Chapter 96 Gratitude
◎It is difficult to save people in this world, so every one you save is a good one◎
As Zhao Xiangwan expected, when Jiao Lili heard that someone could prove it, she was furious.
"It must have been that bastard Liao Chaoyong who said that, right?"
"If a man is reliable, even a sow can climb a tree! I thought he was really going to go back and deal with that yellow-faced woman, but I didn't know he was just lying to me."
"You bastard, one second he was hugging me and saying he wanted to live with me forever, and the next second he turned his back on me and hooked up with his wife, bah!"
Zhao Xiangwan quickly grasped the key words in her words: "Get rid of that yellow-faced woman? I think you may have misunderstood. According to Liao Chaoyong, it was you who forced him to get rid of Gui Youlian. After thinking it over, he felt that you were a treacherous person and didn't dare to live with you anymore, so he called the police with Gui Youlian's company."
With the ability to read minds, Zhao Xiangwan is absolutely a top-notch lier.
Jiao Lili immediately believed her words, and her face turned the color of liver. Even the thick foundation liquid could not hide it. She stamped her feet heavily, trying to prove herself: "No, no, I didn't force him to kill. Police comrades, you have to believe me, I am just a businessman. I divorced my ex-husband because I couldn't have children. In the past few years, I finally caught up with the policy and made some money. How can I not live a good life?"
[Incitement to murder is against the law! 】
[Liao Chaoyong, that bastard, swore in front of me that he would kill that yellow-faced woman when he got back, and even pretended to bring two knives back with him. What happened? Damn it!]
[You are so good at pretending. No wonder we haven't been in touch for more than ten days. It turns out that you have changed your mind a long time ago.]
After hearing this, Zhao Xiangwan understood two points.
——First, Jiao Lili knew about Liao Chaoyong's murderous intention, but not only did she not stop it, she was happy to see it happen. It is possible that she instigated it.
——Second, the two knives were indeed taken back by Liao Chaoyong.
Does she know that incitement to murder is illegal?
Knowing that the other party was married, she lived with him illegally. Not only that, she also instigated murder? This Jiao Lili is not a good person either.
Zhu Feipeng understood Zhao Xiangwan's intention, but didn't know how she was going to pry Jiao Lili open her mouth. He wisely stood aside and led the customers who came in to the store next door to prevent anyone from disturbing Zhao Xiangwan's interrogation.
Jiao Lili was now extremely worried and had no time to focus on her business. She said a lot of things, but found that the policewoman standing in front of her had a blank expression, as if she didn't believe it at all, and she became more and more anxious.
"It's true, police comrade, you have to believe me."
"I did not instigate Liao Chaoyong to kill anyone. He bought the knife himself and said he wanted to take it back."
This was what Zhao Xiangwan was waiting for. She immediately followed up, "When and where did you buy the knife? Do you have a receipt?"
Jiao Lili opened her mouth and suddenly realized a problem, and beads of sweat began to appear on her forehead.
[It's over. I bought the knife.]
[The police won't think it was my idea, right?]
[I am over 40 and I don't get married. How can I tie Xiao Liao down? He is younger than me and has a better ability to make money. What if he falls in love with a young, beautiful and fertile girl? What should I do?]
Zhao Xiangwan sneered: "Liao Chaoyong said that you bought the knife and paid for it. This is not wrong, right?"
When Jiao Lili heard Zhao Xiangwan say this, how could she still have any doubts? Such a private matter, no one except Liao Chaoyong could know it. It's over! He must have framed her!
"The knives, I bought them. I went to the market half a month ago and bought a set of kitchen knives. I have the receipt, and you can ask. I bought them at a store called Wanlifeng. The owner is called Aqiang. We chatted for a few minutes at that time. You can investigate. I'm sure I didn't lie. There are five knives in the set. I kept them in the kitchen after I took them home. I don't know when Liao took them away."
Zhao Xiangwan looked unconvinced: "You bought it, and Liao Chaoyong took it away for more than ten days. How could you not know? You must have given him the knife and asked him to go back and kill Gui Youlian. If Liao Chaoyong hadn't found his conscience later, wouldn't you have succeeded?"
