Seeing that Qi Qi’s relationship with the Jian family was anything but ordinary, Yang Ruiming shot her a meaningful look.
Just as his eyes were about to cramp from all the winking, Qi Qi finally spoke.
However, she didn’t leverage Gu Cheng’s or the Gu family’s status. Instead, she pulled out her credentials and introduced herself.
“Jinggang Criminal Investigation Bureau. There was a case last night related to your company. Please cooperate with the investigation.”
Knowing she was on official business, Jian Ze nodded.
But just as Qi Qi was about to put her credentials away, a hand intercepted them.
“Forensic pathologist Qi Qi from the Criminal Investigation Bureau. So you’re a forensic pathologist.” A lazy, languid voice sounded right by her ear.
Qi Qi instinctively stepped to the side.
She had no idea when the man had approached, but she found herself looking directly into those shimmering, starry eyes.
As if he hadn’t noticed her reaction, Jian Yubai returned the credentials to her after a light scolding from Jian Ze.
“Since this is about the case, follow me.”
Jian Ze led them into the lounge.
Meng Juan shot a glare at the gloating Wang Meng, her expression sour as she followed indignantly.
After all, this concerned the company, so Jian Ze stayed.
Of course, Jian Yubai could be disregarded entirely—that one was purely there to watch the show.
Once the witnesses were brought in, Qi Qi cut straight to the chase.
“What were you two doing running off to that rundown place in the middle of the night?”
Asked the same question again, the man looked like he was about to cry, and the woman’s face flushed red as she dared not lift her head.
The CEO and the Second Young Master were both right there—how were they supposed to answer that?
Though, any fool could probably guess.
No—
There actually was a fool who didn’t get it.
Seeing the two remain silent, Qi Qi furrowed her brows and repeated herself: “I’m asking you a question. What were you doing at that abandoned factory in the middle of the night?”
“We… we were just… doing that…”
The man answered hesitantly, squirming.
Qi Qi asked with complete seriousness: “Doing what?”
Yang Ruiming wiped his face. Jian Ze lowered his head, fist pressed to his mouth as he coughed lightly.
The man burst into tears and blurted out: “What do a man and a woman alone go to a deserted place to do! Have a nice chat?”
Jian Yubai sat unrestrained on the sofa, gazing at the woman with deep meaning. Seeing her look so earnest, he couldn’t help but let out a low chuckle.
Wang Meng covered her face and whispered something in her ear.
Qi Qi’s expression visibly stiffened with embarrassment.
But when it came to keeping one’s composure, she was still the best.
“Oh. Team Leader Yang, you take over the questioning.”
She rose with a straight face, yielding her seat, and before leaving, she made a point of glancing at the smirking Second Young Master Jian.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, the man tried to lighten the mood.
“This officer here clearly has never had a boyfriend.”
Great. The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere grew even more awkward.
He shut his mouth sheepishly and said no more.
The interrogation returned to normal.
Jian Ze had someone summon Li Ying’s (the deceased) supervisor.
Since the deceased was an employee of their company, he naturally couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
Yang Ruiming: “What was your relationship with the deceased? Did she have any conflicts with anyone in the company?”
Supervisor: “She only interned here for two months. During that time, she barely spoke to the other employees. She had a gentle, introverted personality, but she was quite efficient—everything assigned to her was completed well. An obedient employee like her shouldn’t have had conflicts with anyone.”
Yang Ruiming: “Did she show any signs of abnormality during her time here? Or did she suddenly stop showing up one day, take leave?”
“No. She never missed a single day. That’s precisely why the company promoted her to full-time so quickly,” the supervisor said with a firm shake of his head.
Afterward, without disrupting work, Jian Ze had all the employees from the Planning Department brought in one by one.
In the end, they discovered that none of them had really spoken much with Li Ying, and even if she had suddenly taken leave and left, there was still an alibi.
The case had reached a standstill.
At that moment, Qi Qi looked at Jian Ze. “President Jian, could we take a look at the surveillance footage?”
Jian Ze didn’t answer immediately.
