A live stream that dramatically transformed a depressed schoolgirl shocked netizens across the count

Before the police car even left the old ancestral hall, Gu Qingshang's phone vibrated.

On the screen is a screenshot of a chat that the police had just captured from the scarred man's spare device.

The gray profile picture has no photo, only two letters.

GC.

The following are three consecutive instructions.

Keep a close eye on Zhou Henian.

We'll take action once the account books are out of Songhe Village.

Don't get involved with family-oriented people.

Gu Qingshang stared at the last sentence, his fingertip lingering on the edge of the screen for two seconds.

Gao Chengyuan, Vice President of Strategy Department, Gu's Group.

Her father's cousin's husband, according to the generational hierarchy, she should call him her paternal uncle.

Outside the old shrine, twelve attackers were being escorted into police cars in batches.

Short crossbows, stun guns, signal jammers, and three black toolboxes were laid out on the evidence cloth. A village police officer, holding a body camera, numbered each item, while a community grid worker squatted beside him checking the list.

As the scarred man passed by the door, he glanced at Gu Qingshang.

Blood still clung to the corner of his mouth, but his eyes held a hint of mockery.

It was as if it was reminding her.

Those who collapsed in the alley today were just a group of people who were paid to do their jobs.

None of the people who were actually sitting at the table to divide the money showed up.

Gu Qingshang dialed the lawyer's number.

"Check the accounts, devices, and emails used under Gao Chengyuan's name, as well as his financial transactions over the years."

The lawyer immediately responded.

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

"Don't disturb him yet."

There was a half-second of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Ms. Gu, do you suspect that Vice President Gao is involved in a project from ten years ago?"

"Doubt is useless; we need to get our hands on the stuff."

Gu Qingshang looked at the screenshot, his tone still calm and unhurried.

"Profile pictures can be faked, and accounts can be manipulated. This picture only shows that someone is trying to lure him away; it doesn't necessarily mean it's him."

"First, check what we can access within our scope of authority. Over the past ten years, we need to compile all the information: what devices he has used, where he has logged in, who has renewed his access permissions, and which accounts he has had financial dealings with."

"Those who can apply for asset preservation should prepare now."

The lawyer understood.

Are you worried he'll find out and delete the records?

Gu Qingshang raised his eyes and looked at the scarred man being forced into the car.

"It's not fear."

"They're already deleting it."

The phone hangs up.

A number of villagers had gathered at the entrance of the alley.

Bai Weiwei pulled up the cordon and waved to the people who were tiptoeing to peek inside.

"Uncle and Aunt, let's go to the square first."

"The police are handling this here, don't get too close, or you'll delay their work."

An elderly woman, holding a child's hand, peered into the police car.

"Ah Wei, are they only arresting bad guys?"

Su Niannian was still holding the bronze incense burner, and she raised her chin towards the evidence cloth.

"They brought crossbows, knives, and stun guns, more like they were going to a market."

"They smashed an old man's window and tried to steal his things. Isn't that awful?"

The old woman spat on the ground.

"They should be arrested."

She took the child a couple of steps away, then turned back and added another sentence.

"This kind of person should be locked up for a few more years, so he won't be able to harm others when he gets out."

Su Niannian nodded in deep agreement.

"Don't worry, with the guys they brought, it'll be hard for them to get out anytime soon."

The village police officer next to her glanced at her.

Su Niannian immediately pulled the bronze incense burner closer to her chest, looking completely innocent.

"I just joined in with a couple of curses."

"You can decide how many years to imprison, just follow the rules. I won't interfere."

Bai Weiwei couldn't help but turn her head and laugh.

In the side room, Zhou Henian was still sitting in front of the shrine.

The old man rested his wooden cane against his knees, his palm pressed against the top of the cane.

Ten years ago, members of the Gu family also stepped through this door.

Those people talked about projects and compensation all the time, and even asked how much the prescription left by Cheng Shouzhuo was worth.

But no one asked why the forest ranger station caught fire.

Those seven people who were deported were as if they had never existed.

Now that Gu Qingshang has obtained a clue pointing to his uncle, his first reaction is not to rush to the Gu family to arrest him, but to check the records, preserve evidence, and go through the formalities.

Zhou Henian looked at her for a long time before slowly loosening his grip on the wooden cane.

"Your grandfather did things this way when he was young."

Gu Qingshang raised his eyes.

Zhou Henian looked at the black ledger inside the transparent evidence bag.

"Everything must be documented, and everything must be said according to the rules."

"But later, as more and more people came to Gu's family, they gradually dismantled the rules."

Gu Qingshang put his phone into his pocket.

"If it's taken apart, put it back together."

Pack them one piece at a time.

Zhou Henian did not speak again.

He took a brown paper bag from inside his clothes and placed it on the edge of the wooden table.

All the materials in the paper bag had been numbered. The originals were waiting for the village police to seal them, and Gu Qingshang only kept a verified electronic copy.

