Chapter 124 Wedding Plans Fall Through 1 It was him! That brainless idiot…
Qiu Xiaoman's appearance was very unfortunate, because the entire Wu family had just come out of the villa.
Some were giving statements to the police who responded to the scene, providing information about Wu Haoxiong's last activities before his death. Inevitably, some lies and exaggerations were made to portray a murderer who was trying to flee the country as innocent and pitiful.
Others followed behind the medical staff, wiping away tears. They looked genuinely heartbroken. Even though Wu Haoxiong had killed an innocent passerby before his death, in the eyes of these people, nothing was more precious than Wu Haoxiong's life.
This is the absurdity of the privileged class; in their eyes, human life is divided into different classes.
Expecting such people to abide by the law is simply wishful thinking.
Sure enough, Qiu Xiaoman's system started making a ruckus. Among the Wu family members present, there were those who had embezzled, those who had smuggled, those who had committed murder, and those who had colluded with foreign forces and sold state secrets.
Unfortunately, she has to collect all the evidence herself in order to bring them to justice.
But now, she has no evidence.
Take it slow. After all, she has more important things to do now, which is to protect herself.
The moment the Wu family saw her appear, they were all enraged, as if they wanted to devour her, and they glared at her fiercely.
Without a doubt, the Wu family will suspect that she was behind Wu Haoxiong's death.
Since that's the case, why doesn't she take the initiative to provide some clues?
She pretended not to recognize who was on the stretcher, and didn't bother to ask the calico cat for information, lest the calico cat be implicated. Meeting Wu Meinian's gaze, she walked over openly and frankly: "Captain Zou, I've finally found you. I have a clue to provide you with."
Team Leader Zou stood in front of the police car, looking at her with concern: "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you, this case has nothing to do with you!"
Qiu Xiaoman walked straight up to him: "Captain Zou, it's a different case. Someone broke into my courtyard house and stole three of my four big dogs. Considering that I received a call from Chai Dafei before I got home, I suspect that he was the one who did it."
Chai Dafei? What nonsense! Captain Zou couldn't understand how this matter was related to the case at hand. He just wanted to find an excuse to send Qiu Xiaoman back as soon as possible, so that the Wu family wouldn't take their anger out on her.
After all, it was she who accidentally stumbled upon Wu Haoxiong selling meatballs at the intersection, and the Wu family hated her to the core.
Now that Wu Haoxiong is in trouble, instead of staying away, she deliberately comes over, as if she's afraid the Wu family won't retaliate against her.
Not to mention, the wounds on Wu Haoxiong's body looked like they were caused by canine bites.
The Wu family will definitely suspect Xiao Qiu! Without hesitation, Captain Zou immediately waved his hand impatiently: "Can't you see I'm busy here? I don't have time to care about your dogs. Go back now."
Qiu Xiaoman refused. Facing the angry glares of the Wu family, she calmly said, "Captain Zou, let me finish! This Chai Dafeng called me and said that Wu Haoxiong had escaped from prison and was planning to take a flight tonight! I thought he was joking, so I ignored him and went to eat at a restaurant. When I got home, I found that my house had been burgled, and all the dogs were gone. Captain Zou, do you think this Chai Dafeng might have a grudge against the Wu family? Why would he falsely accuse someone for no reason? I didn't believe it, so I even called the police and provided clues about Wu Haoxiong's escape, but there's still no news. Is it possible that Chai Dafeng deliberately used Wu Haoxiong's information to deceive me so that he could steal my things when I went to the airport to verify the information?"
This statement presents objective facts, but only a portion of them.
For example, after receiving Chai Dafei's call, she also contacted Shen Qinghuai to verify the story, and Shen Qinghuai said that the prison break was completely unfounded.
For example, her emergency calls were ignored, and there was indeed little action taken regarding Wu Haoxiong's prison break. However, the biggest news now is that Wu Haoxiong is dead.
But it doesn't matter. As long as she pretends not to know that the mangled body in the ambulance is Wu Haoxiong, there's not a single flaw in her statement.
Sure enough, Captain Zou stood there stunned, unable to react for a long time.
Because he didn't understand how Chai Dafeng had gotten involved with the Wu family.
Unless his true intentions were not what they seemed, unless Chai Dafei's real target was Qiu Xiaoman.
Currently, Qiu Xiaoman's dog is missing, and Wu Haoxiong was also bitten to death by the dog. All these clues, when pieced together, do indeed raise suspicion that Qiu Xiaoman was behind it all.
