Xing Zhaozhao looked at Ling Yongde, her eyes flashing with a chilling light, and continued, "Oh, right, strictly speaking, they are not only witnesses, but also your accomplices."
She paused, her voice turning somber, "Not only were you an accomplice in the human trafficking case, but you were also an accomplice in the murder of Ling Xiao and his son Ling Ze." By the end, she was practically gritting her teeth.
Upon hearing the unfamiliar names, the Gao family members were all puzzled. Weren't they talking about a human trafficking case? How did Ling Xiao and Ling Ze suddenly appear? Who are they?
The Ling family had heard some things about Ling Xiao, but they didn't understand why he was involved with their patriarch.
“Isn’t that Ling Xiao the big landlord from our Ling Family Village? Back then, our Ling family was poor peasants. Besides, Ling Xiao was searching for his son who had fallen into the Qingxi River and drowned. He worked tirelessly for days and nights, and from exhaustion, he accidentally fell into the river and drowned. What does that have to do with my grandfather?” Aunt Ling said indignantly.
Ling Zhen and his wife, along with Ling Xue, nodded subconsciously upon hearing this. They were all juniors and had not experienced it firsthand; what they knew was all hearsay.
Uncle Ling was two years older than Ling Ze, and by then he was already old enough to remember things. He hung his head and chose to remain silent.
Xing Zhaozhao laughed: "You said it yourself, the Ling family used to be a major landowner in your Lingjia Village, how could they not be related to the old Ling family who also came from Lingjia Village?"
"Your Ling family used to be long-term servants of Ling Xiao's family. Your patriarch has been by Ling Xiao's side since he was a child. Otherwise, where did your patriarch, who was so proud of back then, come from, managing the black markets of Qingxi and Lanyuan and having such a powerful and influential life?"
"If it weren't for the trust built on growing up together, would Ling Xiao have kept him by his side, giving him the opportunity to kill that father and son and steal the business they had built from scratch?"
Everyone around looked at Ling Yongde in shock. They all knew this old man was no ordinary person, but they didn't expect him to be so ruthless.
Gao Mingcheng looked at Xing Zhaozhao, his brows furrowing with worry. This wasn't the first time Xing Zhaozhao had mentioned Ling Xiao, but this was the first time she spoke of it with such certainty. She hadn't mentioned him at all during their last meeting; he wondered what had happened to her in just a few days, and he was truly concerned. He wondered if his old commander had received his letter yet, and hoped he would act quickly and stop delaying.
Ling Yongde could no longer contain himself. He suddenly stood up from the sofa, looking at Xing Zhaozhao with undisguised fear on his face: "How do you know all this?" So many years have passed, and those who knew these past events are almost all dead. No, that's not right, there are still two left...
Thinking of the witnesses and accomplices Xing Zhaozhao had just mentioned, Ling Yongde felt a chill he had never felt before surge from the depths of his heart, instantly filling his entire body and causing him to tremble involuntarily. Damn it, he shouldn't have been so soft-hearted back then, leaving those two menaces alive. They're lucky they're still alive. No, he couldn't wait any longer.
"I'm a little tired, I'm going back now," Ling Yongde said coldly, turning to leave.
Xing Zhaozhao grabbed his arm: "Why are you in such a hurry? Do you want to go back and kill them to cover it up? I was worried before that after so many years, those two people might still be alive. Now it seems that I can rest assured."
Ling Yongde was furious and tried to push Xing Zhaozhao away, saying, "Get out of my way."
Xing Zhaozhao pinned him to the ground. She wasn't afraid of Ling Yongde, who was fifty years younger, let alone the old man who was nearing the end of his life: "Behave yourself. If I can catch you once, I can catch you a second time."
Ling Yongde looked at Xing Zhaozhao, a strange sense of panic rising within him. What do you mean, once or twice? They had only just met.
"Who...who exactly are you?" Ling Yongde asked, his voice trembling slightly.
Nearby, the Ling family members, seeing their patriarch being pinned down, immediately cried out in alarm and rushed forward: "Dad (Grandpa)..."
Gao Mingcheng, his face grim, suddenly stood up and swung his cane, quickly knocking down several overconfident individuals. He then turned to Gao Hongfei and said, "Call the police."
Gao Hongfei nodded, picked up his phone, and went to the side to make a call.
Gao Lianzhou ran up to Gao Mingcheng excitedly: "Do you need any help, Great-Grandpa?"
"Let's see if we have any rope. Let's tie them up first, so they don't run away," Gao Mingcheng said.
"Okay." Gao Lianzhou replied, searching the room for a rope. When she couldn't find one, she simply tore off a few condoms, ripped them open, and used them as rope to tie them up.
Gao Han, watching from the side, was speechless: "..." His son was truly a little sweetheart.
Ling Shuang walked up to Ling Yongde, who was now tied up and behaving himself, still somewhat shaken. She looked at Xing Zhaozhao and asked, "Who were the witnesses and accomplices you just mentioned?"
Xing Zhaozhao thought for a moment and said, "I heard that one of them is named Zeng Shou, and the other is named Li Xiang." Fei Ge mentioned it casually yesterday.
I heard? It seems so?
Ling Yongde felt he might have been deceived. He glared at Xing Zhaozhao, his eyes wide with fury: "You deliberately lied to me?!"
Xing Zhaozhao glanced at him: "No, someone just mentioned it casually, and I overheard it, but I don't know if I remembered it wrong."
Ling Shuang shook her head: "If I remember correctly, I remember them. When I was a child, I often saw them come to my house to drink with Grandpa. Every time, they would deliberately chase them away."
Ling Shuang paused for a moment, then a relaxed smile slowly appeared on her face as she looked at Xing Zhaozhao and said, "Moreover, they are indeed still alive, in good health, and mentally sound, so they can testify."
Thinking about the possible fate of Ling Yongde, Ling Shuang couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief and said gratefully to Xing Zhaozhao, "Thank you." She could finally be free.
Xing Zhaozhao understood Ling Shuang's meaning, patted her shoulder reassuringly, and then, remembering something, asked her, "By the way, do you have a picture of your father?"
Ling Shuang nodded: "Yes, what's wrong?"
“I heard he’s your grandfather’s illegitimate son, and he’s been kept hidden all this time, so not many people have seen him. I’m a little curious about what he looks like,” Xing Zhaozhao said with a smile.
No one noticed that a mysterious expression quickly flashed across Ling Yongde's face, as if resentment mixed with a hint of pleasure.
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