LWGP - Chapter 40
Chapter 40: Zhou Shanren
As if sensing everyone's attention, Wang Jiu calmly switched out of the game, put her phone away, and sat with a posture as prim and proper as a model primary school student in an ethics class.
Everyone: "…"
Excluding the anomaly that was Wang Jiu, the government side was naturally pleased to see this development, but they wouldn't openly step on the Yang family. A refined, middle-aged man in charge spoke up to ease the tension.
"Everyone, the meeting is about to begin. Of course, the ladies present, please don't be angry. I'm sure Mr. Yang didn't mean it that way. After all, it's the 21st century. Women hold up half the sky and are a main force in building our nation's modernization. Anyone with such regressive feudal ideas will absolutely not be tolerated. Isn't that right, Mr. Yang?"
He gave Yang Dong a deep, meaningful look.
Yang Dong forced a smile. "Of course. Minister Li makes a very good point."
He wasn't stupid; he knew this Minister Li had old ties to the Xiao Family.
Damn it!
Li Ting, the Minister of the Cultural Organization Department, smiled. The laugh lines at the corners of his eyes were kind, but his expression was also very serious. "Alright, how many people are still missing?"
Beside him, Qi Dong glanced at Wang Jiu, who had remained seated and expressionless from the very beginning. He snapped back to reality and checked the list in his hand. "A few more. Yang Yu, Song Yuanqiao, Qian Cheng… that's the three. Hmm? Only Yang Yu is left."
Qi Dong saw an old man being helped in through the main entrance by a middle-aged man. Song Yuanqiao and Qian Cheng had arrived.
If he recalled the files correctly, this Song Yuanqiao was Professor Lin Zi's husband, though the two had been separated for decades. Qian Cheng was one of Professor Lin Zi's earliest students, but he had given up medicine midway through, choosing psychology instead. Right, his side job was a detective, and he was very familiar with the police department.
Li Ting, of course, recognized the two and personally welcomed them, leading them to the front row. However, as they passed the fifth row, both Song Yuanqiao and Qian Cheng glanced at Wang Jiu.
Wang Jiu turned her head to look at them as well. Their eyes met, but there were no pleasantries or warmth of a reunion, only indifference.
Extreme indifference.
Seeing this, many people had a moment of realization. The rumors were true.
After the old lady tragically lost her beloved daughter, she had searched for many years to no avail. Both powerful families eventually gave up. Later, the couple's relationship fractured, and they separated without divorcing. But when the old lady brought Wang Jiu back, the two families had met. In the end… they all disagreed with the old lady raising Wang Jiu, especially Song Yuanqiao at the time, whose reaction was extremely strong. The old lady was particularly stubborn about it and was said to have dropped an incredibly domineering line.
"You came to my door yourselves; I didn't call you over to ask for your permission. If you're willing, consider this a notification. If you're not, then pretend you were never here. Goodbye."
After that, all contact was severed. The old lady didn't even contact her own family, raising Wang Jiu alone while living elsewhere.
Her work was demanding and she moved frequently. Wang Jiu followed her around. A normal child would have felt very insecure, but Wang Jiu instead got to experience the different cultures of their vast country, which was a gain in its own right.
Later, when Wang Jiu skipped grades and was admitted to medical school at sixteen, they returned to the capital. The old lady also accepted a government appointment to a key position at the research institute. When she got older, she returned to the university to teach…
Neither the Song family nor the Lin family liked Wang Jiu, this orphan who had struck it lucky.
Xiao Jue, of course, knew about this matter as well, but he had only heard bits and pieces. Coupled with his cold personality and his disinterest in meddling in others' affairs, how could he have known that this orphan would one day be the ex-girlfriend who played him to death in Switzerland?
Others were still fixated on her femme fatale persona, toying with people's hearts, but he and Qi Jun had been too close and had clearly heard Yan Yanting's words at the time.
She… was more than just a player.
So what did that make him?
A seven-day amusement? Should he be grateful she didn't kill him?
