Chapter 70

At this moment, Lu Siyu looked at the man across from him. The man appeared to be a typical successful gentleman, looking like he was under thirty, very young and handsome, with a touch of elegance. If he had no connection with Bai Luorui and those matters, Lu Siyu might have had a favorable impression of such a person. However, now, his heart was filled with disgust.

Lu Siyu continued to inquire, “I want to ask, Mr. Gu, are you aware of what Bai Luorui has done?”

“I’ve been out of the province all this time and rushed back only late last night. Miss Bai’s actions, regardless of their connection to any case, are her personal affairs, and I don’t care about them,” Gu Zhibai replied indifferently.

Previously, Gu Zhibai had been on a business trip, traveling to various places. Lu Siyu knew this information, and Gu Zhibai wasn’t on the list of residents in the nursing home. Therefore, the police had consistently ruled him out as a suspect.

Lu Siyu narrowed his eyes slightly. Was everything really so simple? He continued to press, “We checked Bai Luorui’s call records. Although you weren’t in the local area during this time, Bai Luorui has been in contact with you.”

Gu Zhibai tilted his head, “We were just having normal work communications. Do you think Bai Luorui would tell me about her criminal activities as a business partner?”

Lu Siyu continued to ask, “Then, Mr. Gu, why did you build a retirement city similar to the Wushan Nursing Home?”

Gu Zhibai smiled, “The initial design proposal was suggested by Bai Luorui herself. She grew up there and had strong feelings for the place. As for me building it this way, it’s because of science. Do you know that the Wushan Nursing Home, built by foreign design experts, allows more rooms to have ample sunlight, making the activities of the elderly more convenient? That’s why I continued using this design.”

“So, have you ever been to the original Wushan Nursing Home?” Lu Siyu took another step forward as he continued questioning.

Gu Zhibai glanced at him for a moment, then lowered his head, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Officer Lu, what kind of answer do you expect from me? I understand your implications and know what you’re suspicious of. However, I can tell you that you won’t find anything.”

Lu Siyu sensed a different meaning in his words. The person before him was confident enough to make such statements. He continued to ask, “Mr. Gu, can you cooperate with our investigation?”

“I can cooperate with your investigation. However, I have a ceremony to attend today, media questions to answer, and a mess to clean up. Now that everyone has been taken away by you, I still need to host today’s press conference. So, let’s save it for another opportunity,” Gu Zhibai responded reasonably.

Lu Siyu remained silent, seemingly contemplating how to proceed with the conversation. He momentarily regretted his hasty actions but then thought that if the other party had any connection to the events behind the scenes, this meeting would only be a matter of time.

Gu Zhibai gazed quietly at Lu Siyu. The angle he stood in cast a shadow, turning him away from the sunlight. The two stood there, and time seemed to freeze in that moment.

At this moment, a voice came from behind Lu Siyu, “Mr. Gu, he’s just reminding you that if you break the law, we will definitely investigate and bring you to justice.” The door opened again, and Song Wen walked briskly toward them. “So, even if you’re conducting big business, you still need to abide by the law.”

Gu Zhibai looked at him, recognizing the officer who had just arrested Bai Luorui, and nodded. “Of course.”

Song Wen looked at Gu Zhibai and introduced himself, “I’m Song Wen, captain of the Criminal Investigation Team at the Nancheng Bureau. Mr. Gu, it’s a pleasure to be here today. I think the place you’ve built here is excellent.”

“Thank you for the compliment. I constructed this place because there are enormous benefits here,” Gu Zhibai said with a faint smile. “I’m completely different from Bai Luorui. She still has ideals, while I’m just here for money.”

Now, there were no residents here, but soon, the place would be filled.

“With you here, it’s truly an honor for Nancheng,” Song Wen added. “I feel a bit sorry for having to make the arrest today. I hope it won’t affect Mr. Gu’s stock prices and business.”

“People tend to forget. There’s nothing that can’t be suppressed; it’s just a matter of not having enough money and not having clever enough public relations,” Gu Zhibai said in a deep voice.

Song Wen continued to ask, “In the past, many people were involved in elderly care. Why does Mr. Gu think he will be more successful than others?”

