Chapter 67 A familiar person reports the case.
Sixth Sister was a kind person after all; she couldn't let someone come in upright and leave horizontal. She forcefully pinched their philtrum to wake them up and put them in the police car.
Wu Fuwang ran around helping to record the statements, and Xiao Min even praised him when she learned that he had discovered the couple were frauds early on.
Throughout Wu Fuwang's life, he had never received praise from his police comrades. He acted normally in front of others, but privately he had a good time showing off to his father.
After finishing her business for the day, Chen Zhenzhu decided to tighten the management of the milk tea recipe. At least in a world where milk tea isn't everywhere yet, having a first-hand recipe gives her a competitive edge.
To gain a competitive edge, a small milk tea counter alone is not enough. Potential locations include major tourist attractions, shopping mall entrances, and areas near school and office buildings in tourist cities.
Moreover, rent costs are low and labor costs are not high.
She held a meeting at the shop. Currently, the milk tea counter staff includes Shen Yuyuan, Li Lili, and their two high school classmates, Zhao Fenfen and Wang Jiali. The development team consists of Shen Liuhe and Shen Zhenzhu, while the marketing and general staff includes Wu Fuwang, Xiao Li, and others.
Some are full-time, while others are part-time assistants.
“You’ve always been decisive since you were little, and you were the one who decided to make Hong Kong-style milk tea. I’d like to hear your opinion on how the milk tea shop should develop.” Shen Liuhe sat in the middle of the makeshift conference table, looking every bit like a matriarch.
However, the presence of Yuan Jiangxue, who was eating sunflower seeds and watching the commotion, and Uncle Lu, who was exchanging film rolls, at the door prevented the atmosphere of the meeting from becoming too serious.
"I want to develop directly operated branches, without relying on outside capital for the time being, and have our own people manage them," Shen Zhenzhu said, pondering the future franchise model.
"We maintain uniform store decor, products, and supplies, and entrust the management of the stores to trusted individuals, sharing profits based on revenue. This ensures that customers can enjoy the same taste in any store. Even if other milk tea shops emerge later, we can still develop our own unique features and reputation, cultivating customer consumption habits."
Shen Liuhe was both happy and worried about the long queues for milk tea every day. She liked to develop new dishes and new flavors of milk tea, but if more and more people came to buy milk tea, she couldn't keep up with the demand.
"If you open a milk tea shop in a good location, how many cups of milk tea would you have to sell to cover the rent?" Shen Yuyuan, though young, was shrewd and calculated very carefully.
Chen Zhenzhu said, "We can start by looking for locations with low prices and high foot traffic. We don't necessarily have to go to expensive places at first. And the area doesn't need to be too big, less than ten square meters is enough, so the rent won't be high."
Shen Liuhe was taking notes on the meeting when she heard someone behind her say, "Let's rent a small door and try it out first. I can afford to lose."
Shen Yuyuan agreed, but she wondered who could keep things under control. They needed to be smart enough not to be fooled, and also able to manage the flow of customers.
Xiao Li nudged Wu Fuwang under the table and whispered, "Try it! You make milk tea too, don't you?"
Wu Fuwang usually delivers takeout and hands out flyers. He even helps shake the milk tea shakers when they can't keep up. He can also talk a lot about promoting new products. He's a hardworking and reliable person. Xiao Li has observed him and knows that he is loyal to Shen Zhenzhu and is a capable candidate.
Zhao Fenfen and Wang Jiali also looked at Wu Fuwang, because he often stood guard outside the milk tea shop. Whenever young men tried to pick them up or caused trouble, Wu Fuwang would help them resolve the situation. They didn't know about the "Five-Colored Rooster's" dark history, and in their hearts, Wu Fuwang was a trustworthy older brother.
Shen Zhenzhu noticed their gazes and turned her own to Wu Fuwang. But she was cunning; she waited for Wu Fuwang to volunteer himself, hoping to inspire his sense of responsibility, rather than forcing him into it.
Shen Liuhe and Shen Yuyuan exchanged a glance, understanding Shen Zhenzhu's good intentions, and waited with smiles on their faces.
“I plan to select a store manager for the new store,” Shen Zhenzhu emphasized. “We need to start assessing their abilities now, including choosing a store location, basic decoration, material selection, and establishing store rules and regulations.”
In other words, she and her sixth sister are usually too busy. If they were to open a branch, the store manager would naturally take on the heavy responsibility, and they would be able to be hands-off managers.
Wu Fuwang was so nervous that sweat beaded on his nose; the autumn night made his heart race and his blood boil.
