43 "She actually wants to stand on the opposite side of He Yu"
Huang Zheng turned her head to avoid his hand, "Stop talking nonsense and tell the truth, or I'll leave you here and let you take a taxi back by yourself."
She hadn't felt this kind of emotion for a long time. The excitement she had felt while driving to see him and the sourness caused by the misunderstanding just now made her whole body boil, and the long-silent lake in her heart finally began to ripple.
Wen Dongyang raised his hand and swore, "It's not what you think. In fact, I didn't even see what she looked like."
"Pretending." Huang Zheng became even more excited. She opened the photo she had just taken on her phone and enlarged it, as if she was in court. "You'd have to be blind to not be able to see clearly from this close!"
Wen Dongyang became more and more anxious. His nervousness was no less than when he was a child and the teacher checked him for not doing his homework. He was so nervous that he could only stare at her in silence.
When their eyes met, Huang Zheng was disappointed by his panic. Knowing that he must have his reasons for being there, she stopped dwelling on it and tilted her head to give him a look.
Wen Dongyang accepted it with a smile, and ran around to the passenger seat. Before opening the door, he saw a sanitation worker in front collecting a trash can. The wheel was broken and couldn't turn, so the old man pulled for a long time but only moved a small step.
The car door was still open, but Wen Dongyang had already trotted over to help. Over the past few months, Huang Zheng had grown accustomed to encountering both big and small incidents whenever they went out together. She recognized his inherent kindness and warmth, so she got out of the car and joined him.
"Go back to the car and wait for me." Wen Dongyang was afraid that she was tired, and the edge of the trash can was a little dirty.
Huang Zheng smiled and looked sideways at him, "Why, are you the only one allowed to do good things?"
The gentle night breeze blew over in gusts along with the sprouting willow branches. The two people were touched by the breeze and thought of the past at the same time.
After graduating from technical school, Huang Zheng turned down the internship she was offered at a hotel and started her own business, setting up a stall and doing small business from street to street. In the winter, she sold cotton candy and candied haws, and in the summer, she sold ice porridge and small accessories.
Although it was a small fight, it was all for the purpose of supporting the family. Years ago, Huang Zhibiao and Liu Sulan were both laid off, and their family of four had to move from the staff apartment to a small bungalow in the city. Life was tight and there was also a high school student like Tao Wanjia in the family. Huang Zheng said on the surface that she was paying for her tuition, but secretly she didn't want her to drop out. She would rather be more tired herself and make money to subsidize the family.
Fortunately, she is smart and active, so there are always many people queuing up no matter what she sells.
Wen Dongyang was just a freshman in high school at that time. After evening study every day, she would follow Huang Zheng's stall on her own initiative. A gang leader from the next alley wanted to pursue her, but when his confession failed, he brought a few of his men to cause trouble for her. They surrounded her stall and prevented her from doing business. Wen Dongyang saw them, dropped her schoolbag and rushed to Huang Zheng.
"Where did this little brat come from? Get out of here!"
After entering middle school, he was no longer as reckless as he was in his childhood. Although his academic performance was poor, he was always well-behaved. When he stood in front of a few gangsters with flying hair and tattoos in his school uniform, he naturally didn't look very imposing.
Instead, it seems more like he is sent here to fight with us.
The leading man put out his cigarette and looked from the two men to Huang Zheng. "You rejected me because of this little brat?"
Huang Zheng had a very stubborn temper at that time. She was very impatient when she heard this, so she pulled Wen Dongyang aside and started to curse him. The gangster couldn't stand it and started to attack. Wen Dongyang wanted to protect her but was slapped in the face the first time. In the end, Huang Zheng still took care of those guys.
It was also a night with a gentle breeze. She was wearing a green plaid shirt, and her long hair swayed in the wind when she bent down.
She raised her hand to help him up, and said with a smile: "If you want to protect me, you should wait until you grow up."
The girl had a bright expression, and her hearty laughter, wrapped in the wind, pierced his eardrums again and again.
