Overly Intense [Criminal Investigation] 97

Chapter 97: The Stream That Flows Back to the Sea

As for the script, Shen Yiyi did not reply at all. Qin Luo, with her screenwriter’s brain, would only become more and more afraid the more she thought about it, so she simply stopped pressing.

When Liu Jia had knocked on the door without notice, Qin Luo had indeed been scared. She had thought that even couples who had been in love for a long time would want to kill each other, let alone a friendship tied to a chain of interests.

She was the one who did the public-facing work for Logos, and Liu Jia managed all the other big and small matters. A relationship of mutual achievement. Why would she want to kill her?

Qin Luo waved her hand. Forget it. Anyway, the password to her house had been changed, and the security measures of the complex were strict. If Cloud Top was not safe, then she really had nowhere to run.

She took a few sleeping pills and lay down to sleep.

Perhaps it was because she owed too much, and with the effect of the sleeping pills, Qin Luo had slept from the afternoon until the next morning.

Liu Jia, who couldn’t find Qin Luo, was like a madwoman. She had sent Qin Luo dozens of WeChat messages, including asking where she had died, and three live stream warehouse rental contracts, a podcast team moving plan, and a public account group class sales report.

Qin Luo replied to them one by one, as if she were just going through the motions.

[Where did you go on your business trip?]
[I didn’t go on a business trip.]
[The housekeeper said you haven’t been home recently, so there’s no need to deliver groceries this month.]
[I’m writing. I don’t want to be disturbed.]

Liu Jia was puzzled by the message. [Then when I knocked on your door yesterday, were you at home?]
[I drank too much the day before yesterday and passed out.]

It took a few minutes for Liu Jia to reply: [Oh.]

Liu Jia did not ask her why she had changed her password, just replied with an “oh.” Qin Luo felt guilty and simply did not reply.

Besides Liu Jia, there was also Shen Yiyi, who had not replied to the script question yesterday. Not only had she sent a “good night” last night, but she had also sent a “morning” at six this morning.

Qin Luo ignored her and began to reply to the other missed calls.

One of them was from the person in charge of the complex.

It was almost October, and it was time for the art week. The complex where the reading group was located was hosting some of the art week’s exhibitions. The person in charge had called Qin Luo to ask if she could rent the venue.

The reading group’s recording would be completely over in a few months, and new activities were being stopped one after another. Everyone was busy with the finishing touches. The reading group’s club would not be open during the National Day holiday, so the venue would be idle anyway. It was better to let the art exhibition use it.

But moving the venue was a big deal. Qin Luo was busy with the production, and she couldn’t get away to hand over the venue.

Qin Luo wanted to call Zhan Luo, but she subconsciously felt that a man would be careless. In the past, it had always been Wang Xi who had handled it, and she had never had this problem.

But on second thought, the way Zhan Luo had been nagging in her ear did not seem like a careless person. After all, Zhan Luo had done a good job with the reading group’s anniversary celebration. The details were all taken care of, and she didn’t even have to worry about the seating arrangement.

Yes, she had to reject the stereotype.

“Manager Wang from the complex called me. They want to rent the second-floor activity hall of the reading group during the National Day holiday. I’ll create a group chat in a bit. You can look at their needs and follow up.”

Zhan Luo was also quick. “Okay, Sister Qin.”

Qin Luo was eating oatmeal. The TV was broadcasting the recent social news about the surge in flu cases and the overload of hospitals.

She turned up the volume of her phone. “Has President Liu’s assistant contacted you about the matter of you moving to the live stream department after this quarter’s project is over?”

“Wang Qi told me, but the specific details of the job have not yet been discussed.”

Hearing his thick nasal voice, Qin Luo chewed slowly. “Do you have a cold?”

“Yes, I have a cold.”

“Yes, there were a lot of people at the riverside scenic area that day, and the flu has been severe recently.” Qin Luo swallowed her oatmeal. She happened to think of Shen Yiyi’s words. “Then you can just handle the matter of the venue rental. You don’t have to pick me up. I happen to be on a business trip.”