He unconsciously looked towards the doorway, where his father, holding an erhu, leaned against the doorway gazing at the night sky, exuding an air of refined elegance.
Wu Fuwang knew that his father was also hoping that he would take the initiative to seize this opportunity.
Under everyone's gaze, he nervously swallowed and slowly raised his hand: "I... I want to try the new store. It doesn't matter if I'm the store manager or not, I... I just want to improve my abilities."
Shen Zhenzhu tried her best to hold back her laughter, while Shen Liuhe and Shen Yuyuan burst out laughing.
Shen Liuhe glanced at Shen Zhenzhu, who immediately understood and asked, "What advantages do you think you have?"
Wu Fuwang rubbed his burning cheeks, puffed out his chest, and said, "I've been wandering the streets and alleys for so long, I know better than anyone where there's a lot of foot traffic and it's a good place to open a shop. Also, building a shop requires a lot of energy, and I have so much energy that I don't know where to use it. I'm also good at bargaining and getting the best shop decoration at the most favorable price."
After he finished speaking, he noticed that Shen Zhenzhu was observing him. He stared at Shen Zhenzhu with his bright eyes and said, "Sister Zhenzhu, I swear I will never take a single penny of Sixth Sister's profits. I will treat the shop with all my heart. Please, Sixth Sister and Little Sister, give me a chance."
Hearing his earnestness, Shen Liuhe was moved. She patted his clenched fist reassuringly and said, "Then go ahead and do it. Give young people a chance, and give yourself a break too. Pearl, what do you think?"
"Of course, no problem!" Shen Zhenzhu said with a smile, "Then let's appoint Comrade Wu Fuwang as the manager of our first directly operated branch. Please give him a round of applause!"
Applause rained down as the family members offered their blessings to Wu Fuwang, with Xiao Li and others not hiding their envy.
Shen Zhenzhu understood that while she was away from home, it was these friends who helped Sixth Sister keep every corner of Sixth Sister's restaurant afloat. So she said, "Since there's a milk tea branch, maybe there will be a restaurant branch in the future. Once there's a first one, there will definitely be a second and a third. Please learn from Wu Fuwang. In the future, there will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to showcase their talents."
The members of the extended family all expressed their fervent hope for this. Looking at Shen Liuhe, who seemed confident, Shen Zhenzhu realized that she had guessed her sixth sister's thoughts correctly.
A good chef who doesn't want to promote his skills isn't a good chef.
Surprisingly, Li Lili volunteered to be the assistant manager of the first branch: "At first, some things need to be discussed. Our courses are relatively easy, and I can help Brother Wu in my spare time. Once the store is on track, I won't have to worry about it anymore."
Wu Fuwang was overjoyed to receive Li Lili's help, as it was like a godsend. He hurriedly said, "I am so grateful to you. I was just worried about not having anyone to talk to. Now that you are here, I have someone to rely on."
Li Lili blushed: "What kind of pillar am I? Let's discuss it."
Wu Fuwang nodded hurriedly: "Yes, if there's anything I did wrong, just tell me directly."
Now that the store manager and assistant store manager positions have been decided, the meeting ended, and everyone quickly went home to their respective families.
Wu Fuwang took a pen and paper from the shop and went back, planning to start preparations that evening, while Shen Zhenzhu let him do as he pleased.
Li Lili refused Shen Zhenzhu's offer to take her on a ride on a steamed bun. If she didn't take her, she might be able to catch the curfew, but if she did, things might not be so simple.
Shen Zhenzhu adhered to the principle of "trusting those you employ and not employing those you don't trust," and was content to be a hands-off manager.
The next morning, Shen Liuhe was at home preparing to make breakfast at the shop when she opened the door and saw Shen Zhenzhu returning from her run.
"Why is your hair such a mess, just like when you were a kid?" Shen Liuhe went to the bathroom to get a wooden comb and said, "You're a deputy section chief, you should pay attention to your image. Come here, let me comb it for you."
Shen Zhenzhu's first reaction was to press her scalp, and then the wooden comb began to poke down, making Shen Zhenzhu's eyes grow narrower and deeper: "It hurts, it hurts, it's too tight."
Shen Liuhe retorted angrily, "What's so tight about it? If you keep yelling, I'll make you skin tight."
No matter how imposing a junior cadre might be when out in public, at home she's still a pampered little girl, spoiled rotten by her mother. After finishing the last round of rubber band binding, Chen Zhenzhu felt like her eyes were practically floating to her temples.
