Hearing Zhao Ying's words, Chen Yan was completely stunned.

He realized that his ominous premonition had come true.

And Yang Rou's analysis also turned out to be accurate…

Moreover, this bad premonition was far heavier than Chen Yan had anticipated.

Thinking thus, Chen Yan suppressed the anxiety in his heart and then asked, "Brother Ying, don't panic, take your time to tell me. How could Uncle Zhao be involved in a murder?"

Over the phone, Zhao Ying shook his head, clearly a bit confused, and said, "I'm not sure."

"The case officers called me over to sign some documents, just following procedures, they said nothing else."

Chen Yan pressed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache, then he said to Zhao Ying, "Don't worry. I'm heading to Tiandu now. Wait for me."

After that, Chen Yan hung up the phone, quickly changed his clothes, and had his assistant book the fastest train available to Tiandu before driving to the train station.

Qin Island wasn't far from Tiandu; taking the train was even quicker than flying.

Thus, after only 3 hours, Chen Yan arrived in Tiandu.

Upon arriving in Tiandu, Song Chuang had already arranged for Jiang Xiaoyun to wait outside the station.

Chen Yan got into Jiang Xiaoyun's car and instructed her to find Zhao Ying.

Since he knew Zhao Ying's home address, the two went directly there.

They knocked on Zhao Xuan's villa, and indeed, Zhao Ying was at home.

Compared to her usual self, today she had a more worried expression on her face.

Still, even with a worried look, that inherent graceful, sprite-like demeanor of hers couldn't be concealed.

Thus, upon seeing her, Chen Yan felt as if he was witnessing mountains grieving and lakes weeping…

So, Chen Yan playfully teased her, "I remember asking you before, if Uncle Zhao passed away, would you feel sad?"

"You said no, because birth, aging, sickness, and death are just natural laws of life. One shouldn't be sad over such things."

"Because this is something unavoidable throughout a lifetime."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Zhao Ying dazedly responded, "I indeed said that, it's true."

"I still think the same now."

"But…"

"Being imprisoned is not a natural law, is it?"

Chen Yan: ….

At that moment, Chen Yan found himself at a loss for words.

He felt Zhao Ying made a fair point.

So, he stopped trying to lighten the mood with jokes and instead started to inquire directly about the situation.

However, Zhao Ying, having lived carefree for so many years, evidently knew nothing about such matters.

Thus, Chen Yan questioned her for half an hour, only to question in vain.

He learned only one thing: Zhao Xuan hadn't come home last night.

And Zhao Ying had received the call at 9 a.m. in the morning.

As for the rest, she was clueless.

Piecing together the call he received from Zhao Xuan the previous day and Yang Rou's analysis last night, Chen Yan felt that most likely, Zhao Qingtian had orchestrated this.

After all, Yang Rou had described Zhao Qingtian as a man who harbored vengeance and was calculating and ruthless.

Having been constrained by Zhao Xuan for a year, it was inevitable that he'd seen Zhao Xuan as a thorn in his side, thus, it wasn't strange that he'd make a move against him.

However, no matter how much Chen Yan thought about it, he couldn't connect Zhao Xuan, the benevolent-looking, always smiling middle-aged man, with a murder case.

Chen Yan felt there must be many complications in the situation.

So, he decided to accompany Zhao Ying to the case department to inquire about the case.

Only by understanding the case could they solve the current crisis.

Chen Yan's intentions were good, but the case department had its processes.

After Chen Yan and Zhao Ying arrived at the case department, they were briefly received and then dismissed on the grounds that the investigations were ongoing and that it wasn't appropriate to disclose anything.

Chen Yan tried to probe further but achieved nothing.

Thus, the two returned home, sat opposite each other, both somewhat perplexed.

After sitting silently for a while, Chen Yan suddenly had a revelation, remembering the fallback Zhao Xuan had mentioned the day before.

So, he quickly asked Zhao Ying if Zhao Xuan had left anything for him.

Hearing Chen Yan's question, Zhao Ying looked utterly confused.

Since Zhao Ying was unclear, the two searched Zhao Xuan's room together, but, of course, found nothing.

