Chapter 627: Pursuit of Justice
Chapter 627: Pursuit of Justice
Good-looking people always have an advantage, and this was true for Nie Zhan, who was favored not only by Lu Zhenzhen but also by her aunt. Even when Lu Jiaxin complained about his family background, Lu's aunt would intervene to smooth things over.
Nie Zhan had a remarkable capacity for alcohol, drinking even more than Lu Jiaxin, yet he remained sober while Lu was drunk and incoherent.
On their way home, Lu Jiaxin asked, "How much can you drink before getting drunk?"
"Two pounds of liquor is no problem," Nie Zhan replied casually.
Lu Jiaxin was surprised by his drinking prowess. "From now on, take it easy. A drink or two is fine, but too much isn't good for your health."
Nie Zhan smiled and said, "I prefer playing sports like tennis, billiards, baseball, and golf. I rarely drink, only during social occasions." His drinking ability wasn't natural, though; it was a skill honed by Old Master Nie since his childhood.
Upon returning home, Mei-gu approached him with a message: "Young Master, Madam Xie called earlier. She will be visiting your grandfather tomorrow morning."
Lu Jiaxin had no objections to Lu Hongjun staying in the mansion, as the estate was vast, and each courtyard provided ample space without causing any inconvenience.
Lu Jiaxin turned to call Su Hongying, chatting for a while before asking, "Aunt Su, is Uncle Xie back?"
As soon as Su Hongying confirmed that he had just returned, she called for Xie Kaixiao to take the phone.
Hearing Xie Kaixiao's voice, Lu Jiaxin wasted no time. "Uncle Xie, after my father returned home, he told me about his interrogation. The officers mentioned a notebook belonging to Li Sangugu, claiming it recorded him receiving twenty gold bars. Uncle Xie, I now have reason to suspect they fabricated evidence."
She cleverly substituted the 'Sending Child Guanyin' mentioned by the interrogators with gold bars.
Xie Kaixiao tried to dissuade her. "Jiaxin, now that the matter has concluded, let's not stir things up again."
Lu Jiaxin insisted, "Uncle Xie, let's separate the issues. Regarding the charges of trafficking supplies, my father admitted his guilt during the interrogation. However, the allegations of trafficking cultural relics and accepting gold bars are completely baseless. It was only because they claimed to have solid evidence that my father, feeling wrongfully accused, suffered a rage-induced hemorrhage and fell unconscious. He's lucky to be alive; otherwise, I would have lost my father."
Xie Kaixiao wanted to point out that he hadn't seen such a harmonious father-daughter relationship before, but he refrained. "Jiaxin, you should know that pursuing this matter could create further complications."
Lu Jiaxin was undaunted. "What else do I have to fear when my father is already in this state? Uncle Xie, I just want to know who dared to fabricate evidence."
After a brief pause, she added, "If we don't even pursue the truth about fabricated evidence, who knows what other false accusations they might pin on us in the future."
"What if the evidence is real?" Xie Kaixiao asked.
Lu Jiaxin replied firmly, "If the evidence is genuine, I will apologize to them. But if it's fabricated, I will get to the bottom of it, no matter what."
Noticing the silence on the other end, Lu Jiaxin continued, "Uncle Xie, if you're not in a position to handle this, I'll go to their office myself tomorrow and demand an explanation from their leaders."
After hanging up, Xie Kaixiao's expression turned solemn.
Su Hongqiu walked over and gently massaged his temples, asking, "What did Jiaxin say to make you look so troubled?"
"Jiaxin suspects that the officers fabricated evidence during Lu Hongjun's interrogation to force a confession. Now she wants to seek justice for her father," Xie Kaixiao explained.
Su Hongying shook her head in disbelief. "Fabricated evidence? How is that possible?"
Xie Kaixiao scoffed. "They're probably desperate to find a handle on me, so they might resort to underhanded tactics. But they're too greedy for their own good and forgot that Lu Hongjun is elderly and can't handle intense pressure."
