security guard followed him to the entrance of the Happy Restaurant.
The restaurant has only one door, and the floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the warm afternoon sun and the budding willow trees along the riverbank in the distance.
Such a beautiful scene makes it all the more difficult to guard against evil.
"Wow, is this a buffet?" Xu Nan rubbed her arm, overtook Zhang Xiaopang, and ran to the restaurant where all kinds of food were displayed. She swallowed hard and said, "It smells so good."
Zhang Xiaopang had just finished eating two large chicken drumsticks, but his appetite was only so-so. Smelling the grease in the restaurant, he wrinkled his nose and said, "It smells so oily, it doesn't smell very good."
Unlike Zhang Xiaopang's picky eating, the people who had finished their inspection crowded around the plates, holding their plates: "I want shrimp, a whole plate of shrimp. Pour, pour, pour, keep pouring!"
"Has being a security guard become an occupational hazard? Nobody's going to take the prawns from you, give me the beef, eating beef is healthy, give me all the beef."
"I don't want shrimp or beef, but can I take all the eggs with me? Could you give me a bag?"
Are drinks free no matter how many you drink?
......
Zhang Xiaopang, sitting by the window, was so frightened by Shen Zhenzhu that he was "tears welling up in his eyes." The security guard didn't notice for a moment, and the staff were surrounded by the hungry crowd. Shen Zhenzhu leaped out of the window and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
His chubby hands trembled as he absentmindedly peeled the shrimp, not eating a single bite as instructed by Chen Zhenzhu.
Xu Nan came over with a full plate and said in a low voice, "I grabbed a big piece of beef tendon. Can you keep an eye on it for me? I'm going to get a bag to take back and eat tomorrow."
Zhang Xiaopang said "Oh," not daring to openly look around, and chatted with Xu Nan casually.
After a while, Xu Nan's mother also came over with a full plate of food, eating one bite after another: "Eat more, they said there's plenty. Hey, where's your sister?"
Looking at the greasy lump of food, Zhang Xiaopang said, "It's too oily, she went to the toilet."
Xu Nan's mother drank a whole bowl of greasy chicken soup, and soon clutched her stomach, saying, "Hey, I've had too much oil too. Go and get some more, I need to go to the toilet."
When the man with silver-rimmed glasses came out of the examination room, he walked over to Zhang Xiaopang and Xu Nan, looked around, and asked Zhang Xiaopang, "Where's your sister?"
Before Zhang Xiaopang could speak, Xu Nan said, "Just like my mom, she went to the toilet because she was too greasy."
Zhang Xiaopang nodded repeatedly: "I've never eaten anything this oily before."
Xu Nan said, "Yes, we don't usually have that."
The man with the silver-rimmed glasses glanced at the greasy chicken soup, a mocking smile appearing on his face, but it vanished in an instant.
He patted the test report and said, "Zhang Guojun, your parents' good genes have all been passed on to your sister. Her test results are excellent, exceptionally good. Tell her to come see me when she comes out of the restroom. I have good news to tell her."
Then, turning to Xu Nan, who looked on with envy, he said, "You too, have your mom come over to see me later."
Xu Nan's eyes widened with excitement: "Great! Great!"
The man with the silver-rimmed glasses looked him up and down, then reached out and pinched Xu Nan's shoulder, saying, "Spin around in place for me to see."
Xu Nan quickly turned around and asked, "Teacher, what do you think?"
The man with the silver-rimmed glasses nodded and smiled, "It's a waste of your talent to have you dance. Don't forget to tell your mother."
Xu Nan had never been expected to do this before, and hurriedly asked, "Are the other students treated the same way?"
The man with the silver-rimmed glasses said, "Unfortunately, only you and your son, along with Miss Zhuzhu, are qualified. The rest of you will have to leave with your gift bags."
Xu Nan clenched her fists, whispered "Yay!", jumped in front of Zhang Xiaopang, and said, "Brother Pang, did you hear that? I'm finally better than everyone else. Do you think I'll get a big red envelope?"
Zhang Xiaopang cautiously reminded him, "Don't be so greedy. My grandfather always said there's no such thing as a free lunch."
Xu Nan scoffed and said, "It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering."