“Because times have changed, and people have changed too. Twenty years from now, a quarter of the population in this city will be over sixty. Even if this eldercare city isn’t crucial now, it will be an essential place in the future,” Gu Zhibai paused and continued, “The old elderly care model is no longer suitable for today’s society. In the past, the elderly were at the bottom of the family hierarchy, experiencing poverty in their youth, enduring hardships as they grew older, and even taking care of their grandchildren in their old age. Their entire lives were dedicated to sacrifice.”

“But soon, those only children will grow old. As a group raised with love, they have no siblings, tend to be more selfish, love themselves more, won’t invest more in their children, won’t bankrupt themselves to buy houses for their children. They can’t do it. They are willing to spend money on themselves as long as they are given good things, allowed to live longer, and relieved of their suffering. They can exchange anything for it,” he said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Sorry, I misspoke. It’s not them; it’s us. In a few decades, we’ll be old too.”

“The social demographic structure is constantly changing. We are currently in a profoundly aging society, and soon it will become a super-aging society. The entire process will only take thirty years. We will face an avalanche-like aging disaster.”

“High birth rates lead to a baby economy, severe aging results in a senior economy. Soon, the old elderly care model will be replaced. At that time, enlightened businessmen will realize that the market has already been occupied,” Gu Zhibai finished speaking and looked out the window. “This empty city will become a money-making machine, and I am the hero of Nancheng’s development.”

Song Wen applauded a few times, “Listening to intelligent people speak is truly enlightening.”

Lu Siyu, with a furrowed brow, didn’t understand why Gu Zhibai needed to explain all this to them. But he had to admit that the person had a certain charm when instilling these concepts, making it seem like what he said was correct.

“Now, I need to prepare for the media. Mr. Gu, I won’t disturb you. We’ll contact you when we need your cooperation later,” Song Wen said.

Gu Zhibai’s lips curved into a slight smile, “We’ll have the chance to meet again.”

After leaving the room, Song Wen said, “I escorted Bai Luorui downstairs. When I turned around, I found you were gone.” Then, he looked at Lu Siyu and continued, “I know you have some doubts about Zhang Peicai’s last words, but you shouldn’t come over alone to question him.”

“What about you? Did you come here to listen to his grand theories?” Lu Siyu’s head lowered, expressing some displeasure. Song Wen’s attitude towards Gu Zhibai just now made him feel like his judgment was being questioned.

“Do you think I came here for a chat? I came to find you!” Song Wen said, “One sentence Gu Zhibai said is right: you have no evidence. Even if we can prove that he knew, what difference would it make? At most, it’s knowing and not reporting, harboring a criminal. You can’t catch him, and you won’t get anything out of him.”

“I suspect Gu Zhibai knew all this a long time ago. He might have known Bai Luorui for a long time.”

“But he’s not on the list at the nursing home.”

Lu Siyu turned his head, “After so many years, the information we found may not be accurate, and the list may have omissions.”

“I know you suspect him of being behind Bai Luorui, but if you want to prove he’s involved, you should go and squeeze information out of Bai Luorui, find more evidence, instead of facing your opponent directly here,” Song Wen said in a stern tone. He rarely used this tone since their relationship had become harmonious. “The ones who truly harm you may not be the bad guys wielding knives charging at you; reasonable but cunning bad guys are more dangerous. As a police officer, don’t you understand this principle?”

However, during the brief meeting just now, Song Wen had smelled danger on Gu Zhibai.

Lu Siyu looked at Song Wen’s face, his gaze flickering. He had never felt so close to those people, and the feeling of approaching the answers made him lose control of his heartbeat. Yet, Song Wen pulled him back.

He admitted that Song Wen was right, and he had acted impulsively.

“If there’s no concrete evidence, continuing the investigation is no longer our current job,” Song Wen made things clearer. “For now, let’s close Zhang Peicai’s case.” Saying this, his tone softened.

Lu Siyu nodded, clear about it in his heart. Now, he was already trapped in a maze, and the further he went, the more dangerous it would become.

The truth behind the matter might be far more complicated than it seemed on the surface.

Where had Wu Qing and the others been investigating before?

Downstairs at the Elderly Care City, several medium-sized buses stopped, and many elderly people got off. They were the invited seniors who had come to visit. Getting off the buses, they looked around at the city built specifically for them, each one delighted and joyful, their smiles resembling those of children on an outing.

