The End of the Night (5)

At the gate of Xincheng Hospital, Meng Siqi stepped onto the stairs and walked towards the inpatient department. After communicating with the nurses, she came to Ward 8. The ward was very noisy. There were about five or six beds, and family members were also moving around in the ward, making it seem extremely crowded.

Meng Siqi saw an old man at first glance, probably in his sixties or seventies, wearing a hospital gown, sitting on the edge of the bed, one hand on the bed, the other on his knee, his fingers trembling constantly, as if he had Parkinson's disease, his head slightly lowered, his hair full of white, his eyes looking forward dully.

This bed was very lonely, with no family to look after him. Meng Siqi walked up to him and asked, "Are you Guo Zhaohong?"

In fact, Meng Siqi probably recognized him. Guo Zhaohong was the lawyer Meng Hui entrusted with the will and inheritance, and he was also the son of Meng Hui's comrade-in-arms. She remembered that the two had met in Meng Hui's office, and she even called him Brother Zhaohong.

Guo Zhaohong slowly raised his head. His face was full of wrinkles. He looked too old to be human. His eyes were sunken and his pupils were small. He was trying to confirm who Meng Siqi was. He seemed to have been thinking for a long time and suddenly remembered. His face tightened, his eyebrows wrinkled, and his dull eyes shrank. It was a kind of old-fashioned surprise.

"Is it you?" Guo Zhaohong's voice was hoarse and old, as if he was suffering from illness.

"You still remember me. Can I talk to you? Let's find a place outside." Meng Siqi's tone was almost calm.

"Didn't you look for me before?" Guo Zhaohong lowered his head.

"You don't have much time left to live," Meng Siqi asked, "Are there some things you really don't want to tell me?"

Guo Zhaohong was silent for a while, slowly holding the bed board with both hands, his breathing became heavier, and he wanted to stand up. Meng Siqi pulled him and slowly helped him to the door. There was a lawn not far from the door, and there was a wooden chair under the shade of a tree. Meng Siqi helped him over.

Guo Zhaohong sat down, panting, as if he had exerted a lot of effort.

Meng Si hoped that he would calm down a little and asked, "How have you been these years?"

Guo Zhaohong moved his lips but said nothing.

Meng Si looked at him, looked at his face, and read his expression. "Thirty years ago, you were entrusted by my father to handle the inheritance of the will. We met in the office at that time. My father said that he wanted to pass on the shares of the shopping mall to me. Do you remember?"

After a moment of silence, Guo Zhaohong nodded slowly, "I remember."

"Why did it change later? Why were all the shares given to Meng Tingzhe?"

Guo Zhaohong moved his mouth but said nothing. He looked at the pedestrians in the distance and began to daydream.

"Is there something you can't tell?" Meng Siqi asked.

Guo Zhaohong shook his head slowly, speaking in a low and slow voice, almost word by word: "I remember telling you that at that time, Uncle Meng intended to transfer the shares to you, but later, he changed his mind..."

Meng Siqi frowned. She didn't believe Meng Hui would change his mind.

Guo Zhaohong narrated slowly: "Uncle Meng said that the business is a big deal and needs to be managed by someone with economic knowledge and business experience. The most suitable person is your brother."

Meng Siqi sneered: "Do you think I will believe you?"

"Uncle Meng also mentioned in his will that Meng Tingzhe would inherit the estate but would need to take care of his sister's life. Perhaps Uncle Meng thought this was a more secure approach."

Meng Siqi snorted coldly: "Guo Zhaohong, you are not telling the truth! I see that you have not had a good life these years. You have a son and a pair of grandchildren, and your son is not very filial to you, so you should take care of your two grandchildren the most."

Guo Zhaohong raised his dull eyes and looked at her, as if he wanted to see what she was thinking. Meng Siqi said, "Twenty-five years ago, Tang Yong died. He was a colleague in your firm and also another guarantor lawyer for my father's will. Don't you think his death is a little strange?"

"You, what are you talking about?" Guo Zhaohong's tone suddenly became a little flustered.

"Don't you understand what I'm saying?" Meng Siqi said firmly, "You and Tang Yong forged a will. Did Meng Tingzhe do you a favor? Was Tang Yong silenced?"

Guo Zhaohong's body suddenly trembled, his lips quivered, and after a while he said, "A will has legal effect and requires your father's signature. How can I forge it? You are fabricating facts!"

