These past few days, Ying Jingsheng hadn't come back for dinner. Word was that the hotel had been overrun with troublemakers because of the incident, and everyone had to work overtime.
Tao Xinrou glanced at the clock. It was almost 11 p.m. She was about to go to bed when she heard the door lock click. It was Ying Jingsheng returning.
"Still up?"
Tao Xinrou nodded. "Can't sleep."
Ying Jingsheng changed his shoes and came in. His tie hung loosely around his neck, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, looking more relaxed than when he was at work. He walked over, casually poured a glass of water, and asked, "Still thinking about the suspension?"
Tao Xinrou shook her head, then nodded. "Not entirely. It's just that being at home, unable to do anything, feels a bit..."
"Boring?"
"Stifling." She laughed. "Like being locked in a cage."
Ying Jingsheng didn't say anything; he just looked at her. The living room was lit only by a floor lamp, casting a warm yellow glow and a soft shadow across his face.
Feeling a little uncomfortable under his gaze, Tao Xinrou randomly found a topic. "I heard from Shuhui that the hotel has been busy lately, with everyone working overtime."
"Mm. A few troublemakers. It's clear they were sent by someone. I suspect Ying Huaishan is behind it, but I haven't found proof yet."
"Will they be detained?"
Ying Jingsheng smiled. "Not that serious. We'll wait until we find evidence."
They fell silent for a moment.
"By the way, I'm planning to have Anran go see that accountant again tomorrow. Do you want to come along?" Ying Jingsheng smoothly shifted the topic to official matters.
Tao Xinrou's eyes lit up. "Tomorrow? Can I?" She hesitated.
"Of course. You can see for yourself about the future you predicted, and get some fresh air at the same time." Ying Jingsheng smiled.
"Okay. I'll go."
Ying Jingsheng nodded and stood up. "We'll set off at eight. Get some rest."
He walked toward his room, then stopped after a couple of steps. "Tao Xinrou."
"Hmm?"
"Don't overthink. I'm here."
With that, he entered his room. Those words lingered like an open-ended sentence, stretching and extending until they reached her heart, that damp and soft soil, where they became a seed, slowly taking root. It was about to sprout, yet it remained hidden.
She looked at Ying Jingsheng's door, unsure what to say or think. But a certain unwavering belief had taken root in her heart.
*
A two-hour drive quickly brought them to their destination. Along the way, Tao Xinrou kept wondering: Could she really make that old accountant talk? And on what grounds?
As she pondered, the car stopped at the entrance of a village near a county town.
"Can't drive any further. We'll have to walk," Wang Anran said.
They got out and walked along a dirt path. Old residential houses lined the road, with an occasional dog barking. Tao Xinrou looked around, her heartbeat quickening. This scene was somewhat similar to the image that had flashed through her mind.
At the end of the dirt path was a yard. The walls were made of red brick, the gate was welded from iron sheets and had rusted. Beside the gate grew a tree, most of its leaves fallen, but a few petals still clung to the branches.
This was the place.
Wang Anran stepped forward and knocked on the gate. "Accountant Li, we know you're home. We'd like to have a word with you."
There was no response from inside. He knocked several more times, but still no one came out. Wang Anran turned back to Tao Xinrou and shook his head. "Miss Tao, I'll report to President Ying. Looks like we've made another wasted trip. I'm sorry."
Tao Xinrou nodded and followed him as they turned back. But with every step she took, a surge of unwillingness roiled within her. This was her first time here, and perhaps her last. If she didn't take something back, she feared she'd never have another chance.
When they reached the car, she finally made a decision. "Assistant Wang, I want to try again."
By then, Wang Anran was already on the phone reporting the situation. Tao Xinrou finished speaking and turned back. She stood before the rusty iron gate and knocked resolutely. "Uncle Li, my name is Tao Xinrou. I'm Tao Haizhen's daughter. I'd like to see you. May I?"
As expected, those words only made the person inside less likely to open the door. But she had to try anyway.
"My father had an accident at the Southwest Branch sixteen years ago. My mother and I never got to see him one last time. Do you know how we've managed all these years?" Her voice trembled, but she didn't stop.
"I know you knew him. I heard he was closest to you back then. When I was little, he always praised Yunlu and his colleagues, saying Yunlu was his lifelong dream, the best place he'd ever gone."
She paused.
"But now, Yunlu is also where his life ended, where his family was thrown into hardship. I know you have a lot to say but don't dare. But after all these years, can you really rest easy letting him leave so unjustly?"
Her eyes stung, but she held back her tears.
"I came here today to learn the truth. I want my father to rest in peace, and I want you to live without fear. I think, since he was so close to you, you must not have the heart to let him suffer injustice, right?
"Uncle Li, if this had happened to you, and your daughter or son was desperately seeking the truth, wouldn't you hope your colleague would tell the truth about what happened back then?"
The yard remained silent. Tao Xinrou waited a little longer, then concluded that Accountant Li wasn't going to open the door. It seemed her prophetic vision was about to be wrong.
Still unwilling to give up, she walked to the side, hoping that perhaps the accountant would open the door once he thought they had left. But there was no movement at all.
About ten minutes later, Wang Anran returned. He said Ying Jingsheng had told them to go back, that they could find another way. But Tao Xinrou didn't want to go back. She felt the truth was behind that door, and she couldn't afford to miss this chance—just a wall away.
"Assistant Wang, let me try one more time, please."
Wang Anran couldn't dissuade her. Tao Xinrou knocked again. She said in a low voice, "Uncle Li, it's okay if you don't want to talk. It's just that I might never know my father's story. We won't bother you again. I wish you good health and all the best."
Tao Xinrou looked at the fallen leaves scattered on the ground by the wind and suddenly felt ridiculous. What made her think that a few words could make an old man who had kept silent for sixteen years speak?
"Miss Tao, let's go."
Tao Xinrou nodded and turned to leave. But just as she turned, a dull sound came from behind—the sound of a bolt sliding open. Both of them turned around. The iron gate opened a crack, revealing a face full of wrinkles. The old man wore reading glasses, his hair white, his eyes cloudy but fixed firmly on Tao Xinrou.
"Child, are you Haizhen's daughter?"
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Author's note: Random red envelopes for comments in this chapter!