Jiao Lili smiled bitterly: "I succeeded? What did I succeed in? What good would it do me if his wife died? This store is in my name, and the initial investment was also my money. Liao said he was the store owner, but he was actually my employee. Why would I instigate him to kill his wife?"
Hearing this, Zhao Xiangwan asked: "Where is the receipt? Where are the remaining knives?"
Jiao Lili now only wants to clear herself of the charges, and she is very cooperative with the police's inquiries: "It's at home. I'll take you to get it."
The store opened by Jiao Lili and Liao Chaoyong is not very big, and they do not hire any employees. Usually, Jiao Lili is the one in the store while Liao Chaoyong drives a small truck to deliver and purchase goods. Liao Chaoyong has not come back for the past ten days, and Jiao Lili has no idea what is going on with him. She called him several times but received no news. She was worried and had to temporarily hire a delivery guy.
Now they were about to leave. Jiao Lili said hello to the boss next to her and led Zhao Xiangwan and the other two out of the building materials city.
She had indeed made some money in the past two years and bought a house in a newly developed community near the building materials city in the city. The house had three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom, and was decorated in a simple and practical manner. This should be where Liao Chaoyong lived with her.
Zhao Xiangwan asked: "Whose name is written on the house?"
Jiao Lili avoided the question and said, "All the money was earned from opening the shop. I spent more than 30,000 yuan in total, and another 10,000 yuan on decoration. It's not easy for a single woman like me to open a shop and earn money. It's all hard-earned money."
[Damn it, how could I have been fooled by him in the first place? ]
[If the store is mine, then the house must be his.]
【Dog man! 】
The house is named after Liao Chaoyong? That's great.
When Zhao Xiangwan heard that the store was named Jiao Lili and Liao Chaoyong was just her employee, he secretly thought it was a pity. Because even if Liao Chaoyong died, he would not be able to get any money from Jiao Lili. Zhuzhu was only five years old, how would she live in the future? Although she was raised by her aunt, what about the money? Where would the money come from? Rather than relying on her aunt's conscience, it would be more practical to have real money.
Zhao Xiangwan said: "Just check with the Housing Authority and you'll know who owns the house."
Jiao Lili gritted her teeth and said, "Why do you policemen always favor that Liao guy? Yes! This house is in his name, but I paid for it! If he wants the house, let him come to me, or I will beat him up!"
Zhao Xiangwan glanced at her and said, "It's against the law to hit someone."
Jiao Lili was so angry at her look that she couldn't say anything. She opened the door angrily, not even bothering to change her shoes. She walked straight into the room, took out a manila envelope, dumped it on the coffee table, and rummaged through it emotionally. Finally, she found a receipt and threw it to Zhao Xiangwan: "Here, the receipt for buying a knife."
She also added, "If I instigated the murder, I would definitely not tell the truth about buying the knife, let alone produce the receipt, right? Police comrade, you have to believe me, Liao never speaks the truth, he is a liar! Even if he reconciles with Gui Youlian now, who knows what evil he is up to, don't believe him."
Zhao Xiangwan took the receipt expresslessly, took a look at it and then handed it to Zhu Feipeng.
Zhu Feipeng put on gloves and put it into the evidence bag.
Jiao Lili felt something was wrong: "This is my receipt, why did you take it?"
Liu Liangju went to the kitchen, dug out three more knives, and put them into the evidence bag. He waved the bag at Zhao Xiangwan and said, "The other three have been found. They are indeed a set with the two knives."
Zhao Xiangwan ignored Jiao Lili's doubts and asked coldly: "The knives have no sheaths, what did he use to cover the two knives?"
Jiao Lili was frightened by Zhao Xiangwan's aura and pointed to the newspapers piled next to the TV cabinet.
Zhao Xiangwan approached and found the same issue of "Xingshi Evening News" as the crime scene, and indeed found that the two pages of May 31, 1995 were missing. "Xingshi Evening News" has a total of four pages. In addition to urban news and financial reports, there are also novel serials, market news, parents' gossip, and some trivial emotional stories. It is very popular among local people.
