Chapter 112

At this moment, Tang Wen, the assistant, approached. She greeted Song Haowen first and then asked Zhong Lizhi, “Director Wang asked me to inquire if you’ll be shooting your remaining scenes this morning?”

Zhong Lizhi glanced at Song Haowen, who responded, “Yes, we’re ready. How can we not shoot when everything is prepared?”

“Alright, you take a break. I’ll go shoot the scenes with Jenny,” Zhong Lizhi smiled at Song Haowen and, along with Jenny, followed Tang Wen.

Song Haowen wandered around the set alone after everyone seemed busy. Feeling a bit bored, he greeted Uncle Wang Long and quietly left.

By the time Song Haowen returned to the business store, it was already noon. He had a bowl of noodles at a roadside shop for lunch. Seeing him return, Wang Li smirked at him and said, “Reporter Gu is waiting for you in the courtyard.” Hearing this, he immediately walked towards the courtyard.

Indeed, Gu Ziwei was sitting in the gazebo, reading a newspaper. Upon seeing him, she complained, “You, the patient, instead of resting at home, where did you go running off to? I’ve been waiting here for ages.”

Song Haowen apologized, “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. I didn’t know you were coming, or else I wouldn’t have gone out.”

Gu Ziwei scolded, “You, you’ve forgotten the pain as soon as the wound heals.”

Song Haowen was surprised, “Reporter Gu, where did this come from?”

Gu Ziwei rolled her eyes, “You’ve been in trouble for so many days, have you cared about the case?”

“If there were any updates, the police station would have informed me immediately. Being anxious won’t help,” Song Haowen brightened, “Do you have any new information?”

Gu Ziwei mysteriously said, “Not exactly new information. But, I haven’t eaten since lunch waiting for you. Don’t you know how to invite me?”

“Ah, you haven’t had lunch? That Wang Li, she should have brought you something during her lunch break,” Song Haowen expressed his dissatisfaction.

“Don’t blame her. I didn’t let her treat. If someone is to treat me, it has to be you,” Gu Ziwei said with a sly smile.

“Unfortunately, I just ate. I can’t have a meal with you. How about I go out and get you some food?” Song Haowen suggested.

“Pfft, are you being stingy? Just let me have a takeaway? No, I want a proper meal!” Gu Ziwei said playfully.

“Fine, whatever you say. I’ll eat again if necessary,” Song Haowen smiled helplessly, agreeing to her request. Gu Ziwei put away the newspaper in her hand and triumphantly said, “I thought you’ve had a tough time in the hospital, not getting enough nutrition. I thought of taking you out for a meal to make up for it.”

“Yes, yes. I do need to replenish my nutrition,” Song Haowen resisted a laugh and followed Gu Ziwei out of the door.

The two arrived at a small restaurant near the business store. Since it was mealtime, there were quite a few customers. After struggling to find a side table, they ordered a few dishes. To accompany Gu Ziwei, Song Haowen also served himself half a bowl of rice.

After the meal, Gu Ziwei stretched lazily and said, “It would be perfect if we could take a nap now. Unfortunately, there’s no guest room here.”

Song Haowen generously said, “If you want to rest, it’s easy. We have two Kang beds in our store; you can choose one to rest.”

Gu Ziwei chuckled slightly, saying, “So? It’s about inviting me for a meal again and arranging a guest room. Do you have some thoughts about me?”

Song Haowen was taken aback by her words and hastily explained, “You’re so strange; weren’t these your suggestions in the first place? I’m just following your lead.”

Gu Ziwei awkwardly said, “Well, yes. I didn’t mean for you to invite me; I just presumptuously thought…”

Song Haowen’s face turned red instantly. “Reporter Gu, how can you say that? Inviting you is willingly done by me, something I am more than happy to do.”

Gu Ziwei couldn’t help but giggle, ignoring the curious glances from others. “You’re making it sound… so pitiful!”

Song Haowen, with a red and embarrassed face, wanted to explain, but Gu Ziwei lightly tapped his hand with chopsticks and said, “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Let’s get back on track. Since I found out about your incident, whenever I had time, I contacted the police station to know the latest developments in the case as soon as possible. This morning, I received good news – one of the two culprits couldn’t resist anymore and started confessing. However, due to the confidential nature of the case, I don’t know the specifics of what the culprit confessed. But the police station informed me that the case is close to being solved, and the truth will be revealed soon. Do you think this is good news? Is it worth inviting me for a meal?”

Upon hearing that the case was about to be solved, Song Haowen couldn’t contain his joy. He grabbed her hand and said, “That’s great! Thank you for bringing this good news. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”

“Oh, come on. One piece of news and you want to treat me to two meals? My face isn’t that thick,” Gu Ziwei said dismissively.

