Chapter 35 Loosening the Grip: "Why don't you bring him home to see him?"...
The document contained an extremely detailed account of Wen Jinliang's life. In addition to the information that the public could access, it also contained many private details that could not be told to outsiders, and even included detailed photographs as evidence.
An investigation of this caliber would be difficult even for a woman like Yao Jing, let alone Qiao Yunzheng; it would likely require a private investigator and considerable effort to obtain.
Yao Jing avoided eye contact and only said, "Don't worry about how it came about. What you need to know is that what's in front of you is the truth."
Qiao Yunzheng had heard of Wen Jinliang to some extent. People in the circle called him a "ruthless hero," or to put it bluntly, a person whose methods were not very honorable.
Qiao Yunzheng lowered her eyes, turning the pages one by one, occasionally frowning, but not particularly surprised.
Until a photograph caught her attention.
The woman in the photo has fair skin, a long neck, and holds a little boy's hand. She looks down at the child, her eyes full of tenderness.
Even though the child was only four or five years old, Qiao Yunzheng still recognized him; it was Wen Hong.
The woman's appearance resembled the little boy by three points, but she bore a stronger resemblance to Wen Hong's maternal grandmother.
This was the first time Qiao Yunzheng had seen Wen Hong's mother; she was an absolute beauty.
She glanced at the caption next to the photo. It was just a few words, but it was roughly about a simple and beautiful rich girl who was targeted by a high-level "phoenix man" (a man from a poor background who achieves success), and how she helped him rise to great heights.
As for how this woman died, the information does not go into detail. It only mentions how Wen Jinliang abandoned his wife and in-laws after achieving success, and how cold-hearted he was towards them.
Qiao Yunzheng stared at the photo for a long time, her fingertips gently stroking the little boy's innocent face.
Yao Jing sneered from the side: "A man who uses women to climb the social ladder can't change his despicable nature. In the past, he made his fortune by relying on the Yan family in Jiangcheng. Now, he wants his son to use the same methods to trick you. Maybe the Yan family of the past will become the Qiao family of tomorrow."
Although Yao Jing still considered her needs in every way today, she couldn't help but mention the Qiao family in every sentence. Qiao Yunzheng put the documents back on the table, almost certain of her guess: "Qiao Zhenhuai told you this, didn't he?"
Yao Jing's surging anger subsided upon hearing this name. Facing her daughter's sharp gaze, she lowered her head and said, "Yes..."
Qiao Yunzheng closed her eyes, a deep sense of powerlessness gripping her tightly.
She moved closer to Yao Jing, took her hand, and said in the gentlest tone possible, "What did he say to you?"
Yao Jing hesitated for a moment. She didn't know much about company affairs, so she could only honestly confess, "He said that you've long been under Wen Hong's control, and if this continues, your father's hard work will be ruined sooner or later..."
Qiao Yunzheng's lips curled into a mocking smile: "Did he also say that you should persuade me to give up on the company?"
Yao Jing nodded: "I don't think your uncle did anything wrong. After all, you're a girl, and you'll eventually get married... I know you have some opinions about your uncle, but... he's a member of the Qiao family after all, and the Qiao family business is more secure under his control." Her voice lowered, and seeing Qiao Yunzheng's pale face, she quickly added, "Besides, Mom doesn't want you to live such a tiring life..."
Qiao Yunzheng slowly released Yao Jing's hand, her lips tightened, her chest heaved a few times, she closed her eyes briefly before speaking again: "Mom, do you know Qiao Zhenhuai?"
Yao Jing naturally replied, "Although your uncle is a bit greedy, he is still... loyal to the Qiao family, isn't he?"
"Ha!" Qiao Yunzheng finally couldn't help but sneer, directly shattering the beautiful illusions she held in her heart. "Mom, do you know? When Dad was still alive, Qiao Zhenhuai already had the idea of taking his place! He did countless treacherous things behind the scenes, just to get more leverage to bring down Dad!"
"That's impossible!" Yao Jing shook her head in disbelief. "No way..."
Qiao Yunzheng gave her no room to escape, looking directly at her: "Just recently, he even colluded with his rivals to sideline me, trying to make me hand over my father's hard work to him. He forced me to stay up all night. He pretended to be kind by throwing me a birthday party, but when he failed to morally blackmail me at the party, he pointed his finger at me and cursed me. If it weren't for..." Her throat tightened, "If it weren't for him helping me, I don't know if I could have made it to today."
She felt something burning hot about to burst from her eyes, and she had to purse her lips tightly to suppress the urge: "Wen Hong is different from his father, and he can't be compared to someone like Qiao Zhenhuai."
As if her long-held belief had suddenly collapsed, Yao Jing shook her head in disbelief, still muttering repeatedly, "It can't be..."
"Why not?!" Qiao Yunzheng, fed up with her cowardly and self-deceiving act, couldn't help but raise her voice, dropping another bombshell, "Even Dad's death is inextricably linked to him! So many proposals for the old tank farm project's rectification were submitted back then, but he suppressed them all! If it weren't for him, perhaps Dad wouldn't have..."
She abruptly stopped talking.
A certain string in my heart suddenly twitched, and a crazy, somewhat absurd conjecture uncontrollably jumped out.
Yao Jing completely broke down, slumped there, and silently shed tears.
Qiao Yunzheng didn't try to comfort her; she went straight upstairs.
