Chapter 1016: You Still Have Me

Chapter 1016: Chapter 981: You Still Have Me

The sudden rain in Nanjiang caught everyone off guard. Tang Jingwei sat under the veranda, sipping red wine and gazing at the rain outside. The wind blew the rain mist onto him, making him feel somewhat cold, yet Tang Jingwei showed no sign of returning indoors.

Since the death of his son, he had been buying drink to numb himself almost every day.

Only the driver, Old Geng, and the nanny, Nanny Dong, were taking care of his daily life.

Nanny Dong approached him and whispered, “Mr. Tang, there are two detectives from Dongzhou who wish to see you.”

Tang Jingwei finished the wine in his cup and handed the empty glass to Nanny Dong, his throat hoarse as he said, “Let them in.”

When Lu Qi and Li Zhong entered the Chinese-style mansion, Tang Jingwei continued to sit under the veranda, looking unkempt. Occasionally, lightning flashed across the somber sky, illuminating his pale face.

Since Tang Tianyi’s death, Tang Jingwei had secluded himself in his home in Nanjiang, not stepping out, not cutting his hair or shaving, appearing as if he had aged ten years overnight.

Lu Qi and Li Zhong exchanged glances. They had come all the way from Dongzhou to Nanjiang to visit Tang Jingwei in person, intending to understand the situation. Seeing Tang Jingwei in his current state, their speculations wavered, fearing such a person had not yet emerged from the grief of losing a son.

Tang Jingwei’s gaze remained fixed on the rain-drenched sky, and he murmured, “You’ve come to see me?”

Lu Qi first introduced himself.

Tang Jingwei said, “Regarding the case of Jianjie Square?”

Lu Qi replied, “It’s not just about the Jianjie Square case; there are other matters we need to learn about.”

Tang Jingwei then turned to glance at him, “Go ahead.”

Lu Qi said, “According to Duan Yuanhong’s confession, he once delivered some artifacts stolen from the Jianjie Square site to you. Where are those artifacts now?”

Tang Jingwei shook his head, “He’s lying; I’ve never received any gifts from him, let alone artifacts. If you don’t believe it, you can bring a search warrant.”

Nanny Dong brought Tang Jingwei a cigar, which he lit, taking a puff before slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke.

Lu Qi said, “Based on the information we have, twelve years ago, a Han Tomb was discovered during the construction of the Jianjie Square site. At the time, the construction party appropriated the artifacts, flattened the tomb overnight without notifying the relevant departments. As the actual controller of Jiayue Department Store, are you aware of this matter?”

Tang Jingwei replied, “The Nanjiang police have already inquired about it, and I’ve provided a detailed response. If you wish to know, you can retrieve my statement records. I won’t repeat the same explanation twice.”

Lu Qi signaled to Li Zhong, who took out some photos and handed them to Tang Jingwei, “Take a look, have you seen these items before?”

These photos were of the artifacts Duan Yuanhong had given to Tang Jingwei, which Duan Yuanhong had photographed and retained before gifting them. But Tang Jingwei, being highly cunning, left no traces when receiving gifts from him, and now would certainly not. He wouldn’t leave evidence for the police to catch.

Tang Jingwei did not reach out to take the photos but merely glanced at them from the corner of his eye, saying indifferently, “I saw that dancing figurine at Duan Yuanhong’s house, but he told me it was a replica.”

Li Zhong stated, “He said he gave it to you.”

Tang Jingwei replied, “You believe him? I expelled him from Hua Nian, and he’s always held a grudge against me, trying to drag me down. As the actual controller of two listed companies, Jiayue Department Store and Huayuan Group, do you think I’d make such an amateur mistake? All my collections were acquired through legitimate auctions, able to withstand inspection.”

The dying camel is still bigger than the horse, and despite Tang Jingwei’s fallen state, his aura remained strong.

Lu Qi looked at the arrogant Tang Jingwei and couldn’t resist poking his wound: “According to the information we have, the situation of both of President Tang’s companies isn’t very good. Recently, you’ve sold multiple properties, including Changxing Hospital in Dongzhou and Jianjie Square.”

Tang Jingwei mocked, “Business always involves profit and loss; no one can guarantee smooth sailing for a lifetime. I, Mr. Tang, always abide by the law, but I cannot guarantee every employee in my company will do likewise.”

Lu Qi silently cursed this cunning man and continued to ask, “President Tang, I heard your son, Tang Tianyi, committed suicide last month in the Capital City?”

Tang Jingwei took a drag on his cigar, coughed heavily for a few moments, and after his coughing subsided, he said, “Murdered!”

Lu Qi said, “We have reviewed related information, the autopsy report indicates…”

“That report proves nothing; my son wouldn’t commit suicide!”

Lu Qi asked, “Did Tang Tianyi have conflicts with Pan Weidong before his death?”

Tang Jingwei squinted his eyes at Lu Qi, while Lu Qi stared resolutely into Tang Jingwei’s eyes.

“Who is Pan Weidong?”

Lu Qi said, “One of the directors of Jishi Medical Investment Co., Ltd., now a shareholder of Changxing Hospital.”

Tang Jingwei shook his head, “I don’t know him. I wasn’t involved in the transfer of Changxing Hospital. Why are you asking me such questions?”

