Yu He sat in front of the computer, took a deep breath, and clicked to play the recording.
The recording began with static, and Yu He frowned. Just then, Qin Beiting also entered. She teased, "Vulcan, your software isn't working very well."
"It's not?" Qin Beiting walked over.
Yu He turned up the volume, but it was still just static.
"Let me see." Qin Beiting went to the computer, operated it for a while, and then replayed the recording.
After a minute, the static finally stopped, and Qin Meimei's voice came through:
"Robin, do it as we discussed. She goes to the countryside every month and must pass the Jingjiao highway intersection. There's a winding section there that's prone to accidents. That's where you'll strike. Pretend to collide with her. The traffic police will barely be able to tell it was an intentional accident."
Hearing this recording, Yu He's eyes turned cold, her face darkened. She clenched her fist on the table, her fingernails digging into her flesh without her even noticing the pain.
Seeing this, Qin Beiting placed his large hand over hers, unlocking her fist. As his long fingers were about to interlace with hers, Yu He glanced at him and withdrew her hand.
The recording continued:
"Didn't Miss Qin say she wasn't doing it anymore?" Robin's voice.
"Miss Qin? Qin Xinhong?" A third voice.
It was a woman's voice, with a slightly nasal quality, as if she had a cold.
Yu He immediately grabbed the mouse and rewound. She listened again. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but upon closer thought, she couldn't recall where she had heard it.
The recording resumed:
Qin Meimei: "Yes, the one I told you about. Hong'er discussed with him how to scare Shu Yun'er."
Woman's voice: "Alright, then do it her way. Make it a bit rougher."
Qin Meimei: "Then let's switch to a large truck."
Robin: "If this isn't done properly, it could kill someone!"
Qin Meimei: "Don't worry about that. I'll arrange the vehicle and everything. You just drive. Even if someone dies, you won't be held responsible. The Qin family will protect you."
Robin seemed hesitant and remained silent. Then, the same female voice coughed. Yu He judged from the rhythm and sound of her cough that she had a cold and some inflammation of the vocal cords.
The rest of the recording was similar to the beginning.
Qin Meimei: "I'll give you 500,000. Do as I say. After it's done, regardless of the outcome, I'll take care of your wife and daughter for the rest of their lives. The Qin family will arrange for a doctor to treat your wife. The school will arrange for your daughter to attend Kaiwei Academy. Will that put your mind at ease?"
Robin: "Okay! You must keep your promises."
The recording ended. Throughout, the female voice didn't speak much. Yu He repeatedly rewound to listen to the third person's voice, but it wasn't long, and the person had a cold, making it difficult to discern who it was.
She turned her head to ask Qin Beiting if he recognized the voice, but he was so close that his lips brushed her cheek. She froze.
Feeling the warmth on her cheek, Qin Beiting also paused. His deep gaze looked intently at the person so close to him, their breaths mingling.
Yu He's eyes darted away as she turned back. "Can you tell who it is?"
Qin Beiting saw her fluster and, with a smile in his eyes, said uncertainly, "Is it Huang Ying's voice?"
Huang Ying was Qin Yonghao's wife, Madam Huang.
"Madam Huang?" Yu He murmured. Hearing her name, she seemed to have a faint recollection, but when she last saw Madam Huang, her voice hadn't sounded like this.
"But her voice isn't like that usually," Qin Beiting added. "But it's not impossible she practiced."
This was something he was familiar with. When he wore a mask and spoke in Xing Que, he would deliberately lower his voice to make his identity harder to detect.
Yu He understood his meaning; she had tried it before. But Madam Huang's voice was vastly different, not at all like the same person's vocal cords.
She suddenly thought of something and asked, "Did Madam Huang's vocal cords undergo surgery?"
Ordinary vocal cord polyp removal wouldn't affect one's voice, but if the surgery was traumatic, it was another matter.
Qin Beiting thought for a moment and shook his head. "I don't remember. The records don't mention it, but I recall she was very ill once."
After Shu Yun'er's incident, he was busy looking for Yu He and wasn't paying much attention to the chaotic Qin family.
Yu He narrowed her eyes. Trying to identify someone by voice alone was difficult and would require a significant effort to verify.
"Perhaps we can look for past interviews of Huang Ying and match the voice," Qin Beiting suggested.
Yu He didn't refuse. She opened a webpage and began searching for records online. However, she discovered that the interview records she expected Huang Ying to have were nowhere to be found.
"I'll work with you; it'll be faster," Qin Beiting said, pulling over a chair.
Yu He didn't refuse. She moved to the side, giving him her desktop computer, and opened her own assembled laptop.
They sat at the same desk, each controlling their own computer.
During this time, Yu He went to the restroom. When she returned, she saw a bottle of red wine and two glasses on the desk.
Qin Beiting held the base of a glass and took a sip of the red wine. "I'm a bit sleepy. I'm drinking to stay awake. Would you like some?"
Yu He thought of her low alcohol tolerance and felt he was doing this deliberately. She refused, "No. If you're sleepy, you should go back."
She had never heard of drinking to stay awake before.
"It's fine, I can last a little longer," Qin Beiting said.
Then Yu He watched him seemingly deliberately stretching out the time, and before she knew it, it was 12:30.
"Oh, it's so late," Qin Beiting pretended to suddenly notice the time. Then he said with a troubled expression, "Chen Dong is probably asleep by now, and I've had a bit to drink, so I can't drive. Can I borrow a place to stay here tonight?"
As he spoke, his deep eyes looked at Yu He, filled with anticipation.
Yu He: "..."
Ha, just as she thought! It was all a ploy!
She knew there was no such thing as drinking to stay awake.
Yu He gave a wry smile. "Yes, you can. Straight ahead when you go out."
That was the east wing.
Qin Beiting: "..."
Tsk, this trick doesn't work on young ladies anymore?
Meanwhile.
Qiao Wei got off the bus carrying a basketball and walked towards the back entrance of the residential complex. He was surprised to see Qiao Qiao getting out of a black Lamborghini with a Qi family license plate from afar.
Why would Qiao Qiao be getting out of a Qi family car?
He quickened his pace. Just as the Lamborghini drove forward, Qiao Wei saw from the front that the driver was none other than the eldest young master of the Qi family, Qi Suilin!
After Qiao Qiao got out of the car, she walked directly into the complex. Suddenly, she heard Qiao Wei's voice from behind.
"Qiao Qiao."
She turned around and saw Qiao Wei running over with his basketball. She suddenly felt guilty. She specifically glanced towards the road. Qi Suilin had already driven away, and she thought, "My brother probably didn't see, right?"
She concealed her guilt and smiled, "Brother, you went to play basketball with Young Master Shen again."
"Mm," Qiao Wei replied, walking with her into the complex. He asked, "Where were you tonight?"
Qiao Qiao: "I went out with friends to see the night view."
"Was your friend the eldest young master of the Qi family?" Qiao Wei asked.