"In that era, if you really wanted to do this, do you think it would be difficult?" Meng Siqi almost scolded him.

Guo Zhaohong was silent except for his body shaking. Meng Siqi said in a stern voice: "Guo Zhaohong, what did Meng Tingzhe do? Why did Tang Yong die, but you are still alive today?"

Guo Zhaohong was shaking all the time. He seemed to be so old that he would die at any time. His shaking hands suddenly grabbed the chair. He wanted to stand up and leave. He muttered, "What kind of power is this! What a big shot! Don't force me anymore."

There was growing fear in his eyes, as if he was facing a fierce ghost.

Meng Siqi suddenly understood who the big shot he was talking about was. She had recently learned that Meng Tingzhe was now the richest man in Jinyang City, and he owned hundreds of industries, including entertainment, wine, shopping malls, and even education, etc. He controlled half of Jinyang City.

Guo Zhaohong walked back to his ward tremblingly, his back looking lonely and desperate, but even if he knew a secret, he would not tell anyone else; even if he did not have much time left, even if his son was unfilial, he would do his best to protect his family.

Meng Siqi followed him back to the ward. Guo Zhaohong seemed to realize that she was about to follow him, and slowly pulled out a document from under the bed, a yellowed document that had been folded countless times, turned around, and wanted to hand it to her.

Meng Siqi stepped forward and took it. Without asking anything, she opened the folder and pulled out the paper inside. It was a will with Meng Hui's signature and fingerprints. The content of the will roughly stated that Meng Siqi would inherit the Meng family's old house, which was the two-story villa.

Meng Hui inherited all his shares to Meng Tingzhe, leaving only a deserted house to her.

In fact, after the death of Meng Hui and Ye Xiuhui, Meng Siqi basically never returned to live in this house. Because of the will issue, Meng Siqi rejected Guo Zhaohong's will document, so today Guo Zhaohong plans to give it to her again.

"I've been looking forward to your coming, please take it back." Guo Zhaohong said earnestly.

Meng Siqi left the hospital with the will documents. No matter what, this was the only legacy Meng Hui left her.

In the afternoon, Meng Siqi took a taxi to the gate of the most luxurious hotel in Jinyang City. It is a luxurious five-star hotel with more than 20 floors. Luxury cars are parked at the gate. It is said that a press conference on the development of Times Cultural Tourism City will be held here today, and Meng Tingzhe will definitely participate as the main investor.

This hotel is also an asset under Meng Tingzhe's name, so he probably often visits here.

The black-uniformed security team leader at the door stopped her and asked, "Excuse me, who are you looking for?"

She was wearing a police uniform today, so she thought the other party would not embarrass her. She asked, "Is Meng Tingzhe here?"

The security team leader frowned, as if he found it incredible that she called Meng Tingzhe by his first name. He said firmly, "Mr. Meng has an important meeting today and has no time."

"Please tell him that I am his sister and I want to meet him."

The security team leader didn't seem to believe it. "Are you Mr. Meng's sister?"

"Who do you think would dare to pretend to be his sister?"

Hesitantly, he told his subordinates to pass on the message, and then said, "Then please wait a moment. There are only VIPs here today. If Mr. Meng wants to see you, you can go in."

"Okay, I'll wait for his news outside." Meng Siqi specially found a pavilion, which was an open-air rest area outside the hotel. There were stone chairs inside. Meng Siqi sat down and waited quietly.

Half an hour later, a group of people came out of the hotel gate. Meng Siqi guessed that they were the VIPs attending the meeting today. However, after waiting for another two hours, she still hadn't received a reply from Meng Tingzhe. She repeatedly asked the security team leader, who only told her to wait because Mr. Meng was busy. Her mouth was dry and her body was covered in sweat. She watched the afternoon pass by.

Suddenly, the security team leader waved to her, and Meng Siqi stood up and walked over. When she entered the hotel, the air-conditioning inside made her sweaty body shiver.

She followed a strange man in a suit up to the sixth floor, walked through several magnificent corridors, and came to a door. The man in a suit at the door pushed open the door and said, "Mr. Meng is inside. You can see him when you go in."

Meng Siqi walked in and found that there was a large swimming pool with a spacious area. The green water was empty and sparkling. She looked into the distance and saw a figure by the pool.

