Jin Xiangyu discreetly saved the information Qiqi provided in her phone and asked, "Do you have any other friends who could help?"
Qiqi thought of Lu Wei and Zhou Yi, both wealthy men who might be able to assist. Unfortunately, her phone had been taken by Director Liu, and she couldn't recall their numbers, so she simply gave Jin Xiangyu the addresses of Lu Wei's workplace and Zhou Yi's company.
Chairman Jin, a well-traveled woman, immediately brightened at the mention of Lu Wei and Zhou Yi—especially Zhou Yi. "If we can find the president of the Zhou Group and the young master of the Lu Group, this matter will surely be resolved."
Hearing this, Qiqi felt much more at ease.
She then asked, "How is Emily's family? Is Uncle Ai okay?"
Jin Xiangyu sighed. "Uncle Ai is fine—just six stitches on his head and a mild concussion. Emily and her mother have minor injuries, nothing serious. But their little boy is in bad shape. Some heartless bastard kicked him square in the chest, and he's still in the hospital."
Qiqi's heart ached, and anger surged within her. "They hit a child? What was it all about?"
Jin Xiangyu sighed again. "I've asked around. Someone reported them, claiming the flour they used in their shop was toxic. Then the industry and commerce bureau showed up, saying there were issues with their business license procedures. So that night, they all came together to enforce the law."
Qiqi fumed. "If you want to convict someone, you can always find a pretext."
Jin Xiangyu shook her head. "There's nothing to be done now. The shop is destroyed, the house is demolished—it's too late for anything. Emily's mother stays at the hospital watching over her son every day. Her father feels wronged and went to the city government yesterday, still injured, to plead his case. But the higher-ups sent experts to investigate, claiming there was no forced demolition in our area. As for the person who kicked the child, he wasn't even part the city management team—some temporary hire. Now he's disappeared."
Qiqi felt like she was about to explode with rage, and despair was creeping in.
To hell with the house, the demolition compensation—all of it. As long as her loved ones were safe, nothing else mattered.
As long as Rong Yi was safe, she wanted nothing more.
Despite Jin Xiangyu's repeated assurances that she would find a way to get her out, Qiqi couldn't eat or sleep. She worried about Rong Yi, wondering what torment he might be enduring in the mental hospital. She feared his fiery temper—what if he hurt someone or something worse happened, making his case even more dire? And if they kept injecting him with heavy sedatives, leaving him too weak, would he reveal his true form? What would happen then? Plus, the next full moon was approaching.
※※※
Another day passed, and Zhuang Ruotong also arrived at the police station. But she brought no hope—only despair, because she was brought in as a detainee.
Poor Zhuang Ruotong. After learning about Qiqi's situation, she immediately set about trying to help. After careful thought, she decided to expose the recorded evidence to several media outlets. She burned copies and headed to the newspapers and TV stations. But on her way to the first station, she was intercepted by the police.
They seized her recordings, accused her of selling pirated discs, and detained her.