After leaving the city, Bian Zhizhi's family's ID cards seemed to have fallen into a black hole, with no usage records, no hotel check-ins, no flight or high-speed rail ticket purchases, no large bank transfers, and no hospital registrations.

They were as if gently wiped from this world by an invisible hand, leaving no trace to follow.

But Wei Yanqiu knew it was impossible.

Bian Zhizhi's father needed surgery, so they must have gone to a certain hospital.

She mobilized all of the Wei family's medical resources and connections, checking the admission records of ENT departments in top-tier hospitals in major cities across the country for the past half month, screening for patients matching the age and surname, but to no avail.

There's only one possibility: someone helped them cover their tracks.

Moreover, he is not an ordinary person, but someone with great power and clean methods.

Wei Yanqiu recalled Bian Zhizhi's resolute departure that night, and the look in her eyes when she said, "I'm leaving tonight." It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; it was something she had planned in advance.

Her father's illness may have been the final straw, a reason that forced her to leave immediately.

The phone rang; it was Zhou Lin.

"Mr. Wei, we've found some background information about Ms. Bian."

She had a very close best friend in college named Su Wan, who was from Yantong City.

The Su family is a prominent family in the area, mainly engaged in medical equipment and private hospitals, and wields considerable power.

Su Wan and Bian Zhizhi were the same age and roommates for four years in college, and they had a deep friendship.

Wei Yanqiu's heart sank: "Yantong City?"

"Yes. And," Zhou Lin's voice was somewhat hesitant.

"We retrieved surveillance footage from all intersections around the Wei residence during that time period and found that a black Mercedes-Benz van appeared in the vicinity around the time Ms. Bian left."

The car model matches one registered under Su Wan's name.

More importantly, the last direction the car disappeared in was indeed south, towards Yantong City.

Yantong City.

It's in the south, two thousand kilometers away from here.

Wei Yanqiu closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, only a cold determination remained in his eyes: "Book the fastest flight to Yantong."

Contact our branch office in Yantong and all our partners, use all available connections to investigate the Su family, Su Wan, and all private hospitals and high-end sanatoriums in which the Su family holds shares or are affiliated.

The focus is on screening recently admitted patients who have undergone laryngeal surgery and whose identity information is questionable.

"President Wei," Zhou Lin interrupted her, his tone clearly troubled and reminding her, "The Su family... our people just tried to make contact, and they reacted very warily."

Su Wan's father, Chairman Su Mingyuan, sent a message directly...

"What did you say?"

Zhou Lin remained silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone before speaking, each word clear: "That's exactly what he said."

Tell Wei Yanqiu that the Su family has heard rumors about what her brother did to my daughter's best friend.

Not calling the police was to leave the Wei family with a last bit of dignity.

If they continue to cause trouble, we don't mind taking things to the extreme and seeing the truth in court.

Wei Yanqiu's hand trembled, and he almost dropped his phone.

"What do they know? How much do they know?"

"I don't know the specifics, but judging from the tone of the messenger, Miss Bian must have told Su Wan quite a bit of inside information. And..." Zhou Lin added with difficulty.

"Mr. Wei, the Su family and our group have always had in-depth cooperation in the medical device sector. Last year, the exclusive agency rights for the imported equipment worth 700 million yuan were signed with the Su family."

If things really fall apart, not only will this cooperation fall through, but our operations in the southern market will also be severely damaged.

"I'm afraid the board of directors..."

Business interests, family reputation, and his brother's life.

Several mountains pressed down on him at the same time, and for the first time, Wei Yanqiu felt suffocated and unable to breathe.

It turns out that money and power are not everything. When the other party possesses these same things and is willing to go all out, her bargaining chips seem weak.

She remembered what her father said when he handed the company over to her.

"Yanqiu, the Wei family is in your hands now. Zixian... take good care of him as well."

At that time, she felt a heavy weight on her shoulders, but she still had confidence.

Now she felt that these two burdens were pulling her in opposite directions, almost tearing her apart.

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Lin was still waiting for instructions.

Wei Yanqiu took a slow breath, his voice calm and resolute: "Continue the investigation."

"Use the most covert methods to bypass the Su family's core industries and sensitive networks."

Starting from the outside, we investigated medical institutions that were not controlled by the Su family but might have connections, checked all recent medical referral records from our area, and traced vehicle routes...

I need to know exactly where Bian Zhizhi is in Yantong.

"Mr. Wei, this will take time, and there are risks involved..."

"There is no 'moreover'." Wei Yanqiu interrupted him, her voice cold and hard. "Zhou Lin, you've been with me for so many years, you should understand."

Zixian might die. Do you think the company's profits are more important, or his life?

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

Zhou Lin's voice finally rang out again: "I understand, President Wei. I will do everything I can."

After hanging up the phone, Wei Yanqiu slumped into a chair and remained motionless for a long time.

Bian Zhizhi's life gradually entered a new phase.

My father, Bian Wenbo, was discharged from the hospital and is recovering well at home.

The wound in his throat is healing well, and with the guidance of a speech therapist, he is now able to produce some simple hoarse sounds.

Director Chen said that, based on this trend, normal communication should not be a problem in three months.

"It's good that you can speak, it's good that you can speak." Lin Suxin cried tears of joy, holding her husband's hand and repeating the same words over and over.

Bian Wenbai gripped her hand tightly, his eyes welling up with tears.

Another weight was lifted from Bian Zhizhi's heart.

She gradually got the hang of her job at the rehabilitation center.

Xiao Yu started to be willing to play with the sand table in front of her. Although he still didn't speak, he would point out the things he had placed.

The other children gradually accepted this quiet and gentle new teacher.

When she squats down beside the children and watches them build their own worlds in the sandbox or paint on paper, she can temporarily forget the Wei family mansion and the tangled past.

Su Wan often came over, bringing fruit and trinkets to cheer Bian Wenbai up.

She never mentioned the Wei family, only talking about the weather in Yantong and the newly opened restaurant.

Bian Zhizhi was grateful for her thoughtfulness.

But Wei Zixian's situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

The effects of the hunger strike and water shortage are beginning to fully manifest.

He had a persistent low-grade fever, and his consciousness fluctuated between being clear and confused. When he was clear-headed, he would just stare at the painting or out the window, his eyes frighteningly empty.

The family doctor comes to check on me every day, and my blood pressure is low, my heart rate is irregular, and my electrolyte imbalance is getting worse.

Lu Fangchi practically lived at the Wei residence, leaving all company affairs to his subordinates. He tried everything:

They tried to force-feed him the food by turning it into a liquid, but Wei Zixian vomited it all up.

Wei Yanqiu pleaded through the door, but there was no response from inside.

I even put the jasmine-scented hand cream that Bian Zhizhi used to like by the door... but it didn't work.

Wei Zixian was like a plant that had lost its moisture, and was withering away rapidly.

His skin had lost its luster, his lips were chapped and bleeding, his cheekbones were prominent, and his wrists were so thin they looked as if they would break at the slightest touch.

But he held the painting tightly in his arms the whole time.

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