Luckily, she came over on her own. Otherwise, if Chai Dafei were to turn around and report her to the police, Captain Zou would have to take people to summon Xiao Qiu.
Now the initiative is in Xiao Qiu's hands, and it's Chai Dafei who has been summoned.
I have to admit, Xiao Qiu's move was brilliant!
Captain Zou suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. He had underestimated the intelligence of this young comrade. She dared to come over, which meant she probably already knew something and had evidence to prove her innocence.
He nodded and said, "Chen Jianjun, go to Chai Dafei's house and take him to the criminal investigation building to make a statement."
Chen Jianjun immediately agreed, and with a colleague, drove off in a car. As the car turned around and passed Qiu Xiaoman, he deliberately rolled down the window and reminded her, "Hey, don't walk home alone later. It's not safe for a girl like you. It wouldn't be good if you ran into a rabid dog."
Qiu Xiaoman understood that this was a reminder to pay attention to the Wu family's response. She smiled and nodded, "Okay, I'll have President Shen pick me up."
Chen Jianjun breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'm leaving."
Qiu Xiaoman waved and turned to look at Captain Zou: "Captain Zou, who's in the ambulance?"
Team Leader Zou didn't speak, but instead looked at Wu Meinian across from him.
Wu Meinian stared at Qiu Xiaoman with red eyes: "You really don't know?"
"I don't know, why is Aunt Wu crying? Is she your neighbor?" Qiu Xiaoman was a master at playing dumb, and it was impossible to tell that she was acting.
Wu Meinian turned her head away: "No, thank you for your concern. By the way—" Wu Meinian wiped away her tears and turned back, "Does that Chai Dafei have a grudge against you?"
"I guess so. His sister-in-law is my stepmother's cousin. My stepmother tried to kill me before." Qiu Xiaoman looked scared. "She's such an unreasonable woman. I didn't offend her. Luckily, she was arrested."
Wu Meinian was silent for a moment, then turned to look at the white-haired old man beside her: "Dad, I have something to tell you."
Old Wu didn't speak. Ever since Qiu Xiaoman appeared, he had been observing her. After all, this young girl had crippled his precious grandson.
He couldn't possibly not get her photos, but unfortunately she was Shen Wanjun's granddaughter, Shen Qinghuai's daughter, and a rising star favored by Director Wen. He had to be cautious and refrained from taking any drastic measures for the time being.
However, all of this was based on the premise that his grandson would not have any accidents. Now that his grandson has died tragically, he can no longer show her any mercy!
However, things have now taken another turn, and it sounds like the killer is someone else entirely.
It seems like someone who has a grudge against her is trying to frame her.
If that's the case, he'll have to reconsider his approach to dealing with her—if he can win her over, he can offer up a grandson or great-grandson for a marriage alliance with the Shen family; if he can't win her over, but she's not a threat, he'll take it one step at a time; if he can't win her over and she poses a significant threat, then he might as well just kill her.
Thinking of this, he turned and walked into the villa: "Meinian, come in."
Wu Meinian patted Qiu Xiaoman's shoulder meaningfully and quickly chased after her.
No one knows what the father and daughter said, and Qiu Xiaoman doesn't care. She only knows that every wrong has its perpetrator, and if Wu Haoxiong hadn't been so bad, no one would have been so bored as to harm him.
She glanced at her watch: "Captain Zou, when are you going back? Do I need to go with you to file a police report and give a statement?"
Team Leader Zou pointed to the path beside him: "That's the crime scene. I'm still busy for a while. Go to the criminal investigation building and find Brother Hu to take your statement."
Qiu Xiaoman nodded, but after getting into the car, she didn't leave. Instead, she made a phone call to Shen Qinghuai: "President Shen, someone broke into my house and all three dogs are missing, including the black dog I rescued."
Shen Qinghuai was driving towards the courtyard house when he received the call and pulled over to the side of the road. He asked curiously, "What happened? Did you offend someone?"
Seeing that he didn't react, Qiu Xiaoman said coldly, "President Shen, Wu Haoxiong is dead!"
"What? How is that possible? He's not..." Shen Qinghuai realized he was about to give himself away as soon as he opened his mouth, and quickly swallowed the words back.
Qiu Xiaoman immediately seized on his slip of the tongue and pressed, "Right, didn't he escape from prison and go to the airport? Right?"
Shen Qinghuai suffered a heart attack; clutching his cell phone, he couldn't utter a single word.