All four pages of newspapers from other dates were preserved intact, with only two pages missing from the May 31 edition.
This shows that the two knives were indeed wrapped in newspapers from home by Liao Chaoyong and taken to the garbage dump.
Without waiting for Zhao Xiangwan to speak, Zhu Feipeng understood what he meant. He walked over and took the May 31st edition of "Xingshi Evening News" and put it into the transparent evidence bag again.
After this series of actions by the police, Jiao Lili felt more and more uneasy.
If it was just illegal cohabitation, if it was just incitement to murder, why did the police solemnly put the knife, newspapers, and purchase receipts into a bag and take them away?
Their expressions were too solemn and their movements too skillful; they did not look like ordinary policemen from the police station at all.
[Could it be that the Liao guy really killed someone and then escaped? ]
[A knife was left at the scene, so the police came to search? ]
[It's over, it's over. Murder means you have to pay with your life. Didn't he say that he would carefully dismember the body and make sure it wouldn't be discovered?]
【Idiot! Idiot! 】
Zhao Xiangwan moved Jiao Lili to sit down.
Jiao Lili was now at a loss, and subconsciously followed Zhao Xiangwan's arrangements and sat obediently on the sofa in the living room.
Zhao Xiangwan's eyes were as fast as lightning as he stared closely at Jiao Lili's facial expression.
Zhu Feipeng also became interested. He stood behind Zhao Xiangwan, watching Jiao Lili's every move with burning eyes.
Being stared at by two criminal police officers, Jiao Lili felt very nervous: "Police, police comrades, what happened?"
Zhao Xiangwan took a knife from the evidence bag and placed it on the coffee table.
The knife has not been used yet. It is made of forged high-carbon steel, extremely hard and shining with a cold light.
Zhao Xiangwan did not directly answer Jiao Lili's question, but started questioning directly about the knife.
This time, Zhao Xiangwan's voice was cold and carried a strong sense of oppression, which made Jiao Lili even more nervous.
"When did you buy the knife?"
“The date is on the IOU.”
Zhao Xiangwan raised his hand, and Zhu Feipeng took out the loan note and placed it on the tea table: "Tell me when you bought the knife."
Jiao Lili glanced at the receipt, began to let go of her own thoughts, and answered obediently: "May 27th."
"What day is it today?"
"June 12th."
"When will Liao Chaoyong leave?"
"No. 1, he said he wanted to spend Children's Day with his daughter."
The body was found on June 5, 4-5 days after death, the crime occurred on June 1, the newspaper went missing on May 31, and the knife was bought on May 27, which are completely consistent in time.
"Did he come back during this time?"
As soon as this question came out, Jiao Lili immediately became alert and shook her head repeatedly: "No, no, he wrapped the knife in newspapers and went back to his home early in the morning."
"Take knives home, a meat cleaver, a boning knife, why?"
Jiao Lili didn't dare to answer this question. She shook her head like a rattle: "I don't know, I don't know."
Zhao Xiangwan sneered: "You bought a knife, don't you know what it's for?"
Jiao Lili's heartbeat gradually quickened.
[Of course I know, but I can’t admit it.]
[Who made that old woman refuse to divorce? I am already over 40, what will happen if I don’t get married? ]
[He said that if I killed her, I wouldn't have to pay her a penny, so I agreed.]
[But...can I tell this to the police? No!]
Jiao Lili was now extremely guilty and just wanted to get away from it, trying to explain: "He asked me to buy it, what could I do? I didn't know what he was going to do."
Zhao Xiangwan didn't say a word. There was a cold light in her eyes that made Jiao Lili feel more and more unsure.
【Did he say that I instigated it? 】
【He must be trying to pin the blame on me.】
[The police won’t really believe it, right? ]
The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became. Jiao Lili shouted, "Police comrade, I want to report it!"
Liu Liangju was a little excited. If Jiao Lili could identify Liao Chaoyong as the one who went there with a knife and prepared to kill people, then Gui Youlian could be defined as acting in legitimate defense. Even if the defense was excessive, the death penalty could be waived!
