fresh flowers
Tao Chu's confession video and elevator surveillance footage caused a huge uproar online. With Sui Liyong's secret efforts, the task force finally went to Jianglin City to conduct an investigation.
The Wen family also underwent a full search, and new evidence was found in Wen Tao's study.
Tao Chu was moved to a private room. When the task force came in to question her, Tao Chu added some details she knew based on the video, and also handed over the USB drive that Aunt Meng Xin had left for her.
When they visited her again, they brought two old cell phones.
Tao Chu recognized the Nokia on the left as her mother's, and the other one as Wen Tao's.
Staff members said that based on the information recovered from the two old cell phones and the evidence on the USB drive, it can be basically proven that Wen Tao is an undercover agent.
Xu Weirong's old phone also contained a memo left for Tao Chu. It's unclear whether she deleted it because she felt it was unsafe to leave a trace, but it was recovered this time as well. The staff specially printed out the text and gave it to Tao Chu.
"Chuchu, since I have chosen to embark on this path, I am prepared to sacrifice myself at any time."
I had some thoughts today, so I'm writing them down for you.
Zou Ming, Wen Tao, and I have taken different paths, but our hearts are one.
However, their paths may diverge, and they are unlikely to reach the same destination; thus, neither will likely have a good ending.
I've kept the money I've earned over the years in three bank cards. The one at ICBC is used to regularly send money to the families of victims of wrongful convictions. Most of them have underage children to raise. Although it's not a huge amount, it can still help them get through these difficult years.
There's also some money in the China Construction Bank card; that's for Wen Tao's family.
Although Wen Tao was an undercover agent, in order to avoid being exposed, he inevitably had to do some illegal and disorderly things, such as bribery and accepting bribes. He should have done everything he was supposed to do, including returning the stolen goods and turning them over.
But as a friend, I had to consider his family.
Meng Xin's health has never been very good, and she needs money for both medical treatment and daily living expenses. Fortunately, Yun Sheng is now older and should be able to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of the family. If there is any emergency, this money is a small token of my appreciation.
Chuchu, the money in your Bank of China card is enough for you to complete your master's and doctoral studies.
Study hard, become self-reliant after graduation, and become a person who contributes to society.
A white A4 sheet of paper fluttered onto the hospital bed. Tao Chu looked up and wailed. The scabbed wounds all over her body were aggravated by the pain and itching, but she couldn't care less. She could only use her tears to relieve the longing and pain that was pounding in her heart.
Her mother felt regret and guilt for not being able to personally overturn the wrongful conviction, treated her friend who had gone undercover with humiliation with utmost kindness and loyalty, placed high hopes on her daughter, and disregarded her own life and death.
Unfortunately, she ultimately did not live to see the moment when she could personally denounce Zhou Bingcheng.
All three of them collapsed before dawn...
Tao Chu suddenly remembered that the three of them were known as the "Three Musketeers" in college. Later, on Tao Chu's birthday, Wen Tao gave her a complete set of Harry Potter hardcover books. After reading them, she excitedly ran to tell her mother:
“Mom, you, Uncle Wentao, and Uncle Zou Ming are just like Hermione, Harry, and Ron!”
Xu Weirong laughed heartily and even told Wen Tao and Zou Ming about it during the gathering.
Little did they expect that this joke would eventually become their code name for secret communication.
After a two-month investigation, Zhou Bingcheng, Li Pengcheng, Li Yue, and others were severely punished for multiple crimes, including intentional homicide, embezzlement, bribery, and abuse of power, bringing the case to a close.
Xu Weirong and Zou Ming were exonerated, and a public memorial service was held in Jianglin City.
It was the height of summer, and Tao Chu was wearing a long black dress with mottled scars on her arms.
She stood quietly in the center of the hall, facing the endless stream of leaders, media, and members of the public who came to pay their respects.
Those who had received help from Xu Weirong held Tao Chu's hand, and before they could even speak, tears welled up in their eyes.
Wen Yunsheng sent a wreath early and stood silently in the corner with Tao Chu.
After the memorial service, Tao Chu drove him to the cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
Tao Chu placed two bunches of chrysanthemums in front of Cen Le and her father Cen Min's graves. Cen Min's tombstone was brand new and engraved with the posthumous title of "Heroic Act".
They left the cemetery side by side. After getting into the car, Tao Chu handed the China Construction Bank card to Wen Yunsheng and relayed her mother's words.
Although Wen Tao had died in the car accident, the Wen family still decided to hand over all of his illegal gains during his tenure.
