The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Shang Yibo quickly scanned the messages on his phone, his eyes instantly filled with resentment. He stared intently at Jian Zheng and questioned him sternly, "This is clearly Zhang Qian expressing suicidal thoughts. When did you receive these messages? Why didn't you take any action to stop him?"

Although Zhou Yanruo didn't know Zhang Qian, she was deeply moved when she saw these messages filled with despair and helplessness. Her eyes gradually reddened, and her voice carried a hint of urgency and worry: "We must find him quickly. I don't know if it's too late to save him."

Jian Zheng took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and then explained, "How could I not care? Look at the time these messages were sent; it was around 8 a.m. this morning. As soon as I received the message, I immediately realized something was wrong. I knew that if I rushed over there, it would be too late, so I called the police immediately. At the same time, I also contacted the park's management center, and they quickly sent someone to Zhang Qian's office to check the situation and also called the police."

All three realized it was too late.

The car was silent for a moment.

Jian Zheng said, "I received the news on my way here. Zhang Qian committed suicide. By the time the police car and ambulance arrived, he was already gone."

Zhou Yanruo tugged at Shang Yibo's sleeve, "It really is him. We should have come earlier."

Shang Yibo held Zhou Yanruo's hand and comforted her, "Don't take it all on yourself again. We didn't know this would happen."

Jian Zheng: "What are you doing here?"

"We'll talk about it later." Shang Yibo pulled Zhou Yanruo along. "Let's go see what else we can do?"

Jian Zheng: "I'll go with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, there were two knocks on the car window, followed by the automatic door opening with a "whoosh".

The assistant in a suit reported, "Mr. Jian, the police station just called and asked the person who reported the incident to come over. They need to understand the situation."

Jian Zheng: "Let's go straight to the police station. Yi Bo, you take Zhou Yanruo back first."

"I'll go with you. Have your assistant take Yanruo back to the hotel." Shang Yibo turned to Zhou Yanruo and said, "I have to go. I can't ignore this. You go back first. Don't drive yourself. I'm worried about you."

Zhou Yanruo knew that there was no point in saying anything more at this point, so she obediently hummed in agreement.

The assistant in a suit said, "They'll probably take a statement. Should Mr. Jian come forward? Or should I handle it?"

Jian Zheng glared at him and ordered, "You take President Zhou back to the hotel. Shang Yibo and I will go to the police station together."

Then she pressed Shang Yibo, "Are you sure you want to come to the police station with me? Is it okay for a big star to show up at the police station?"

Shang Yibo: "Stop talking nonsense and let's go."

……

When Shang Yibo returned to the hotel, a deep twilight had already descended on the horizon, and the streetlights were turning on one by one.

He briefly met Zhou Yanruo in the hotel lobby, but before they could exchange a few words, he hurried off to the film set to catch up on his work.

On set, after several scenes, the night was deep, and the stars dotted the night sky. He finally finished filming for the day with the director's "Cut" and dragged his heavy steps back to his residence.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yanruo had already been waiting in the hotel lobby lounge area for a while.

As soon as Shang Yibo started his car, Ding Jiajia sent her a message. She could have waited in the room without prior notice, and she knew that Shang Yibo would definitely contact her when he returned to the hotel. But she couldn't wait for such a short time. She had to wait in the hotel lobby to see Shang Yibo as soon as possible before she would feel at ease.

Her gaze kept drifting towards the door, a mixture of anxiety and anticipation in her heart. A cup of coffee sat on the table, long since cold, untouched; clearly, her mind was elsewhere. Finally, Shang Yibo came into view, and she rose to greet him.

"Yibo, you're back. You must be very tired." Zhou Yanruo's voice was gentle and concerned, but a hint of tension could still be heard in her words.

"Let's go back to the room and talk." Shang Yibo didn't stop for a moment and naturally pulled Zhou Yanruo into the elevator.

Ding Jiajia stopped and said behind them, "I'll order you some late-night snacks."

Shang Yibo pulled Zhou Yanruo into the room. The voice-activated lights in the room turned on with a "whoosh" as the two entered, and the room was instantly brightly lit, almost blindingly so.

“Zhang Qian committed suicide; the police have made a preliminary determination. When we arrived at the park, he was already gone,” Shang Yibo said as he sat down.

This was exactly what Zhou Yanruo had expected. She wasn't surprised, but hearing it with her own ears again still made her feel sad, after all, they had once narrowly escaped Zhang Qian's death.

She didn't say anything, but went straight to the kitchen, poured a glass of warm water, and said, "Drink warm water. It's too late to drink coffee."

Shang Yibo patted the sofa next to him. "Come here."

Zhou Yanruo put down the cup and watched as the water in it rippled slightly.

"Sigh, life is unpredictable." She sighed softly and sat down next to Shang Yibo. "Why did you stay at the police station for so long?"

“Jian Zheng was the one who called the police and gave a statement. Jian Zheng and I happened to have met with Zhang Qian a few weeks ago. The police wanted to understand the situation, so we accepted their questioning. Later, we each gave a statement to the police.”

"Is everything okay?"

Shang Yibo knew what he meant. Not wanting Zhou Yanruo to worry, he recounted in detail everything that happened at the police station.

Police investigation revealed that Zhang Qian suffered from severe depression and had been taking medication for many years. He had stopped taking the medication on his own in the past six months and had long exhibited suicidal tendencies. Suicide by Zhang Qian was ruled out, and it was found to be unrelated to their visit.

With the help of the police, they contacted Zhang Qian's family.

In Zhang Qian's hometown, there is a custom that the elderly do not bury the children. Therefore, Zhang Qian's parents will not come; only his younger brother will come to Huizhou to handle Zhang Qian's funeral arrangements.

Jian Zheng immediately booked a plane ticket for his younger brother, and by then Jian Zheng and his team should have already picked him up.

As they were talking, Shang Yibo's phone vibrated. He took it out of his pocket and saw a message from Jian Zheng: "Have you returned to the hotel? I've picked up Zhang Qian's brother. Let's talk on the phone when you have time."

Shang Yibo held up his phone and said to Zhou Yanruo, "They've picked up the person. Jian Zheng wants to call me."

"Okay, go ahead and call."

Shang Yibo dialed the number, "Jian Zheng."

Jian Zheng's slightly hoarse voice came through the phone: "I'm with Zhang Kun, you don't need to come over. We can just talk about the arrangements over the phone. I've put it on speakerphone."

Shang Yibo also turned on the speakerphone on his phone.

"I have no announcements tomorrow morning. I will meet with you there tomorrow morning so we can discuss things together."

Jian Zheng: "There's no need to discuss anything anymore. Zhang Kun and I have already reached an agreement."

"Okay, what are the arrangements afterward, and is there anything I need to do?"

"Zhang Qian's death certificate will be issued tomorrow morning. Go directly to the West Suburbs Funeral Home at 10:00 AM. I've already arranged for the cremation to be scheduled."

"So fast?" Zhou Yanruo couldn't help but exclaim.

"Zhou Yanruo is here too, that's good, saves me the trouble of notifying you separately."

"What do you want me to know?" Zhou Yanruo asked.

"Whether you go to the funeral home tomorrow or not is your decision. Anyway, you don't know Zhang Qian, so it's reasonable for you not to come. The shares in Zhang Qian's company are going to be transferred to you, as he stated in his will. This still needs the police's verification process, which may take some time. I've discussed this with Zhang Kun, and he and his parents have no objections. They only want the assets and cash; they're not interested in anything else," Jian Zheng said coldly over the phone.