Zhang Xiaopang fiddled with the shrimp in front of him, thinking about Chen Zhenzhu and hoping she would come back soon, while also feeling nauseous.
Seeing that he was only peeling the shrimp without eating it, Xu Nan secretly grabbed a handful of shrimp meat: "Delicious, so fresh and delicious."
Zhang Xiaopang didn't want him to eat more, but remembering what he had just said, he swallowed back the words he was about to utter.
The staff at the Happy Restaurant busily delivered delicious food, and everyone ate until they were stuffed.
The man with the silver-rimmed glasses walked in again. Seeing that Chen Zhenzhu hadn't returned yet, he quietly observed Zhang Xiaopang. He then called over a security guard and whispered instructions.
Just then, Shen Zhenzhu and Xu Nan's mother walked in side by side, chatting and laughing.
Xu Nan's mother touched her belly and said, "Thanks to you, I was in such a hurry that I didn't bring any toilet paper. I don't even know if there's anything good left to eat."
Chen Zhenzhu shook her dripping hands and said with a smile, "I can't come here for nothing, so I'll have Little Fatty peel some shrimp for me."
Xu Nan's mother praised, "You were so farsighted. Oh, I'll go scan the area again."
The security guards following behind them nodded to the man with silver-rimmed glasses, who then smiled and stood by the chair waiting for Chen Zhenzhu.
Shen Zhenzhu casually grabbed two cans of Coke and stuffed them into her pockets. Her greedy and opportunistic manner made the man with the silver-rimmed glasses pretend not to notice her bulging pockets.
Chen Zhenzhu returned to her seat and took off her coat. The glass bottle in her pocket made a sound.
The man with the silver-rimmed glasses feigned concern, saying, "Miss Zhuzhu, I heard you haven't eaten much. Would you like the Happy Chef from the Happy Canteen to heat up another meal for you?"
Chen Zhenzhu looked around and said, "They said we can pack it up?"
The man with the silver-rimmed glasses bent down and whispered in Shen Zhenzhu's ear, "Don't worry about such a small profit. I can tell you're short of money too. How about making some big money?"
Shen Zhenzhu's eyes flickered, and she said mercenarily, "You can refuse to pay, but you won't get my money."
"How could we take your money?" The man with silver-rimmed glasses curled his lips, turned his slender eyes behind the lenses, and said in a low voice, "We'll give you great treatment. Come on, go with Xu Nan and the others."
Zhang Xiaopang said, "Then what should I do?"
The girl with the silver-rimmed glasses said, "Happy little friends, don't worry, there's a happy bus at the door. Wait for your sister to come back, and then you can take your gifts home."
......
It was already evening when we left the Happy Go factory.
Shen Zhenzhu and Zhang Xiaopang boarded the Happy Bus and returned to the Youth Palace.
Along the way, some parents who were visiting together asked, "Did they call you over separately to give you gifts again?"
Chen Zhenzhu waved her hand and said, "No, everyone is the same."
Someone said, "I saw them call you aside and write something down."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "It's just an opinion form, selected by random sampling."
The group of people, half believing and half doubting, focused their gazes on Xu Nan and her son. They were completely different from when they arrived; the mother's face was heavy, as if she had something on her mind.
As she got off the bus, Xu Nan's mother looked at Chen Zhenzhu, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.
At the Youth Palace, people carrying large gift bags got off the bus, feeling satisfied.
Chen Zhenzhu pushed the bicycle all the way, making Zhang Xiaopang groan with exhaustion.
Until the taxi next to us honked its horn a few times: "No one's following anymore."
Shen Zhenzhu handed the glass bottle she was carrying in her pocket to Lu Ye, who was driving: "Quickly send it for testing. It's from the Happy High factory. It's suspected to be the liquid that was given to Su Mei'an."
Lu Ye carefully preserved the glass bottle, then, while keeping an eye on his surroundings, said, "It will take some time."
Chen Zhenzhu said, "We must hurry."
"clear."
......
That evening, a spokesperson for the H country embassy in Liancheng issued a protest.
"Our country H has excellent dietary standards and rich experience in fermented foods, so there will never be any cases of excessive human growth hormone."