She walked over quickly, getting closer and closer, and found that it was a young man in a bikini, standing respectfully by the pool. There was a low round table and a lounge chair by the pool. There was a person lying on the lounge chair, but she couldn't see clearly because the back of the lounge chair was facing her.

She turned around and the person lying on the recliner finally revealed his face. She recognized him at a glance. The man was in his fifties, the young Meng Tingzhe. He had a beard and licked his wrinkles, but was radiant. He was wearing a white bathrobe, his black hair was still a little wet, and there was a sparse patch of hair on his forehead. He looked much older.

He must have just finished swimming here and was lying down to rest for a while, closing his eyes and resting his mind. There were a lot of fruit plates on the table, an ashtray, and half a glass of cold drink. There was also a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

"Please sit down." Meng Tingzhe closed his eyes and said casually, "How come you have time to come here?"

There was another chair next to the round table. Meng Siqi sat down and said, "Mr. Meng must be very busy."

Meng Tingzhe slowly opened his eyes and seemed to look at her police uniform, "Are you so poor that you have nothing to wear?"

"I just came to see you today."

Meng Tingzhe glanced at her again, "Are you cured?"

He sat up from the recliner and stretched out his hand. The man in bikini quickly handed him the glasses on the table, and Meng Tingzhe took them in his hands.

She looked at the pool water. The water was two or three meters deep, but Meng Tingzhe liked to swim in it. This showed that he had no emergency response to the incident when he jumped into the river and almost died. Perhaps that jump into the river was a masterpiece in his eyes.

Maybe Meng Tingzhe today can tell her some details? She asked: "Thirty years ago, on the evening of August 13, 1994..."

"Sister, why are you still talking about the past?" Meng Tingzhe interrupted her and said, "You are old now, so I will ask two top-notch technicians to give you a full body massage while you are here..."

"I haven't finished what I'm saying yet..."

"What do you want to know?" Meng Tingzhe waved his hand, and the bikini man understood and walked away. His face was slightly dark, "Hasn't the matter of that year been settled? Are you sick again?"

"Would you mind explaining this to me?"

"What should I explain to you?" Meng Tingzhe crossed his legs on the table, his face full of dignity. "You are just a small archive keeper, what can I explain to you? Do you know what my status is now? Not to mention the city, many big shots in the province have to give me face."

Meng Siqi changed his tough tone and said, "I don't care who you are. They are my parents. I want to know all the details of what happened back then."

"I've already told the police everything. Do you have to come here and talk nonsense? Are you unwilling to accept this? Do you think Meng Hui didn't leave you a penny? I once told you, Meng Siqi, the Meng family doesn't take you seriously, so you shouldn't take yourself seriously either."

He smiled and said, "Look at my business empire today. Look, it's something Meng Hui could never have imagined in his lifetime. He left all his property to me, which shows that at least his vision was right. If he gave it to you, what's the difference between that and giving it to a useless person? Look at you, you're living a life that's neither human nor ghost. For the past 30 years, I've regretted having a sister like you. You've never even held a man's hand in your life, you're a joke in the Meng family. When I introduced you to someone, you didn't want him, so I thought you could find a good one, but what happened... If you want a man, I can arrange one for you!"

Meng Siqi moved his lips but didn't reply, because in the past thirty years, Meng Siqi in this world had a really hard life.

Meng Tingzhe smiled and said, "I admit that I am a member of the Meng family. I have not forgotten Meng Hui's will. He asked me to take care of you, but you didn't appreciate it. Today I will give you one last chance. I have a suite in Sanya, which I will give to you. You can go there to retire and stay there honestly and live out the rest of your life. This is also my way of repaying the Meng family."

Meng Siqi's teeth trembled slightly, and he sneered, "Meng Tingzhe, I admit that you have a good business sense. In Jinyang City, and even in Haijiang Province, you are a height that many people cannot reach in their lifetime, but are you really honest? Is the money you made really innocent? Did your father leave all the shares to you? Don't you know it in your heart?"

Meng Tingzhe smiled and said, "Look at you, you are so pathetic! You are seriously ill. You should go to the hospital. You need to be treated for mental illness!"

Meng Siqi shouted, "Meng Tingzhe, thirty years ago, you were the one who caused the lighthouse accident. You killed my parents and Aunt Chang. You threatened Guo Zhaohong and Tang Yong to forge my father's will. Twenty-five years ago, you silenced Tang Yong, and Guo Zhaohong survived to this day for some reason!"