Qiu Xiaoman sneered, "You don't think you can protect me by keeping it from me, do you? President Shen, we've both been framed! Now the Wu family suspects I killed Wu Haoxiong, and you might be collecting my body tomorrow. What do you suggest we do?"
Shen Qinghuai panicked: "Who dares! Are you at home? Don't be afraid, I'm coming to find you now."
"I'm at the Wu family's, in the villa area of the East Third Ring Road. Come over." Qiu Xiaoman hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair to wait.
Team Leader Zou noticed her car, walked over, and asked, "Why aren't you leaving yet? Don't get involved in this case; just provide any clues you know."
"I'm waiting for my lifeline, Captain Zou." Qiu Xiaoman shook his cell phone with a wry smile and said loudly, "President Shen said he's coming to pick me up, afraid I'll get killed on the way."
Team Leader Zou had a headache: "It's not that serious, don't scare yourself."
Qiu Xiaoman raised an eyebrow: "Really?"
Team Leader Zou stopped talking, turned around and went into the Wu family villa, trying to reason with them.
Unexpectedly, Wu Meinian interrupted him directly: "Don't worry, Captain Zou, we know that Xiao Qiu is innocent and we won't hurt her."
Team Leader Zou asked with some skepticism, "Do you know any clues? Tell me."
"No, Captain Zou, you can go ahead and do your work." Wu Meinian smiled, but after Captain Zou left, her face turned cold. She gripped her mobile phone, anxiously waiting for someone.
Two minutes later, the phone rang. It was Wu's henchman reporting: "Mr. Wu, Chai Dafeng and his sister-in-law were bitten by a dog. They went to the hospital to treat their wounds and get vaccinated. On their way back, we blocked them on the road. Mr. Wu, they're in our car now. Where to?"
"Go to Xishan Villa. I'll be there in a bit." Wu Meinian breathed a sigh of relief, turned to the white-haired old man, and said, "Dad, I'll go with Third Brother. You wait for our news at home."
"Go quickly." The old man was impatient and wanted to know where Chaidafei got his information.
*
Qiu Xiaoman couldn't find the calico cat and could only wait until tomorrow to look for it. By the time Shen Qinghuai arrived, Qiu Xiaoman was already dozing off in the car.
He quickly got out of the car, not wanting to disturb her, and went straight to the Wu family's house.
The moment he saw Old Master Wu, he became like a wild beast with its fur standing on end, rattling off a list of the illegal and disorderly things the Wu family had done.
Grandpa Wu didn't seem surprised. After he finished speaking, he calmly asked, "Ah Huai, what do you want to say? Be direct."
Shen Qinghuai was very impolite and threatened, "I won't expose your family's secrets because I call you uncle! But if anything happens to my Xiaoman, I'll risk my life to drag your whole family down with me! Just you wait and see!"
After saying that, Shen Qinghuai took out a photo from his pocket, handed it to the old man of the Wu family, and then left.
When Old Wu opened the photo, he almost fainted on the spot. His eldest son was so frightened that he quickly helped him up. When his eldest son saw what was in the photo, he almost couldn't breathe either.
After a long while, he said angrily, "Dad, Shen Laosan is too ruthless. We can't outmaneuver him. Regardless of whether this has anything to do with Qiu Xiaoman, let's not cause her any trouble."
Old Wu took the photo with trembling hands and glanced at it again. He could only grit his teeth and say, "He's ruthless! You, go call Shen Wanjun and tell him to keep a close eye on his youngest son. Stop him from running around like a firecracker all day!"
Half an hour later, Qiu Xiaoman finished giving her statement at the criminal investigation station, but was called over by Liu Xuezheng.
Liu Xuezheng let her take a phone call. The person on the other end seemed to be a military officer. After asking for her personal information, he smiled and said, "I admire your abilities. I will be arranging for someone to go to the base for inspection soon. You don't mind, do you?"
"It's no problem, Chief." Qiu Xiaoman smiled politely. After hanging up the phone, she asked Liu Xuezheng who the other party was. Liu Xuezheng smiled but didn't answer, only telling her to do her best.
Qiu Xiaoman didn't press for details, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then went downstairs.
At this moment, Shen Qinghuai was waiting in the lobby on the first floor when he unexpectedly received a call from Shen Wanjun.
"Third brother, who gave you that photo of the Wu family?"
"Don't ask. I have my own channels."
"Your uncle didn't give it to you, did he?"
"My uncle isn't that free."
"Do you only have that one?"
"If you want to know whether I sent it to the relevant authorities, just say so."
