jdhmnovel Chapter 389 I will protect you with my life
Chapter 389 I will protect you with my life
But Li Chongxi took the list, unfolded it casually, looked at it carefully, and remained expressionless.
Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua exchanged a glance, both secretly marveling.
Li Chongxi's composure was too good. If it weren't for the clues they found pointing directly to Li Chongxi as a prime suspect, her calm and collected demeanor would have fooled them and allowed her to get away with it.
After a while, Li Chongxi handed the list back to Zhao Xuan without denying anything.
"Yes, I remember. This list is the list of orphans who were dispersed into the civilian population in batches when the Liyang branch was about to close. There were a total of eighty-three people, and the government has records of them."
Gu Zhanghua stared intently into Li Chongxi's eyes and told him everything he knew since he started investigating the case, without holding anything back.
"Thirty people on this list were resettled at the beginning of the ninth year of Xuanhe, and another fifty-three people were resettled at the end of the same year!"
Gu Zhanghua took a deep breath, trying his best to hide the grief in his heart, before continuing:
"In the ninth year of Xuanhe, a major event occurred: the national caravan escorted by the Wuwei Escort Agency was repeatedly robbed, and the location where these thirty people were placed happened to be in the same area that the caravan had passed through that year!"
"And another thing!" Zhao Xuan continued, "When my father found him, Qian Bin committed suicide by poisoning himself without saying a word. The other six people disappeared around the beginning of autumn in the ninth year of Xuanhe, and their whereabouts are still unknown!"
Zhao Xuan pressed her palms tightly against the table.
"Dean Li, after all we've said, can you recall anything?"
Li Chongxi didn't even frown, still looking at Zhao Xuan calmly.
"Sorry, I can't remember anything..."
"Then I'll continue! Before these fifty-three people were settled, an even more horrific tragedy occurred: the Xia Kingdom delegation, which was on its way to Yue Kingdom, was attacked while passing through the sinkhole and all members perished, including Zhao Xiaoman, the chief镖头 (bodyguard) of Wuwei镖局 (escort agency), and His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Eleven of these fifty-three people are still missing. Don't you want to say something about this? You were the director of the Liyang branch back then!
Zhao Xuan spoke with force and conviction, her eyes flashing with a captivating light, aimed directly at Li Chongxi.
Li Chongxi let out a long sigh, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and said lightly.
"Is that so..."
After saying that, Li Chongxi slowly stood up, walked to the strange portrait, looked up at it, and seemed to be recalling some past events, muttering to himself.
"Robbing caravans... assassinating the delegation... yes, it was all done by people from our Liyang branch back then. The six missing people you mentioned were killed during the last caravan robbery, and the other eleven were killed when the delegation was attacked... I ordered them to do it all..."
Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua looked at each other in disbelief. They never expected that Li Chongxi would confess to his crimes so easily and so quickly.
Without any hesitation or hesitation, and without even a hint of fear or panic?
You have to understand, this matter involves many, many lives!
wrong! ! !
Zhao Xuan secretly regretted that she had almost fallen into Li Chongxi's trap!
Zhao Xuan suddenly chuckled softly, watching Li Chongxi's retreating figure.
"What a joke! You once told my father that you took over as the current dean from the former dean. I think you're saying that to protect the former dean, aren't you?"
"No……"
Li Chongxi slowly shook his head.
Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua couldn't see Li Chongxi's expression, but they could tell from her back that she was very calm.
Gu Zhanghua suddenly realized that something was wrong!
Li Chongxi was too calm. It was as if she had long anticipated this day, and she had rehearsed it many, many times in advance and made all the necessary preparations!
“I lied to your father about having a former dean so I could have some time to sort out the affairs of the hospital. Now that you’re here, my time as dean is up… I’m really grateful to you; you’ve come later than I expected…”
Li Chongxi spoke again, his voice as calm as ever, with nothing strange about it, but Gu Zhanghua felt that everything was very eerie!
Receiving guests in her boudoir!
There was a portrait hanging on the wall that looked normal, but was actually strange!
Li Chongxi confessed to his crimes without reservation and offered no defense whatsoever!
Gu Zhanghua suddenly shouted, "Oh no!"
Zhao Xuan, as if by telepathy, leaped behind Li Chongxi and reached out to grab him, only to see Li Chongxi slowly fall backward, a trickle of black blood slowly flowing from the corner of his mouth.
Gu Zhanghua had also arrived at Li Chongxi's side at this time. He supported Li Chongxi's swaying body and asked him anxiously.
"Why? Why? Why did you do this?!"
"Why……"
Li Chongxi stared intently at the portrait of the man whose appearance he did not know, and said with deep emotion, "..."
"Why... why is it that life is inherently filled with passionate love, this sorrow has nothing to do with the wind and the moon..."
After Li Chongxi finished speaking, he closed his eyes with a smile.
Zhao Xuan hurriedly checked Li Chongxi's breath, her face full of regret.
"Damn it! Another suicide attempt by poison! My father warned me long ago... but I never imagined that even after more than ten years, she would still... she would still have poison hidden in her mouth!"
With a sliver of hope, Gu Zhanghua asked Zhao Xuan.
"Is it hopeless?"
"How can you save someone who's stopped breathing?!"
Zhao Xuan patted her head hard and looked at Gu Zhanghua with a blank expression.
"The person is dead... What should we do now?"
"Come on, lend a hand and help me lift her onto the bed."
The two of them worked together to lift Li Chongxi onto the bed and lay him down. For a moment, they were both silent.
They came to investigate the case, not to kill someone, but although Li Chongxi committed suicide, he was indirectly related to the two of them.
Both of them were feeling very bad.
Thinking of Li Chongxi, who, at the end of his life, still gazed longingly at the portrait on the wall, Gu Zhanghua seemed to have realized something.
He pulled Zhao Xuan to the portrait, and to be honest, he felt a little sad.
“I understand… She was protecting the man in the painting… She must have been prepared to die ever since your father came to see her. She knows everything, but she doesn’t want to tell us a single word…”
"Who is this man whose back is only visible? Could he be the mastermind behind all this murder?"
Zhao Xuan stared blankly at the portrait, and subconsciously asked Gu Zhanghua.
“I don’t know who he is, but someone that Li Chongxi would protect with his life must have a very close relationship with him. Perhaps we can find out something by investigating Li Chongxi’s social connections over the years.”
"Now that the person is dead and the last clue is gone, shouldn't we report this to the authorities?"
Zhao Xuan, dejected, made a suggestion to Gu Zhanghua.
Gu Zhanghua couldn't help but sigh.
"Let's talk to the person in charge of the almshouse first, and then report it to the authorities."
"I'm so angry at Li Chongxi! He's threatening me with death! You think it'll all end when you die? That I'll never be able to find the real culprit again? You wish! I'm not satisfied!"
Zhao Xuan waved her fist at Li Chongxi, who was lying on the bed, then lowered her hand in despair.
"Fine, what can we do even if we're unwilling? Let's listen to you and explain the situation to the person in charge of the hospital first! Otherwise, they might falsely accuse us of killing their director!"