Zhao Xiangwan was very calm: "What are you reporting?"
Jiao Lili shouted: "I want to report Liao Chaoyong for murder! He asked me to buy a knife and brought it home just to kill his wife."
Zhao Xiangwan shook his head, with a mocking look on his face: "But..."
Without waiting for Zhao Xiangwan to finish his words, Jiao Lili, who was ready to strike first, told him in detail the entire process of Liao Chaoyong's plan to murder.
——May returned home, and was so angry that she started to curse and yelled that she wanted to kill that yellow-faced woman;
——Liao Chaoyong asked Jiao Lili to buy a set of knives;
——On June 1st, because the knife was too sharp, Liao Chaoyong wrapped the knife in newspaper, stuffed it into his black leather bag, and went home.
——Liao Chaoyong never came back. Jiao Lili called him countless times through the paging station and left messages on his pager, but he never responded.
Zhu Feipeng sat aside and took notes, writing quickly.
After Jiao Lili finished speaking, he walked over to her and asked her to sign. Jiao Lili signed honestly and looked at the three police officers nervously: "What happened? Police comrades, tell me the truth. Did Liao Chaoyong really reconcile with his wife and then sue me for illegal cohabitation?"
She suddenly realized, "Ah, that's not right. If it was Liao who sued me, wouldn't we both be arrested for illegal cohabitation? Why would he sue me? That's not right..."
Jiao Lili looked at Zhao Xiangwan blankly with fear in her eyes: "Comrade police, could it be that Liao really killed his wife? I have already reported it. I just signed the report, right? I didn't know it was true. I thought he was just joking."
After Zhao Xiangwan obtained all the evidence, he allowed Zhu Feipeng to take out the photos of the body.
She handed the photo to Jiao Lili, her eyes narrowed slightly, with a sense of majesty that did not match her age: "Do you recognize him? Who is he?"
Jiao Lili and Liao Chaoyong had slept in the same bed together for so many years, and she knew it was him at first glance, but with this pale skin, body spots, and rotten face... How could it be?!
Her pupils suddenly dilated and she jumped up from the sofa like a cat whose tail was stepped on.
"Xiao Liao?!"
"Why?"
"Didn't he go to kill someone? How did he die?"
"This is impossible! How could he be dead?"
Zhao Xiangwan sneered, "Do you know he was going to kill someone?"
Only then did Jiao Lili realize the loophole in her words.
She had just reported Liao Chaoyong, saying that he wanted to kill his wife, and he also ordered her to buy a knife. She also watched him leave with the knife. In order to beautify her behavior, Jiao Lili has always claimed that she did not know anything and just thought Liao Chaoyong was joking.
But what did you just say?
If she knew that Liao Chaoyong planned to kill people but did not call the police, it means that she acquiesced and colluded.
Jiao Lili was so panicked that she shook her head and waved her hands at the same time: "No, no, I didn't know he was going to kill anyone, I just thought he was going to scare his wife."
Zhao Xiangwan brought the photo closer, only a foot away from Jiao Lili's eyes. Her voice was filled with deep anger, which made Jiao Lili shudder.
"Look carefully, is it Liao Chaoyong?"
"Yes, it's him."
"He took Gui Youlian to a garbage dump and prepared to kill her with a knife. But justice is undeniable and retribution is inevitable. During the struggle, Gui Youlian touched a brick and successfully fought back, beating him to death."
Jiao Lili's heart nearly jumped out of her throat when she heard this. She stared at the dead body of her lover in the photo with her eyes wide open. A huge sense of fear enveloped her.
Zhao Xiangwan's speech continued.
"Do you see clearly? This is what a person looks like after death."
"One day after death, the muscles begin to stiffen, the blood coagulates, and the skin turns black."
"Three days after death, the internal organs begin to decay, and this decay causes the corpse to emit a foul odor."
"Five days after death, swelling began to appear, and foam with blood began to flow out of the mouth and nose..."