As they continued, Chen Yan also felt he might be overthinking it.

Zhao Xuan had called him the night before and hadn't even returned home before he was taken away, so how could he have left a fallback at home?

But if not at home, then where?

At Zhao Group?

That seemed even less plausible.

After all, Zhao Xuan knew of his own relationship with Zhao Qingtian.

If Zhao Xuan got into trouble himself, going to Zhao Group would likely end with him being thrown out.

Thus, the situation was once again at an impasse.

With no progress in the case, the mood wasn't very good.

At noon, Chen Yan called Jiang Xiaoyun in, then asked her to go out and buy some food.

Soon after, the food arrived, and the three of them ate together, then resumed their silence.

Chen Yan continued pondering the fallback Zhao Xuan left him.

Zhao Ying was there, lost in thought, unaware of what she was contemplating.

And Jiang Xiaoyun…

Well, she was inherently mute.

As time ticked by, just when Chen Yan thought he had exhausted all possible options, his phone suddenly rang.

The ring tone made Chen Yan reflexively reach for his phone.

Possibly because he had no leads, he always fantasized that if he couldn't find that fallback, maybe it would find him by itself.

Unfortunately, after checking his phone, Chen Yan felt a bit disappointed.

Because the call was from the boss of Old Wave: Cao Weiguo.

Chen Yan glanced at the phone and quickly guessed why Cao Weiguo was calling. So he asked Zhao Ying, "You didn't go to work today, did you inform Director Cao?"

Zhao Ying, looking bewildered, raised her head, a bit dazed, and said, "Huh? Do I need to ask for leave even if I'm not working?"

Chen Yan: ….

For a moment, Chen Yan didn't know how to describe his feelings.

Really, those colleagues from Weibo had it tough.

It wasn't easy to put up with this little simpleton for so long.

Thinking thus, Chen Yan glared at Zhao Ying and then answered the phone.

Once Chen Yan answered, Cao Weiguo's cheerful laughter could be heard.

The middle-aged man had been very warm to Chen Yan from their first meeting.

He had proactively invited Chen Yan to dinner, suggested collaborations, and had been very generous with terms.

Initially, Chen Yan wondered if there was a catch, but in the end, it turned out there was nothing but sincerity.

Thus, Chen Yan had a very positive impression of him.

"Hello? Mr. Xiao Chen, I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

Hearing Cao Weiguo's greeting, Chen Yan quickly replied with a smile, "Not at all, Brother Cao. What's up? Go ahead."

Cao Weiguo was indeed calling about Zhao Ying not showing up for work. He said, "Zhao Ying, Mr. Zhao, seems to have not come to work today."

"After the assistant director reported this matter to me, I tried contacting her. But her phone went unanswered."

"I thought she was your person, so I called to ask."

Hearing Cao Weiguo's words, Chen Yan glanced at Zhao Ying again and then said with a smile, "Brother Cao. Let me apologize on behalf of Zhao Ying."

"It's like this. I came to Tiandu on a business trip, and when she heard about it, she came to accompany me. So, she didn't have time to go to work."

Cao Weiguo laughed heartily and replied, "I understand, I understand. Young people, eh."

"Well then, I won't bother you guys anymore."

"Mr. Xiao Chen, if you have some time in the next few days, let's have a meal together."

Chen Yan hummed in agreement and said, "Sure, Brother Cao. I'll check my schedule."

After that, Chen Yan was about to hang up.

Unexpectedly, Cao Weiguo continued with a laugh, "Mr. Xiao Chen, you should try to make some time."

"After all, since Elder Brother Zhao ran into trouble, we have some matters to discuss."

Hearing Cao Weiguo's words, Chen Yan snapped to attention and then, with widened eyes and a bit of surprise, said, "Brother Cao, you, you mean…?"

Cao Weiguo said, "Well, how should I put it? Elder Brother Zhao and I have known each other for twenty or thirty years. We met in Mage Country. At that time, I was working at an accounting firm in Silicon Valley."

"At the time, Old Wave was already a leader among China's internet companies, seeking to list in America."

"Elder Brother Zhao covertly owned part of Old Wave's shares, qualifying him as one of the major shareholders. So, he found me and enticed me to join Old Wave, handling the listing in the United States."

