All along, Luo Zheng thought that the main reason Mr. Lan was preventing him from being with Lan Xue was because of snobbery; now it seed there was sothing more to it. Given Mr. Lan's mannerisms, there was no need for him to lie. For Mr. Lan to lower himself, to speak frankly with Luo Zheng, indicated that Mr. Lan truly needed help. After agreeing to the request, Luo Zheng fell into deep thought and suddenly asked, "There's too little information to analyze the key points. Could you tell more details?"
Mr. Lan had been observing Luo Zheng, and saw that Luo Zheng was neither impulsive like others his age, nor awkwardly timid, nor confused. Instead, he had thought carefully before asking questions, showing that he had calculations brewing in his heart, but was constrained by the lack of information to make conclusions. Mr. Lan found himself drawn to Luo Zheng's cautious and deliberate nature and reflected that he had been too stubborn initially; if he had taken the ti to research and understand the other party sooner, perhaps there might have been so progress by now.
Thinking of this, Mr. Lan suddenly recalled the hint given by Lan Xue's grandfather. He decided to trust Luo Zheng without reservation, and said, "This happened when Lan Xue was two years old. That year, Lan Xing was just a few months old. My wife was hospitalized due to illness and inexplicably died there on the hospital bed. The hospital diagnosed it as an accident—all the procedures were normal, and all the clues were completely erased, making any investigation impossible, as if it was all real."
"How did you start to get suspicious?" Luo Zheng asked curiously, noting that Mr. Lan naturally referred to Lan Xue's mother as his wife, rather than his ex-wife as before, indicating the change in Mr. Lan's thoughts and trust towards him, and feeling a bit more favorable towards Mr. Lan.
"Because it was too normal. That hospital had never had such accidents before, and my wife was always in good health. The suddenness and peculiarity of her illness were strange — food poisoning, drinking tea in a public place, the tea was poisoned. The toxin wasn't deadly, and the rescue was tily. Everyone thought she was okay, but the next morning she was..." With that, Mr. Lan's expression beca sorrowful, unable to continue speaking.
"A preditated assassination? What was the accident with the hospital?" Luo Zheng continued to ask, growing more solemn. From Mr. Lan's description, it was evidently an assassination, and not just once but twice, with a determination to see it through. The hospital might truly have been an accident.
"At night, while she was on an IV drip, I was watching by her side and sohow fell asleep. The next morning, I woke up and she was..." Mr. Lan said, his face filled with intense regret and guilt. Taking a deep breath to calm down, he continued, "Later, the hospital's investigation found an extra drug in the IV bottle. When they checked with the nurses and the pharmacist, the records were all correct, and there was no clue how the extra drug ca to be."
"It was probably injected into the tubing, mixing with the dicine into her body," Luo Zheng said with a sigh, looking at Mr. Lan, unsure of what to say. To fall asleep while caring for a patient and let soone take advantage of it was indeed negligence on a man's part, on a husband's part.
"Lan Xue's grandfather sent people to intervene in the investigation and discovered this reason. In his rage, he took Lan Xue away to raise her. At that ti, I was very dejected and guilt-ridden, so I voluntarily sent Lan Xing there as well. A year later, when I realized it might be related to the Song family, I pretended to be withdrawn and secretly investigated for five years. I discovered that it was indeed related to the Song family, but only through snippets and conjectures, with no concrete clues or evidence. After five years, I stopped pretending and began to manage the family business earnestly while actively approaching the Song family, trying to find evidence but to no avail, until I married my current wife." Mr. Lan said heavily.
"What did you discover?" Luo Zheng asked with curiosity.
"The Song family kept sending people to infiltrate the Lan family's business, with a stance as if they wanted to swallow it whole. I pretended to agree and gained their trust. During a drinking session, when everyone was drunk, I was responsible for cleaning up and drank a few less. I overheard Song Tao arrogantly say I was incapable, unable to even take care of my own woman..." Hearing this, Mr. Lan's face turned pale, his fists clenched, forehead covered in cold sweat, and a pained expression appeared.
Luo Zheng did not continue asking, as the situation was basically clear. Song Tao was the Song family's executor—cunning and ticulous. Having dealt with the Song family for so long, Luo Zheng had already investigated and found that anything done by Song Tao would likely leave no trace, evident from how Song Tao had frad him several tis. Naturally, Mr. Lan wouldn't have any evidence, so further inquiry would be pointless.
After a while, Mr. Lan cald down and looked at Luo Zheng with so embarrassnt, saying, "As a man, I've been quite useless, having made no progress all these years. I'll leave this matter to you now; feel free to ask for whatever you need. This is my phone number. I only have one request: do not let the sisters know until there's a result in this matter."
Luo Zheng took the business card handed over by Mr. Lan, glanced at the phone number, then returned the card, and said seriously, "I understand. The victim was Lan Xue's mother, so it's my responsibility to find out the truth. From today, you should stop investigating this matter to prevent exposure or alerting the other party."
Mr. Lan hesitated for a mont, but his expression gradually beca firm, and he said seriously, "Okay, let's do it that way. Will you stay for lunch at ho?"
"No, once you open this door, start cursing , saying whatever terrible things co to mind, and drive out directly to avoid arousing suspicion." Luo Zheng reminded.
Mr. Lan suddenly realized he hadn't been cautious enough. There were still quite a few servants at ho, who might even be the Song family's informants. Even if they didn't see the secret eting in the study, they would surely notice them having a al together. So he said, "Hmm, you've thought it through carefully. Let's do it this way."
The two exchanged understanding glances and got up. Luo Zheng opened the door, and Mr. Lan hesitated a mont but ultimately steeled his heart and began to curse, "Get out! Scram, you toad wanting to eat swan at. If you dare co to my house again, don't bla for not being polite. Get out!"
Luo Zheng forced a bitter smile, pretending to be helpless, and hurried to the living room. Seeing Lan Xue's astonished expression, he offered no explanation and quickly walked out. Lan Xue looked at her father in confusion, unable to understand what had just happened. Seeing Luo Zheng leave, her face turned pale, and she hurried after him.
"Xue Er, if you leave through that door today, don't ever co back." Mr. Lan stood at the living room door, shouting angrily. His eyes inadvertently glanced at the gardener tending to the flowers in the front yard, noting their discreet looks. Mr. Lan smirked with satisfaction at Luo Zheng's arrangent and suddenly felt that this son-in-law wasn't too bad after all.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Lan Xing rushed out of her room, surprised, and asked.
"None of your business! Get back in!" Mr. Lan bellowed forcefully, feigning a fury about to erupt.
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