Chapter 168: Don’t Want Father
Translator: Lonelytree
When Jiang Tao arrived at the crime scene, he was shocked to see the other two people present.
“Tianhao, Yuanhang, why are you here?” Jiang Tao asked in surprise. When he saw the beggar lying on the ground, he asked, “Were you the ones who saved Lingyu?”
Li Yuanhang said, “Young Master Jiang, Tianhao saved Miss Xiao.”
Strictly speaking, it was the two of them who saved Xiao Lingyu, but the one who really did it was Gong Tianhao.
Li Yuanhang wasn’t as strong as Gong Tianhao.
“Thank you so much, Tianhao!” Jiang Tao said gratefully, “If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what would have happened to Lingyu.”
Gong Tianhao frowned. He seemed to be displeased. He said plainly, “Since you’re handling this, we’ll leave.”
Jiang Tao, “…”
Li Yuanhang, “…”
‘What is going on with Gong Tianhao? His reaction feels weird.’ Then, Li Yuanhang thought of something, and his expression was consumed by shock. His eyes were wide open, but he quickly recovered.
Gong Tianhao noticed his expression and asked in puzzlement, “What’s wrong with you?”
Li Yuanhang immediately shook his head and said, “Nothing. I’m just worried about the old master.” Li Yuanhang found an excuse. He couldn’t tell Gong Tianhao that he believed Gong Tianhao and Jiang Tao had fallen for the same woman.
Li Yuanhang felt something was not right.
Li Yuanhang spent most of his time with Gong Tianhao, so he knew everyone Gong Tianhao knew. However, Gong Tianhao seemed to know Xiao Lingyu, someone Li Yuanhang didn’t know. If he didn’t know her, why helped her cover up her superhuman speed the first time they met; why would Gong Tianhao apologize to her the second time they met; and this third time, he directly saved her from danger.
Ever since they arrived at Xing Yin County, Gong Tianhao had broken his usual habits many times for Xiao Lingyu, and Li Yuanhang still couldn’t understand why. Xiao Lingyu was a normal country girl. Gong Tianhao stayed in the capital and went overseas for business, and he rarely ventured to other counties. The only exception was when he came to investigate Xing Yin County, and Xiao Lingyu came from Xing Yin County. After some time, Li Yuanhang sighed, “Fate is a strange thing!”
These two shouldn’t have interacted in their lives, but they kept meeting each other.
Jiang Tao was still close when Li Yuanhang mentioned the old master. When he heard that, he became serious. “You two are not real friends. How can you not tell me that Grandpa Gong is here? If this didn’t happen, I would never have found out.”
Li Yuanhang coughed, “Young Master Jiang, we had just arrived. Plus, you’re too busy with work. The old master doesn’t want to trouble you.”
Jiang Tao said suspiciously, “Oh? Where is the old master now? As his junior, I need to visit him.”
“He’s at the Gu Family Hotel!” Li Yuanhang said. Then, he glared at Gong Tianhao. He didn’t know why Gong Tianhao hadn’t said anything and pushed his secretary out as sacrifice instead. Didn’t he know Young Master Jiang could be very scary when he was angry?
Jiang Tao didn’t say anything else.
He walked towards Xiao Lingyu, who was being questioned by the police officer.
Jiang Tao asked, “Lingyu, what’s going on? Why would someone want to kill you? Do you know this person?” Jiang Tao pointed at the handcuffed beggar.
Xiao Lingyu shook her head and said, “I don’t know him. I haven’t even seen him before. But…” At this point, she paused, pointed at Li Yuanhang, and continued, “Mr. Li and Mr. Gong heard that someone instructed him to assassinate me.”
“That is serious!” Jiang Tao said, “Tell me, who instructed you to kill Xiao Lingyu?” The beggar didn’t seem to understand human language. He opened his mouth and said, “Ah, ah…”
Li Yuanhang came over and said, “Young Master Jiang, we have a photo and recording. They should help you with the case!”
He took out his phone and showed it to Jiang Tao. Then, he fiddled with it a few times and heard the notification sound of Jiang Tao’s phone ringing.
Jiang Tao said to Xiao Lingyu, “Lingyu, don’t worry. We’ll investigate this properly and provide you with an explanation!”
“Thank you, Chief Jiang!” Xiao Lingyu said gratefully. However, her tone seemed a little distant.
Jiang Tao opened his mouth, wanting to explain, “Lingyu, I…”
Xiao Lingyu immediately interrupted him and said in a very understanding manner, “Chief Jiang, you don’t have to explain. I understand. I don’t blame you!”
Jiang Tao, “…” She still misunderstands me.
Sensing the coldness between the two, Li Yuanhang raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was confused.
‘How come they look estranged from each other? Did Jiang Tao fail to pursue Xiao Lingyu? Does this mean Tianhao has a chance?’
If Gong Tianhao knew what Li Yuanhang was thinking, he would probably be furious. ‘When did I say I like this woman?’
Jiang Tao wanted to explain himself, but he looked around. ‘I’ll explain myself next time. There are too many people here.’ He said, “Lingyu, I’ll bring the man back to the station. If you have time, shall we have dinner tonight?”
Xiao Lingyu shook her head and said, “Sorry, Chief Jiang, I have to rush home this afternoon. How about a raincheck? I’ll treat you next time.” She was still reeling from fear. She didn’t have the mood to eat.
“Okay!” Jiang Tao was embarrassed that he didn’t consider the impact the near-death incident had on Xiao Lingyu. ‘How can I be so inconsiderate?’