After taking a few steps, he stopped again.
Without turning her head, her voice was full of exhaustion: "Dad used to protect us very well, and now I want to protect you just like he did... But... Mom, can you trust me a little more before you trust others...?"
June weather is always unpredictable; it can be sunny and clear during the day, but then pour down rain at night.
Qiao Yunzheng was disturbed by the noisy rain outside the window and couldn't sleep soundly.
When it got light, the rain showed no sign of stopping.
After last night's commotion, Yao Jing was much quieter than usual this morning.
She sat opposite Qiao Yunzheng, stirring the porridge in her bowl with a spoon, glancing at Qiao Yunzheng every now and then.
Then, in a moment of casualness, she suddenly said, "Xiao Zheng, why don't you bring him home to see him?"
Qiao Yunzheng's mind was still a little fuzzy, and when she suddenly heard this, she couldn't quite react: "What?"
Yao Jing seemed a little embarrassed. After a moment, she spoke again: "I was saying that Wen Hong, if you really like him, bring him back for your mother to see..."
Qiao Yunzheng paused, her gaze fixed on her.
Yao Jing gently turned her gaze away: "I can't believe everything you say. I need to see it for myself to feel at ease..."
Qiao Yunzheng smiled slightly and gave a soft "hmm".
After finishing her meal, Qiao Yunzheng took a car to the company.
Thinking about Yao Jing's words on the way, I decided to call Wen Hong in advance, so I dialed his number.
No one answered the phone until it stopped ringing.
Perhaps he was busy, Qiao Yunzheng thought, and didn't bother him any further.
The rain gradually subsided, but it continued to drizzle, enveloping the entire city in a layer of white mist.
The city roads were completely blocked by the rain.
As the car swayed and stopped intermittently near the company, Qiao Yunzheng felt as if her internal organs had been displaced.
Fortunately, the road wasn't too far, so she got out of the car with her umbrella and walked to the company, leaving the driver to slowly inch along the road.
When I got to the company building, a figure suddenly appeared from the side.
The man bumped into Qiao Yunzheng at lightning speed, causing her umbrella to slip from her hand and fall to the ground.
She was startled, and saw that the person had quickly passed her and hidden in the greenery not far away, only his face showing, staring straight at her.
The man had a full beard, and his hair was wet from the rain, sticking to his face in strands.
The gaze directed at her was so intense that she couldn't help but shiver.
The company building was right in front of me. The place wasn't remote; it was usually bustling with people. But because of the rain, hardly anyone passed by.
Qiao Yunzheng felt a sudden panic, inexplicably recalling those social news stories, and quickly quickened her pace towards the office building.
Behind her, amidst the cacophony of rain, she seemed to hear intermittent syllables emanating from that person's mouth.
In her panic, she didn't have the time or inclination to investigate further.
Even after entering the elevator, Qiao Yunzheng still felt her heart pounding wildly.
With some time before work, the girls in the administrative district were chatting enthusiastically. When they saw Qiao Yunzheng come in, they greeted her respectfully.
Her assistant brought her coffee and followed her into the office.
Seeing that she didn't look well, Qiao Yunzheng casually asked, "What's wrong? Didn't you get enough rest?"
The assistant patted her chest, looking shaken: "I bumped into a homeless man this morning. I don't know if he has mental problems, but he kept staring at girls who walked by. It was terrifying..."
Qiao Yunzheng paused, guessing that it was probably the one she had just encountered.
"Is nobody in charge?"
The company is located in the city center of Kunming, so in theory, this kind of problem should be resolved quickly.
The assistant scratched his head: "Someone did call the police, but by the time they arrived, the homeless man had already run away... Moreover, he only appeared in the vicinity occasionally, and apart from staring at pedestrians with strange eyes, he didn't do anything outrageous. Over time, no one cared anymore."
It turns out that this has been going on for some time now.
Qiao Yunzheng usually goes directly to the underground parking lot, and this was the first time she had heard of this.
She didn't waste too much time on this matter and quickly forgot about it amidst her busy work.
The spot on the sofa, however, remained empty, constantly drawing Qiao Yunzheng's attention.
Wen Hong didn't come today, and he hasn't answered his calls. She couldn't help but worry that something might have happened to him.
After finishing a day's work, it was already 9 p.m.
Qiao Yunzheng stretched, packed her things, entered the elevator, and pressed the button for B2.
At this time, the parking lot was already mostly empty.
In the quiet underground cavern, she could only hear the echoing "clack-clack" of her high heels.
As Qiao Yunzheng walked towards the car, she turned on her phone, wanting to ask about Wen Hong.
Just before her phone screen lit up, she saw a figure peeking out from behind a load-bearing pillar not far behind her, following the light reflected from the screen.
Qiao Yunzheng almost screamed, but fortunately, she managed to restrain her impulse with reason.
My heart pounded wildly, and my hand holding the phone trembled uncontrollably.
While pretending to look at her phone and watching the other person's movements, she quickened her pace and walked rapidly towards her car.
Not noticing what was in front of me, I unexpectedly bumped into someone's chin.
The familiar, teasing voice fell, instantly calming Qiao Yunzheng's panic:
"You've only been away from me for a day, and you're already so unable to control yourself?"
Author's Note: Thank you to "Sunshine" and "Succulent Grape" for the nutrient solution! *muah*
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