Chapter 211: The Photo
“That’s way too much!” Yu Yuan blurted out.
She knew that the reason she had been able to live relatively peacefully these days was because Gu Qinghuan had kept Wei Xiao occupied. So she often clung to Yu Xin, asking about Qinghuan’s situation.
Even if she couldn’t help much, at the very least she wanted to know whether Qinghuan was doing well, so that when needed, she could do her best to help.
But she never expected Wei Xiao to use such tactics.
“You hate it that much?” Yu Xin asked, a little surprised.
Yu Yuan tugged at her clothes, lowering her voice. “I really hate this kind of thing—using feelings to manipulate people.”
Because she herself had been controlled like that by the Yu family for years. If not for Yu Xin, Gu Qinghuan, and Jiang Chuchu, she would still be humbly trying to please Wei Xiao for the sake of that so-called “family love.”
Just thinking about it made her shiver. She even wanted to use everything she had learned in sanda on Wei Xiao and that Ning Siqi.
Yu Xin gently took her hand and pried her fingers open, rescuing the wrinkled fabric.
“Don’t worry. Everyone has already thought of a plan,” Yu Xin said, explaining Jiang Chuchu’s idea. “And if this works, your engagement with Wei Xiao will likely be canceled too. Two birds with one stone.”
Yu Yuan didn’t care about the engagement at all. What worried her more was what Ning Siqi might do to Qinghuan.
“Even if this attempt failed, until there’s a clear result, he’ll keep approaching Qinghuan, right?”
“This time he got beaten and Qinghuan saved him. Next time, what if he sets up trouble for Qinghuan and then ‘rescues’ her?” Yu Yuan spoke with conviction.
Yu Xin thought about it and nodded. “That’s not impossible. I’ll remind everyone in the class group.”
Yu Yuan nodded vigorously, leaning close to watch her type, only relaxing after confirming that Qinghuan had seen the message.
Gu Qinghuan: [Was that from Yu Yuan? Tell her thank you for me.]
Seeing that, Yu Yuan felt both happy and a little shy.
Being able to give Qinghuan a heads-up was already enough for her.
After replying to Yu Xin, Qinghuan received another message—from Bao Qingsong.
Bao Qingsong: [Class monitor, my sister said if you need it, she can lend you her spare self-defense baton.]
Gu Qinghuan: [A police baton?!]
Bao Qingsong: [No, not police equipment. Just a regular self-defense baton, but well-made. It’s an automatic telescopic one, designed with women in mind.]
Bao Qingsong: [She bought it for practice, but isn’t using it now. After hearing about today, she said you could borrow it.]
Gu Qinghuan: [Sure, I’ll borrow it. Thank your sister for me—I’ll return it after this is over.]
Bao Qingsong immediately looked up. “Sis, she said yes. And thanks.”
Bao Rujian tossed the baton to him, and he fumbled to catch it.
“Your class monitor really runs into a lot of trouble,” she shook her head. “Where do you high schoolers get so many issues?”
“They come looking for us!” Bao Qingsong said confidently.
Then he received new intel and quickly focused on his laptop, recording everything.
Bao Rujian watched for a moment and suddenly said, “You’re not resisting doing this kind of investigation anymore?”
Bao Qingsong paused, then said seriously without looking up, “I’ve figured it out. I can’t just stop because of one bad experience. Besides, since I have this ability, not using it would be a waste.”
She felt relieved hearing that.
Back in middle school, Bao Qingsong once helped a friend locate his father—only to uncover evidence of an affair. That discovery shattered the family and deeply affected his friend, who later told him:
“I know it’s not your fault… but sometimes I wonder, if you hadn’t found out, would everything still be the same?”
That incident had hit Bao Qingsong hard.
But things were different now. What he uncovered here genuinely helped people. His classmates praised him, and after learning about Wei Xiao’s actions and the suffering of those girls, he felt his abilities could be used for something meaningful.
With Class 3 as a team, he could learn how to use his skills properly—like a cog in a machine—without causing harm.
Just as Bao Rujian was about to leave, her gaze caught a photo on the screen. She abruptly turned back.
“Don’t move!”
“Huh?” Bao Qingsong startled. “What’s wrong?”
“Who is this woman?” she pointed at the photo.
“That’s Wei Xiao’s mother—Xu Zhishu,” he replied.
Since he was compiling Wei Xiao’s profile, he had included his family. After the Wei family returned to the country, there were plenty of public photos available.
Bao Rujian stared at Xu Zhishu’s face—more precisely, at her left ear, where there was a faint purplish scar.
She used to work at a local police station, often digitizing old case files. She had handled records of several trafficked female college students.
They had all been approached at bus stations by a woman asking for a sanitary pad. After borrowing one, the woman claimed she had too much luggage and asked them to accompany her to the restroom.
They agreed.
And were drugged and trafficked.
Fortunately, they were later rescued.
In their statements, they all mentioned the same detail: the woman was somewhat plump and had a red mole inside her left ear.
But that woman was never caught.
According to accomplices, she had taken the money and disappeared, using a fake identity.
Because of that distinct mole, investigators had suspected she might remove it, so they also considered scars in the ear as a key identifying feature.
Bao Rujian had remembered this case vividly.
And now—seeing the scar on Xu Zhishu’s ear—she recognized it immediately.
Her expression turned unreadable as she stared at the screen in silence.
Bao Qingsong felt uneasy. “Sis… what’s wrong?”
“I need to go back to the station,” she said, already turning to leave. “Keep working. And gather as much information on Xu Zhishu as you can.”
Bao Qingsong nodded obediently. “Oh.”
More research? No problem.
