My Little Boy is Always Teasing Me | Chapter 70 | A New Year's Revelation | Novela.app

On the afternoon of New Year's Eve, Jiang Yuan had already returned to the Jiang family’s ancestral residence to celebrate the holiday. Xie Chengnan had just finished changing and was preparing to head to the hotel when the phone on his desk rang. The caller ID displayed only a single character: Fu. Xie Chengnan raised an eyebrow in surprise, picked up the phone, and pressed the answer button. "Lawyer Fu?" "Mr. Xie," a deep, mellow male voice came from the other end. "Do you have time to come to the firm right now?" "Now?" Xie Chengnan looked down at his watch. It was already past five-thirty. After frowning for a moment, he replied, "I’ll be there shortly." The streets on New Year's Eve were exceptionally deserted. Standing outside the office building, Xie Chengnan looked up at the sign for Qiming Law Firm. Although it wasn't his first time seeing it, he still found the situation somewhat absurd. Who would have thought that the owner of a legitimate law firm was actually a renowned private investigator in certain circles? Fu Chuanming’s dual identity was indeed a very effective cover. There was no one at the reception desk. Inside the firm, only Fu Chuanming’s office door was open; the other cubicles were empty, the employees clearly having already left for the holiday. Xie Chengnan gave a polite knock on the open door to signal his arrival. "I didn't expect Lawyer Fu to still be working on such a special day." Fu Chuanming was reviewing a document. Hearing the voice, he looked up, stood with a smile, and shook hands with Xie Chengnan. "For a bachelor like me, every day is the same. I just hope that asking you to come over at this hour hasn't disrupted your family reunion, Mr. Xie." "It’s fine." Xie Chengnan sat across from him, casually unbuttoning his suit jacket. "I assume you called me here at this time because there has been a breakthrough in the case." Fu Chuanming adjusted his glasses and pulled a manila envelope from his right-hand drawer, sliding it across the desk. "The final piece of data has been filed. Everything I could find is in here. As for the things I couldn't find but you might still want to know... well, those fall outside the capabilities of a law-abiding citizen like myself." Xie Chengnan raised an eyebrow, understanding the subtext. With a tacit understanding, they steered the conversation back to the case itself. "Back then, electronic records hadn't been widely implemented, and paper archives were poorly maintained. If someone wanted to swap out the contents, it wouldn't have been very difficult," Fu Chuanming said with a meaningful smile. "At least as far as this documentation goes, on the surface, everything appears to be a legal transaction. "The other party cleaned up their tracks very thoroughly. To be honest, if you hadn't provided that list of names, we might not have found a direction for the investigation even if we had our suspicions. Furthermore, based on the evidence we currently hold, many points lack critical proof. I’m afraid I might have to disappoint you." Xie Chengnan looked down, quietly staring at the envelope. He didn't open it immediately. The moment he had seen that list, he knew that the Xie family’s bankruptcy would likely have to be left as it was. He had long anticipated this outcome, so he wasn't particularly disappointed. Continuing the investigation was more about knowing exactly what had happened back then. This matter wasn't a psychological burden for him, but it had become one for Jiang Yuan. "Is it related to the Jiang Corporation?" Xie Chengnan suddenly looked up. His question was so direct that it caught Fu Chuanming off guard. Thinking of the relationship between the man before him and the young master of the Jiang family, Fu Chuanming’s expression turned somewhat peculiar. "To be honest, I personally believe this matter is inextricably linked to the helmsman of the Jiang Corporation, Mr. Jiang Kunbo. I have a few theories; would you like to hear them, Mr. Xie?" Xie Chengnan nodded and pushed the envelope back. "Please, Lawyer Fu." Fu Chuanming straightened his posture, took out the documents, and began to explain his reasoning piece by piece. "I started my investigation with the land transaction contract you provided. "The first party on the contract was Hengda Real Estate. The legal representative at the time was Wei Ying, who happens to be the mother of Jiang Kunbo’s current wife, Li Yan. I’m sure you also suspected whether the person behind Hengda was Jiang Kunbo, so I looked into the Li family’s financial situation. "I sent someone to Li Yan’s hometown to interview some of her relatives. They said the Li family was originally of modest means; Li Yan’s parents were just ordinary sugar refinery workers. Although their situation improved after Li Yan became pregnant out of wedlock, they were only upper-middle class at best. "That was until one year, when the Li family suddenly opened a real estate company and then sold it shortly after, becoming wealthy overnight. "I cross-referenced the dates and found that Hengda was registered three months before the contract was signed and sold three months after. Therefore, it is reasonable to suspect that the person standing behind that company was, in fact, Jiang Kunbo. However, Hengda’s accounts have vanished; we can't trace the source of the funds." Among the documents Fu Chuanming pulled out were Hengda’s registration records, the land transaction contract signed with the Xie family, and transcripts of conversations between the investigator and the Li family relatives recorded via pinhole camera. As Fu Chuanming had said, critical evidence was still missing. Fu Chuanming pulled out a second set of documents and continued, "After Wei Ying’s company was acquired by the Jiang Corporation, that piece of land was partitioned and sold at a low price to several other companies. At the time, people claimed the Jiang Corporation was forced to do this due to a liquidity crunch. "I followed that lead and found that while the legal representatives of those companies seemed to be unrelated individuals, a comparison with the list you provided shows that they all have close or distant familial ties to the people on your list." Fu Chuanming paused here, glancing at Xie Chengnan. "The following year, that land was included in the government’s urban planning. Its