Shen Zhiyan calmly helped Jiang Tao into the car. By now, Jiang Tao had eaten and drank to her heart's content and was leaning back in the passenger seat, fast asleep. Her face was rosy, and there was a satisfied smile on her lips.
Shen Zhiyan found it both amusing and exasperating. Despite all the trouble she had caused, she remained completely unaffected. He, on the other hand, had his peace of mind disturbed and then was forced to restore it. But all he did was lightly flick Jiang Tao's forehead and then drove her back to the hotel at a steady pace.
Worried that his presence might cause unnecessary trouble, he called Tongtong and asked her to send someone to pick Jiang Tao up. Only after confirming that Jiang Tao was safely escorted to her room did he finally pick up his phone. There were a few missed calls from Du Chong.
He called back, "What's up?"
Du Chong replied, "It's about the incident with Jiang Jiang reporting to the police. You asked me to look into it, remember?"
Shen Zhiyan suddenly recalled, "What did you find out?"
Du Chong then explained how Cao Tianze had tried to drug Jiang Tao but ended up getting caught because she reported him to the police.
Shen Zhiyan's expression turned serious immediately, "Was he acting alone, or was there someone behind this?"
Du Chong was startled, "What do you mean?"
Shen Zhiyan said, "I just feel like everything was too coincidental. It all seems premeditated. But Jiang Jiang agreed to join Sang Ling's recording of 'Actors' Growth Diary' only a few days ago. From the moment he had this idea to committing the crime, the time was too short."
Du Chong also became serious, "Got it. I'll investigate further."
An hour later, Du Chong called Shen Zhiyan again, "You were right. Cao Tianze quickly confessed. He said he was tricked by a senior who wanted him to approach Jiang Jiang and create a scandal. However, the drug was his own doing. He claimed the senior gave him the idea, but there's no evidence in their chat records."
"Moreover, the senior was cautious. They sent a message to Cao Tianze, and when he didn't reply, they turned off their phone. The police are still investigating the details."
Shen Zhiyan pondered for a moment and said, "Do you remember when Jiang Jiang's adoptive parents came to us?"
Du Chong was puzzled for a moment before remembering, "Yes, what's the connection?"
Shen Zhiyan said, "That incident was also orchestrated by someone behind the scenes. We lost the trail halfway through our investigation. Don't you think these two incidents are somewhat similar?"
Du Chong exclaimed, "Oh my, now that you mention it, they do seem alike. But who did Jiang Jiang offend to make someone go to such lengths against her?"
Shen Zhiyan: "I don't know. But judging by their methods, there might be a follow-up involving public opinion online. Check if you can find any clues. The time is too short for them to cover their tracks completely. This time, we need to find the person responsible."
After hanging up the phone, Shen Zhiyan leaned back in his chair, finally showing signs of fatigue. He had just finished two days of night shoots, caught the earliest flight that morning, sat through four hours at the recording site, and was only ten meters away from Jiang Tao when she was filming her shadow scenes. But he didn't plan to tell her. He intended to watch and then catch a flight back to the crew the next day. But when he returned to the hotel to rest, he received Jiang Tao's emergency message, scaring him into driving over to find her. After ensuring she was safely home, he waited for the police's update.
