Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 92: The Truth Emerged

As per the customs, after the banquet, everyone exchanged gifts. The gift list documented the presents that the Qin family and other attendees gave to Deputy Chairman Tian.

Among them was the book Brave New World. However, there was something strange about it—while most of the gifts on the list had the givers' names recorded, this book was unmarked, as if someone had secretly slipped it into the pile.

With this in mind, Qiu Tu scanned the guest list from that banquet and suddenly noticed another familiar name.

He quickly pointed it out to Qin Shuman, "Look, do you recognize this name?"

Following his finger, Qin Shuman saw a familiar name: Qian Dafu from Shun Yun Trading Company.

After a brief moment of thought, Qin Shuman's eyes widened as she looked at Qiu Tu, "Isn't that one of the transport companies that got robbed?"

Qiu Tu nodded, recalling the details from the files. Due to the bug planted by Yin Caimei, six transport companies in New Realm City had been raided by RUF anti-government forces over the past year. Shun Yun Trading was the worst hit, losing not only large amounts of grain and daily necessities but also a significant quantity of medicinal herbs and potions.

"This is suspicious," Qiu Tu said, pointing at the names of Shun Yun Trading and the Qin brothers, Qin Heng and Qin Shu.

Qin Shuman nodded in agreement and reached out her hand. Qiu Tu, understanding her intent, handed over the Security Division's special communicator.

Qin Shuman dialed a number on the communicator. After a brief moment, the call connected, and she said, expressionless, "This is Rain Butterfly. Investigate the connection between the Qin family and Qian Dafu from Shun Yun Trading. Also, re-interrogate Fourth Master Qin and see if he knows anything."

After receiving an affirmative response from the other side, Qin Shuman hung up the phone.

While continuing to sift through the documents, Qiu Tu remarked, "I really think there's something off about the Qin family."

He wasn't referring to the Qin family's previous vague connections with anti-government forces, which were common in the planning areas. Rather, he was talking about a deeper level of collaboration between the two forces.

As an experienced officer in the Security Division's Investigation Department, Qin Shuman gravely nodded in agreement. "Once might be a coincidence, twice might be a coincidence, but three or four times being a coincidence? That's hard to believe."

Qiu Tu nodded slightly.

After reaching a consensus, the two of them continued to review the documents in silence. The car gradually grew quiet, and the soft blue moonlight streaming through the windows draped them in a mysterious, gentle veil.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed—perhaps only ten minutes, or maybe as much as half an hour.

"Ring ring ring!"

The sharp ring of the communicator suddenly broke the silence in the car. Qin Shuman snapped back to reality and answered the call with a succinct, "Speak."

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The voice on the other end was quiet and quick, so much so that Qiu Tu couldn't catch what was being said. He only saw Qin Shuman's expression shift from calm to surprise, and then from surprise to excitement!

After a brief moment, Qin Shuman ended the call and turned to Qiu Tu, her face barely concealing her joy. "Qiu Tu! We might have just uncovered a major case!"

Qiu Tu looked at her in confusion.

Qin Shuman leaned in closer and lowered her voice, "Let me tell you, you wouldn't believe it until you see it."

"Shun Yun Trading was actually founded by the Old Master Qin."

"Back then, he had already established a certain status in New Realm City and had a foothold in the underworld."

"To cultivate his own enforcers and to expand his financial resources, he supported a trusted confidant, who, along with nearly half of the gang's core members, formed Shun Yun Trading, focusing on material transportation."

"And that confidant was Qian Dafu's father..."

Seeing the surprise in Qiu Tu's eyes, Qin Shuman continued, "Later on, a few years ago, both the Qin patriarch and Qian Dafu's father passed away in accidents. With the Qin family seeking to go legitimate, the two companies officially parted ways, never interacting again."

"But now it seems... the truth might be very different."

Qiu Tu nodded slightly as he pondered for a moment before hypothesizing, "So, Shun Yun Trading might actually be the Qin family's real black operation."

"The Qin family's truly illegal enterprises, such as their collaboration with RUF, may have been separated from the family by the patriarch before his death."

"And the black and gray industries that Fourth Master Qin inherited may have already been relatively low-risk operations."

Qin Shuman, brimming with excitement, exclaimed, "Exactly!"

"So, after investigating Fourth Master Qin for so many days with little progress, it turns out we were looking in the wrong direction!"

"If we investigate Shun Yun Trading, we might be able to trace everything back to the Qin family!"

"And you could finally close your case perfectly!"

Qiu Tu remained calm, not swayed by Qin Shuman's enthusiasm. He patted her hand and analyzed the situation rationally, "So, you suspect that the Qin family might be behind the scenes in the Yin Caimei case?"

Seeing Qin Shuman nod, Qiu Tu continued, "You're guessing that the Qin family sensed a threat from our earlier investigations. When Yin Caimei was captured, they feared exposure, so they decided to silence her to eliminate the risk?"

"And in the process, they framed Deputy Chairman Tian?"

Qin Shuman nodded and added, "Right. That's why I suspect Deputy Chairman Tian might really have been framed."

"The robbery of the transport companies could have been a staged act."

