Chapter 15: The Lighter

At that moment, Yan Ningxi received a message on WeChat.

Zhao Quan: "Your friend has been rescued. Preliminary diagnosis shows both mother and fetus are stable. The fire has been mostly extinguished, and there were no casualties."

Yan Ningxi suddenly exhaled in relief.

Fortunately, she had arrived just in time.

[Congratulations, Host, you have completed Internship Task Three, earning 150,000 yuan in cash and 100 points.]

Yan Ningxi took her phone and indeed saw the text confirming the deposit of 150,000 yuan.

Wonderful! The surgery fees for her younger brother could soon be covered.

Chi Xiaoxuan saw Yan Ningxi clutching her phone with excitement and was about to speak when a sudden sound of an office chair rolling quickly and hitting the wall came from nearby.

Everyone’s attention was instantly drawn to the noise.

Turning around, they saw Chen Yongzhi staring at the phone on the desk in shock.

Manager Yu Xiangrui, who happened to be close by, noticed Chen Yongzhi’s grim expression and thought something serious had happened.

Following his gaze, she saw it was only a phone call.

The phone kept ringing.

“Isn’t that your wife calling? Why aren’t you answering?” someone asked.

The others looked puzzled as well.

It was just a call—why did it seem like they were seeing a ghost?

Chen Yongzhi snapped out of his trance, glanced around at everyone staring at him, and thought, “This isn’t good.” He grabbed his phone and quickly concocted an excuse, “It’s not the phone; I have an upset stomach. I’m going to the restroom.”

Seeing him rush off anxiously, Chi Xiaoxuan couldn’t help but comment, “Why does he have stomach trouble too? The cafeteria food today was fine for me.”

Yan Ningxi nodded in agreement. “Yeah, nothing wrong with it. Maybe he’s just got something very important on his mind.”

Instead of heading to the bathroom, Chen Yongzhi went to the emergency stairwell—usually deserted.

“Hello, wife?” he called tentatively.

On the other end, a woman’s voice scolded him, “Why are you only answering now? Do you know I almost died? Our house burned down; I was nearly burned alive. Sob…sob… If the police hadn’t arrived in time, I wouldn’t be here now.”

Chen Yongzhi was momentarily stunned.

The police arrived in time?

How was it possible that the police showed up so quickly?

His plan was flawless, meticulously rehearsed multiple times, ruling out any chance of failure.

The property management had even announced a water outage today, and he thought fate was on his side.

Why had it failed?

A figure flashed through Chen Yongzhi’s mind.

The only person acting strangely today was Yan Ningxi.

Usually, she kept her distance from him, but today she had approached him several times.

Yet, he hadn’t revealed any emotional hints in front of others, so Yan Ningxi couldn’t have known about his plan.

What was going on?

“Honey? Honey! Are you listening to me?” the woman’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Chen Yongzhi steadied himself and switched to an anxious tone. “How are you now? How’s the baby?”

Liu Xiaoyu sobbed, “The doctor said it’s nothing serious, thanks to the police who saved me.”

“That’s great, really great.” Chen Yongzhi feigned relief, then asked, “How did the police arrive so quickly?”

Liu Xiaoyu replied, “They didn’t tell me, and I didn’t think to ask.”

Chen Yongzhi felt unsettled, sensing something odd about the police’s timely arrival.

“Honey? Honey! Are you still there?”

Frowning, he hastily changed the topic, “How’s our house? Don’t misunderstand—I just mean, the house is important to us now.”

Liu Xiaoyu sniffled, “I asked the police. Although the fire department came promptly, most of the house was destroyed, especially the master bedroom. It seems the fire started there. The upstairs is also smoke-damaged. Do you think they’ll make us pay for it?”

Chen Yongzhi comforted her, “It’s okay. Even if we have to pay, it won’t be much. Don’t worry; I’m here. Rest well, I’ll come see you soon.”

“Okay, hurry,” she said.

After hanging up, Chen Yongzhi returned to the main office.

But as soon as he arrived, most people looked at him with pity.

Everyone working here was an ordinary employee, most buying homes on mortgage.

Now this—loans unpaid, and they might have to cover renovation costs too.

How tragic.

Yu Xiangrui stepped forward and patted Chen Yongzhi’s shoulder. “Xiao Liu, we all know what happened at your home. Several people in the company live at Xiangzhou Coast, and their families called them just now. You should go home today. No need to clock out; I’ll inform HR.”

Chen Yongzhi looked downcast. “Thank you, Manager.”

Seeing how deeply shaken he was, Yu Xiangrui worried about his safety and called out, “Xiao Yan, Xiao Chi, you two come with Xiao Liu to the hospital to visit. The company will reimburse any expenses for the gifts.”

Yan Ningxi was speechless.

Well, this was a good chance to see if the police suspected Chen Yongzhi.

Chi Xiaoxuan responded loudly, “Okay.”

Chen Yongzhi didn’t think much of it and didn’t dare refuse; he let them accompany him.

When they arrived by car, Zhao Quan and Liu Zhen were already beside Liu Xiaoyu’s hospital bed.

Seeing her husband, Liu Xiaoyu felt deeply aggrieved but then noticed two young women behind him and asked, “Honey, who are they?”

Yan Ningxi inwardly murmured, “This can’t be good.”

She had told Zhao Quan that Liu Xiaoyu was her friend and that they had been in contact.

Liu Xiaoyu’s words clearly implied she didn’t know her.

Sure enough, Zhao Quan, ready to give the couple some privacy, shot her a meaningful glance.

Yan Ningxi lowered her head, avoiding Zhao Quan’s gaze.

Zhao Quan said nothing and left the ward.

At this moment, Chen Yongzhi spoke, “Wife, these are my colleagues. The company was worried about me, so they sent them to come with me.”

Chi Xiaoxuan placed a fruit basket and some supplements on the bedside table and said seriously, “Yes, these are company condolences.”

Liu Xiaoyu sighed in relief and thanked them, still looking very distressed. “Today really scared me to death.”

Chen Yongzhi held her and comforted her softly.

Yan Ningxi and Chi Xiaoxuan exchanged a glance and then quietly left the ward.

There were police outside, so Chen Yongzhi probably wouldn’t dare do anything to Liu Xiaoyu now.

Chi Xiaoxuan suddenly felt thirsty and told Yan Ningxi before going to buy water.

Not far away in the corridor, Zhao Quan saw Yan Ningxi come out and was about to approach her to ask something when Liu Zhen suddenly appeared.

Liu Zhen said, “The fire investigation shows the fire started from old clothes Chen’s family left on the balcony. The clothes were packed in cardboard boxes, and fragments of a lighter were found at the scene.”