Chapter 78 Evidence of Domestic Violence

The taxi stopped at the entrance of Sheng Huating Residential Area, and Chen Ang walked in.

He followed the streetlights, dialed Shen Pianran's number, and it was answered after two rings.

"Are you home?"

Shen Pianran's voice sounded somewhat languid, "Just finished a shower. Is something up?"

"Yeah." Chen Ang hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "I need you to have a talk with Zhou Yuda."

"I knew you weren't calling to check on me." After agreeing, Shen Pianran complained, "What should I talk about?"

"You make it sound like I'm some evil capitalist." Chen Ang tilted his head slightly to avoid the cold night wind blowing down his throat. "My dad needs Zhou Yuda to play along with a scheme. You should coordinate with Zhou Yuda."

"Hmm?"

"Company is currently missing someone who can hold the fort, and I want my dad to act as the acting general manager. He's agreed verbally. Zhou Yuda used to know my dad, so have him make an appearance to steady his resolve."

Shen Pianran was silent for a moment, then laughed, "Sometimes I really feel like you're very meticulous, but it's a pity you just want to lie flat."

"Really? I just go with the flow. Otherwise, you wouldn't call me exploitative."

"Fine. I'll talk to him in a bit." Shen Pianran changed the subject, "By the way, how is Auntie?"

"She's fine, nothing serious. She took her medicine and is stable." As Chen Ang spoke, his molars clenched.

"Glad to hear it. That wife of yours is truly a handful. I really don't know how you've survived all these years." Shen Pianran's tone sounded light, but it clearly carried a hint of imperceptible emotion.

"I'm no Wu Dalang." Chen Ang let out a laugh.

After a few words of small talk, he hung up. Chen Ang looked at the message Yu Liang had sent earlier and then dialed his number.

It rang several times before being answered. The background was very quiet; he wasn't at the station, probably at home.

"Are you asleep?"

"Not yet. Zhong Yuanxin is packing. How are things on your end?"

"Isn't she going to Jiangning the day after tomorrow?"

"She said she misses her sister, so she's impatient and plans to leave tomorrow afternoon."

"..."

Chen Ang was silent, and the image of Director Xu Qingwan instantly flashed in his mind.

"The preliminary investigation into Nickname is over. Illegal lending, violent debt collection, disturbing the peace—the materials are all organized. We can arrest Nickname and his lackeys first thing tomorrow morning."

As if not noticing Chen Ang's silence, Yu Liang brought up the message he had sent earlier.

"Tu Yuandong will sign the contract tomorrow. Wait for my call." Chen Ang collected himself and coughed lightly, "Also, what about Shen Pianran's case?"

"We've found records of financial dealings between him and Tu Yuandong. We'll arrest and interrogate him tomorrow. As long as he implicates Tu Yuandong, I'll have grounds to subpoena the communication records and arrange for Tu Yuandong to go have tea inside."

Yu Liang briefly explained the situation.

Chen Ang felt a sense of relief—the sooner, the better. Wen Huilin's stunt today had almost thrown him off balance.

"Oh, right. My parents came over tonight and we were eating at Suiyuan Restaurant. Wen Huilin showed up uninvited, and my mom was almost provoked into a medical episode. In the hallway, I lost control and grabbed her by the neck."

Chen Ang recounted what happened that night. "There's surveillance in the Suiyuan Restaurant hallway; I'm not sure if it was captured. Help me check if she filed a police report. If she did, the statement and video evidence are probably already at the local police station."

Yu Liang was silent for a moment. "If it was caught on surveillance, that's ironclad evidence of domestic abuse."

"She mentioned Chen Zetian in front of my mom, and I just lost my head and lashed out." Chen Ang smiled sheepishly.

Yu Liang understood him well and chuckled, "It's not a big deal. Given your situation, I have to recuse myself according to regulations. Let me ask the people at the local police station."

