Blinded chapter 43
Coming out of the police station, it was already late at night. The streets were deserted, not a single person in sight. Xie Li saw Shi Hongqian standing by the side of a car, waiting for them.
The lawyer, perhaps noticing that Chang Xiaojia was not responding much, approached Shi Hongqian for a conversation.
Chang Xiaojia didn’t spare them a glance, walking straight along the road’s edge.
Xie Li glanced at Shi Hongqian, seeing him looking towards Chang Xiaojia. However, Shi Hongqian didn’t stop talking to the lawyer, so Xie Li walked over to Chang Xiaojia by himself.
“Xiaojia,” Xie Li called out to him, reaching his side.
Chang Xiaojia had his hands in the pockets of his coat, eyes devoid of expression, gazing into the distance. His footsteps were dragging, continually rubbing against the square stone floor. He said, “The lawyer told me that the bottle tested negative for any drug components; it’s just vitamins.”
Xie Li wasn’t surprised; he had been skeptical from the beginning. Whether it was Chan Xin asking him to contact a drug dealer or handing him those medications directly, it all felt abnormal. Either it was a test of his sincerity, or it was simply a plot against him.
Chang Xiaojia stopped walking, looking at Xie Li. “Did you know?”
Xie Li said, “I didn’t know,” but he didn’t mention his suspicions. If the substances Chang Xin gave him were truly drugs, the quantity would be valuable, and Chang Xin wouldn’t risk his life just to kill him. Besides, Fengling Bar was a property of the Hong Group, and implicating them would make no sense.
Chang Xiaojia said, “I want to kill Chang Xin.”
Xie Li saw Shi Hongqian driving not far behind them. He reached out, embracing Chang Xiaojia, stroking his soft hair, and softly said, “Don’t act recklessly.”
Chang Xiaojia raised both hands, grabbing Xie Li’s sleeve. He said, “It was him and his mother who killed my mother.”
Xie Li was slightly taken aback. “They killed your mother?”
Chang Xiaojia’s voice was ice-cold. “If it weren’t for that woman giving birth to Chang Xin, my mother wouldn’t have gotten sick from anger.”
Xie Li sighed, pressing his head against his shoulder. He said, “It’ll be okay; they will face consequences.”
“Consequences?” Chang Xiaojia repeated softly.
“In this world, those who do wrong will face consequences,” Xie Li said.
Suddenly, Chang Xiaojia lifted his head. “Will we face consequences?”
“Why would we face consequences?” Xie Li asked.
Chang Xiaojia seemed to be thinking seriously. He asked Xie Li, “Why were you in jail? I don’t remember.”
Xie Li said, “I got involved in a business deal with someone who betrayed me, so I hospitalized him.” After saying that, he grabbed Chang Xiaojia’s hand and asked, “Why are you in jail? You never mentioned it.”
“I brought that woman home,” Chang Xiaojia said.
Xie Li inquired, “What did you bring her home? You said you don’t like women?”
Chang Xiaojia seemed lost in memory. “That day, I went to the bar to drink. I was in a bad mood, and that woman was a hostess who sold drinks. She took the initiative to approach me.”
Xie Li thought that Chen Haiman might have received information about drug trafficking at Fengling Bar, perhaps related to the new type of drugs she encountered before. Then, undercover, she went to the bar to investigate the source of the drugs. There, she encountered Chang Xiaojia, maybe recognizing his identity, and initiated a conversation to gather information.
He asked Chang Xiaojia, “What happened next?”
Chang Xiaojia said, “Then she got drunk, very drunk. She said she wanted to go home with me. So, I took her home.”
Xie Li found it strange. “How much did she drink to get so drunk?”
Chang Xiaojia shook his head. “I don’t remember.”
Normally, Chen Haiman, as someone on a mission, wouldn’t let herself get so drunk. Perhaps she pretended to be drunk to take the opportunity to infiltrate the Chang home and investigate.
“Why did you take her home again?” Xie Li asked with a stern tone.
Chang Xiaojia continued shaking his head. “I drank a lot and only remember feeling excited at the time, saying I’d take her home to continue drinking.”
Xie Li pressed further, “What happened afterward?”
“I took her to my room. I passed out on the bed, and the next morning, I woke up to find her still in my bed. Then Chang Xin knocked on the door, saying my father was looking for me. I got up, went to see my father, had breakfast with him, and when I came back, the woman was gone. I asked Chang Xin, and he said she had already left. I never saw her again until the police found me, and I learned she was dead. Her body was taken out of my house.”
Xie Li’s eyes reddened, but in the dim night, it wasn’t clear. “So, your brother killed her?”
Chang Xiaojia looked at him. “I don’t know. But the person who came to the police and confessed was my father’s arranged bodyguard. No one explained to me what exactly happened. The lawyer told me to tell the truth in court, and I did, but the judge still sentenced me for illegal detention.”
Xie Li asked, “So, you never tried to investigate the truth of what happened?”
Chang Xiaojia replied, “When my father came to visit me in prison, he said I was already an adult and shouldn’t be idle. He discussed it with my brother. When I got out, he would hand over all the bars in Hongfang to me and told me not to idly meddle in affairs. Essentially, he told me not to pursue this matter any further. It’s settled. I wonder who he’d speak to me on behalf of. The only person capable of making my father negotiate conditions with me, is Chang Xin.”
Xie Li looked serious.
Chang Xiaojia tilted his head, looking closely at Xie Li, and after a while, said, “Xie Li, did you know that policewoman?”
Xie Li was suddenly shocked, then looked at him with a calm expression. “Why do you say that?”
Chang Xiaojia said, “Every question you asked was about her. You don’t even care if I’ll face consequences.”
Xie Li spoke with determination, “You haven’t done anything wrong, Xiaojia.”
Xie Li hugged him. “I know you are not capable of killing anyone, despite your threats.” Xie Li smiled as he ruffled his hair.
Chang Xiaojia said, “but I brought her home, and she likely died in my building. I find it hard sleeping every night just scared of the thought of what might have happened to her as I was passed out drunk. That house scares me since”
In that moment, Xie Li felt a discomfort that almost made him blurt out, “Then let’s move out.” But he couldn’t; he had to stay in that building to continue investigating the father and son, Chang Xin and Chang Guanshan. So, he could only say, “No, with me around, you’ll be fine.”