parentshiftbook Chapter 337 The Truth
Chapter 337 The Truth
January 26, 1998, 9:00 AM.
A hotel in Xuanwu District, Nanjing.
Ling Yun sat by the window, a glass of water in his hand, but he didn't drink it. Outside, the sky was gray and hazy, with tiny snowflakes drifting down, making a soft pattering sound as they hit the glass. The room was very warm, but he couldn't feel any warmth.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in."
Zhao Hu pushed open the door and came in, followed by a man in his fifties. The man was wearing a dark gray down jacket, his hair was shaved very short, and he had a smile on his face, but his eyes were sharp.
"President Ling." The man walked in, extending his hand. "Long time no see!"
Ling Yun stood up and shook hands.
"Sit down and let's talk. I've been busy running around and haven't had a moment to spare. I haven't had time since I got back to Jinan. I was going to thank you for investigating Chen Jian last time, but I haven't had the chance. This is a good opportunity. I'll treat you to a meal later."
Wang Degui sat down on the sofa. "President Ling, no need to be so polite, it's nothing. I understand what you said on the phone. Chen Jian, Chen Lingling's stepfather, is causing trouble again?"
"Um."
"How much is he trying to extort from you?"
"I offered him 500,000, but he still wouldn't budge and refused to sign the letter of understanding."
Wang Degui laughed. "Five hundred thousand?" He shook his head. "He won't settle for that amount?"
"He's reluctant to reconcile; I think he's somewhat tempted, but he still hasn't given in."
Wang Degui took a drag of his cigarette. "President Ling, it seems this matter isn't so simple."
Ling Yun looked at him. "What do you mean?"
Wang Degui stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "A gambling addict, drowning in debt, being chased all over the streets. Suddenly someone gives him 500,000 yuan. What's he waiting for if not to take it immediately?"
"Unless," Wang Degui continued, "someone tells him he can get more."
Ling Yun nodded. "That's what I was thinking too, that's why I came to you."
Wang Degui smiled and said, "President Ling, you've come to the right person."
"I received your call yesterday and arranged for someone to go to Chen Jian's hometown. The news came back at noon today."
"Chen Jian," he said, "is a scoundrel. When he was young, he stole chickens and dogs in the village. Later, he went to the city to work, but he never did anything decent. Ten years ago, he married Chen Lingling's mother. Chen Lingling's mother fell off the scaffolding and died. He took the compensation money and gambled it all away very quickly."
He paused.
"That girl, Chen Lingling, is his stepdaughter. He's never treated her like a human being. After her mother died, he even tried to bully her, and her younger brother beat him up. You know about that, right?"
Ling Yun nodded.
"Later, Chen Lingling ran away and came to Jinan to work," Wang Degui continued. "Chen Jian couldn't find her, so he stopped looking for her. Until last year, he lost money gambling again and owed 300,000 yuan."
"Three hundred thousand?"
"Yes. With interest compounding, it's probably 400,000 now," Wang Degui said. "The loan sharks were pressing him hard. He hid for a few months, but they still found him and said, 'Don't you have a stepdaughter in Jinan? I heard she's doing quite well and is often on TV. Go ask her for the money.'"
"Chen Jian went to Jinan," Wang Degui said. "He waited outside your company for several days, hoping to see Chen Lingling come out. But Chen Lingling happened to be away on a business trip those days and wasn't in Jinan."
"Oh? Then why did you look for Zhao Weiguo?"
Wang Degui's expression became subtle.
"He ran into an acquaintance of Chen Lingling," he said. "He used to work at your Xinghuo Internet Cafe. His name is... let me think, his surname is Liu, Liu Zhiqiang."
Ling Yun thought for a moment, but couldn't recall this person.
"He was Chen Lingling's former colleague," Wang Degui said. "He worked at an internet cafe and later transferred to Xinghuo Group. Chen Jian ran into him when he was staking out your company. Chen Jian pretended to be Chen Lingling's relative, saying he came to stay with her but couldn't find her. Liu Zhiqiang is a kind-hearted person, so he treated Chen Jian to a meal."
"Liu Zhiqiang said that Chen Lingling is now a senior executive in the group and is away on a business trip, and won't be back for a while. He also said that Chen Lingling and Zhao Weiguo are dating. Zhao Weiguo is the boss's classmate and also the group's vice president. He also said that Zhao Weiguo picks up and drops off Chen Lingling every day and treats her very well."
"Upon hearing this," Wang Degui continued, "Chen Jian's mind started working. He couldn't find Chen Lingling, but he could find Zhao Weiguo. By following Zhao Weiguo, he could find Chen Lingling."
"and then?"
"Then he started following Zhao Weiguo," Wang Degui said. "He followed him for two days before Zhao Weiguo's driver spotted him. The driver kicked him out and warned him not to show up again."
"Logically speaking," Wang Degui said, "this matter should have ended here. Chen Jian couldn't run into Chen Lingling, and there was nothing he could do. But he was unlucky—or rather, Zhao Weiguo was unlucky—he ran into another 'kind person'."
Ling Yun looked at him.
"Who?"
"From Yixiang Group," Wang Degui said. "One of their salesmen is named Yang Peng."
Ling Yun narrowed his eyes. "Yang Peng?"
"Yes," Wang Degui continued, "That day, Chen Jian was driven away by Zhao Weiguo's driver. Yang Peng was driving by and happened to see it, so he stopped. Yang Peng was wearing a suit and tie, looking like a successful person. He asked Chen Jian what happened, and Chen Jian told him that his daughter didn't recognize him, and he wanted to ask his daughter for money, but he was driven away."
"Yang Peng invited him to dinner," Wang Degui said. "Over that meal, he managed to extract all of Chen Jian's secrets."
"After listening to this," Wang Degui continued, "Yang Peng told Chen Jian, 'You're asking your daughter for money, but she only works short hours, how much savings could she possibly have? Zhao Weiguo is different; he's a shareholder of Xinghuo Internet Cafe, worth tens of millions. You can ask him for a few hundred thousand, he can take it without hesitation.'"
"Did Chen Jianxin believe it?"
"I believed him," Wang Degui said. "But he didn't know how to ask Zhao Weiguo for the money. Yang Peng gave him an idea."
Lingyun waited.
"It's a staged accident," Wang Degui said. "Yang Peng told Chen Jian, 'Go and curse Chen Lingling, say really nasty things. If Zhao Weiguo hears you, he'll definitely attack you. As soon as he does, lie down, go to the hospital, and call the police. It's a minor injury, level two, less than three years. If Zhao Weiguo doesn't want to go to jail, he'll have to pay to settle. We can negotiate how much you want then.'"
Ling Yun paused for a moment.
"Yang Peng also gave him something," Wang Degui said, "a miniature camera, the kind that fits inside a clothing button. He was to record the whole thing as evidence."
"Zhao Weiguo injured someone," Wang Degui continued, "It was Yang Peng who orchestrated it. Chen Jian was cursing Chen Lingling in front of Zhao Weiguo's company, using extremely foul language, spewing all sorts of profanities. Zhao Weiguo came out and saw him, initially intending to walk around him. Chen Jian chased after him and continued cursing. Zhao Weiguo couldn't hold back, rushed up and punched him, then kicked him. Chen Jian fell down, hitting his head on the steps, and blood immediately started flowing."
"Yang Peng was watching from the side," Wang Degui said. "He recorded everything. When Chen Jian was taken to the hospital, he called the police. When the police arrived, they took Zhao Weiguo away directly."