"It's certainly not an accident. I've thoroughly examined the marks left on the overpass; it's clear that large truck deliberately caused it," Shi Yong said, his brow furrowed.
"In that case, Captain, why didn't you mention it to Liu Yilin just now? And why did you classify this case as a simple traffic accident?" Meng Mei asked, puzzled.
"I believe Liu Yilin herself is unaware, but the bodyguard beside her might be problematic," Shi Yong said suddenly.
"Captain, what's wrong with that bodyguard? You don't suspect he did it, do you?" Meng Mei asked, taken aback.
"Not to that extent. He's had plenty of opportunities to kill Liu Yilin if he wanted to, and wouldn't resort to such a foolish method. I don't suspect he's in league with those people, I just suspect he's hiding something from us," Shi Yong explained. This was a hunch developed from years of case work, lacking any substantial evidence. He had long felt that Liu Yilin's bodyguard was suspicious. Combining this with the recent events, he deduced that every time Liu Yilin was in danger, this bodyguard would appear, and each time, Liu Yilin would narrowly escape. She wasn't as useless as they perceived.
"Captain, should we bring him in for a thorough interrogation?" Meng Mei immediately asked, rolling up her sleeves. "Thorough interrogation" implied it wouldn't be a pleasant experience.
"No, I have no evidence. If we bring him in, and he refuses to speak the truth, we'll be powerless. Don't forget, he's not an ordinary person; he won't be swayed by our usual tactics," Shi Yong stated calmly. "Moreover, to take him away, we'd first have to get past Liu Yilin. Without evidence, taking away someone she favors isn't a good idea."
"Captain, so we just let it go?" Meng Mei asked, sounding unconvinced. She didn't possess Shi Yong's intuition. To her, Ning Beichen was just a useless bodyguard. She attributed Liu Yilin's narrow escapes to sheer luck, not the bodyguard's ability.
"No, I'll have someone monitor him discreetly. I don't believe he won't slip up. Meng Mei, I'm assigning this surveillance task to you," Shi Yong told her.
"Me?" Meng Mei looked somewhat reluctant, as monitoring someone twenty-four hours a day was an arduous task.
"Of course, it's you. Da Sheng, Xiao Hu, and Long Quan all have other duties. I don't trust anyone else for this," Shi Yong decreed. Meng Mei had no choice but to agree.
However, this surveillance had to be covert, undetected by Ning Beichen. Therefore, Meng Mei not only changed her appearance but also swapped her car for a plain van. The van was equipped with surveillance gear. For the foreseeable future, Meng Mei would have to eat, drink, and sleep inside it. Prolonged periods of such close confinement would lead to extreme mental tension; surveillance was by no means an easy job.
Ning Beichen glanced through the window at the van parked by the roadside, a disdainful expression crossing his face. Since the moment Meng Mei began her surveillance, Ning Beichen had been aware. After the incident involving Lord Baylor, Ning Beichen had already intensified the monitoring and protection around Liu Yilin's residence. Furthermore, the naive woman outside likely had no idea that from a window in a nearby villa, Feng Wu was aiming a sniper rifle at her car. Fortunately, Ning Beichen had informed Feng Wu in advance, otherwise, Meng Mei would have already become a corpse. Feng Wu didn't care who you were or what your status was. Her loyalty was to only one person: Ning Beichen. Anyone who posed a threat to Ning Beichen was her enemy.
The poor Meng Mei knew none of this. Her entire focus was on Ning Beichen, and she even muttered to herself, showing signs of extreme impatience. This was because Ning Beichen's life was incredibly routine, so much so that it gave Meng Mei no opportunity to act. During the day, after dropping Liu Yilin off at her company, Ning Beichen would remain there and not go out. After work, he would escort Liu Yilin home, and neither of them would go out. This made Meng Mei suspect they were ancient fossils. Not only did they lack a nightlife, but they also had no normal recreational activities, leading a life more dull and monotonous than that of the elderly. At least the elderly went out for square dancing. The consequence of these two ancient fossils was that Meng Mei was turning into a living fossil along with them. No, she was in a far worse state than them. They at least had spacious homes, good food, and comfortable sleep. But her? She was confined to a broken-down van, unable to even stand up. If she continued sitting like this, Meng Mei suspected she might develop hemorrhoids.
Ning Beichen withdrew his gaze from the window, a faint smile playing on his lips. He mused that it had indeed been a long time since he had gone out for entertainment with Liu Yilin. Ever since the incident with the Violet family, going out for entertainment had become largely out of the question for Liu Yilin. As he thought this, Ning Beichen called out from downstairs.
"Boss, what are you doing?"
A moment later, Liu Yilin poked her head out from upstairs, looking utterly dejected. Ning Beichen knew she must also be bored.
"Boss, the weather is nice today. Would you like to go shopping?" Ning Beichen called to her.
"Can we?" Liu Yilin suddenly perked up. The previous incident where they were rammed by a large truck off the overpass and fell into the river had left Liu Yilin with lingering fear. Therefore, unless Ning Beichen proposed going out, she wouldn't take the initiative to suggest it, lest she bring more danger upon herself and Ning Beichen. In contrast, Liu Yixin lived a vibrant life, rarely being home nine out of ten days, almost never seen in the house. However, Ning Beichen actually preferred it this way, because if that girl were home, his days would certainly not be peaceful.
"Of course, we can. Go wherever you like, don't worry about safety," Ning Beichen told her.
"That's great! I want to go shopping and eat Mala Tang," Liu Yilin said eagerly.
"No problem, boss. Tonight, I'll make sure you have a wonderful time," Ning Beichen said, patting his chest. Hearing Ning Beichen say this, Liu Yilin immediately and happily returned to her room to change and put on makeup. In less than ten minutes, she reappeared before Ning Beichen, radiant. Uncharacteristically for her usual modest attire, Liu Yilin had chosen a rare, revealing backless dress that Ning Beichen had never seen before, leaving him nearly stunned.