“What are you saying? With your repeated help, even if it’s more than two meals, I would willingly treat you,” Song Haowen said earnestly.

Gu Ziwei stood up. “Finished eating? Let’s go?”

The two returned to the business department, and Song Haowen shared the good news with Wang Li and Qian Youlai. They were also delighted. Song Haowen promised, “Once this case is completely solved, let’s gather all our friends and celebrate at a restaurant.”

A day later, a shocking piece of news reverberated through Beijing: Cui Hai, a university student, was arrested by the police on suspicion of hiring someone to commit murder.

Even the involved party, Song Haowen, found it unbelievable and hesitated to believe it was true. Previously, even when Gu Ziwei had blamed and suspected Cui Hai during Song Haowen’s attack and hospitalization, seeing the truth unfolding before his eyes left him stunned.

What kind of grudge was worth resorting to such extreme measures, directly taking someone’s life?

According to the police, Cui Hai resented Song Haowen for taking away a woman he considered special. Coupled with a failed attempt at revenge, he contacted an old classmate from junior high who had connections in the underworld.

Cui Hai paid him a significant amount to seek revenge on Song Haowen, hoping to cripple him. He claimed Song Haowen was skilled in martial arts, making a direct confrontation impossible, so they had to resort to a surprise attack to succeed.

Cui Hai’s classmate, seeing a lucrative opportunity, immediately contacted a skilled underworld figure and asked him to deal with Song Haowen. Hearing that Song Haowen was formidable, the underworld figure enlisted a partner, and together, they planned a meticulous assassination.

The criminals thought they could just cause severe injuries to Song Haowen, but they didn’t anticipate his resilience. Even after sustaining severe injuries, he fought back fiercely, prompting them to finally use the backup gun.

However, after firing the shots, they regretted it. Not because they were afraid of killing someone, but the gunshots alarmed many pedestrians. Without caring about Song Haowen’s fate, they fled recklessly after firing several shots.

After hiding in the outskirts for two days and being discovered when stealing food from a small store, they were finally captured by the police in a sewer.

Upon their arrest, they initially tried to pose as petty thieves, but the police, relying on the descriptions from witnesses at the crime scene and the composite sketches they had created, quickly verified the identities of the two culprits.

These two were habitual offenders with experience evading scrutiny. For several days, they adamantly denied knowing Song Haowen, claiming their friend was hit, and Song Haowen refused compensation, leading to a dispute.

Unable to beat around the bush any longer, they eventually confessed. However, Cui Hai’s classmate, out of fear, had already escaped to Tianjin. Still, he was apprehended in a hotel.

Cui Hai’s classmate lacked the courage and immediately confessed during police interrogation. Consequently, Cui Hai was soon captured. The nationwide sensational celebrity assault case was finally solved.

Gu Ziwei, through her tracking interviews, obtained first-hand information. She promptly published the case details in the “Beijing Evening News,” mitigating the negative impact on Song Haowen’s public image.

With police approval, she skillfully avoided the reasons for the dispute between the two parties because of her involvement. Instead, she simplified the case as Song Haowen intervening to stop an imminent attack and subsequently facing retaliation, rather than the rumored interference in someone else’s love affair leading to a crime of passion.

That evening, Gu Ziwei brought the newspaper containing her article to the business department and handed it to Song Haowen. Before the publication, various rumors circulated in society about the incident, leaving Song Haowen at a loss.

Unexpectedly, Gu Ziwei’s article artfully dispelled his concerns. She hadn’t mentioned writing the article before, and this not only surprised him but also earned her admiration for her subtle and talented nature.

Considering the articles she had written for him before, each one was eloquent, insightful, and had a significant impact. He genuinely believed she was well-suited for the role of a reporter.

That night, Song Haowen didn’t go to the music room. Instead, he invited Gu Ziwei and all the staff from the business department to a restaurant to celebrate the case’s resolution.

During the celebration, Song Haowen expressed his gratitude for Gu Ziwei’s article. Gu Ziwei laughed it off, saying it was a small matter and not worth mentioning. However, in her heart, she couldn’t help but think that without her involvement, he wouldn’t have encountered Cui Hai, let alone suffer such severe injuries.

The saying that a beautiful woman is a source of trouble crossed her mind, making her wonder if she was that source of trouble.

Zhu Hongyu laughed and said, “Little Song, don’t just talk about this article. For the sake of writing it, she almost lost her life. Why don’t you mention that?”

Upon hearing this, Song Haowen was momentarily stunned. He quickly stood up and bowed deeply to Gu Ziwei. “Thank you once again. Last time, for helping me, you suffered such serious injuries, almost losing your life. And now, you’ve cleared the mud thrown on me by others. How can I still repay your kindness?”