Lin Shuyue could no longer hold back the urge to use the restroom, but first, she immediately picked up the newspaper and read it carefully.

This newspaper from 2012 reported that the rape and murder of the sisters in Suishan Village was the first case committed by Duan Taoyong. Due to his strong wilderness survival skills and familiarity with the terrain of the back mountain, he escaped the joint search by the armed police and villagers. Over the next eight years, Duan Taoyong survived by doing odd jobs and occasional petty theft. When faced with situations requiring ID checks, he would even forgo his wages and flee like a frightened bird.

He was extremely cautious and cunning.

To evade police pursuit, Duan Taoyong wandered around, leaving his footprints in Guangdong Province, Guangxi Province, Hunan Province, Sichuan Province, and his hometown, Chongqing.

Each time he moved to a new place, he would claim one or two more lives and all of his victims were underage girls, the oldest not exceeding sixteen years old.

The only male who was seriously injured and disabled was the villager who went up the mountain to search for him on the day of the crime!

Because there were fewer surveillance cameras in those years and the “Skynet” system (nationwide surveillance network) was not yet fully implemented, coupled with Duan Taoyong’s caution—he would quickly disappear into the mountains at the slightest hint of trouble—the police had difficulty tracking him down.

And during these years, the police never gave up their pursuit of him. Finally, eight years later, they brought him to justice and sent him to court to face the judgment of the people.

In addition, this report also detailed Duan Taoyong’s upbringing.

It all started with Duan Taoyong’s father, who was a live-in son-in-law and was often mistreated by his parents-in-law and brother-in-law. People described him as a quiet, honest man.

But in front of young Duan Taoyong, this “honest man” showed a different face, treating his son as a punching bag. Under his father’s long-term beatings and abuse, Duan Taoyong became withdrawn and eccentric. He never played with other children, instead going into the mountains alone, from morning till night.

Compared to his father, his mother was a loving mother who doted on Duan Taoyong, her eldest son. After he committed the crime, the only person he couldn’t let go of was his mother. He even left a note for his younger brother, asking him to take care of their mother while he was on the run.

At the end of the newspaper report, it was stated that according to Duan Taoyong’s mother’s confession, she had secretly helped her son on multiple occasions, providing him with information when the police came to investigate and failing to report what she knew.

She was sentenced to three years in prison for harboring and sheltering a criminal.

Lin Shuyue’s gaze lingered on the phrase “ten lives on his hands” for a long time. She felt that the two bricks she had thrown yesterday were too light. A scum like Duan Taoyong shouldn’t be let off so easily!

Fortunately, Duan Taoyong had been apprehended eight years earlier than in the original timeline. She had indirectly saved the lives of eight other young girls. Thinking of this, the gloom in Lin Shuyue’s heart finally dissipated, replaced by a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

After a few seconds of reading, the newspaper instantly dissolved into points of starlight.

“Come out and eat breakfast.” Lin Shuxing’s voice came from outside.

The sky outside was just beginning to lighten. Lin Shuyue walked out of the room, washed up, and sat down at the table.

Luo Zhengjun came in through the door at that moment, carrying a plastic bag containing siomai, steamed buns, and tea eggs.

Lin Shuxing came out of the kitchen carrying a pot of plain congee. Luo Zhengjun naturally stepped forward to take it from her, helping to set the table. He had made all of this in advance and brought it over.

The food tasted exceptionally good. The siomai were soft and glutinous, the soup dumplings were filled with savory broth, the tea eggs were salty, fragrant, and springy, and the pickled vegetables were crisp, spicy, and refreshing. Paired with the fragrant, soft congee, Lin Shuyue ate with her head down, completely engrossed.

“Zhengjun-ge, your cooking is amazing! It’s even better than the restaurants outside. Working in the garment factory cafeteria is truly a waste of your talent,” Lin Shuyue said sincerely to Luo Zhengjun.

Luo Zhengjun had a square face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. When he smiled, he had an inherently honest and good-natured aura.

Lin Shuyue and Lin Shuxing resembled each other by fifty percent. Thanks to their parents’ good looks, they were both exceptionally beautiful.