He didn't know if she was the reason why he applied to the police academy later, but it was indeed from that time that he began to exercise intentionally. He also switched to the physical education class because of Huang Zheng. At the beginning when he didn't know that it was the beginning of his dream, he just wanted to protect her.
Although, she seemed to have been able to protect herself long ago.
The road was quiet in the early morning, with only the occasional sound of speeding cars.
Huang Zheng withdrew her thoughts and stood across the street with Wen Dongyang. She looked in the direction of the parking lot in a daze.
"What are you thinking about?" Wen Dongyang took her hand.
"Before I thought about you, you were much more fun when you were a kid than you are now."
He quickly understood what she was talking about and smiled as he moved closer to her. "So what now?"
After being together for a long time, he gradually got into the mood. He was no longer in the same situation as before, as he was distressed and had to ask others for advice. Love was a talent buried in his bones and also the ability to live forever. He was at ease. Huang Zheng's girlish thoughts that had long been smoothed over by the trivialities of life were now revived because of his love.
"Now..." Huang Zheng avoided his intense gaze, "Now it's normal."
Wen Dongyang knew that she was saying one thing and thinking another, so he didn't give her a chance to dodge. He tightened his other arm around her waist slightly, lowered his head, and his breath hit her nose.
"I know you'll like it better now."
Huang Zheng, still unused to public displays of affection, glared at him before raising her hand to pinch him. Wen Dongyang's muscles were strong, so not only did he not feel any pain, but she only felt a bite to her nail.
"Why is your flesh so hard, like iron?"
He smiled and whispered something else into her ear. Huang Zheng's heart was pounding, but she suppressed her anxiety and replied calmly, "Really? Then let me take a look when you get back."
This time it was Wen Dongyang who blushed. He broke away from her hand and coughed softly, "Don't be rude to me."
Huang Zheng laughed so hard that she followed his steps.
"What are you thinking about? I'm talking about abdominal muscles."
Tao Wangjia had just coaxed Huang Shengsheng to sleep, closed the bedroom door and returned to the living room.
In the dead of night, everything was silent. The computer screen on the dining table was still stuck on the unfinished picture of the Deng family. She moved her chair and sat down. Just as she was thinking about where to tear the hole first, she heard the door open behind her.
Just when I was about to ask Huang Zheng why she came back so late, I turned around and saw Wen Dongyang walking in.
"Hey, rare guest."
Tao Wanjia teased with a smile. Wen Dongyang put the skewers in his hand on the table and explained to her why he came.
"Huang Zheng said the faucet at home was leaking so I came up to check it out."
As soon as he finished speaking, he glanced at Tao Wanjia who was raising his hand to close the computer. Deng Zixiong's information flashed by, and the line hidden deep in his mind suddenly sounded.
"I've fixed it." Tao Wanjia put away the computer, took a drink from the refrigerator and continued to sit down.
Excessive mental exertion requires energy, and these smoky barbecues really touched her heart.
While eating, Wen Dongyang suddenly asked her, "Did you just leave He Yu alone at home?"
"I can't leave recently, why don't you go and accompany him."
She really couldn't spare any extra energy now, and she couldn't work properly next to He Yu. If she wanted to investigate these things, she had to cut off all ties with him first.
Wen Dongyang was even more certain of his previous guess after hearing this. He took advantage of Huang Zheng's absence to test Tao Wanjia, "Tell me the truth, is there something else that brought you back?"
Tao Wanjia pursed his lips and said, "I want to investigate He Yu."
Her eyes were determined, and she continued, "And about Deng Zixiong, could you tell me more about him? I went to Qi County last time to check on his factory, but I haven't gotten any useful information yet..."
"Wait a minute!" Wen Dongyang was shocked. He originally thought that she just wanted to investigate Deng Zixiong, but he didn't expect that she would go to such an extent to sacrifice her own family for the sake of justice.
"No, did I hear it wrong or did you say it wrong? He Yu is being framed. Can't you see? If he knew you came back to investigate, wouldn't he go crazy?"
