52 "Having seen the darkness and injustice, I am more determined to do justice"
Huang Zheng's new store hasn't opened yet; after renovations were completed, it's been in the preparatory stages. Most of the employees are still at the old store, only coming in occasionally when they need to stock up on goods.
She had not left the hospital at all these past two days because of Wen Dongyang's matter. Any matters in the store were communicated over the phone. The girls under her were very down-to-earth and careful in their work. They would complete anything Huang Zheng asked them to do quickly. Today, she came only after receiving a call from the logistics department to pick up the goods.
As soon as I got nearby, I saw that the door and glass windows were smashed to pieces, and there were glass fragments everywhere on the ground.
This is a newly developed urban area. The surrounding shopping malls have not yet officially opened, and the shops are sparsely populated and not very lively. In the dark night, the desolate scene looks even more messy.
"It was already like this when we came here. The door lock was hanging there and it didn't move... This is our boss."
The little girl was describing the situation to the police from the nearby police station who had rushed over to respond. When she saw the figures of Huang Zheng and Tao Wanjia, she subconsciously waved.
The surroundings were dark, and the streetlights hanging high on both sides of the road flickered for a long time before lighting up completely.
The policeman, who looked young, adjusted the recorder in front of him and pointed it at Huang Zheng before questioning her. Tao Wanjia held Huang Zheng's shoulders and took advantage of the moment to survey the surroundings.
Her eyes flicked to the camera under the streetlight, and she asked, "Can I see the surveillance cameras around here?"
The police looked up when he heard this and explained to her that the power lines in this area were being repaired that afternoon and the surveillance footage could not be retrieved due to the power outage.
Tao Wanji understood something and turned around to walk into the store. The little girl who had just spoken followed her and carefully turned on the flashlight on her mobile phone to remind her to watch her step.
She dodged the broken glass on the ground with ease, and after recognizing her as the shop assistant who had polished her nails, she curled her lips, raised her hand to pull her to her side, bent down and walked towards the broken glass door.
"Is there anything missing from the house?"
"No, even the cash that Sister Huang left under the counter wasn't taken away, so they definitely didn't come here for money. Besides, the goods in our store aren't worth much!"
As they were talking, Huang Zheng outside ended the conversation. She stood in front of the broken glass door and called Tao Wanjia out with a worried look on her face.
Even though the case had been filed, there were no leads. Huang Zheng's social circle was simple, so there was no chance of her offending anyone. Even if her wicked ex-husband was bold enough to seek revenge for the previous incident, Tao Wanjia didn't think he would have the foresight to do so during the line repairs. Furthermore, it had been so long since the incident, so there was only one possibility—
"It's coming for me, or it's coming for Dongyang."
As soon as the analysis was finished, Huang Zheng immediately grabbed Tao Wanjia's hand.
"I, if it really doesn't work out, I'll just close the store. Jiajia, can we not investigate this matter anymore? He's lying in the hospital now. If anything happens to you again, I'll really..."
Huang Zheng was terrified. She wasn't completely unaware of what she'd said to Wen Dongyang that day. Though she'd been a bit clueless, she'd been able to guess after watching Wen Dongyang work himself into a case for days. Furthermore, the connection between Tao Wanjia and He Yu was so obvious that even a child could see the signs, not to mention that she'd witnessed He Yu and Lu Yuan deny their relationship in the hospital.
Everyone at the moment has unspeakable difficulties, she understands that, but she doesn't want to watch things get worse and worse while she is completely unable to help.
"Don't be afraid." Tao Wanji looked at Huang Zheng seriously, and covered her slightly trembling hand with his palm. "I'm here."
"Nothing will happen."
In fact, she was not sure either.
Countless experiences in the past always allowed her to quickly predict every outcome in advance, but this time, Tao Wanjia did not dare to imagine or allow herself the chance of losing.
She honestly believes that she is not a born saint, but after witnessing injustice in dark corners, she still firmly chooses to stand on the side of justice.
There has been a lot of rain in Rongcheng this spring. A gust of wind can blow away the starry sky, and dark clouds open their mouths wide to swallow everything in the night. But no matter how big the cloud is, no matter how terrifying the thunder and lightning hidden behind it are, there will be a day when they will disperse.
Two days later, based on the clues provided by Tao Wanjia, Lu Yuan found out all the companies under the name of Deng Zixiong's ex-wife.