Jiao Lili was frightened by her words, and when she saw the terrifying photo, her spirit completely collapsed. Her legs went limp, and she sat paralyzed on the sofa, tears and snot flowing together. Her tears washed away her liquid foundation, revealing a face full of spots and wrinkles, looking extremely ugly.
Zhao Xiangwan's rage suddenly erupted.
"Are you scared now?"
"I wasn't scared when I bought a knife, I wasn't scared when I wrapped the knife in newspaper, I wasn't scared when I watched the murderer leave the house, so why am I scared now when I see a picture of a corpse?"
"The murderer was killed in return, and you are afraid?"
Jiao Lili previously thought that murder was easy. Firstly, she was not the one who did it, so she had no psychological pressure. Secondly, Liao Chaoyong was holding her in his arms and thinking about the future, which was extremely beautiful.
But after seeing the tragic death of Liao Chaoyong and hearing Zhao Xiangwan's words, she realized how horrible death can be.
If you knew it would be like this, why did you kill Gui Youlian? Wouldn't it be better to give her some money and send her away? Wouldn't it be better to take Zhuzhu in and raise her when she got seriously ill?
Because they wanted to solve the problem easily, because they wanted to get benefits without spending money, they ended up losing their lives.
If you want to kill someone, you have to be prepared for the possibility that someone might kill you in return.
She regretted it, really regretted it.
Jiao Lili's whole body was shaking unconsciously, causing her teeth to chatter and her words to come out incoherently.
"I, I didn't expect that."
"I just want to get married so badly. I can't have children, so I want to keep Zhuzhu by my side."
"Yes, I instigated Xiao Liao to kill someone. I was wrong."
"I plead guilty, I plead guilty..."
"I am willing to compensate them. I am willing to compensate them and their daughter."
Compensation? It must be.
But legal punishment must also be accepted.
Jiao Lili was brought back to the city police station, all the evidence was submitted, the testimonies of both parties were compared, all the information was sorted out and handed over to the prosecutor, and the case of the body dumped in the abandoned well was solved.
This was how Zhao Xiangwan solved his first case after joining the police station.
The chain of evidence is intact.
The motive for the murder is clear.
But this result is disappointing.
When Gui Youlian heard from the police that Jiao Lili had pleaded guilty to incitement to murder and was willing to compensate Zhu Zhu, she was so moved that she burst into tears, bowed repeatedly, and expressed her heartfelt gratitude with a choked voice.
"Thank you, thank you. I know you have done so much for me and Zhuzhu. I know there are still many good people in this world. You are good police officers, and good people will be rewarded."
Before being taken away, Gui Youlian ran to Zhao Xiangwan again and bowed deeply: "You are a very, very good police officer. When my daughter Zhuzhu grows up, I will make her a good police officer like you. I know that it is all thanks to you that I can watch her grow up."
Zhao Xiangwan waved his hands and said nothing.
Zhao Xiangwan remained silent until Gui Youlian left her sight.
He Mingyu seemed to know what she was thinking. He put his arm around her shoulders and gently comforted her, "You helped Zhuzhu get the house and compensation, and found evidence of legitimate defense for Gui Youlian. If it weren't for you, how could Jiao Lili plead guilty so easily? Zhuzhu can grow up smoothly, and Gui Youlian will not be sentenced to death. You have done enough."
Zhu Feipeng said, "Junior sister, you have just started working and you have encountered such a case. It is indeed tiring. Let me tell you, you were an intern before and may not have a deep feeling. Now that you have really entered the industry, you come into contact with either criminal suspects or victims every day. As the saying goes, there must be something hateful about pitiful people, and this will bring a lot of negative emotions. In the future, don't get too emotional, otherwise you will be very tired."
Zhao Xiangwan turned his head and looked at him: "Don't be too emotional?"
Zhu Feipeng nodded: "Yes. Our serious crime team has been involved in so many major cases. You have also been involved in them before. Which one of them is not pitiful?"