"Shun Yun Trading and the other transport companies might have been conducting illegal business with the RUF all along. When Yin Caimei happened to be recruited into the Chamber of Commerce by Deputy Chairman Tian, these transport companies seized the opportunity to set a trap."

Although it was just a speculation, Qin Shuman had a strong intuition: this was very likely the truth!

With this thought, she looked at Qiu Tu and asked, "What do you think?"

Qiu Tu had been carefully listening to Qin Shuman's analysis. When she asked for his opinion, he hesitated for a moment before nodding, "I think it's indeed possible."

Seeing that Qiu Tu agreed with her guess, Qin Shuman could no longer sit still. She said to Qiu Tu, "Please help me take Xiao Wan home! I need to leave first and thoroughly investigate this case."

After speaking, perhaps worried that Qiu Tu might misunderstand, she looked at him again and added, "Don't worry, I won't steal your credit. I also won't interfere with your investigation."

Qiu Tu heard this and smiled indifferently, "It's okay. I don't mind."

After confirming that Qiu Tu really didn't care, Qin Shuman happily gave him a quick kiss before releasing her possession and leaving Su Xiaowan's body.

It was evident that the pressure Director Dai had been putting on her had almost become unbearable. Now, with such a big case falling into her lap, it had completely alleviated her immediate troubles! As long as she could handle this case or do a good job with the preliminary intelligence work, not only could she erase her previous mistakes, but she might even get promoted and receive a raise!

So... in her excitement, she even forgot that she wasn't in her own body at the moment, but was using Su Xiaowan's body...

Suddenly being kissed by "Su Xiaowan," Qiu Tu felt a bit strange...

He looked at Su Xiaowan's body, which had slumped into the passenger seat, and shook his head slightly before leaning over to fasten her seatbelt. Perhaps because of the kiss, as their bodies brushed against each other, Qiu Tu felt his blood flow speed up.

After securing the seatbelt, Qiu Tu organized the files and then drove Su Xiaowan home, following the address Qin Shuman had left.

As the vehicle moved along the dimly lit road, Qiu Tu quietly reflected on the information he had just uncovered.

In fact, Qiu Tu really wasn't afraid of Qin Shuman taking credit for the case. Nor was he worried about her interfering with his investigation. After all, the only case he was responsible for was Yin Caimei's death; the robbery of the transportation company by the RUF had nothing to do with him.

In the few days he had been with the Political Division, Qiu Tu had already discovered a key survival rule: stay in your lane. Investigating other groups' cases on your own, and even solving them, wouldn't earn you much credit. Instead, it might breed resentment.

Moreover, Qiu Tu had noticed a few details that Qin Shuman had missed. Perhaps due to their different perspectives, while Qin Shuman was excited about uncovering a big case, Qiu Tu felt a chill down his spine.

Was this really just a setup?

Even if the Qin family and those transportation company bosses weren't afraid of Deputy Chairman Tian, they probably wouldn't want to offend a Chamber of Commerce vice president with shelter connections so easily, right?

So, just because Yin Caimei was chosen by Deputy Chairman Tian, they decided to frame him?

Qiu Tu found this to be extremely reckless.

And even if the Qin family really did frame Deputy Chairman Tian, what about Jia Shu's unusual behavior?

Could it be that Jia Shu wasn't trying to help Deputy Chairman Tian, but rather the Qin family?

Then why did he hint to Qiu Tu that this matter should be handled to Deputy Chairman Tian's satisfaction?

One question after another led Qiu Tu to a bolder hypothesis than Qin Shuman's.

That was... this was indeed a self-orchestrated scam.

But... from Yin Caimei to those transportation companies, to Deputy Chairman Tian, and to the Qin family, they were all actors in this scheme.

Even Jia Shu might have glimpsed some truths but chose to let it slide for the benefit of the Investigation Department!

And the reason they weaved layer upon layer of lies was merely to create more buffers and conceal the truth more deeply...

But even though he had guessed the truth of the case, the problem Qiu Tu faced was exceedingly difficult.

That was... what should he do next...

Deep in thought, Qiu Tu drove Su Xiaowan home. She lived on Xinfang Street, the same place where Qiu Tu had been stopped earlier that morning.

This indicated that her family was relatively well-off. Her parents probably worked in a legitimate company or institution before New Realm City was established and held a certain social status. This group of people, because they were well-educated, morally upright, and had no criminal background, experienced the fastest social mobility in the past year since the establishment of New Realm City—the three major power institutions favored such individuals with clean backgrounds and some knowledge. Song Qing was also one of them.

After parking the car in front of Su Xiaowan's building, Qiu Tu gently woke her and watched her walk up the stairs of the beautifully designed multi-story house. Only when all the stairwell lights were off did he extinguish his cigarette, turn around, and drive home.

Returning to Old Lane Street, Qiu Tu parked the car and walked toward his run-down apartment building.

When he reached the building, he noticed the lights were still on at home.

Qiu Tu walked upstairs and opened the door, surprised to find that... Shen Lingshuang was not sleeping on the sofa tonight, but instead, he heard some "rustling" sounds coming from inside.

Curious, Qiu Tu walked over and saw... Shen Lingshuang was trying on underwear, her bare back exposed.

But... not only was she wearing underwear, but she was also stuffing something into it...

Author's Note