"Sothing interesting? What is it?" Wang Qianfeng took the diary, skimd through it, and then looked at Wang Lan with puzzlent. "Her parents found her a tutor, and the child is just complaining. Is that all?"
"Director Wang, look at this sentence," Wang Lan said, pointing. "’Mom, why do you always compare with Zhang Jixi? You say her grades have improved quickly and that I also need a tutor. After school, I have to go to the teacher’s house for more lessons. I can’t play or watch TV anymore. I’m so sad, so upset...’"
"This is the fourth-to-last entry in the diary. Can I assu she was hard on the third or fourth day after starting these tutoring sessions?"
That sounds about right... Wang Qianfeng’s mind sharpened at Wang Lan’s prompting. "Are you saying that the teacher could very likely be Cui Xiaolv? And that Liu Jia was killed because she started tutoring with her?"
"Exactly! And that leads to sothing else. Liu Jia’s parents liked to compare her with her classmate Zhang Jixi. This usually ans their grades weren’t too different. And if their parents are making such comparisons, they must be in contact. So, if Zhang Jixi’s academic performance was on the rise, who would Liu Jia’s parents likely choose as her tutor, following conventional thinking?"
"They would definitely ask Zhang Jixi’s parents how their child’s grades improved so much. And then..." A sharp light flashed in Wang Qianfeng’s eyes. This Zhang Jixi might be in the sa situation as Liu Jia.
"Indeed. Check for a fourth-grade student nad Zhang Jixi at Tang Town Elentary School."
Wang Qianfeng imdiately made a phone call to order his subordinates to investigate.
"Director Wang, may I see my aunt?"
I was wondering how long you could hold it in... You finally asked. "Since you uncovered this, you should be the one to tell her. She’ll be happy to know all this. She didn’t misplace her trust back then."
"Yes!" Wang Lan affird.
Getting the address from Wang Qianfeng, Wang Lan walked toward the Tianjian Bureau’s internal dormitories. Climbing the stairs to the third floor, he saw Lige, dressed in casual clothing, leaning against the balcony railing, quietly smoking.
Previously, Wang Lan’s impression of Lige was one of affectation, which made him sowhat dislike this person. A man should be unpretentious and forthright; such finicky affectation is unsettling.
However, after learning that Lige was actually a woman, Wang Lan had let go of his previous sentint. No matter how convincingly a woman disguises herself as a man, her true nature will eventually show. Isn’t it natural for a woman to be a bit affected? Even the most tomboyish woman can’t be as forthright as a man.
Lige still had short, choppy hair and two thick, long eyebrows. Beneath a high nose bridge were two large, bright eyes. By male standards of beauty, Lige’s features might seem sowhat effeminate. By female standards, she would likely be considered a rather handso woman.
Lige held her collar with one hand, tilting her head slightly to exhale smoke into the sky. Perhaps to avoid getting the smoke sll on her clothes.
"Haven’t you ever seen soone smoke?" Lige asked. Her voice was as neutral as ever, lacking any feminine tone.
"I just didn’t expect you to smoke."
"Is it strange that I smoke?" Lige asked lightly, extinguishing the cigarette in her hand.
"You’re a person with ticulous hygiene and strong self-discipline. I wouldn’t expect you to try smoking. And besides, you are... a woman."
"Smoking helped feel more like a man. Though I later realized it wasn’t a good way to achieve that, by then I was already addicted. Are you here to see Ms. Wang Qi?"
"Yes! Is she available now?"
"Available! Very available..." Lige replied with an odd expression.
"What’s wrong? My aunt is easy to get along with."
"But she often asks questions that I think very few people in the world could understand, let alone answer. I finally understand why you moved out to live on your own so early. Being around her makes feel like an idiot."
"I’ve never felt that way," Wang Lan smiled and pushed open the door. "Auntie, I’m here to see you..."
His aunt sat cross-legged on the couch, rapidly writing sothing on paper. Hearing Wang Lan’s voice, she didn’t even lift her head, just kept writing more quickly.
"Yay, done! Forty-three seconds!" his aunt cheered, holding up the Sudoku puzzle to show off to Wang Lan.
"A ten-by-ten Sudoku? Auntie, you’ve still got it."
"Of course! Co on, Lan, co here."
Wang Lan moved closer to his aunt.
His aunt ordered, "Sit!"
Wang Lan obediently sat down.
"Closer..." she urged.
Suddenly feeling a sense of foreboding, Wang Lan dutifully moved next to his aunt. She reached out, tenderly caressing Wang Lan’s cheek, then suddenly grabbed his ear and tugged sharply.
"OUCH! IT HURTS, IT HURTS, IT HURTS!"
"Does it hurt? Feeling bold now, are we? Not only have you learned to act first and report later, but now you’ve progressed to acting without reporting at all? Joining the Tianjian Bureau is a huge deal, and you haven’t breathed a word to in six months? Huh? Think you’re all grown up and your auntie can’t manage you anymore, is that it?"
"No, listen to explain. I’m just listed on the roster; I don’t have an actual position. My primary focus is still my studies. It’s just early preparation for employnt. This way, when I graduate from university and start working, I won’t have to search for a job like others."
His aunt, not really willing to hurt Wang Lan, quickly released his ear. "Do you think I’m that easily fooled? You’re the first person I’ve heard describe joining the Tianjian Bureau as re job hunting."
