Free Web NovelChapter 166: Chapter 165 Enemy List_1
Yi Xiaou smiled bitterly, opened the folder, located a document, and slid it across the table to Xu Dayuan.
"Since Mr. Dong became famous, our law firm has been developing amidst controversies. It’s fair to say that no lawyer from the opposing side doesn’t hate Mr. Dong, and none of them aren’t happy to see him in trouble. Most cases he handled were economic ones.
These aren’t ordinary economic disputes, but rather large-scale torts or contractual cases. You all know about the Herbal Tea Trademark Rights case; that was one Mr. Dong led our team to win. He even managed to put three lawyers from the opposing counsel’s team behind bars in the Beishan Group’s economic case."
"This list I’m giving you, is what I’ve compiled these past few days. Some on it had launched personal attacks on Mr. Dong during trials, some had threatened him, and a few had hired thugs to puncture his car tires.
However, speaking of which, I don’t know who would go so far as to set fire to murder Mr. Dong and his entire family. In a society governed by the rule of law, it shouldn’t get to this point, and in the past two years, Mr. Dong wasn’t as aggressive as before. Sometimes when his car was vandalized, he didn’t even report it."
So well-prepared and articulate, such an assistant clearly showed the high regard and trust Mr. Dong had for her. However, looking at those people outside, it was evident that morale had already dissipated.
"Can the law firm hold on?"
Yi Xiaou laughed again, compressed her lips and after a long pause said:
"I own 2% of the shares in the law firm, and I trust Mr. Dong as a person, so I want to keep the firm steady, waiting for the day Mr. Dong is released. However, due to the sudden replacement of lawyers for the cases we had taken before, we lost all of them, creating chaos internally and externally.
Several partners want to withdraw their investment, and I’m almost unable to hold on. Now the operation of the law firm itself is an issue, and I receive resignation letters every day..." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Yi Xiaou’s eyes moistened, her emotional attachment to the firm palpable. For an assistant to have earned 2% of the shares, her dedication was self-evident.
Xu Dayuan tapped the table casually and asked:
"How is Mr. Dong’s relationship with his wife?"
"Pretty good. Mr. Dong is a decent husband, and Mrs. Fang is very understanding towards him."
"Have you met their nanny? Do you know how to contact her?"
Yi Xiaou shook her head.
"I knew the previous nanny; she worked in their home for five or six years. But I heard her family elder was not doing well, so she resigned. The new nanny, a highly educated individual, is excellent at tutoring children and worked for less than three months before Mrs. Fang, not quite satisfied, let her go."
"Oh? Tell me more about that."
Yi Xiaou took a moment to recall, reached for her phone, scrolled through a chat history, and handed it to Xu Dayuan to look at.
"On Father’s Day, June 19th, Mrs. Fang couldn’t reach the nanny. Unable to contact Mr. Dong either, she reached out to me. The nanny was supposed to take the children to swimming lessons, then to Mrs. Fang’s father’s house, but they didn’t show up after an hour’s wait.
I had to call Mr. Dong out of a meeting to end it early, and together with a few others, we went searching for them. Eventually, we found them at an ice cream shop next to the swimming pool. Mrs. Fang was scared out of her wits and demanded to know why the nanny hadn’t answered her phone.
The nanny claimed she didn’t hear the phone and besides, the swimming lesson ran late and Xiao Mi wanted to have ice cream, so they came here. She even complained about Mrs. Fang’s attitude. Mr. Dong asked the nanny to leave for the day, no longer needing her services, and settled her pay."
"Was she very young?"
Yi Xiaou thought for a moment before nodding.
"She dressed very Western, apparently she studied in Mi Country, specializing in early childhood education and nutrition. Although she is called a nanny, her earnings are quite high. I remember she was introduced by a neighbor."
"Do you remember which neighbor?"
Yi Xiaou shook her head.
"I have to remember too many things every day; unimportant details don’t get written down in my notebook, so I didn’t pay attention. But she definitely was a neighbor from Shanhai Building, as everyone is quite cautious when it comes to picking up children."
Xu Dayuan flipped through his notebook, coming across two circled words "cousin." He raised an eyebrow and glanced out through the venetian blinds.
"Do you know Mr. Dong’s cousin? I’ve heard she’s also a lawyer. Is she with your Ningyuan Law Firm?"
Yi Xiaou paused, as if searching her memory, and then, seemingly struck by a realization, she scrolled through her phone and presented it to Xu Dayuan, showing a name and a mobile number.
"Is this the person you’re talking about? Tall and thin with a Lin Daiyu vibe?"
Xu Dayuan didn’t know the cousin’s name. He checked his phone, found a surveillance screenshot that Mr. Ma had sent him, and showed it to Yi Xiaou. In the screenshot, the cousin stood sideways, tall and slim, only her stomach protruded.
Yi Xiaou took one glance and quickly nodded.
"I’ve seen her a few times; she is Luo Qian. According to Mr. Dong, she moved to Qindao to develop her career at the end of 2009. However, she wasn’t with our firm. Where she works or who her husband is, I’m not sure; she’s quite secretive.
Moreover, she only came to our firm two or three times. She seems to be the daughter of Mr. Dong’s great aunt, and they always converse behind closed doors. I don’t know anything other than that. What’s the matter with her? If it’s inconvenient to say, just pretend I never asked."
