Chapter 20: Internship

~Who is her lover?~

Before Ji Jinmao made any further moves, the final exams ended, and the students of Hunan Public Security University began to leave.

Zhang Yalan used both gentle and firm methods to persuade Zhao Xiangwan to come to her home for dinner. In the old house of the Engineering Bureau, Yuan Dongmei had prepared a rich meal: five dishes and a soup, a perfect balance of meat and vegetables, filling the air with a delicious aroma.

Zhang Yalan placed a can of lemon-honey drink in front of Zhao Xiangwan, raised her glass, and with gratitude in her eyes, said, “Xiangwan, thank you so much. Let’s be good friends for life?”

Zhao Xiangwan, feeling her heartfelt gratitude, opened the can with a “squeak” sound, then raised her drink with a smile: “Okay.”

Yuan Dongmei smiled warmly, putting a large chicken drumstick into Zhao Xiangwan’s bowl: “Xiangwan, thank you. Come back with Yalan for dinner on weekends. Auntie will cook whatever you like. Just treat it like your own home.”

After her divorce, Yuan Dongmei felt panicked for a while. But, as she had enough money and no worries, she slowly began to adjust to her carefree single life.

She wakes up in the morning to clean, cooks herself a bowl of noodles, and then goes grocery shopping. Upon returning, she cooks and tidies up. In her free time, she crochets sofa covers, refrigerator cloths, and slippers. There are quite a few handmade items piled up at home.

Her neighbors, who had lived in the same community for more than ten years, learned about her situation. They sympathized with her and visited frequently to comfort and encourage her. Yuan Dongmei appreciated their kindness and gave them her handmade items, creating a warm bond between them.

Yuan Dongmei felt deeply grateful to Zhao Xiangwan.

If Zhao Xiangwan hadn’t gently and firmly supported her, encouraged her to fight for what she deserved, and brought in teachers, police, and lawyers to help resolve her worries, Yuan Dongmei would probably still be stuck in her mistakes.

Thinking of this, Yuan Dongmei smiled and added more fried fish and a meatball to Zhao Xiangwan’s bowl, not stopping until it was full and there was no more room.

Under Yuan Dongmei’s eager gaze, Zhao Xiangwan ate until she was full, burped, and put down her chopsticks. “Auntie, you’re too kind…”

Before she could finish, Zhang Shihu’s voice came from outside: “Dongmei, Dongmei, open the door!”

Yuan Dongmei instinctively glanced at Zhang Yalan when she heard his voice. Zhang Yalan immediately stood up, unafraid: “He still dares to come back? I’ll open the door!”

Zhang Yalan opened the door, with Zhao Xiangwan standing beside her.

Behind Zhang Shihu, several neighbors had gathered, all curious after hearing the commotion.

When Zhang Shihu saw Zhang Yalan and Zhao Xiangwan, his face darkened. He cursed but didn’t act.

The neighbors began talking among themselves.

“What is he doing here after his divorce?”

“Doesn’t he know how good Yuan Dongmei is? What a fool!”

“It’s wrong for a good family to break up like this.”

Zhang Yalan sneered. “Dad, why are you here in this cold weather? Why aren’t you with your son?”

Zhang Shihu looked up at Zhang Yalan, his voice much softer than usual. “Tell your mother to come out. I want to talk to her.”

[Damn it, I knew women like that are unreliable. Liu Liju took my money and ran! Whose child is she carrying? Is it even mine? This is a mess! I spent everything to divorce her, was going to marry her, but she ran off with everything!]

Zhao Xiangwan secretly nodded. Liu Liju ran away with the money, probably fearing the child wasn’t Zhang Shihu’s. Now, Zhang Shihu had lost both money and dignity. He deserved it!

Zhang Yalan shook her head. “Tell me what you want. My mom doesn’t want to see you.”

Zhang Shihu’s face turned red, and he coughed. Finally, he let his pride go and said, “I was wrong to hit your mother before. I promise I won’t do it again.”

All his savings were taken by Liu Liju, and he hadn’t received the two houses he was promised. An accident at the project and the company being ordered to make changes meant he didn’t get his bonus this month. All these misfortunes made him feel like everything had gone wrong since his divorce.

