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

Chapter 224 Lying

Throughout Zhang Qian's narrative, Shang Yibo noticed the name "Yin Bei".

He had expected that hearing the name would stir up emotions, but to his surprise, he felt unusually calm, a calmness that even surprised himself.

Compared to his indifference towards this person, he is currently more concerned about what kind of person "Yin Bei"—his biological father—is.

Shang Yibo cannot live his life in such a muddle. Finding out his origins is of utmost importance to him.

Zhang Qian picked up his cup, wanting to drink some water, but found it was empty. He immediately stood up and asked, "May I get some water?"

Jian Zheng replied sternly, "No."

Shang Yibo simply said, "Go ahead."

Zhang Qian limped out of the room.

Jian Zheng also stood up, intending to follow, but Shang Yibo grabbed him, saying, "Don't rush, sit down, let him go."

Jian Zheng retorted angrily, "Aren't you afraid he'll take the opportunity to run away?"

Shang Yibo calmly said, "If he doesn't want to talk, it's no use even if he doesn't run away, right?"

Jian Zheng listened, then casually sat down again, "That's true."

Shang Yibo continued, "Since we've come to this point, I think he needs some time to calm down, so let's give him that space and wait."

Jian Zheng muttered, "You're so cunning. Your meticulous way of thinking is exactly the same as Wang Jie's."

“Don’t get me wrong, I am Wang Jie,” Shang Yibo said.

What's remarkable is that Jian Zheng didn't continue arguing this time and wisely kept quiet.

A short while later, Zhang Qian returned. As soon as he sat down, he continued, "My injuries have just healed, and I've already started cooperating with the investigations of the various departments in charge."

Zhang Qian stared at the table, his fingers interlaced and gripping the cup tightly. The scars on the back of his hand were more prominent and glaringly obvious due to the excessive force he used...

Before each questioning by relevant departments, school leaders would talk to him first to help him understand the whole story and remind him of the key points to emphasize when answering questions.

After several rounds of investigation, Zhang Qian summarized some common patterns: the focus should be on the internal management and professional competence of the experimental center. After all, the experimental center is independent of the school, and the school only has a cooperative relationship with it. This way, the school can avoid joint liability.

In his memory, the secretary of a city leader had also visited him and reminded him of any problems with the use and supervision of the experimental budget.

Zhang Qian wrote all of this down, and the secretary even hinted that his actions constituted an act of bravery, but required certification. If the application was approved, not only would the government cover his medical expenses, but the subsequent plastic surgery costs would also be covered. The secretary confidently assured him that she would fight for it for him.

Since you've already died once, why not fight for a better opportunity to live with dignity and become a person no one dares to underestimate?

Zhang Qian bit his lip tightly, squeezing out a dry voice from his throat: "You will never truly understand my situation back then."

Jian Zheng couldn't help but interrupt, "So, you start talking nonsense? Don't you feel ashamed?"

Shang Yibo angrily pressed, "What exactly did you tell the investigation team?"

Zhang Qian's smile twisted into an ugly grimace. "What can I say? Is what I say something I can decide?"

"He reported to the investigation team that the experimental funding was not implemented according to the approved funding plan, and that there was misappropriation of funds. He also mentioned that there was falsification in the budget when applying for funding." Jian Zheng listed them one by one, his tone full of anger.

Shang Yibo said coldly, "These are not the real causes of the explosion. Let him continue."

Zhang Qian responded: "Back then, no one bothered to investigate the true cause of the accident."

Shang Yibo then asked, "Did you pass on the message that senior student left you, which you just mentioned, to Professor Zhou?"

Zhang Qian said, "I didn't even have a chance to see Professor Zhou before the explosion happened. How am I supposed to tell him? Should I burn something for him?"

Shang Yibo said helplessly, "How...did you become like this?"

Zhang Qian's lips twitched slightly. "What should I become? To fawn over you, to suck up to him? The person who used to be so subservient and obsequious in front of you is long dead."

Shang Yibo remained silent.

Jian Zheng angrily accused, "Do you know how many people you've harmed by making up those lies?"

Zhang Qian coldly replied, "Those people were already dead when I said those things. It wasn't my fault. You should ask how many people I saved, how I helped the school escape accountability, and how I helped those officials. If I didn't say those things, the dead wouldn't come back to life. So why not just let me know where I went wrong?"

Jian Zheng shouted excitedly, "What about my mom? Your scholarship was all obtained with my mom's help. Not only are you ungrateful, you've also harmed her!"

Zhang Qian argued, "How would I know that Mayor Chang, such a high-ranking official, would commit suicide? Besides, Aunt Chang's situation wasn't entirely due to that."

Jian Zheng was so angry that he couldn't speak.

Shang Yibo asked in a deep voice, "Did you submit the calculation results that your senior left you to the investigation team?"

Zhang Qian shook his head: "No."

Shang Yibo pressed further, "Why?"

Zhang Qian explained, "Because the investigation team didn't know that the senior had been to the experimental center, and I think the senior wouldn't want people to know that he had discovered problems with the experimental data, I chose to help him keep it a secret. This way, it's at least better for everyone."

"Really? It's good for everyone?" Jian Zheng suddenly stood up, strode up to Zhang Qian, grabbed his shoulder, lifted him up, and then dragged him roughly in front of Shang Yibo.

“I should reintroduce him to you,” Jian Zheng said in a deep voice. “Shang Yibo, his surname is actually Yin, you should be familiar with that surname.”

Zhang Qian blinked, revealing his scarred eyelid, looking puzzled. "So what?"

"His father is Yin Bei, your most respected senior."

Upon hearing this, the air seemed to freeze, and both Shang Yibo and Zhang Qian showed expressions of astonishment.

Shang Yibo asked in surprise, "You know my father is Yin Bei? How did you know?"

Jian Zheng answered easily, "That's not difficult, you're so famous."

Shang Yibo stared at Jian Zheng suspiciously and asked, "You investigated me behind my back? Why?"

Jian Zheng said dismissively, "Don't put it so harshly. I conducted due diligence openly and honestly. If you don't believe me, you can ask Zhou Yanruo. She cooperated with me."

"Zhou Yanruo also knows about this?" Shang Yibo pressed.

"Maybe, but you'll have to ask her yourself if she knows," Jian Zheng replied.

Shang Yibo felt a chill run down his spine. So these were the people around him; they had seen right through him all along.

“We’ll talk about that later. Let’s deal with the immediate problem first,” Jian Zheng said.

Shang Yibo and Jian Zheng both turned their gazes to Zhang Qian, who was already slumped on the ground.

Jian Zheng asked sternly, "Stop pretending. Dare to say what you did to Senior Yin?"

Zhang Qian finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears.