“I once promised her that I would help her bring down Qin Lang together. But later, I hopelessly drowned in Qin Lang’s sweet words. To be precise, I was Xie Aixian’s spiritual pillar, and she never knew before she died that I had betrayed her.”
She laughed almost maniacally, and the sound of that laughter was suffocating.
“So your motive for killing Xie Aixian was merely because she and Qin Lang were married?” He leaned back against the chair backrest indifferently, his expression cold and stern, not letting any subtle expression on Han Xiangya’s face escape his notice.
Rao Shuwan, seated beside Shen Yan, could feel the innate sense of oppression emanating from him.
“Of course it’s not just that. Since I’ve already confessed, there’s no harm in saying it all. I’m just an illegitimate daughter of the Han family. When I first arrived in the capital, the first sexual harassment I encountered was from Xie Aixian’s father. Tell me! Tell me! He destroyed me, so why can’t I destroy his daughter? Why? What did I do wrong?” Han Xiangya nearly screamed out those words, tears falling from the corners of her eyes along with her voice.
“You should have chosen to call the police immediately. The police would have helped you.”
Her voice gradually weakened. “I was still young. I was scared too.”
With that, she casually brushed her hair aside, covering a face full of the marks of hardship.
Rao Shuwan thought the interrogation would end there.
Unexpectedly, he shifted the topic. “What does Xie Jingnan’s disappearance have to do with you? Or rather, what role did you play in it?”
Han Xiangya’s breath caught, her eyelids twitching slightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. At that time, although I liked Qin Lang, he was such a young child. I didn’t have any ill intentions toward him.”
Shen Yan glanced at her and spoke, “Did Qin Lang ever bring Xie Jingnan to see you?”
Han Xiangya shook her head.
Had she seen him? No, right?…
Shen Yan lowered his gaze and flipped through the case files, which clearly documented the full account of Xie Jingnan’s disappearance.
Among the related suspects, Han Xiangya was not listed either.
Now that Xie Aixian was dead, if Han Xiangya were also to be executed, the case of Xie Jingnan would lose yet another lead.
Conference room.
Chen Chuan had already organized the complete report.
However, regarding Han Xiangya’s execution date, per Shen Yan’s request, it was marked as postponed.
The consecutive nights of staying up late meant that everyone could finally relax.
Chen Chuan said impatiently, “Boss, every time we solve a case in the past, we’d gather at Jinjiang Feast to celebrate. This time shouldn’t be any different, right? I’ve already booked the spot.”
Shen Yan nodded. “Fine.”
Rao Shuwan had just arrived, and Chen Chuan leaned sideways and said, “Shuwan, this is our rule here—every time we crack a case, we go celebrate, and the boss treats us. This jumping case is almost wrapped up too, so we can finally go unwind.”
Her eyes lit up. Finally, she would have contact with Shen Yan outside of work.
She needed to make the most of this opportunity.
Jinjiang Feast.
VIP private room on the 6th floor, offering a panoramic view of the entire capital.
The space inside was spacious, with a folding screen beside the table, behind which came the melodious sound of a violin.
Wen Xin and Shu Shuangyue each sat on one side, while Yin Hao across from them had hearts practically flashing in his eyes, staring at Wen Xin for a full twenty minutes straight. Yet Wen Xin never once lifted her gaze, too busy arranging her own utensils.
She had nearly wiped them cleaner than her own face.
As an observer, Shu Shuangyue propped her chin on her hands and had already sighed more than a dozen times.
Yin Hao was a well-known rich second generation in the circle. Ever since he started an influencer incubation company, its market value had consistently ranked in the top ten in the capital. Many spoiled young heirs were seeking advice from him, even hoping that the influencers under his wing would come out to chat about drinking culture or late-night script discussions.
However, he was a businessman with principles and had never done anything harmful to his artists, which was why his influencer company had grown so strong.