Seeing this scene, Song Wen couldn’t help but stop and watch.

Decades later, the current young people would also age. It was a cycle that no one could escape, the constant ebb and flow of human life.

How to regulate elderly care, how to let more elderly people spend their twilight years peacefully – perhaps this city still had a long way to go.

From upstairs, Gu Zhibai watched several police cars leaving, his expression completely changed. From confidently discussing matters just now, he became serious. His gaze flickered for a moment, then he took out his phone and made a call, “Hello, rest assured, everything here has been completely handled. They won’t find out anything more.”

The person on the other end said something. After a moment’s pause, Gu Zhibai looked up and said, “Zhang Peicai has traced it to this point. We need to give them something to end this. Cutting off this side is like a lizard shedding its tail. Inform the person who gives information to Zhang Peicai that we haven’t found out anything in the end. It’s a bit of a pity…”

“The lab is gone, but we can build a new one… just that this time, we need to be more cautious.”

“Yes, you can rest assured. Bai Luorui won’t say anything because she doesn’t know anything in the first place.”

“Yes, over at the Wushan Nursing Home, I once had someone go fetch something from there. But we ran into the police head-on. We’ll have to go back later… Rest assured, the person is from Yu Niangniang’s side, and there’s no way they can find out anything.”

“Alright, as long as they temporarily don’t discover what’s underground there, we’re safe.”

After quickly finishing this call, Gu Zhibai turned around and walked away, heading towards a grand ceremony awaiting him.

Nineteen years ago, at the Wushan Nursing Home. The setting sun cast a long shadow behind Bai Luorui.

Having just persuaded Xia Weizhi, she let out a long sigh, feeling like she had accomplished something significant.

Bai Luorui, Du Ruoxin, and Wei Hong parted ways. Before reaching the door of her grandparents’ ward, Bai Luorui saw someone waiting for her in the corridor. She ran a few steps, reaching the person. It was a young boy around ten years old, half a head taller than her. She spoke with a crisp voice, “Gu Zhibai, as you said, I took them to talk to Xia Weizhi.”

“How did it go?”

“What she told me was the same as what you said before,” Bai Luorui said, her eyes full of admiration and worship. In essence, Gu Zhibai had guessed most of the details.

“You did well.” Gu Zhibai took out half a bag of snacks from his pocket, “You didn’t tell Xia Weizhi about the things I told you, did you?”

Bai Luorui shook her head, “No, I said it was all my idea. I just wanted to be free. Thank you for helping me.”

Bai Luorui genuinely admired Gu Zhibai. He was smart, calm, mature, seemingly capable of figuring out any solution, and dealing with any problem. He was different from the other children in this nursing home, and even more so from brats like Wei Hong and Du Ruoxin. He didn’t belong here; he existed on the fringes. Bai Luorui had seen the man he was with, and he also knew Dr. Xia.

Gu Zhibai hummed in acknowledgment, looking at Bai Luorui, who was eating snacks with her head lowered.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Bai Luorui, eating her snacks, looked at Gu Zhibai with some curiosity. He gazed at her with a complex and tender expression.

“Nothing, the way you eat reminds me of my little brother.” Gu Zhibai turned his head away, swiftly changing the subject. He asked her, “Are you afraid of what needs to be done?”

“I’m not afraid… I want to live a different life.” Bai Luorui blinked, raised her head, and asked him, “What I’m doing is right, isn’t it?”

Gu Zhibai nodded, “It’s right. From now on, your grandma will find relief, and so will you. Your life will be much easier.”

“I like some of the elderly people here, but I don’t like this place.” In Bai Luorui’s eyes, this place had no color, no emotion. It felt like a gloomy cage, making her feel oppressed and uneasy. She didn’t know if Gu Zhibai felt the same way.

Gu Zhibai patted her head, like an affectionate older brother, “You won’t stay here forever. You’ll have a better life. We all have countless possibilities.”

Bai Luorui nodded, “If it were up to me, I would make sure they live in a better place, with a better life. When we grow up, let’s do this together.”

Gu Zhibai looked at her and smiled faintly.

Here was just the beginning, not the end…

TN:

“I’ve killed no one. I’ve ordered no one to be killed. These children who come to you with their knives, they’re your children. I didn’t teach them, you did.”