44 "Show the will to destroy a bunker with a single bullet"
Tao Wanjia stayed up all night and went directly to the construction site of the health care center after breakfast.
After being suspended for several days, the workers were at a loss and could only stay in the container dormitory and sigh.
"I heard that the higher-ups held Mr. He accountable and asked him to withdraw from the project. If someone else had taken over, I'm afraid the project would be even more shattered."
They were all simple workers, and while they didn't know the complexities behind the scenes, they all genuinely felt for He Yuming. He had indeed provided job opportunities for many elderly people in the area over the years, and even those at the bottom of society, who couldn't even see him, spoke up for him.
"Even during the shutdown, Mr. He paid us our salaries as usual and even had the cafeteria staff stay here to provide us with meals. Which media outlet are you from? You must tell the higher-ups the truth about these things!"
Tao Wanjia had reported to the police before arriving and had her ID with her. She suspected that perhaps because so many people had come to interview her in the past few days, the workers knew what she was going to ask before she even opened her mouth. Leaving the container, she circled around to the scene, which was cordoned off. Sun Heng's death involved so many people, and the cause of death hadn't been determined, which is why the scene remained sealed off until now.
She was originally planning to go up the mountain and stand on a high place to take a look at the situation inside the concrete building. As soon as she walked out of the construction site gate, a Rolls-Royce stopped in front of her.
"Reporter Tao, I wonder if it would be inconvenient for us to give you a ride?" The car window rolled down, and it was Deng Zixiong.
Tao Wanji didn't move. He quickly sized the man up and said, "You're such a busy man. You're not showing up in this remote place on a weekday just to give me a ride, are you?"
"Of course there are other things, but I don't know if reporter Tao wants to hear them."
Tao Wanjia instantly understood what he was going to say. He met the man's unfathomable eyes, raised his hand to check the time, and got into the car.
She happened to be looking for him too, and since he had come to her, she decided to go along with it. However, she didn't know that He Yu, who had just arrived behind the car, had seen the whole scene.
Xiao Zhang beside him was a little surprised, "Miss Tao, why..."
He Yu was silent, staring at the car that had driven away. He suddenly felt that he was not far from the cliff, and the wall that he had built up with great difficulty in his heart was also crumbling.
Because there seemed to be no one behind him.
Tao Wanjia followed Deng Zixiong to his company.
The office's colors are cool, and a painting of a roaring tiger hangs on the wall opposite the door. Sometimes, a person's personality is revealed more clearly through their clothing than through their attire, as clothes can be modified or restrained depending on the environment, but the layout of a private space cannot deceive.
Deng Zixiong is incredibly wealthy, owning everything from sofas to tea sets, yet his home lacks any aesthetic sense, let alone feng shui. He is an extremely arrogant, conceited man who absolutely believes in himself.
"Reporter Tao, do you like Pu'er or Longjing?"
As soon as he entered the door, Deng Zixiong dismissed the assistant who was serving tea, rolled up his shirt sleeves and walked behind the tea table.
"Don't bother, Mr. Deng. I have my own water."
Tao Wanjia sat down on the sofa, unwilling to waste any more time. She took out a bottle of mineral water and a recorder from her bag and met Deng Zixiong's gaze seriously. "Shall we begin?"
In the car, he told her a few things, but due to time constraints, he only started to talk about the time he and He Yu bid together a few years ago. He wanted to report He Yu for repeatedly winning the bid by using tricks. Deng Zixiong brought her back to the company to delay, after all, fabricating evidence takes time. But seeing her so focused, his original plan of bribery was probably not going to work.
He was a good judge of people and could sense that Tao Wanjia was a tough nut to crack.
So he talked a lot of nonsense, and after everyone left, he called his assistant into the room.
"Have you found anything?"
"I found out. She grew up with that young policeman from last time and He Yu. I heard they have a close relationship."
After he finished speaking, the man handed over a few photos.
"This was taken earlier. It looks like they are boyfriend and girlfriend."
Deng Zixiong lit a cigarette, holding it between his lips as he flipped through the photos. He had previously considered creating a scandal to tarnish He Yu's reputation, but He Yu was a man of integrity. Whenever a woman appeared at a business dinner, he would turn away. That's when he became curious: he wasn't a monk, but someone with a romantic partner.
Thinking of Tao Wanjia's focused look when he asked him, Deng Zixiong felt that this game was starting to become fun.
"Let's go see Mr. He and chat with him about something interesting." Throwing down the photo and stubbing out the cigarette, the man tightened his tie as he stood up.
He remembered something and stopped at the door. He raised his hand and pointed at the camera in the corner of the ceiling. "Let's cut out the surveillance video first."
In the next few days, Tao Wanjia and Wen Dongyang split their troops into two groups and investigated Deng Zixiong within the areas they could control.
The deaf-mute girl, Chun Ying, helped Wen Dongyang compile a list of people to fund the project. Thanks to her help, Wen Dongyang's progress was smooth. He quickly discovered that these people weren't at the school at all, but were scattered around various entertainment venues. However, to gain a clearer understanding of the situation, he summoned the girls in detention, questioning them one by one according to the list. After much effort with his colleagues, he finally gained some clues.