After a pause, he began to list in detail: "When you first joined the team, you encountered the case of the headless female corpse. Didn't Cao Caiyan kill so many women because her husband cheated on her and gave her everything and was fed to the dog, which made her mentally twisted? In the case of Weng Pingfang's murder, didn't Pan Guoqing have the intention to kill because his wife cheated on him and ruined the family with vanity? Even Jian Teng killed people. Didn't he have a pitiful and miserable childhood?"
Zhao Xiangwan nodded thoughtfully.
Liu Liangju heard their conversation, walked over and patted Zhao Xiangwan on the shoulder: "Our serious crime team is just like the intensive care unit in a hospital. We deal with people who are terminally ill. They are either dead or disabled, so we must have a good attitude. Xiangwan used to study at university and occasionally come here for internships. University is simply happy and can serve as a buffer zone to digest sad and helpless emotions. Now I spend the whole day here, with countless trivial tasks to do every day, and I have to learn to adjust my mentality."
Zhao Xiangwan is a smart person. She has the ability to read minds and her ability to digest indigestion is far superior to that of ordinary people.
The reason why she felt a little disappointed was that she suddenly realized that it was difficult for the world to save her. Even if she had a heart that pursued fairness and justice, even if she was determined to seek justice for kind people, but... her power alone was really small.
After hearing what her senior brothers and sisters said, she immediately figured out the key: "Okay, I understand."
It is difficult to save people in this world, so every one you save is a good one;
Our power is small, so just do our best.
After thinking it through, Zhao Xiangwan suddenly became enlightened and smiled: "Seniors, seniors, I solved my first case after joining the company. How can we celebrate?"
He Mingyu's eyes lit up: "I haven't seen Ji Zhao for a long time, how about calling him out so we can have a meal together?"
Zhao Xiangwan nodded: "Okay, then let's go directly to the Four Seasons Hotel. He usually paints there."
The top floor of the hotel is Ji Zhao's private space. The studio is very large and has two large bedrooms, one of which belongs to Zhao Xiangwan. Zhao Xiangwan lives in Jinyuan Community for the convenience of work, but she will come here to date him on weekends.
After a phone call, all members of the serious crime squad gathered in the Jewel Hall of the Four Seasons Hotel.
Xu Songling was on a business trip and was unable to attend, so he could only be absent with regret.
Ji Zhaohou was in the hotel lobby, standing tall and slender, like a bamboo swaying in the wind.
When he saw Zhao Xiangwan walking over with the crowd, Ji Zhao smiled, walked up to her, and naturally held her hand.
[You are here. Is the case solved? ]
There seemed to be stars twinkling in Ji Zhao's eyes, mysterious and dazzling; his eyes were like a clear stream flowing down from a mountain stream, deep and clear. After seeing the unpredictable human heart, Zhao Xiangwan wanted to see Ji Zhao the most. He had a power that made her calm and relaxed.
Zhao Xiangwan smiled slightly and interlocked his fingers with his: "Yes, the case is solved."
The others all greeted Ji Zhao enthusiastically: "Hi, Ji Zhao, long time no see."
During the time when Zhao Xiangwan was busy with his graduation thesis, he seldom came to the Serious Crime Unit 1, which also meant that Ji Zhao did not show up. Everyone had not seen him for almost four or five months.
Ji Zhao's brilliant smile was directed only at Zhao Xiangwan. Facing the enthusiasm of Zhu Feipeng and others, he put off his smile, glanced at their faces one by one, and nodded slightly.
Ji Zhao's eyes were like a dragonfly skimming the water, but they were bright enough to make people happy. After spending so much time together, they knew that he couldn't speak, so they all laughed.
"Ji Zhao is becoming more and more fiery."
"Yes, I haven't seen you for a few months. You have become more approachable."
"As expected, he is the best criminal portrait artist in our public security system. His temperament is truly amazing."
Listening to the crowd standing in the lobby flattering, Zhao Xiangwan couldn't help laughing: "Hey, Ji Zhao doesn't like these empty words, you know that."
Zhu Feipeng snorted twice, "Xiang Wan, in our public security system, your reputation is not as great as Ji Zhao's. Whenever Ning Qingning from Kyoto gives a lecture, he always mentions Ji Zhao's name. Currently, the criminal portrait painters trained by him are all over the country, and they all admire Ji Zhao. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid it would be difficult for us to meet Master Ji Zhao."