Shen Yuyuan was still sleeping in. She got up and went to school by herself, and wouldn't be back until next weekend. Shen Zhenzhu then went with her sixth sister to the restaurant to prepare for opening.
Unexpectedly, she ran into Bai Luofu, whom she hadn't seen for a while. He cared more about appearances than warmth, standing in the restaurant in a thin trench coat, reeking of smoke and alcohol. Chen Zhenzhu pinched her nose and pulled open the roller shutter door: "Those with the surname Bai and Hu are not allowed to enter."
"How can someone surnamed Hu, who's about to go bankrupt, be compared to me?" Bai Luofu, oblivious to Shen Liuhe and Shen Zhenzhu's astonished expressions, yawned and said, "The Vanguard Group's cash flow has dried up, and they owe money to people everywhere. I'm telling you, you'd better be careful, don't let them cheat you."
Chen Zhenzhu said with a stern face, "You came here just to say this?"
Bai Luofu ignored her and went inside to say to Shen Liuhe, "Auntie, I'm starving, please give me something to eat."
Shen Liuhe felt nothing for the Hu family, but she thought the news was delivered very quickly! The Hu family was rich but heartless, so this outcome was to be expected.
She used the leftover chicken soup from yesterday to cook noodles for Bai Luofu. Shen Zhenzhu, with a forced smile on her face, served him a large bowl.
Bai Luofu picked up a piece with his chopsticks, and lo and behold, the chicken's head! He then picked up the chicken's tail, neck, feet, and skin...
The next table had a bowl of pearl chicken soup noodles with a skinless chicken leg and two poached eggs in it. It's easy to imagine whose poached egg was stolen.
Young Master Bai Luofu wasn't angry at all; on the contrary, he found it quite amusing. Only Shen Zhenzhu could treat him like this.
Bai Luofu knew when to stop. When he saw Old Man Wu coming over to sell newspapers, he asked for a copy of the local "Financial Daily" and pretended to read it.
The front page displays stock market information, while the next page features a real estate news article—Xingsheng Company is targeting a plot of land in the southwest, where a perfect community for elderly care, education, and medical care is planned.
Bai Luofu wasn't interested at first, but then he noticed Shen Zhenzhu glancing in his direction and pointed to the name "Fu Shengnan," saying, "You know her?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "I know someone named Fu Panxia."
Bai Luofu asked in surprise, "Isn't this Fu Shengnan's younger brother? How did you two meet? Could it be because of the case?"
With half an hour to go before work, Chen Zhenzhu lazily ate her noodles with chopsticks, saying, "This has nothing to do with you."
Bailov said, "Knowing that they come from a scholarly family will also be beneficial to you."
Shen Zhenzhu had heard Gu Yanzheng mention before that the Fu family was a scholarly family, and this time she had a question: "If they are a scholarly family, how come this Mr. Fu is in business at such a young age? I thought they were all academics."
Bai Luofu said with a gossipy look, "Academic work doesn't make money, does it? Fu Shengnan is the only businesswoman in the family. They all rely on her to make money to support them so they can do academic work and pretend to be high-minded."
Shen Zhenzhu stretched out her small hand, and Bai Luofu readily handed her a newspaper. Shen Zhenzhu saw Fu Shengnan's statement on it; what a spirited and domineering young CEO, with outstanding temperament and sharp eyes.
Surrounded by a group of male subordinates, she made remarks that showed foresight ahead of her time. While her business friends succumbed to temptation and entered the stock market, she focused on real business, demonstrating exceptional vision and decisiveness.
Wow~ She's a goddess.
Shen Zhenzhu loves seeing shining female representatives from all walks of life, and feels proud to see their success.
After slowly finishing her chicken noodle soup, Chen Zhenzhu rode her horse, ignoring Bai Luofu chasing after her, to the Criminal Investigation Team.
Today, Gu Yanzheng arrived before her and miraculously parked the Cherokee against the wall. The milky-white steamed bun was parked in the perfect, auspicious spot. After getting out of the car and taking a look, Chen Zhenzhu thought that her brother Zheng was getting better and better at it.
"What is this?" Shen Zhenzhu took out a bunch of keys from the truck bed, one of which was a key to a red horse.
oh.
I thought he was still pursuing me.
Shen Zhenzhu rubbed the tip of her nose and quietly left Bai Luofu's car keys in the gatehouse, waiting for him to come and get them himself.
Who knows what his intentions were in throwing the car keys into the steamed bun bowl, right?
With a defiant back of his head, accompanied by the clatter of footsteps, he appeared in the office of the fourth team on the fifth floor.