"Is there?"
No comment.
"Third brother! At least give me some information!"
"It's best if you have no bottom line! That way, others won't be able to figure you out! Okay, I have something to do, I'm hanging up."
Shen Qinghuai hung up the phone without hesitation. What a joke! Everyone knows the tricks the Wu family plays. If they want to transfer state-owned assets out of the country, they'll definitely have to go through Hong Kong. And he's too familiar with the bosses there. Finding out about the Wu family is a piece of cake for him.
He paced back and forth in the lobby of the criminal investigation building, his hands behind his back.
Just then, Wu Shirong finished working overtime and was about to go home. When he saw Shen Qinghuai, he asked curiously, "President Shen, what are you doing here?"
Shen Qinghuai nodded politely: "Wait for my daughter."
Wu Shirong was completely bewildered: "Comrade Qiu Xiaoman is here?"
"Yes, something's happened. Someone's trying to harm her." Shen Qinghuai wished he could grab a megaphone and announce it everywhere: the Wu family was going to harm his daughter. The louder the announcement, the more people would know, and the safer his daughter would be.
After all, public opinion can be a powerful force, and even if the Wu family wanted to retaliate, they would have to think twice.
Hey, wait a minute! Shen Qinghuai squinted at Wu Shirong: "You little rascal, don't you also have the surname Wu?"
Wu Shirong was a little confused and scratched the back of his head: "Ah, yes, President Shen knows me?"
Shen Qinghuai couldn't help but sneer. Nonsense! He had investigated every single one of his daughter's colleagues!
"You don't recognize me either?" Shen Qinghuai thought carefully for a moment, but he hadn't heard of any connection between Wu Meinian's Wu family and Wu Shirong. Could it be that he was missing something in his information gathering? He subconsciously stepped closer and carefully examined Wu Shirong, then questioned, "What is your relationship with Wu Cichou?"
"Wu Cichou? Is that the retired Old Wu?" Wu Shirong was even more confused; he didn't know that important figure.
Shen Qinghuai nodded: "Are your family and his family related?"
Wu Shirong gave a wry smile: "President Shen, you misunderstand. My family is far from being worthy of such an important figure. However, my younger brother does know their granddaughter; they are classmates. Is there something you'd like to inquire about regarding their family, President Shen?"
Shen Qinghuai stared at him with suspicion, not saying a word, which made Wu Shirong feel a chill down his spine.
Just as Wu Shirong was about to find an excuse to leave, Qiu Xiaoman came out.
Seeing Wu Shirong's pathetic appearance, Shen Qinghuai guessed that he suspected the character "Wu" in Wu's name.
Qiu Xiaoman was both amused and exasperated. She walked over and asked, "What's going on? Are you two practicing cross-eyedness?"
Wu Shirong breathed a sigh of relief: "No, no, it seems President Shen has misunderstood something. You've come at the right time; I brought the comic I mentioned to you last time."
As he spoke, he took a stack of four-panel comics from his bag and handed them to Qiu Xiaoman.
Qiu Xiaoman smiled and accepted it: "Thank you. Has Mimi been behaving well lately?"
"Hmm, very good. I'm going back now." Wu Shirong couldn't stand Shen Qinghuai's murderous gaze any longer, so he quickly made his escape.
Qiu Xiaoman noticed and asked with a smile, "President Chen, what did you do? You scared him."
“I suspect he’s related to Wu Meinian’s family,” Shen Qinghuai confessed his doubts. “If that’s really the case, you might as well resign.”
"Resign? On what grounds?" Qiu Xiaoman was angry; this was utterly inexplicable.
Shen Qinghuai explained, "If they really are a family, that's terrifying. Some have power, some have money, and there's even a genius expert who's infiltrated the public security system. What can you do against them? You'll be dead sooner or later! You might as well do business with me!"
Qiu Xiaoman fell silent, staring at Shen Qinghuai with suspicion and inquiry.
Shen Qinghuai quickly realized he had let something slip, and stubbornly walked out, refusing to speak.
He didn't close the door until he escorted her to the courtyard house and followed her inside. He said, "The Wu family is not to be trifled with. They have connections with foreign forces. Be very careful."
"Do you have any evidence?" Qiu Xiaoman immediately packed her things, preparing to move.
Seeing her going in and out, Shen Qinghuai asked curiously, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to live in the house I bought before. This place has been broken into, how can I still live here?" Qiu Xiaoman moved quickly and packed several boxes and bags, preparing to carry them to the car.