These small companies scattered across the country are all empty shells that require little investment but spend a lot of money on advertising.
At the same time, public opinion on He Yu's side is intensifying. Sun Heng's wife has been slandering her husband and her family, and has been making a lot of speeches on social platforms, saying that the real reason for her husband's suicide was that he was exploited by the leadership, and she is afraid that he will be killed if the secret is exposed.
Countless marketing accounts forwarded the news indiscriminately, and the Rongcheng incident caused a sensation, and He Yu was once again pushed to the forefront.
Yu Li, who was abroad, hurried to Rongcheng after hearing the news. After learning that her husband's persuasion was in vain, she took a radical approach. The first thing she said when she saw He Yu was to ask him to break up with Tao Wanjia.
"Your father and I are still in the dark. How could Wan Jia do this to you?"
Yu Li rarely loses control of her emotions. She slammed a newspaper from her bag onto the table with a serious face.
"It's already this late, and you've been scolded like a sieve outside. I don't care what others say or how they post it, but Wan Jia is not someone else. How can she, how can she say the same thing to you as others?"
He Yu looked up when he heard the voice. He knew without even looking that it was a breaking news report from the Beijing News. The reporter's name was Tao Wanjia. He had already seen the online version before Yu Li.
This was her work, the result of her hard work day and night. He Yu was happy for her, and he didn't care even though the person inside was himself.
"Did you come all the way from France just to tell me this?"
He Yu asked calmly, without a trace of surprise or displeasure on his face. Yu Li was puzzled, and seeing her son so calm and composed made the fire in her heart burn even more fiercely.
She had no prejudice against Tao Wanjia, she was just angry at him for not fighting for it. He Yu had been blinded by love for decades. He hadn't listened to a word she said back then. The saying "love yourself first" didn't exist for him.
Even if Tao Wanjia was so cold that she wanted to burn him as fuel to keep warm, he would willingly offer himself to her.
This is not a healthy relationship, and this is not how you should love someone.
"I'm concerned about you. If you didn't listen to your dad's advice, you should at least listen to your mom. If you feel it's hard to break up, I'll go talk to her. Anyway, you two can't go on like this. If she still cares about you—"
"mom!"
He Yu interrupted with a frown, his emotions finally becoming agitated.
"We're not breaking up. I'll explain these things to you later when I have time. It's already this late, so please don't make things more complicated, okay?"
He was now exhausted and felt that all his strength had been drained away. There were surging torrents in front and behind him, pushing him forward. There was nowhere to escape, and he could not move forward.
But He Yu didn't know that Tao Wanjia had also been stripped of his wings for flying at this time.
He Qunshan's call was as sudden as the news, and it came in the middle of another interview with Deng Zixiong.
"You should let Zhao Kuo handle this case first. You can't report the Rongcheng incident anymore. You have to avoid suspicion first."
"Why?"
"The department has received a report about you, and I'm withdrawing now to protect you."
He Qunshan told her the truth, saying this was what he had expected. Tao Wanjia had been mentally prepared before returning, but the situation was different now. She had finally found some clues and didn't want to give up so easily.
"You promised me before that you would support me from behind. Can you give me some more time?" She tried her best to fight for it, thinking that He Qunshan's righteous words when he first persuaded her to take on this topic would be more effective, but the result now was that she had already fought for it.
The man on the other end of the phone sighed, "Xiao Tao, you'd better come back as soon as possible. I have a clue about pollution control for you. If you work hard, you can achieve results."
"I don't want grades."
What she wants is to restore the truth.
But when the words came to his lips, Tao Wanjia still didn't say them.
After hanging up the phone, she turned back. Deng Zixiong, who had been waiting for her in the house for a long time, seemed to have noticed something from Tao Wanjia's subtle changes in expression.
"Reporter Tao, what happened?"
"fine."
She raised her head calmly, took the recorder and backpack from the coffee table, and smiled politely, "Sorry, Mr. Deng, our interview may be coming to an end. If you have any further clues, please contact my colleagues."
After saying that, Tao Wanjia walked out neatly. When the office returned to silence, Deng Zixiong smiled and put the half-burned cigar into the ashtray.
"The old man always worries about nothing. What does a small reporter have to worry about? I can transfer him away just because I say so."
"You're so far-sighted. Now we just have to wait for this to pass. The future commercial resources of Rongcheng will all be yours." The assistant on the side of the sofa bowed flatteringly, paused, and asked, "So... are we still going abroad?"