Lu Qi said, “Yesterday morning, Pan Weidong was slashed in the throat near the East Ming Street market close to Changxing Hospital and almost lost his life on the spot.”

Tang Jingwei said indifferently, “I see, you’re suspecting me, suspecting that I’m venting my anger on someone because of Tianyi’s death, suspecting that I hired someone to commit murder?” He laughed, “I really admire your imagination. I’m a law-abiding citizen. Although my son’s death remains unclear, I still believe the police can solve the case for me, believe the law can help me obtain justice! I believe those who caused my son’s death will receive the punishment they deserve! Justice will be served!”

By the end, he was nearly roaring.

Lu Qi and Li Zhong both frowned, sensing Tang Jingwei was on the verge of losing control, making it no longer appropriate to continue questioning.

Tang Jingwei angrily threw the cigar to the ground, stood up, and glared at Lu Qi, “Pan Weidong’s life is a life, but my son’s life isn’t? He gets into trouble, and it’s murder, my son dies, and it’s suicide? Duan Yuanhong commits a crime, you go arrest him, go interrogate him, why come to me? Do you think just because I once employed him, all of his actions are at my behest?”

Lu Qi said, “President Tang, don’t get agitated.”

Tang Jingwei laughed heartily, “I’m not agitated, I’m very calm, and I’m very sober. I believe the law is fair, but what has the law given me? You talk about maintaining public order and protecting the property and lives of the people, why couldn’t you protect my son? Is it because I haven’t contributed to society? Because I’m guilty of tax evasion? How much tax revenue have I generated for the country, how many jobs have I created, and when I encounter difficulties, who is willing to help me? Who will protect my interests? Damn! They’re all kicking me while I’m down!”

Li Zhong nudged Lu Qi’s arm quietly, and Lu Qi understood it was time to leave. He said to Tang Jingwei, “President Tang, you take care of yourself.”

Tang Jingwei said, “Don’t rush, I’m not done talking yet. There is no such thing as fairness and justice in this world. Why did Huayuan Group’s debt restructuring fail? You don’t know, do you? You only see the surface, not the pack of wolves lurking, waiting to devour me. These wolves use their power without sparing any means to trouble and confront me, destroying my funding channels on one hand and forcing me to sell my valuable assets at a low price on the other. I didn’t want to sell Changxing Hospital, but I had to. I didn’t want to sell Jianjie Square, yet they dug up old cases from over ten years ago. I intended to negotiate with them based on market terms, but they used every despicable method to suppress my prices. Do you think you’re investigating a case? Haha, you’re so naive, you’re just tools being used to suppress me!”

Lu Qi and Li Zhong turned to leave, and behind them, they heard Tang Jingwei’s maniacal laughter, “Fairness, to hell with fairness!”

A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a rolling thunderclap that shook the ground, triggering car alarms outside to go off wildly.

Lu Qi and Li Zhong ran back to their police car in the rain. Venturing inside, both felt a chill in their hearts as the thunder rumbled on.

Li Zhong started the car but didn’t immediately drive off, muttering, “Does Tang Jingwei mean he was being harvested by someone?”

Lu Qi sighed, “That’s not our concern. We simply need to focus on the case itself.”

Li Zhong said, “He keeps emphasizing Tang Tianyi didn’t commit suicide. Could there really be an issue here?”

Lu Qi said, “Tang Tianyi’s case isn’t under our jurisdiction. He died in the Capital City, and an autopsy has already been conducted. Do you really think the Capital City police are less competent in handling cases than us?”

Li Zhong gave a wry smile and shook his head, “Tang Tianyi was no good, but no matter how bad he was, his father loved him. After all, Tang Jingwei only had this one son.”

Lu Qi said, “Did he scare you just now?”

In front of Lu Qi, Li Zhong didn’t hide his feelings, nodding, “I was a bit frightened. Has Tang Jingwei gone mad?”

“Facing a downturn in business, selling off premium assets at a low price, and losing his son, who could endure all that? Even if he did go mad, it would be understandable.”

“Lu Qi, do you think, could it be that out of revengeful feelings from these events, he might have…”

Lu Qi said, “It’s possible. However, we must thoroughly investigate what Pan Weidong did in the transfer process at Changxing Hospital. Let’s hypothesize if this was orchestrated by Tang Jingwei himself. What kind of hatred could drive him to take such actions?”

Li Zhong said, “Unless he believes it was Pan Weidong who arranged to have his son killed.”

Lu Qi said, “Looks like we need to visit the Capital City again and get a good grasp of Tang Tianyi’s case.”

After Lu Qi and Li Zhong left, Tang Jingwei quickly calmed down. He turned and walked into the study, making a phone call. Soon, the driver Old Geng entered.

Tang Jingwei picked up a cigar, and Old Geng helped him light it, missing a finger on his right hand.

Tang Jingwei took a few heavy puffs on the flame, the light illuminating his haggard face, “Old Geng, how’s the kid in Australia?”

Old Geng respectfully replied, “Thanks to your blessing.”

Tang Jingwei softly said, “I have no relatives left in this world.”

“You still have me,” Old Geng’s voice was calm, yet his gaze was filled with unwavering determination.