Lin Shuxing had had many suitors over the years, many with better conditions than Luo Zhengjun. The reason Lin Shuxing chose him was because she valued his character. When they first started dating, he had proactively offered to help support her younger sister’s education and help find her younger brother.

He had even offered to hand over his bankbook. Lin Shuxing naturally didn’t accept it, but she was deeply moved.

Luo Zhengjun glanced at Lin Shuxing and said, “Your sister and I are planning to do just that. My contract at the garment factory ends next month. We’re planning to rent a small shop at the entrance of the village next month, sell breakfast in the mornings, and sell rice noodles during the day.”

The village where the Lin family lived was called Pingsha Village. The area facing the street was now full of shops, selling all sorts of things. There were already several shops selling breakfast and rice noodles, as well as some small restaurants.

They were all small-scale operations.

Lin Shuyue thought for a moment and said, “There are many shops selling breakfast and rice noodles. The competition is too fierce, and business will be tough. I think it would be better for you and my sister to customize a food cart, and buy vegetables from the wholesale market, and since our courtyard is quite large, you can prepare quick meals at home and push the cart to the nearby construction sites to sell.”

“Renting a shop also costs a lot of money each month. Start with a small business first. If business is good, then consider renting a shop in a good location with high foot traffic. Naturally, business will be good. Of course, it would be best to buy a shop of your own. Even if you don’t run your own business, you can rent it out to others. It’s a much better deal.”

The future Pengcheng would become one of the four first-tier cities in China. With real estate development and favorable policies, housing prices would skyrocket. Those who had come to Pengcheng early to make a living and had the determination to buy property here would have no worries about their future.

And if they were lucky enough to encounter demolition and relocation, even better! Which prime shop in the city center wasn’t worth tens of thousands? If you bought a few in advance, they would be like hens laying golden eggs.

What contemporary young person didn’t dream of becoming a landlord? Thinking of this, Lin Shuyue’s heart burned with excitement. Since she had already transmigrated, not seizing this tail end of the “Reform and Opening-up” economic boom would be a colossal missed opportunity!

Lin Shuxing’s eyes lit up when she heard about buying a shop.

Luo Zhengjun smiled good-naturedly, looked at Lin Shuxing, and said, “I’ll listen to your sister. Your sister is in charge at home.”

Lin Shuxing blushed slightly, looked at Lin Shuyue, and said proudly, “My sister is a university student. She’s seen the world and knows what she’s talking about. Let’s do it!”

Lin Shuyue finished the last mouthful of congee, patted her rounded belly, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left.

Luo Zhengjun and Lin Shuxing cleared the bowls and chopsticks together, discussing the food cart idea that Lin Shuyue had mentioned.

“Zhengjun, you go and ask around later about where we can get a custom-made food cart. Then we’ll ask Shuyue for her opinion, and I’ll go to the wholesale market to check out the prices of vegetables.”

Luo Zhengjun, as always, said, “I’ll listen to you.”

Lin Shuxing smiled sweetly.

Lin Shuyue took the bus to the company. The Metropolis Daily was a well-known newspaper in Pengcheng. The newspaper office was located in the most prosperous Dingsheng Building in Pinghu, occupying half an entire floor and even having its cafeteria.

It was still early, and there weren’t many people around. Lin Shuyue found her workstation and sat down.

In 2004, although personal computers hadn’t yet become commonplace in every household, in a place like Pengcheng, so close to Hong Kong, office computers were very common, and employees were naturally equipped with them.

This kind of white, bulky computer was something Lin Shuyue had only seen on TV. She pressed the black power button on the main unit and, after some fumbling and exploration, quickly got the hang of it and started operating it proficiently.

At 7:30, more and more people arrived for work. The aroma of coffee filled the office, and people began their workday, chatting with each other.

Soon, the editor-in-chief arrived. He called out to the news department, and the reporters all stood up and headed to the editor-in-chief’s office.

The Metropolis Daily had ten reporters, including interns. The division of reporters by beat wasn’t very strict. It wasn’t uncommon for a reporter covering social issues to occasionally capture a celebrity scandal.

