Chapter 75
"Investigate." Tang Ruxin clenched her fists and said in a trembling voice, "We have to investigate. I can't let Zhao Zheng face it alone... I have to go with him."
Yu Lei suddenly kicked the desk, and the entire desk was kicked sideways with a loud bang, which scared Chen Jingzhou.
"What are you going to do with him?" Yu Lei shouted, "Go to court with him and go to jail with him?!"
"How do you know it's Zhao Zheng! What if it's not him?" Tang Ruxin yelled back.
Yu Lei looked at her coldly for a moment, then suddenly lowered his head and laughed, then asked cruelly:
"That's Tong Jiayu. Zhao Zheng and Tong Jiayu, which one do you choose?"
After asking, he didn't look at the pale Tang Ruxin, nor did he wait for her answer. He strode out of the office hall.
Returning to his office, Yu Lei slammed the door shut, then slapped himself twice. Then, he sat down on the floor, leaning against the door, burying his head in his arms, unable to move for a long time.
He was taking his anger out on others.
Tang Ruxin was far braver than he. Knowing the abyss ahead was abysmal, and that continuing would lead to eternal damnation, she gritted her teeth and kept going, even when covered in blood. He, on the other hand, was too cowardly to dare take a single step, even repeatedly losing his temper at Tang Ruxin for dragging him forward.
——It’s so ugly.
After an unknown amount of time, there was a knock on the door behind him.
Yu Lei let out a long breath and stood up, wiping his face to try to move his stiff features. He opened the door and saw Tang Ruxin standing outside.
She looked down at the ground, her face still pale.
"I don't know. Whether it's Zhao Zheng or Tong Jiayu, it's not my choice. What has been done must be faced, no matter who it is. This is the universal formula that took me a long time to come up with. I can accept any truth, as long as it is the truth."
Yu Lei was speechless. Had she been thinking about his crazy question for such a long time?
This woman is really...
He sighed deeply, pulled her into the office, closed the door, and said sincerely:
"I'm sorry, it's my fault. I'll adjust as soon as possible. Please give me some time."
Tang Ruxin knew that she could only find so much. A deeper investigation would depend on Yu Lei. If he refused to continue, she would be completely helpless. Otherwise, given her temper, she would have slapped him the moment he asked that insane question.
When you live under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Now that you have bowed your head, you have to maximize the cost-effectiveness.
"Yu Lei." She put her arms around his waist, buried her head in his chest, and said in a muffled voice: "I understand how you feel. You treat Zhao Zheng as I treat Tong Jiayu. But we have to continue. Only by continuing to investigate can we truly help them. They have taken the wrong path, and we have to pull them back. If all this is really caused by Tang Jiulin, he will have to pay the price. Yu Lei, Yu Lei... help me. Okay?"
Yu Lei was silent for a long time, then he said slowly, "Who else have you used this trick on?"
Tang Ruxin raised her head from his arms and asked, "Is it working?"
"You're even more unscrupulous than I thought, Green Tea Director."
"It doesn't work? Then I'll try Chen Jingzhou." She let go of him and turned to leave.
The next moment, the door of Yu Lei's office made a muffled sound, as if something had gently knocked against it.
*
Since Yu Zhe's car accident, Donghe Refining and Chemical has remained peaceful, with no further injuries or fatalities. All rectification work has been completed and inspected, and the municipal supervision notice has been successfully removed. Nothing seems to have happened: the sun rises as usual, and the equipment continues to operate.
The only two things that changed were Donghe Refining's market value, which had shrunk by nearly half, and the departures of its safety director and general manager. Tang Ruxin and Yu Zhe had completely withdrawn from the company's management, but each still held a 3% stake.
Another change is that Ding Xinqiao, the on-site accident investigator of the Emergency Management Bureau, has been suspended and is preparing to be investigated by the Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Yu Lei's tactics weren't exactly fair, and were merely a delaying tactic, as he lacked direct evidence. If Ding Xinqiao's actions against Donghe Refining weren't over, it was only a matter of time before he returned to stir up trouble.
Before Ding Xinqiao resumes his post, he has to find out the root cause of all this.
The dispatched officers had a difficult time simply finding witnesses to the fire. Most of them only said they remembered the incident, but few could recall the details. Twenty-seven years was too long.
The visit progressed slowly, but it was not without results.
