Many news interview vehicles were parked on both sides of the Angel Wings Building even before the workday started. Some were from traditional news outlets while others were Internet news reporters. Each reporter had their cameras ready for a long time by now, and were just waiting for something big to happen.
“Shentu Tianyin is done for this time.” A reporter chatted a colleague. “After embezzling so many national assets, she’ll be lucky if she can still live. She’ll have to get a deferred death sentence or an indefinite sentence at least. What a pity. She’s so young and pretty, but the next half of her life is going to be spent in prison.”
“Yeah. What do you think she was thinking? She already had so much money but still wanted more. She makes so much... is she going to be able to spend it all?” said someone.
“Yeah, right? Ordinary people like you and me can’t understand the world of the rich.”
“You should be a little more concerned about yourself. After the stock market opens at 9:30, abandon the Vientiane Group’s stocks at all costs or you’ll lose everything. Ay, I’ll cut my hand off if I touch stocks again.”
“Haha, you said the same thing the last time.”
“Why hasn’t Shentu Tianyin come out yet?”
“Why would she come out? To be exposed? This is a scandal.”
“Whether she’s willing or not, I’ve received information that a special investigation team will be coming to arrest her soon. After that, we can take as many pictures as we want, and avenge our losses on the stock market.”
The reporters had a spirited discussion about everything that had to do with Shentu Tianyin.
On the top floor of Angel Wings Building, Shentu Tianyin stood in front of the French window, overlooking all the news reporter vehicles in front of the building. Those reporters were insignificant to her. She didn’t care about them at all.
“Tianyin, you really… Divorced Xia Lei?” Fu Mingmei looked at the divorce agreement on the office table. Her voice was uneven.
The divorce agreement was still stained with Shentu Tianyin’s tears. It was not completely dry yet.
Shentu Tianyin looked away from the window and turned to look at Fu Mingmei. A smile came to her face. “Yes, I divorced him.”
She had recovered in the span of a night.
She was still that noble, cool and elegant queen of the Vientiane Group.
“How could you guys…” Fu Mingmei started to say something, then stopped.
“Do not speak of this again. Come down with me. It’s about time. The people who should be here have probably arrived already.” Shentu Tianyin walked towards the company’s entrance.
Fu Mingmei walked with Shentu Tianyin as she said angrily, “I just know that men aren’t good creatures. The moment something happens to you, he divorces you. You were so good to him in the past too! How could he divorce you at this time? He’s a traitor to his love!”
“Silence!” Shentu Tianyin was suddenly angry. “You’re not allowed to speak of him this way again!”
“I…” Fu Mingmei wanted to defend herself but once she saw Shentu Tianyin’s cold and scary expression, she closed her mouth again.
Shentu Tianyin didn’t talk to Fu Mingmei again. She took big strides to the elevator.
Shentu Tianyin appeared at the entrance of Angel Wings Building several minutes later.
A huge group of reporters flocked over, and a lot of camera flashes went off. One microphone after another was placed in front of Shentu Tianyin. All of Angel Wing Building's security guards were dispatched, pushing the reporters back and forming a human wall.
“Chairman Shentu, it’s been widely rumored over the past two days that you embezzled several billion in national assets. May I ask if this is true?”
“Chairman Shentu, are Vientiane Group’s stocks going to be suspended?”
“Chairman Shentu, you’re faced with very severe accusations. Do have anything you want to say about it?”
A great barrage of reporters, a great barrage of questions.
Shentu Tianyin put her hand up and waited until it calmed somewhat before saying, “You have all asked me so many questions. I want to say something for a moment. I am an honest businessperson. I did not do anything illegal or commit any crimes. Those accusations will not affect Vientiane Group’s business and our stocks will not be suspended.”
“What about Xia Lei? Your husband should be by your side in times like these but we haven’t seen him,” remarked a reporter.
“He and I are divorced,” said Shentu Tianyin.
This set the reporters aflame with questions, and they released another flood of questions at Shentu Tianyin. However, Shentu Tianyin didn’t respond in any way. She looked in the direction of the kerb. Right at this moment, some police cars stopped by the road.
A group of police officers got out of their cars and walked over.
The group of reporters was parted, and the officers came up to Shentu Tianyin.
A police officer showed an arrest warrant to Shentu Tianyin. “Shentu Tianyin, you are suspected of illegal and criminal conduct. This is a legal arrest warrant. Please come with us and aid us in the investigation.”
Shentu Tianyin calmly put her hands out.
A police officer put handcuffs on Shentu Tianyin’s wrists and then brought Shentu Tianyin to a police car by the road.
The lights flashed. The reporters definitely wouldn’t be missing out on a scene like this.
Fu Mingmei wanted to go with Shentu Tianyin, but a police officer stopped her.
The police car with Shentu Tianyin in it drove forward, but stopped after a short distance.
In the car, a police officer was on the phone. “Yes, yes, I’ll release the person immediately.”
Shentu Tianyin’s face was expressionless but her eyes misted over. She thought quietly to herself, ‘Thank you, Hubby.’
“Chairman Shentu, I am so sorry. I just received my superior’s orders. We have the wrong person. I apologise again. You may go back now.” With apology written all over his face, he said, “Do you want us to drive you back?”
“No, please let me off at the street in front. Is that fine?” said Shentu Tianyin.
“Of course, no problem,'' said the police officer.
The police car started again, and gradually left Angel Wings Building further and further behind in the distance, till it could no longer be seen.
Meanwhile, in Shi Boren’s office at Bureau 101, Ling Han put away his phone, and there was a slight helplessness in his voice. “They’ve let her go.”