"Fine. It's just a public security case; I'm not applying for a civil service position anyway."

Chen Ang didn't make any requests; since Yu Liang had said so, he would definitely help him.

"You're a damn billionaire, and you're talking about civil service exams? Get lost..." He scolded jokingly and hung up.

Chen Ang listened to the busy signal, shook his head with a smile, and stepped into the apartment building.

On the other side, Yu Liang placed his phone on the coffee table. Just as he turned around, Zhong Yuanxin called out to him, asking for help lifting her suitcase.

"Sister Xin, are you planning to move house?" Yu Liang walked up and asked with a smile.

"What do you know? My sister and I have been out of contact for seven years. We need at least two days to hang out, no... three."

Yu Liang was speechless. "You have a husband and a daughter."

"At a time like this, everything else goes on the side. Besides, this is a business trip on Company expense." Zhong Yuanxin rolled her eyes at him.

"Are you really leaving tomorrow afternoon? I think leaving the morning after tomorrow is better; that way, I can send you off." Yu Liang made a small request.

Zhong Yuanxin put her hands on her hips and stared intently at Yu Liang. "You've calculated my menstrual cycle again, haven't you?"

Yu Liang laughed heartily. "If I wait for you to come back in three days, I'll have to wait another week. What kind of official can endure that?"

Zhong Yuanxin pinched his waist and scolded furiously: "Don't you dare."

The couple messed around for a while, then lay on the sofa in an embrace. Zhong Yuanxin panted, "I'll arrive in Jiangning around evening tomorrow, and Director Xu Qingwan will come to pick me up. It's been seven years since we've met; I don't know if she's changed."

"Do you think she'll be surprised if she finds out you're representing Chen Ang's Company?" Yu Liang asked, turning his head.

"I haven't figured out how to tell her yet. Do you think I should tell her directly, or talk about something else first?"

"You know Chen Ang's personality; he definitely won't be proactive about showing off. If Director Xu Qingwan doesn't ask, don't bring it up. Anyway, you're going to discuss the cultural tourism project, so keep it business-like. As for their affairs, let them resolve it themselves."

"Business-like?" Zhong Yuanxin looked up at him. "I definitely have to tell her how Chen Ang has made it through all these years. It's not like you don't know Director Xu Qingwan's personality; if she doesn't know how much Chen Ang has suffered, how could she take that step?"

"Suit yourself. Just don't make it too deliberate, otherwise Chen Ang will blame me later."

Zhong Yuanxin smiled, didn't say anything more, stood up, and pushed the suitcase to the door.

~

Sheng Huating Residential Area, Chen Ang's home.

In the master bedroom, Wen Huilin had just finished showering.

The steam from the bathroom poured out through the door gap. She was wrapped in a white bathrobe, her hair still half-wet, draped over her shoulders.

She took her phone out of her bag and opened the chat window with Attorney Zhou Zheng.

The latest message was from Attorney Zhou Zheng: The police have filed the record and also went to retrieve the surveillance from Suiyuan Restaurant. I have collected the police report receipt, the incident record, and photos of the injuries. The police have also submitted a report requesting to postpone the investigation and handling.

Wen Huilin thought for a moment and replied: What should I do next?

The reply came quickly: Continue to keep a low profile and collect evidence.

After reading it, she flipped the phone over onto the nightstand and picked up a towel to slowly dry the ends of her hair.

Touching the spot on her neck where she had been grabbed, she could feel slight swelling of the muscles under her skin.

Today in the hallway of Suiyuan Restaurant, for those few seconds when Chen Ang held her against the wall by her neck, she had truly been afraid.

But now, what she kept ruminating on wasn't the suffocating sensation of that moment, but rather that after Chen Ang let go, that fear had transformed into a handy tool.

Domestic abuse.

Attorney Zhou Zheng had explained very clearly what those two words meant in court.

She had originally been almost out of cards, and now Chen Ang had personally handed her one.