Chapter 338: Chapter 327: Recommendation Trap_1
Xu Dayuan had the speakerphone on, and everyone heard the content of the conversation, falling silent for a moment.
Two dead and one seriously injured, all at such an age; indeed, it was lamentable.
However, there were certain things that one simply should not touch; once touched, a lifetime could be ruined. Bai Xiangrong said Zhu Yunping liked Fu Wendan and wanted to say goodbye to his past for her, to change himself, to quit these filthy substances, but it was not something he could quit just because he wanted to.
If he had only been using, there was still a possibility for people with strong willpower to quit, but they were injecting, people with ’opened skylights,’ who would have to struggle against it for life, their lifespan and quality of life would be greatly affected.
According to data published by an international medical journal, indulging in these substances reduces average life expectancy by 10-15 years, and the average lifespan of those who use "D" is 36 years old; they generally do not live past forty.
At that moment, Yang Xuetong returned, one hand carrying a stack of reports and the other hand carrying a boxed meal, running back.
Clearly, he did not go to the technical department to print but had found a place to print in the team building. Seeing the somber expressions on everyone’s faces, he didn’t know what to do with the reports.
Zhou Ning took the reports from him and flipped through them.
"The comparison results show that the male DNA we found on the fishing line and gloves, etc., matches Bai Xiangrong. Let’s go to the office and finalize the content of the autopsy report. We’ll work overtime to get everything finished and hand it over to Director Xu."
...
The next day.
As soon as Zhou Ning had parked his car, Mr. Zhao ran over. Seeing his hurried appearance, Zhou Ning was puzzled. Hadn’t they finished everything last night? Could there be some arrangement from Xu Dayuan’s side?
"What’s the matter?"
Mr. Zhao waved his hand.
"Last night, Mr. Bai sent me a video. Before Director Xu arrived at the hospital, Zhu Kelin and Bai Xinfeng started fighting. During their scuffle, they revealed many secrets. Bai Xinfeng accused Zhu Kelin of being ruthless back then, colluding with the cleansing group, to which Zhu Kelin retorted by calling the police, claiming Bai Xinfeng had instigated Bai Xiangrong to inject Zhu Yunping with "D" and stage a car accident.
Zhu even burst out that last February in Hai’an City, people were sent to kidnap Zhu Yunhai. The kidnappers have since turned themselves in, with Zhang Chunbo personally escorting the culprit to our team building early this morning. The car information, transfer information, recorded conversations, etc.—a whole lot of evidence was produced, essentially nailing Bai Xinfeng to the wall.
Director Xu handed the case over to Tao Da, and all those witnesses are currently undergoing examination up front. Tao Da is to be pitied; he hasn’t slept all night, and his blood pressure was 180 this morning. On my way here, I saw Mrs. Fei throwing a fit in the hallway. Oh, and a large pile of evidence was delivered that needs to be tested."
Zhou Ning listened, bemused. During the kidnapping case last year, when they investigated in Hai’an, Zhu Yufen had not mentioned it. Perhaps it was done secretly, and they didn’t want to cause the child too much distress.
But, Zhu Kelin was definitely no ordinary man. His son was in trouble, and while resuscitating him, he immediately realized that all these issues were related to the Bai family father and son and revealed all the ace evidence he controlled.
Without much thought, the evidence he presented must be genuine and the kind of evidence that delivers a decisive blow. On the other hand, the collusion accusations made by Bai Xinfeng were twenty years old by now. The parents and sister of Li Hua have already passed away, making it nearly impossible to unravel the intricacies.
What’s left to see is whether Bai Xinfeng, back then, left anything behind to save his own life, any pertinent evidence. After all, he was from a financial background and might be more sensitive to financial evidence. But this was just a dog-eat-dog situation.
"It’s such a mess. The bigger the industry, the more people covet it. Especially these two, who once colluded and gained Haichanglong through unscrupulous means. Everybody in the industry knows it; they’re both not good characters," Zhou Ning glanced at Mr. Zhao, who continued to rant angrily.