Deng Zixiong said nothing, lazily playing with the emerald green ring that had fallen off his finger.
The old man told him to go out and wait for things to settle before returning, but he wouldn't listen. The storm had passed, and there was no point in hiding. But this overly arrogant man didn't know that his every move was being monitored. The so-called long line means holding off for a moment just before the fish is about to bite. The final, decisive move in a chess game is often the most insignificant.
After leaving Deng Zixiong's company, Tao Wanjia handed over his work to Zhao Kuo.
He Qunshan instructed her to return to Jingping tomorrow. After Zhao Kuo knew about it, he could only advise her to be at ease.
"I'll take care of this, don't worry."
Tao Wanjia had no choice but to leave unwillingly, but she didn't expect that the interview invitation she had previously sent to Deng Feng in order to scare him would be agreed at this time.
Zhao Kuo was also a little surprised when he saw the information she handed over, "Is he in Rongcheng now?"
"I'm not sure. I heard he lives in a nursing home in Jingping and rarely goes out. He has kept a low profile since retirement."
When their eyes met, Zhao Kuo instantly understood what she wanted to do, but before he could say anything to stop her, Tao Wanjia had already replied in the dialog box.
He glanced at the content and saw that the agreed location was Deng Zixiong's Mid-Levels Club in the suburbs.
"I'll go with you."
Tao Wanjia shook his head and rejected his proposal.
It didn't matter how reckless she was now that she was being withdrawn, but Zhao Kuo couldn't do that. He came here to help her, and Tao Wanjia didn't want to cause trouble for others.
At eight o'clock in the evening, Zhao Kuo drove her to the foot of the clubhouse.
The sky was cobalt blue, and under the night sky, the towering branches on both sides swayed in the wind, casting shadows one after another.
She didn't know why Deng Feng was looking for her at this time, but she vaguely felt that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, because it might mean that Deng Zixiong's father was also behind the incident. After reporting her whereabouts to Lu Yuan in advance, Tao Wanjia straightened her clothes and prepared to get off the car.
"I'm still worried." Zhao Kuo turned his head to look at her, "What if something happens..."
"fine."
Tao Wanji smiled and said, "This isn't the first time I've had a one-on-one interview with you. Why are you being so fussy today?"
She looked up at the moon that had just risen in the sky. Compared to the depression she felt when she was fired, she felt much calmer at this moment.
"I'm worried about you."
Zhao Kuo avoided looking for a moment, then for some reason he started talking about He Yu. "I've worked with you for so long, but this is the first time I've seen you work so hard. Is it because of him?"
He had never asked this kind of question in the past, and today he probably spoke out of his feelings. He had never seen Tao Wanjia so irrational.
"He Yu compared him to work before, but I chose work and he supported my choice."
Tao Wanjia lowered his head, and there seemed to be a flicker of suppressed emotions in his eyes.
She cleared her throat. "But if justice can't defeat evil, then there's no point in me persisting. I became a journalist to fight injustice. Even if this report means risking my life, even if they fire me like last time, I'll do it."
Tao Wanjia reached out to open the door and met his gaze in the dim light.
"Old Zhao, thank you for coming to see me off. Please stay away from this matter. I don't want to implicate you."
Whatever she asked today represented herself, but he did not.
The mountain breeze was bitingly cold at night, and when the car door opened, Zhao Kuo was hit in the face by the cold air.
Tao Wanjia left him with another back view.
The surroundings were pitch black, and the Xiaosu Mountain looked like a monster that devoured everything. Only a thin layer of white moonlight faintly covered her side.
As Zhao Kuo watched, he recalled the first time he had seen her in the office. He had just returned from an undercover assignment, his face covered in dust. He hadn't even had time to wash when he heard Pei Qiang introduce someone to him.
He was young at that time, and he subconsciously thought that many of the students around his master were young people who were here to steal his jobs.
When I looked back, I saw a pair of bright and clear eyes.
Tao Wanji was wearing a tight white shirt and had a student-like ponytail. She stood in front of him looking as young as a high school student.
But when he introduced himself, his voice was calm and not timid at all. Instead, his smile added a sense of freedom and composure.
At that time, Zhao Kuo thought that she was actually very much in line with her name.
It is even more fatefully similar to the mood at this moment.
The cold moon and the sad flute, the vast sea of sand in the west wind
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