Chapter Forty-Six: Chaos

“How could it be her?”
The plump man pressed on, “Do you think it looks like Meng Xiaojiao too?”
Zhou Yi nodded, his gaze growing more resolute.
“The image isn’t very clear, but I’m sure that’s Meng Xiaojiao. I studied the surveillance footage outside the military compound’s gate closely before. Meng Xiaojiao’s feet turn out slightly, and she walks with her weight leaning back—probably learned some dance as a child. Her gait is different from most people’s.”
The plump man knew Zhou Yi had a sharp eye for detail—things he wouldn’t have noticed himself. But if Zhou Yi said it resembled her, that was almost as good as certain.
“Didn’t Meng Xiaojiao break up with Cheng Zhi? And besides, she never had a chance to meet Li Mei or anyone from the Li family. Why would she come here?”
Zhou Yi shook his head—he was just as puzzled. As for the man in the mask, it was impossible to tell who he was; he was bundled up too tightly.
“The footage quality is just too poor, and it’s too dark to make out much. Can we trace any information from the vehicle?”
The plump man switched through several cameras. The car couldn’t be tracked past a certain point, but they did get part of the license plate: Lu A0038*, with only the last digit unclear.
He pulled up a screenshot from earlier, outside the military compound, and compared the two. Placing the images side by side—even covered in mud—the contours were still visible. After a while, the plump man’s small eyes shone with excitement.
“These two plates should be the same. With this much, we should be able to find something.”
He started searching for vehicle information, running all ten possibilities for the last number. But when the results came back, he was dumbfounded. Of the ten combinations, only one was a red Santana, the rest were Toyotas or Crowns, and the red Santana was even a station wagon.
“What—none of them match? Could this car be using fake plates?”
Zhou Yi stared at the computer screen, his head throbbing. They’d searched for two days, exhausted every means, and still come up with next to nothing.
Cheng Zhi had covered his tracks well—everything about the car was fake. Whether the plates matched or not was now irrelevant.
Still, why was Meng Xiaojiao here?
“Check if Meng Xiaojiao’s family has any connection to Li Mei’s. Her presence here makes no sense.”
The plump man hurried to look up their household records. It took quite a while; only as noon approached did he finish. He stood, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head.
“There’s no connection at all. It doesn’t add up—no family ties, no interactions. Why would Meng Xiaojiao get involved in this?”
Zhou Yi fell silent, circling Meng Xiaojiao’s name on a piece of paper.
“Let’s wait for news from Su Yongming. Once this is settled, we’ll tail her. When I called her last night, nothing about her behavior stood out. If she really was collaborating with Cheng Zhi to put on an act, then Cheng Zhi’s plan is simply flawless.”
The plump man nodded, patting his belly.
“Anyway, whatever the case, it’s noon. What are we eating?”

Zhou Yi paused—he really had forgotten about that. Glancing out the window, he saw the snow was still falling heavily.
“How about I run down to the convenience store for some instant noodles? The snow’s too heavy to drive anywhere.”
The plump man smacked his lips in agreement.
“I wonder how the sample tests are going. If they succeed, that’s great, but if we have to keep taking taxis back and forth, our funds won’t last long.”
Zhou Yi said nothing, pulling on his coat. Just as he opened the door, Su Yongming was standing outside with his hand raised as if about to knock. Seeing Zhou Yi, he smiled apologetically and waved at the young man behind him.
“Looks like we’re a bit late. You two must be hungry?”
The plump man darted over at the sound, grinning as he helped the assistant carry the bags inside. They brushed the snow from their coats, and Su Yongming gestured to his assistant.
“You can head back for now, Xiao Zhang. Once we’ve eaten, we’ll go to the research center and urge them to speed up.”
Zhou Yi glanced at Zhang Linna, wanting to be polite, but Su Yongming’s intent was clear—he wanted to clear the room. Zhou Yi said nothing more. It seemed they’d finished the product; that was something to be glad about.
“It’s done?”
Su Yongming’s smile grew wider.
“Xiao Zhang said they made several models with different proportions, just as you requested. But you should see for yourself.”
Zhou Yi nodded. Once Xiao Zhang left and the door closed, Su Yongming pulled out a CD and placed it on the table.
“I got this. Reporter Xu just asked us not to reveal he provided the footage.”
The plump man waved him off.
“Let’s eat first. I’ll handle the rest soon. Don’t worry—I guarantee even the provincial station’s best editors won’t notice the news has been altered.”
Hearing that promise, Su Yongming relaxed.
After the meal, the plump man logged onto the computer and opened the video. The angle was excellent—clearly shot by a pro.
When the dark blue Santana hit the white car, the plump man’s eyes widened. In the video, Li Mei’s final words—“My father is Li Yugang”—were unforgettable.
The plump man’s fingers danced across the keyboard, thoughtfully adding subtitles to all the dialogue and drawing an animated diagram of the crash—the traffic lights, the accident scene, the position of the injured.
Su Yongming watched from behind, clicking his tongue in amazement, sneaking a few extra glances at the plump man.
“Your skills are impressive—no worse than those at the TV station!”
Zhou Yi suppressed a smile.
“Don’t flatter him. This isn’t hard for his line of work—the only trick is inserting it into the news.”

The plump man turned to the others, beaming.
“Relax. I’ve just slotted it in after a segment about the provincial traffic department’s safety day campaign. It flows perfectly, don’t you think?”
Su Yongming couldn’t help laughing—the transition really was seamless. Zhou Yi nodded.
“Not bad. These news segments are all pre-edited anyway. Most editors just check the timing, not the content.”
Su Yongming glanced at his watch, his last trace of worry fading.
“The provincial evening news airs at six-thirty, just before the national broadcast, with a rebroadcast at ten. Almost every household watches, especially on a snowy Sunday like today—viewership will be huge.”
Zhou Yi nodded. “We should have someone monitor both broadcasts. If the ten o’clock news is edited, it means someone’s feeling the heat and trying to control the situation.”
Su Yongming looked at Zhou Yi, his gaze tinged with concern.
“If there’s no edit, does that mean it had no impact?”
Zhou Yi shook his head.
“On the contrary—if there’s no edit, it means the station resisted the pressure. Tomorrow there may be follow-up reports. Things like this—before they’re public, everyone tries to cover them up. After all, exposing the boss never benefits anyone.
But once the story breaks, they’ll rush to dig deeper—few would lend a hand, but plenty will fan the flames. There are always more people eager to climb the ladder, and stories like this are just the thing for rivals to exploit.”
Su Yongming looked at Zhou Yi for a long time, saying nothing. Though Zhou Yi was young, his calmness and insight gave Su Yongming a new perspective on the situation.
“I get it. If the ten o’clock news gets cut, I’ll need to send someone to city hall and the station to express our concerns and raise the profile. Keep it in the spotlight, right?”
The plump man nodded vigorously.
“Mr. Su, you’re thorough—we’d never have thought of all that.”
Su Yongming slapped the plump man on the back, unable to suppress a laugh, the gloom finally lifting.
“All right, that’s settled. Let’s go see the samples Xiao Zhang’s team made. If they’re ready, I can finally answer to Old Cao—he’s been calling me all day.”
As he spoke, Su Yongming’s phone rang. Glancing at the number, he held it up for Zhou Yi to see.
“Speak of the devil—your last drawing nearly drove him mad.”
With that, Su Yongming answered the call.
“What’s the rush now?”