"Director Xu letting Tao Da take over shows his stance, and I think it’s also Mr. Hu’s meaning. Enough with the spectating. Have they transferred Bai Xiangrong’s files yet?"
"They’ve been transferred. I mean, we got back so late last night, and these past days we’ve been constantly working on entrenched cases out of town. Can’t they give us a few days off?"
Zhou Ning smiled; in fact, he too wished to visit his grandfather. After all, being so busy these days, he hadn’t had time even to call his grandpa, who must be worried sick.
"Let’s go, let’s head up. I’ll ask Director Xu in a bit—if possible, we’ll take a few days off. I also want to go back to Qidong to check on things."
Mr. Zhao came over, beaming, nodding continuously.
"Honestly, we just happened to be at the gunpoint yesterday. If we hadn’t run into Zhu Yunping when we got back, that case would’ve been handled by those two groups."
Zhou Ning nodded.
"Actually, if it weren’t for your quick reaction yesterday, we might have got in trouble too. Furthermore, if Zhu Yunping didn’t slow down while we were blocking him at the red light, he might have just sped through the intersection. A high-speed collision with the concrete mixer truck would have been disastrous. Even in a low-speed state, the accident was grave—if speed had been a factor, there might have been an explosion on the spot, leaving nothing but debris."
Mr. Zhao also felt very emotional.
"Yeah, if he had been going over eighty when he hit the concrete truck, it would have been fatal, nearly igniting as is. Oh, I forgot to tell you, the concrete truck driver is out of danger now.
Moreover, it seems Zhu Kelin has had a change of heart. He had his lawyer handle compensation matters, assuring that the driver’s losses and medical bills will be somewhat covered.
As for Fu Wendan, Zhu Kelin specifically asked Tao Da, and in addition to normal compensation, he had his lawyer give the Fu family a sum of money as restitution and consolation. After all, Fu Wendan did truly care for Zhu Yunping."
Zhou Ning remained silent. The Fu family was a typical working-class family, with just one daughter. Now that the child was gone, the couple had lost their drive. It was a difficult obstacle to overcome, and they might end up like Cui Yushang, a single accident destroying a family.
"The case is closed. Hurry and get ready to take the intermediate level exam. There’s still enough time to prepare. Don’t get caught unprepared. I’ll find you some materials to memorize tonight,"
Mr. Zhao wanted to refuse but swallowed his words under Zhou Ning’s gaze.
"Alright, I’ll take the exam. I trust your ability to guess the questions."
He went upstairs, arrived at the office, and to his surprise, Cui Lili was actually inside the office.
Zhou Ning was somewhat taken aback and hurriedly approached, asking,
"Mrs. Cui, what brings you here? Please, have a seat. What’s the matter?"
Cui Lili hesitated before sitting down, looked at Zhou Ning, then glanced at Mr. Zhao, who quickly put on a smiling face.
"Sis, you guys talk. I’ll go check on the laboratory. Mr. Liu’s blood pressure wasn’t too good yesterday. I brought him some medicine, and I want to see if he’s arrived."
Mr. Zhao left, closing the door behind him. Only then did Cui Lili speak up,
"I want to ask you for a personal favor, and I really find it difficult to broach the subject."
"Mrs. Cui, just speak your mind. If it’s something I can do, I’ll certainly try my best."
Cui Lili hesitated for a moment before biting the bullet and saying,
"My niece is called Cui Liwen. She’s studying clinical medicine at Qin University and is in her senior year, currently preparing for the graduate entrance exams for forensic medicine. Her mentor told her that he has a recommendation spot reserved that he could give to my niece, and also move her into his research group.
I want you to help me find out if it’s possible for someone from the clinical medicine specialty to apply for a graduate program in forensic medicine. Also, I think Qin University’s forensic medicine graduate program was just established this year. This mentor of hers is from the software field, not from forensic medicine. I’m a bit confused and unsure if this recommended spot really exists."
