I Deduce the Female Lead Likes Me [Transmigration into a book] - Chapter 35: Conspiracy
[Zhang Zhiruo]
When Zhang Zhiruo first saw the kitten, it wasn’t actually on the subway. She lied to Kou Shuang.
She did see her by the roadside. At that time, she was waiting for a bus, and the kitten came over with an iron bowl, looking at her, wanting to beg for money. She usually hated this kind of thing, but that day, she inexplicably gave her some.
The kitten was different to her. Even among the many cute and interesting children she had “taken over” from the child begging syndicate, they were all unlike the kitten.
Zhang Zhiruo insisted on calling her “kitten,” even though she knew others called her Xiaohong, and she finally learned that the kitten’s original name is Wu Hongye.
Later events were not concealed from Kou Shuang, except for that night on October 4th.
She hadn’t gone to see the kitten for a long time; she was trying very hard to restrain herself.
She had secretly watched those criminals beat children, their faces filled with disgust. She had also seen them violently attack ordinary homeless people they met on the roadside, just to vent their anger.
It was hard to describe what kind of feeling it was. She was quite capable of acting like a hero in front of the kitten, but when it came to actually carrying it out, she chickened out.
She was too selfish and dark. She didn’t want to meet the kitten like that. However, this thought was too secret; she didn’t even want to admit it to herself, let alone tell Kou Shuang.
But on October 4th, she really couldn’t bear it anymore. She snuck to that trash can, bought some food and drinks, and put them there, but she was surprised to find layers of candy wrappers, and even a few yuan!
The White Rabbit milk candy wrappers were from candy she bought for the kitten. She could almost imagine how the kitten had guarded them, like guarding treasure. And those few yuan are…
…given back to her?
The kitten once asked her: “You buy us so much food, do you still have money? I have money; I can give it all back to you.”
At that time, Zhang Zhiruo replied: “It’s alright, I’m very rich.”
This was true, but the kitten didn’t seem to believe her. She was too clever and too considerate of others, nothing like a seven or eight-year-old child.
She knew that in that group, secretly hoarding charity money was the most forbidden thing. The kitten said she had personally witnessed a companion being beaten bloody for stealing money.
Could it be… this money was the kitten “returning” it to her?! Did she think she had been missing for so long because she had no money?!
Fear and dread were instantly crushed. Zhang Zhiruo’s heart was filled with something else. She suddenly stood up, thinking: She must rescue the kitten! Even if it meant returning her to her parents!
But almost in the same second she strengthened her resolve, she heard a whistle, a whistle that echoed throughout the alley, like a heart-wrenching cry, or a desperate wail.
Zhang Zhiruo’s mind went blank. She only realized one thing: The kitten was in danger! She was waiting for her to come and save her!
Zhang Zhiruo ran desperately, but she couldn’t tell where the whistle was coming from. After taking one or two detours, she finally felt the sound was close by.
Turning a corner, she saw a small truck!
The truck’s door was open, and the kitten and her “uncles” were inside. The men had already passed out, being trampled by a man wearing a veiled hat. And the kitten was still crying.
The kitten was screaming in panic, crying inconsolably. Zhang Zhiruo had never seen the kitten so helpless. The kitten noticed her, and her eyes suddenly cleared.
She really was the kitten’s hero…
Unfortunately, the moment Zhang Zhiruo appeared, the people in the truck noticed her. Strangely, they didn’t do anything to Zhang Zhiruo. Instead, they threw out a large object from the truck, then quickly closed the door and left.
The car drove too fast; it was absolutely impossible to catch up on foot.
She could only clearly see the logo on the truck. The logo was multicolored, one of the government’s recently implemented benefit projects, reportedly a mobile dining car that distributed free food to ensure the basic living quality of homeless people.
This project was initiated by a private enterprise, but eventually partnered with the government, becoming an official public welfare project. However, Zhang Zhiruo only found all this out later.
At that moment, Zhang Zhiruo, who was at the scene, could only pick up the object and then surprisingly discovered that it was a person.
••••
“That person is Huzi Brother? And you actually knew about the clues regarding Wu Hongye’s disappearance, but you didn’t tell us before and claimed you were looking for Huzi Brother.”
Kou Shuang frowned after listening to Zhang Zhiruo’s long statement.
If Zhang Zhiruo herself knew the clues to finding Wu Hongye, then the matter needed to be re-evaluated.
Her becoming a children’s leader, taking the children around the city, was definitely not to chase Huzi Brother for evidence, but to directly find the real culprits.
This also explained Song Muxue’s initial question: Zhang Zhiruo wasn’t chasing Huzi Brother that night, so the location Song Muxue filmed her and Huzi Brother’s hiding place not matching was easily explained.
“That night, you quickly disappeared with your truck because you were chasing them?” Song Muxue’s voice remained calm. After receiving Zhang Zhiruo’s tacit admission, she continued to ask: “Who are they? Do you have any idea?”
This was a reasonable hypothesis, but Song Muxue hit the bullseye. Even Kou Shuang was surprised. She glanced at Song Muxue, thinking: This person is truly sharp.
