682: 543 Visit (Asking for Monthly Votes!)_2 682: 543 Visit (Asking for Monthly Votes!)_2 He was valued by Lan Peizhi, which undoubtedly proved he was a clever man.
If one were to factor in the persona of a clever man and reconsider his actions at Wanxiang Senluo, it would become somewhat—
intriguing.
Jiang Chen’s gaze flickered.
“…If he did it on purpose, what would his motive be?”
Gao Zhengbi pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and still with a downcast tone, he began, “If he really did it on purpose, there is only one possibility I can think of.”
They exchanged looks.
Gao Zhengbi continued, “He wanted to find some amusement for you, Mr.
Jiang.”
Among the many employees at Jinhai in Korea, to be close to Shi Qianxi was indeed no small feat.
Jiang Chen chuckled to himself, “This ‘amusement’ is truly thrilling.”
Gao Zhengbi remained silent.
Jiang Chen quieted down, his eyes occasionally flickering, pondering over something.
A few minutes later, he stood up.
“You rest well.”
Gao Zhengbi nodded.
Without another word, Jiang Chen left the ward directly.
He had spent a night in the hospital, and the four men Lan Peizhi sent had also stood guard outside all night.
“Leave two people to watch here, and two come with me.”
The four men quickly divided the tasks.
While going downstairs, Jiang Chen made a phone call to Attorney Quan.
“Attorney Quan, I would like to meet Zou Kezhao.”
“Zou Kezhao?”
“You must be aware of this case,” said Jiang Chen.
“I am indeed aware, but…”
Attorney Quan sounded troubled, fell silent for a while, and then exhaled, “Alright, Mr.
Jiang, I’ll make the arrangements.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for your update.”
Not in a hurry, Jiang Chen took the two men with him for breakfast at a place near the hospital.
“Are you from Shenzhou or from Korea?”
He asked in the breakfast shop.
From appearances alone, it was indeed difficult to tell people from the two countries apart.
“Mr.
Jiang, we are all from Shenzhou.”
One of the men replied.
Jiang Chen wasn’t surprised, “What are your names?”
“Xing Jie.”
“Xu Kuan.”
Jiang Chen remembered the names of the two men and continued, “How long have you been in Korea?”
“We came here with Brother Zou, it should be four years and three months to date,” said the dark-skinned Xing Jie, carefully.
Jiang Chen nodded.
It was as he had expected.
These people were Zou Kezhao’s trusted men.
“There’s someone I want to ask you about.”
“Please go ahead, Mr.
Jiang.”
“Cui Zaiye, do you know him?”
Jiang Chen observed the two men.
Eye contact was exchanged between the two men striving in a foreign land.
“We know him, he’s a local crime figure in Seoul with considerable influence, a quite formidable character in Korea,” they replied.
“What’s your relationship with him?”
Jiang Chen paused, “I mean, have you had any competitive interests?
Or any conflicts?”
“We’ve had several frictions, but nothing serious.
Brother Zou stepped in and negotiated peace,” explained the men.
Jiang Chen nodded subtly, not asking anything further.
The three men quietly had breakfast.
“Mr.
Jiang, everything’s arranged.
Seongnam Detention Center; I’ll send the address to your phone.”
Attorney Quan called.
The three men left the breakfast shop,
Seoul’s Third Detention Center.
Visitation room.
Zou Kezhao, who was being held pretrial, was brought out by two prison guards.
“Clink clink…”
The handcuffs and leg irons made a dull sound.
“Brother Zou!”
Seeing this, Xing Jie and Xu Kuan couldn’t help but clenched their fists, looking outraged.
According to rules, only one person was allowed to visit, and they could come in thanks to Attorney Quan’s effort.
Jiang Chen’s expression was calm as he sat down on the chair and picked up the phone hanging beside him.
Zou Kezhao, not appearing like a convict caught in a dire situation, was as composed as the day of his trial.
Upon seeing the unfamiliar Jiang Chen visiting him, his eyes moved slightly, then quickly returned to normal.
He sat down calmly, dragging attention with his handcuffed hands, and picked up the phone.
Between them, there was a thick pane of glass.
“My name is Jiang Chen, and I am a friend of Miss Lan.”
Jiang Chen got straight to the point, introducing himself.
With Xing Jie and Xu Kuan present, he wasn’t worried that the other side would doubt his identity.
“I have seen you, in court.”
The voice coming through the microphone was somewhat distorted, but the man’s tone was indeed calm.
