Chapter Three: The Factory Fire

Shu Yiming nodded. "Alright, Jinghan, I'll leave this matter to you. Also, keep a certain degree of caution toward Wu Jun and Sun Qianqian."

"Don't worry, big brother, I guarantee the mission will be accomplished." Shu Jinghan gave a playful salute.

They played until dusk before Shu Yiming finally called the two, who were still reluctant to leave, back home.

The next morning, Shu Yiming got up early, prepared breakfast, and only then woke the girls.

Having returned to the past, he cherished every moment.

After a simple meal, Shu Yiming instructed Shu Miaoyan to stay home and be good, then set out with Shu Jinghan, each heading off on their own.

He first drove Shu Jinghan to her study place, then began scouring the city for street-side advertisements.

In 1998, mobile phones were not yet common, and online resources were scarce. If you wanted to find a shop’s address, you usually had to rely on newspapers or street ads.

Fortunately, Jiangning was a sizeable city, with talent in every trade.

Soon, to his delight, he spotted a small ad in a newspaper: “Omni Detective Agency, your wise choice, my quality service, wholeheartedly at your beck and call. Address: 77 Liuyu Lane, Developed District.”

He immediately went to the address.

After weaving through several alleys, Shu Yiming finally found the detective agency and knocked gently on the door.

“Come in, the door’s unlocked.”

“Some quality service—can’t even bother to open the door,” Shu Yiming thought to himself, but didn’t dwell on it and simply pushed the door open.

Inside, he saw a young man with a messy mop of hair sitting in front of a computer, loudly exclaiming, his fingers flying across the keyboard in a dizzying flurry.

“Wait a minute, almost done,” the messy-haired youth said without turning around.

At this, Shu Yiming nearly turned to leave.

The man looked disheveled, about the same age as himself. No matter how he looked at it, he didn’t resemble a private detective at all.

But then again, there weren’t many people in this line of work to begin with. If he left now, who knew when he’d find another agency?

Forget it—better to wait and see. Appearances could be deceiving, after all.

Comforting himself, Shu Yiming found a chair and sat down, waiting patiently.

Ten minutes later, the mop-headed youth finally finished. As he turned around, he said, “Sorry, I was in a heated session of Age of Empires with some friends. What can I do for—”

He stopped mid-sentence, stunned. Shu Yiming, seeing his face, was equally taken aback.

A moment of silence, then both burst out with an expletive in unison: “Damn, why is it you, you bastard!”

They spoke in perfect harmony.

Shu Yiming had never expected this rude guy to be his high school best friend, Ouyang Zhuo.

Back then, Ouyang Zhuo had been obsessed with computers and neglected his studies, so his parents forced him to study abroad. After that, they lost contact.

Catching up after so long, both were filled with emotion.

“Never thought your family would suffer such a misfortune. My condolences,” Ouyang Zhuo sighed.

Shu Yiming waved his hand. “I'm fine, life has to go on. But tell me, why are you here running a detective agency instead of taking over your family’s business? How did your family allow this?”

Ouyang Zhuo grinned sheepishly. “I snuck back. You know me—I was never cut out for studying, and business is even more out of my league. If I took over, the company would go bankrupt for sure!”

Shu Yiming chuckled. He knew his old friend well—plenty of talent and brains, just too lackadaisical, living life like a game.

“Alright, enough nonsense. Others may not know your abilities, but I do. I’ll get straight to the point—I came here today to ask a favor.”

“We’re brothers—no need for favors. If I can do it, I’ll do it, no question.” Ouyang Zhuo thumped his chest, laughing heartily.

Shu Yiming looked at him gratefully. “You haven’t lost your touch, have you?”

Ouyang Zhuo looked at him suspiciously, then quickly understood. “Of course not. I may not have many other skills, but when it comes to computers, hacking into some business secrets is child’s play.”

“Good. Here are the profiles of several vice presidents at my company. I want evidence of them betraying the company’s interests and breaking the law.”

“No problem. At the latest, I’ll have satisfactory results for you the day after tomorrow,” Ouyang Zhuo promised.

“Alright, I’ll spare the thank-yous. Once this is over, we’ll catch up properly,” Shu Yiming said, then took his leave.

When he got home, Shu Jinghan hadn’t returned yet.

He had just sat down when the phone rang. Seeing the caller ID showed his company secretary Qin Yue, a sense of foreboding washed over him. He quickly answered, “Hello? What’s happened?”

“President Shu, bad news—the factory in the west of the city has caught fire.”

“What? Did you call the police? Any casualties?” Shu Yiming shot to his feet, his voice tense.

“We called the police. A few workers suffered minor injuries and have been taken to the hospital. The fire’s out now, but most of our goods were lost. I’m afraid we can’t deliver on time, which means we’ll have to pay double the penalty for breach of contract.”

Qin Yue’s voice was heavy; she felt miserable too. The new chairman had barely taken charge, and now this had happened.

“Have they determined whether it was arson or something else?” Shu Yiming’s head was throbbing.

“The police haven’t reached a conclusion yet, but…”

“But what?”

“I suspect Vice President Zhang is involved…”

“Enough. Don’t make accusations without evidence. Go to the hospital and comfort the injured workers. I’ll handle the rest.”

Hanging up, Shu Yiming’s expression grew darker.

After some thought, he picked up the phone and called Ouyang Zhuo. “Zhuo, there’s an urgent matter,” he said, explaining the situation.

“Help me find out if he’s behind this. If he is, get me the evidence. That way, I can turn the tables and reclaim the shares he holds. As for the compensation, I’ll think of something.”

“No problem. Wait for my news tonight,” Ouyang Zhuo replied, understanding the urgency and immediately getting to work.

Shu Yiming waited anxiously for Ouyang Zhuo’s news.

Just then, Shu Jinghan returned.

“Brother, I’m back. What are you pacing around for?”

Hearing her voice, Shu Yiming quickly walked over. “How did it go, Jinghan? Did she agree?”

Shu Jinghan looked troubled.

A wave of disappointment washed over Shu Yiming. So she still didn’t agree. Nevertheless, he comforted her, “It’s alright, we’ll think of another way.”

But Shu Jinghan said, “No, brother, she just wants to meet you first before deciding.”

“Alright, Jinghan, help me set up a meeting with her. Tomorrow at ten in the morning, at Serene Café,” Shu Yiming replied.

“Okay, I’ll call her right now.”

It wasn’t until late at night that Shu Yiming finally received a call from Ouyang Zhuo.