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Chapter 157: Eight Years Ago
Chapter 157: Eight Years Ago
Chapter 157
Many of the secrets of Li Family Village were not entirely clear to Li Qingqing. It could be said that her parents and the village chief grandfather were all bastards, but they protected her very well.
After hearing Li Jiang's words, she slowly came to her senses and murmured, "What are you saying?"
By the end, Li Qingqing's voice had turned into a full-blown shout: "What nonsense are you spouting?"
She thought Li Jiang had gone mad.
Earlier, she had thought he was very cunning and skilled. Just by virtue of his "father" identity, he had a high chance of turning things around. After all, as he said, blood ties could not be severed no matter what.
But now he had blurted it out himself!
What else could be waiting for him now? Wasn't prison the only option left?
Or... had he gone so insane that he planned for everyone to perish together today, so he didn't care about revealing the "truth"?
Brother Yong also became anxious: "Jiang, you're just saying that out of anger, right? How can a father and daughter fight like this?"
Li Jiang still had one hand tightly gripping Li Xiaoya. He lowered his head and took two deep breaths, seemingly suppressing the emotions that had erupted for a moment.
Then he slowly looked at Brother Yong, his calm expression giving Brother Yong a glimmer of hope.
But this thread of hope was quickly shattered.
Li Jiang smiled and asked, "Are you very afraid?"
Brother Yong let out an "Ah" and continued to persuade, "I just don't want you to make a mistake..."
Li Jiang shook his head: "The mistake was already made, eight years ago."
Brother Yong was so flustered he didn't know what to say.
From the sound of it, it seemed... it seemed he really wasn't her biological father! Wasn't that kidnapping then?
Li Jiang didn't look at Brother Yong again. He bent down and leaned close to Li Xiaoya, asking in a low voice, "Do you want to hear? Do you want to know what happened before you were born?"
Li Xiaoya pressed her lips tightly together, her lip color turning pale from the pressure, but she didn't speak.
Li Jiang didn't mind her silence and continued, "Then give me your phone."
Li Xiaoya's eyes flickered, and she obediently handed it over.
Li Jiang took the phone and first checked the call records. They were all unsaved numbers.
Li Jiang squeezed out a laugh from his chest: "Good, very clever, even clearing the text message content. Among these numbers, which one is Sheng Yuxiao, which is Qin Sui, which is your grandfather... it's impossible to tell now."
Li Qingqing was shocked upon hearing this.
Had Li Xiaoya prepared for this in advance?
"You didn't call the police. Even if others discover you're missing, they'll only know that Li Qingqing took you away."
Hearing this, Li Qingqing glared angrily: "Uncle Li Jiang! How could you use me like this?"
Li Jiang ignored her.
"It seems we have plenty of time to talk slowly," Li Jiang said calmly.
He then turned off her phone, threw it under the car wheel, and said to Brother Yong, "Crush it."
Brother Yong hesitated: "I..."
Li Jiang said helplessly, "Brother Yong, don't you understand yet? Look, you have no way out."
"But..."
"Remember what I told you before, I will help you."
Brother Yong lowered his head and said nothing more, turning to start the car again.
Whether this child and "Jiang Li" were biological father and daughter or not, it had nothing to do with him in the end. But his own daughter was his flesh and blood! He still needed to bring money back to save his daughter!
The tires scraped against the ground, and with one push of the gas pedal, it crushed the phone.
A tear fell from Li Xiaoya's eye with a "plop."
There was still the SIM card Sheng Yuxiao had given her inside.
Li Jiang turned back, staring at the tear on her face for a brief moment.
He pursed his lips and said, "You didn't have to cry, Xiaoya. Who told you to say those things, making me realize you no longer have any familial affection for me?"
Li Xiaoya still didn't speak. Her eyes were covered with a thin mist of tears, making her look very pitiful.
She's still just a child after all, Li Qingqing thought to herself. But Li Jiang was truly ruthless.
"It was Wei Lin who took you back, right?" Li Jiang suddenly asked.
Li Xiaoya's pupils trembled.
"You're wondering how I know Wei Lin? Did Wei Lin instruct me to kidnap your mother?" Li Jiang asked.
"Let me tell you, you're wrong. I didn't kidnap your mother. Think about it, how could I possibly have kidnapped a grown woman from a wealthy family? How would I have such ability?"
"It was an entrustment. Wei Lin entrusted her to me. I was innocent from the beginning."
Li Xiaoya bit her lip.
She didn't believe it.
But she didn't say it out loud.
However, even though she didn't say anything, Li Jiang was very satisfied with her current expression. It showed that she had suffered a huge shock.
He pulled her towards the warehouse.
After hiding the car, Brother Yong stomped his feet and reluctantly followed them inside.
"There's a lock there. Lock the door," Li Jiang instructed Brother Yong.
Brother Yong grabbed the chain, nervously locking the door while saying, "Is this really necessary?"
Li Jiang replied, "In case someone comes looking, it can hold them off for a while. We can escape through the underground work passage."
Brother Yong let out a sigh. Now he locked the door much faster.
Although he was internally resistant to doing "bad things," he had to admit that "Jiang Li" appeared very reliable.
"Good, let's continue. Hmm, where should we start? Let me think..." Li Jiang said as he took off his coat and spread it on the ground, gesturing for Li Xiaoya to sit against the container.
Li Xiaoya didn't move.
Li Jiang became a bit displeased and pushed her down: "Sit down. We father and daughter have a lot to talk about."
Li Xiaoya sat there, curling up her hands and feet into a ball.
Li Jiang was satisfied and began speaking again: "After I graduated from high school, I went to work in Jiang City to save money for college in a bigger city."
"At first, I worked on construction sites."
It was because of this experience that he could now quickly blend in with Brother Yong and his group.
"Later, a fellow villager saw that I had good features and introduced me to work as a doorman at the Golden Osmanthus Hotel in Jiang City."
"Usually, I just opened car doors and carried luggage. One day, a man came in an Audi 100, and my colleague happened to have his old problem flare up, so he asked me to cover for him, which meant parking cars for the guests. As I was driving that Audi 100, I scraped it before even reaching the parking lot."
"This was a fatal mistake. I couldn't afford to pay for the damages."
"The Golden Osmanthus Hotel had very strict requirements for employees, and Jiang City was different from inland areas... Some of the wealthy there were involved in gang activities. Once you offended them, kneeling down to lick their shoes was a common occurrence."
"Some people even ended up in the hospital from being forced to drink alcohol."
"You see, this is the cruelty of the adult world."
"However... the owner of that Audi didn't make me pay. That car owner seemed to rarely come to Jiang City, and he wasn't used to the overly attentive service at the Golden Osmanthus Hotel."
"He stayed at the hotel for three consecutive days, waiting for someone in the hotel lobby every day."
"On Sunday, a Cadillac arrived at the entrance, and a woman got out. She was the person the Audi owner had been waiting for."
"Can you guess who she was?"
"Well, she was your mother."
Not getting any response from Li Xiaoya, Li Jiang didn't care at all. He continued, almost talking to himself: "Then can you guess who that Audi owner was?"
Li Jiang's eyes turned red: "That was your biological father."
Li Xiaoya still hadn't reacted, but Li Qingqing gasped first.
Driving a Cadillac and an Audi 100 at that time, they were certainly rich people!
Li Xiaoya's biological father was actually so wealthy!!!