The corner of Meng Tingzhe's mouth twitched suddenly, and he laughed sarcastically: "The fantasy of a mental patient! Do you really think Meng Hui will leave you an inheritance? Thirty years ago, you were the abandoned child of the Meng family, and it is the same now. I know you are very unwilling, but what can you do? You are destined to be trampled under my feet for the rest of your life, you sick waste! Poor bug of the Meng family!"

"Do you still remember Gao Han?" Meng Siqi asked suddenly.

At that moment, Meng Tingzhe's smiling face seemed to be fixed by something, and his rosy skin was like covered with a layer of frost, slowly turning gray.

After Meng Siqi returned to this world, he discovered that Gao Han had disappeared thirty years ago and had become an unsolved missing case. His fate, like Zhao Yuting's, had also changed in this world.

Even though Zhao Leiting told her that Meng Tingzhe was not a suspect in the Hongzhuang serial murder case, Meng Siqi was always a person who liked to be full of suspicion, because Lu He once told her that there were two murderers in the Hongzhuang serial murder case, so she thought it was very likely that Meng Tingzhe instructed another murderer to commit the crime.

During the investigation, she discovered that thirty years ago, on the night of July 16, 1994, Meng Tingzhe's "boyfriend" Gao Han had completely disappeared.

The day Gao Han disappeared was the day Zhao Yuting was murdered. Combining her experience, Zhao Yuting was kidnapped by the murderer of the Hongzhuang case that night, while Gao Han was with Meng Tingzhe.

She clearly remembered that two days later, Gao Han called the police and claimed that Meng Tingzhe wanted to kill him. However, Meng Tingzhe claimed at the time that it was a misunderstanding because he was playing SM games with Gao Han, so the report was not established.

But the ending of this world is different. Gao Han is missing and may be dead.

She had to use Meng Tingzhe to test whether Gao Han was dead that night. Just as Gao Han said when he called the police, Meng Tingzhe wanted to kill him, and in this world Meng Tingzhe succeeded.

However, Meng Tingzhe's relationship with Gao Han was very mysterious and almost unknown. He should have also handled the murder scene carefully, which resulted in the police never linking his disappearance to Meng Tingzhe in the past 30 years.

Today, Meng Siqi suddenly mentioned Gao Han, and Meng Tingzhe's expression suddenly changed. This was enough to show that in this world, he not only knew Gao Han, but was also related to Gao Han's death.

After Meng Siqi mentioned Gao Han's name, Meng Tingzhe remained silent for a long time. He stared at Meng Siqi's eyes with suspicion and disbelief, because no one else could know about that except him.

Meng Siqi said: "Mr. Meng, do you really have no impression?"

The corner of Meng Tingzhe's mouth twitched: "I don't know what you are talking about?"

"Think about it carefully."

Meng Tingzhe smiled, but it was a dry smile: "Sister, I think you must have remembered it wrongly." He straightened up from the recliner and pressed the button on the table, "Wait a moment, I'll order you something to eat."

A few minutes later, a young waitress came over with a tray. She knelt on the ground and placed the items on the plate on the table one by one. The plate was very rich, with fruits, drinks, high-end cigarettes and snacks. The waitress was careful and smiling, but her hand shook when she took the drinks, and a few drops of drink fell on Meng Siqi's shoes.

Meng Siqi gently took back his shoes. Before she could react, she heard a whoosh, and the items and bottles on the table were suddenly swept away by a sturdy arm. Grapes, mangoes, and various fruits were immediately thrown in the waitress's face. She was greatly frightened and lay on the ground shouting, "Boss, calm down, boss, calm down."

Meng Siqi had never seen such humiliation before. She was about to stop it when Meng Tingzhe suddenly stood up, strode forward, grabbed the waitress's hair, lifted her head, and slammed it on the table. He roared with anger on his face: "You have no eyes, right? Don't you know she is my sister?"

With two "bang" sounds, blood splashed all over the girl's face. Meng Siqi suddenly grabbed Meng Tingzhe's arm and scolded, "Are you crazy? Why are you hitting people?"

When Meng Tingzhe pushed her away, Meng Siqi realized that she was old. She was pushed to the ground. She struggled to get up, grabbed the ashtray on the ground, and smashed it on the back of Meng Tingzhe's head.

"state!"

