Chapter 319: Chapter 309 Apologizing to Qiao Jing
Lou Xinrou walked to the table full of doubt, and her pupils dilated suddenly when she saw the footage on the phone screen!
How could there be surveillance? She had clearly checked earlier, and there were no cameras overhead.
From this angle, it must be from the stairwell. Damn, how could she not have noticed the surveillance in the stairwell?
Lou Xinrou’s face turned ugly, her palms sweating profusely. She clenched her fists tightly, watching the footage of the three of them walking toward the staircase entrance.
The surveillance couldn’t have captured her pushing Jiang Ling, could it?
With this speculation in mind, her heartbeat accelerated. She pinched her palm to appear less scared, her eyes glued to the screen. In the footage, they were already at the entrance to the stairs.
The angle and distance of this surveillance camera were a bit off; it wasn’t very clear. It shouldn’t have recorded her pushing Jiang Ling…
But if it hadn’t recorded that, why would Grandpa be so angry?
She bit her lip, staring intensely at the screen, only to see herself in the footage raising her hand!
Her heart skipped a beat as she stared in disbelief at herself in the surveillance video.
How could it be? How could it possibly have captured that!!
How did this surveillance video end up with Grandpa? Who had sent it to him?
Her hand was blocked by Jiang Ling’s body.
The footage that followed showed Qiao Jing pulling Jiang Ling up.
Lou Xinrou felt like she had just escaped from a hopeless predicament, experiencing a sense of rebirth from a close call.
She took a deep breath, her breathing gradually returning to normal. Since the surveillance didn’t catch her in the act, she still had a chance to talk her way out of it.
Lou Pinshu spoke in a deep voice, his expression very serious.
“You still won’t admit that what happened to Jiang Ling involves you?”
Tears welled up in Lou Xinrou’s eyes, her voice full of grievance.
“Grandpa? You… do you suspect that I was the one who pushed Jiang Ling?”
Lou Pinshu didn’t speak but stared seriously at Lou Xinrou.
Seeing that Lou Pinshu didn’t believe her, Lou Xinrou turned to her parents, her eyes brimming with tears as she asked them.
“Dad, Mom, you don’t believe me either?”
Mr. and Mrs. Lou’s expressions were ugly, their gaze towards Lou Xinrou filled with doubt and scrutiny.
Lou Xinrou, stimulated by the suspicion in her family’s eyes, immediately burst into tears, looking as pitiable as ever, accusing them.
“We’re family! It’s fine if outsiders don’t believe me, I can bear it. I thought, at the very least, my own kin would believe me, but now…
Even you suspect me just like everyone else, why does everyone doubt me? I didn’t push Jiang Ling, but everyone thinks I did, why?!”
Lou Pinshu furrowed his brows, questioning her.
“In the surveillance footage, Qiao Jing didn’t lift a hand, but you did. What were you raising your hand for?”
Lou Xinrou looked innocent, crying with tears streaming down her face, defending herself.
“I was just trying to get my bag that was in the direction of Jiang Ling, I truly didn’t push her!”
Mrs. Lou saw how Lou Xinrou cried, her heart ached for her. She faced her father’s authority but still spoke up with determination.
“Dad, Xinrou was raised by me, I know best what kind of person she is, she wouldn’t do such a thing. Besides, the surveillance didn’t show her pushing Jiang Ling. Moreover, they were good friends, how could she possibly push Jiang Ling?”
As she said this, Mrs. Lou looked back at Lou Xinrou, whose tears continued to flow, her eyes red and swollen.
Mrs. Lou spoke again, her tone carrying certainty.
“Xinrou is my daughter, I gave birth to her, she isn’t that kind of person, she couldn’t have pushed Jiang Ling. Dad, please believe me.
“And you’re not unaware of Xinrou’s personality; she even gets upset over a dead stray cat by the roadside, let alone doing something that could harm others so deeply.”
Lou Pinshu did not relent, his expression remaining very stern, his words carrying a deterrent force.
“The investigation into this matter will continue, and if it turns out to be Xinrou’s doing, she will be dealt with according to family rules.”
As the head of the family, when he spoke to this extent, Mr. Lou and Mrs. Lou dared not say anything more.
Lou Xinrou’s eyelids twitched as she looked fearfully at Lou Pinshu, starting to feel afraid.
If she were to be dealt with according to the family rules, the consequences for her would be dire…
But then she thought, Brother Pei’s investigation only turned up some surveillance footage, which wasn’t any solid evidence.
The grandpa would definitely not find more conclusive evidence to prove that it was she who pushed Jiang Ling down the stairs.
Lou Xinrou finally let out a sigh of relief, holding back her tears, comforting herself.
They definitely won’t find out.
Zhan Qipei quietly opened the door of the rest room with two insulated containers in his hand.
He looked towards the bed and saw Qiao Jing sitting up in bed, her complexion still somewhat pale.
His heart ached. It had been difficult enough to nurse his wife back to health, and now these events had taken a toll on her again; he had failed in his responsibility as a husband.
Qiao Jing’s gaze lingered on the two insulated containers in Zhan Qipei’s hands for a second, then shifted away, looking towards the door behind him.
Zhan Qipei didn’t expect Qiao Jing to have heard the noise from outside the door. His expression changed slightly as he placed the insulated containers on the bedside cabinet and took a stool to sit by the bed.
“Yeah, they apologized to you.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Qiao Jing’s eyes, her confusion evident.
The commotion that Hong Juanfang and Liu Zheng made, it was as if they were about to tear the rest room door down, and then the voices abruptly became softer, and she couldn’t hear the conversation from outside.
But she hadn’t expected those two to apologize to her. Weren’t they convinced that she was the one who pushed Jiang Ling?
Zhan Qipei opened the lids of the insulated containers, releasing a rich soup aroma, and while ladling out the soup, he didn’t forget to explain the situation outside to Qiao Jing.
“Yes, Tang Yan reviewed the surveillance, you didn’t lay a hand on her, so they bowed and apologized, and told me to pass it on to you. Hong Juanfang said she wants to apologize to you in person once you’re feeling better.”
Qiao Jing paused for a moment, she had seen for herself that there were no cameras above their heads, so where did the surveillance Zhan Qipei mentioned come from?
She responded lightly.
“There’s no need for a personal apology, where is the surveillance?”
Zhan Qipei took out his phone, placed it in Qiao Jing’s hand, and scooped some porridge into another bowl.
“In the footage, Lou Xinrou lifted her hand, but then Jiang Ling blocked the view, so it’s unclear whether it was her who pushed.”
Qiao Jing played the surveillance clip, watching it three times, each time pausing where Lou Xinrou raised her hand.
She had also suspected that it was Lou Xinrou who pushed Jiang Ling.
There were only the three of them at that time, and after thinking it over carefully, since Jiang Ling was a good friend, it seemed unlikely that Lou Xinrou would be that malicious.
But after watching the footage, she felt it was very possible that Lou Xinrou was the one who pushed.
Because Lou Xinrou’s hand raising had that tendency.
She continued to replay the surveillance footage until a large hand reached over and pulled the phone from her hands.
Qiao Jing lifted her eyes to look at Zhan Qipei, blinking her starry eyes with a hint of puzzlement.