Zhou Ning found a notebook and recorded the detailed information, including her name and specialty, and also inquired about the girl’s personal details.
"It is indeed possible to switch to forensic medicine for graduate studies. Qin University allows that since they’re merely recruiting graduate students. Since the forensic medicine specialty is new, they wouldn’t have their own pool of undergraduates to draw from for graduate studies. However, I’m not familiar with the mentor.
"In our country, unlike Mi Country, clinicians are not allowed to also work as forensic doctors unless they switch professions. But this requires passing a professional qualification exam for forensic medicine. Mrs. Cui, do you know the name of that mentor?"
Cui Lili took out her phone, found a text message, opened it, and handed it to Zhou Ning.
"I’ve forwarded it to you. These are screenshots of their conversation. The mentor is named Zeng Like. I just don’t feel he’s reliable. Could you please find some time to ask around for me? Li Wen really likes forensic medicine, and after hearing about how you’re involved in solving cases, she admires it even more."
Zhou Ning smiled and reassured her,
"We’ll be taking a break these next few days, and I just so happen to need to visit Qin University to check on some software updates. While I’m there, I’ll make inquiries since Doctor Lu is also the associate dean now."
Cui Lili stood up.
"Then I’ll leave it in your hands. Li Wen is academically strong. I think she could succeed in the entrance exams on her own merit. I don’t want her to seek shortcuts and end up doing something regrettable."
After seeing Cui Lili off, Zhou Ning sent a text message to Doctor Lu, explaining the situation. Mr. Zhao returned soon after, looking at Zhou Ning with a gossip-hungry expression.
"What’s all the secrecy about? Mrs. Cui has never come like this before; did something happen?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"Mrs. Cui’s niece is a senior at Qin University’s School of Medicine. Her mentor mentioned a guaranteed recommendation for postgraduate studies, but her niece wants to apply for forensic medicine, which is cross-disciplinary. How could he have such a spot? Mrs. Cui felt uneasy and asked me to inquire on her behalf."
Mr. Zhao was momentarily puzzled.
"I’ve never taken the postgraduate exams, so I don’t understand the ins and outs, but I have heard of guaranteed recommendations. Why don’t you just ask Doctor Lu and clear it up instead of worrying here?"
"I just texted to ask, and he hasn’t replied yet."
While they were speaking, Zhou Ning’s phone rang—it was Doctor Lu calling.
"Zhou Xiaozhou, I saw the text you just sent. Is this recommendation matter personally claimed by Zeng Like?"
"Yes, there are chat screenshots where he insists it’s true, which has confused me too. Could he be teaching anatomy or clinical medicine and giving lectures in different faculties?"
"It’s true that one can teach in different faculties. I’ve just inquired, and this Zeng Like has been an assistant in ethics. He was assigned here in 2010, recently selected as a lecturer. It’s true there are recommendation spots in the School of Medicine, but they are only for those within the same specialty.
Tell that girl, Cui Liwen, not to make this public. We’ll start an internal investigation right away. That guy has other motives, and we absolutely won’t let him go. As for her desire to apply for the forensic medicine graduate program, we’ll soon begin internal screening, and I’ll arrange for her to have a chance to compete."
Hearing this, Zhou Ning understood and his face grew more serious.
"Alright, Doctor Lu, I’ll send you the screenshot shortly. I hope to see strict penalties for such misconduct. Qin University is advancing swiftly in research and development. The reason for choosing to collaborate with Qin is partly due to you, and also because of Qin’s educational philosophy, and now there’s even a partnership with Professor Li Chengbin.
I don’t think this is an isolated incident. I hope to provide clarity to the student’s parents. If this inquiry hadn’t come to me, she might have taken him at his word, possibly making a wrong decision, being deceived or hurt, ultimately damaging the university’s reputation."
"Rest assured, I understand the gravity of the situation and will announce the investigation and disciplinary results within the school."
After hanging up the call, Mr. Zhao, belatedly realizing the gravity, blinked in astonishment.
"She was being scammed, huh! Damn, there are even traps in recommendations!"