After all, this was an arms company—the surveillance wasn’t something that could just be pulled up on a whim.
Qi Qi was about to drop the idea when she heard—
Jian Yubai, who had been quiet all along, say, “If it’s just their work area, that’s fine.”
With that, he stood up and walked over to Qi Qi. Seeing that she was still spacing out, he pressed two fingers together and flicked the back of her head.
“What are you standing there in a daze for? Didn’t you want to check the surveillance?”
The gesture was rather intimate.
Meng Juan forgot to be angry for a moment, her eyes wide as she exchanged gossip-filled glances with Wang Meng and Yang Ruiming.
But Qi Qi didn’t find anything off about it, simply assuming he’d picked it up from Gu Cheng.
“Captain Yang, aren’t you coming?”
“Oh—” Yang Ruiming started to get up, but when he met the glance Jian Yubai swept his way, he seamlessly sat back down.
He didn’t know why, but… he suddenly felt a bit intimidated.
Jian Yubai: “Only one person can come.”
Qi Qi nodded, understanding again.
This second young master must have chosen her because he was worried something might go wrong—if anything went sideways, he could track her down through Gu Cheng.
Really shrewd.
Jian Yubai had no idea she was busy spinning stories about him in her head.
Behind them,
Jian Ze watched the two figures, his eyes narrowing meaningfully for a brief moment.
On the way to the defense department,
staff members hurried past, unable to resist casting glances at the pair.
Having not been home all night, Qi Qi was still wearing last night’s outfit.
Standing at 170 cm next to Jian Yubai’s 188 cm, she somehow didn’t look out of place at all.
No wonder Lin An and Wang Meng often teased her about being a “woman-killer.”
With that face—sharp bone structure, deep-set eyes, a high-bridged nose—and those naturally amber pupils, who wouldn’t be charmed at the sight?
No exaggeration—of all the glances cast their way, a good half were for Qi Qi.
Jian Yubai swept his gaze over the people around them, then let his eyes settle on her.
The woman walked with a somewhat careless stride, her black shirt unbuttoned two buttons down, her collarbones faintly visible.
“A wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
He spat out those four words, then walked into the defense room with his hands in his pockets.
Qi Qi stopped in her tracks, utterly confused. What?
What had she done to him?
“Freak.” She shot back three words without courtesy, then followed him in.
Li Ying had only been interning at the company for two months, and her range of movement was limited to the planning department’s work area, so the surveillance was easy to pull up.
Jian Yubai bent down, one hand braced on the desk, the other tapping on the keyboard.
In no time, the footage from when Li Ying entered the company up until before the incident was pulled up.
Though the time span was short, there were quite a few frames.
Qi Qi didn’t want to take up too much of his time, so she simply recorded the footage into her phone one by one.
“Thanks.”
Seeing that she was about to leave, Jian Yubai gave up his seat to the security staff and followed her out.
“That’s it? No treating me to a meal?”
Qi Qi stopped in her tracks, thinking that she really should thank him properly.
But…
She glanced at her phone, hesitating slightly.
Jian Yubai thought she didn’t have time and was about to say forget it.
Then he saw her suddenly look up and say to him in all seriousness,
“How about… I give you some money, and you go eat by yourself?”
“…Do I look like I’m short on your pocket change?”
“…”
Qi Qi also realized she was being a bit ungrateful. It was already mealtime anyway.
She sent the video to Yang Ruiming, gave him a heads-up, and then took Jian Yubai out to eat.
The two didn’t go far, just finding a place near the company.
Given Star Glory’s prime location, the surrounding restaurants weren’t exactly cheap either.
Having spent years abroad, Jian Yubai hadn’t had home-style cuisine in a long time.
He dragged the “reluctant” Qi Qi into a Chinese restaurant with an understated yet luxurious decor.
The restaurant was so extravagant that even the menu seemed fit for an imperial decree.
Imperial Jade Nectar Wine — 180 yuan
Gathering of Heroes — 80 yuan
Imperial Shredded Potatoes — 380 yuan
“……”