Deng Zixiong used the name of funding to exploit these girls, threatening and intimidating them. Even their movements were watched by special people, making them afraid to escape and even afraid to call the police. They were controlled by him like puppets.
Since Chunying couldn't speak, he put her in a place he seldom went to, where the guards were not so strict, giving Wen Dongyang enough time to investigate.
After he got the concrete evidence, he was very excited. During lunch break, he came out of the office and reported the progress to Tao Wanjia over the phone.
By this time, she had already arrived in Jingping and was investigating an Internet technology company that Deng Zixiong had opened in the name of his ex-wife. However, she could not get in because she did not have an appointment. So she went directly to the property management to apply for a cleaning staff position and successfully "broke in".
"Ah, then when will you come back?" Wen Dongyang was surprised. Only then did he understand how she had worked on those reports in the past. Her selfless work efficiency made him feel ashamed.
"I'll do it as soon as possible, but it depends on the situation." Tao Wanjia pushed the cleaning cart into the restroom, opened the innermost cubicle, closed the door, and lowered his voice, "Please keep an eye on He Yu."
Wen Dongyang smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will take good care of him."
He couldn't say too much on the phone, so he briefly told his plan and was about to hang up. Tao Wanjia, after assessing the situation, hurriedly called him.
"You should be careful too. It's best not to alert the enemy now."
Although she and Deng Zixiong had only met twice, she could sense his scheming and peculiar background, so she had to proceed with extreme caution without definitive evidence. This was her principle: not to resort to the tactic of destroying a fort with a single bullet, but to use absolutely strong and powerful evidence to completely crush the opponent.
Because they almost never have the chance to start over, and many opportunities in life are fleeting.
"I'm fine here. Just focus on your investigation. Let's try to catch him as soon as possible."
Wen Dongyang was full of confidence and hung up the phone completely after he finished speaking.
He was now feeling much more relaxed. He whistled leisurely while organizing the documents on his desk, thinking that maybe he could go see He Yu. However, when he looked up, he saw Lu Yuan standing at the door.
The man folded his hands, and it seemed that he had been waiting for him for a long time.
"Captain Lu, what do you want to talk to me about?"
The two hadn't seen each other since leaving the investigation team. That barbecue was a chance to catch up and also to draw a line in the sand. Wen Dongyang knew his identity was sensitive, so he didn't approach them. But he was still a little surprised that Lu Yuan came looking for him.
"Something happened." Lu Yuan nodded seriously.
He was very depressed about the progress of the case. Its complexity was no longer just a "suicide case" with many doubts, but a case with far-reaching implications, with roots so intertwined that only the tip of the iceberg was barely visible above the water.
There had been some progress that morning: Sun Heng's gambling was confirmed, and Deng Zixiong had been traveling with him on the flight to Macau. This marked the first time Deng Zixiong had truly become involved in the case. However, due to undisclosed reasons, he had to remain on hold for the time being. It was only then that Lu Yuan realized the complexity of Rongcheng.
So he had to go to the police station under the pretext of going out for some fresh air to seek help from Wen Dongyang.
"What kind of person is Deng Zixiong in your impression?"
Wen Dongyang understood as soon as he opened his mouth. They had a tacit understanding on these matters. Even though they each had their own confidentiality needs due to work, they would always support each other when the chips were down.
So I didn't hide anything and told him everything I had learned in the past two years.
However, Wen Dongyang kept what he had found out secret for the time being.
After get off work, he brought food to see He Yu. Since the company was unable to conduct business now, he took the pending matters home.
The room was pitch black. Wen Dongyang turned on the light and saw He Yu sitting alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.
The man's tie was loose, his shirt buttons were casually open, and his profile was hidden in the light and shadow, but his decadence and gloom could not be concealed.
"Why are you here?"
He Yu's voice was very scattered, and Wen Dongyang immediately realized, "Have you been drinking?"
He changed into slippers and quickly walked to the balcony. He Yu was staring blankly at a few potted plants. Next to him were two bottles of high-proof baijiu, the kind he used to never drink even for social events.
"Why are you drinking to drown your sorrows?" Wen Dongyang snatched the half-empty bottle of wine from him and placed it on the table beside him. "It seems Wan Jia really understands you. If she hadn't asked me to come and see you, I wouldn't have known you were so easily defeated."
"She asked you to come?"
He Yu frowned, and when he stood up he was a little unsteady, "Then why didn't she come back?"
He was very confused. The video Deng Zixiong brought would naturally not make him suffer so easily, but as long as he thought of the cold tone Tao Wanjia used when he mentioned him, it was difficult for him to convince himself.
And the fact that she chose to continue avoiding him at this time proved that everything he had imagined was right.
"She must have something else to do. Let's not talk about him for now. Come and have something to eat. It's the skewers from the place at the entrance of the alley. Wasn't that your favorite when you were in school?"
Wen Dongyang was a master at smoothing things over. He couldn't face He Yu right now, so he could only try to change the subject. Luckily, men were comfortable together, so if they had any unhappiness, they could just talk it out. But halfway through the meal, a text message came on his phone.
After watching that moment, Wen Dongyang took his coat and stood up.
"I'm going out for a while, you eat first."
He Yu was too drunk to ask any more questions and just watched him leave the door.
But he didn't expect that Wen Dongyang would never come back after he left.
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