Chapter 338: Xiao Zhen’s Background

“You’re Li Yang?” In the records management office of the district police station, a clerk in his fifties spoke to Li Yang. “A friend of Miss Shen?”

“Hello, Uncle Gao. Yes, that’s right. I’m a friend of Officer Shen,” Li Yang quickly introduced himself.

“Not her boyfriend, are you?” Gao Jin teased.

Li Yang felt a little awkward and quickly shook his head. “No, we’re just regular friends.”

“Is that so?” Gao Jin chuckled. “That doesn’t seem right. That girl never likes to do this sort of thing. You must be the first.”

Li Yang hadn’t expected that and felt a bit awkward.

“You want to investigate Xiao Zhen?” Gao Jin’s voice immediately turned serious as he asked.

“Uh…” Li Yang hesitated. “I…”

“You don’t have the authority to view these files. However… this was a major case that shook the provincial capital back in the day. If you were determined, you could piece it together just by collecting old newspapers. It’s not exactly a top-secret matter. That’s why I’m making an exception and letting you take a look.”

Li Yang was startled. “A major case? I just wanted to look into Xiao Zhen’s background.”

“And that’s what this is…” Gao Jin tossed a file in front of Li Yang. “Read it here, and read it carefully. Remember, no pictures, and don’t leak it to anyone. You can leave after you’re done.”

Li Yang thanked him, took the file, and glanced at it. He froze on the spot.

The Xiao Family was originally a long-established business family in their provincial capital, and their business was massive.

Xiao Zhen was a member of the Xiao Family. Her father was Xiao Dong, the president of the Xiao Group.

But when Xiao Zhen was ten, a huge fire broke out at Xiao Dong’s home. Both he and his wife were burned to death. Xiao Zhen was lucky; she wasn’t home at the time and survived. However, she became an orphan. Later, the Xia Family stepped in and adopted her.

After Xiao Dong’s death, all sorts of problems plagued the Xiao Group. With no one to manage the big picture, the corporation was on the verge of collapse.

At the critical moment, it was the Xia Family who stepped in again. They helped the Xiao Group weather the storm, notably by paying off many of its debts. Afterward, the Xiao Group was acquired by the Xia Family and became one of their companies. Following that, with their astute business practices, the Xia Family grew stronger by the day, becoming one of the great influential families of the provincial capital.

“The Xiao Family… the Xia Family!” Li Yang stared at the file, a chill growing in his heart.

Judging by the Xia Family’s attitude toward Xiao Zhen, Li Yang sensed a deep-seated conspiracy.

He could see it at a glance. There was something wrong with that fire. Even the way the Xia Family had “stepped in” was highly suspicious.

At this thought, Li Yang’s expression darkened.

‘Actually, there’s no point in reading the rest. For something this big, if the Xia Family was behind it, they definitely wouldn’t have left any loose ends. Besides, more than ten years have passed. It would be nearly impossible to find anything now. Even if the police had their suspicions, they had no evidence.’

‘So in the end, the case could only be closed hastily.’

After reading, Li Yang basically understood what had happened. There was just one thing he couldn’t figure out: what else did the Xia Family want from Xiao Zhen?

‘They’ve already gotten their hands on the Xiao Family’s assets, so what use is Xiao Zhen to them anymore?’

‘If they just wanted to show how benevolent the Xia Family is, that would be one thing. But why would they do *that* to Xiao Zhen?’

‘This is strange.’

Li Yang couldn’t figure it out no matter how he thought about it.

In the end, Li Yang could only return the file. “Thanks a lot,” he said to Gao Jin.

Gao Jin shook his head and smiled before asking, “Why did you want to investigate Xiao Zhen?”

Li Yang paused for a moment. “She’s a patient of mine. She has a very strange illness. I could never figure out the cause, so I wanted to start with her background to see if I could find a solution.”

“I’ve heard about that…” Gao Jin looked surprised, then nodded. “The Xia Family keeps several doctors on standby for her, but from what I hear, she’s never been cured. By the way, how’s your investigation going? Find anything?”

‘What I found is huge,’ Li Yang thought, ‘but I can’t tell you.’

“I couldn’t really tell much…” Li Yang shrugged. “By the way, could you please keep the fact that I looked at the file today a secret, Uncle Gao?”

Gao Jin smiled and nodded. “Alright, I know. Miss Shen already told me.”

Li Yang was a little surprised. ‘Looks like this Shen Xu has some serious connections.’

“Are you sure there’s nothing between you and Miss Shen?” Gao Jin asked finally, his tone probing.

Li Yang nodded. “I just… helped her solve a few cases. There’s really no other relationship.”

Gao Jin chuckled. “Alright, alright. Off you go.”

Li Yang nodded and left the station.

“You don’t?” Gao Jin muttered to himself. ”You might not have feelings for her, but Miss Shen doesn’t? What a joke! This matter… Maybe I should report this to the old chief. If I know about it first and he doesn’t, won’t he have my hide later?”

A sudden chill ran down Gao Jin’s spine at the thought.

‘Damn it. No, no, no. Why did I have to find out about this?’