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Chapter 40

Jidu Qiuliang published two articles in one go, indicating he worked through the night to get them done.

The first article mainly responded to the source of his clues.

With the consent of the parties involved, he directly released some interview audio clips that had been voice-modulated.

Brother Huang turned the volume to the maximum, and Director Feng, feeling it wasn't enough, motioned for him to come closer.

The three of them gathered around the wooden table, heads lowered, arms crossed, fully focused on the recording.

A calm male voice asked, "So, you were forced by Tao Xianyong into an improper relationship, correct?"

Yuan Lingyun replied softly, "That's how it started. I wasn't aware, and he even took photos of me."

The reporter asked, "What happened later?"

"Later, I was scared, I didn't dare resist," Yuan Lingyun said. "He would brainwash me by being nice to me, and when I disobeyed, he would threaten me. I didn't know what to do at the time, so I could only comply."

The processed voice lacked much emotion, but knowing Yuan Lingyun personally, He Chuan Zhou could still feel her tone had become much firmer, lacking the previous uncertainty and anxiety.

"Do you have any evidence?"

"There used to be photos on his phone, but my brother threw the phone away," Yuan Lingyun said. In the background, there was some noise of plastic being crumpled. "But I have some recordings and video evidence of our conversations. I deleted them twice but couldn't help recording again."

"You don't want to release them for now?"

Yuan Lingyun paused noticeably. "Yes, I want to start over. He's already dead, and I think..."

The reporter quickly took over the topic, comforting, "It's okay, I understand. I hope you can have a good future."

"Thank you."

He released a total of four audio clips, explaining the different contents of his article. There was also a screenshot of a chat.

According to the file timestamp, Yuan Lingyun's interview was after the police had issued an official notice, but the reporter contacted her before Tao Xianyong's death.

Jidu Qiuliang stated that the reporter had known about Yuan Lingyun for a long time and had actively contacted her to see if she needed help. At that time, Yuan Lingyun was unwilling to admit anything, and the reporter didn't want to force her, so the matter was left unresolved.

After Tao Xianyong's death, the reporter contacted Yuan Lingyun again, and this time she finally agreed to an interview, expressing a wish to donate the ad revenue to help more girls learn how to protect themselves.

The interviews with several of Tao Xianyong's fellow townsmen had been collected four or five years ago but hadn’t been released due to a lack of sufficient evidence and opportunity.

In other words, the evidence they initially had was more substantial than what the police had, and their information gathering was unrelated to the officers investigating the case. Tao Ruiming's accusations were based on his own subjective guesses, unfounded.

The second article was more professional, containing a lot of data and some traceable IP comparisons.

Brother Huang picked up his phone and read aloud quickly and clearly:

"After I posted the related articles about Tao, about half a day later, there were many comments guiding people to Tao's real identity.

"After comparing with the old comments, these accounts were not my long-time followers and had no previous comment records but seemed very familiar with me, confidently asserting my content was true and reliable. They were highly active, topping the comments, exposing Tao's real name, and spreading many unverified rumors. Feeling something was off, I deleted them promptly. They quickly posted screenshots on other platforms.

"After the video files appeared yesterday morning, my team and I carefully compared the accounts in the comments first exposing Officer He and leading the attacks on the police. We found some overlap with the previous ones. The overlap list is as follows.

"The relevant data has been submitted to the cyber police. Please be cautious in your comments after knowing the truth."

The article's detailed content and sufficient evidence were far more convincing than simple verbal accusations. This could basically settle the issue.

The comment section's tone stabilized, with most expressing support.

Jidu Qiuliang's account had been active for several years, and his team was relatively professional. After publishing clarification statements on various platforms, they even paid for promotion themselves.

Watching the rapidly climbing readership, Brother Huang's heart started pounding like a drum, making his blood flow with an extra surge of excitement. As a police officer, he felt a sense of vindication.

Pointing at his phone, his eyes almost teary, he exclaimed excitedly, "Look at that, what a great citizen!"

The pressure on Director Feng's shoulders eased suddenly, her tense expression relaxing. Trying to maintain composure unlike Brother Huang, she sternly reminded, "Keep it down."

Brother Huang, brimming with joy, paid no attention to his image, "Okay, I know! Director Feng, the main issue is resolved now. Let's issue a supplementary notice and include Jidu Qiuliang's statement. Everything should be fine, right?"

He approached He Chuan Zhou, placing his arm around her shoulders, raising his eyebrows for a moment of eye contact.

He Chuan Zhou met his gaze for a moment, smiled slightly, and removed his hand.

Director Feng gave a few more instructions, telling them to prepare materials as they would need to report to the municipal bureau later.

Brother Huang lightly pushed He Chuan Zhou’s back, and they briskly walked through the hallway. Halfway through, he couldn't contain his excitement, whispering in her ear, "I think something good will happen today."

He Chuan Zhou: "As a modern public servant, please believe in science."

"I do believe, in everything that brings joy!" Brother Huang responded playfully. "Besides, destiny is full of unpredictability. How do you know the feeling isn't real? My prophetic mouth proved it, didn't it?"

Reflecting carefully, He Chuan Zhou realized that things had been quite good since last night.

Walking quickly, they hadn't reached the office when Xu Yu called out from a distance, "Captain He, you're back? Someone's here to see you!"

Brother Huang enthusiastically asked on her behalf, "Who is it?"

Xu Yu's tone had an unusual, excited tremor, "A concerned citizen!"

