Chapter 166

Chapter 166 - Lies to Money and Lust!

After leaving the hospital, Zhang Xiaolong immediately returned Liu Juan's call.

“Xiaolong, where are you? I've found a lawyer and am currently at the police station requesting to visit Zongming...” Liu Juan quickly updated him on the situation.

She had previously tried to call Zhang Xiaolong, but the call was disconnected before she could speak. She had assumed that Zhang Xiaolong found the whole affair too troublesome and didn't want to get involved anymore, so she refrained from calling a second time.

However, now that Zhang Xiaolong had reached out to her, a weight was lifted from her heart.

“Yeah, I've spoken with Su Mei and Su Mingtang. They've assured us they won't hinder our investigation...” Zhang Xiaolong was cut off mid-sentence by an exclamation of disbelief.

“How could that be? Why would they agree to that?” Liu Juan was momentarily convinced that Zhang Xiaolong was lying, but then she realized that such a lie wouldn't benefit anyone.

“It's a bit complex. We can discuss it when we meet.” After arranging a place to meet, Zhang Xiaolong ended the call.

Twenty minutes later, Zhang Xiaolong was sitting in a restaurant's private room with Liu Juan and the lawyer she had hired.

“Let me introduce you. This is Huang Yan, we went to college together. I knew her back then, but I never imagined she'd become a lawyer here. It's fortunate we ran into each other today; otherwise, it would have been hard to find someone willing to take this case,” Liu Juan said, clearly relieved. “And this is my husband's close friend, Zhang Xiaolong. He's been more supportive than Zongming's own brothers.”

Zhang Xiaolong understood her meaning. Since Wang Zongming's incident, the Wang family had offered no support and had even blocked Liu Juan's financial resources. Now she couldn't even return home, making her more of an outsider than him.

Of course, when Liu Juan thought of Su Mei waking up, she didn't assume a full recovery, just a return to consciousness.

Perhaps buoyed by her improved spirits, Liu Juan found herself eating substantially more than she had previously.

“Xiaolong, where will you be staying tonight? The Wang family kicked me out, and I'm currently without a place to stay. I plan to stay with Huang Yan. What about you? Are you considering a hotel?” Liu Juan inquired after they had eaten.

“Don't worry about me. I'll be staying around for the next few days until Mr. Wang's situation is fully resolved,” Zhang Xiaolong assured her.

“Okay, then we'll head out. Just be careful,” Liu Juan cautioned, aware that Zhang Xiaolong was not familiar with the city.

The two women hadn't gone far when Huang Yan began to chastise Liu Juan, “I'm not trying to criticize you, but how well do you really know Zhang Xiaolong? To me, he seems unreliable. He claims that the Su family assured him they wouldn't exert any pressure, but it sounds like empty boasting to me. If you're too trusting of someone like him, you could end up being swindled out of your money, or worse.”

“What are you talking about?” Liu Juan's face flushed with indignation. “I may not know Zhang Xiaolong very well, but Zongming has mentioned him to me, always in a positive light. And ever since Zongming's accident, I've been cut off financially. I can't even afford to go home, let alone pawn anything valuable. It was Zhang Xiaolong who gave me the money I needed. Without it, I wouldn't even be able to afford food. How could he possibly be after my money?”

“Oh?” Huang Yan appeared to have only just become aware of Liu Juan's predicament. “Then it's definitely not about the money. Could it really be that he...”

Her remark seemed to be in jest, and Liu Juan responded with a dismissive spit.

Previously, Huang Yan had actually believed that Liu Juan had paid Zhang Xiaolong to come to her aid. If that were the case, he might have concocted some story of heroism to swindle more money from her.

But now, it was clear that wasn't the situation. Huang Yan wondered if Zhang Xiaolong truly had the clout to influence the Su family's decisions.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaolong was watching with a steely gaze as two men stealthily made their way toward his car.