Chapter 22: So Noisy

~See clearly, he is not a policeman.~

The next day, the Serious Crime Unit summoned Zhao Qingyun to the Public Security Bureau. Employees from the Tianranju Hotel were also brought in to identify him.

As soon as they saw his face—narrowed eyes, an air of authority—and observed his behavior, they exclaimed in unison, “It’s him!”

Weng Pingfang’s secret lover was indeed Zhao Qingyun.

Once this was confirmed, the Public Security Bureau arrested him. The news sent shockwaves through the provincial party committee.

“Secretary Zhao was arrested by the Public Security Bureau!”

“What happened? An economic case or a criminal case?”

“The Municipal Bureau arrested him without informing anyone. This is outrageous!”

“It must be serious. Didn’t you see? Xu Heimian from the Criminal Investigation Branch led the arrest. It’s definitely a criminal case—possibly even murder!”

Wei Meihua, who was playing mahjong, pushed her tiles aside and rushed home. With trembling hands, she made several phone calls before heading straight to the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

As soon as she entered the service hall, she acted like an official’s wife.

“Where is your director? How dare you arrest a provincial party committee member without notice? What crime did Deputy Secretary-General Zhao Qingyun commit that justified an immediate arrest?!”

Due to Zhao Qingyun’s status, the bureau took the matter seriously. They had informed the Provincial Party Committee and the Commission for Discipline Inspection before the arrest and assured them he would be treated respectfully until proven guilty. Now, with Wei Meihua present, the leaders had no choice but to let Xu Songling handle the situation.

Wei Meihua stormed into the office, slammed her expensive handbag onto Xu Songling’s desk, and shouted, “Is this revenge? How did Zhao Qingyun offend you that you had to humiliate him like this?”

Xu Songling calmly gestured to a chair. “Ms. Wei, please sit. Zhao Qingyun is a murder suspect. We are following protocol. There is no retaliation.”

The office chairs were simple wooden seats with backrests. Wei Meihua eyed them with disdain but, exhausted from standing in high heels, sat reluctantly.

She refused to believe Xu Songling. “Zhao Qingyun couldn’t have killed anyone! He’s a provincial party committee deputy department-level cadre. He was due for promotion after the New Year. He’s young and promising—he wouldn’t risk his future! You must have arrested the wrong person!”

Xu Songling frowned. “Right now, he’s only a suspect. We need more—”

Before he could finish, a voice came from the corridor.

“Zhao Xiangwan, you’re our lucky charm. If Ji Zhao hadn’t drawn that portrait, finding Weng Pingfang’s lover in a city of nearly five million would’ve been impossible. Now that we’ve identified the suspect, let’s meet with other teams to find more clues from Weng Pingfang’s colleagues and family.”

Wei Meihua froze upon hearing “Zhao Xiangwan.” She jumped up, spun around, and stared at the door.

Zhu Feipeng, He Mingyu, and Zhao Xiangwan entered the office.

Zhu Feipeng raised an eyebrow at Wei Meihua and glanced at Xu Songling with sympathy. Dealing with this woman must be a headache.

He Mingyu recognized Wei Meihua and instinctively turned to Zhao Xiangwan.

Zhao Xiangwan remained unfazed. She met Wei Meihua’s furious gaze calmly.

Unable to contain her anger, Wei Meihua stormed toward Zhao Xiangwan, shoving He Mingyu aside. She stood before Zhao Xiangwan and fired off a series of questions:

“Why are you here? What does this have to do with you? Why do they call you a lucky charm? Even if we did something to displease you, you—”

She abruptly stopped, realizing she almost revealed Zhao Xiangwan’s true identity. Quickly, she changed her words: “What do you mean by having him arrested like this?”

Seeing Wei Meihua unjustly targeting Zhao Xiangwan, Zhu Feipeng’s brows knitted together. He pointed at Zhao Xiangwan’s badge and said, “Lady, look carefully. She’s just a trainee police officer. How could she order an arrest?”

Wei Meihua had no idea what the shoulder straps meant. To her, it didn’t matter if this was an internship or a full-time job. The fact that Zhao Xiangwan was standing in this office meant she was working with the police who arrested Zhao Qingyun!

She had realized that, despite being her biological daughter, Zhao Xiangwan was completely incompatible with her. Nothing good ever came from their encounters. When she first met Zhao Xiangwan at the Four Seasons Hotel and heard Zhao Chenyang say they grew up together, she knew Zhao Xiangwan was her biological daughter.

Zhao Xiangwan was treated like an honored guest by Ji Jinmao, which greatly displeased Zhao Qingyun. When he got home, he angrily reprimanded Zhao Chenyang and contacted Zhao Erfu and Qian Shufen. After uncovering the truth, he remained silent for a long time.

Just as he was about to take action, the provincial government assigned him a research mission, forcing him to focus on work. When he finally had free time, he was suddenly taken in for questioning by the Public Security Bureau. Zhao Xiangwan was with the serious crime team!

Thinking of this, Wei Meihua reached out to grab Zhao Xiangwan’s arm, but Zhao Xiangwan took a step back, causing her hand to miss.

Wei Meihua, anxious and furious, shouted, “Qingyun and I called Zhaojiagou to learn the situation. We planned to take you in and make up for the past. But you’re so heartless! How could you arrest him and accuse him of murder?”

