Gao Ziyan now faced a dilemma. The prostitute she had theoretically killed had no identity. Logically, this shouldn't be possible, yet that was precisely the situation. Someone with whom she had no connection whatsoever had rendered her speechless.
Chen Jiwen also admitted to having contact with a woman named Xing Meng.
As the financial supervisor of the Gao Group, Chen Jiwen had always controlled the finances. Being fond of women, he typically interacted with many, hosting lavish parties and keeping mistresses. His life was incomplete without women around. Upon arriving in Beijing, Chen Jiwen found life quite dull. Coincidentally, he received a text message about a girl offering escort services.
Most people would not arrange for such a woman to visit.
However, Chen Jiwen lacked understanding of Beijing and did not foresee any trouble with hiring a prostitute.
In this matter, Li Qiang had always believed that Xing Meng drowned because Gao Ziyan threw money into the water. This explanation sounded plausible, and because the area was a blind spot for surveillance cameras, the process of what happened was never recorded.
Xing Meng's actual cause of death remained a mystery.
Gao Ziyan had initially thought that after Li Qiang's death, no one would pursue the issue further. However, this was not the case. The prosecutor recently in charge of the case even asserted that Gao Ziyan had pushed Xing Meng, who couldn't swim, into the water. Gao Ziyan had then deliberately thrown cash into the water to conceal the scene after committing these acts.
It seemed a mysterious force was pushing Gao Ziyan in this direction. Gao Ziyan was in a predicament, unable to speak of her troubles. She discovered that despite her financial resources, she could not resist this mysterious force.
Today, the most perplexing event for Gao Ziyan occurred: Qin Sisi had disappeared without a trace, and contact was impossible. No one knew where Qin Sisi had gone. Her phone was turned off. They were supposed to handle some pre-trial matters today, but Qin Sisi had not appeared.
Since Gao Ziyan succeeded as family head, Qin Sisi had been a central figure in the Gao family's strategist group. Initially, Gao Ziyan was somewhat unconvinced about Qin Sisi becoming an assistant to the schemers, especially considering Cao Shi, who was legendary, had served Gao Ji.
However, as time went by, Gao Ziyan discovered many of Qin Sisi's strengths. This elder sister was meticulous and bold in her thinking. Her actions were grounded, unlike other schemers whose plans were often convoluted. Qin Sisi's plans were simple, and her greatest strength was utilizing the professional knowledge of other staff members in the strategist group. Because of this, Gao Ziyan found making decisions much easier.
Defeating the legendary "Enchantress" generation was a significant achievement. While the group's collective strength played a crucial role, Qin Sisi's core contribution could not be overlooked.
If anything happened to Qin Sisi, Gao Ziyan truly lost confidence.
"Why are you here?"
Seeing me, Gao Ziyan asked with surprise. Her expression softened slightly, but her anxiety was still evident.
"I brought something for you."
"What is it?"
I handed Gao Ziyan a letter, written by Qin Sisi.
Gao Ziyan took it and opened the letter, reading earnestly, "This is Sister Sisi's handwriting. Has Sister Sisi truly decided to abandon me?"
"Read it!"
Upon hearing my advice, Gao Ziyan sighed and opened the letter.
The content of the letter was as follows: Ziyan, by the time you read this, your sister will be gone. Honestly, from the beginning, I shouldn't have gotten involved in the Gao family's mess. But I had no choice, as your brother-in-law was facing legal troubles. So, I sought help from Mr. Li Jiu's junior disciple, Mr. Cao. Mr. Cao could help me find a way out, and I agreed, thus becoming your schemer.
Your sister believes you, Ziyan, are too kind and not suited to be the Gao family head. This is because, in this position, whatever choice you make will be at odds with your kindness, even forcing you to change your values.
Do you know, Ziyan, when you asked me that question, my heart ached? You asked me, if living is only for the sake of living, then what is the meaning of life?
In truth, your sister has experienced more than you. Those days in Myanmar, my life was just about surviving. In those dark and hopeless times, I thought, if living is only for the sake of living, then it's better to die. Fortunately, your brother-in-law appeared and saved me.
With his help, I found the meaning of my life. Therefore, whatever I did afterward was centered around your brother-in-law. Perhaps because of my influence, you also yearn for a life filled with love. You conceal it well, but every time you take out his photo, your true feelings are revealed.
Once, you asked me if love could be a scheme. My answer was, no. To love someone, you must be sincere. If you scheme, the truth will eventually come out, and from that day on, you will lose everything. You understood, yet you didn't. As I celebrated victory after victory, your thoughts always strayed, believing that schemes used to gain profit could also lead to love.
For this reason, your sister repeatedly advised you that we could not proceed that way. But you did it anyway. When that woman named Xing Meng appeared, with your intelligence, you saw at a glance that it was a trap, yet you stepped into it without hesitation. Because you knew, this was Beijing, and he was here.
Your sister understands you, which is why I went to his hometown and brought him back. But that is all I could do. He does not belong to you, and if you force it, there will be no good outcome.
Do you know? As a poor person, I never interacted with people of your level. At the time, when I set up scams in Yunnan, I had quite a bit of money, but compared to you, that money was insignificant.
During this time, your sister has come to understand your lives and realized the pain of being at the top, feeling isolated. Precisely because you stand so high, with no other choices, you feel he is your only true love in this world. In reality, it's not like that. Think back to when you were a kindergarten teacher; weren't there people you admired around you? Weren't there many gentle and cultured boys who touched your heart?
If so, then that's the truth.
Your sister believes that even if she exhausts all her efforts to help you escape the lawsuit, we will not have won. We will merely have drifted from one cloud to another.
Frankly, we are all human, all women. Women should live grounded, in mutual love and affection.
Tang Nan found me. He knows what you need to do to escape your current predicament. He told me the plan, and I finally understood why Mr. Cao chose him. He is, after all, different from other schemers; he breaks through limitations and sees the whole picture.
Your sister is leaving. I wish you, like me, freedom from suffering. If that day truly comes, we will meet in romantic Turkey. By then, you might have a boyfriend. We'll share a cup of strong coffee, gaze at the Mediterranean, and feel the romantic breeze there.
Finally, I say goodbye, Sister Ziyan!
The letter was not long. To someone else, it might not seem heartfelt, perhaps even mundane. However, the letter struck a chord with Gao Ziyan, and she wept.
She cried, and I waited.
About half an hour later, Gao Ziyan composed herself and looked at me awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I forgot you were still here."
"You have a rather poor memory. You can't even see someone as big as me."
Xing Meng seemed as if she never existed. But I believed that as long as a person is alive, they must leave some trace in society.
Of course, I didn't possess the ability to find this person, but that didn't mean others didn't.
I sought out my helper, Jiang Kexin, the daughter of Teacher Wang Ren. Kexin was unaware of the feud between me and her mother. In her perception, I was like a nephew to her mother's family.
Therefore, when I asked for her help, she not only didn't refuse but was overjoyed.
And so, we began to solve the case together.