Perhaps it was just that Yan Yanting was too much of a bastard, forcing her to be that way.
A woman's greatest wounds often come from scummy men.
She must have been forced.
At this thought, Xiao Jue couldn't help but turn to look at Wang Jiu. He saw her sitting there, graceful and gentle. Amidst the surrounding slander and humiliation, she endured it silently, her heart silently grieving, looking like a great white magnolia blooming quietly and exuding a cool beauty amidst the wind, sand, and fierce flames.
As if she wasn't the one who had been playing a matching game just moments before.
Xiao Jue: "…"
My soul just took a massive, invisible hit.
"Alright, almost everyone is here, and it's time. Ladies and gentlemen, let's begin."
Li Ting was truly an experienced hand at organizing meetings. From the government's standpoint, they couldn't care less about the romantic entanglements—love triangles or even quadrangles—of the people below. They were busy with important matters and had no time for such things. Besides, they were currently unaware of the situation. Their only concern was who hadn't arrived, who had, and whether the attendees would fight or tear into each other.
See, Yang Dong and Xiao Jue had just been at each other's throats.
Fortunately, they had established rules beforehand, but it was still necessary to repeat them.
Li Ting began, emphasizing the formal and grave state of society, then proposed the theme, purpose, and rules of the meeting.
When he mentioned that individuals with personal grudges were not allowed to fight, many people were surprised yet found it logical. Yang Dong and the others had no strong feelings about it, as they already knew they couldn't make a move on this occasion.
That was why he and Xiao Jue had only engaged in a war of words.
After his formal opening, Li Ting used a memorial for Lin Zi as a transition point to discuss how the game had changed the world and the harm it posed to the people. He then moved on to the theme of government regulation, at which point he needed to mention the importance of Registered Players.
"The incident in Classroom C12 of the medical school is the most tragic example, but there are positive ones as well, such as the Flight CU8266 incident at the capital's airport. That day, if not for a few individual Registered Players who took the lead and turned the tide, all 156 people on that plane would have died. That would have been an extremely tragic outcome, but it's not an isolated case. Such incidents will become more and more frequent in the future. So, who can stop all this? It will inevitably require heroes like Wang Jiu, Xiao Li, Wang Peng, and others."
Suddenly being called out, Wang Peng was dumbfounded.
Oh my god, there's a time when I get praised by the national government?
A hero? I'm a hero?
Wang Peng was floating, his face flushed red. Even Xiao Li was a bit shy and excited. But they both had the urge to stand up and say they were just carried to an easy victory by a master.
But just then, a secretary beside Li Ting suddenly took a call. After a moment of shock, he had to interrupt Li Ting. Surprised, Li Ting took the phone the secretary handed him.
"Captain Jiang, what is it?"
"Minister Li, there's a situation here that may require a serious report."
"What is it?"
"Has the meeting started?"
"Of course. You didn't know it started? If it's not important, we can talk later."
"No, it's very important. I've already reported it to my superior, Minister Qin, and his opinion is that it needs to be treated with gravity—if anyone has severely violated the background check, they must absolutely not be included in the nation's new world combat force."
Li Ting frowned. That Minister Qin was higher-ranking than him; perhaps only someone from Qi Dong's superior department could speak to him on equal terms. He couldn't.
Since he already had Minister Qin's permission, then… Li Ting's gaze deepened. He could only respect his opinion and temporarily halt the meeting. Then, under the surprised and curious gazes of the crowd, he tightened his grip on the phone and gave Qi Dong a look. Although Qi Dong was puzzled, he knew something was wrong and quietly sent a text message to his own superior.
The crowd began to murmur, but Yang Dong just smiled faintly, watching as Li Ting walked down from the stage with a stern face.
He walked to the left column of the fifth row and placed the phone on the outermost table—right in front of Wang Jiu.
Xiao Li and Wang Peng were exceptionally surprised. Huh? Was Lao Wang, the one who carried them, about to be praised up close?
Wang Jiu looked up at Li Ting and smiled. "Minister Li, what's this?"