Ji Zhao glanced at Zhao Xiangwan.
[Laoning is famous? I am famous? ]
Ji Zhao has changed a lot since he started dating Zhao Xiangwan. He has learned to forget and clear unnecessary memories, and he has also learned to observe the outside world and has a certain understanding of social structure. It can be said that apart from the language barrier, he is not much different from ordinary people.
In the eyes of outsiders, Ji Zhao is a secretive, silent, cold and introverted painter who also works as a criminal portrait painter.
In Zhao Xiangwan's eyes, Ji Zhao is still that simple, sunny little skylark whose heart and eyes are filled with her.
Hearing Ji Zhao's words, Zhao Xiangwan smiled and said, "Yes, very famous."
Ji Zhao frowned.
【Annoying.】
Zhao Xiangwan squeezed his hand and said, "Ignore them and do your thing."
Ji Zhao's inner world has become open. The image of the tree, the grass, and the little skylark that were once closed no longer exists, but he is still only willing to communicate with Zhao Xiangwan.
He Mingyu, who was five months pregnant, smiled enviously and said, "Xiang Wan and Ji Zhao's relationship is still so good."
Zhu Feipeng hugged her shoulders and said, "We have a good relationship, don't we? Our revolutionary friendship is unbreakable."
Revolutionary friendship? Everyone laughed.
Zhao Xiangwan said: "Let's go."
The group walked across the mosaic marble floor of the lobby, went upstairs under the illumination of crystal lamps, and walked along a corridor along the red carpet to where the luxurious private room was.
Passing the first private room, the door was open. Zhao Xiangwan heard noisy congratulations from inside and saw two familiar figures in a flash. He stopped.
Twenty people were sitting around a large round table. Everyone stood up, raised their glasses, and looked at the forty-something man sitting at the head seat.
"Oh, brother-in-law, congratulations, congratulations to Xiaotian for passing the imperial examination!"
"Like father, like son. You are really good at raising people. Xiaozhong is already working in the company to help out, and Xiaotian was admitted to Kyoto University. He is really outstanding."
"The Haotian Computer Group is growing bigger and bigger, and President Sheng has made great contributions. Now the second son is going to enter the best school to study computer science, and after graduation he will definitely make the company prosperous!"
Zhao Xiangwan had met the middle-aged man sitting in the main seat once in Ji Jinmao's villa. His surname was Sheng and he owned a computer company.
Standing next to him were two young men whom Zhao Xiangwan had never seen before.
A man wearing a dark blue suit, of medium height, with a calm and honest face, grinning happily.
The other one was wearing a yellow baseball shirt, tall, childish, handsome, and his features were the same as the middle-aged man's. He pursed his lips and didn't smile. The whole room was full of joy, but he seemed a little out of place.
There was also a figure that Zhao Xiangwan felt was familiar, wearing a lilac suit, with a slim figure and still charming. It was Zhu Feipeng's mother, He Mingyu's mother-in-law, Ji Jinmao's right-hand man, Ms. Lu Manning.
Lu Manning raised his glass and said a few polite words before leaving. Seeing Zhao Xiangwan and the others, he said with a smile, "You're here. Come on, I'll accompany you."
The door of the private room closed, and the noise just now was also blocked out.
Seeing that Zhao Xiangwan's gaze was still fixed on the box, Lu Manning asked with a smile, "You should have met Sheng Chenghao from Haotian Group, right?"
Zhao Xiangwan nodded: "Looks familiar, I've seen him at Ji's house."
Lu Manning led the way and said, "Sheng Chenghao is also a talent. After graduating from the Computer Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1987, he started a business with a group of energetic young people, innovating the Chinese character display system, constantly upgrading the hardware, and attaching great importance to team management. In just seven or eight years, he made the Haotian Group famous throughout the country. He has carried out a lot of cooperative development with the government, helping the government build computer rooms and databases. He is really good at doing business."
Database? Zhao Xiangwan felt that the term sounded familiar.