Zhanhai City issued an internal wanted notice. The physical characteristics and fingerprints of the male suspect who committed indiscriminate mobile killings were clearly recorded in the document. Gu Yanzheng took this opportunity to teach others how to enter their fingerprints into the Liancheng City fingerprint system.
Shen Zhenzhu was very familiar with computer operation. She watched Lu Ye and the others use two fingers to input data and hid behind them, laughing hysterically. Gu Yanzheng noticed and called on her to enter the data.
Shen Zhenzhu also pretended to type on the keyboard with two fingers. Lu Ye and Zhao Qiqi were on her left and right shoulders, and Zhou Chuanxi and Wu Zhongguo were behind the computer, all watching her operate without blinking.
"In the future, there will be 'computer operation' courses. Our members of the Major Crimes Unit must master how to use computers and strive to find clues and information related to cases in the shortest possible time. There will be operational assessments for this work, including your typing skills."
Gu Yanzheng brought over the latest heavy computer, which was equipped with the "Windows 3.0" system. The interface was old-fashioned and simple, but it was the foundation for the rise of the Internet in the future.
At this time, with the diversification of operating systems, it is still necessary to use a "modem" to access the Internet. Offices use "local area networks" to share print and files, which adds a touch of novelty to Chen Zhenzhu's experience.
"Sister Pearl, someone is looking for you. They've reported you missing."
At some point, Lu Ye's joking nickname "Sister Pearl" became the official name everyone used to address Shen Zhenzhu. As the youngest member of the criminal investigation team, Shen Zhenzhu received everyone's heartfelt respect.
"Thank you, Uncle Li, I'm here." As soon as Shen Zhenzhu picked up her notebook and notebook, Zhao Qiqi quickly followed: "Sister Zhenzhu, let me help you."
“Okay.” Shen Zhenzhu greeted Gu Yanzheng and led Zhao Qiqi to the meeting room.
Lu Ye ground his teeth in his office, smelling the fragrance of flowers filling the room, wanting to complain but swallowing it back.
Since Zhao Qiqi arrived, his good days as partners with Shen Zhenzhu have become much fewer!
In response to the call for "green office", Gu Yanzheng ordered fresh flowers from a florist and arranged them in crystal vases twice a week, making the dignified office of the Major Crimes Unit smell wonderful.
Detective Lu was furious but dared not speak out.
Wu Zhongguo, on the other hand, sat next to Shen Zhenzhu's desk, enjoying the fragrance of flowers and tending to his golden-edged gladioli and goldfish, looking quite relaxed and at ease.
However, I've been feeling a bit down these past few days.
In front of him was a paper keyboard and a Wubi input method character root table. He muttered, "Wang Pang Qing Tou Jian Wu Yi, Tu Shi Er Gan... Ji Cun Yu Lai Ze?"
"Ten inches of rain, ten inches of rain!" Lu Ye said dejectedly, "You've been memorizing this for two days! Haven't you memorized even two sentences yet?!"
Wu Zhongguo was a master at solving cases, but rote memorization was killing him: "Wang Pangqingtou... what May Day?"
Lu Ye was furious, while Zhou Chuanxi was laughing hysterically ahead, spilling tea as he walked.
......
"How come it's you?" Shen Zhenzhu's eyes widened slightly when she saw Fu Panxia in the meeting room.
Fu Panxia stood up and nodded to her and Zhao Qiqi, saying with a sorrowful expression, "This is my sister's fiancé, Liang Zhiya. We've come to report a case... My sister, Fu Shengnan, has been missing for three days."
Shen Zhenzhu handed the notebook to Zhao Qiqi to take notes, and she asked seriously, "This morning I saw an interview with Comrade Fu Shengnan in 'Financial Report'."
Liang Zhiya had a gentle, scholarly air about him, and he was not young, probably around thirty years old. He wore a Chinese-style gray coat with old-fashioned frog buttons, giving the impression of a scholarly family that was a good match for the Fu family.
"Caijing Report conducted the interview last Monday and has already published the first issue. Today is the second issue. The interview took place two days after her disappearance. In order to prevent the news of Shengnan's disappearance from spreading and affecting the company's stock performance, Xingsheng Company specifically requested the editor-in-chief of Caijing Report to publish a second interview report in an attempt to prove that she was still working as usual."
This does fit Shen Zhenzhu's impression of Fu Shengnan as a strong woman.
Zhao Qiqi spread out the form and said, "Then fill in the police report information, Fu Shengnan's age?"
Liang Zhiya said, "I'm 28 years old this year."
Zhao Qiqi then asked, "Height and weight."