Shen Qinghuai grabbed the handle of the suitcase and stopped him, saying, "Are you going to Liu Kun's place?"
"Are you kidding me? Liu Kun is staying at my place. It's perfectly natural for me to stay in my own house!" Qiu Xiaoman was annoyed. What was going on? She didn't want someone to break in and cause trouble while she was sleeping in the middle of the night.
Shen Qinghuai didn't object to her moving out, but he was anxious: "You mean, you want to live with Liu Kun?"
"Ah. There are several rooms, it's not like we're sleeping in the same bed, why are you so agitated?" Qiu Xiaoman was speechless. What was Shen Qinghuai thinking?
Unexpectedly, Shen Qinghuai firmly disagreed: "No, we're alone together, a man and a woman. If he does something to you, the consequences would be unimaginable!"
"Then where am I supposed to stay? At your place? What if your daughter stabs me to death in the middle of the night? Who's going to take responsibility?" Qiu Xiaoman was really angry. She pried his hand off and started carrying her things to the car.
Shen Qinghuai was extremely anxious, following him around and helping to carry and hold things.
After everything was packed, and after Mango and the nine children were loaded onto the car, and after Qiu Xiaoman locked the gate with a new brass lock, he finally came up with a compromise: "I'll stay at your place tonight. Tomorrow I'll find you a new house."
Qiu Xiaoman was speechless: "You have a lot of money?"
"Yes, I have plenty of money! No matter what, I won't let you live with Liu Kun!" Shen Qinghuai was determined this time and was determined to get involved.
Qiu Xiaoman rolled her eyes: "Why do you always think so badly of Liu Kun? He's injured like that!"
He'll be alright!
"That's ridiculous. So what if he's better? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
"Am I worried about you? I'm worried that Liu Kun has ulterior motives towards you!"
"He wouldn't dare!"
"What guarantees do you have? If something really happens, you'll have nowhere to turn!"
"Do you think I'm someone who just sits around doing nothing?"
"Don't try to fool me! If I say no, I mean no! I'm your father, and you have to listen to me on this!" Shen Qinghuai said anxiously, his voice rising involuntarily.
Qiu Xiaoman didn't want to argue with him, so she shoved him aside, got into the car, and drove away.
Shen Qinghuai followed closely, helping to carry things into the elevator. When they arrived at the apartment building, he kicked the door open repeatedly.
Qiu Xiaoman stood next to him, glaring at him, but he didn't care.
Liu Kun was still recovering from his injury when the caregiver opened the door. Upon seeing two people carrying large and small bags, one of whom was Shen Qinghuai, a big boss who had been featured in a magazine, the caregiver immediately greeted them with a smile.
Under Liu Kun's astonished gaze, the father and daughter went in and out, carrying in box after box of things.
Finally, there was a small, genuine leather, 18-inch suitcase in the trunk. Shen Qinghuai had never seen this suitcase before and assumed it belonged to Qiu Xiaoman, so he prepared to take it upstairs.
Unexpectedly, Qiu Xiaoman rushed down and pressed him down, saying, "Don't touch this."
Shen Qinghuai frowned: "What?"
Qiu Xiaoman looked at him calmly: "I went to the airport."
Shen Qinghuai was stunned. News travels very fast in his circle, so he naturally knew that Wu Meinian's suitcase had been stolen at the airport, which was why she couldn't leave.
He never imagined that it was actually his daughter who did this.
He instinctively took off his coat and draped it over the box: "Let's carry it up first."
Qiu Xiaoman pondered for a moment: "Okay."
At the same time, Wu Meinian dialed the phone number of the Wu family's villa on the East Third Ring Road: "Hello, Dad, Chai Dafei has confessed. It was Fang Jiadong. That little brat, in order to compete with Qiu Xiaoman, did not hesitate to use Chai Dafei to frame Qiu Xiaoman, so he betrayed Haoxiong!"
A chilling murderous glint flashed in Wu Cichou's eyes: "So it was him! That brainless idiot!"
Wu Meinian advised, "Dad, let's not leave this matter here. It really has nothing to do with Qiu Xiaoman. Shen Qinghuai has become very ruthless. If we make things difficult for Qiu Xiaoman again, Shen Qinghuai will fight to the death!"
"Give Fang Jiadong a call and tell him to come over for dinner tomorrow." Wu Cichou hung up the phone, silently looked at his granddaughter who was playing Famicom in the living room, and lowered his eyelashes.
The light cast a shadow on his face, and no one knew what he was thinking.
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