The next morning, as expected, no one called Tao Xinrou to come to work. She had known all along that she shouldn't have held out hope—she had been suspended.
She opened WeChat, wanting to chat with someone, but found that the person she was waiting for hadn't sent a message. Instead, there were messages from Zhao Sili and Zheng Shuhui offering their condolences.
Zheng Shuhui had worked the night shift yesterday. By the time she heard the news, Tao Xinrou was still asleep.
As soon as her phone turned on, she was bombarded with messages.
Just after noon, the doorbell rang.
She went to open the door. Zheng Shuhui stood there, and the moment she saw Tao Xinrou, she immediately started trembling. Her voice was nasal as she said, "Xinrou, I heard about what happened. How could they..."
Tao Xinrou was stunned for a second, then quickly pulled her inside. "Shuhui, why are you here? Come in."
Zheng Shuhui followed her into the living room, pouting with a grim expression. "I just got off work. I wanted to come see you. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
Zheng Shuhui looked up at her, her eyes reddening again. "How can you be fine? How could they do this? You didn't do anything wrong."
As she spoke, her voice began to tremble, as if she was holding back tears with all her might.
Tao Xinrou felt a warmth in her heart and took Zheng Shuhui's hand. "I'm really fine. I'll take this opportunity to rest a few days. Don't cry. If you keep crying, I'll start crying too."
Zheng Shuhui sniffled, nodded firmly, and forced a smile. "Mm, I won't cry. But when will this matter be resolved? You can't stay suspended forever, right?"
Tao Xinrou shook her head. "It will be resolved. Don't worry. President Ying is also working on it."
Zheng Shuhui nodded. "President Ying is such a good person. I believe he won't let you be wronged."
As she spoke, her gaze unconsciously swept across the living room.
Tao Xinrou followed her line of sight to the Buddhist shrine—a portrait of her late father.
Zheng Shuhui turned back, shocked, and asked Tao Xinrou, "Xinrou, is this... your father?"
Tao Xinrou nodded. "Mm."
"It's him... so it was him. Xinrou, why didn't you tell me earlier? So Uncle was your father." Tears welled up in Zheng Shuhui's eyes.
"Shuhui, I didn't mean to keep it from you. It's just..."
Zheng Shuhui nodded. "I understand, Xinrou. May I pay my respects?"
"Of course."
Zheng Shuhui slowly stood up, stepped closer, stood in front of the portrait, gazed at it quietly, then lit three incense sticks. Her eyes reddened again as she began to murmur to herself:
"My family has always been poor. My parents raised three of us—my older brother, me, and my younger sister. My brother went out to work right after high school. My older sister was sent away to another family when she was very young. My grandparents were in poor health, so my parents had to work multiple jobs, coming home very late every day. Back then, even having one meal a day was a luxury. I almost dropped out of school. Then I heard that the school had a scholarship program run by Yunlu Group. My homeroom teacher told me to give it a try, and I managed to get the scholarship and continue my studies. I've always treasured that opportunity and been grateful to Uncle Tao, who sponsored me."
"I remember the day Uncle came to school very clearly. He was wearing a gray jacket and spoke very kindly. He asked about my family situation, whether my studies were tiring, and told me to study hard and contribute to society when I succeeded. I thought to myself then, when I started working, I would thank him in person."
She lowered her head and wiped her tears.
"Now I've really come to Yunlu, but..."
But Uncle was no longer here.
Tao Xinrou looked at her, her heart stirred by something, and felt a pang of sadness. "Shuhui..."
Zheng Shuhui looked up, feeling that her current state was inappropriate. She quickly composed herself and forced a smile. "Look at me. I came to see you, but here I am crying like this."
She raised her hand to wipe her tears, then took Tao Xinrou's hand. "Xinrou, Uncle was a good person. He helped so many people. You have to be strong too. Don't let this get you down, okay?"
Tao Xinrou looked into her sincere eyes, her heart burning with warmth.
"I know. Thank you, Shuhui."
"Oh, I also remember that later, when Uncle came to visit us at school, there was another person with him—a leader from Yunlu," Zheng Shuhui said, frowning slightly as she tried to recall. "He was dressed very formally, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and spoke in a bureaucratic tone. Uncle stayed by his side the whole time, introducing the project to him."
Tao Xinrou's heart skipped a beat. "Who?"
"I remember now. It was Vice President Ying, who's been to our hotel a few times—Ying Huaishan."
Ying Huaishan!
Tao Xinrou's fingers tightened slightly.
Ying Huaishan again. What exactly was his connection to her father?
The scholarship program, her father's work back then, the old case of the Southwest Branch, and now the conspiracy at the hotel...
All the threads were tangled around the same person.
Zheng Shuhui noticed her suddenly pale face and asked, "Xinrou, should I not have said that?"
"No, thank you, Shuhui. What you said is very important to me."
It was precisely these fragments that pieced together the truth of what happened back then.
Her father couldn't have died in vain. Those who harmed him couldn't go unpunished forever.
After Zheng Shuhui left, Tao Xinrou sat alone in the living room for a long time.
The sunlight slanted in from the west, casting a warm yellow patch on the floor.
Her father's portrait glinted in the light, his gentle smile seeming to look at her, yet also somewhere else.
She stared at the photo for a long time, her mind still replaying Zheng Shuhui's words.