Chapter 970 - 936: The Pain of Losing a Son

After sending off Xu Ying, Xu Chunliang tried to contact Mei Ru Xue. The original phone number couldn’t be reached, possibly because she was overseas. He tried via WeChat, only to discover that Mei Ru Xue had blocked him.

This was indeed a new discovery for Xu Chunliang. He had refrained from actively contacting Mei Ru Xue in the past, never expecting her to be so decisive, which was entirely in line with Mei Ru Xue’s character.

Xu Chunliang felt somewhat depressed. Although he had Elder Qiao’s contact information, he didn’t want to contact Elder Qiao directly. Apart from Mei Ru Xue, he wanted to avoid proactively engaging with anyone from the Qiao Family.

Now, the best way to contact Mei Ru Xue would be through Ye Qingya. Xu Chunliang composed a message, asking Ye Qingya to pass it on to Mei Ru Xue.

It was already midnight. Xu Chunliang sat alone on the balcony, gazing at the surreal night scene of Capital City. He felt no sympathy for Zhao Feiyang and didn’t want to meddle in the Qiao Family’s affairs. Yet Mei Ru Xue’s existence compelled him not to simply stand by.

Tang Tianyi’s death would definitely cause an uproar. Never underestimate a father’s desire for revenge.

Xu Ying was an exceptionally intelligent woman. She recognized that this incident was far from over. The invisible hand behind the scenes truly aimed to target the Qiao Family, and Zhao Feiyang had unwittingly become a pawn. If the Qiao Family decided to abandon him, Zhao Feiyang would undoubtedly become Tang Jingwei’s prime target for revenge, and his outcome would inevitably be tragic.

Xu Chunliang believed Ye Qingya had already conveyed his warning. He didn’t care about the Qiao Family, but he still cared about Mei Ru Xue.

The phone rang. Xu Chunliang picked it up, hoping it was Mei Ru Xue calling, but the display showed it was Ye Qingya.

Xu Chunliang answered the call: "Sister Qingya."

Ye Qingya said, "Still awake?"

Xu Chunliang laughed and replied, "Even if I were asleep, I’d answer your call."

"Are you waiting for Xiaoxue’s news?"

Xu Chunliang denied, "No, I just packed some things and am preparing to head back to Dongzhou."

Ye Qingya said, "So soon? Grandpa wanted to invite you over for dinner tomorrow. When are you leaving?"

Xu Chunliang replied, "The day after tomorrow."

Ye Qingya said, "Then come over for dinner tomorrow night. I’ll come to pick you up."

Xu Chunliang said, "Okay."

Ye Qingya said, "I gave the message to Xiaoxue. I’ll send you a screenshot later."

"No need. I was just giving a friendly reminder. I felt directly reaching out to her might be abrupt, and I didn’t want her to overthink, so I troubled you, Sister Qingya."

Ye Qingya laughed and then paused for a moment before stopping, "Did she block you?"

Xu Chunliang was inevitably a bit embarrassed by Ye Qingya revealing the truth and coughed, "Sister, are all women so decisive?"

Ye Qingya said, "Perhaps, she’s using this way to restrain herself, proving she still hasn’t forgotten you."

Xu Chunliang said, "Let’s not talk about this anymore. Has your mood settled?"

Ye Qingya replied, "I’m fine. I’m not that timid. Alright, I won’t keep you from resting."

Every night, someone struggles to sleep. Tang Jingwei stared motionlessly at his son’s cold corpse, even thinking that his older brother might also have died. He thought the storm had passed temporarily but didn’t expect it to end up in an uncontrollable situation.

Tang Jinglun coughed softly and whispered, "Brother..."

Tang Jingwei pointed outside, indicating for him to leave, wanting to spend some alone time with his son. Only now did he realize how few opportunities father and son had had alone over the years.

Tang Jinglun didn’t leave. After all, they were siblings from the same womb. With their brother’s only son dead, what would happen next? He couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Tang Jingwei’s deep voice seemed to come from hell: "Leave!"

Tang Jinglun nodded, silently retreated outside, lit a cigarette, and gazed at the blurry moon, reminding himself to stay rational. He just contacted all the directors of Hua Nian, reminding everyone that now more than ever, they needed unity.

Tang Tianyi died by suicide, something Tang Jinglun fundamentally didn’t believe. That useless nephew lived so comfortably; how could someone like that be willing to die?

However, whether it was murder or suicide ultimately had to be determined by the police. The officer in charge of the case hadn’t left yet and had gathered relevant information from the detoxification center. Next, they required Tang Jingwei to sign the "Autopsy Notification," so the police could investigate the cause of death and conduct an autopsy. According to regulations, even if close relatives refuse to sign, it doesn’t affect the autopsy.

The police or judicial administrative department would indicate on the "Autopsy Notification" that the entire dissection process would be videotaped, and they would invite individuals unrelated to the case or lawyers hired by the deceased’s close relatives to witness it.

