Volume One, Chapter 15: The Beautiful Secretary Xu Yao

From the subsequent surveillance of Fang Yi, his routine appeared remarkably regular, with every action unfolding with flawless normalcy.

During this period, he resided in the Chunhe Jingming community, where Jiang Shishi also lived.

He rose at six in the morning, jogged around the artificial lake near his home, then headed straight to work. Lunch was taken at the office. At six-thirty in the evening, he left work punctually to visit his two children. He spent roughly two hours with them, accompanying them from Dongjiang Garden back to Jiang Shishi’s place.

“This schedule is indeed well-planned,” Zhuang Jie remarked. “They say cultivating discipline is not easy, but Fang Yi has managed to impose such rigorous order on himself—it’s truly impressive.”

Yang Chenxu smiled in agreement. “All successful people possess the inner strength to overcome their natural laziness.”

After watching Fang Yi’s car disappear into the distance for a moment, Zhuang Jie asked, “Do you think he’s aware we’re monitoring him?”

“That’s hard to say...” Yang Chenxu was interrupted by a sudden phone call.

After hanging up, he turned to Zhuang Jie. “Let’s go back to the bureau.”

“So soon?” Zhuang Jie glanced at her watch—it was not yet seven. “No breakfast before we head back?”

“That works.” Yang Chenxu immediately turned the car around.

About ten minutes later, they passed by Yi Media.

Yang Chenxu gazed at the white and blue logo, slowing the car to a stop.

Curious, Zhuang Jie asked, “What are you looking at?”

He stared at the logo a while longer before asking, “Do you think we should go inside and learn more about the company?”

“What exactly do you want to find out?” Zhuang Jie inquired.

“Doing business inevitably involves offending some people,” Yang Chenxu explained. “Our target is definitely Fang Yi, but we can’t fixate solely on him. We need to explore other leads as well. Without any solid evidence, concentrating all our attention on Fang Yi might not be wise. What if the killer isn’t him?”

“That’s true...” Zhuang Jie pondered, then suddenly remembered something. “Chenxu, instead of just walking into Yi Media, why don’t we contact someone familiar?”

“What do you mean?”

“Zhang Lei. Remember him?” Zhuang Jie asked.

“Zhang Lei?” Yang Chenxu frowned instantly.

“He’s a partner at Yi Media,” Zhuang Jie reminded him. “We visited him at his home a while ago. At that time, Lin Xiaobing grabbed his collar the moment she saw him... You don’t still have no recollection, do you?”

Yang Chenxu finally responded, “It’s not that I don’t remember, I’m just unsure if it’s appropriate to approach him for information.”

“There’s nothing inappropriate about it,” Zhuang Jie said. “I’ve been seeing him every day lately. He takes morning walks near our bureau. We could arrange to meet him and ask about the situation.”

After some thought, Yang Chenxu took out his phone and called Zhang Lei, who was indeed walking near the city bureau. They agreed to meet at the “Old Friends” breakfast spot nearby.

When Yang Chenxu and Zhuang Jie arrived at Old Friends, Zhang Lei was already waiting at an outdoor table.

Since it was early, the restaurant was mostly empty. The owner and his wife bustled in the kitchen, a few scattered customers were absorbed in their phones. Zhang Lei’s phone lay on the table as he stared blankly at the passersby and traffic, lost in thought.

Just as Yang Chenxu parked the car, Zhang Lei rose promptly and approached. “Officer Yang, up early today?”

Yang Chenxu smiled. “You’re early too. Thought we’d catch breakfast together.”

Before he finished, Zhuang Jie had already stepped out of the car. Zhang Lei looked at her and paused. “Officer Zhuang, too? Young female officers working so hard, it’s not easy being a cop.”

“Every profession has its hardships,” Zhuang Jie replied with a smile. “Don’t flatter me.”

“I’m not flattering, just speaking truthfully,” Zhang Lei said.

“You’re up early too, aren’t you?” Zhuang Jie asked.

“I get up early every morning for a walk,” Zhang Lei said as he joined Yang Chenxu and Zhuang Jie toward the restaurant. “I leave home, circle around this big flowerbed—it’s just about ten thousand steps. Many people praise morning runs—I used to run every morning, too. But after reading some traditional Chinese medicine books, I realized walking is better, especially at my age. Running all the time can hurt your knees. You young folks shouldn’t run so much either; too much intense exercise can drain your vitality...”

Before Zhang Lei could finish, they reached the table and sat down. Yang Chenxu ordered three servings of steamed rice rolls with egg and minced pork sausage, two small bowls of lean pork and century egg congee, and a large bowl of pork liver and wolfberry soup.

Just after ordering, Zhang Lei asked, “Officer Yang, how is the case progressing?”

“We came today to get some insight from you,” Yang Chenxu said.

Zhang Lei paused before replying, “Officers, just tell me what you want to know directly. I’m an honest man—I tell all I know.”

Yang Chenxu then asked, “You’ve worked at Yi Media for a long time and must be familiar with Fang Yi, Lin Xiaoyang, and the employees. Surely you know more than we do. We wanted to ask whether Fang Yi or Lin Xiaoyang have offended anyone—competitors, employees, clients? Anything you know, please tell us.”

“Offended someone...” Zhang Lei frowned in thought, scooping a spoonful of congee. “I can’t say absolutely not, but from what I know, nothing serious enough to warrant murder. However...” He hesitated, then seemed to recall something. “A few days ago, I unexpectedly ran into someone. The moment I saw her, I thought of Lin Xiaoyang. Of course, I’m not saying she’s the murderer, just that I had this feeling, since she and Lin Xiaoyang used to have a fierce quarrel at the company.”

“Really?” Yang Chenxu asked. “Who was it?”

“Xu Yao, the former secretary at Yi Media,” Zhang Lei said. “She and Lin Xiaoyang had a conflict when she worked there. And it wasn’t just any conflict—it was serious.”

“What exactly was the conflict about?” Zhuang Jie pressed.

Yang Chenxu set down his spoon, fixing his gaze on Zhang Lei, waiting for him to continue.

Zhang Lei adjusted his seat before continuing, “From what I heard, when Xu Yao was hired as Fang Yi’s secretary, Lin Xiaoyang strongly opposed it. The reason? Xu Yao was very beautiful... Well, you see, Fang Yi is handsome, capable, and young—many women were attracted to him. So Lin Xiaoyang never trusted him.”

…