Chapter 89 But this is the last time.
"Wasn't that Xie Rong's doing?" He Fan was stunned, and asked back as if he didn't understand. "Wasn't it because he poisoned Xie Xiao in a fit of anger that he gave her the last position of the foundation's director instead of him?"
His tone was calm, yet contained just the right amount of surprise, as if he were truly an innocent bystander.
Xie Chen looked at him without speaking, and He Fan remained expressionless, meeting his gaze as if he truly knew nothing. Xie Chen pulled out a file folder from his side and slammed it on the coffee table, his voice becoming stern: "Xiao Fan, do you still think I'm bluffing you?"
He Fan opened the file bag and quietly flipped through it page by page. He had been exposed to these things since he was 19 years old, and he could read very quickly, skimming through them.
Fingerprints, surveillance footage, medication reports, cross-cutting timelines, hospital investigations... every single one of these is meticulously documented, providing irrefutable evidence.
He lowered his head, so that no one could see what was in his eyes, but the corners of his mouth were still turned up, as if he were looking at something that had nothing to do with him.
The matter of Xie Chengjun's poisoning was actually settled last month. According to official media reports, he suffered food poisoning while eating pufferfish. Due to his advanced age and declining metabolic capacity, he was hospitalized.
However, within the Xie family, the murderers were practically confirmed to be Xie Rong and his son. Despite their desperate cries of innocence, with evidence and motive available, no one was willing to believe them.
Two months ago, Xie Chengjun announced at a family banquet that his seventh son, Xie Ze, would marry Prince August of the P country's royal family.
Prince August is the nephew of the Empress of P Country. He is of noble birth but has despicable methods. He especially enjoys abusing omegas. Almost every omega who has been with him has met a bad end. Some omegas, even after leaving him for many years, will still tremble subconsciously when they hear his name again.
August and Xie Ze's marriage was arranged by their families, so he might not treat Xie Ze the same way. But who can really say for sure? Alphas' aggressiveness and tyranny are ingrained in their bones. Even if the probability is small, if it happens even once, it would be enough to take half of Xie Ze's life.
Xie Ze was timid and burst into tears after being slightly frightened by He Fan. Who could help him? Who would help him? His omega father had submitted to Xie Chengjun because of power, and even though his maternal grandfather was quite wealthy, he still had to toast Xie Chengjun at the dinner table. There was no way he could disobey Xie Chengjun's decision for him.
“It’s okay, don’t worry, there’s still a way,” He Fan smiled gently at the omega. Although he was a few months younger than Xie Ze, He Fan patted his shoulder gently like an older brother to comfort him. “The royal family in P country has very strict rules. If an elder in your family dies, you have to observe mourning.”
Xie Ze stared at him blankly. He had always been timid, and in the past, he would have been shocked and frightened by what He Fan said. But now, before fear came, hesitation came.
Xie Chengjun had already sold him out; he just... wanted to save himself.
He wanted to save himself; he hadn't done anything wrong... but how could he do it?
He Fan looked at him gently and smiled, saying that he would help him, and even if he didn't succeed, he would find a way to prevent those people from finding Xie Ze.
Although his eyes were still red, Xie Ze had calmed down. His usually unremarkable brain worked its magic, and he quickly asked He Fan if he wanted to frame Xie Rong.
The two were of one mind, and their plan was so perfect that it fooled everyone.
To avoid arousing suspicion, He Fan deliberately waited a month before giving the person handling the matter the plane ticket to an overseas country. The destination was a small country in East Africa. He gave the person enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their life and told them not to return to Country A for three years.
However, He Fan never expected that Xie Chen would continue to investigate even after the dust had settled, and even sent people abroad to open a gap in the chain of evidence through the person who handled the case.
Xie Chen is efficient in his work; once he finds out something, he eradicates it completely. Based on the evidence he currently has, even if He Fan wants to cut his losses and betray Xie Ze, he won't be able to escape responsibility.
He Fan should now feel despair and remorse like countless criminals who have confessed to their crimes. With such a complete chain of evidence, as long as Xie Chen submits it to the police, he will definitely be sent to prison.
But he simply turned the document to the last page and then sealed it back into the file bag.
The fact that Xie Chen is now coming to his door with evidence, not from the police or the foundation, pretty much confirms Xie Chen's attitude.
Perhaps because he had spent a long time in the military, Xie Chen was a typical pragmatist who never did anything unnecessary.
If he had already decided to expose what He Fan had done, he would never go any further by questioning He Fan.
He Qingyun watched the two of them nervously; she had been crying silently for a long time.
Her eyes were red when she first arrived. At first, He Fan thought it was because she hadn't rested late.
When He Qingyun was young, she was a beauty no less than Leo and Song Jingrong. Otherwise, a beta born into poverty who didn't even have an ID card from Country A would not have had the opportunity to give birth to He Fan.
However, she worries too much and doesn't take care of herself as well as Song Jingrong, who is also Asian. She has fine lines around her eyes and forehead, and gray hair on the top of her head, which she hasn't had time to dye back.