A former neighbor revealed that Zhao Wenyan and Liu Lize were both retired soldiers and had always had a good relationship. Before they got married, they often went fishing and played chess together. It was not until Zhao Wenyan got married that their interactions became less frequent.
Later, Liu Lize also got married, and the two of them were only seen occasionally drinking together on the roadside. It wasn't until Zhao Wenyan had her second child, was expelled from the Party, and fined to the point of bankruptcy that their relationship suddenly seemed to rekindle. Liu Lize adopted Zhao Wenyan's youngest daughter as his goddaughter and cherished her dearly, frequently visiting Zhao Wenyan's home.
"Then something bad happened to the Zhao family. Only two children survived from the family of four, and one of them became stupid and dull. How pitiful!" recalled an elderly man in his seventies.
"Did Zhao Wenyan and Liu Lize like to buy lottery tickets at that time?"
"Yes, it was very popular to buy lottery tickets back then. Everyone bought the Double Color Ball and the Sports Lottery." The old man chuckled and said, "I even won a prize once, three hundred yuan!"
The police officer smiled and didn't remember the information.
"Speaking of which, Liu Lize liked to play mahjong for a while, and he played quite a lot."
"Are you saying that Liu Lize is gambling?" the police officer asked quickly.
"Hey, that was the period. I didn't see him fight again for a month or so. Zhao Wenyan lost his temper a few times and even had a big argument with Liu Lizhe on the street. They almost got into a fight, but he changed his ways in the end. Xiao Zhao is a good man, but it's a pity that good people don't have good fortunes. Alas..."
The police officer immediately took a photo of the record and sent it to Chen Jingzhou, who then compiled it into a text message and forwarded it to Yu Lei.
At this time, Yu Lei was wearing formal attire and sitting in the middle of the second row of the Donghe Refining Activity Hall.
Today was Donghe Refining's anniversary celebration, and Tang Ruxin had dragged him along. His hastily crafted, high-end suit perfectly accentuated his figure, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. Even just sitting there quietly, looking at his phone, he attracted quite a few people's attention.
Of course, he was more interested in Tang Ruxin who was sitting next to him.
The mere presence of this resigned security director at the conference was enough to draw attention and speculation. Furthermore, Tang Ruxin was dressed to the nines today, a fitted black dress that made her already tall figure appear even taller. A lapis lazuli diamond necklace adorned her collarbone, accentuating the whiteness of her neck.
Song Mu was backstage rehearsing the opening sequence when he saw Tang Ruxin and Yu Lei take their seats together. He stood by the stage curtain for a while before turning back to his work.
The invitations to the company's anniversary celebration covered all mid-level managers and above, plus the employees participating in the performances, and the venue for 500 people was packed.
At 7:00 PM, the lights in the venue dimmed, leaving only the stage as bright as day. The host took the microphone and, after some opening remarks, invited Tang Jiulin to the stage to give his speech.
Tang Jiulin sat in the middle of the first row, in front of Tang Ruxin. From the moment he arrived until now, he hadn't turned around to say a word to her.
"I believe everyone has heard that Donghe Refining and Chemical will soon be acquired by Vanow, becoming the company's first expansion into the refining and chemical industry..."
Then came a brief introduction and pitch from Vanow. Tang Ruxin yawned as she listened, her chin resting on the armrest, watching with disinterest. Under the spotlight, Tang Jiulin didn't look that old. She began to recall what he looked like in his youth, but found she couldn't remember.
It was not until Luo Yi came on stage that Tang Ruxin sat up straight.
Yu Lei keenly noticed the change in her sitting posture and glanced at her sideways. "Are you feeling refreshed?"
Tang Ruxin's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately leaned sideways to support her chin. She had forgotten that Yu Lei knew about her and Luo Yi's little affair, and the sour smell was pungent.
"I've noticed you only like older men." Yu Lei tilted his head and whispered in her ear, "The one above is thirteen years older than you, and the one next to you is eight years older. It seems Tang Jiulin really didn't give you much fatherly love."
Tang Ruxin turned to look at him with a smile, lowered her eyes and patted the back of his hand which was placed on the armrest of the chair, then pinched the skin on the back of his hand with two fingers and rotated it half a circle.
Yu Lei's face twisted instantly and he shut his mouth obediently.
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