[You, a debt collector, should never have been born. Since you appeared, Chenyang has cried, the Xu family has turned against me, Qingyun was arrested, and our family has been plagued with misfortune. You are a jinx!]

Wei Meihua’s furious expression loomed before Zhao Xiangwan, her curses echoing in her mind. Zhao Xiangwan stood firm and met her gaze.

“If he killed someone, the law will punish him.” It was not Zhao Xiangwan or anyone else falsely accusing him.

Hearing her refer to Zhao Qingyun simply as “he,” with no respect or attachment, Wei Meihua’s rage boiled over. She shouted, “Qingyun didn’t kill anyone! He couldn’t have! You must be behind this, you debt collector!”

Wei Meihua’s accusations angered everyone in the serious crime team. Xu Songling slammed the table and snapped, “If you keep making a scene, get out of the office!”

Zhu Feipeng and the others looked at Wei Meihua with wariness.

Being excluded felt terrible. Wei Meihua’s arrogance waned, but she remained defiant. “What are you looking at? Do you think your eyes are bigger than mine? Director Peng asked me to come here. As Zhao Qingyun’s family, I have a right to know what’s going on.”

Xu Songling, already dissatisfied with Wei Meihua and Zhao Qingyun, said coldly, “Comrade Wei Meihua, this is the Public Security Bureau, not a place for tantrums!”

In the corner, Ji Zhao, who had been quietly sketching with his back to the door, suddenly looked up.

Without warning, he flicked his right hand back, sending a sharpened pencil flying. It struck just above Wei Meihua’s eyebrow.

Wei Meihua saw a blur before her eyes and instinctively turned her head. The pencil’s tip grazed her cheek, leaving a thin cut.

“Ah—” she screamed in pain. She touched her cheek and felt blood. The sight and smell of it terrified her.

[So noisy!]

Ji Zhao’s annoyed voice rang in Zhao Xiangwan’s mind.

The skylark, which had been sitting quietly on a branch, suddenly picked up a thin twig in its beak and angrily tossed it down.

For some reason, the sight of this irritated lark lifted Zhao Xiangwan’s mood.

Wei Meihua shrieked, “My face! My face! The police are using violence—”

Zhu Feipeng smirked and pointed at Ji Zhao. “Look carefully. He’s not a policeman.”

Sensing Zhao Xiangwan’s improved mood, Ji Zhao slowly turned his head, his beautiful eyes flashing with mischief.

Seeing his nearly perfect face, all of Wei Meihua’s anger caught in her throat. Ji Zhao! Ji Jinmao’s only son, a gifted painter—how was he here?!

Remembering that Ji Jinmao was fiercely protective of his own, that Zhao Qingyun had wanted his investment, and that even Xu’s Construction Company tried hard to please him, Wei Meihua dared not confront Ji Zhao.

It was suffocating! Her chest ached, and her expression stiffened.

Xu Songling checked his watch. “It’s time for dinner. Go get some food, and bring me pork trotter rice.”

As soon as food was mentioned, the officers thought about the two excellent new chefs at the bureau and hurried off to eat. Only Wei Meihua remained, staring in disbelief as Ji Zhao followed Zhao Xiangwan out. She couldn’t even describe the feeling in her chest.

Xu Songling gave a brief rundown of the case, and Wei Meihua’s face grew uglier with each word.

“What? Zhao Qingyun had been having an affair with a waitress from the Zuo’an Cafe for two years? Meeting her at a hotel every weekend? And now that she’s dead, you suspect him of murder?!”

Wei Meihua was on the verge of collapse.

She and Zhao Qingyun had known each other since childhood. They had endured hardships to be together. Now, with a son, a daughter, and a comfortable life, he had another woman?

Impossible! Her first thought was that the police were lying.

Xu Songling, unfazed, said, “This is the situation. The hotel staff identified Zhao Qingyun as the man who had secret meetings with Weng Pingfang for the past two years. As for whether he killed her, we are still investigating. So… we can’t release him.”

Wei Meihua felt her soul detach from her body. She could no longer hear a word Xu Songling was saying.

Zhao Qingyun, cheating? A murderer?

For the past few years, she had been addicted to mahjong, playing three to four nights a week, especially on weekends. She would start at 5 PM and play until 1 AM. When she got home, Zhao Qingyun was already asleep. How could she have known he was out with Weng Pingfang?

He managed his time well. After work, he had dinner and socialized with colleagues, met his mistress from 8 to 11 p.m., then went home to shower and sleep. On weekends, his parents took his son, Chengzu, leaving Chenyang alone at home.

Chen Yang never mentioned Zhao Qingyun’s late returns. Whether she truly didn’t know or was covering for him remained unclear.

It was a well-kept secret—until someone died.

If no one had died, Zhao Qingyun’s affair would have remained hidden.

Wei Meihua sat in a daze, her face pale. After a long silence, she murmured, “Oh, amazing! Zhao Qingyun, you really deserve my respect…”

Xu Songling said, “The bureau has reported this to the provincial party committee, and they ordered a full investigation. If you want to see Zhao Qingyun, I can arrange it.”

Wei Meihua lowered her head, clasping her hands together. Her right index finger rubbed against her thumbnail, making a faint creaking sound.

After struggling for ten minutes, she suddenly looked up at the fluorescent light and laughed. “Yes, why not? I want to hear what he has to say after doing something so shameless!”