"Although the position is sowhat special, in essence, it’s not much different..."
"You’re just holding a title?"
"It’s definitely just an honorary title. If you don’t believe , ask Director Wang. I don’t even have an official position at the Tianjian Bureau."
"Really? Then how do you have a military rank?"
"Just a re lieutenant... hardly worth ntioning."
Lige, who had just finished a cigarette at the door, paused in her steps, her hand trembling slightly. He, too, should be the unremarkable little lieutenant Wang Lan ntioned, right?
"A lieutenant in the Tianjian Bureau isn’t the sa as a military lieutenant; their significance is entirely different. You were promoted to lieutenant within six months? How am I supposed to believe that?"
"There’s sothing else you’ll find even harder to believe." Wang Lan sat cross-legged on the sofa, smiling at Wang Qi. "Auntie, I think I might have found out who created the Demonic Transformation Potion."
The smile vanished from Wang Qi’s face, and her eyes turned icy cold as she looked at Wang Lan. "Ma Bo?"
"You guessed it, Auntie? Then why were you so sure before..."
"I was sure because I believed that apart from Zifeng and myself, no one knew the genetic coding formula. But if there had to be a third person who knew it, then it could only be Ma Bo. If that’s true... Zifeng’s death was no accident."
"Why are you so certain Ma Bo didn’t learn about it from my uncle?"
"I know Zifeng. He wouldn’t tell anyone the formula except for . For Ma Bo to obtain the formula, he must have used Spirit Engraving to directly extract it from Zifeng’s mind. So, the story about Zifeng dying during an experint must be false. He was murdered by Ma Bo."
At this, a chilling murderous intent surfaced on Auntie’s face. If the circumstances allowed, Wang Lan had no doubt his aunt would have flayed Ma Bo alive.
"Didn’t you find anything suspicious about what happened back then?"
Auntie shook her head. "No, nothing. The investigation was thorough and turned up no suspicious elents. Thankfully, Zifeng didn’t betray humanity. That’s a great weight off my mind."
"The man my aunt chose wouldn’t be a spineless person."
"When can I leave?"
"You’ll probably have to wait until this matter is resolved. I don’t think it will take much longer."
Just then, Wang Lan’s cell phone suddenly rang. Seeing it was a call from Wang Qianfeng, Wang Lan quickly stood up to answer it.
"Wang Lan, co here a mont. Your speculation might be correct."
"Yes, sir!" Wang Lan replied.
"Auntie, Director Wang wants to see him. Please, make yourself at ho here. Don’t stand on ceremony with them. Ask for anything you need, especially from that fellow outside—he owes two lives. Order him around as much as you like; don’t treat yourself like a guest."
Leaving behind these words, Wang Lan hurriedly left the room and ran off. Lige, standing at the door, twitched the corners of her mouth. "You really don’t act like an outsider, do you... , a mber of the esteed Chu Family..." Never mind.
Lige exhaled a long breath and reopened the door to enter Wang Qi’s room.
In Wang Qianfeng’s office, Xu Shiyun, Li Weixin, and others were all present.
"Reporting in!" Wang Lan announced.
"Co in!" Wang Qianfeng called.
His face glowed with excitent. "Just now, Wang Lan discovered sothing in young Liu Jia’s diary. I had it verified, and we’ve learned that the girl, Zhang Jixi, is indeed Ma Bo’s granddaughter. For so unknown reason, Ma Bo divorced his wife twelve years ago. Afterwards, his son stayed in the Imperial Capital with his mother, while Ma Bo ca to Suzhou City alone. Ma Bo’s granddaughter didn’t take her father’s surna, Ma; instead, she uses the surna Zhang."
"Three years ago, Ma Bo’s son ca to Suzhou City to pursue business opportunities, but he had no open dealings with Ma Bo. Ma Bo’s ex-wife also died seven years ago. Our previous investigation into Senma Pharmaceutical’s financial outflows revealed nothing unusual. This was because Ma Bo had been sending his son at least ten million yuan annually for many years. A father sending money to his son is perfectly normal, so this lead didn’t raise any alarms for us."
"However, considering Zhang Jixi’s connection, it’s likely Ma Bo’s son isn’t truly innocent. Furthermore, we just examined the bank records of Ma Bo’s son, Ma Xiangru. Ma Xiangru has been involved in venture capitalism in recent years. Over three years, he invested nearly eighty million yuan in about a hundred companies. However, eighty percent of these companies quickly vanished along with the invested funds, yet Ma Xiangru persisted with such investnts, undeterred."
"Through network surveillance, we found that these venture capital firms nearly all employed the sa tactics, suggesting a single team was operating behind them. However, because they used nurous overseas proxies, tracing them back to the source has proven very difficult. But we can be certain that Ma Xiangru has been funneling funds to the hidden Demon Clan through these venture capital activities. Senma Pharmaceutical has also been bankrolling the Demon Clan. Well, isn’t this sothing: a family boasting five doctorates, yet the father and son are both traitors."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s bring Ma Xiangru in," Li Weixin said, standing up with a faint smile.
"Director Li, Director Wang, do you think Ma Xiaoxue and Cui Xiaolv could be hiding at Ma Xiangru’s place?" Wang Lan suddenly asked.
"Possibly!" Wang Qianfeng said in a low voice. "The Action Departnt and the Intelligence Departnt will conduct a joint operation this ti."
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