The third day of Zhou Qishen's detention.
Qi Yuming came over that evening, which surprised Zhou Qishen slightly, as Attorney Qi usually only met with clients during the day. In the rush, Zhou Qishen wore a black overcoat, the sleeves hanging loosely like a cape. After sitting down, before Qi Yuming could speak, he said, "Bring me a pack of cigarettes tomorrow."
After mentioning the brand, Attorney Qi frowned, "This smoke is pungent and irritating; you don't usually smoke it."
Zhou Qishen pinched the bridge of his nose, not bothering to hide it, "I have a headache, more than just a headache. What brings you here?"
Attorney Qi said, "Someone came to see me this afternoon. You would never guess."
Who is it?
“Meng Weixi”.
Zhou Qishen frowned. "Him?"
“There were five people present at the time of the incident. Meng Weixi said he could provide you with a testimony if needed.” Qi Yuming stopped mid-sentence, his gaze slightly sharp, everything understood without being said. Then he reached out and tapped his fingers slowly and lightly three times on the table.
Zhou Qishen naturally understood.
Meng Weixi was willing to cooperate, and as an eyewitness, the importance of her testimony is self-evident.
Qi Yuming smiled. "Zhuang Qiu probably never expected that Meng Weixi would be on your side. President Meng also said this afternoon that you don't need to worry about Dai Yunxin; he has his own way of persuading her. With this string of testimonies, Zhuang Qiu has no chance of winning."
Qi Yuming was renowned for his criminal defense work in his early years, having seen all sorts of cases, from murder to arson. He was most adept at turning the tide in desperate situations. He only asked Zhou Qishen one question—whether to temporarily protect himself and wait for an opportunity, or to let Zhuang Qiu also experience imprisonment.
Zhou Qishen coldly replied, "Keep it; we can settle accounts later."
The procedures will take some time, but based on the current progress, Zhou Qishen can completely extricate himself before Zhao Xiyin returns to Beijing. This is his well-considered outcome; everything will proceed smoothly, as if nothing ever happened.
His phone was left with Secretary Xu. Whether by fate or design, Zhao Xiyin's workload suddenly increased in the last few days. She was rushing around day and night, and only had time to catch up on sleep.
When people get busy, they simply don't have time for anything else. Her contact with Zhou Qishen was limited to two WeChat messages. Secretary Xu was entrusted by Boss Zhou, and she had to shoulder the burden no matter how difficult it was. She had just thought she could breathe a sigh of relief and was even planning her schedule. Zhou Qishen was supposed to be released from detention tomorrow, and she had already instructed him to return to the company for the routine meeting in the afternoon. The day after tomorrow, she was arranging for a driver to pick up Zhao Xiyin from the airport.
The timing was perfect. Secretary Xu slowly admired the boss's customized phone when it suddenly rang loudly—
The name Zhao Xiyin appeared prominently on the screen.
Strangely enough, his hand trembled, and he accidentally pressed the answer button.
Zhao Xiyin's cheerful voice was filled with excitement, "Honey! Guess where I am?!"
Secretary Xu: "..."
"I'm heading back to Beijing early!! I'll be at your company right away!!"
Secretary Xu felt like dying right now. He forced himself to clear his throat and said, "Xiao west, it's me."
Zhao Xiyin was clearly stunned as well, "Brother Xu?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhou's phone is with me."
"Where is he? Is he in a meeting?" Zhao Xiyin's voice was still smiling. "It's okay, I'll wait for him downstairs at the company."
Don't wait, Secretary Xu is about to commit suicide.
——
Everyone's back in Beijing. If we can keep this a secret, then we'll be celebrating the New Year.
Zhao Xiyin was very perceptive; seeing Secretary Xu's attitude, she immediately sensed something was wrong. Instead of making things difficult for Xu Jin, she directly called Gu Heping and Lao Cheng. One after the other, they asked the same question—Where is Zhou Qishen?
The killing caught everyone off guard; Gu Heping and Lao Cheng hadn't coordinated their statements at all.
One of them stammered, "Brother Zhou went to Tianjin on a business trip."
One person answered hesitantly, "They probably went to a foot massage parlor for a foot massage."
Zhao Xiyin immediately confirmed that Zhou Qishen was in trouble.
Once Gu Heping and Lao Cheng saw the person, there was no point in hiding it anymore. Lao Cheng hardened his heart and simply told Zhao Xiyin the whole story.
“Zhou Ge’er was only detained for a few days, which is normal procedure. Xiao Xi, don’t worry, it’s all been taken care of, and he will be back tomorrow.”
Zhao Xiyin stood there, stunned, her face deathly pale.
——
Early the next morning, accompanied by Qi Yuming, Zhou Qishen completed all the formalities and left the detention center.
Old Cheng's car was already waiting outside, and he looked hesitant when he saw them. Zhou Qishen was puzzled, "What's going on between you two? Didn't you want me to come out?"
Gu Heping sighed deeply, "Brother Zhou, I have something to tell you."
"Your wife came back to Beijing early yesterday, looking for you everywhere. She's so clever; the way she looked at me made me feel like a jerk. Lao Cheng and I couldn't keep it from her." Gu Heping said with sympathy, "Well, let me give you a heads-up: after Xiao Xi found out about you, she didn't make a scene, didn't cry, and didn't scold you. She just said a couple of words."
Zhou Qishen's face was extremely ugly, and his lips trembled slightly as he asked, "What did you say?"
“She doesn’t believe you can be released today; she thinks we’re lying to her. She’s going to sell the apartment you two had as a couple before, saying she’ll sell it for whatever price she can get, and then use the proceeds to ransom you.”
Zhou Qishen: "..."
"He also said," Gu Heping, "that after I redeem you, I will divorce you."
Zhou Qishen: "…………"
Chapter 87 A Lifetime of Passion (4)
To verify the authenticity of the information, Zhou Qishen asked Secretary Xu to investigate.