Once everyone had arrived, Wang Mingzheng, with a grim expression, said, “Yesterday, there was a criminal case in Suishan Village. But because it’s remote, not many people went. By the time we got the news and rushed over, we couldn’t get any valuable leads.”

“The situation is the same for all the major newspapers now. I don’t care what methods you use, just get me a valuable report as soon as possible! It would be best if you could interview the police officer handling the case. Let’s aim for the Metropolis Daily to publish a detailed exclusive tomorrow morning!”

Everyone looked at each other, remaining silent.

The rape and murder case happened suddenly, and by the time the reporters received the news and rushed over, the murderer had already been apprehended. The crime scene had also been cleaned up. The reporters who arrived could only interview the surrounding residents; they didn’t even get a glimpse of the police.

As for the murderer’s younger brother, he was too scared to return to his rental house, and the victim’s parents were in no condition to be interviewed. In short, they hadn’t gotten anything fresh.

In this morning’s newspapers, all the major newspapers only had brief descriptions, all vying to get more details and leads about this horrific murder case.

Wang Mingzheng slammed his hand on the table and shouted, “I heard yesterday that a female reporter followed the police and villagers up the mountain to search. Look at her news sense! That’s the kind of person we need to run news! Unlike you, who just wander around the streets, hoping that a firsthand news story will fall into your laps!”

And Lin Shuyue’s mentor, Huang Qiang, chimed in with a chuckle, “Which newspaper is that female reporter from? She’s so brave!”

Wang Mingzheng said irritably, “I asked, but no one knows which newspaper she’s from.”

“If I knew which newspaper she was from, I would definitely poach her, and even give her a two-thousand-yuan bonus!” There were many female reporters these days, and quite a few had courage, but courage to this extent was truly rare.

Hearing this, Lin Shuyue’s eyes shifted, a subtle excitement in them. The seed money for her landlady dream—here it came!

She raised her hand and asked obediently, “Editor-in-Chief, are you really giving a two-thousand-yuan reward?”

Wang Mingzheng had a very faint impression of Lin Shuyue, this intern. Seeing her obedient appearance, he smiled and nodded. “Your editor-in-chief never speaks empty words.”

Lin Shuyue chuckled, took out the camera slung around her neck, selected a photo, and handed it over. “Editor-in-Chief, I was the female reporter yesterday. This is a photo I accidentally took of the murderer attempting to commit another crime.”

Everyone was stunned, and they crowded around Wang Mingzheng, craning their necks to look.

They saw Duan Taoyong raising the axe with a fierce look in his eyes, about to strike a male victim, a bloodthirsty smile even playing on his lips. This extremely impactful image startled them.

Wang Mingzheng’s eyes lit up, and the more he looked, the more excited he became.

“Good, good, good! Hurry up and get this photo developed! We’ll use this photo for tomorrow’s front-page headline. It’s absolutely exclusive!”

This murder case was undeniably the hottest topic right now!

He paced back and forth in the office, as if he could already see tomorrow morning, their Pengcheng Metropolis Daily displayed on newsstands, being snatched up by amazed citizens!

He turned to look at Lin Shuyue, his expression incredibly amiable, a stark contrast to his stern face just moments before. “Xiao Lin, right? Go to the police station as soon as possible and try to get more details, especially the murderer’s background. Dig deep into that.”

Under the incredulous gazes of the others, Lin Shuyue nodded calmly.

Wang Mingzheng was a man of his word. He immediately called the finance department. “Xiao Chen, give Lin Shuyue from the news department a two-thousand-yuan bonus later. Be quick!”

After hanging up the phone, Wang Mingzheng announced the end of the meeting.

Lin Shuyue came out with her colleagues. Before leaving, her mentor, Huang Qiang, patted her on the shoulder and said approvingly, “Now, you’ll definitely be able to stay.”

“Heh!”

Along with a sneer of unknown meaning, a young man wearing glasses walked past her, saying disdainfully, “Just a stroke of luck.”

Lin Shuyue was first puzzled, then smiled sweetly, “Aiya, some people can’t even get a stroke of luck, how pitiful.”

“Lin Shuyue, just you wait!”

Lin Shuyue didn’t have time to bother with him. She slung her bag and camera over her shoulder and headed to the police station.