"After that, through half a year of organizing and restructuring the company's stock prices, I helped Old Wave successfully list, and he smoothly cashed out and left."

"But at that juncture, our friendship was sealed."

"Subsequently, I continued working at Old Wave, climbing up the ranks."

"Later, when internal problems arose within the group, our chairman and CEO resigned after being impeached by the board of directors. With Elder Brother Zhao's covert support, I successfully took over as CEO."

"After taking over as CEO, I first helped the company resolve some internal crisis and then helped develop mobile internet services, which is Weibo."

"However, the cautionary tale of the previous chairman and CEO always loomed over me."

"Our stock ownership at Old Wave was too dispersed, which meant that just uniting a segment of shareholders could threaten our management."

"So, I proactively approached Elder Brother Zhao, hoping to use his funds to help our management buy back company shares."

"Elder Brother Zhao agreed readily and, after helping us, honorably withdrew from Old Wave's management."

Cao Weiguo paused, a bit emotionally, and added, "Actually, we've been through a lot over the years. Often, it was with Elder Brother Zhao's support that I managed to turn dangers into safety or simply resolve those issues."

"And it was through these repeated challenges that we cemented a deep friendship and trust."

Hearing his words, Chen Yan chimed in, "So, when I expressed interest in Weibo, he proactively approached you, and that's why you agreed so readily and enthusiastically to my investment?"

Cao Weiguo laughed and said, "That's right."

"After all, you are Elder Brother Zhao's son-in-law, and that means you're one of us. I feel secure giving shares to you."

Hearing Cao Weiguo's words, Chen Yan finally felt all the pieces fall into place.

No wonder he hadn't even needed to use the Strong Buy Card, and Cao Weiguo had agreed to sell him shares.

No wonder such an important company was so eager to accept his investment.

No wonder, during his first meeting with Cao Weiguo, he had been so warm, and everyone at the table so welcoming.

No wonder… Zhao Ying, such a clueless girl, had gone to Weibo and turned into a sort of supreme authority, able to command everything at will…

Chen Yan had previously thought it was because of his own face at Weibo, but now, it seems... that probably played a role.

But more so, everything was because of Zhao Xuan's and Cao Weiguo's influence.

Even though Zhao Xuan had always remained behind the scenes, with Cao Weiguo, the company's helm at the helm, being so friendly to Chen Yan and Zhao Ying, who would bother to provoke the two of them…

After figuring everything out, Chen Yan finally felt reassured.

He couldn't help saying, "You're right, Brother Cao. We're all one of us. So, I won't hold back either. Did you know Uncle Zhao got into trouble?"

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Cao Weiguo replied, "I know. He's suspected of murder and has been summoned. Knowing this, I called you."

"I might know some inside information."

Chen Yan said, "Then… Brother Cao, do you have time tonight? How about we have dinner together?"

Cao Weiguo chuckled, "Come to my office for an afternoon tea. Let's have a good chat."

Seeing Cao Weiguo so calm and composed, Chen Yan felt his pressures gradually alleviating.

He guessed that Yang Rou was probably right, Zhao Xuan must have realized something recently and hence had made some preparations early.

The call from the day before was also hinting at something.

Thinking this, after hanging up the phone, Chen Yan took Zhao Ying and Jiang Xiaoyun straight to the Old Wave headquarters.

Arriving at Old Wave headquarters, Cao Weiguo's secretary was already waiting at the door.

Seeing Chen Yan and his group arriving, she hurriedly smiled and greeted them.

Led by the secretary, the three soon arrived at the door of Cao Weiguo's office.

Chen Yan had Jiang Xiaoyun wait with Zhao Ying outside while he entered the office alone.

Inside the office, Cao Weiguo was currently wearing glasses, looking through a document.

Seeing Chen Yan enter, Cao Weiguo smiled, pointed at the sofa, and said, "Mr. Xiao Chen, have a seat. I'll make you some tea."

Saying this, he put down the documents and the glasses and went over to the bookshelf to grab some tea leaves.

Chen Yan was a bit anxious, but seeing him like that, he had no choice but to patiently wait…

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