The spokesperson for Country H, speaking indignantly to local government officials, said: "In just six months since we arrived here, Kim Yoo-jong, the 14-year-old son of a staff member of our embassy, has been found to have excessive hormone levels! Country H wants to question the local government: Is your food safety control adequate? Does it meet healthy dietary standards? Was there any poisoning? Will you provide a timely response?!"
A barrage of questions made the Liancheng government official across from him look grim; it was clearly a rebuke.
They whispered among themselves, thinking of countermeasures. Once the poisoning of the H country embassy was exposed, it would no longer be a matter of local government right and wrong, but would involve the establishment of friendly diplomatic relations at the national level.
......
Jiang Han's mother, Xie Yuyin, is depressed.
She fed her daughter at home and walked to the hot pot restaurant to help out.
"Oops, another plate broke?"
Xie Yuyin, looking dazed, leaned against the wall and hurriedly said, "I'll clean it up right away. I'm so sorry, so very sorry."
She walked to the storeroom outside the hot pot restaurant, and just as she picked up a broom, an inconspicuous white sedan pulled up outside.
Chen Zhenzhu got out of the car and walked into the storeroom: "Comrade Xie Yuyin, there are some things I need to understand from you. Please cooperate."
Xie Yuyin said in a trembling voice, "What's going on? My son is missing, and instead of looking for him, you're disturbing my work?"
Xiao Bai walked over and urged, "Just cooperate, you'll see once you get in the car."
Xie Yuyin said, "Know what? I know nothing and I won't say anything."
Xiao Bai said, "Even if you don't tell us, we will investigate and find out the truth."
Xie Yuyin struggled to say, "Leaving suddenly won't do. I'll tell the people in the shop."
Chen Zhenzhu said, "No need."
Xie Yuyin was quietly taken to the car, and based on the information they had gathered, they quickly arrived at Xie Yuyin's home.
The garage was cramped and damp, and even though the weather had warmed up, it was still covered with heavy cotton curtains.
The door was unlocked, and Miao Miao's hysterical shouts came from inside. The house, which she had tidied up before leaving, was now a complete mess again.
Xie Yuyin sat in the car, unable to utter a single word, her lips trembling.
Miao Miao, who was already eighteen years old and wearing dirty cotton clothes, sat in a styrofoam box, scattering white foam everywhere.
Shen Zhenzhu entered the house, but she didn't care and was immersed in her own world.
A small, square garage was home to a poor family of three. Furniture and belongings were sparse; a double bed was separated from the main bed by a curtain, behind which was a makeshift single bed made from a public bench. Neatly folded school uniforms lay on the bed, likely left there by Jiang Han before his disappearance.
Opposite the single bed was an armchair and a low stool that seemed to fit in the background. The armchair was cluttered with textbooks, indicating that Jiang Han usually studied here.
Emerging from the small, isolated space the boy barely had to turn around in, lay the world of the mother and daughter. There was an old-fashioned wardrobe filled with their clothes; the glass was gone.
There were some medicine boxes that Miaomiao was taking, placed in the corner of the wall next to the wardrobe.
"'Intelligence-enhancing pills'?" Xiao Bai, wearing white gloves, picked up an empty box: "It's obviously a scam."
"Come and lend a hand." Shen Zhenzhu walked to the double bed, knocked on the wooden board, and discovered that there was space inside.
Xiao Bai quickly came over, and with a shout of "One, two, three," the two of them worked together to lift the heavy wooden plank, which looked to be many years old.
A damp, rotten smell wafted over, and there were a few summer clothes and sandals that had been stuffed in under the wooden planks.
Shen Zhenzhu lifted her clothes and saw two exquisitely packaged, expensive Happy High cigarettes underneath.
"How does she have the money to buy this?" Xiaobai asked in surprise. "The packaging is even better than the one in your car. Hey, it looks like something you sent."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "It's exactly the same as what I posted today. They made me sign an agreement saying that if I cooperated with product development, they would give me a reward of 1,000 yuan per month and I would also be able to use this kind of Happy High product for free for life."
Xiao Bai gritted his teeth and said, "It's Happy High again."
Shen Zhenzhu instructed the operative behind her: "Take it back for testing."
Shen Zhenzhu came out of the room, while Miaomiao was still playing with the white foam.