Gu Qingshang walked up to Zhou Henian and Zhou Lan, bent down, and bowed solemnly.

"Old Zhou, Zhou Lan."

Thank you.

"You've guarded these things for everyone for ten years."

Zhou Lan stepped aside, refusing the bow.

Gu Qingshang slowly straightened up, a thin layer of red appearing at the corners of his eyes.

"Mr. Cheng's trail has gone cold again, and my grandfather's illness can't wait."

"But I can't risk Mr. Cheng's ten years of innocence for the treatment slots held by the He family just because I'm in a hurry."

She looked at the black ledger in the evidence bag.

"Since the accounts are made up of people from the Gu family, I'll start my investigation from there."

"If there are people from the He family, I can trace it back to their doorstep."

"Whoever has done business with living people must pay back the debt."

She didn't say anything nice.

It's always the same few sentences, over and over again.

The side room remained quiet for a long time.

The wind blew in through the broken wooden window.

The branches and leaves in the backyard brushed against the wall, making a soft rustling sound.

Shen Qingci stood by the door, her gaze fixed on the brown paper bag.

The sandalwood beads rested against the wrist bone, touching the skin with each pulse.

She also took the materials to people.

Diagnostic reports, transcripts, and requests for help.

Everything handed over would eventually return to Zhao Yulan intact.

The office door remained closed.

The teacher avoided her eyes.

From beginning to end, no one was willing to stand up and tell her.

She wasn't wrong.

Shen Qingci walked towards Chen Lang.

Chen Lang just stuffed the terminal returned by the village police into his pocket.

A tear ran through his black tactical jacket from a crossbow bolt, and dust from the wall clung to the hem. The black titanium steel earring in his left ear gleamed coldly in the light from the window.

Shen Qingci reached out and pinched the torn corner of his clothes.

"Chen Lang".

"Um?"

"Could you do an investigation for Qingshang just once, please?"

Su Niannian put down the bronze incense burner.

Bai Weiwei and Ye Xingyu also stopped what they were doing.

Shen Qingci did not avoid anyone's gaze.

"Regarding the matter with Young Master Long, you found the online troll accounts, traced the funds, and also caught the person who gave the orders."

"Let's help her this time too."

Her throat moved slightly, and her hand gripping the hem of her clothes tightened.

"Even if it's just to speak up for someone who gave me a place in their life."

Chen Lang did not answer immediately.

He raised his hand and straightened the camellia in her hair that had been blown askew by the wind.

The petals brushed against the back of my hand, still carrying the morning dampness.

"It's rare for Shen to ask for a favor."

"If I refuse, it will make me seem like I'm not good at after-sales service."

Shen Qingci looked at him.

"so?"

Chen Lang twitched the corner of his lips.

"Ability is just gathering dust if left unused."

"Perfect for solving this problem."

Shen Qingci slowly loosened her grip.

Chen Lang turned to look at Gu Qingshang.

"I'll help you find the clues online."

Whether it can be used as evidence is up to you and your lawyer to decide.

"What I gave you is at most a map. If we really want to take someone to court, which records can be retrieved and which devices can be seized will require a lawyer to apply for them, and then the police and forensic institutions will have to retrieve them."

Gu Qingshang nodded.

"clear."

"There's one more thing."

Chen Lang tapped the evidence bag on the table with the back of his hand.

"No one is allowed to go looking for Cheng Shou-chou himself until we find him."

"He hid for ten years, not to wait for a group of people to block his door with cameras, contracts, and gifts."

"If you scare them away, it won't be so easy to find them again."

Gu Qingshang did not hesitate.

"If the address is found, just hand it over to the police for verification first."

"If Mr. Cheng doesn't want to see him, no one from the Gu family will come knocking."

"OK."

Chen Lang gestured with his chin toward her.

"Add one more."

"Even if you find Gao Chengyuan, don't rush to confront him."

Su Niannian frowned.

"He practically has 'I'm the mole' written all over his face, and you're still keeping him around for New Year's Eve dinner?"

"The fish haven't even come out of the water yet, and you've already cut the hook. What are you going to use to fish later?"

Chen Lang looked towards the door.

The scarred man, with his head down, was escorted into the carriage by two police officers.

Before the car door closed, he was still looking towards the side room.

Ten years ago, seven living people were secretly smuggled out of the country.

"Car, hospital, money, identity—none of these can be handled by one person alone."

"If Gao Chengyuan really gets involved, he'll at most be just one link in the chain."

"There must be someone behind him."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Henian suddenly reached into his clothes.

He pulled out a yellowed piece of paper.

The corners of the paper were curled up, and a faded red seal was pressed down in the center.

"Oh, right."

"I still have something here."

Gu Qingshang accepted it with both hands.

It was a long-distance bus ticket from ten years ago.

From Cangshan Bus Station to Kunming South Station.

Departure time: 4:40 AM.

The passenger section had three words written on it.

Zhao Qiming.