Sensing the atmosphere in the room growing tense, Elder He tapped his cane on the floor and looked at Gu Xingdong sternly. "You come out with me. I have something to explain to you."
Gu Xingdong glanced at Chen Lishu with a complicated expression, knowing his presence would only irritate her. He nodded and followed Elder He out.
They went to the living room and sat on a sofa. Elder He poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then asked slowly, "Xingdong, Zhang Wan'er's harm to Lishu wasn't just about snatching you away. I now suspect that her initial kidnapping of Lishu was intended to cause her physical harm! From these incidents, it's clear that Zhang Wan'er is someone who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. I suspect her actions go beyond what we see on the surface; they are far more cruel than we imagine!"
Seeing that Elder He had spoken at length without getting to the point, Gu Xingdong licked his lips and looked up with deep eyes. "Just say what you want. We've known each other for a long time, and I know you mean well for Lishu. I'm here to sincerely seek your advice!"
Elder He straightened up, nodded, and said with a serious expression, "Since you've said that, us old men don't need to beat around the bush or be as timid as women. You've known Zhang Wan'er for a long time, and I fear you only see the surface and don't think the matter is too serious. After learning the truth, you might still go easy on her!"
"Once I reveal the truth, I will expose the evidence to everyone. Just for her kidnapping Lishu, I can send her to prison. As for her subsequent actions, I will make her experience the taste of lifting a rock only to drop it on her own feet!"
"I have indeed known Zhang Wan'er for a long time, but to me, she is merely an outsider. Chen Lishu is my bottom line, and she has crossed it multiple times. I will absolutely not allow anyone to bully Lishu!" Gu Xingdong said with an exceptionally firm expression.
Elder He nodded with satisfaction. "Good, as long as you're aware. Lishu and you, we'll help persuade you. What couple has a grudge that lasts overnight? Perhaps tomorrow will be better?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a ringtone suddenly sounded. Gu Xingdong took out his phone and saw that the contact was the person he had sent to find Qin Tai.
As soon as the call was connected, an urgent voice came from the other end: "Commander Gu, this is bad! Qin Tai, with a group of people, went to the dock and attempted to leave China by cruise ship. We had been ambushing them for a long time, intending to catch them all. We didn't expect the cruise ship Qin Tai was on to suddenly explode. All 148 people on board perished. We have already instructed doctors to conduct DNA tests on the bodies, and we found that these individuals match everyone on our list!"
Hearing what the subordinate said, Gu Xingdong's brows furrowed tightly. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly asked, "148 people died? Isn't that too many? And did Qin Tai really take all his subordinates with him and leave no one behind? They still have their families in the capital!"
The subordinate on the phone sounded troubled. "Qin Tai received a large sum of money a while ago and distributed it to his subordinates, telling them to take their families and leave together. According to my investigation, the exploded cruise ship was chartered by Qin Tai. This means that these 148 people were all the subordinates involved in the kidnapping, as well as their family members. All the clues we were investigating have been cut off, and not a single survivor was left."
Elder He, who had overheard the conversation, tapped his cane on the floor, the force of which indicated his anger.
Gu Xingdong glanced at Elder He, then instructed the person on the phone, "Conduct a strict investigation of everyone on the ship. I refuse to believe that the clues have been completely severed without any evidence left behind. See if there were any people involved in the kidnapping who were missed. Perhaps some stubborn individuals wanted to stay in Modu!"
The subordinate on the phone agreed to handle the matter and then hung up.
Elder He stopped tapping the floor and sighed deeply. "How could things happen so coincidentally? It's obvious someone orchestrated this. It seems Zhang Wan'er is much more ruthless than we imagined! 148 lives, that's not a small number. At such a young age, to kill so many!"
Gu Xingdong's expression also became serious. He echoed, "Yes, I also didn't expect things to escalate to this point. It seems we need to take this seriously."
----
The atmosphere outside was exceptionally heavy, and the atmosphere inside the room was also somewhat awkward.
Mother He walked up to Chen Lishu, took her hand, and whispered in her ear, "Are you still resentful of Xingdong? As an old woman who has seen a lot, I know Xingdong isn't that kind of person. Didn't he explain just now? It was because there were malevolent spirits in the room and he was affected, which caused you to see that misleading scene."
"Godmother, if it were just this matter, it wouldn't be enough to make me so angry. I just feel that as more and more things happen, Gu Xingdong and I are struggling to cope. I'm thinking, the higher one stands, the more complicated things become. Sometimes, simplicity is good. At least Gu Xingdong and I are united, and I don't feel like I'm a burden to him. So many things have happened these past few days, and I feel I need to consider things carefully and adjust my mindset. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong between us," Chen Lishu said, then looked at Mother He and smiled slightly, indicating she shouldn't worry too much.
Mother He opened her mouth, unsure of what to say to persuade her. They sat in silence for a while before Mother He slowly said, "Zhang Wan'er might use what happened today to set another trap for you to achieve her goals. I hope you can find the truth of the matter as soon as possible so that we can act quickly to drive her away, so this troublesome person isn't always lingering around us!"
Chen Lishu nodded, then linked arms with Mother He and said, "Yes, this matter will require Godmother and Godfather to help me investigate the truth. I'm tired and want to rest. Godmother, could you please ask someone to prepare a guest room for me? I want to be alone to calmly think about what to do during this period."