Chapter Fifteen

Zhan Ni's physical examination took up the entire morning. By the time the two left Renyuan Private Hospital, it was already two in the afternoon.

Before leaving, Liu Mumu glanced back at the hospital building behind them and sighed, "This hospital is quite nice. Not crowded, and the environment is good."

"It's alright," Zhan Ni replied casually. "There's also a Renyuan Private Hospital in Shen City. It's probably a chain. My mom used to get her check-ups there, and I went with her."

Shen City was the provincial capital of the northern small town where they lived, not far from them. It was only an hour away by high-speed rail.

Liu Mumu rarely went out and had never known this before.

"Really? That's quite a coincidence," Liu Mumu frowned almost imperceptibly, then turned to Zhan Ni with a smile. "Let's find a place to have lunch, and then we can go home, okay?"

Before Zhan Ni could agree, her phone rang.

She quickly answered it and spoke a few words to the person on the other end before saying, "Got it. I'll wait for you at the hospital entrance."

After hanging up, she told Liu Mumu, "My brother is coming to pick me up, so I won't be having lunch with you."

"Okay, I'll wait for him to arrive then I'll leave."

"Mhm," Zhan Ni nodded.

Less than five minutes later, Zhan Huitian's car pulled up to the roadside. Seeing Liu Mumu beside his younger sister, Zhan Huitian didn't get out of the car. He merely glanced at Liu Mumu through the lowered window and said coldly to Zhan Ni, "Get in."

Zhan Ni obediently opened the car door, waved goodbye to Liu Mumu, and was gone, leaving only a trail of exhaust fumes.

In the car, Zhan Huitian asked Zhan Ni irritably, "Why are you with her?"

Zhan Ni didn't quite understand her elder brother's sudden change in attitude, so she said cautiously, "I was a bit scared to get the check-up alone, so I asked her to accompany me. Is there a problem?"

Zhan Huitian paused before saying, "Dad met her during a meal before. That girl was quite rude and offended one of Dad's guests. You should interact with her less in the future."

"Ah..." Zhan Ni looked surprised, then nodded. "I understand."

After a moment, she said softly, "Liu Mumu was like this before, not very good at reading people's expressions. But she probably didn't do it on purpose."

"Mhm, children without proper upbringing are often due to their parents' poor education. I'm not stopping you from making friends. You'll have more friends in the future based on your status, so don't fixate on just one."

"Oh."

"By the way, I suddenly remembered something. I recall Mom celebrating Dad's birthday when we were kids. It was in October, and it was already a bit cold then. Did I remember wrong?"

Zhan Ni smiled and shook her head. "You didn't remember wrong. Dad's birthday on his ID card is different from his actual birthday. Grandpa made a mistake with the date and Dad's age when he registered it. Mom said his birthday is on the first day of the tenth lunar month."

Zhan Huitian said with some surprise, "I remember Mom's birthday is on the second day of the tenth lunar month?"

"Brother, you still remember? Mom was born at one in the morning on the second day of the tenth lunar month. Dad and she are exactly two hours apart. They were even born in the same hospital."

Zhan Hongye and his ex-wife were childhood sweethearts and knew each other's families very well. Zhan Ni had lived with her mother for many years, so she naturally knew these things clearly.

Zhan Huitian showed a slight smile. "What a fate."

Zhan Ni also smiled, then her expression became dejected.

What was the use of fate? After Dad got rich, didn't he still divorce Mom and live with someone else, taking his elder brother with him? Leaving her to stay with Mom, they became two separate families.

After being out for most of the day, Liu Mumu finally returned home hungry.

Fortunately, she had a little angel of a younger sister at home. Hearing that she hadn't eaten yet, she quickly ran to the kitchen to cook noodles for her.

While waiting for the meal at the dining table, she called Dong Zhenghao.

Dong Zhenghao's voice was hoarse on the phone, as if he hadn't woken up or was sick.

"Mumu, did something happen?" Dong Zhenghao felt uneasy and quickly added, "I haven't found Zhan Hongye's birthdate and time yet."

"It's not about the birthdate. I want you to check something. Zhan Hongye's ex-wife is named Zhang Xueli. She was treated at our hospital before. Where was Zhan Hongye two months before she sought treatment?"

"That's easy," Dong Zhenghao agreed readily.

"Also, Renyuan Private Hospital. How much do you know about it?"

