Chapter 438: Chapter 438: The Collapse of an Image
Chen Xiao was already very impressed by Dai Hong’Er’s commercial talent.
She just never expected that Dai Hong’Er could excel to such an extent.
She only spent a few days wandering around Shencheng City and really came up with a solution.
However, Chen Xiao still held high expectations for the proposal she provided.
He wanted to see how exactly Dai Hong’Er would eliminate the negative impact brought by quick money-making from knockoffs.
Liu Dayou didn’t quite understand what Chen Xiao was talking about.
He just listened to Chen Xiao’s praise of Dai Hong’Er and said with a laugh:
"In the future, Miss Dai will certainly become your right-hand person in business, Brother Chen, and will definitely be a renowned strong woman in the business world!"
This remark made Chen Xiao fall into deep thought.
To him, Dai Hong’Er was a very unfamiliar name.
At least he could confidently say that in his previous life, he had never heard of this name anywhere, not even on the internet.
Chen Xiao also wondered if something went wrong in the development trajectory of his past life, causing Dai Hong’Er to become ordinary.
But these matters weren’t what he needed to consider now.
The stronger the abilities Dai Hong’Er displayed, the more she could help Chen Xiao at the moment.
Without thinking more about Dai Hong’Er, Chen Xiao focused his full attention on the case at hand.
Not long after, after arranging Liu Dayou’s accommodation, Chen Xiao waited alone in Lin Xi’s room for her.
About two hours later, Chen Xiao received a call from Wu Liuxian saying that the police had informed him he could leave.
Chen Xiao had said that when Wu Liuxian was released, he would personally pick him up.
So immediately, he drove to Longhu District to pick up Wu Liuxian.
As soon as the latter got in the car, Chen Xiao asked, "Did they do everything by the book?"
Wu Liuxian still had a carefree look on his face and said with a smile, "Except for being a bit boring, everything else was fine."
Speaking of which, Wu Liuxian said, "Did you guys do something? Initially, I thought they would at least keep me in there for 12 hours."
Chen Xiao smiled and asked, "What makes you say that?"
"Initially, they took me in and asked a few questions, then no one paid attention to me. But later, when I was about to leave, the questions suddenly became dense, as if they were trying to rush through them and get me out."
Chen Xiao nodded, "I had Xiaoxi take Qu Ruogu away for questioning too."
Wu Liuxian was taken aback and exclaimed, "That’s too much...."
"The main issue is that Qu Ruogu also has some problems, particularly because the archaeologists are reluctant to talk about the archaeological events of that year. Moreover, in my previous deductions, there’s a suspect who had issues with their legs."
"Just now, using your situation, Liu Da and I deliberately targeted him. Sure enough, the guy walks awkwardly, but in dangerous situations, his legs are incredibly agile."
"But strangely, his feet are deformed."
Wu Liuxian was very surprised, "His legs really have a problem! But is his deformity congenital or caused by that incident when he broke his leg?"
"These are currently unknown, but once Xiaoxi finishes her questioning, we should know."
Wu Liuxian grunted an acknowledgment, and they didn’t speak much along the way. He soon fell asleep in his seat.
This night had been mentally exhausting for Wu Liuxian.
First, when suspecting Ah Yu had been sacrificed, Wu Liuxian suffered what Chen Xiao saw as a cognitive collapse.
Then he saw the remains suspected to be his father’s.
For him, there was no good news this night.
Yet, Wu Liuxian continued to present a relaxed front.
Chen Xiao purposely slowed down the car to let Wu Liuxian sleep longer on the way.
After just a few minutes, Wu Liuxian turned slightly, his closed eyes opened.
Facing away from Chen Xiao, he said quietly, "Brother, I feel my father might not be the man I imagined."
Chen Xiao slightly squinted his eyes but didn’t speak.
Wu Liuxian continued, "In my heart, although my father was a tufuzi, he was not driven by money. He even participated in the war, repelled the enemy."
"In my heart, he was like an all-capable person. Moreover, when teaching me skills, he always reminded me of what was right and what wasn’t."
"So even though my skills are imperceptible, I never considered myself a person who couldn’t be seen in the light. I live honorably, openly. But my father, he might have been someone who would... sacrifice infants!"
Hearing this, a flash of shock appeared in Chen Xiao’s eyes.
All Chen Xiao knew about Wu Liuxian’s father came from Wu Liuxian himself.
In his view, the old man was indeed just as Wu Liuxian described.
A hero who had been to the battlefield and killed the enemy.
A person with exceptional skills who didn’t use them to break the law.
Is it possible for someone like that to have sacrificed infants?
Although Chen Xiao was shocked, he still maintained silence at this time.
Wu Liuxian continued, "When you told me you suspected the existence of that abandoned infant was meant for sacrifice, my heart was already shaken. Because I clearly remember, when my father mentioned that abandoned infant, he fell into thought, then spontaneously said a phrase, ’Hesitation invites trouble!’
"Now, pondering over this phrase, the more I think about it, the more something feels off. And now, I realize he deceived me. He clearly told me he would go out of town, but ended up dying in a provincial tomb."
"He said he was going to find Master of the Helm, so why did he die in a relatively small provincial tomb?"
Wu Liuxian was lamenting, and only then did Chen Xiao ask:
"Do you think that’s your father’s remains?"
"Yes, though the identification results will take time, I am very sure it should be him."
Chen Xiao had little to add, and they continued driving back to Jingguang Village.
After arranging for Wu Liuxian to stay with Liu Dayou, Chen Xiao returned to Lin Xi’s place.
Seeing the lights on in the house, Chen Xiao knew Lin Xi was already back.
He opened the door, Lin Xi was likely waiting for him.
"You’re back, is Wu Liuxian okay?" Lin Xi asked.
Chen Xiao shook his head, "He’s fine. How about your side?"
"Didn’t you already guess? Qu Ruogu probably has nothing to do with the case, and he gave a reasonable explanation about his legs."
"His foot issues are due to recent years, all starting from that broken leg incident. At that time, he wanted to recover the ability of his legs, so he continuously used a method similar to fighting poison with poison, which resulted in the deformity."
Chen Xiao couldn’t help but ask, "Then why did he pretend to have impaired legs?"
"He explained that although his leg strength has returned to seventy or eighty percent, he still has a lifelong disability. He has strength in his legs, but can’t walk normally."
"That explanation is quite interesting, but did you calculate the data for his normal foot size?"
"Of course, calculated it all, and it did not match any imprints or characteristics you deduced."
Chen Xiao nodded slightly, falling silent again.
Even Lin Xi followed suit into quietness.
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Xi gently tugged his arm and whispered, "It’s late, sleep."