At the time, he had sat so secludedly, this man whose fate was not in his own hands, sitting in the defendant’s seat, had actually noticed him.
Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows.
“Since Mr.
Zou has seen me, there’s no need for pleasantries.
I came today to ask Mr.
Zou’s opinion on An Zairong.”
Upon hearing this, the man with a strong enough mental state to be admirable noticeably shrank his pupils.
“Who asked you to come here?
Miss Lan?”
“No.
My visit today is purely a personal action,” Jiang Chen stated truthfully.
“Why are you interested in him?”
“Because there are some things he does that I fail to understand, and having worked with him for so long, Mr.
Zou must have a deep understanding of him.
Thus, I thought perhaps I could find an answer with Mr.
Zou.”
Separated by the thick glass, Zou Kezhao gazed at Jiang Chen.
“Since you are friends with Miss Lan, why don’t you ask her directly?”
Jiang Chen, composed and unhurried, retorted, “Is Mr.
Zou not aware of what kind of person Miss Lan is?”
Zou Kezhao fell silent.
“Mr.
Zou, what is your relationship with An Zairong like?”
Jiang Chen asked undisturbed.
Zou Kezhao’s eyes flickered, staring at Jiang Chen, his gaze gradually becoming meaningful.
“What happened?” Instead of answering the question, he asked something seemingly unrelated.
“Nothing major, just that he stabbed Cui Zaiye’s son to death, and Cui Zaiye, looking to avenge his son, sent a few people to kill me yesterday.”
Jiang Chen spoke casually, his words succinct.
“So for the sake of my safety, Miss Lan sent them over.”
Zou Kezhao glanced at Xing Jie and Xu Kuan standing next to Jiang Chen.
“Miss Lan has never liked people who meddle in others’ affairs.”
“I know.”
Jiang Chen spoke at a measured pace, “But this doesn’t count as meddling, as I almost lost my life last night, and a friend of mine ended up in the hospital because of it.
Mr.
Zou, do you think it’s necessary for me to get to the bottom of this matter?”
Zou Kezhao looked into Jiang Chen’s eyes.
Jiang Chen didn’t flinch and returned the gaze.
“I can only tell you,”
his ear caught the distorted words.
“An Zairong is someone who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.”
Jiang Chen’s expression was unreadable as he softly said, “Thank you, I understand now.”
Zou Kezhao’s brow furrowed slightly, and seeing Jiang Chen about to hang up the microphone, he finally couldn’t help but ask, “What did you understand?”
“Don’t worry, I will pass the message to Miss Lan.”
Zou Kezhao’s gaze grew deep, “I don’t understand what you mean.”
Jiang Chen picked up the microphone again, didn’t speak for a long while, and finally gave a slight smile.
“Mr.
Zou, you said An Zairong is someone who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and yet you are still sitting here.
Isn’t the answer quite clear?”
“If I’m not mistaken, your relationship with An Zairong must not be very harmonious, considering that you, being in Goryeo, have divided his power.
If I were him, I would surely harbor dissatisfaction towards you, even resentment.
This incident is actually a good opportunity for him; by you admitting guilt, you would resolve his and Miss Lan’s troubles, and from then on, no one in Goryeo would check his power anymore.
For him, this is killing two birds with one stone.”
Having said that, Jiang Chen paused.
“Continue,”
Zou Kezhao watched him expressionlessly.
“So, if I were An Zairong, what would I do?
There should only be one choice, and that is to eliminate Mr.
Zou, to leave no room for witness.
Even if Miss Lan disagrees, she probably wouldn’t blame you in the end, because this is also a show of loyalty.
And even though you are in the detention center, achieving this probably wouldn’t be difficult.”
Zou Kezhao remained silent.
“Mr.
Zou, if I’m not wrong, you’ve been living well in the detention center during this time, haven’t you?
Has anyone troubled you?”
Zou Kezhao’s mouth corners slowly curled up, revealing a rare smile.
“How old are you?”
He responded with an off-topic question.
Jiang Chen did not answer.
“Mr.
Zou, until next time.”
“Click.”
The microphone was hung up again.
Jiang Chen stood up.
“Brother Zou…”
Xing Jie looked at Zou Kezhao reluctantly.
“What are you standing there for, let’s go.”
Xing Jie clenched their teeth and could only follow Jiang Chen out.
“Go back.”
The prison guard approached.
Zou Kezhao set the microphone down and calmly got to his feet.
“Clang clang…”
The heavy sound of shackles colliding echoed once more.