"Where is the 'research and development expense' hidden?" Chen Zhenzhu asked Xie Yuyin, bending down by the car window.
Xie Yuyin looked miserable, wanting to tell Miaomiao "don't play with bubbles," but she bit her lip, afraid that she would reveal a trace of "trade secrets."
"Still not talking?" Chen Zhenzhu pointed to the overturned bed: "The item has been found. Who gave it to you?"
Xie Yuyin shook her head: "Nobody gave it to me, I found it."
Shen Zhenzhu laughed and said, "You knew nothing about Jiang Han's disappearance, did you?"
Mentioning Jiang Han, Xie Yuyin's face flashed with guilt, then her gaze fell on Miao Miao, revealing a burning light: "If I had known I would need you to solve the case?! My daughter can't be home alone. If anything happens to her, you will be held fully responsible!"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "The teeth were found by someone near Qiangfeng Restaurant. I was the one who initiated the case. As a parent, you didn't play any role in pushing things forward. Instead, you seemed afraid that we would solve the case."
"No! I want you to solve the case!" Xie Yuyin gasped for breath, her right hand trembling with nervousness, only able to fiddle with the back of her left hand: "Investigate as you please."
Shen Zhenzhu took a step back and said calmly, "I know of an agreement that promises high compensation if signed. Don't worry, such an agreement is legally invalid."
Xie Yuyin turned her face away and stammered, "I don't understand what you're saying."
"She's completely unresponsive." Xiao Bai came out carrying a pillow, opened it to show Chen Zhenzhu: "I found some cash, about three hundred yuan."
Chen Zhenzhu's gaze swept over the examination forms piled up in the corner with the medicines, and she went in again, squatted down and looked through them one by one.
The dates were all recent, the medical expenses were substantial, and the invoices for the purchased medicines totaled nearly ten thousand yuan. There were also some deceptive, fake traditional Chinese medicine packets; none of them were cheap.
"Dad!" Miao Miao suddenly called out when she saw the male agents searching the room.
The male operative stopped and turned to look at Chen Zhenzhu.
Shen Zhenzhu raised her chin, and the male operator squatted down in response: "Miaomiao."
Miao Miao laboriously pulled a crumpled photo from her pocket and held it up ingratiatingly: "Daddy!"
The male officer took the photo and saw that it was a family photo of Xie Yuyin and the deceased Jiang Jian, Miao Miao, and Jiang Han.
"Jiang Han looks just like his father," Xiao Bai remarked upon seeing him.
Miao Miao snatched the group photo back, hugged it to her chest, and muttered to herself while facing the wall.
"Leave two female comrades to take care of her." Shen Zhenzhu had an idea in her mind. When she returned to the car and saw Xie Yuyin again, her eyes became even more impolite.
"I suspect you are closely related to the Jianghan disappearance case. You will be detained and interrogated from now on."
Xie Yuyin froze, her teeth chattering: "It's not my fault...it's not my fault..."
Back at the Liancheng Criminal Investigation Brigade, the completely dark sky contrasted sharply with the brightly lit office building.
Upon seeing Shen Zhenzhu's car return, the government personnel in Director Liu's office all stood up and waited anxiously at the door.
The officer who ran down said, "Sister Pearl, Director Liu wants you to come to his office as soon as you're back."
Thanks.
Shen Zhenzhu strode forward and saw Guo Daye waving to her in the distance.
"Political Commissar Guo, what are your instructions?" Shen Zhenzhu stopped in her tracks.
Guo Daye pointed towards Director Liu's office and whispered a reminder: "This matter is important. You should weigh the consequences yourself and not act impulsively. It's okay if you can't do it; you still have cases to handle."
Shen Zhenzhu nodded: "Understood."
Director Tu also came out of Director Liu's office and saw Guo Daye and Shen Zhenzhu whispering to each other. He waved and said, "Come here."
Shen Zhenzhu walked over and saw the municipal bureau leader with a somber expression, along with three government officials.
After exchanging greetings with everyone, I saw Park Heung-sung again.
Park Heung-sung also looked worried. After waiting for Chen Zhenzhu for a long time, they were finally able to sit down and talk.