“You asked me before why I didn’t call the police, or why I didn’t send the children to an orphanage, right?” Zhang Zhiruo lowered her eyes and said: “I can tell you now, because I don’t trust the government.”
“The meal distribution plan is an official public welfare project, and those people were driving that kind of truck. They roam all corners of the city, and I’ve been tracking them for a long time. Every time they appear, a batch of homeless people in that area disappears. Coupled with the recent city appearance plan, do you think I can trust the government?” Zhang Zhiruo looked up at Kou Shuang and said: “And when they threw that man out, he was covered in paint. I recognize this paint; only Jana Advertising has it. That’s why I changed jobs; I wanted to find out what happened. But as soon as I started, I got the graffiti project. Whether it’s the meal distribution plan or the graffiti plan, they’re all government-led. Do you think I can trust them? Do I dare to trust them?”
Kou Shuang was surprised. She only knew about Zhang Zhiruo changing jobs and thought it was for geographical or leisure considerations, but she never expected that she had misunderstood the timeline.
Jana Advertising…
Zhang Zhiruo went to Jana Advertising just to investigate the paint?
Meal distribution plan… government…
But if the government needed people, why would they want homeless people? Why would they want children?
“I’m not anti-American, but this is something I witnessed firsthand, and I can’t just ignore it,” Zhang Zhiruo said.
Song Muxue asked her: “That day in the alley, you chased after that group of people. Did you get any results?”
Zhang Zhiruo’s expression dimmed a little and she said: “No, they shook me off at a traffic light; I couldn’t catch them.”
“Then, have you found anything at Jana Advertising?” Song Muxue asked again.
Zhang Zhiruo looked even more exhausted. She shook her head and said: “No, I didn’t see the truck, nor any place where people could be imprisoned. I squatted in the warehouse all night; I can basically confirm there are no hidden doors. Where on earth did they take the people they captured?”
Zhang Zhiruo rubbed her temples. These matters had always troubled her. She had been wandering the city with the children just to find the meal distribution truck. But ever since urban management and the police sent all the homeless people out of town, the meal distribution trucks became fewer and fewer.
Could it be that urban management and the police were just a cover, and the real reason for the homeless people’s disappearance was these meal distribution trucks? Because all the people were almost caught, the trucks also became fewer.
Zhang Zhiruo was overly cautious, seeing enemies everywhere, and had lived in such fear for several months. Unless she appeared as the homeless woman, she always wore a mask to prevent her social connections from being discovered.
And Kou Shuang not recognizing Zhang Zhiruo was largely due to this mask. She had only met Zhang Zhiruo once, and coupled with her preconceived notions, she wouldn’t connect the two.
Song Muxue pondered for a while and said: “Have you ever thought that you might be investigating in the wrong direction?”
Zhang Zhiruo was startled and said: “Why do you say that?”
“The direct clues you have are only the meal distribution truck you saw with your own eyes, and the paint on Huzi Brother when they threw him out. But the meal distribution plan was terminated around September due to government financial pressure. Was the meal distribution truck you saw on October 4th really directly related to the government?”
“Jana Advertising is a private company. Their self-purchased imported paint might be stored in their warehouse, but the possibility of them directly owning and holding trucks is low.”
“If it were me, I would start with truck rental companies. After all, that’s the only commonality, right?” Song Muxue asked: “That day in the alley, the truck you were chasing, did it have any logo on the outside?”
Zhang Zhiruo hesitated for a moment and said: “No.”
Song Muxue frowned and said: “Then we can only investigate these two matters, to see if the trucks leased for these two projects are from the same source. I think this would be much more effective than blindly denying the police. What do you think?”
Zhang Zhiruo was startled, the dejection on her face lessened, and some light rekindled.
“Then I’ll go back to work at the company right away!” Zhang Zhiruo said, but then hesitated: “What about the meal delivery plan…?”
Song Muxue said calmly: “I’ll handle it. I know relevant people; it’s no problem to inquire about some information.”
Zhang Zhiruo said: “Tha—”
But Song Muxue interrupted her and said: “If the information I inquire about is different from what you think, can you believe me? I know I wouldn’t lie, but I’m not sure if you would believe me.”
Zhang Zhiruo looked into Song Muxue’s eyes. Despite being just an intern lawyer who hadn’t even graduated from university, her gaze was so firm that it compelled belief. Zhang Zhiruo opened her mouth and, before speaking, asked herself a question: If Song Muxue told her that all of this had nothing to do with anyone, that she hadn’t received any useful information, would she still believe her?
Looking into Song Muxue’s eyes, Zhang Zhiruo unconsciously smiled, then solemnly nodded and said: “I believe you.”
Song Muxue’s lips curved into a faint smile and said: “That’s good.”
“One more thing,” Kou Shuang said: “Whatever needs to be done now, can you send these children to an orphanage so their parents might find them? What you’re doing is too dangerous. I don’t think children should be exposed to risk without knowing, right? They don’t even know what they’re doing.”
Zhang Zhiruo bit her lip and said: “Okay.”