The case is still being handled by Old Dong. The reason the bureau assigned this case to Old Dong is because they believe it is connected to the previous case of Tang Tianyi’s arrest. Old Dong is quite troubled as the suspect died in the Detoxification Center, involving many departments, and a number of relevant personnel will be affected, possibly including him.

Old Dong approached Tang Jinglun and handed him the "Autopsy Notification Letter."

Tang Jinglun sighed and said, "Officer Dong, my nephew just died, my elder brother hasn’t recovered yet. Would you consider giving him more time?"

Old Dong replied, "The person is already dead. Finding out the truth is what matters, right? According to the relevant regulations, even if he doesn’t sign, the autopsy will still proceed."

Tang Jinglun said, "My nephew wouldn’t commit suicide. He enjoyed life more than anyone; how could he be dead?"

Old Dong said, "You’re not a police officer. In my twenty years working, I’ve seen all kinds of cases. Some cases can’t be judged with normal logic. You think he enjoyed life, you think he was happy? Do you truly understand him? Do you know what he was thinking deep down? Do you realize such people are particularly vulnerable to emptiness? Otherwise, why would he seek out those thrills? There’s also a type of person who finds self-abuse and suicide a form of enjoyment..."

"That’s enough!" Tang Jinglun interrupted loudly.

Old Dong said, "I’m just stating facts, not targeting this particular case."

Tang Jinglun realized his reaction might have been excessive. He was about to apologize when he saw his elder brother leaving the room expressionlessly. He hurried to his side, "Elder brother."

Tang Jingwei said, "My son was murdered. You must find the killer and give us the truth."

Old Dong said, "Unearthing the truth is precisely our duty as police officers. You don’t need to worry about that, and we hope you’ll cooperate as much as possible."

Tang Jinglun said, "Brother, they said they need to do an autopsy."

Tang Jingwei closed his eyes, his back trembling slightly. He turned around and said, "Sign... for me."

Tang Jinglun signed the notification letter on his behalf and, when handing it to Old Dong, specifically requested to be informed as soon as there are any results.

Old Dong assured them not to worry.

Tang Jinglun wanted to persuade his elder brother to rest in the car, but Tang Jingwei insisted on not leaving, standing alone in despair under the moon.

Tang Jinglun approached him, offered him a cigarette, and helped him light it.

Tang Jingwei only took a single puff before he started coughing loudly, tears streaming from his eyes. As Tang Jinglun looked at his brother’s tear-streaked face, the long-held resentment towards him suddenly vanished. It was the first time he realized how pitiful the strong elder brother could be, how fragile he was.

Tang Jingwei crouched down, took a puff of the cigarette, and wiped his tears.

Tang Jinglun crouched down beside him, silently accompanying him with the smoking, feeling there was nothing more he could do at that moment apart from being there.

After finishing the cigarette, Tang Jingwei discarded the butt and suddenly slapped himself fiercely. Tang Jinglun hurriedly grabbed his hand, "Brother!"

Tang Jingwei, face streaked with tears, said, "I caused his death, I killed him!" He regretted going to Qiao Yuanjiang and lamented over the twenty billion. If he’d agreed to transfer Changxing back then, maybe his son wouldn’t have died.

Tang Jinglun said, "Brother, Tianyi’s matter isn’t related to you. You don’t need to assume the responsibility." Nonetheless, he thought to himself the excessive spoiling of the nephew was indeed partly his elder brother’s fault.

Tang Jingwei ground his teeth, "I won’t let them off, I won’t let them off!"

This was the reaction Tang Jinglun feared the most. He held Tang Jingwei’s shoulders and whispered, "Brother, you must stay calm. Don’t consider anything else now. Wait until the police have investigated, then we’ll bury Tianyi first. Other things can wait."

Tang Jingwei looked at his brother, "Will you help me?"

Tang Jinglun nodded his head.

Tang Jingwei said, "I don’t care about anything else. I only have this one son."

Tang Jinglun thought to himself, you certainly have more than one son. Didn’t that little celebrity Zheng Tong give birth to one for you? Back then, he used this fact to force Tang Jingwei to relinquish the CEO position to him.

Tang Jinglun said, "Brother, although there are some things I shouldn’t say, since the tragedy has already occurred, we can only face it. As for what to do next, we need to calm down to make decisions, not be ruled by emotions, don’t you think?" What he feared most was Tang Jingwei betting the entire corporation’s fate on revenge.

Tang Jingwei understood what he was worried about and felt even colder inside. No one sympathized with him, including his own younger brother. Tianyi’s death meant nothing to them, and perhaps there were quite a few who were rejoicing. All they cared about was their own interests, fearing he would exact revenge at any cost, fearing it would affect them—these cold-blooded, ruthless creatures.

Tang Jinglun believed his brother had listened to him and softly comforted, "Let’s go back to rest, I’ll handle things here, alright?"

Tang Jingwei nodded. He attempted to get up several times but couldn’t manage it. Ultimately, with Tang Jinglun’s help, he stood up. Tang Jingwei murmured, "Dismiss Zhao Feiyang, I want you to dismiss Zhao Feiyang immediately!"