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Chapter 313: Suspicion
Chapter 313: Suspicion
He Zhuliang pondered for a long time and finally felt that Gu Xiuxiu was the most suspicious. When He Mingzhu came to visit him in jail, he voiced his suspicions.
He Mingzhu was taken aback and asked in surprise, "Are you saying Fourth Aunt? How is that possible? Fourth Aunt is already senile and confused. How could she be the mastermind behind all this?"
He Zhuliang wasn't sure either, so he asked He Mingzhu to test a theory: "She has something on me, and she may have handed that information to Lu Jiaxin."
At this, He Mingzhu shook her head. "Dad, after Lu Jiaxin brought Fourth Aunt and Haifan away to take care of them, she went abroad for a vacation and hasn't returned yet."
After some hesitation, she continued, "Dad, Lu Jiaxin has only been in Hong Kong for a little over a year, and her closest associates are Su Heyuan and Nie Zhan. Su Heyuan doesn't have the capability, and as for Nie Zhan, I don't think he would do something so detrimental to himself just for a young girl."
In her opinion, the one who had pushed the He family into this crisis must be one of He Zhuliang's enemies. They must have been lurking in the shadows for a long time, given the amount of evidence they had suddenly produced.
He Zhuliang felt that nothing was impossible. "Have someone look into Nie Zhan, and also, go visit Fourth Wife later today."
His tone brooked no argument, and He Mingzhu didn't dare refuse outright. Instead, she said, "Dad, do you know Yun Boqiang? The Serious Crime Squad is accusing Uncle Wei of killing him."
"Dad, Yun Boqiang's son, Yun Cheng, is now a reporter for the Eastern Daily News. His father-in-law is a shareholder of the newspaper. It was his doing that your arrest and the company's troubles were exposed so quickly."
He Zhuliang indicated that they must have the wrong person, as he didn't know anyone named Yun Boqiang.
He Mingzhu continued, "Dad, I had someone look into it, and the evidence that ICAC has was provided by Gao Sir's sister, Gao Wen. This woman has been secretly investigating you for years."
He Zhuliang's eyes narrowed. How had he not noticed that this woman had been investigating him for so long? Clearly, there was someone powerful backing her.
With this thought, He Zhuliang's heart sank. "Mingzhu, I did have dealings with Gao Sir, but ICAC cleared me of any wrongdoing back then. I was released without charges. How could I possibly still be targeting him? Mingzhu, someone is setting me up. You must stay calm and not fall for their schemes."
He Mingzhu nodded heavily, her heart heavy.
He Zhuliang asked the question that was weighing most on his mind: "How is the company doing now?"
He Mingzhu lowered her head. "The stock price has dropped by forty percent. The board has removed you from all your positions, and Uncle Zou is temporarily acting as chairman."
It was only because they had changed chairmen that the stock price had stopped falling. Otherwise, with the subsequent developments, the price would have continued to plummet, leading to a suspension of trading. However, due to the severity of the drop, the shareholders and investors were extremely dissatisfied with He Zhuliang.
Although He Zhuliang had anticipated this, hearing it still pained him. "Your mother's health is not good, and I'm in this situation now. You must comfort and accompany her more."
He Mingzhu nodded.
As the visit was coming to an end, He Zhuliang said, "Go to the Gu residence to see Fourth Wife and try to get a sense of her intentions."
He trusted outsiders less than he did Gu Xiuxiu, but this woman had too much dirt on him.
He Mingzhu had no choice but to agree. An hour later, she arrived at the Gu residence and, after hearing from the servants that Gu Xiuxiu was in the back garden, she left the pastries and fruits she had brought and made her way there.
After Lu Jiaxin had brought Gu Xiuxiu back, in addition to Aunt Mei and the driver, Hu Ming, she had also hired a caretaker, a chef, and two more servants.
The caretaker was with Aunt Mei, taking care of Gu Xiuxiu, while the chef was in charge of three meals a day, plus Gu Xiuxiu's late-night snack. The two servants took care of the laundry, cooking, cleaning, and assisting the chef. The gardener was no longer on a fixed salary and was instead paid based on the amount of work done.
Gu Xiuxiu had previously hired twelve people, but now the number had been reduced to six. However, thanks to efficient management, everything was still running smoothly.
When He Mingzhu arrived at the back garden, she saw Gu Xiuxiu busy among the flowers. She walked up to her and said, "Fourth Aunt, let me do that for you!"
Gu Xiuxiu turned around and looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Who are you?" she asked.
He Mingzhu's expression froze; her aunt was having another moment of confusion. She quickly composed herself and smiled, saying, "Fourth Aunt, it's me, Mingzhu. Don't you recognize me?"
Gu Xiuxiu put down her scissors and thought for a moment before furrowing her brows and saying, "Mingzhu, you shouldn't go mountain climbing so often. The sun is very damaging to your skin. Look at your skin now; it's rough and dull. Even thirty-year-olds don't have skin as bad as yours."
Well, this time, her memory was definitely muddled.
He Mingzhu forced a smile and said, "Fourth Aunt, don't worry about me. Aren't you also out here in the sun? Let's go inside and chat instead."
Gu Xiuxiu waved off her concern, saying, "At my age, I don't bother with such things. Your grandfather said the flowers in my room have lost their fragrance, so I need to prune them and add some fresh clippings."
"Let's go inside and rest for a bit first, then you can come back and cut some more."
The two women returned to the living room, and He Mingzhu asked, "Fourth Aunt, how have you been these days?"
Gu Xiuxiu indicated that she was doing well and then inquired about He Mingzhu's studies. Upon learning that she had gotten straight As, Gu Xiuxiu praised her, saying, "My Mingzhu is so capable. However, Mingzhu, it's better to marry well than to do well. There must be many outstanding young men in your school; you should pick the best one among them."
These words inadvertently brought He Mingzhu's thoughts back to her university days. She had a deeply loved boyfriend during her university years, but she dared not tell her family about him because of his poor background. The two of them dated secretly for three years, and it was only after graduation, when Li Xuanqi asked her to go on a blind date, that she reluctantly revealed the truth.
Unexpectedly, after her confession, her boyfriend broke up with her. Later, she found out that he had taken money from his family to study abroad. That incident had hurt her deeply, and since then, she stopped believing in love, choosing to focus solely on her work. As for arranged marriages, she would rather die than agree to one.
Noticing He Mingzhu's dazed expression, Gu Xiuxiu tugged on her hand and said with a smile, "What's the matter? Is there someone you fancy? If there is, bring him back so I can take a look."
He Mingzhu snapped back to reality and shook her head. "No, I just want to focus on my studies for now. I'm not thinking about personal matters."
Gu Xiuxiu felt that at eighteen, it was time to start considering such things. "Mingzhu, you should find someone at university. After you graduate, your mother will start arranging matches, and she'll only consider family background and whether the match can benefit the He family. She won't care about the person's character or ability. Marrying someone like that won't bring you happiness."
He Mingzhu's eyes reddened as these words were exactly what Gu Xiuxiu had told her over a decade ago. Back then, she hadn't listened and had even thought that Gu Xiuxiu was trying to drive a wedge between her and her mother. Now, it was clear that her aunt's words were wise, and she regretted not heeding them sooner.
After chatting for a while, Gu Xiuxiu started to feel tired. She yawned and said, "At my age, my energy isn't what it used to be. Mingzhu, I'm going to head back to my room to rest. You should do the same."
"Okay."
(End of Chapter)
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