46 Brother-in-law

◎A brother-in-law who doesn't know any better should still be kept under one's watchful eye.◎

The biopsy results for Mr. Xue are in. The shadow on his liver is not cancer, but there is a risk of it becoming cancerous. Moreover, because he delayed seeking medical treatment, the presence of this mass has already caused a series of complications. The doctor still recommends surgery.

However, because there are many blood vessels around the tumor, the surgery carries certain risks. Moreover, Mr. Xue's liver function is not good, so his liver function needs to be regulated before he can go to the operating table.

Old Master Xue called Xue Tan, Xue Lu, and Song Qinggui to his bedside and gave them some instructions about the Xue family. Finally, Old Master Xue looked at Song Qinggui and said, "You handled the Lancheng Hotel matter very well. I'm getting old, and I'm very relieved to have you helping Seventh and Fourteenth."

Song Qinggui felt a pang of sadness. She had been married into the Xue family for over two years and was used to Xue Qielu's sharp and ruthless nature, but now, because of this illness, he was showing signs of decline.

The decline of a powerful figure is truly a poignant sight.

The three of them left the ward. Song Qinggui went to Jingtian Hospital. Xiaoqian was not handling the dispute over the Mumbai blood incident smoothly. There was only one month left until the New Year, and she did not want Jingtian Hospital to carry this dispute into the new year.

Xue Tan and Xue Lü rode together along the same route.

Xue Tan is going back to the Xue family business. He has just taken over the group and has a lot of people and things to deal with. He is currently working around the clock at the group.

Xue Lu then planned to go to Lancheng Hotel again.

"Is there anything else going on in Chengcheng?" Xue Tan asked. "Why are you going there again?"

Xue Tan's expression turned serious: "We've been too focused on the fact that Zhuang Xiaomeng drugged him recently, and we haven't paid attention to many of the details. Looking back, there was something else very strange that day."

Xue Tan remained silent, but he had some idea of ​​what Xue Lu was thinking.

Xue Lu continued, "I have a feeling that the reporters outside Chen Fangqi and Lao Wang's guest room were deliberately lured in."

Xue Tan had also thought about this: "But Lancheng Hotel is frequently visited by celebrities and internet celebrities, and it is common for entertainment reporter teams to come and go. As long as they have proper media credentials and obtain the artist's consent, the doormen and front desk staff will not stop them."

Lawyer Xue: "I asked Chengcheng, and there was indeed a lead actress from a recently popular short drama at the hotel that day, and an interview was indeed arranged. But those reporters found Chen Fangqi's room too quickly. Chengcheng is the hotel owner, and he has to go through the front desk to find that room, which took some effort. How did those reporters find it?"

Moreover, Xue Lu had heard Zhuang Xiaomeng say that the bottle of medicine was originally meant to be given to him, which made the reporter that day even more suspicious.

Xue Tan nodded: "After all, no major disaster has occurred. If you do discover anything, be careful in how you handle it. I just joined Xue's Group, and many people are still not convinced by me. The group is not stable, and my father is ill, so I can't afford to have too much emotional fluctuation."

“I know,” Xue Lu replied.

...

Xue Lu had already told Cheng Cheng his speculations about the entertainment reporter that day. When he arrived at Lancheng Hotel, Cheng Cheng had already copied the surveillance footage from that day.

The two watched the surveillance video together and quickly discovered something strange.

A man wearing a baseball cap, a mask, and full protective gear is chatting with a hotel waiter.

After chatting for a while, the man forcibly pulled the waiter away, but before he pulled the waiter away, the waiter looked up at the security camera.

The waiter's glance was too deliberate, and he clearly paused for a moment, as if he was deliberately trying to get the security camera to capture his face.

Cheng Cheng frowned, and Xue Lu felt a tightness in his chest; they knew this waiter.

Chengcheng called the front desk: "Have Xiao Tang from the banquet hall come to my office."

