Chapter 56. He was deliberately avoiding her...
Xie Tang successfully scheduled the meeting for the afternoon.
She first reviewed Zuo Meng's interrogation record.
The investigators informed them that Zuo Meng was involved in a huge theft case, and all the witnesses and physical evidence pointed to her stealing a necklace worth millions.
The facts of the case are clear and the chain of evidence is complete, but Zuo Meng has always maintained her innocence and has not been able to provide any evidence to prove her innocence.
"The case will be transferred to the procuratorate soon..."
Xie Tang's heart sank slightly: "Didn't you look for any other clues?"
"She couldn't provide any useful clues, she just kept crying foul, there was nothing we could do," the investigator said helplessly.
Xie Tang's heart tightened when he saw Zuo Meng.
In just a few days, she became pale and exhausted, but the scholarly air and stubbornness in her eyes remained.
"You've come..." Zuo Meng's voice was hoarse and dry.
"You asked me for your business card that day, did you already expect this day to come?" Xie Tang asked directly, voicing her doubts.
Zuo Meng curled her lips into a sarcastic smile: "No. I had another use for the business card. I never expected it would bring me this trouble."
There seemed to be a deeper meaning in her words.
Xie Tang frowned slightly and took out a photocopy of the statement: "In your statement, you insisted on your innocence, but all the witnesses and physical evidence point to you stealing that million-dollar necklace..."
"I didn't steal it! Xiang Shaoyun gave it to me!" Zuo Meng suddenly became agitated.
"But... it was Xiang Shaoyun who called the police. He said you stole it."
"He's wronged me!" Zuo Meng cried out hoarsely, her eyes instantly filling with tears.
"Why did he frame you?" Xie Tang looked at her calmly. "Besides you, who can prove that he gave you the necklace?"
"I didn't! But I just didn't steal it!" Zuo Meng's voice trembled, filled with despair.
Xie Tang pressed his temples, looking troubled, and said seriously, "The amount stolen is exceptionally large. According to the Criminal Law, you could be sentenced to more than ten years or even life imprisonment. I suggest you consider confessing and try to get a reduced sentence..."
Zuo Meng glared at her, her eyes blazing with anger: "I told you, I didn't steal! I asked you here to help me defend my innocence, not to get a reduced sentence! You want me to confess? I'd rather die! If the court doesn't clear my name, I'll die!"
After leaving the detention center, Xie Tang and Li Zan returned to their law firm with the case files.
After reviewing the case file, Li Zan asked her, "Sister, do you want to take this case? Zuo Meng insists that you plead not guilty, but with the current evidence, it's too difficult."
Xie Tang hesitated.
Zuo Meng's case involved Xiang Shaoyun, and she instinctively wanted to avoid it.
However, Hao Ruoxiang's tearful eyes and Zuo Meng's stubborn face suddenly appeared, and the vow of "I will never admit my guilt" still rang in their ears.
She sighed softly, "...Let's see."
I worked overtime at the law firm for a while, and when I got home at eight o'clock, Chu Song was still not back.
Aunt Yu, carrying Chu Xin, came up to greet them: "Ah Song will be back for dinner tonight, would you like to come along?"
"Okay." Xie Tang had dinner at the law firm, but at this moment she wanted to find a reason to spend time with Chu Song.
When Chu Xin saw Xie Tang, he smiled with his eyes crinkling. His smile was pure and warm, like the rising sun, instantly dispelling the weariness in Xie Tang's heart.
She held his tiny hand and teased him for a while.
"Xiao Xin really likes you," Aunt Yu suggested with a smile, "Would you like to hug him?"
Xie Tang hesitated for a moment, and Aunt Yu took the opportunity to put Chu Xin in her arms.
She quickly supported his little bottom with one hand and protected his back with the other, carefully holding him steady, a gentle smile spreading across her face.
Chu Xin looked at her with his big, dark eyes and made cooing sounds, which made Xie Tang even more fond of him, and she played with him for a while longer.
"Look at you, you seem to really like kids," Aunt Yu said with a smile. "Do you have any plans to have one yourself someday?"
Xie Tang shook his head: "You never know what will happen in the future."
"Then you and Ah Song..."
Before Aunt Yu could finish speaking, Chu Song returned, and she immediately went to greet him: "The food is warming up in the kitchen, I'll bring it out for you right away..."
"Hmm." Chu Song's gaze swept over Xie Tang, who was holding the child, his face expressionless, with only a clear sense of detachment.
He went straight to the dining table and sat down.
Xie Tang's heart sank—that was definitely not a misperception.
Chu Song's eyes changed.
She handed Chu Xin back to the nanny, and her earlier thought of having dinner with him vanished in the cold stare. She turned and went back to her room without a word.
"Why isn't A-Tang eating?" Aunt Yu asked, puzzled, as she brought out the dishes.
Chu Song paused slightly, his voice flat: "I don't know."
...
For the next two days, Chu Song continued to travel in a hurry.
Xie Tang returned home late at night after working overtime. He sat in the living room for several hours, staring absentmindedly at his phone screen, watching the clock tick past eleven.
Aunt Yu saw this and knew who she was waiting for. She also sensed the unusual atmosphere between the two and advised, "Don't wait anymore, go to sleep first."
Xie Tang replied "okay," sat for another half hour, and finally got up and went back to her room.
For the next two days, Chu Song continued to return home late and leave early.
Living under the same roof, even the chance to see each other before going to bed has become a luxury.
Xie Tang couldn't help but wonder: Was he really so busy that he barely had time to breathe, or... was he deliberately avoiding her?
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Zuo Meng's case is about to be transferred to the procuratorate for prosecution.
Hao Ruoxiang approached Xie Tang several more times, bringing 20,000 yuan in cash to plead with her to take on the case and clear her daughter's name.
