Susu gestured to Tianyi not to disturb her and continued speaking to Zhan Zhipeng, "Don't be sad yet, how did the fire start?"
"The police are still investigating, but I suspect Feng Rou did it," Zhan Zhipeng said, controlling his emotions.
"What about Feng Rou?"
"She was burned to death too," Zhan Zhipeng's voice was interrupted by other sounds, as if someone was calling him.
He added, "Sister Gu, the police need me to provide information, so I can't talk to you anymore."
After hanging up, Susu looked at Tianyi and said, "Zhan Jiayi's brother, Zhan Zhipeng, called me."
"When did you get to know her brother?" Tianyi asked.
"I met him through Zhan Jiayi," Susu briefly mentioned how she met Zhan Zhipeng, then eagerly told him, "Xie Zhendong, Feng Rou, the household staff, and the medical personnel taking care of Xie Zhendong all perished in the fire."
Tianyi couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine and said, "The Xie family has no chance to turn things around now. They've been completely wiped out."
Susu felt a complex mix of emotions, looking at him and saying, "It's too tragic."
"Don't think about these things, think about happy ones. Living our own lives is the most important thing. What do you think?" Tianyi embraced her and asked.
Susu hummed in agreement, but her heart still struggled to accept the tragedy that had befallen the Xie family.
She thought that she absolutely couldn't tell Zhan Jiayi about this now. Everything would have to wait until she was cleared of her charges and released from the detention center.
...
The next day, the news of Xie Group's bankruptcy and the fire at the Xie family residence, where everyone had died, dominated the headlines of all websites.
Overnight, the entire city was focused on this event, which became the hot topic of discussion.
Many speculative posts appeared online, suggesting that due to Xie Group's bankruptcy, the Xie family, in despair, had decided to go down in flames together.
Even during lunch breaks at Susu's studio, colleagues gathered to chat about this gossip.
As Susu passed by the pantry, she said to the idle employees, "Are you all too free? Don't gossip about client rumors here. Don't forget that the Xie family is also a client of our studio."
The gossiping employees immediately fell silent and dispersed.
As Susu poured her coffee, Xu Shishi approached her and said, "Life is truly unpredictable. When Xie Zhendong came to our studio before, I considered him a rare big shot. Now the entire Xie family is gone. It's too terrifying."
Susu moved her coffee aside, feeling a sense of unease.
Xu Shishi poured herself a cup of tea and then asked, "But Xie Zhendong's contract with us hasn't expired yet. How should we handle it? Just ignore it?"
Susu thought for a moment and sighed, "Let's leave it for now. We'll deal with it at the appropriate time."
"Okay."
...
Jin Dan also learned about Feng Rou's accident and couldn't believe it.
Her cousin, who had spent the entire day with her just two days ago, was now gone.
Feng Yan also told her that according to the preliminary police investigation, Feng Rou was likely the one who caused the fire at the Xie residence.
Feng Yan and his wife had been invited to the police station to assist with the investigation, and the police had also sent people to search Feng Rou's room at Feng Yan's home, taking many of her personal belongings as evidence.
After finishing her call with Feng Yan, Jin Dan remained stunned for a long time.
She recalled Feng Rou's words during her confrontation with Huangfu Sishu, saying she wanted to take revenge on Xie Zhendong with her own hands.
Had she, after failing to obtain Xie Group, sought revenge by taking Xie Zhendong down with her?
She remembered their youth, when Feng Rou, in her early twenties, had fallen for Xie Zhendong, her first love.
When they were together, Feng Rou's every word revolved around Xie Zhendong, her love for him overflowing.
After Feng Rou successfully married Xie Zhendong, she was overjoyed.
However, after years of married life, Feng Rou would occasionally complain to her that Xie Zhendong didn't love her as much as she had imagined, that he prioritized his career above all else, and that their life was just about bearable.
At this moment, she finally understood that although Feng Rou had been hurt, she had loved Xie Zhendong from beginning to end.
Perhaps it was the depth of her love that led to the intensity of her hatred, causing Feng Rou to reach the point of mutual destruction with Xie Zhendong.
Jin Dan felt sorrow for Feng Rou's life and, at the same time, for her own.
Angrily, she dialed Huangfu Sishu's phone. As soon as he answered, she questioned him, "Do you know about the fire at the Xie residence yesterday?"
"Yes, I do. What's wrong?" Huangfu Sishu was about to leave his office for a meeting.
"My cousin, Feng Rou, was present during the fire, and she was burned to death!"
Huangfu Sishu was slightly startled and said, "Ah, she's not even part of the Xie family anymore. Why was she at their place?"
Jin Dan raised her voice, "It's because we didn't help her, and she and Xie Zhendong perished together!"
"Crazy," Huangfu Sishu said, horrified. "I told you she wasn't normal, but you didn't listen and even brought her to my house to confront me. See how dangerous such a person is!"
"Huangfu Sishu, that's enough! We killed her! Instead of reflecting on yourself or feeling guilty, you're speaking so righteously about my cousin. I've seen through people like you!"
As Huangfu Sishu was about to retort, a secretary came to urge him, "Director, the President is waiting. The meeting is about to start. Why aren't you there yet?"
"Alright, I'm coming right away." Huangfu Sishu replied to the secretary and said to Jin Dan, "I don't have time to argue with you now. We'll talk when I get back."
Without waiting for Jin Dan to say anything more, he hung up and hurried to the meeting.
He didn't know why his elder brother had suddenly called a meeting of senior executives. It seemed something had happened.
Jin Dan, holding her phone, was furious and didn't want to wait for him to return from work. She changed her clothes and went to Feng Yan's house to see if there was anything she could do to help them.
...
In the afternoon, Gui Nan came to Susu's office and discussed the details of Zhan Jiayi's case with her.
Susu took the opportunity to instruct him not to tell Zhan Jiayi about the Xie family fire.
Gui Nan nodded in understanding and said, "I can't let my client bear too much psychological burden. It's best for her to focus on her own case right now."
Susu thought of another matter and said to him, "Gui Nan, also, don't let Tianyi know that you're Zhan Jiayi's lawyer. I want to help Zhan Jiayi myself; it has nothing to do with Tianyi."
"Okay," Gui Nan agreed, glancing at her but not asking for further details.
Susu returned to the specifics of Zhan Jiayi's case and asked, "Are you saying that because a manager from a subsidiary of Xie Group is adamant about prosecuting Zhan Jiayi, and the police found a large amount of unexplained income in Zhan Jiayi's bank account, she was convicted?"
"Yes, I met Zhan Jiayi. She told me that the account was opened for her by her former lover, Zhao Jianhua, and that she didn't even have the bank card in her possession. She didn't even know such a bank card existed. However, her explanation lacks legal credibility."