A Chan – CH 105

Chapter 105: A Decisive Strike (2)

Li Yunmo frowned and said, “This family seems right, but something’s not right either.”

Zhang Jingchan nodded, pondered for a moment, then called Ding Chenmo and said a few words.

Ding Chenmo said, “This isn’t quite right.”

Zhang Jingchan said, “My dad, my mom, the bodyguard, Uncle Li, Zhang Fengming, the nanny, and the arsonist—seven lives. And my half-dead state as a vegetable. Although the case is closed and you’ve retired, if I find anything, will you reopen the case?”

Ding Chenmo was silent for a moment, then said only one word: “Reopen it.”

Not long after, Ding Chenmo sent over some household registration information and photos, listing all of his aunt’s relatives: cousins, extended cousins, and even blood relatives within three generations.

Zhang Jingchan and Li Yunmo saw two familiar names:

Uncle’s second cousin: Liu Guizhi.

Aunt’s cousin: Wang Ming.

The photo of Liu Guizhi was from her younger days, but Zhang Jingchan and Li Yunmo recognized her immediately—she was the Zhang family’s former nanny, Sister Liu. Wang Ming’s photo matched the one Zhang Jingchan had found earlier—the man who made 300 million from the futures market.

Looking at the photos and names, imagining the network these people formed, Li Yunmo felt a chill run down his spine. He said, “Damn, they’ve been watching your family for a long time.”

The Zhang family’s nannies were all hired through the labor market; Liu Guizhi had been working for them for several years. Who would bother investigating these intricate connections?

Zhang Jingchan, one hand on the car door, the other putting down his phone, looked up at the blue sky, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. He said, “A lot of information—whether it’s my dad hiring an external team to audit the accounts or buying futures—wasn’t leaked from within Fuming but from my own home. Nobody would notice a nanny. I suspect she installed a bug in my dad’s study. The person behind it, although my dad’s subordinate, is very controlling and has been secretly monitoring my dad and my family.”

Li Yunmo swallowed hard. “Have you guessed who it is?”

Zhang Jingchan didn’t answer but instead made a phone call to Ding Chenmo: “Old Ding, Liu Ying takes her stepfather’s surname. Her mother is divorced. Help me find out her mother’s ex-husband’s surname and if he has any other children.”

Li Yunmo: “Why do you think that person would be Liu Ying’s brother?”

Zhang Jingchan: “Liu Ying’s private life is very messy; she doesn’t take men seriously. What kind of person could make her willingly stand in the open as a target? What kind of person would kill to protect her? Only her closest relatives.”

Because Liu Ying’s mother’s ex-husband lived in another province and his household registration had been moved, it took Ding Chenmo some time to find the information. It wasn’t until nightfall, after Zhang Jingchan and Li Yunmo had checked into a local hotel, that Ding Chenmo sent the information.

Liu Ying’s mother’s ex-husband’s surname was Xu. They had a son and a daughter. After the divorce, the daughter lived with her mother, and the son lived with his father. The son was five years younger than Liu Ying, making him 34 this year, and his registered name was Xu Conglan.

The photo was only from when he was seven or eight years old. Holding the photo, Li Yunmo frowned, “Brother Chan, why does this person look so familiar…?”

—

That day, before it got dark, Li Xiaoyi realized she was missing stewing ingredients and preserved eggs while cooking. Li Weiyi volunteered to go downstairs to the supermarket to buy them, with Zhong Yi following along with a smile.

The supermarket was only seven or eight hundred meters from her sister’s house, along a main road. Seeing her brother-in-law sticking close, Li Weiyi smiled helplessly, “Brother-in-law, I’m not a child anymore. It’s just a main road with so many people; what could possibly happen? Can’t you just stay home and keep my sister company?”

Zhong Yi shook his head. “Since I promised Ah Chan, I have to keep my word.”

“What did you promise him?”

Zhong Yi glanced at her and took out his phone to show her. Seeing Zhang Jingchan’s instruction to “protect her for me,” Li Weiyi blushed slightly and said, “Brother-in-law, he was just saying that; don’t take it too seriously.”

Zhong Yi replied, “You just handed the information to the police; it’s a serious matter. Being careful won’t hurt.”

“Okay.”

Even so, Zhong Yi felt that in such a bustling city center, nothing could happen. The two walked along the main road for a while, almost reaching the supermarket entrance.

Next to the supermarket was an alleyway, accessible by car, leading to the supermarket’s back entrance, usually used by delivery trucks. Just a few steps from the alleyway’s entrance, a van suddenly reversed out. Zhong Yi’s eyes narrowed, and he pulled Li Weiyi to a stop.

The van door swung open with a “whoosh,” and two burly men jumped out, wearing caps and masks and carrying long steel bars. Zhong Yi grabbed Li Weiyi and ran towards the crowded supermarket behind the car. However, the two men reacted quickly, clearly skilled in fighting; two steel rods came crashing down on Zhong Yi’s head simultaneously.

Zhong Yi pushed Li Weiyi forward, shouting, “Run!” He twisted and narrowly avoided the two steel bars, throwing a punch at one of the men. Zhong Yi’s punch was fast and powerful, carrying an uncommon bloodthirsty ferocity. The man took the full force of the punch, his body momentarily swaying. The other man slammed his rod into Zhong Yi’s back, causing Zhong Yi to stagger and kick the man, whose knees buckled, collapsing to his knees. Zhong Yi moved with lightning speed, snatching the rod from the man’s hand and mercilessly striking the man several times, knocking him to the ground.

The other man was also shocked, probably not expecting Zhong Yi to be so powerful. He swung his rod to attack, but Zhong Yi deflected his attack and then struck him on the neck with another blow. Today, Zhong Yi showed no mercy; the man was knocked unconscious.

Zhong Yi wiped the sweat from his brow, enduring the sharp pain in his back, and grabbed the steel rod, running towards Li Weiyi behind the car.

Meanwhile, Li Weiyi, pushed forward by Zhong Yi, was both anxious and frightened, but she knew she couldn’t help in any way. Gritting her teeth, she ran, simultaneously pulling out her phone to dial 110. But just as she pressed the dial button, the other side of the van door opened towards her, and two men rushed out. One of them swung a steel rod, striking Li Weiyi’s hand hard, causing her to stumble and drop her phone.

She tried to pick it up, but the other man grabbed her from behind, pulling her towards the van. Li Weiyi struggled desperately, but the man’s arm remained unmoved. Li Weiyi screamed, “Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!” At the same time, she shouted to the surrounding crowd, “Call the police! Call the police! Call 110! Report the license plate number…” Before she could finish speaking, the man forcefully covered her mouth.

However, some people in the crowd were already secretly reaching for their phones. But the men looked too fierce, and no one dared to step forward.

Zhong Yi was only a few meters away from her. Hearing her cries for help, he rushed forward, his eyes filled with ruthlessness. He slammed a stick into the back of the man holding Li Weiyi. Li Weiyi simultaneously bit the man’s arm hard. The man cried out in pain and released her. As soon as Li Weiyi’s feet touched the ground, another man grabbed her. Li Weiyi screamed “Ah!” and desperately kicked and pushed him. Zhong Yi roared, “Let go—” and precisely knocked the steel rod out of the man’s hand. He then swung the stick again, knocking the man to the ground.