A Divine Farmer

Chapter 166 - Lies to Money and Lust!

After leaving the hospital, Zhang Xiaolong immediately returned Liu Juan's call.

“Xiaolong, where are you? I've found a lawyer and am currently at the police station requesting to visit Zongming…” Liu Juan quickly updated him on the situation.

She had previously tried to call Zhang Xiaolong, but the call was disconnected before she could speak. She had assumed that Zhang Xiaolong found the whole affair too troublesome and didn't want to get involved anymore, so she refrained from calling a second time.

However, now that Zhang Xiaolong had reached out to her, a weight was lifted from her heart.

“Yeah, I've spoken with Su Mei and Su Mingtang. They've assured us they won't hinder our investigation…” Zhang Xiaolong was cut off mid-sentence by an exclamation of disbelief.

“How could that be? Why would they agree to that?” Liu Juan was momentarily convinced that Zhang Xiaolong was lying, but then she realized that such a lie wouldn't benefit anyone.

“It's a bit complex. We can discuss it when we meet.” After arranging a place to meet, Zhang Xiaolong ended the call.

Twenty minutes later, Zhang Xiaolong was sitting in a restaurant's private room with Liu Juan and the lawyer she had hired.

“Let me introduce you. This is Huang Yan, we went to college together. I knew her back then, but I never imagined she'd become a lawyer here. It's fortunate we ran into each other today; otherwise, it would have been hard to find someone willing to take this case,” Liu Juan said, clearly relieved. “And this is my husband's close friend, Zhang Xiaolong. He's been more supportive than Zongming's own brothers.”

Zhang Xiaolong understood her meaning. Since Wang Zongming's incident, the Wang family had offered no support and had even blocked Liu Juan's financial resources. Now she couldn't even return home, making her more of an outsider than him.

“There's no need for that. I also believe Mr. Wang is innocent. If he weren't, none of us would stand a chance,” Zhang Xiaolong said, then turned to Huang Yan to greet her. “By the way, you mentioned on the phone that Su Mingtang agreed not to complicate matters for us. What did you mean by that?” Liu Juan asked, recalling the crucial detail.

“It's exactly as it sounds: not only has Su Mingtang woken up, but Su Mei has as well. They've assured us they won't use any underhanded tactics to influence the case,” Zhang Xiaolong said, though he couldn't hide his frustration. “But we're still coming up empty on evidence. Without it, Mr. Wang will remain the prime suspect.”

Liu Juan breathed a sigh of relief. “That's already a huge relief. As long as the Su family isn't exerting pressure, I'm hopeful… Wait, what did you just say? Su Mei is awake?”

“Yes, but things still aren't looking great. She's adamant that Mr. Wang was the shooter. We'll have to look elsewhere for a breakthrough.” Despite Zhang Xiaolong's intelligence, this was uncharted territory for him, and without any prior experience to draw on, he was at a loss. “Any idea when we might be able to meet with Mr. Wang?”

Since Su Mei was unlikely to provide any help, the next person to turn to was Wang Zongming. He must know something about what happened, and could at least offer some leads for Zhang Xiaolong to pursue in his investigation.

“The request has been filed, but the timing will depend on their response. If there's no interference, we should get approval soon,” Huang Yan responded confidently, well-versed in these matters. “However, the police's demeanor today didn't seem too promising. Mr. Zhang, are you certain the Su family won't intervene again?”

Clearly, Huang Yan was skeptical of Zhang Xiaolong's assurances, given the Su family's significant clout in Yishui and the fact that the victim was their sole heir. It seemed unlikely that they would simply back down.

“Don't take it personally, Xiaolong. Huang Yan isn't trying to question your integrity…” Liu Juan interjected, attempting to smooth things over. They all needed each other's support at this critical time.

“In fact, I am questioning it,” Huang Yan bluntly retorted, not mincing words. “Liu Juan, we may not be close friends, but we're acquaintances. I'd be willing to take on your case even if you couldn't afford it. But if you're feeding us false information, that's just wasting everyone's time.”

The information is accurate; Su Mingtang himself told me, with Captain Yao from the criminal police team also present. Given Su Mingtang's reputation, I doubt he would lie. They're not applying pressure now, nor will they call the police station to offer any explanations. So, it's understandable that we're encountering some difficulties. Still, we'll only be able to uncover more clues after we've spoken with Mr. Wang.” Zhang Xiaolong wasn't bothered by the skepticism, though he did consider another possibility, which he kept to himself.

“Alright, enough about that for now. We owe you both a debt of gratitude for your help. Let's have something to eat,” Liu Juan suggested, turning to the others. “Regardless, it's a positive development that Su Mei has regained consciousness.”

Liu Juan felt a significant weight lifted from her shoulders. Su Mei waking up was indeed a tremendous relief. Even if they couldn't find new evidence, the fact that Su Mei was alive rather than deceased made a world of difference to Wang Zongming.

Of course, when Liu Juan thought of Su Mei waking up, she didn't assume a full recovery, just a return to consciousness.

Perhaps buoyed by her improved spirits, Liu Juan found herself eating substantially more than she had previously.

“Xiaolong, where will you be staying tonight? The Wang family kicked me out, and I'm currently without a place to stay. I plan to stay with Huang Yan. What about you? Are you considering a hotel?” Liu Juan inquired after they had eaten.

“Don't worry about me. I'll be staying around for the next few days until Mr. Wang's situation is fully resolved,” Zhang Xiaolong assured her.

“Okay, then we'll head out. Just be careful,” Liu Juan cautioned, aware that Zhang Xiaolong was not familiar with the city.

The two women hadn't gone far when Huang Yan began to chastise Liu Juan, “I'm not trying to criticize you, but how well do you really know Zhang Xiaolong? To me, he seems unreliable. He claims that the Su family assured him they wouldn't exert any pressure, but it sounds like empty boasting to me. If you're too trusting of someone like him, you could end up being swindled out of your money, or worse.”

“What are you talking about?” Liu Juan's face flushed with indignation. “I may not know Zhang Xiaolong very well, but Zongming has mentioned him to me, always in a positive light. And ever since Zongming's accident, I've been cut off financially. I can't even afford to go home, let alone pawn anything valuable. It was Zhang Xiaolong who gave me the money I needed. Without it, I wouldn't even be able to afford food. How could he possibly be after my money?”

“Oh?” Huang Yan appeared to have only just become aware of Liu Juan's predicament. “Then it's definitely not about the money. Could it really be that he…”

Her remark seemed to be in jest, and Liu Juan responded with a dismissive spit.

Previously, Huang Yan had actually believed that Liu Juan had paid Zhang Xiaolong to come to her aid. If that were the case, he might have concocted some story of heroism to swindle more money from her.

But now, it was clear that wasn't the situation. Huang Yan wondered if Zhang Xiaolong truly had the clout to influence the Su family's decisions.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaolong was watching with a steely gaze as two men stealthily made their way toward his car.