"I only know the investor is from Jing City. I don't know any more details. Is there something wrong with this hospital?" Dong Zhenghao asked doubtfully.

"Nothing, just asking casually."

She just felt it was a bit strange, but unfortunately, even if she found something, it would be useless.

Less than half an hour after the call ended, Dong Zhenghao's phone rang again.

He told Liu Mumu, "I found it. Zhang Xueli had a check-up at your Central Hospital last September. Two months before her examination, Zhan Hongye reportedly went abroad to discuss a project. However, the project seemed to have failed, and there was no follow-up."

"He really wasn't in Qing City," Liu Mumu murmured. It seemed that Aunt Zhang's death was inseparable from Zhan Hongye.

Had this Zhan Hongye gone mad?

"His ex-wife died last year. Are you asking me to investigate this because..." Dong Zhenghao shuddered inexplicably as he thought about the description of Zhan Hongye's ex-wife's death. "Could it also be related to him?"

"The possibility is not small. The troublesome thing is that even if we know he's not a good person, there's nothing we can do to him."

"You don't need to worry about this," Dong Zhenghao gritted his teeth fiercely. "If I know he's the one who made the move, do you think I still can't deal with him?"

He didn't have any special methods, but he wasn't someone to be bullied either, otherwise, he wouldn't be where he was today.

Liu Mumu hadn't intended to interfere anyway, she just quickly reminded him, "Be mindful of your limits. I don't want to hear you sing 'Iron Window Tears' when we meet again."

"Can't you think of something good about me?"

"Ah, something good is that you don't sing off-key?"

Dong Zhenghao angrily hung up the phone. Qing City Public Security Bureau.

On the fourth floor of the office building, an entire floor belonged to a newly established but so low-key department that almost no one knew about: the Special Case Investigation Department.

In the spacious office, Captain Fang Chuan was listening to his subordinates report recent investigation results.

As the investigator was talking about Dong Zhenghao, the office door was pushed open. The first thing that caught the eye was a pair of shiny leather shoes, and above them, long, slender, and well-proportioned legs encased in custom-tailored suit pants.

Even in the sweltering summer, the newcomer was still in a crisp suit, his shirt buttoned meticulously to the top. When he slightly raised his hand, his diamond cufflinks flashed with a subtle light.

Fang Chuan stood up, "Consultant Yan."

The other investigators quickly turned to greet him.

The man nodded at them. As he lowered his eyes, the indifference in his gaze was quickly concealed.

Yan Xiu walked into the office and closed the door casually.

Fang Chuan pulled over a chair and invited him to sit. Without much pleasantry, he said directly, "We are investigating Qin Kai's case. I sent you the information before."

Yan Xiu nodded. He crossed his legs, his long, fair fingers resting on his lap, and said in a cold tone, "I've already read it. His condition is indeed that he was cursed."

Fang Chuan continued, "We've investigated Qin Kai's social circle. There are two preliminary suspects: Zhan Hongye, his competitor, and Dong Zhenghao, his business partner with whom he had a very good relationship. Dong Zhenghao and Zhan Hongye are brothers-in-law, and currently, the investigation shows that their relationship is very bad."

The investigator who had been about to report but hadn't had a chance yet raised his hand, "Consultant Yan, Captain, I just received news that shortly after Dong Zhenghao went to the company yesterday, he suddenly went home, then swapped cars with his wife and quickly left Qing City."

"Where did he go?" Fang Chuan asked quickly.

The investigator shook his head, "It's unclear for now. His movements these past two days are hard to track. He kept switching high-speed rail trains, and his destination doesn't seem to be fixed. His behavior suggests he's hiding from someone."

Fang Chuan turned to look at Yan Xiu and asked, "Consultant Yan, do we need to secretly bring him back for investigation?"

Yan Xiu pondered for a moment. Hearing Fang Chuan's words, he replied, "Not for now. This matter is quite interesting."

"How so?"

"The curse that caused Qin Kai's death requires a certain proximity to be successful." He turned his head, a hint of amusement in his eyes, "Guess what he's hiding from?"

"You think he's also been cursed? But why would he hide instead of going to the hospital, given Qin Kai's symptoms? A normal person would go to the hospital, right?" Fang Chuan thought of the diagnosis certificate of Qin Kai he had seen.

"Perhaps he received guidance from someone." Yan Xiu leaned back in his chair, "First, investigate Zhan Hongye. Check if anyone related to him by blood has died inexplicably."