A short while later, the receptionist called back: "Boss, there are no waiters in the banquet hall with the surname Tang."

"No one with the surname Tang?!" Cheng Cheng exploded, "How is that possible?! He told me himself to call him Little Tang!"

Xue Lu couldn't stand Cheng Cheng's temper, so he took the phone and said, "Call Song Qinghe and have him come over."

Hearing Xue Lu's gentle voice, the receptionist breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, okay, please wait a moment."

"Song Qinghe?" Chengcheng also reacted: "What's his relationship with Song Qinggui? That time he dirtied your suit and asked for your contact information, saying his name was Xiao Tang. Damn it, do Song Qinggui and her sister ever tell the truth?"

Xue Lu glared at Cheng Cheng.

Chengcheng quickly shut his mouth: "I know, I know, your wife is the most honest and the best in the world."

Then Chengcheng cursed inwardly, wondering who had been completely outmaneuvered by Song Qinggui, and who was now waiting in line after Cheng Wuliang and Yan Fengqian for his favor.

Song Qinghe quickly arrived at Chengcheng's office.

Chengcheng knew that Xue Lu was protective of his own, and Song Qinghe was likely Song Qinggui's younger brother. Who would dare to say anything to him in front of Xue Lu? So he kept a sullen face and silently looked at Song Qinghe.

Song Qinghe was quite obedient and greeted Xue Lu, "Brother-in-law."

"Heh... quick to change your tune." Xue Lu sneered, "Your sister didn't acknowledge you, so I can't acknowledge you either. I called you here today to show you something."

Xue Lu stepped aside, making room for Song Qinghe in front of the computer screen, and Song Qinghe tactfully walked over.

"Explain," Xue Lu said in a low voice, but not cold.

When Song Qinggui saw himself in the surveillance video, he did not panic and explained clearly and logically.

That day, he encountered the man in the video at the cargo door of the banquet hall, and was eventually pulled by the man to the side door, which was a blind spot for the surveillance cameras.

The hotel banquet hall has three entrances: the main entrance, the side entrance, and the cargo entrance.

The main entrance and delivery door are in prominent positions, while the side door is hidden behind heavy curtains and opens onto a narrow alley. Sometimes, when the waiters and kitchen staff have a craving for a smoke or want to take a shortcut to the restroom, they use this small door.

The door is hidden; apart from the staff in the banquet hall and kitchen, not many people, even those in other departments of the hotel, know about it.

“The fact that the man knew the side door to the kitchen means he was very familiar with the hotel,” Song Qinghe said. “The surveillance footage shows that this wasn’t the first time he approached me. The first time I met him was when I went out the side door to smoke. He saw me and started chatting with me, saying that he was a reporter from an entertainment newspaper and had heard that the Xue family was having a party here this weekend. He wanted to come in to cover it, but since their media outlet was newly established, they hadn’t obtained many of their credentials yet. He asked me to help him bring them in that day and even transferred 50,000 yuan to me.”

"So you fucking believed it? You even took the money?!" Chengcheng couldn't hold back any longer and shouted at him on the spot.

"Why won't you accept it?" Song Qinghe asked calmly. "It's my annual rent."

"And then?!" Chengcheng broke down: "You just let him in?! I'll fire you, you believe me?!"

“I believe you,” Song Qinghe replied confidently. “But he mentioned the Xue family, and I think I can agree. I want to see what he really wants.”

“You fucking…” Chengcheng pointed at Song Qinghe’s nose. He now believed that he and Song Qinggui were siblings. They were both fucking infuriating.

Xue Lu remained calm as he gazed at Song Qinghe. They were truly siblings; aside from their eyes and brows, their courage was also very similar.

However, Song Qinggui never did anything he wasn't sure of, while Song Qinghe was a scoundrel who lacked both manners and common sense.

Lawyer Xue: "You brought them in, and then what? Did you figure out what they wanted to do?"