She knew killing was wrong, but she also knew that He Fan had suffered a lot of injustice over the years, all because of her incompetence as a mother. But things had come to this point, and she couldn't do anything to make amends.
She wasn't Xie Chen's biological mother, so she couldn't persuade him to forgive his brother and help him again. He Fan hadn't grown up by her side, so she couldn't scold him like a normal mother would.
Before meeting Xie Chengjun, she had a child, but she was unable to be there for that child as he grew up, and she still hasn't found him.
Xie Chen stared at his younger brother for a long time before finally sighing.
"I'll cover for you, but this is the last time."
“You had a hard childhood, which is why I was unable to protect you. So now I will let you do whatever you want, but I have also said that you must not cause any death or hurt your family. This is the second time this has happened. The third time, I will personally send you to the police station.”
He Fan raised her eyes and slowly met his gaze.
Are Xie Rong and Xie Chengjun considered family?
Xie Chen looked at him and fell silent, a rare occurrence for him.
The air was quiet, and neither of them spoke. The only sound in the living room was He Qingyun's occasional, suppressed sob.
He Fan knew he had nothing to say to them, so he moved closer to He Qingyun, handed her a tissue, and gently patted her shoulder.
"Okay, Mom, my brother has agreed to forgive me this time. I won't do it again next time. Don't cry. Here, wipe your tears. Crying too much will cause wrinkles around your eyes. Did you forget to put on eye cream after getting your beauty treatment these past few days?"
Xie Chen was far less considerate than He Fan in this regard. In his view, getting old is just getting old, and even the best skincare products are chemical substances, so applying them may not necessarily be beneficial.
"Aunt He, please don't cry anymore," he said awkwardly. "I know what I'm doing. As long as Xiao Fan doesn't do it again next time, that's fine."
He Qingyun was crying so hard she couldn't speak, she could only nod.
He Fan put his arm around her shoulder and patted her gently: "It's late today, stay here and sleep. I'll go make up the beds for you and your brother."
He Qingyun calmed down a bit and nodded. He Fan stood up and turned to leave, but Xie Chen called him back.
"If Xie Rong or Leo's people come looking for trouble later," Xie Chen paused, "don't try to handle it yourself. No matter what happens, tell me immediately."
He Fan nodded in agreement and asked them if they were hungry and if they wanted to order takeout, since there should still be hotels open.
He Qingyun shook her head and said she wasn't very hungry.
"Do you have instant noodles?" Xie Chen, who was used to military life, had a rough palate. "Instant noodles will do."
“There’s one in the kitchen,” He Fan replied.
Seeing this, He Qingyun got up to get it, but Xie Chen raised his hand and pressed her shoulder down: "I'll go, Aunt He."
He Qingyun was gently pressed back down by him, and could only nod. She quickly stood up again: "I'll go help Xiao Fan make the quilt."
He Qingyun is the type who can't sit still and can't stand being waited on. Xie Chen had no choice but to go into the kitchen to find instant noodles.
The wine cabinet was empty except for a few bottles of wine. Xie Chen walked towards the cabinet next to the sink, but unexpectedly saw several unwashed plates and two pairs of chopsticks in the sink.
Xie Chen paused for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.
He Fan is at the age where he should have someone by his side, so what is he surprised about?
He didn't say anything and silently helped He Fan wash the dishes in the sink.
The Xie family was rife with internal strife. The father's mistresses vied for power, and the younger siblings fought each other to the death from a young age. Even those who didn't fight for power didn't have the childhood that a child should have.
Xie Chen had grown up seeing all this, and it is undeniable that although no one dared to harm him, the impact of such an environment on him was indelible.
His attitude toward love and marriage was therefore very pessimistic; he had no intention of getting married, abhorred sex, and did not intend to have offspring.
The birth of a child is a somewhat absurd thing; the right to decide whether or not to come into the world is not in their own hands, and those who can decide cannot guarantee their happiness.
If he couldn't decide whether the child would be happy, Xie Chen would rather not let the child with his blood come into the world.
He knew he was abnormal. He Fan was different from him; he had someone he liked, and that was fine.
He should have someone by his side who understands his needs and cares for him.
Xie Chen put away the washed dishes and chopsticks, picked up the kettle to boil water, found the instant noodles He Fan had mentioned, and was about to leave the kitchen when his gaze suddenly fell on the back of the chair.
A Loewe silk scarf, khaki checkered, hung on the chair, completely clashing with the coat He Fan was wearing today.
He Fan always cared about his image and paid great attention to his clothing, so that was definitely not his silk scarf.
Xie Chen had no intention of telling He Qingyun that He Fan was already twenty-two years old this year. Even if he were twelve, it was his right not to tell He Qingyun that he had a boyfriend. Besides, he was already an adult.
[Author's Note]
The family feuds within wealthy families are a bit mindless; the author isn't very good at writing this kind of thing, so please be gentle with your criticism.
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