Yi Xiaou was very tactful. Xu Dayuan didn’t mind. He recorded Luo Qian’s contact information and then slowly said:
"Inside the detention center, only she had gone to request a visit with Dong Chengwen and even wanted to become his lawyer to fight his case. We ran into her when we were there, so I’m asking you,"
Upon hearing this, Yi Xiaou was stunned and shook his head slightly:
"I haven’t heard about them being particularly close, but I’ve contacted many lawyers, hoping someone would take on Mr. Dong’s case. However, no one would. I asked someone to reach out to Mr. Ma at the detention center to inquire about who Mr. Dong wanted to contact, but the answer we got was that he wasn’t looking for anyone, he wanted to defend himself."
After thinking for a moment, Xu Dayuan nodded, indeed that was the case. No one was more familiar with the angles to argue this case than Dong Chengwen himself. If they proceeded with the legal process, he was the most suitable. If the lawyer they found wasn’t appropriate, it would only hinder the case.
Glancing at the time on his phone, Xu Dayuan nodded to Yi Xiaou.
"Thank you for your cooperation. If you remember anything else that needs to be reported to us, please contact me by phone. As for the videos and audio recordings you’ve provided, please send them to this email address."
Tao Zhenshan had already written an email address. Yi Xiaou was quick and efficient, immediately sending over the surveillance footage and recordings. He also handed Tao Zhenshan the spreadsheets he had compiled.
"I hope this can help you solve the case sooner, and it would be best to prove Mr. Dong’s innocence. To say that their marriage was full of affection, I think it’s too fake, but compared to the average couple, their relationship was still very stable, and Mrs. Fang’s father held Mr. Dong in high regard."
Xu Dayuan stood up and nodded slightly.
"However, Mr. Fang did not agree to the autopsy."
"That’s a different matter. His refusal to agree to the autopsy comes from not wanting to see his daughter and granddaughter suffer such an ordeal even after death. Although he’s an intellectual, he only had that one daughter. It’s understandable that a parent who has to bury his child would feel this way.
Even if Mr. Dong didn’t set the fire and was being wrongfully accused, Mr. Fang still feels that it was because of Mr. Dong that his daughter and granddaughter died, and that’s a shift of hatred. Psychologically, it’s a kind of self-consolation; we should understand that."
Xu Dayuan was somewhat surprised.
An assistant who looked to be only in his thirties had such profound insights into life, speaking words that seemed to come from someone much older.
But then again, it made sense. How could anyone else manage to be Dong Chengwen’s assistant?
"Thank you, no need to see me out."
The two left and bought some bread on the way. They choked it down in the car and sped back to the technical department’s backyard.
As soon as Xu Dayuan got out of the car, he waved at Tao Zhenshan.
"Alright, I’ll take some people to the detention center. Mr. Fang, Yufei will go with you for a visit. Talk to him. As for that list of enemies, have your people verify their alibis for June 29th. Call Mr. Zeng and ask him to check at Shanhai Building to find out who introduced the nanny to Mr. Dong. As for Luo Qian, let’s leave her be for now. Focus on these leads first."
Tao Zhenshan rolled his eyes.
"Not even Huang Shiren is as ruthless as you, prioritizing these investigations. We can’t finish all of these in one afternoon. Boss, you’re too harsh," he said.
Before Xu Dayuan could step forward, Tao Zhenshan’s car had already sped off. Xu Dayuan took out his phone to make a call but heard a ringtone nearby. Turning around, he saw Zhou Ning and the others walking out of the main entrance.
"Whoa, that’s what I call initiative. Well done—I commend you."
Mr. Zhao approached with a grin, handing Xu Dayuan a bag containing a cup of tea and a wrap.
"Zhou Xiaozhou said that you would be busy and might not get a proper meal, so she prepared a wrap for you. There’s also jasmine tea, sugar-free, so drink up without worry. My driving is steady, you can trust me."
Xu Dayuan also smiled.
"Thank you, I’ve been dragging you all along for these investigations. This isn’t even part of your job. But having Zhou Xiaozhou around gives me peace of mind, like carrying a lightning rod in a thunderstorm. Let’s go, I’ll fill you in on the details on the way."
The three of them got into the car, and Xu Dayuan quickly ate the wrap and drank the tea, feeling much more comfortable.
"I just munched on some bread earlier, and my stomach didn’t feel satisfied with the sugar and salt content. This feels much better."
Zhou Ning looked at him.
"Was there a problem with that assistant?"
Xu Dayuan waved his hand.
"On the contrary, that assistant is very impressive. She’s the one propping up the law firm on her own. As for the questions I had, she had already prepared all the necessary information, videos, recordings, and even a list of those who might seek revenge, all more detailed than the case files delivered by the Jingkou Branch Bureau. I’ve told Zhenshan and Mr. Liu to continue the investigation.
Moreover, the assistant also mentioned that Mr. Fang had initially opposed the autopsy. Regardless of whether Mr. Dong is the murderer, at least it’s related to him. That is understandable. It’s just that I’m puzzled about the nanny."
Zhou Ning turned to look at Xu Dayuan.
"What about the nanny?"