Liang Zhiya said, "I am 164 cm tall and weigh 98 catties."
At this moment, Fu Panxia interrupted and said, "His height is 163.8 centimeters, less than 164 centimeters, and his weight is 97.5 jin (48.25 catties)."
Liang Zhiya is five years older than Fu Panxia. Hearing this, she lowered her head and said, "He's right. I was careless. But this time I really think something bad has happened to her."
Sensing Fu Panxia's worried and tense mood, Shen Zhenzhu softened her tone and said, "During the time that President Fu has been missing, we have not received any cases of murder or accident involving women. However, the golden 72 hours have passed, and Xia, as a direct relative, can directly file a criminal case. I will conduct visits and investigations within seven days to look for clues about the disappearance or murder."
Hearing Shen Zhenzhu address Fu Panxia as "Xiao Xia," Liang Zhiya breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing she was an acquaintance. However, upon hearing Zhao Qiqi request to register details of her missing clothes and belongings, she hesitated.
“I had a fight with her a few days ago over something personal,” Liang Zhiya said, scratching her forehead in frustration. “I don’t know what she was wearing on the day she disappeared.”
“I know,” Fu Panxia said to Zhao Qiqi. “On the day my sister disappeared, she was wearing a light blue women’s suit and a gold necklace with a heart-shaped pendant containing a miniature photo of our family of four. She was wearing gray wedge heels, the same as in these photos.”
To make it easier for Shen Zhenzhu and the others to search, Fu Panxia brought several photos of Fu Shengnan. Who could have imagined that the spirited Fu Shengnan in the photos would suddenly disappear?
Liang Zhiya hesitated and said, "Could we not post a missing person notice yet? We can't let people know she's missing."
Shen Zhenzhu glanced at Fu Panxia. Although Liang Zhiya was close to her and was her fiancé, they weren't married yet, so they couldn't be considered "relatives." Such matters required the relatives to make the decisions.
“I agree.” Fu Panxia frowned and said, “Her company is going to make a big move soon, maybe it’s a business rival. We all suspect that something bad has happened to her.”
Liang Zhiya also said, "In the past year, she has often been socializing and going to various occasions. Sometimes when I ask her where she went, she won't tell me. She's very secretive. Once, we were at home and she went out at three in the morning. When she came back, we had a big fight. When I asked her where she went, she would rather give me the silent treatment than tell me."
“This is a suspicious point,” Shen Zhenzhu said. “I will investigate all of this. Please register the places she frequents. After the registration is completed, go with Officer Zhao to make a copy of her household registration information, which will be used to prove the identity of the person who reported the case and her relationship with the missing person.”
Fu Panxia and Liang Zhiya cooperated well, but as it was about to end, Liang Zhiya finally couldn't hold back her emotions and went to a corner to cry uncontrollably.
Fu Panxia walked over and handed Liang Zhiya a handkerchief. After offering a few words of comfort, she herself came over with red eyes and said, "Sister Pearl, I believe that your intelligence will help you solve the case soon and reunite our family."
Shen Zhenzhu continued her question in the corridor: "You said she might have been attacked by business rivals. Has she received any threats from competitors in her daily work?"
Fu Panxia shook her head and said, "This is Zhiya's guess and my guess."
Shen Zhenzhu could sense his worry, so she went to his office to pour water for him and Liang Zhiya, offered a few words of comfort, and then arranged for someone to go and check on Fu Shengnan's Xingsheng Company.
She first informed Gu Yanzheng, who then entrusted the case to her with peace of mind, while she assisted Zhanhai City in investigating the mobile murder case.
Shen Zhenzhu and Fu Panxia went downstairs to the company together. Shen Zhenzhu rode her little motorcycle with Zhao Qiqi on the back and began the investigation and visits.
Xingsheng Company is a rising star in the real estate industry. Fu Shengnan has a keen eye for business and made a fortune by buying several plots of land. The company building is square and simple, just like Fu Shengnan's personality.
Wearing casual clothes, Shen Zhenzhu entered Xingsheng Company with Fu Panxia and the others. She looked around and spotted a handsome figure in the secretary's office outside Fu Shengnan's office.
"This is her secretary, Mai Hai." For some reason, Fu Panxia glanced at Liang Zhiya when introducing Secretary Mai.
Liang Zhiya ignored Mai Hai's greetings, acting as if she were the owner of Xingsheng Company, and pushed open the door to invite Shen Zhenzhu and Zhao Qiqi inside.
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Author's Note: Pearl: [Let me see] There's more to this than meets the eye.
***
See you tomorrow, there's a red envelope coming!
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