When people are down, they often seek spiritual help. Zhang Shihu found a fortune teller, who told him that Yuan Dongmei was his benefactor. The reason he went from being a small construction worker to a project manager and made a fortune was because of her help. Now that he had divorced her and driven her away, everything was going wrong.

After hearing what the master said, Zhang Shihu hung his head.

“Yalan, I was wrong before, please forgive me and your mother. I know now that women outside are fake and insincere. Only married couples can show true love in times of trouble. You’re my daughter, and I raised you until you were 18. Even though I regret you’re not a son, I’ve never let you lack anything. I carried you everywhere as a child. I also hosted a banquet when you got into university and praised your hard work to everyone. Everyone makes mistakes. Now I realize I was wrong, so please forgive your father.”

Zhang Yalan couldn’t help but laugh out loud three times.

“Hahaha!”

“Why? When you were rich, you mocked Mom for doing housework and called me a useless daughter. Now that you’ve lost everything, you suddenly remember what’s good about Mom and me?”

A pair of warm hands stroked Zhang Yalan’s head as Yuan Dongmei softly said, “Yalan, Mom will listen to you. We’ll ignore him.”

Seeing Yuan Dongmei finally show up, Zhang Shihu was ashamed. “Dongmei, Dongmei, we’ve been married for 20 years. Don’t be so heartless. I’ve admitted my mistake. Let’s live together again.”

Yuan Dongmei shook her head. “Zhang Shihu, don’t come to me again.”

Suddenly, Zhao Xiangwan spoke. Her voice was calm, clear, and light like a flowing stream.

“Zhang Shihu, when you’ve done something, you have to own up to it.”

Zhang Shihu stared at Zhao Xiangwan blankly for a second, then suddenly became furious.

He jumped up, pointed his right hand at her, and cursed, “It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t suggested the paternity test, Liu Liju wouldn’t have run away. If you hadn’t interfered, my wife wouldn’t have divorced me. You’re young and meddle in others’ business. You’re going to get what’s coming to you!”

Zhao Xiangwan calmly replied, “Aren’t you the one who deserves retribution?”

Her eyes were so clear they seemed to reflect Zhang Shihu’s dirty heart. Thinking about the fortune teller’s words, Zhang Shihu felt a chill.

A north wind blew in from the stairwell, and Zhang Shihu shivered.

Some mistakes can’t be undone.

The next morning, at eight o’clock, Zhao Xiangwan reported to the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Xing City Public Security Bureau for her winter vacation internship.

He Mingyu took Zhao Xiangwan to the logistics department to pick up her uniform, happily saying, “Zhao Xiangwan, I’m so glad you’re interning here! You made a contribution during the decapitated female corpse case, so Captain Xu applied for your internship and prepared a full set of uniforms for you.”

Dressed in a light green shirt, dark blue tie, and olive green single-breasted suit, Zhao Xiangwan stood out as a striking figure in his winter attire.

The Xing City Public Security Bureau office building consists of seven floors with a double-sided corridor layout. The corridor, 1.5 meters wide, only allows natural light at the east and west ends, making the area somewhat dim.

As the two female officers walked toward the Serious Crime Team office on the second floor, they overheard Xu Songling’s loud voice from the opposite direction.

“Go check! Go ask! I don’t believe we can’t find the deceased’s lover!”

Zhao Xiangwan exchanged a glance with He Mingyu, who smiled wryly and said, “I don’t know if you’re lucky or not. We got a homicide case at the start of our internship. The deceased’s identity is confirmed, but her companion hasn’t been found yet.”

With that, He Mingyu led Zhao Xiangwan into the Serious Case Unit office.

The office, about 20 square meters, consisted of two connected spaces, offering a wider view. Seven desks were haphazardly placed, cluttered with stationery, documents, and personal items. The simple décor and tough metal cabinets gave the room a chaotic yet wild energy.

When Zhao Xiangwan entered the office, Xu Songling, who was lecturing, glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He quickly turned his head, his cold expression softening slightly. He gestured for her to come forward: “Come on, Zhao Xiangwan, introduce yourself to everyone.”

Zhao Xiangwan smiled and greeted them: “Hello, everyone.”

“Hello, Zhao Xiangwan.”

“Junior sister, you’re finally here!”

“That’s great! With Zhao Xiangwan here, we don’t have to worry about this case.”