The eyes of everyone in the office landed on one target — Xia Lei.
Xia Lei lowered his head, avoiding everyone’s eyes. He looked like a child who had done something wrong and was waiting for his punishment in the teacher’s office.
Out of all the male and female teachers, Teacher Tang was the only one smiling.
Long Bing took in the scene and sighed to herself, ‘I smell trouble.’
Ling Han walked up to Xia Lei and said, “You’ve gotten Boss Shi and I in a checkmate, but I can also see that you are someone who values feelings and personal loyalty. We’ll just forget about this, and you set your thoughts on official business. It’s good that you’ve divorced Shentu Tianyin. Meeting you was the greatest fortune of her life, but this will be the only time. Go tell her that this is her only chance. If she does anything similar again, her punishment will include this one. Let her fend for herself.”
Xia Lei was about to speak when Tang Yuyan interrupted him. “Xia Lei and Shentu Tianyin are already divorced. If they see each other again, things will become hopelessly muddled. Xia Lei’s thoughts have to be on business. It won’t be good if Shentu Tianyin entangles herself with him again. You can leave this to me. I’ll go tell Shentu Tianyin.”
Ling Han looked wordlessly at Tang Yuyan.
However, Shi Boren said, “Then we’ll do it like that. Yuyan, this task will be left to you.”
Tang Yuyan stuck her chest out. “I guarantee that I’ll finish this!”
Xia Lei had wanted to stop her but he didn’t speak. It was better if he spoke less.
Ling Han added, “The same goes for you. This will only be allowed once, and it’d better not happen again.”
Xia Lei suddenly thought of his father, Xia Changhe, and pain stabbed at his heart. On the outside, however, he smiled. “Thank you Brother Ling. There definitely won’t be a next time.”
Ling Han laughed dryly. “Only you. You rascal, let me tell you, you’re still going to be punished though I’m not arresting you. Your punishment is going to be that you have to make the Rheinmetall AG artillery technology and defense system technology that you talked about a reality. You also have to complete the Alloy X Project, or I won’t let you off!”
Xia Lei braced himself and said, “Brother Ling, I guarantee that I won’t just reproduce Rheinmetall AG’s artillery technology and defense system technology, I’ll even make it even better than they did. However, for the Alloy X Project… You know as well as I do that it’s not something I can just finish by saying I can.”
Ling Han said, “That’s why Elder Fan came. He is going to be involved.”
“And me.” Fan Fan smiled at Xia Lei. “I’m called Fan Fan and I will be your assistant.”
Xia Lei smiled back at Fan Fan in response. He understood the importance of the Alloy X Project to this nation. Right now, the Alloy X Project had come to a standstill and the nation would definitely try to think of ways to resolve it. Fan Yiming got involved as a representative of the Academy of Science for one aim — for him to quickly solve the Alloy X Project.
The corners of Tang Yuyan’s lips turned downwards. “Aren’t all the people at the Academy of Science old men?”
Fan Fan laughed shyly. “Not everyone at our Academy of Science is an old man. There are a lot of young people like me. However, we’re not the same as Mr Xia. He is the youngest Fellow to join our Academy of Science since it was founded. A lot of my colleagues want to meet Mr Xia.”
Tang Yuyan still wanted to add something but Shi Boren glared at her, stopping her.
Tang Yuyan wasn’t the only one who had this reaction. Even Long Bing had a similar reaction. However, she only looked this Fan Fan up and down one more time. No matter how she looked at Fan Fan though, the girl was pleasing to the eye.
Fan Fan had an oval face, and her chin was pointed very nicely. Her eyes were big, dark and beautiful. Her skin was fair and clear, and she seemed very refined. Her figure was very sexy too. She was big in the places where she should be big, well developed in the areas she should be, slender where she should be and long where she should be. Add her air of an educated person, and she probably could have been a female official like Li Qingzhao or Shangguan Wan’er if she was put in the ancient era.
A woman like this for Xia Lei’s assistant was really quite worrying!
“Yep, yep.” Fan Yiming said, “Mr Xia, come with me and I’ll show you around the Academy of Science.”
“I’m afraid that’ll have to wait. Xia Lei still has to be detained for half a month, Elder Fan,” said Ling Han.
“What? Half a month?” Fan Yiming glared at Ling Han. “Did you know a person’s life only consists of thirty thousand days and that he can only work for a third of that time? Detaining him for half a month is an utter waste!”
“Elder Fan… I wasn’t the one who decided this, the higher-ups did. This is their punishment for him.” Ling Han seemed to understand the workings of Fan Yiming’s temper quite a bit. He didn’t get angry at all. “Elder Fan, I will tell Xia Lei to prepare the relevant materials for you during this time. You can read through it first, so this won’t delay your official business.”
Fan Yiming still appeared quite reluctant.
“Xia Lei, you won’t have any objections against this kind of punishment, right?” Ling Han looked at Xia Lei as he asked.
How would Xia Lei still have any complaints? He answered, “I don’t have any complaints. I’ll take it.”
“Yuyan, what are you still waiting for? Take Xia Lei down to be detained!” Shi Boren’s tone was very strict.
He had ordered Tang Yuyan and Long Bing to do it together earlier but it was only Tang Yuyan now. Her godfather’s intention was understood by everyone.
Tang Yuyan escorted Xia Lei out of Shi Boren’s office and got close to his ear. She laughed as she said, “What do you want to eat for lunch? Should I make it for you?”
Xia Lei was speechless.
He seriously wanted to eat headache medicine.