noffsinger Chapter 336
Chapter 336
After staying in the hospital room for half an hour, Old Madame Sheng got up and left.Just as she reached the hospital entrance, Anuo said, "Mom, a friend asked me to help with something, so I need to go handle it first."
She watched Old Madame Sheng’s car drive away and immediately hailed a taxi. The car drove smoothly to a hotel in the city center, where a banquet was being held.
She presented her VIP card and walked straight in.
The place was crowded with guests, and no one noticed her arrival.
"Over here!"
A woman on the spiral staircase waved.
Anuo walked over in her high heels, smiling as she greeted her. "Miss Lu, that dress is really stunning on you today."
Lu Jiaojiao handed her a glass of wine. "Reporter An... no, I should call you Mrs. Sheng now. Congratulations on your marriage. Come on, let’s go upstairs and talk slowly."
The two entered a lounge.
As soon as she stepped inside, Anuo pulled out a device that looked like a detection lamp from her handbag. She scanned the room thoroughly, confirming there were no hidden surveillance cameras, before finally sitting down in relief.
Lowering her voice, she said, "Miss Lu, you wanted to get into Japan’s top materials research institute, right? The opportunity has come."
Lu Jiaojiao immediately sat up straight.
Nearly a year ago, she had been branded a "scholarly seductress," her reputation destroyed, and she was nailed to the pillar of shame in the scientific research community.
She had been learning since she could remember—studying hard, working tirelessly. The only thing she was truly good at was research. But she was no longer welcome in the academic circle, and to her family, she had lost all value.
Her father constantly assessed her with a calculating gaze, as if estimating how much she could be sold for.
When she had no way out, she met Anuo.
Anuo had introduced her to a Japanese investor who had founded a pharmaceutical factory in China. Her job was to assist the factory with various data analysis and research.
That investor became her protector, temporarily preventing the Lu family from forcing her into marriage.
If she could go to Japan and enter the largest materials research institute there, she could rebuild her future.
"This is a new type of medication, but its formula has been cracked, so it needs an upgrade. Here’s a copy of the medical record I transcribed for your research," Anuo said calmly. "If you can complete this task, I’ll help you establish a foothold in Japan’s scientific research circle."
Lu Jiaojiao was overjoyed.
This was exactly her area of expertise.
She grabbed Anuo’s hand excitedly. "Really?"
Anuo gently pulled her fingers away. "Only if you can do it. Alright, I have to go..."
Before she could finish,
suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Knock, knock!"
Two soft taps, and Anuo felt an inexplicable unease.
In the past, she would have sat there calmly, no matter who was at the door, and handled it with ease.
But for some reason, she was deeply unsettled.
She whispered, "Whoever it is, send them away."
Lu Jiaojiao nodded and raised her voice. "Who is it? What do you want? I’m resting in here!"
The knocking persisted.
Frowning, Lu Jiaojiao walked to the door and peered through the peephole. She saw a familiar face—Rong Yu.
She turned back and murmured, "It’s nothing to do with you. Just an old acquaintance of mine."
She yanked the door open and leaned against the frame. "Miss Rong, a busy person like you actually has time to attend such a low-class banquet? What do you want?"
Rong Yu’s lips were cold. "Step aside."
She grabbed Lu Jiaojiao by the arm and pulled her to the side.
Lu Jiaojiao shouted angrily, "This is my private lounge! What do you think you’re doing? Let go of me! Security—"
Before she could finish,
suddenly, a gust of wind struck from her left, and something ice-cold pressed against her temple.
She turned her head in disbelief.
A gun.
It was a gun!
Her legs went weak with terror, and she nearly collapsed to the floor.
Sheng Qingyan pressed the gun to her head and forced her to step backward into the lounge.
Anuo had been calmly sipping tea when she looked up and saw Sheng Qingyan walk in. Even for someone as composed as her, it felt like someone had grabbed her by the throat.
"Qingyan, what brings you here?" She forced a smile, instantly regaining her composure. "Are you and Miss Rong here for the banquet too?"
"Aunt."
Sheng Qingyan toyed with the gun, his voice flat and chilling. Despite the intimate title, it sent a shiver down Anuo’s spine.
"To be honest, no one suspected you at first."
His voice was icy.
Three hours ago, he had obtained a list from the military of everyone who had come into contact with Old Master Ji over the past three days—more than two hundred people, most of whom had brief interactions at the Sheng family wedding banquet.
The military had spent over ten hours screening everyone, finally narrowing it down to two suspicious names.
He had been planning to approach those two individuals.
But instead, Anuo had come straight to him.
In Old Master Ji’s hospital room, Anuo had acted very naturally—asking about his condition naturally, picking up the medical record naturally... but it was all too natural, and that made it unnatural.
He had deliberately let a bit of information slip.
And sure enough, Anuo had immediately separated from Old Madame Sheng and rushed here alone.
Who would have thought that on the second floor of a banquet hall with hundreds of people, an intelligence exchange was taking place? What a perfect choice of venue.
"Anuo!" Sheng Qingyan dropped the formal address. "Come with me. You need to cooperate with a military investigation!"
Anuo was incredulous. "Sheng Qingyan, what have I done that you need to detain me? I was just sitting in a lounge chatting with a friend. Is that a crime? You need evidence to arrest someone. Do you have any?"
"There is no evidence yet, but according to the National Emergency Security Law..." Sheng Qingyan said coldly, "When there is a significant threat to national security, the military has the authority to place high-risk individuals under 24-hour temporary supervision to prevent the leakage of critical intelligence."
"I’m just an ordinary person. Since when did I become a threat to national security?" Anuo trembled with anger. "I’m a CCTV journalist, the eldest daughter of the An family, the wife of your uncle, your elder. Don’t you fear retribution for slandering me like this?"
Rong Yu scoffed. "You poisoned an eighty-year-old man. Don’t you fear retribution?"
Although there was no direct evidence,
once a suspect was identified, investigating around them would surely uncover clues.
Sheng Qingyan pulled out handcuffs from behind his waist and walked toward Anuo step by step.
Anuo straightened up, her voice calm. "Don’t touch me. I’m already carrying the Sheng family’s bloodline."
"It’s just a trip to the military headquarters for some questioning. Being pregnant changes nothing." Sheng Qingyan locked the cold handcuffs onto her wrists, then turned his icy gaze to Lu Jiaojiao, who was trembling on the floor. "You’d better pray that you’re clean. Otherwise, your fate won’t be any better than Anuo’s!"
Lu Jiaojiao felt as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over her, leaving her frozen to the bone.