Su Hongying thought about it and said, "The matter has already been resolved. Digging it up might stir up trouble again. Tomorrow, I'll go and talk to Jiaxin to see if we can ease the tension."
Xie Kaixiao felt that since Jiaxin had called him, she was determined to get an explanation. It wasn't something that could be easily brushed aside with a few words of persuasion from his wife, but there was no harm in trying.
The next day, Su Hongying visited Lu Hongjun at Shichahai. When she arrived, Lu Hongjun was in the process of taking his medication, but he kept spitting out the pills as if he were a child.
Jiaxin coaxed him patiently, and only after much prodding did he finally swallow the medicine. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Jiaxin instructed the caregiver, "Take him for a walk in the back garden."
Lu Hongjun was pretending, but his earlier act had been an imitation of Gu Xiuxiu, so indeed, taking care of a senile elder could be exhausting. Jiaxin had hired four caregivers, and with Hong Gu and Mei Gu taking turns to keep him company, she could finally ensure that he was well taken care of. Managing this alone would have been truly draining.
Jiaxin led Su Hongying back to the second courtyard. After washing her face, she sat down and spoke to Su Hongying, "My father has his lucid moments, but there are also times when he's confused. When he's confused, he refuses to take his medicine or eat, like earlier."
"What did the doctor say? Will he always be like this?" Su Hongying asked.
Jiaxin shook her head, "Now, when he's lucid, he stays conscious for longer than right after the surgery. The doctor said we need to take good care of him, and he might recover fully in a few months."
"I wanted to take him to Hong Kong City for treatment, but the doctor advised against it. They said that moving him to an unfamiliar environment might hinder his recovery."
Su Hongying said with sympathy, "With Ms. Gu in this state and now your father as well... Jiaxin, you must take care of yourself and not overwork."
Ah... it wasn't exactly exhausting, as they were paying people to handle most of it. Even today's display had been a performance for Su Hongying's benefit.
Jiaxin said, "Initially, I didn't plan to pursue the matter further, but seeing my father like this, I feel terrible. Aunt Su, they must give me an explanation."
Su Hongying had intended to persuade Jiaxin to let it go, but now she found herself unable to voice those words. No matter how much resentment and dissatisfaction Jiaxin felt toward Lu Hongjun, he was still her biological father. Lu Hongjun had brought this upon himself through his own mistakes, and there was nothing more to say about that; but if the staff had falsified evidence, anyone would find that hard to swallow.
Upon returning home, Su Hongying called Xie Kaixiao and updated him on Lu Hongjun's condition. She also expressed her understanding of why Jiaxin wanted to pursue the matter further. If it were her, she would do the same.
Xie Kaixiao fell silent for a moment before speaking, "Hongying, I called earlier this morning, and it turns out that Li Sangugu's notebook is a fake."
Su Hongying was shocked. They had actually fabricated evidence, "How dare they?"
Xie Kaixiao believed there was nothing these people wouldn't dare to do, "If Lu Hongjun had confessed, they would have nailed him down, and then Lu Jiaxin wouldn't have been able to pursue the matter further."
The critical point was that not only had Lu Hongjun survived his fainting spell, but he had also regained consciousness and shared this information with Lu Jiaxin. Others might be afraid to pursue the matter, but not Lu Jiaxin.
"What now?" asked Su Hongying.
"We're still discussing it," replied Xie Kaixiao.
These discussions were, in reality, a tense back-and-forth negotiation. The relevant department indicated that Guo Qingqing would receive a demerit, but Lu Jiaxin was unsatisfied with this outcome.
Nie Zhan was displeased and spoke to Lu Jiaxin, "You're too soft-hearted. Sometimes, we need to use our position to our advantage."
That very day, he informed the person in charge of the Four-Nine City project that they would be pulling out of the Peninsula Hotel project, and they also intended to cancel two large projects currently under negotiation in Yangcheng.
(End of Chapter)
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