Tao Chu knew that Aunt Meng Xin's illness was quite expensive. Seeing Wen Yunsheng hesitate, she shoved him into her arms and started the car.
Wen Yunsheng didn't stand on ceremony with her anymore: "Thank you, I'll pay you back later... later."
After getting out of the car, he tapped on the window and pointed to the back seat.
Tao Chu turned around and saw a box of chocolates on the back seat.
Shen Yingchang, who hadn't shown his face for several months, knocked on Tao Chu's door that night. He said he had a mission to complete and could only stay for ten minutes at most to explain the whole story to her.
In early winter of 2017, Xu Weirong submitted the first batch of materials concerning Zhou Bingcheng and others to relevant departments.
According to the information, Zhou Bingcheng and his associates lured people abroad to engage in illegal activities, and then used these incriminating evidence to threaten wealthy businessmen and powerful figures, turning them into "grasshoppers" on the same rope.
Zhou Bingcheng and his associates coerced these "grasshoppers" into helping them get promoted and make money, and also demanded that they smooth over all sorts of troubles.
Therefore, the relevant departments set up an investigation team, and Shen Yingchang was one of the team members. However, because the scope of the investigation was very wide and the level was very high, the investigation could only be conducted in secret.
Xu Weirong took the opportunity of visiting her daughter to go abroad with Zou Ming to collect evidence, but they were discovered by Zhou Bingcheng's faction. Zhou Bingcheng then sent Li Pengcheng to eliminate Xu Weirong and Zou Ming.
Because Xu Weirong's file showed that Wen Tao was an undercover agent, Shen Yingchang contacted Wen Tao through an informant and asked him to cooperate in investigating Zhou Bingcheng, but did not mention that Xu Weirong had submitted the information.
Wen Tao voluntarily handed over the cell phone he used to contact Xu Weirong, and asked his informant to contact Shen Yingchang and ask him to retrieve the old cell phone he used to contact Xu Weirong from among her belongings.
Otherwise, if he fell into Li Pengcheng's hands, the last text message he sent would expose his undercover identity.
Shen Yingchang did not fully trust Wen Tao at the time. Only by obtaining Xu Weirong's old cell phone could he close the chain of evidence, so he went to Wanghu City Public Security Bureau.
No old cell phone was found among his belongings, but he saw Tao Chu at the police station.
Prior to this, Shen Yingchang knew Tao Chu because of "Hannah," and he even helped verify the background of the relevant personnel.
Later, Xu Weirong's materials happened to be handed to Shen Yingchang. He felt that Xu Weirong was likely to have been framed back then because she was able to raise such an upright and courageous daughter.
Given the weight of the materials, he took the case very seriously, until Xu Weirong was involved in a car accident, which forced him to accelerate the pace of the investigation.
After Tao Chu left the Public Security Bureau, Shen Yingchang followed her and discovered that another group of people were also secretly following her. He guessed that they might be Li Pengcheng's men who wanted to eliminate her completely.
Shen Yingchang called for backup and stayed in the community's monitoring room to observe the movements of Tao Chu and Li Pengcheng's men.
While he was waiting, he saw that the phone Wen Tao had handed over to him suddenly received a call from someone displaying "HG", indicating that Tao Chu had found his mother Xu Weirong's old phone.
Tao Chu, by a twist of fate, managed to avoid danger and escape by car, receiving another call on the way.
Shen Yingchang answered the phone without speaking, so that Tao Chu would know that someone was helping her, but he couldn't reveal too much information at this time.
Shortly after Shen Yingchang arrived in Jianglin City, he learned that Tao Chu was going to participate in the maiden voyage of the "Dream Chaser on the Yangtze River" cruise ship with his family. He contacted Wen Tao through an informant and asked him to get him a ticket, but he did not reveal any information about Tao Chu.
He didn't completely trust Wen Tao and didn't want Wen Tao to know that Tao Chu was already involved.
Then, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere and became her "boyfriend".
Tao Chu recalled the situation at the time and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Before Shen Yingchang left, Tao Chu asked softly, "Is the name 'Shen Yingchang' an alias?"
“For people like us, a name is a code for security, only related to the case.” He turned back and smiled at her. “You can always call me ‘Shen Yingchang’ if we are destined to meet again.”
That winter, Tao Chu took the postgraduate entrance examination for Jianglin University, applying for a master's degree in journalism.
On the day of the opening ceremony, she received two bouquets of flowers, one signed "Shen Yingchang" and the other signed "Wen Yunsheng".
Neither of them showed up.
Tao Chu nestled beside her grandmother, holding the two bouquets of flowers, and smiled radiantly at the camera.
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