That evening, just as Tao Xinrou was about to share the good news with her mother, she heard intense coughing from her mother's room.
"Mom, you're not well. Why didn't you turn on the air conditioner? What if you catch a cold!" Tao Xinrou rushed over, supporting her mother and gently patting her back, then quickly grabbed the remote to turn on the AC.
Tao's mother coughed for a while before finally catching her breath. She patted Tao Xinrou's arm and shook her head: "It's nothing, just choked. No need for the AC, it wastes electricity. This old ailment of mine, I can tough it out. I don't need to be so delicate."
"Mom, how many times have I told you? Don't worry about money. Your health is the most important thing."
Tao's mother nodded, her eyes full of guilt: "Okay, I know. You've worked hard, Xiaorou. Mom's body always gives you trouble. If your father were still here, you wouldn't have to run around like this all alone."
At the mention of Tao's father, the already somber atmosphere grew heavier.
Tao Xinrou shook her head: "Mom, it's not hard. Taking care of you is what I should do. And I've always felt that something is off about Dad's accident."
Tao's mother's eyes immediately reddened, tears streaming down the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes: "I know what you're thinking. I thought it was off back then too. On the day your father left, I never believed he would drink and drive. Your father cherished his life more than anything. He never drank excessively, and he would never drive drunk. He was such a careful person—how could he make a mistake like that?"
Tao Xinrou's heart felt like it was pricked by a needle, a bitter ache unbearable.
Although she had heard her mother talk about her father's life many times, hearing about his death again filled her heart with pain.
When she was young, she didn't understand why her mother would wipe away tears late at night, muttering, "It can't be true." But why didn't they sue them, find out the truth? Now she realized finding the truth wasn't easy.
Seeing her mother holding back tears, Tao Xinrou asked, "Mom, tell me more about what happened back then."
Tao's mother wiped her tears and sank into memory: "I remember the day of the funeral, many of your father's former colleagues came. Everyone was very kind, comforting me. Later, one person left a deep impression on me. He said he was your father's supervisor at the branch. I think his name was Ying Huaishan. That day I took you to the hospital, we ran into him. Although he looked familiar, I was afraid he might recognize me and cause trouble for you. Luckily, you suggested switching hospitals."
"Ying Huaishan?" Tao Xinrou's heart suddenly tightened. This matched the contents of the files.
"Yes, I'm sure I'm not mistaken. That day he looked familiar to me, and I must have looked familiar to him too. At the time, I couldn't remember his name, but a few days ago it suddenly came back to me. It's him." Tao's mother nodded, recalling carefully. "He was wearing a suit, looking very decent. He came over to apologize, saying he failed to take good care of your father, and gave me some condolence money, but I didn't take it. He said your father had been diligent at the branch, a good employee, and he never expected such an accident."
"I wanted to ask him right then what your father had done at the branch, if something had happened. But he had several people with him, and before I could ask, someone hurried him away. Later, the police report came out, saying your father's blood alcohol level was over the limit, that he lost control while driving drunk and fell into the river. I couldn't accept it. I went to ask several times, but eventually they gave me the blood test report. Black and white—I had no choice but to believe it..." Tao's mother closed her eyes, her voice choked.
"Mom, I also don't believe Dad was that kind of person. And do you remember? When Dad went to the branch, I already foresaw that he would be in a car accident."
Tao's mother nodded, her face full of regret: "Back then, I thought you were just young and didn't want your dad to leave. If only I had known... I wouldn't have let him go." As she spoke, she covered her mouth, about to cry again.
Tao Xinrou gently patted her mother's back: "Mom, don't worry. I'm working at Yunlu now and I'm already investigating this. I firmly believe there's something wrong, we just haven't found the evidence." Tao Xinrou looked at her father's portrait, her gaze becoming more determined. "I will get to the bottom of this. I'll clear Dad's name. I won't let him leave in obscurity."
Tao's mother nodded again: "Xiaorou, it's been so many years. I've accepted the facts, but I've never truly let it go. I'm just not capable enough to find the truth, so I forced myself to accept it. I know you're filial, that you want justice for your father. But I'm afraid—afraid that as you investigate, you'll offend someone you shouldn't, and then I'll be all alone..."
As she spoke, tears flowed again. Tao Xinrou was moved. She felt the same way as her mother.
In this world, she and her mother relied on each other, with no one else to turn to.
If anything went wrong, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself, and she feared her mother couldn't bear it either.
"Mom..." She hugged her mother, gently patting her back. "Mom, I know. I'll be careful. Don't worry about me. I've grown up. I will find the truth, and I won't let myself get hurt."
Tao's mother wiped her tears, not wanting to dwell on sadness: "I'm not stopping you. I just hope that when you investigate, you'll be careful. Don't push yourself too hard. If it's too difficult, we can let it go. I just want you to be okay."
"Mom, I promise I'll protect myself."
At that moment, outside the room, Ying Jingsheng's hand, which had been about to knock, paused.
He had just received a reply from Wang Anran that Dr. Wang wanted their previous reports as a reference, and had come to remind Tao Xinrou to prepare them. But as he reached the door, he overheard the conversation between mother and daughter.
Tao Haizhen drunk driving, Ying Huaishan attending the funeral...
It seemed the clues were more complicated than he had anticipated.
So Tao Haizhen's death really was no accident.
Ying Huaishan, what secrets are you hiding?
From inside the room, the voices of mother and daughter drifted intermittently. Ying Jingsheng stood in silence for a long time. Finally, he turned and went back to his own room.
Some things still needed to be investigated slowly.