Li Yuanhang was flummoxed when he saw this. ‘No wonder Young Master Jiang failed to get the girl.’
Pursuing a woman required more than just a few words. It required action. Furthermore, based on what he observed, there was some existing misunderstanding between the two. Young Master Jiang should buy her a gift like flowers or gems. But Young Master Jiang…
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Li Yuanhang couldn’t bear to look straight at him as he rubbed his forehead. Of course, Li Yuanhang didn’t give Jiang Tao any pointers.
It had to be said that Li Yuanhang was instrumental in matching Gong Tianhao and Xiao Lingyu. Granted, it started as a mistake, but in the end, it was a happy ending. It was also why Jiang Tao fought Li Yuanhang for three days and three nights. Of course, Li Yuanhang was the one getting beaten up.
“Mr. Li, Mr. Gong, I don’t know how to repay you for saving my life. If you don’t mind, come to my home for dinner when you arrive at the Taoyuan Village.” Xiao Lingyu told them.
“That’s great,” Li Yuanhang answered without any courtesy. “Miss Xiao, honestly, we miss Auntie’s cooking too much.”
Xiao Lingyu smiled. “Mr. Li, you’re too polite. You saved my life. I don’t know how to repay you. I hope a meal is enough.” Then, Xiao Lingyu paused. “Mr. Li, can I trouble you to keep this secret from my family?”
After all, this was a serious issue. If her parents found out, they wouldn’t let her come to the county town alone anymore. She also didn’t want them to be overly worried.
“Of course!” Li Yuanhang agreed and then reminded, “However, before this case is solved, you shouldn’t come to the county town alone!”
They were told Xing Yin County had a low crime rate, but they had just witnessed an attempted murder.
Li Yuanhang found the whole incident strange. He was confused by the IQ of the culprit. Murder was a serious issue. Yet, they dared to order an assassination in broad daylight. It was unbelievable. If anyone passed by, they would call the police. The beggar was 100 percent going to be caught.
Li Yuanhang was also impressed by Xiao Lingyu’s good luck. They were passing by and heard the assassination plot. They would have walked on and only called the police if it was someone else, but when they heard Xiao Lingyu’s name, they knew they had to do something.
Hence, they secretly followed behind the beggar.
It was unknown whether the beggar was really mentally ill or fake. The man was about to injure someone, but he didn’t seem to have any precautions. He didn’t even notice the two men following him. The beggar reached the corner and then hid there.
Li Yuanhang and Gong Tianhao hid at the other corner to observe the beggar. If the beggar had looked around then, he would have spotted the two men. However, the beggar only looked ahead.
It was then that Li Yuanhang confirmed the beggar was indeed mentally challenged. However, the culprit was probably mentally challenged too. Did he think having a madman murder someone would void them of the responsibility? Did he think the madman would not betray him?
He was too naive.
It was why Li Yuanhang told Xiao Lingyu to be careful. It was because the mastermind hadn’t been caught yet.
With Young Master Jiang at the helm, he would solve the case in no time, even if the beggar was mentally challenged.
Xiao Lingyu understood Li Yuanhang’s kind intention. She nodded and said, “Yes, I understand.”
Xiao Lingyu had a feeling she knew who the mastermind was. She believed she should stay away from the county town in the recent future.
She was three months pregnant. Xiao Tong couldn’t be scared that often.
As for the supply for the Gu Family Hotel, Xiao Lingyu decided to deliver them every three days. Since the vegetables could be kept fresh for ten days, it shouldn’t be a problem.
When the vegetables could be harvested, she would ask the people at the hotel to come directly to her house.
With that in mind, Xiao Lingyu asked, “Mr. Li, you will go back to the Gu family hotel after this, right?”
Li Yuanhang nodded and said, “Yes, that’s right!”
“Then can I trouble you to tell Wang Zhimin, the purchasing manager of their hotel, to come to my place later?” Xiao Lingyu said.
“It’s a small matter. Of course, there’s no problem.” Li Yuanhang nodded.
…
When Xiao Lingyu returned to the rental, she collapsed on the bed weakly. Other than the assassination, another incident that drained her was meeting Xiao Tong’s father. She guessed that Xiao Tong looked like his father.
Now that she had seen him, it was confirmed.
She began to worry again.
She did not expect things to be so coincidental. Xiao Tong’s great-grandfather would live in Taoyuan Village. When the elder saw Xiao Tong, he would be suspicious. Then, the rest would be easy to investigate. Xiao Lingyu and Gong Tianhao were both at City Z during the time of conception.
Plus, there was something called paternity testing!
What if they wanted the child back after he was born? What if they refused to let her take care of Xiao Tong? Was Xiao Tong going to have the same fate as his previous life?
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No, she wasn’t going to allow that! She swore that she would treat Xiao Tong well and let him grow up happily and healthily if she was given a second chance.
A moment later, Xiao Lingyu made up her mind. She touched her stomach and said, “Xiao Tong, you won’t hate me, right? Mommy didn’t mean to stop you from being with your father. It’s just that Mommy can’t tell how your father will react. I can’t take this risk. So, I need to stay away from him.”
Xiao Lingyu didn’t know if that man was from City Z, but she could tell from his extraordinary temperament that he came from a wealthy family.
She had never heard of this man in City Z either.
‘Gong Tianhao? Wait, I think I’ve heard of that name before. Where is it…’
Xiao Lingyu calmed down and thought for a while. Suddenly, her eyes widened in disbelief.
She immediately jumped off the bed and said, “No, I need to look into this. Please don’t let it be that person.. It has to be a coincidence that they have the same name.”