value tripled instantly, and the Jiang Corporation used that project to solidify its position as the wealthiest entity in Nancheng." Xie Chengnan sat with his fingers interlaced over his knee, his right thumb lightly tapping his hand. He said in a low voice, "So, Jiang Kunbo knew in advance that the land would appreciate. He conspired with those other individuals to set a trap for the Xie family, forcing them to give up the land?" "That’s how it looks currently." Fu Chuanming spread out several resumes and pointed at them. "These individuals just happened to be in key positions back then." Xie Chengnan’s gaze swept from left to right, taking in the key information on the resumes: the Xie Group’s Executive Vice President at the time, the Mayor’s secretary, the head of the Land Bureau, the manager of the bank’s credit department... These were the people who had linked together to create the disaster that led to the collapse of the Xie Group. Xie Chengnan leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes, organizing all the known information in his mind. The picture was becoming clear. Back then, the elder Mr. Xie had been optimistic about the development of the real estate industry and proposed a grand "City within a City" plan. The final location chosen for the project was in the south of Nancheng. The area of that land was immense, equivalent to the entire urban area of Nancheng at the time. To fund it, the Xie Group had not only invested all its liquid capital but had also mortgaged most of its assets to the bank. The Xie Group’s Executive Vice President naturally understood the company’s financial state. Jiang Kunbo must have contacted him after learning the land was about to skyrocket in value, using significant incentives to lure him into a partnership. After that, several of the Xie Group’s major projects ran into consecutive problems—likely the work of that Vice President. Those investment failures turned the Xie Group’s tight cash flow into a full-blown liquidity crisis. However, the Xie Group still had some assets left to mortgage for loans. To force them to sell the land, Jiang Kunbo bribed the credit manager to suppress the loan applications. By simply delaying for a period of time, the chain reaction triggered by the broken capital chain was enough to send the Xie Group into the abyss. Xie Chengnan leaned back with his eyes closed, remaining silent for a long time. Fu Chuanming hesitated several times before finally deciding to share one more piece of news. "The manor you asked me to investigate yesterday... after the Xie family went bankrupt, it was bought at auction by Jiang Kunbo’s first wife, Ms. Zhang Yuehua. After her passing, it was transferred to her son, Mr. Jiang Yuan..." Xie Chengnan opened his eyes, revealing the first expression that could be called shock since he had entered the room. "The house was bought by Zhang Yuehua?" Fu Chuanming nodded. "Although we currently have no evidence suggesting Ms. Zhang Yuehua was involved in the scheme, given her status, to be honest, I am inclined to believe she might have known about Jiang Kunbo’s entire plan." "That is merely your speculation," Xie Chengnan frowned, his tone unconsciously turning cold and sharp. Sensing that his employer did not want to accept this hypothesis, Fu Chuanming good-naturedly agreed. "Yes, it is just a guess." "However, while investigating Ms. Zhang Yuehua, I discovered something strange." Fu Chuanming pulled out a photograph. "The Jiang family’s old butler resigned after Ms. Zhang passed away. Everyone assumed he had gone abroad. But as far as I know, that butler is still in Nancheng. After resigning, he was sent to a private nursing home. "He lives in a detached villa and rarely steps outside. The two specialized caregivers with him are extremely vigilant and never allow anyone else to contact him. My people tried several times but couldn't get a word in. Their attitude toward the old butler... how should I put it? It’s not like they’re serving an employer; it’s more like they’re guarding a prisoner. "So, I looked into the benefactor from a different angle and found that the person paying his bills is a man named Shen. This Mr. Shen has no relation to the butler, but he has private dealings with Jiang Kunbo’s secretary. "In my experience, there is definitely something wrong here. Unfortunately, my capabilities are limited; I won't be able to follow this lead any further for you, Mr. Xie." Xie Chengnan’s brow furrowed as he stared at the photo of the old butler in silence for a long time. Jiang Kunbo had gone to great lengths to hide this man; it must be because he held a secret that could threaten him. Since Fu Chuanming couldn't investigate further, he would have to find another way. The documents were still scattered on the desk. Xie Chengnan gathered them together and tucked them neatly back into the envelope. "I will transfer the final payment to your account." Xie Chengnan stood up and shook hands with Fu Chuanming. "Goodbye, Lawyer Fu." Fu Chuanming shook his hand and watched as Xie Chengnan walked out of the firm, eventually disappearing from sight. On the empty street, Xie Chengnan walked a distance with his head down before realizing his car was parked in the opposite direction. He stood by the roadside for a long time. It wasn't until his knuckles turned white from gripping the envelope too hard that he made his decision. Jiang Yuan must never know about the Xie family manor. Otherwise, he would inevitably come to the same conclusion as Fu Chuanming. Thinking of the pain this realization might cause Jiang Yuan, Xie Chengnan reached into the envelope, pulled out all the documents related to the Xie family residence, tore them to shreds, and threw them into a roadside trash can. *** **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 启明律师事务所 | Qiming Law Firm | The law firm owned by Fu Chuanming. 傅传明 | Fu Chuanming | A lawyer and private investigator hired by Xie Chengnan. 恒达地产公司 | Hengda Real Estate Company | A shell company used by Jiang Kunbo. 卫颖 | Wei Ying | Li Yan's mother; the legal representative of Hengda. 黎艳 | Li Yan | Jiang Kunbo's current wife. 江鲲博 | Jiang Kunbo | Jiang Yuan's father; the primary antagonist behind the Xie family's downfall. 张月华 | Zhang Yuehua | Jiang Yuan's late mother; Jiang Kunbo's first wife. 南大 | Nanda | Short for Nancheng University. 工商管理 | Business Administration | Jiang Yuan's major at university.