On the other end of the line, Zhan Luo was talking about canceling the event and dismissing the volunteers. On this side, Qin Luo was looking for Wang Xi’s WeChat on her phone.

She clicked on her Moments.

“You can give me the volunteer list for this quarter first. I’ll let you know when the team-building location is chosen, and then you can implement the plan.” Qin Luo hung up after she had finished speaking.

Wang Xi had posted a selfie, with the location in Shanghai.

Wang Xi was back in the country?
Why didn’t she go back to Logos if she was back?

Qin Luo was a nostalgic person. Compared to Zhan Luo, she missed the time she had spent with Wang Xi as her assistant more.

Wang Xi was very efficient and did not procrastinate. She would basically not repeat anything after confirming it for the second time. Even if the decision was wrong in the eyes of outsiders, Wang Xi would execute it decisively.

Wang Xi had once complained about Qin Luo on the Logos podcast “Contemporary Cattle and Horses Have Something to Say.” She had said: “The position of an assistant has a very low value. Is the main point of an assistant to help the boss make decisions? No, the primary task of an assistant is to soothe the boss’s emotions, to arrange the schedule, and to let the boss squeeze out more time to think about decisions. So Qin Luo’s farts are fragrant to her.”

After Wang Xi had resigned, Qin Luo had had a hard time getting used to it for a long time. Even Zhan Luo, who had come to drive in Wang Xi’s place, was often called by the wrong name by Qin Luo.

Qin Luo turned off the TV and typed on the screen: [Are you back in Shanghai?]
Wang Xi replied in a second: [Hehe, you finally saw my Moments.]

Qin Luo was a little depressed. Wang Xi had been by her side since the Logos official account was first created. At that time, there was no Logos. She thought to herself that although there was some pretense in her work and social life, sincerity could not be faked. Qin Luo had few private friends, and Wang Xi was one of the few who could accompany her for a walk and a drink in the middle of the night.

Expectation is a subtle violence.

Originally, Qin Luo had felt that the two of them were not too close, not too far. Now, a single “finally saw” had immediately brought their relationship back to its original state. The boss’s high position was constantly declining. She had been put in the back seat by Wang Xi.

Qin Luo comforted herself that any relationship would be like this after a long period of separation. It was also a good thing to be familiar and yet unfamiliar.

[Why didn’t you look for me when you came back?]
[Hey, I’m dealing with some emotional matters.]
Qin Luo asked: [Did you break up?]
[Yes, we’re not compatible. I knew this relationship wouldn’t last when I went, but it’s still very sad to really break up.]
Qin Luo: [It’s not easy to hear you say you’re sad.]

The conversation ended there. By the time Qin Luo had finished cleaning up the dishes, Wang Xi had not replied.

Qin Luo put her phone in her pocket, changed her clothes, and prepared to go to the production to handle the outsourcing matters.

When she got to the underground garage and walked to her car, she realized that she had not brought her car keys. So she took the elevator back home. But when she pressed her fingerprint, the door lock did not open. She tried the password, but it still did not open. Only then did Qin Luo remember that she had changed the door lock password yesterday, and her fingerprints had been canceled. By the time Qin Luo had found her car keys in her trousers and had gotten into the car, she had realized that she had forgotten to bring a spare sanitary pad.

Qin Luo gripped the steering wheel with both hands, took a deep breath, and then took out her phone to send a message to Wang Xi:

[When are you planning to come back to work?]

Wang Xi was very fast in her new job. The next day, she had gotten a 997 high-paying job.

But she was not here to drive for Qin Luo, but to bail someone out of the police station.

The beaten Zhan Luo was sitting on a public bench with his head down. The photographer who had been beaten had a swollen eye, and there was still blood on his shirt. He was cursing with a childish accent, and you could tell he was from the north.