Brother Huang now held the term "concerned citizen" in high regard, further heightening his already warm attitude. "Someone who passed our criminal investigation checks, rest assured, no major issues. Zhou Tuoxing is well-off, has no criminal record, is highly educated, in good shape, and genuinely sincere. I rate his appearance 9 out of 10, just 0.1 below me. Go quickly."

Before He Chuan Zhou could say anything, Brother Huang turned her around and gently pushed her out.

Taking a few steps, He Chuan Zhou turned back to clarify, "I'm going to meet him." This was to emphasize she wasn't as indifferent to Zhou Tuoxing as they thought.

Zhou Tuoxing was standing in the corridor outside the duty room, near a window, looking at his phone.

People were coming and going around him. As He Chuan Zhou approached, he didn't notice immediately.

"What are you looking at?"

Zhou Tuoxing looked up slowly and said, "I'm checking how many years for fraud. Would internal personnel in the police get extra sentencing?"

"Really?" He Chuan Zhou’s smile was exceptionally genuine today, warm like a spring breeze. "Is it that risky?"

Zhou Tuoxing glanced at her, closed the document page, and this time switched to the search software for real. While typing, he even angled the screen towards He Chuan Zhou.

He Chuan Zhou looked and found that he was asking: Is it a crime for a criminal police officer to abandon a relationship?

He Chuan Zhou replied, "Besides moral condemnation, there should be no other consequences."

Her expression of regret made Zhou Tuoxing feel dissatisfied, thinking her attitude was neither serious nor respectful.

"He Chuan Zhou," Zhou Tuoxing said in a questioning tone, "don't you think you're going a bit too far?"

This was an inappropriate question, and He Chuan Zhou clearly wouldn't feel any guilt because Zhou Tuoxing's questioning was as ineffective as his indifference.

Brother Huang and Xu Yu appeared from behind the wall, just in time to hear this. They glanced at the two and then raised the documents in their hands, indicating they were not intentionally eavesdropping.

He Chuan Zhou ignored them and leaned against the wall, her gaze falling on the bag Zhou Tuoxing was holding.

Zhou Tuoxing held on for a moment but then handed the bag to her, "You haven't had breakfast."

After she took it, he added, "It's already cold. Remember to heat it up."

"So concerned about me?" He Chuan Zhou looked at the open packaging and asked with a smile, "Anything else to say?"

Zhou Tuoxing didn't immediately respond but stared seriously into her eyes for several seconds, his brows slightly furrowed with genuine confusion, "Do you hear me yapping or talking nonsense?"

He Chuan Zhou knew the right answer and was willing to say it frankly, "It's okay. I actually like hearing you talk nonsense."

Definitions of feelings are varied, and explanations are even more diverse.

There is no fixed rule for judging feelings, and their timing always varies from person to person. He Chuan Zhou believes their existence should be felt rather than understood.

Being with someone who makes you subconsciously happy means liking them. Even those who are not good at romance can understand this.

The air conditioning in the hallway was not very cold, but compared to the hot wind outside, it was much cooler.

Moving away from the window, Zhou Tuoxing felt the glass was a bit hot. He took a step to the side, allowing him to better observe He Chuan Zhou’s expression.

Her calm response reflected her composure, like words spoken after careful thought and preparation.

Zhou Tuoxing responded with a simple "Mm," stood there dazed for a while, then broke into a smile, his whole demeanor radiating undisguised happiness. Trying to keep his cool, he said, "Don't worry about Tao Ruiming's case. There will be a satisfactory outcome."

He Chuan Zhou responded indifferently, "Really?"

Returning with her breakfast, He Chuan Zhou found Brother Huang leaning against the table, idly mimicking, "He Chuan Zhou, don't you think you're going a bit too far?"

His imitation wasn't spot-on, but his point was his exceptional understanding.

"Listen, he even uses questions to criticize you! He makes you reflect on yourself. Such considerate phrasing!"

He Chuan Zhou took out her breakfast to heat it up, "He's not here to ask for your help in elevating his status, is he?"

Xu Yu raised her right hand to answer, "Serving the people! We must utilize our initiative! It's all thanks to great leadership!"

Shao Zhixin, who knew nothing about the situation, laughed the loudest, "Hahaha!"

The laughter was so prominent that He Chuan Zhou and the others all looked over.

Like someone caught by the neck, Shao Zhixin immediately stopped laughing and lowered his head slightly.

Brother Huang asked seriously, "Why tease him? Zhou Tuoxing seems like a serious person, unlike our Shao Zhixin."

Shao Zhixin: "?" Am I not a serious person?

He Chuan Zhou poured herself a cup of water, and when she turned around, the rim of the cup covered the lower half of her face. However, her eyes, curved in a smile, were evident, "Don't you find teasing him fun?"

Brother Huang straightened his shirt collar and sternly advised, " He Chuan Zhou, please don't tarnish our sub-bureau's great image. Otherwise, when concerned citizens come over, it will be difficult to engage with them. You'll create misunderstandings."

Xu Yu nodded in agreement.

Shao Zhixin's eyes lingered on He Chuan Zhou for a long time, unable to believe his ears.

He thought He Chuan Zhou was the type of leader who was detached from worldly desires, having discarded even basic aspirations. Not this playful, less-than-upright image.

Brother Huang, seeing through his thoughts, laughed and scolded, "Manage your expressions. Didn't you learn facial management? Our Captain He isn't practicing some evil art."

Brother Huang cleared his throat and slapped the table, "When do we ask him to treat us to a meal? We can't miss out on this!"

He Chuan Zhou said, "You ask him yourself."

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