Wang Dui shot a look at Sang Yu. “You’re Shen Peichuan’s wife, right? We’re in the middle of a meeting, and not everyone is invited. You can’t barge in even if you’re Chief Shen’s wife. Please leave right away!”
Sang Yu circled around Shen Peichuan and placed the box on the table. She replied, “I understand that as a family member, I have no right to barge in and speak up like this. I only came because this is urgent.”
She then added firmly, “When I clocked off yesterday, I received a box of apples. It’s not worth much, but as a family member of a public servant, I thought that I shouldn’t even accept this box of apples, so I brought it over.”
Wang Dui shifted his gaze to the box and asked, “Are there apples inside the box?”
Sang Yu refuted, “The box says ‘Apples’ and it has a picture of an apple on it. What else could be in there? Bananas?”
“It’s just a box of apples, so it’s nothing much…”
“It may be a simple box of apples, but it is still a gift, and we can’t accept it. I may be young, but I am educated as well. The president has clarified that public servants cannot accept even a single piece of thread from the people. This box of apples is worth hundreds of spools of thread.”
Wang Dui’s eyes shifted as his mind spun. He said, “You know, it’s been a while since I had some apples. How about we open the box up and have some?”
Sang Yu replied, “Do what you want. It’s not mine, so I can’t decide.”
Wang Dui peeled the tape off and opened the box.
He then shook the contents out to show everyone the wads of cash. “Are these apples to you?” growled Wang Dui.
Sang Yu put on a surprised expression.
Everyone had their eyes on her once more.
Wang Dui then added, “Are you doing all this and putting on an act because you know that your evil deeds have been exposed? Do you think you can feign innocence just like that?”
Sang Yu turned to Wang Dui. Lin Xinyan had analyzed the situation and shared her thoughts with Sang Yu when they traveled to the police station. The former guessed that it was highly probable that the culprit would insist on pinning the crime on them.
As predicted, someone did voice up.
Lin Xinyan had informed, “Someone might claim that you already know about being exposed and are feigning innocence by pretending not to know anything.”
Hence, Sang Yu came prepared. She replied calmly, “I didn’t know that the box contains cash. Someone shoved the box to me and forced me to accept it. If I had known that it’s cash, I would have sent it over right after I received it last night. The only reason I let it sit in my house for a night and only delivered it over this morning is that I thought that it’s just a box of apples. If I knew that it contains cash, I would never have let it stayed overnight at my home.”
“Ha! Someone forced you to accept it? Now, why don’t I believe that?”
Sang Yu replied, “You can investigate the matter. Oh, and uh…”
Sang Yu had saved the security footage she got from the guardhouse into her phone. She handed her phone over and added, “You can check this footage and decide for yourself.”
The man standing beside Shen Peichuan accepted the mobile phone and connected it to the laptop. The footage was then played for everyone to see.
Wang Dui refused to admit defeat. He turned to Shen Peichuan and insisted, “Don’t tell me you know nothing about it. Why didn’t you bring the cash in yourself?”
“He knows nothing. Check the timestamp on the footage. You can see…”
“How does that prove that Chief Shen is unaware of the bribe?” interrupted Wang Dui.
Sang Yu answered calmly, “The timestamp shows that I received the apples yesterday at six in the evening. I was already asleep by the time Peichuan got home, so I didn’t tell him about it. I’m sure there are witnesses in the station who can tell you when Peichuan left work.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a man spoke up. “Chief Shen was with us last night. A new lead came up for our recent case, so we worked until midnight before we left. It’s understandable that Mrs. Shen would already be asleep then.”
Everything fell into place. The timestamps matched, the logic flowed smoothly, and there was no flaw in any of that. It was obvious that Shen Peichuan didn’t know that his wife had accepted a box of apples and left it at home overnight.
There were witnesses and proofs.
“We still received an anonymous tip, though. Everything is clear now, but we still have to go through the procedure and investigate the matter. As a department responsible for monitoring public servants, we will not tolerate any mishaps. We do not allow any corruption and will not let anyone be framed either.”
In the end, the investigation would still be carried out. The current stance favored Shen Peichuan, so he didn’t need to be suspended.
However, someone would investigate the people who were in contact with him as well.
Shen Peichuan still couldn’t leave, so he had Chen drive Sang Yu home.
After exiting the conference room, Chen commended, “Holy! I never thought you’d have the guts to barge into the conference room like that.”
Sang Yu had no choice. Someone did try to stop her, but she forced her way in.
She was carrying a box at the time, so she couldn’t turn the knob. Someone else was fast approaching to stop her, so she had to kick the door open.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine,” said Chen as he led Sang Yu to the entrance.
Sang Yu replied, “It’s fine. You don’t have to drive me. I can head back on my own.”
“Let me take you home. Chief Shen told me to do so,” said Chen with a smile.
When they reached the entrance, Sang Yu pointed at the black car parked at the side. Lin Xinyan was leaning against the car and waiting for Sang Yu.
“Xinyan, it’s fine now,” said Sang Yu excitedly as she rushed over.
Lin Xinyan turned to Sang Yu and grinned.
She had her hair down that day and had little make-up on. However, her facial features were naturally beautiful, and her brows were perfect. She had the kind of beauty that words couldn’t describe, and her smile only made her that much more mesmerizing.
Chen was stunned for a second. He then said, “Oh, I’ll head back to work since someone is here to drive you back.”
Sang Yu waved goodbye at him and said, “Okay, go work.”
Lin Xinyan opened the door. “Get in.”
Sang Yu opened the door to the passenger’s seat and got in as instructed. The first thing she did was to thank Lin Xinyan for her help. If it hadn’t been for Lin Xinyan, Sang Yu might not have been able to solve the issue that perfectly. Unfortunately, Sang Yu’s phone rang soon after.
She picked up the call. The HR Department of the company where she was doing her internship had called her to tell her she was fired.
She had just joined the company, but she had already asked for leave and was late for work.
Sang Yu sounded disappointed when she said, “I understand.”
Lin Xinyan drove out of the police station after Sang Yu had hung up. The former scanned the latter. She was delighted a moment ago. Why is she upset now?
“What’s wrong?”
Sang Yu answered sadly, “I was fired.”
“Even if they had kept you employed now, they would’ve fired you once they learn about your pregnancy. You’re only in your second year of college, and you still have plenty of time and opportunities. I think you can focus on giving birth to the baby for now. You can wait to find another job,” suggested Lin Xinyan.
If the company learned about her pregnancy, they would surely fire her. Moreover, Shen Peichuan was likely to be busy in the near future. If they were both busy at work, they would have less time to spend with one another. Their love might be strong, but they were newlyweds after all, so at least one had to stay back to take care of their home.
Naturally, Lin Xinyan would respect what Sang Yu had in mind as well.
“If you’re really that eager to work, I can help you out, though.”
It wouldn’t be difficult for Zong Jinghao to find a job opening for Sang Yu.
Sang Yu replied, “No, you’re right. Even if I were able to keep the job, I wouldn’t be able to stay in it for long. Peichuan has just gotten a promotion, so I can’t let him get distracted or worry about home.”
As Sang Yu spoke, she turned to Lin Xinyan and asked, “Must women sacrifice at least a little once they get married?”
