pjbooks Chapter 119 Honest Man Qiao Zhemao
Chapter 119 Honest Man Qiao Zhemao
"It's quite interesting, actually. The matchmaker for Qiao Songnian and Zhong Honglan was their own son!" Fang Duo said gossipingly, one hand on the steering wheel.
It turns out that Qiao Songnian never remarried after his first wife passed away, although he did have girlfriends.
Qiao Songnian has always prioritized his career; in today's terms, he's a workaholic. Work is the only thing that can capture his attention.
At the charity events held at Chung Hung Lan School, her son, Chiao Che-mao, attended on her behalf.
"Has there been any news about the young master and his stepmother?" Zhou Yang asked, leaning to the side, somewhat curious.
In his experience, people will definitely discuss these kinds of gossip, regardless of whether there's any basis for it; that's just human nature.
"What do you mean there isn't?" Fang Duo grinned. "There are all sorts of rumors circulating outside, as awful and outrageous as they can be."
Seeing that Fang Duo had no desire to continue, Zhou Yang remained silent. It seemed that this was quite outrageous. If it were just ordinary gossip, Fang Duo would have excitedly told him long ago.
Less than ten minutes by car, the two arrived at Qiao Zhemao's residence.
Unlike his father's residence, Qiao Zhemao lived in an apartment building without an elevator. The two of them climbed the stairs to the fifth floor with great difficulty and finally met the heir of Songhe Trading.
The impression Qiao Zhemao gave Zhou Yang was, how should I put it, that he didn't seem like the heir to a large corporation, but rather more like a small business owner on the street. When the two questioned him, he seemed particularly flustered.
"Isn't your spouse home?" Zhou Yang asked, looking at Qiao Zhemao who was busy running around.
"Oh, she went to work!" Qiao Zhemao put two glasses of water on the table, then sat down in front of the two of them. "She works at a bank, so she's quite busy, unlike me who has nothing to do every day."
Zhou Yang smiled and shook his head: "You can't say that. This big ship of Songhe Trading still needs you to steer it."
After saying that, he kept watching the other person's expression, his self-deprecation, bitter smile, anger, frustration... Zhou Yang found it hard to imagine that someone who wasn't an actor could express so many different emotions on his face.
It seems that the Qiao family is not as harmonious and natural as one might imagine.
"My dad handles everything. I'm just responsible for some specific tasks. I don't need to worry about the overall direction!" Qiao Zhemao quickly adjusted his mood and answered easily.
"We want to know more about Dong Youli!" Fang Duo continued, picking up where Zhou Yang left off, and began today's questioning.
Dong Youli's hometown is not far from Qiao Songnian's. He was one of the group of people in Ning'an who rode bicycles and carried baskets on their shoulders. Later, he worked for Qiao Songnian and can be considered one of the oldest employees in the company.
However, this person had a low level of education and a somewhat aloof personality, making him not very suitable for interacting with people. After the company's business started to take off, he became Qiao Songnian's full-time driver.
Over the years, he hadn't made any major mistakes, and his personal presence wasn't particularly strong. Not long ago, he resigned and went home. Despite Qiao Songnian and himself trying their best to persuade him to stay, he was determined to leave.
"What's wrong, officers? Did something happen to Brother Li?" After answering Fang Duo's question, Qiao Zhemao asked casually. Judging from their address, the two seemed to have a good relationship.
"It's nothing, it's just that there's a murder case and we need his help with the investigation, but we can't find him right now. Can you help us, Boss Qiao?" Zhou Yang picked up the water glass in front of him.
Fang Duo looked at Zhou Yang in surprise, wondering why he would reveal information to the other party. She knew that the case was under investigation and such things should be kept confidential.
Of course, it depends on the person. If the person being questioned has a strong desire to know, it is permissible to reveal a little bit of information as long as it does not violate the regulations.
"Who? Brother Li? A murder? Impossible, you must have made a mistake!" Qiao Zhemao exclaimed incredulously, "My father and I have known Brother Li for so many years, he wouldn't do such a thing!"
"We didn't say it was him, we just have some questions about him that we need your answers!" Zhou Yang interrupted with a smile, and then began to ask questions.
Humans are incredibly fascinating creatures, and human expressions are among the most sophisticated of all animals.
If a normal person shows shock, it means they doubt the authenticity of the information. Subconsciously, they will first deny it, which is also an instinctive reaction.
Qiao Zhemao's reaction fit this category, but his subsequent actions made Zhou Yang suspicious.
Because it happened too many times.
Yes, there are too many!
In the three short inquiries, Qiao Zhemao would summarize and refute each statement after he finished speaking, and the object of his rebuttal was that these matters were related to Dong Youli.
This feels like gilding the lily, and it's completely inconsistent with his behavioral logic.
Qiao Zhemao's first impression on Zhou Yang was that he was nervous and uneasy, but whenever he talked about Dong Youli, his words unconsciously showed a kind of domineering attitude, and he would also use more body language to emphasize his words.
"Does your father, Mr. Qiao, share the same view on Dong Youli as you do?" Zhou Yang's question not only stunned Qiao Zhemao, but also surprised Fang Duo.
No, how did he come up with such a pointed question?
Qiao Zhemao quickly organized his thoughts: "I personally don't know his opinion too well. Although I'm his son, there are many things I'm the last to know!"
Zhou Yang looked up at the other person. These words undoubtedly told him that he and his father were not on good terms, or that they lacked communication.
"What is the relationship between Miss Zhong and Dong Youli?" Zhou Yang asked seemingly casually.
"Hong... Zhong... She doesn't usually ride in my father's car much, and she only nods to Dong Youli. At most, she'll help him pick up something or a child!" Qiao Zhemao picked up the tea in front of him and took a couple of sips.
Zhou Yang glanced at it but didn't say anything; the other person was drinking what he had left over.
"I heard that you were the matchmaker between your father and Miss Zhong back then?" Zhou Yang said, noticing that Fang Duo seemed to roll her eyes at him unintentionally.
"Really?" Qiao Zhemao scratched his head. "It's been so many years, I don't remember at all. It shouldn't be like that." As he spoke, he raised his hand to look at the watch on his wrist.
"Oh, if Mr. Qiao has anything else to do, then let's stop here for today and not disturb you any longer!" Zhou Yang stood up immediately upon seeing the other party's action.
"I'm so sorry, next time, next time for sure!" A look of shame appeared on Qiao Zhemao's face.
"It's alright, our questioning should be coming to an end soon!" Zhou Yang shook his head with a smile.
Just as Qiao Zhemao locked the door and was about to leave, Zhou Yang stopped in his tracks: "By the way, how much was the scholarship for students from Beizhou University of Economics and Trade back then?"
"Oh, that's a charitable foundation, not a scholarship!"
"Oh, I see. I made a mistake. Please go ahead with your work..." Zhou Yang smiled and stepped into the car.