Street Hustler and His Policewoman Wife
Chapter 312: Old Affairs and Old Friends
"He’s my child, of course I understand!"
"No one knows a child better than their father!"
That saying holds true in many cases.
After all, it’s been passed down for generations.
However, it’s not an absolute truth.
Chen Xiao wasn’t truly doubting Qiao Zhiyuan, he was merely making an attempt.
He wanted to stir up the conflict a bit to see what would happen.
Qiao Zhong’s emotions clearly fluctuated as Chen Xiao escalated things, and his words became much heavier.
"Advisor Chen, do you also believe in your heart that Jiao Guoxuan and his family were killed by my son Zhiyuan!"
"I never said that."
"You didn’t say it, yet you ask whether I understand him well enough?"
"There are some questions I simply have to ask."
"But by asking that, aren’t you implying that I don’t understand my own son? And that he might be some sort of killer demon when no one is watching?"
Qiao Zhong grew more and more agitated as he spoke.
Chen Xiao calmly replied, "But right now, everything points to him, unless he can prove he had no opportunity to commit the crime."
"How can he prove that? We only found out later that he was in a different location that night."
"And how did you know that?"
"I knew something happened the next day, so I immediately went to find him. I dragged him out of bed at that very moment!"
"So what? Who can prove whether he went to sleep in the morning or last night?"
"I..." Qiao Zhong was left speechless.
Seeing his red face and thick neck, Chen Xiao stood up.
But Qiao Zhong was still fuming, and when Chen Xiao looked at him, he snorted and turned his head away.
Chen Xiao couldn’t help but laugh and said:
"Mr. Qiao, just from our brief conversation, you’ve already run out of words to counter. Have you thought about how you’ll help your child when facing a courtroom trial in the future?"
Qiao Zhong’s face darkened, and Chen Xiao continued:
"In a case like this, no matter what connections you have, they won’t help. Those connected to you are being very wise at this time."
"Right now, I need you to clearly tell me what kind of person you think Qiao Zhiyuan is. I don’t want to hear compliments, so you need to magnify Qiao Zhiyuan’s flaws."
Despite his anger, Qiao Zhong clearly understood that he had to cooperate.
After calming down, Qiao Zhong spoke, "Advisor Chen, I apologize for earlier."
Chen Xiao shook his head, "Do you know Xiong Nan?"
"Of course, he was a friend of Zhiyuan’s in prison, and they were released around the same time. But he only came to my house for a meal, and I haven’t seen him since."
Qiao Zhong showed confusion about why Chen Xiao was asking about this person.
"So, you didn’t know Xiong Nan before then?"
"No, I hadn’t seen him before. Later, I wasn’t particularly willing to meet people who had been in prison. It was only after Zhiyuan told me about his reasons for being imprisoned, and that Xiong Nan took care of him in the detention center, that I invited him over to show gratitude."
Chen Xiao nodded, "Do you remember Bai Xinghu? Was there any conflict between him and Jiao Guoxuan?"
"Bai Xinghu? The orthopedic doctor at Kang Xin Hospital?"
Just like Bai Xinghu himself had said, he and Qiao Zhong used to be good friends.
But after Qiao Zhong fell on hard times, their interactions became minimal.
So Qiao Zhong and Bai Xinghu were, indeed, typical friends.
"Bai Xinghu is not a decent person; at least I’ve seen enough to know that. But to say he and Jiao Guoxuan had any intersection seems unlikely; they just barely knew each other."
"When Qiao Zhiyuan threatened to kill Jiao Guoxuan’s entire family at the time..."
Chen Xiao’s tone suddenly paused.
"Putting Bai Xinghu aside, when Qiao Zhiyuan threatened to kill Jiao Guoxuan’s entire family, was anyone present for both that event and the car accident where Jiao Yan fractured her bones? This is important; you need to recall carefully."
The Power of Bathing made Chen Xiao remember Jiao Yan’s old injury from the elbow fracture with precision.
Chen Xiao had not forgotten the reminder his ability gave him.
This was an advantage he found in dealing with this case.
Qiao Zhong thought carefully, but after a few seconds, Chen Xiao suddenly asked:
"If I heard right, when he crashed the car with Jiao Yan in it, it hit a wall, causing the accident, right?"
"Yes."
"Whose wall did they hit?"
Qiao Zhong was taken aback, "What... what’s that got to do with the case?"
Chen Xiao glanced at him, "Never mind, just take me to that house."
Qiao Zhong was puzzled, but seeing Chen Xiao so certain, he nodded nonetheless.
The two walked out together, and to avoid the hassle of giving directions, Chen Xiao let Qiao Zhong drive.
A little over ten minutes later, Qiao Zhong pointed at a house and said, "That was the house they crashed into. I was the first on the scene, and after arranging for Zhiyuan and Jiao Yan to go to the hospital, I immediately discussed compensation with the family."
Chen Xiao nodded, "Were they reasonable?"
"Not hard to deal with. I reckon they were just as shocked. You’ve got a car barreling into your house out of nowhere. They might have been confused, or maybe I negotiated quickly, but I paid them what they asked."
"How much did you pay at the time?"
"I paid fifty or sixty thousand, which wasn’t a small amount back then. This house was later rebuilt, and at least a third of it was funded by me."
"Let’s go in and take a look."
Qiao Zhong was reluctant, though.
Even though it was right to compensate for damaging someone’s wall, he felt he’d given enough at the time and had no desire to reconnect with them after all these years.
Under Chen Xiao’s urging, Qiao Zhong nervously knocked on the door.
When the door opened, Qiao Zhong asked, "Should I just reveal your identity outright?"
"No need. Those who care could recognize me at a glance, and those who don’t will remain indifferent, even if they know who I am."
With that, a middle-aged man opened the door.
Qiao Zhong forced a smile, while Chen Xiao immediately focused on the man’s face.
The man seemed to recognize Qiao Zhong, and Qiao Zhong greeted him with a smile, "Brother, don’t you remember me?"
"You’re President Qiao from Shenghuang? The one whose car crashed into my house?"
Qiao Zhong nodded repeatedly, "That’s me, you have a good memory, brother!"
The man didn’t show any displeasure and laughed, "How could I forget? Even now, people around here sometimes joke that I got a free house."
The man spoke and then asked, "Why has President Qiao come by today?"
Qiao Zhong replied, "I was just passing by and remembered the old times, so I wanted to stop by and catch up."
"What are we waiting for, come on in!" The man said, glancing at Chen Xiao, "Is this President Qiao’s driver? Young man, you come on in too."
Chen Xiao didn’t explain.
However, upon entering the house, he noticed there were a lot of clothes around.
Both children’s and adults’, stacked up in boxes.
Qiao Zhong noticed Chen Xiao’s gaze and took the initiative to ask, "Brother, why do you have so many clothes at home?"
The man glanced and laughed, "Just trying to earn some money, so I started a small garment factory a couple of years ago, doing some small jobs for clothing factories! I was actually about to deliver some goods when you showed up!"
"Do you mainly process children’s clothes?"
"Yes, particularly orders for girls’ clothing!"
"I see. May I ask... Sir, what is your full name?"