That evening, everyone was exhausted and went to bed early after dinner. After seeing that Jiang Yu was fast asleep, Shen Ying thoughtfully tucked her in and went downstairs.
"Commander."
In the dim light, apart from Chief Zhang, no one else could be seen. Shen Ying walked over and greeted him respectfully, a look of worry on his face.
"sit."
Chief Zhang was a little unaccustomed to his behavior. He was used to doing things his own way and found it difficult to adapt to the change in style.
Shen Ying pulled over the chair opposite Chief Zhang and slowly sat down, looking worried, waiting for the other party to speak.
Chief Zhang knew what he was thinking and went straight to the point:
"When I went to Commander Bai's house today, there were many high-ranking officials there. I had to wait for quite a while before I had time to talk to him alone."
After saying that, he picked up the thermos in front of him and paused.
"Commander Bai looks much more haggard; it's obvious he's worried about his daughter. He's personally interrogating the human traffickers, but hasn't found any trace of your daughter. These things can't be solved in a short time."
However, I have already told you the truth about the situation; you will have to wait patiently for a while.
Upon learning that Shen Ying had lost another son, Chief Zhang was not only shocked but also somewhat disheartened. He had heard of such cases before, where children were sold while the mother was unconscious during pregnancy, and the mother was then lied to her family about her death. However, he found it unacceptable that this was happening under his own command.
"After the performance ends and we return to the unit, I will send someone to find your wife's sister and bring her here to personally identify the buyer from back then. She is the key point, and this clue cannot be lost."
When Chief Zhang received this news, he also sent people to Shicun to look for her. They heard that the woman had disappeared because she ran away from an arranged marriage, and her family had no news of her either.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir."
Shen Ying still harbored a sliver of hope, believing that Commander Bai was all-powerful and that this situation could be resolved with just a word. Little did he know that there were many intricacies involved, and even more people who didn't care about their lives, so severe torture was useless.
The conversation ended quickly, and Shen Ying knew that such things couldn't be rushed, so he put it aside for the time being.
The next morning, the female soldiers of the cultural troupe, dressed neatly, gathered in the hall, had dinner, and went to the dance hall in the provincial capital.
Because it was a competition representing the city, everyone took it very seriously, and the discussions were mostly about the choreography and rhythm of the dance.
Jiang Yu sat in her seat, yawning and feeling drowsy. For some reason, she had been in a half-awake state all night, with a feeling that something was about to happen.
At this time, no one knew that she was the costume designer for this performance. They assumed that the troops had brought her over to handle personal matters because of Battalion Commander Shen's influence, and there was no much discussion about it.
Several makeup artists accompanied them this time, and the group arrived at their destination quickly. They followed the receptionist into the makeup room to prepare.
Because the female soldiers need to change clothes inside, men are not allowed to enter. Jiang Yu, being a designer, also has to go with Li Xue.
"Girl, just wait and see. Those clothes you designed are absolutely eye-catching on them. I have a feeling they'll make the cultural troupes of other military regions take notice."
Li Xue had prepared for this for a long time and was naturally very confident. She gave a few instructions to her assistant and then went outside to check with the group leader again to see if there were any omissions or unexpected issues.
The makeup artists opened their makeup boxes and began to prepare their makeup. When they learned that Deng Wei was the lead dancer, they specially made her makeup look different from the others.
Jiang Yu was here to handle after-sales service for the clothing and to deal with emergencies. Since there was nothing else she needed to do, she found a secluded spot to take a nap.
After Deng Wei finished her makeup and changed her clothes, she looked a hundred times more beautiful than she usually does. Everyone praised her, saying she was the highlight of the day and other flattering things.
She has always been very confident in herself, and having heard such words since childhood, she remained completely unmoved.
"Hey? Where's my necklace? Has anyone seen it?"
Just as everyone was trying on clothes and praising each other, an untimely sound came from the room. Hearing it was Deng Wei, the most popular girl in the group, everyone went to see what was going on.
"Weiwei, what's wrong?"
The first to be affected was Yuan Shuhui. Ever since that farcical incident in the car yesterday, Deng Wei had nothing but criticism and resentment towards her. Now that she finally had a chance to ease the tension, she was determined to put on a good show.
"My necklace was just here a moment ago, how could it disappear in an instant?"
Deng Wei looked anxious, her movements feigning a search, and her attitude towards Yuan Shuhui was completely different from yesterday. After all, she needed to maintain a certain image in front of everyone, and today's matter required Yuan Shuhui's cooperation.
"God knows how important this necklace is to me. If I couldn't find it, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on dancing on stage at all."
Her sweet talk and persuasive words swayed everyone. Hearing how serious the consequences were, they rummaged through drawers and cabinets, helping her search.
They turned the place upside down, but couldn't find a single clue.
"Please help me look again, everyone, and see if there's anything we've missed. The necklace was left to Vivi by her mother; she treasures it dearly, it won't just disappear into thin air."
After Yuan Shuhui's explanation, the group went from being reluctant to search to feeling sorry for Deng Wei. Some of the female soldiers who were only halfway through their makeup even came over to help.
Because they all knew that Deng Wei's mother had passed away when she was very young, and that necklace was a symbol of her remembrance of her mother, making it very meaningful.
So this kind of thing looks like it was done on purpose.
"Oh dear, Comrade Deng Wei, how come there's such a big hole in your skirt? Quickly take it off and tell the regimental commander."
Another startled voice rang out, and everyone turned to look, covering their mouths in surprise and gasping for breath.
Because her clothes were different from everyone else's, Jiang Yu designed a unique style for her. The skirt was a pleated skirt, and because it was so intricate and had so many pleats, you couldn't tell where it was torn just by looking at it.
When Deng Wei heard everyone's reminder, she looked down and saw that there really was a big hole in her clothes. She was so upset that tears were about to fall.
“I’ve been with everyone all day long, and nothing like this has ever happened before. What happened today seems like it was done on purpose. But as everyone knows, we get along very well and we don’t have any enemies.”
Deng Wei's words were clearly intended to lead everyone to speculate about someone she had a grudge against.
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