A year and a half later, Guo Tiandi was released from prison. As someone who had been incarcerated, he found it difficult to secure stable employment, so he resorted to various odd jobs like driving for ride-hailing services, delivering parcels, and food delivery.
This lifestyle suited him as he didn’t seek a stable job; his primary goal was to bring Liu Er to justice.
First, he needed to find the missing assistant, Secretary Huang. After his probation ended, Huang had disappeared from B City, and no one knew where he went.
After extensive investigation and many months, Guo Tiandi finally located Huang. Initially, Huang vehemently denied everything, but once Guo Tiandi leveraged some incriminating evidence against him, he confessed. He admitted that he had drugged Guo Yingying’s mineral water on Liu Er’s orders to facilitate an assault.
However, the night before Huang could turn himself in, he was fatally stabbed, and the murderer was none other than Liu Er. The police found Liu Er’s fingerprints on the murder weapon and captured his figure on surveillance video.
Following this, Liu Er went into hiding. The police suspected Jennie Yang of assisting her son’s escape and monitored her for a month without any success.
Unexpectedly, right after the police withdrew their surveillance, a crisis occurred.
The police received a call from Jennie Yang reporting that Liu Er had kidnapped both Guo Yingying and Guo Tiandi.
Jennie Yang described the events: one evening, as she returned home, Liu Er, who had been hiding, suddenly appeared, demanding her help to escape abroad and financial support. She firmly refused and urged Liu Er to surrender.
Feeling betrayed even by his mother, Liu Er broke down and threatened Jennie Yang to lure the Guo siblings to him. When she refused, Liu Er personally called Guo Tiandi and threatened Jennie Yang’s life. In an attempt to save her, the Guo siblings risked their lives.
They thought they could overpower Liu Er, but he cunningly sprayed anesthetic gas at the entrance, knocking them out as soon as they entered. Liu Er then tied up Jennie Yang and took the Guo siblings away, their whereabouts unknown.
After a month of fruitless searching by the police, Liu Er seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.
A month later, the police received an anonymous tip that Liu Er was hiding in an underground black factory.
The police struck swiftly but, unfortunately, Liu Er escaped. However, in a twist of fate, while fleeing, he crashed off a cliff, and his car burst into flames, killing him and leaving his body beyond recognition.
Fortunately, the police arrived in time to rescue the Guo siblings.
Tragically, the siblings had been tortured to a horrific extent; Guo Yingying was beaten until she was blind and deaf. Guo Tiandi was covered in burns and scars from sulfuric acid, his face disfigured.
Afterward, Jennie Yang compensated the Guo siblings and invited Guo Yingying to stay at the Fang Zheng Rehabilitation Center for treatment and recovery. Initially, Guo Yingying was resistant; she could not accept her lifelong disabilities and even considered suicide, but Guo Tiandi stopped her each time.
Guo Tiandi decided to stay home to care for his sister, and the siblings lived off the compensation they received.
Eventually, Guo Yingying agreed to go to the rehabilitation center, while Guo Tiandi, not wanting to live off compensation alone, found a job delivering parcels.
The last time the Guo siblings were interviewed, they expressed a desire for a quiet life, free from media intrusion.
The sudden demand by a crazed reporter for Jennie Yang to help Guo Yingying find her biological parents was baffling. Was it just a stunt to gain attention, or was there a genuine concern for justice?
A new round of online debates erupted, with some accusing the crazed reporter of seeking attention and others blaming Jennie Yang for her deceit. Conversely, there were supporters who believed Jennie Yang should help Guo Yingying and even Guo Tiandi find their biological parents.
Some netizens even took it upon themselves to help the Guo siblings find their parents, attempting to contact them but being rebuffed at every turn. Finally getting through to Guo Tiandi, he simply said he did not want media attention and hung up, later quitting his delivery job.
Meng Jin, always digging deeper due to his professional habits, was suspicious about the hiding places of Liu Er. How did Liu Er manage basic life necessities without assistance, especially when hiding in an abandoned underground factory?
He reviewed all relevant reports and discovered that Liu Er had an accomplice known as “Vegetable Sidekick,” a desperate criminal who had also been incarcerated.
After Liu Er fled, Vegetable Sidekick, fearing legal repercussions, committed suicide. During the hiding period, it was Vegetable Sidekick who took care of outside tasks, hoping that Liu Er would take him abroad. In the end, Liu Er indeed took him along to their deaths.
Meng Jin was particularly suspicious of Jennie Yang’s role. She claimed Liu Er threatened her to help him flee abroad, which she refused. As a mother, could she really stand by and do nothing? Was she truly that cold-hearted?
In fact, she had not agreed to help Liu Er. Meng Jin crossed off that suspicion.
Then, Jennie Yang claimed Liu Er threatened to lure the Guo siblings to him, which she also denied. Could she really prioritize others’ safety over her own life when threatened? Meng Jin doubted he could do the same.