Zhao Chenyang seems to have mentioned that in the future the public security system will build a fingerprint and DNA database, and you only need to enter the relevant information to quickly match it through the computer. In this way, there is no need for investigators to compare data bit by bit, which greatly improves the efficiency of case handling.
Zhao Xiangwan took another look at the name of the private room and remembered the name Sheng Chenghao.
Seeing that she was interested, Lu Manning said a few more words.
"Mr. Sheng has two sons. The eldest son is Sheng Zaizhong. His academic performance is average. After graduating from technical secondary school, he joined the company to help out. The younger son is Sheng Zaitian. I heard that he is very talented in studying. This year, he was recommended to Kyoto University and does not have to take the college entrance examination in July. Mr. Sheng was very happy about this and invited relatives and friends to the Four Seasons Hotel for dinner. I sat with them for a while."
Zhao Xiangwan said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.
The middle-aged man sitting at the head of the round table was someone Zhao Xiangwan had met once at the Ji family villa. He was a very shrewd and talented businessman, who had made a very successful transition from a senior engineer at the Academy of Sciences to the president of a company.
However, Zhao Xiangwan did not have a good impression of him because he was not nice to his wife.
I remember that Sheng Chenghao came with his wife. His wife's surname was Xie, but when he introduced her in public or in private, he called her "my wife" or "wife". When he needed to call her for something, he would call her without using any name or surname: "Hey, you!"
His wife was petite, honest and dull, and followed him closely. Whenever he introduced her, she always tried hard to force a smile, and was polite and reserved, which made Zhao Xiangwan feel a little uncomfortable.
After Sheng Chenghao left, Ji Jinmao complained to Luo Danfeng, "How come this guy doesn't respect his wife at all? Since he wants to bring his wife out for social events, even if the relationship is not good, he still has to save face, right?"
Luo Danfeng really disliked Sheng Chenghao: "Don't associate with him in the future. We don't care about people like him no matter how capable or rich he is."
Sheng Chenghao bought a luxurious villa in the area where Ji Jinmao lived, and he was considered a neighbor of the Ji family, which was why he visited them that time. Later, whenever Sheng Chenghao had a business banquet or a large event, he chose to hold it at the Four Seasons Hotel. Ji Jinmao couldn't break up with him, so he could only deal with the interaction.
Sometimes when Zhao Xiangwan went back to Ji's residence with Ji Zhao, they would pass by Sheng's villa. He met his wife twice watering the flowers and weeding in the yard. She had a thin and petite figure, but her big eyes were full of stories.
Zhao Xiangwan didn't dare to touch her thoughts, so he kept his distance.
The large table of guests just now seemed not to have noticed Ms. Xie.
Zhao Xiangwan asked Lu Manning: "Where is Mr. Sheng's wife? She's not attending the banquet tonight?"
Lu Manning smiled and said, "Yes, he didn't come. President Sheng explained that he was sick at home, but Sheng Zaitian was a little unhappy and mumbled something that I didn't hear clearly. President Sheng glared at him and he didn't say anything else. He just frowned the whole time. Obviously, everyone at the table wife came to congratulate him, but I didn't think he was happy at all."
Zhu Feipeng put his arm around his mother's shoulder affectionately: "As a son, he must be concerned about his mother's condition, so he is unhappy."
Lu Manning was impatient with her son coming over to show his affection, so she took a few quick steps to support her daughter-in-law: "Mingyu, how are you? Can you handle working at the company? If you're not feeling well, go home and rest."
He Mingyu was in good health. Although she was five months pregnant, she was still in good shape. She laughed and said, "Mom, don't worry, I'm fine. My work is very easy, but it's boring. Let me tell you, the serious crime team has solved another case recently. It's exciting~"
Lu Manning became interested. While arranging everyone to sit in the private room, she asked curiously, "How is it thrilling?"
He Mingyu did not participate, but that did not prevent her from telling the story vividly.
The room was filled with laughter.
A few days later, Zhao Xiangwan saw Sheng Chenghao again, but he was already a cold corpse.
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