Xie Tang didn't accept the money, but he granted her request and went to see Zuo Meng again.
Zuo Meng stubbornly insisted that she was wronged.
Xie Tang was at a loss.
The evidence in this case is overwhelming, and the path to a not-guilty plea is almost completely blocked.
After being released from the detention center, Xie Tang received a call from the cake shop informing her that her ordered cake had been prepared.
She picked up the cake, bought a bouquet of flowers from the florist, and parked her car downstairs at Junmeng Law Firm.
Carrying a cake in one hand and flowers in the other, she got out of the car and unexpectedly bumped into Yin Xi and Gu Chang at the entrance of the building.
They weren't far apart, so the content of their conversation was unclear, but judging from their tense postures and intense expressions, they were arguing.
Xie Tang had no intention of getting involved, so he waited on the sidelines.
Gu Chang was the first to spot her, and the argument came to an abrupt end.
Xie Tang raised her hand holding the bouquet to Yin Xi.
Yin Xi strode over in her high heels, her face beaming with delight: "Why are you here?"
"It's your birthday." Xie Tang handed over the cake, "and flowers."
The simple sentiment brought tears to Yin Xi's eyes: "You still remember..."
"I remember your birthday on your ID card is ten days different from your actual birthday," Xie Tang smiled. "Take the cake back and share it with your teammates."
"Thank you, really..." Yin Xi took the cake and gave her a gentle hug.
As he released her, his gaze swept over the marks on Xie Tang's neck that hadn't completely faded. His smile froze for a moment, and he asked in a worried whisper, "Are you... alright lately?"
"It's alright, I just came up with a tricky case..." Xie Tang noticed her gaze, subconsciously turned to the side, and forced a smile.
Seeing Gu Chang walking towards them, she quickly stuffed the flowers into Yin Xi's arms: "I have something to do, I'll be going now."
"Won't you chat with Gu Chang for a while?" Yin Xi noticed her avoidance.
"Let's do it another day." Xie Tang said goodbye hastily, turned around and got into the car.
Gu Chang watched her almost fleeing figure, his gaze fixed on the departing car.
Yin Xi quickly explained, "She said it was an emergency..."
Gu Chang abruptly turned his gaze away, fixing it on her face with resentment: "You shouldn't have meddled that day!"
"I just wanted to help you..."
"Help me? What did you help me with!" Gu Chang's eyes were ferocious.
"I never expected this to happen..."
"Enough! I don't want to hear it! From now on, stay out of my business!" Gu Chang said harshly and left angrily.
Yin Xi gazed at that resolute figure as he walked away, filled with regret.
She had intended to repay him for introducing her to the Monarch Alliance, but unexpectedly, she pushed him into an even deeper sea of anger.
-----------------
Xie Tang did not return to the law firm, but drove home instead.
Unexpectedly, she saw Chu Song in the living room.
He seemed to have just returned; he was leaning back on the sofa, his tie slightly loose, and his eyes and brows were filled with an overwhelming weariness.
He closed his eyes, as if he was struggling against a heavy weariness.
I've been missing you for so long, I'm really worried about you.
Seeing him like this, Xie Tang felt a mix of indescribable joy and tender heartache.
She approached gently, reaching out to straighten his loose tie, but her fingertips hesitated in mid-air, afraid of startling him.
Chu Song seemed to sense something and slowly opened his eyes.
The moment he recognized her, surprise flashed in his eyes, only to be replaced by a cold indifference.
"Brother Song," Xie Tang called softly.
Chu Song responded, remained silent for a moment, and got up to return to his room.
Xie Tang's heart sank – he was indeed avoiding her.
"Brother Song!" she called out urgently.
Chu Song stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around. He simply turned slightly to the side and asked, "Is there something you need?"
"You...are you still bothered by what happened that night?"
Chu Song suddenly turned around to look at her, a cold smile curving his lips: "You seem completely indifferent to me."
These words pierced Xie Tang's heart like needles.
She didn't want to maintain this ambiguous stalemate any longer; some things had to be said.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm: "You've been avoiding me these past few days because of this?"
"Yes," Chu Song answered crisply. "Come with me."
Xie Tang followed him into the study.
Chu Song handed her a document: "Read it yourself."
Xie Tang took it; it was a test report.
The results column clearly stated: Chloramine and methyl phenyl acetamide were detected in the urine.
Her face turned pale instantly: "This is..."
“A hallucinogenic anesthetic, a central nervous system stimulant.” Chu Song’s voice was as cold as ice.
Xie Tang immediately recalled Chu Song's unusual behavior that night; he had actually been drugged.
"Who is it...?"
Chu Song's eyes were sharp as knives: "What do you think?"
Xie Tang frowned, pondering possible partners.
Chu Song opened his phone again and sent her a video: "Take a look at this one too."
Xie Tang clicked on the video, and the screen showed her in a bar.
The camera quickly switches to focus on the moment she drops an unidentified pill into a glass of water.
A bone-chilling cold instantly gripped her heart.
She looked up incredulously: "You suspect... that I put the drug in that glass of water?"
"The evidence is here!" Chu Song demanded sharply, "What other explanation do you have?"
"No! That's the medicine I take!" Xie Tang's face turned red with anxiety. "I have a hereditary vitamin metabolism disorder, and that's one of the medications the doctor prescribed for me!"
A flicker of hesitation crossed Chu Song's eyes, but a surge of anger quickly overwhelmed it: "That night, it was after drinking that glass of water that I..."
"That glass of water," Xie Tang interrupted him, forcing back her heartache, and said, word by word, "was something I prepared for myself! Do you think I would drug myself like that?"
"Don't you like me?" Chu Song's lips curled into a sarcastic sneer. "I lost control that night, but what about you? You didn't push me away either."
He knows!
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