The debts of the dead are null; the minor details no longer mattered.
Just as he was about to turn the page on this case, Meng Jin noticed something crucial: Guo Tiandi had worked as a courier.
Before Liu Tianshi’s murder, a courier had called him, but no exact person could be traced.
The photo of Lin Kun’s murder had also been delivered to the police station by a courier.
The role of a courier was ubiquitous in this case. Guo Tiandi had been a courier; if he were to carry out such acts, was it possible he was connected to the murder of Liu Tianshi?
The crazed reporter was detained at the police station. Meng Jin and Zhao Yunzhi had notified the station, intending to meet this figure who had caused a stir online.
As they parked their car, they received a call from a friend: the crazed reporter had just been released, at the behest of Jennie Yang’s secretary, who stated that Jennie had forgiven him and requested his release.
Zhao Yunzhi, scrolling through his phone, remarked, “News travels fast. The release of the crazed reporter is already online. This guy is also cornered—there are reporters and attention-seeking media people.”
“Where is he now? Let’s go.” Meng Jin decided promptly.
Based on a live video, they located the crazed reporter, who was cornered in a mall bathroom, nearly broadcast live mid-strip.
When Meng Jin and Zhao Yunzhi arrived, the crazed reporter was being pinned down and beaten by three women in the bathroom, their high heels clicking musically against his body.
The crazed reporter, showing some decency, did not hit back but knelt with his palms together, pleading continuously amidst screams.
Upon inquiry, they learned that the three women were Jennie Yang’s fervent supporters, defending her honor.
Zhao Yunzhi whispered to Meng Jin, “As police, we can’t just stand by, right?”
Meng Jin understood and nodded, “When it’s time to act, we act.”
“Speaking out against injustice.” Zhao Yunzhi naturally finished the phrase and then shouted while displaying his police badge, “Police! Police! Nobody move!”
His voice was strong, his movements smooth—more impressive than TV cops.
Everyone paused at the sight of the badge. Spectators reacted fastest, slipping away quickly, while the three women beating the reporter scrambled to explain themselves and retreated.
The crazed reporter, not wanting another trip to the station, resigned himself to bad luck, sought to calm things down, and was profusely thankful to Zhao Yunzhi, nearly kneeling and calling him an ancestor in gratitude.
With this life-saving favor, the crazed reporter was completely open with Zhao Yunzhi, explaining why he had targeted Jennie Yang.
The crazed reporter admitted that attacking Jennie Yang was indeed a stunt to gain fame. In these times, notoriety was necessary for fame, and fame brought profits and traffic. Just in one day, companies had contacted him to sign contracts for him to become a broadcaster.
His second goal, which he claimed was “the most important,” was to do a good deed.
He knew of the Guo siblings’ dire situation: Guo Tiandi earning little and Guo Yingying disabled and suicidal. Guo Tiandi, overwhelmed with guilt, could not fully care for his sister. The reporter had seen Guo Tiandi break down and cry, which sparked the idea to help Guo Yingying find her relatives.
“How did you come to know Guo Tiandi?” Meng Jin asked.
“I’ve been following their story ever since they were rescued. I kept tabs on them, and after some interactions, we became somewhat familiar, and Guo Tiandi remembered me,” the crazed reporter said, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Seeing no objection from Meng Jin and Zhao Yunzhi, he lit one.
“Was this incident his idea? Did he ask you to help Guo Yingying find her parents?”
“Yes. I don’t know how he found me, but he said he wanted to help his sister find her parents, believing it might make her happier to find her biological parents and have some support to take her home for care.”
“Did he ask you to approach Jennie Yang?”
“No, that was my idea. Jennie Yang has helped many children find their parents. She has the connections and experience. Her son ruined a good girl; it’s only right to help them find their relatives, hehehe,” the crazed reporter chuckled smugly. “With this stir I’ve caused, Jennie Yang will surely help. Just watch. Capitalists love to play the philanthropist.” He scoffed disdainfully.
“Didn’t Guo Tiandi say he didn’t want media attention? He could have approached Jennie Yang himself; why ask for your help?” Meng Jin coughed slightly from the secondhand smoke.
The crazed reporter apologetically waved away the smoke and took a deep drag before stubbing out the cigarette in the sink.
Zhao Yunzhi suddenly remembered they were still in the bathroom and thought about moving, but fearing causing a commotion, they decided against it.
“He must be desperate. After all, caring for a sister who is blind and deaf isn’t easy. Having such a burden makes even marriage difficult,” the crazed reporter said, his brows furrowed in genuine concern for Guo Tiandi.
Zhao Yunzhi absentmindedly looked down, his attention caught by a notification on his phone. He opened it, surprised by the content.
“Ha, Jennie Yang actually responded, but you guessed wrong,” he said excitedly to the crazed reporter.