"The Investigation Team requires Miss Wang's assistance on a matter." A man of culture, his choice of words was very tactful.
Sitting in the adjacent column, the Dean, Zhang Kaizhi, frowned. The Investigation Team? The same group that had been so rude when they were digging into her background?
This didn't bode well.
Zhang Kaizhi looked at Wang Jiu with concern.
"Is that so? It must be a very important matter to interrupt the meeting." Wang Jiu was calm, her faint smile unchanged. She lowered her eyes to the phone, which was still on a call, moved her finger, and switched it to speakerphone.
Li Ting, who had seen countless people, was surprised by her action and couldn't help but study her carefully.
This young woman… was far too composed.
"Captain Jiang, is there something you need help with? Should I put the phone on speaker?"
Jiang Qiu was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Yes, that would be necessary. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Please speak."
Her tone was polite and cooperative, a sign of excellent upbringing.
Jiang Qiu chuckled. "We're here in Miao Mountain, Lin City. By the way, this is your hometown, isn't it? Although the old lady deliberately erased that fact from your adoption papers."
Wang Jiu frowned, seemingly a little confused, but still replied, "Lin City counts as my hometown. Miao Mountain… I don't think so. I was too young at the time, so I'm not very clear. But is there a problem?"
Jiang Qiu: "We discovered a skeleton on Miao Mountain. The initial investigation suggested the cause of death was a wolf attack, but we found two clues in the pit where the skeleton was buried."
Wang Jiu: "Oh? Are they related to me?"
Jiang Qiu: "One was a hospital ID badge. The other was a little girl's pink hair clip."
Wang Jiu: "Ah, so the badge was mine?"
Jiang Qiu: "Not quite. The ID on the badge belongs to Lin Zi, that is, Professor Lin Zi, the director of the state-owned pharmaceutical research institute. As for the pink hair clip, we don't know."
As soon as he said this, a stir went through the hall. Qi Dong, who was contacting his superior, froze and subconsciously looked toward the front.
Song Yuanqiao and Qian Cheng exchanged a look. Neither of them looked pleased, but neither spoke.
It was as if they were waiting for something.
Xiao Jue and Xiao Qing, who knew them, noticed and exchanged a glance.
Was this about Wang Jiu?
Wang Jiu narrowed her eyes. "I don't understand what you mean. Are you suggesting this deceased person is related to the old lady of my family?"
Jiang Qiu: "We are investigating, which is why we need to find clues from Miss Wang. After all, Professor Lin Zi is already dead."
Wang Jiu lowered her gaze, her eyes filled with a deep sorrow. "Yes, she's dead. So, what does Captain Jiang want to ask me?"
Jiang Qiu: "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Wang. Then please answer my first question—do you know a citizen named Zhou Shanren from Huze County, Lin City, which is the county where Miao Mountain is located?"
Wang Jiu: "I don't."
Jiang Qiu: "Is that so? But according to our investigation, Zhou Shanren, the deceased whose skeleton was found on Miao Mountain, adopted a six-year-old girl twenty-two years ago. However, this girl disappeared without a trace shortly after. Zhou Shanren visited many nearby towns and villages searching for her but couldn't find her. Not long after, Zhou Shanren also disappeared."
Wang Jiu: "It sounds like a touching and sad story. So, he died on Miao Mountain?"
Jiang Qiu: "According to our investigation of some villages at the foot of Miao Mountain, Zhou Shanren did indeed go up the mountain repeatedly twenty-two years ago. He later even bought a long-abandoned house at the foot of the mountain. Many people knew that he believed his adopted daughter had run into the mountains and been eaten by a mountain ghost. He refused to give up and kept searching for her."
Wang Jiu was silent for a moment before saying, "He was a good man."
Jiang Qiu: "But this good man is dead. And there's another thing—during a period when Zhou Shanren had finally stopped going into Miao Mountain as much, someone else began to frequent the mountain."
Wang Jiu pressed her lips together.
Jiang Qiu: "That person was Professor Lin Zi."
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