At the time, he was pursuing a girl from the College of Humanities and Arts when he happened to catch sight of Wen Xin. Just as the girl he was chasing was about to say yes, she watched helplessly as Yin Hao gave up on her. Later, when the girl did some digging, she learned that the rich second generation had grown tired of the old and found someone new. After Yin Hao signed Wen Xin, he gave her the best resources, and Wen Xin didn’t let him down, becoming the most profitable influencer in the company.
The two had a decent businessman-employee relationship, but the turning point came when a certain rich second generation repeatedly tried to invite Wen Xin for late-night script discussions. Yin Hao blocked him every time, and after too many attempts, the rich heir started running his mouth. Yin Hao beat him straight into the hospital and ended up at the police station.
When Wen Xin arrived, the rich heir sneered sarcastically, “Isn’t she just an influencer? Wanting you is me doing you a favor. But since Young Master Yin has taken a liking to you, I won’t force the deal.”
Right after that, the rich heir took a few more punches, and once Wen Xin understood Yin Hao’s intentions, she also told him in no uncertain terms not to harbor any inappropriate thoughts.
A while back, Yin Hao had gone abroad to negotiate a top-tier resource deal for Wen Xin and only returned after nearly a month. The moment he came back, he rushed over to see her, still dusty from the journey.
And that’s exactly what happened.
The scene just now was their reunion after half a month apart.
There was an indescribable awkwardness in the air.
“Xinxin, I’ve heard everything that happened in your neighborhood. The company now provides apartments for employees, right inside the Second Ring Road. You don’t need to trouble others anymore over finding a place to live.”
The reason Yin Hao said this was because, although he was abroad, he had planted eyes and ears around Wen Xin.
How she spent her days, who she was with, and where she went—someone reported everything to him in detail.
Wen Xin looked up, and finally their eyes met.
“I already have a place to stay. Give the company apartment to the other colleagues.” She simply couldn’t muster any interest in Yin Hao and just wanted to leave as soon as her management contract ended.
Yin Hao raised his voice slightly, “The place you’re staying…”
‘Is so far away’ was about to slip out with his tone, but he forcibly suppressed it.
If Wen Xin found out he had people following her, perhaps even the last shred of goodwill she had for him would be wiped out.
“Alright then. These are custom cosmetics I brought back for you from abroad. I supervised the entire customization process personally, guaranteeing absolute hygiene.” Yin Hao picked up the glass of water on the table and took a sip to moisten his throat, hoping to catch even a hint of a smile on her face.
But Wen Xin didn’t even glance at them, rejecting him outright. “President Yin, please stop wasting your time on me. I have no interest in dating right now.”
“Xinxin, treating you well is my business. All you have to do is accept it.” Yin Hao explained patiently.
A rich second-generation guy like him in the capital—people his age had long since gone through eighty or a hundred girlfriends. Only he kept stumbling and falling over Wen Xin, time and time again.
There was a saying for it: what you can’t have will always leave you restless…
He, too, wanted to experience what it felt like to be a romantic hero for once.
“President Yin, the only relationship between us is that you’re the employer and I’m the employee—nothing more. Don’t waste your money and time on me; it’s not worth it. I have plans tonight, so I won’t be joining you for dinner.”
Wen Xin glanced sideways and shot Shu Shuangyue a look. The latter immediately caught on, stood up, and said, “President Yin, we’ll be heading off then. Bye.”
The two left hand in hand, one after the other, with Yin Hao trailing behind them.
The door swung open.
Wen Xin had just stepped out when she spotted a familiar figure—a woman clinging to his arm like a little bird, standing side by side with him, surrounded by a group of people, seemingly deep in cheerful conversation.
Yin Hao followed her out, grabbed Wen Xin’s slender, fair wrist, and said in a tone bordering on pleading, “Xinxin, can’t you even have one meal with me? I flew over twenty hours from halfway across the world, and the first thing I did when I got back was come to see you.”