Wang Xi had known Zhan Luo for a long time and knew that he was not an impulsive person, unless the person who had been beaten deserved to be beaten.

She nodded and looked at his black eye. “Reconcile.”

“If he doesn’t apologize, I won’t reconcile.”

Wang Xi had come in a hurry and had forgotten this Li’s name. Anyway, he was a passerby. Calling him Li was a compliment. “Alright, you don’t want to reconcile, right?”

Wang Xi’s face was expressionless. She turned and walked toward the case reporting window. “I’ll go and report the case. We won’t reconcile either.”

Li was flustered. “What are you reporting?”

“Sexual. Harassment. Of our Director Qin.”

“Wait…” Li was so anxious he stood up and grabbed the young woman’s arm. “How have I sexually harassed her?”

Wang Xi pointed at his nose. “Why were you beaten? Don’t you have any idea?”

Of course, Li knew in his heart. Today, his team and the Her Kill production were discussing the storyboards. As the assistant cinematographer, he naturally had to get to know Lu Xi’s original lighting team, to follow the focus, to check the other’s real-time color grading standards, and to get some data management to help the team get started faster.

There were few female lighting technicians in the production, let alone other mechanical arms and tracks. He had gotten carried away in his conversation and had made a few jokes with the girls in the lighting team. Who would have thought that in the afternoon, the assistant director would find their cinematographer and tell him to get lost?

He thought that they were all adults. A couple of touches and a few flirtatious words had been brought to the table, and he had lost his job. The production would not even reimburse him for the plane tickets. He was angry and had rushed to the lighting team to confront the young girl. After a couple of arguments, Qin Luo had also come.

He had had dinner with Qin Luo the day before yesterday. She was a great beauty, gentle and elegant. Although she was a cultured person, she had still been persuaded by them to drink back and forth.

He had seen Qin Luo’s attitude when she had asked their team for help. She was polite and humble. It was not possible that a couple of jokes would break their cooperation. Besides, the great lawyer Xin was also there.

The lawyer had also persuaded them to reconcile. He did not want to cause such a scene before the contract was signed.

But Qin Luo had not given him a way out and had just told him to pack his things and leave.

Li was, after all, a person who had worked with famous directors and was well-connected in the Beijing circle. He was not afraid since he was not close to them here. Besides, there were not many successful female directors. It was too difficult for this shabby project to take off. He was not interested in getting a piece of it.

But he also did not dare to tear his face and curse Qin Luo, so he had insulted the lighting technician.

Qin Luo was so angry her face was pale. She had blocked his way and had told him to apologize before he left. Li was emotional and did not care about anything. He had dragged Qin Luo into the curse.

He had cursed quite filthily. He was even afraid when he thought about it now.

Who knew that Qin Luo had also brought a bodyguard, who had come up and had given him a big punch, knocking him out with two bangs.

“I wasn’t the one who called the police. It was your Director Qin. And you were the ones who started it. I won’t reconcile without 20,000.”

Wang Xi nodded. “20,000 is fine. I’ll transfer it to you right away.”

The police were also not happy to deal with it. Hearing that the two were willing to settle privately, they immediately went through the process. Zhan Luo obediently signed the mediation agreement, and after both parties had signed and confirmed, they were released.

Just as Li had walked out of the mediation room, he saw the girl he had harassed today giving a statement. Qin Luo was standing beside her, showing the police her phone.

“What do you mean?” Li had not come back to his senses. “You went to report the case?”

Wang Xi handed Zhan Luo a tissue and then looked at Li. “Director Qin said that 25,000 and an apology can get you a reconciliation. But if you don’t want to reconcile, that’s fine too. We at Logos can get you a few trending topics.”

It was not until 10:30 at night that the matter was successfully resolved. Zhan Luo was sitting in the passenger seat, and the driver’s seat was taken over by Wang Xi.

Zhan Luo fastened his seatbelt and did not say anything. Qin Luo took the initiative to speak. “I’ll pay for this.”