The scene where lovers become rivals should be reserved for melodramatic dramas, not for them. To say Wen Dongyang was dumbfounded was an understatement. This was far beyond his expectations, and he instantly stood up from the dining table in shock.
"Don't tell me this. I don't want to keep it a secret for you, otherwise I would be really sorry to He Yu."
"Are you sick?" Tao Wanjia was speechless. He picked up the tissue box and threw it at him. "If you shout any louder, even Huang Zheng will hear it."
Their eyes met, and the two of them confronted each other silently, their minds already completely in chaos.
She hesitated for a moment, but finally told him the real reason truthfully. Wen Dongyang finally calmed down after hearing this, but his face looked visibly worse than before.
"Wan Ji, He Yu has had a hard time these past few years. Even if you have some unspeakable difficulties at work, don't go too far. He really can't withstand any more blows, especially when it comes to you."
Wen Dongyang spoke earnestly, and after he finished speaking, the stone in their hearts sank again.
There are many things in life that are beyond your control. After years as an investigative reporter, Tao Wanjia had grown accustomed to them. She had even made all the necessary preparations before returning. But hearing Wen Dongyang's words now made her feel a little regretful. She had never imagined that she would one day be on the opposite side of He Yu.
It is precisely because I cannot face it that I have to avoid it temporarily.
Wen Dongyang couldn't bear to see her expression change, so he quickly cleared the table and changed the subject. Fortunately, the other party was intelligent, and after some discussion, they quickly understood the situation. They each analyzed the already detailed clues they had found in the documents, and after supplementing them, Wen Dongyang brought up an old story.
"A few years ago, Deng Zixiong launched a funding project with great fanfare, bringing girls from mountain villages to study. But when I checked later, I found that only a few of the girls on the list were actually studying, and some could not even be contacted."
At this point, he showed Tao Wanji the photo he had just taken from Huang Zheng on his phone. "This girl should be on the sponsorship list. I've seen her many times before at Bihaixishan, but she suddenly disappeared when the police raided the place. Recently, she's been at another KTV in the east of the city that Deng Zixiong also owns shares in. I plan to start with her and open up this loophole."
Wen Dongyang had been secretly investigating Deng Zixiong for several years and had some clues. He kept nothing from Tao Wanjia, telling her everything he knew. With his help, Tao Wanjia sorted things out more quickly, and even after he left, she remained at her computer.
It was bright outside the window, but she had completely forgotten the time.
On the other side of the city, He Yu, who had suffered from insomnia until dawn, was sitting motionless in his study in a daze.
He had long since removed all the items he had hung on the walls in his search for her. Now the house was empty, even the easel in front of the French window had been taken away. He could accept her absence, but he couldn't accept that she was gone but these things about her were still dangling before his eyes.
He had a splitting headache and melatonin seemed to have no effect on him.
The words He Jinsheng said in the car began to churn in his mind again, and each word was like a melody that eroded him.
"For small places, project capabilities are secondary. Connections, qualifications, and even background are very important. You may not care about these things, but the smaller the place, the deeper the roots."
"Son, the things you look down upon, the things you disdain to do, may be the means of survival for others. Those who are cunning and cunning are used to this pattern. When you, a serious person, appear, they will feel that a certain balance is broken. This is not your fault. This place has no room for you. Just listen to me and come back with me."
He Yu remained silent until he got off the car.
"Then I'll be the one who's serious. You don't have to worry about me. I know what's going on."
He was unwilling to give up, even if it meant spending all his time in Rongcheng. No matter what means Deng Zixiong used, he would not sit idly by and wait for death.
A ray of morning light broke through the clouds and illuminated the study. He Yu stood up and prepared to leave. While tidying up the desk out of habit, he accidentally touched the mouse.
The computer was turned on, and the dazzling white light on the screen almost made him dizzy, but when he saw the stopped page and the dense search history, his breathing suddenly stagnated.
It was at this moment that he suddenly realized why Tao Wanjia returned to Rongcheng at the critical moment when he just started working.
However, it was all because of him.
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