Song Qinghe said angrily, "I see now! They want to harm you! And they want to harm my sister too! The day they came in, the female reporter in the lead immediately asked me which room Mr. Xue and Ms. Zhuang were in. That woman surnamed Zhuang was so out of control that day, and that Mr. Wang dragged Chen Fangqi away with his face all red. I understood immediately. They want to film indecent videos, right? Fine, let them film to their heart's content!"

Chengcheng paced around the room in anger, and finally, at his wit's end, he said to Xue Lu, "Your brother-in-law, I can't say anything harsh to him, so you come and scold him! Hurry up!"

Xue Lu stared at Song Qinghe for a long time before saying, "Quit smoking. Your sister hates men who smoke."

Cheng Cheng's eyes widened in shock. He looked at Xue Lu and said, "Xue Shisi, have you been bewitched by your wife? You don't care at all whether my life or death is mine!"

At this point, Attorney Xue turned to Song Qinghe and said in a very calm voice, "You think you understand? What do you understand? Let me tell you, it's only because things were too chaotic that day, and Old Wang got into trouble. If Old Wang had been alright that day, by the time he realized what was happening, you would be the one drinking tea at the police station right now. Who do you expect to bail you out? Your sister or me? Your sister doesn't want to acknowledge you at all. As for me, your whole family just dumped her on Changli Island to fend for herself. I'm being kind by not hiring a lawyer to sue you."

Song Qinghe's gaze turned cold. He looked at Xue Lu like a small animal: "I said, I didn't throw her away! I never thought of throwing her away!"

Xue Lu pursed his lips, seemingly suppressing his emotions, and after a long while asked, "Do you remember what that man looked like?"

Song Qinghe was still indignant, but turned to Chengcheng and asked, "Do you have paper and pen?"

"have."

Chengcheng answered subconsciously, but immediately realized something was wrong. Wasn't he the boss? Why was he being served paper and pen?

Although he thought that, he had already taken out paper and pen from the drawer and handed them to Song Qinghe. Before handing them to Song Qinghe, Cheng Cheng glared at Xue Lu and said, "I'm fucking entitled to this."

Song Qinghe took the paper and pen, and the ballpoint pen scratched on the A4 paper. Ten minutes later, a sketch was finished.

“He was wearing a mask the whole time,” Song Qinghe said, “but his hairstyle and eyebrows were like this.”

Xue Lu looked at the man in the painting and felt that he looked familiar, as if he had seen him before.

He took the painting, folded it, put it in his pocket, and asked Song Qinghe, "Studied art?"

"Fashion design," Song Qinghe replied. "My worldly boss is my teacher."

Xue Lu chuckled. No wonder, in the secular world, suits are all handmade and custom-made. He might not even be able to buy one, yet Song Qinghe gave him one so easily.

Xue Lu said nothing more and turned to Cheng Cheng: "Expel him."

"ah?"

Chengcheng didn't react in time, and Song Qinghe was also surprised.

Chengcheng: "Me? Fire him? Your brother-in-law? Are you serious?"

Xue Lu calmly replied, "Seriously, I don't feel comfortable leaving such an irresponsible brother-in-law by your side. He has to be under my own nose."

Chengcheng:……

Xue Lu's gaze returned to Song Qinghe: "Go back and rest for a few days, then report to the Jingtian headquarters next Monday."

Cheng Cheng was speechless. Was this still the same impartial and incorruptible Lawyer Xue? Back then, when his older sister, who had a master's degree in economics from Princeton University, wanted to join Jingtian Group, Lawyer Xue didn't even agree.

Is it reasonable for Song Qinghe, a fashion designer with zero experience, to report to Jingtian? Is it a suitable fit for her major?

Black magic...

It must be a curse...

This must be the power of a curse...

Song Qinghe stared straight at Xue Lu, somewhat incredulous.

Xue Lu's expression remained cold and stern: "What? You're unwilling?"

"I'm willing!" Song Qinghe hurriedly replied, "I'm...I'm willing."