"The H country ambassador claims that someone with malicious intent administered hormones to H country teenager Kim Yoo-jong. The test results are out. Do you have any directions for investigation?"
Chen Zhenzhu remained silent at first, quietly flipping through the test reports, her mind still preoccupied with whether Little Swan had made it to the hospital safely. She returned after a busy day, still without receiving a call from the other end.
Seeing that Chen Zhenzhu Chicken remained silent, Park Heung-sung had no choice but to speak first: "Start by investigating the people around you. First, investigate those who have been exposed to artificial hormones."
Upon seeing Kim Yoo-jong's photo, Chen Zhenzhu exclaimed, "I've seen this little rascal before." She quickly covered her mouth after saying that.
Director Tu skipped over the words "little stick" and asked, "What's going on?"
The officials present tacitly stopped mentioning "little sticks" and all looked at Chen Zhenzhu.
Park Heung-sung stared at Chen Zhenzhu, his eyes seemingly saying, "Be careful."
Shen Zhenzhu coughed and said, "I went to the Youth Palace to investigate Jiang Han's disappearance and saw him dancing in the dance class. Oh, and he also played basketball."
Someone at the scene had heard of the dance school at the Youth Palace and asked, "Isn't it the one that wins awards all the time?"
Shen Zhenzhu nodded: "Yes."
The man also had children and said, "I heard there's another competition next month."
Director Tu interrupted, saying, "This isn't important, Captain Chen, you can continue."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "The case is serious and involves a wide range of issues. I hope to have a separate explanation with Director Tu and Director Liu."
The crowded office was silent. Director Liu glanced at Director Tu, stood up, and said, "Pu, let the leaders go to the canteen to eat something first. It's lunchtime, and people need to eat."
Park Heung-sung understood immediately and stood up, leading the group away.
After they left, Chen Zhenzhu closed the door.
Director Tu spoke first, saying, "There's something I can tell you beforehand. Kim Yoo-jong might be the illegitimate son of a diplomat from Country H. Since we can't legitimately demand that he be the son of a diplomat to solve the case, we can only use the pretext of 'poisoning the embassy' to put pressure on the Liancheng government."
Shen Zhenzhu thought to herself, no wonder the H country embassy made such a fuss. So she reported in detail: "During the investigation, I suspect that Happy High, as a sponsoring brand for dance classes, is very likely to give children excessive amounts of hormones to meet certain standards. Today, they deliberately selected a group of teenagers and parents to enter the factory and then screened them again to sign the 'Happy High R&D Agreement.' The agreement itself is not problematic, except that it includes high commissions paid monthly and high compensation obligations. The selected students and parents are in better physical condition than ordinary people, and I suspect they are conducting some kind of human testing. I have sent people to monitor the Happy High factory 24 hours a day, but I still cannot fully grasp the specific situation inside."
"If Happy High really does this, it will affect every aspect of Liancheng and cause enormous harm." Director Tu tapped the table and said, "Entertainment, industry and commerce, youth development, market channels, countless jobs from factories to outlets, and the products have caused a nationwide craze. Moreover, as far as I know, with the recommendation of the International Youth Nutrition Association, in addition to dance schools, there are also modeling classes, basketball youth training camps, and other places that have arranged for Happy High nutrition teachers to conduct nutritional growth programs for them."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "I know the impact is significant. The hormone case is probably not an isolated incident. I applied to take over the embassy poisoning case and investigate it together with the Jiang Han disappearance case and the Su Mei'an hormone case."
Director Liu asked, "Why are the Jianghan case and the Jianghan case being combined?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "His teeth were caused by abnormal growth and pressure. I asked an expert, and he said that excessive use of hormones in teenagers can also lead to tooth loss. In addition, I also found Happy High in his home."
"It's all related to hormones," Director Tu said cautiously. "Your speculation is currently the most likely explanation."
"Giving teenagers excessive amounts of hormones is tantamount to forcing growth, prematurely depleting their bodies and mortgaging their future," Shen Zhenzhu said firmly. "Director Tu, give me some time, I will definitely solve the case!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Pearl Sister: Believe me, I can do it!
***
See you tomorrow, there's a red envelope coming up, please give me some nutrient solution! [Let me see]
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