Meng Tingzhe shook for a while, and finally let go of the girl who was crying in fear. He slowly touched the hair on the back of her head with his hand and found that there was no blood on his hand. Meng Siqi no longer had that much strength.

Meng Tingzhe spat and turned his head, "Sister, I was standing up for you, and you hit me?"

"Meng Tingzhe," Meng Siqi said sternly, "Do you know what you are doing? You beat someone in front of the police. You have committed the crime of intentional injury. I am arresting you according to the law now!"

"Arrest?" Meng Tingzhe smiled. "Take her back to your police station for a cup of tea? Why are you so cute? Ask her if I beat her?"

Meng Tingzhe kicked the girl curled up on the ground and said, "I'm asking you."

"No, no." The girl shivered and cried, "I bumped into it by accident."

"Did you hear that? I didn't hit her." Meng Tingzhe smiled and lay back in the chair.

Meng Tingzhe lit up a cigarette and pressed the button again. Soon two men in suits came over. Meng Tingzhe said, "Drag him away. He can't die here."

Soon, the girl was taken away by two men. Meng Siqi took a long time to calm down. Maybe because of her physical condition, her hands were trembling slightly and her whole body was shaking slightly. She realized that Meng Tingzhe was warning her, warning her not to meddle in other people's business, otherwise she would end up like this.

"Meng Tingzhe, do you still remember what I said?"

She said in a sharp voice: "Didn't I warn you not to do anything illegal? Otherwise, I will arrest you first. We don't allow scum to appear in our Meng family!"

Meng Tingzhe fiercely extinguished the cigarette butt and said with a smile: "Just wait and see! Let's see what a mentally ill person like you can do to me."

Meng Siqi stood up and walked towards the door without even turning his head.

After she left, Meng Tingzhe lit another cigarette. Suddenly, he raised his foot and kicked madly at the chair that Meng Siqi had just sat on. He stood up again and stomped on it hard until it was torn to pieces.

*

Two men in suits and leather shoes walked into the Municipal Bureau, one was about fifty years old, and the other about thirty years old. Both of them walked with strong steps and looked energetic.

They all had thick briefcases in their arms and walked with a swagger as if something urgent was about to happen.

Zhao Leiting immediately put down his work, met the two people, invited them to sit on the sofa, and after serving them tea, he said solemnly: "Welcome the comrades of the investigation team to come to Jinyang City to guide the work. Team leader Chen, warmly welcome."

Team leader Chen said sternly: "Comrade Lao Zhao, this time our target is the largest gang involved in organized crime in Jinyang City, the evil forces headed by Meng Tingzhe's Da Ting Group."

Zhao Leiting shrugged and said, "Please ask Team Leader Chen for instructions."

"We have received multiple reports that the Da Ting Group is heavily involved in organized crime, but after three months of investigation, we have not found any clues that Meng Tingzhe has committed any crime. We have hit a wall. We suspect that the forces behind him are complex and complicated, and there are intricate relationships and protection umbrellas in Jinyang City and even Haijiang Province. If we want to eliminate him, we must start from within Meng Tingzhe."

"Since Team Leader Chen has come to the Municipal Bureau and informed Zhao of these important secrets, I believe Team Leader Chen must have a plan for you."

"Yes, we found out that Comrade Meng Siqi from the Municipal Bureau is Meng Tingzhe's sister. I wonder if we can find a breakthrough point from Comrade Meng Siqi, generalize from one point to the whole, and tear down the defense line."

Zhao Leiting hesitated and said worriedly, "Actually, Meng Siqi is not Meng Tingzhe's biological sister. They haven't had much contact for 20 to 30 years. Meng Siqi is very poor. She has not accepted a penny from Meng Tingzhe. I guess she can't give much help."

"Comrade Zhao, this is why we chose her!" Team Leader Chen said firmly, "Next, our investigation team will continue to conduct in-depth investigations. I wonder if you can talk to Comrade Meng Siqi and ask her to think about Meng Tingzhe's weaknesses in the past 30 years of his rise. Of course, if necessary, we will also talk to her in person."

Zhao Lei Ting nodded slowly, "Team Leader Chen, I have accepted this matter. I will talk to Comrade Meng Siqi about it. Don't worry, we will fully cooperate with your work."

After talking for a while, Team Leader Chen stood up and shook hands with Zhao, saying, "Comrade Zhao, you have worked hard. I have something else to do, so I will stay for a while. See you later."

"Team Leader Chen, I'll see you off."