Street Hustler and His Policewoman Wife-Chapter 124: Following the Crowd

Sitting inside Liu Guai’s house.

Liu Guai was making tea, while the woman from earlier brought over a variety of fruits, dried fruits, and a pile of snacks.

Very enthusiastic.

Enthusiastic enough to make Luo Dali feel a bit dazed.

He had initially thought he’d have to prepare for a fight upon meeting Liu Guai.

Liu Guai placed two cups of hot tea in front of Chen Xiao and Luo Dali, then slowly sat down.

Chen Xiao glanced at him and smiled, "It seems like Mr. Liu has been waiting for me all along."

Liu Guai made no attempt to hide it: "You’re right, I even know you’re here for Xiao Diandian’s matter."

"Seems like I was overthinking before I came." Chen Xiao joked.

Liu Guai didn’t mind: "Everyone in the neighboring villages smiles at me when they see me, but I’m aware that as soon as they turn their backs, they’d curse my ancestors eighteen generations back."

"Since Mr. Liu knows my intention, let’s not beat around the bush. What’s your take on Xiao Diandian’s matter?"

Chen Xiao didn’t ask whether Liu Guai was involved in Xiao Diandian’s matter, but instead asked his opinion.

Liu Guai was a bit surprised and, after a pause, said: "I thought I was being so straightforward that you’d straightforwardly interrogate me. After all, with the matter occurring at Ah Ping’s place, surely many suspect me."

Chen Xiao nodded but didn’t respond, and Liu Guai pulled the woman beside him to sit down as well.

"Actually, such suspicions are baseless. You see, this is my current wife, Zhou Zhiyu. Would I still have thoughts about Ah Ping? There’s a world of difference between them." Liu Guai seemed somewhat proud and then patted his disabled leg:

"Besides, if I really wanted revenge, why wait until now?!"

Chen Xiao watched Liu Guai’s expression.

He could tell Liu Guai wasn’t lying.

Moreover, the strangest thing was that Liu Guai’s eyes didn’t show much hatred, but rather confusion.

This made Chen Xiao curious and he asked, "Is there something Mr. Liu can’t understand?"

"Indeed, I can’t understand. That Chen Yan is very clever and ruthlessly cunning. Yet, despite him being so harsh, I don’t understand why Ah Ping would still be so devoted to him."

Chen Xiao realized he also found this matter perplexing.

Thinking for a moment, Chen Xiao smiled, "Perhaps love just doesn’t make sense."

"Indeed, I was also devoted to Ah Ping back in the day, but she wouldn’t even glance at me. I can’t understand why, if she looked down on me so much, she would risk her life to jump into the water and save me."

Chen Xiao squinted his eyes.

He wanted to remind Liu Guai that there were others around, but found it impossible to articulate.

After lightly coughing twice, Chen Xiao asked, "Would it be convenient to ask about Mr. Liu’s leg?"

"There’s nothing inconvenient. I mentioned Chen Yan is viciously ruthless. My leg wasn’t crippled by him, but was broken by my father in front of him."

Chen Xiao’s gaze sharpened. Liu Guai explained candidly:

"I don’t know how he found out, but at that time, my father did something terrible and he caught the leverage against it. If my father didn’t break my leg, our Liu family’s business would have suffered greatly. To save the family business, I had my father break it with a steel rod."

"As expected, rumors fly. If I hadn’t found Mr. Liu, I might have assumed Chen Yan intimidated you." Chen Xiao commented.

Liu Guai raised his head, eyes complicated: "Honestly, I’d rather face a business rival than be entangled with Chen Yan again. That man has no principles and uses any means to achieve his goals."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao started to ponder, and the living room fell silent.

After a while, Liu Guai’s wife said, "Old Liu, I’ll go prepare lunch. It’s almost time."

Just as Chen Xiao was about to say something, Liu Guai interjected: "Mr. Chen, if you don’t mind, stay for lunch at my place."

"Alright, then I’ll impose." Chen Xiao didn’t hesitate.

Liu Guai smiled and nodded, and the woman went to the kitchen to cook.

As she left, Chen Xiao said, "The shoes on Yang Ziping’s feet were bought by you, weren’t they?"

At the Qingxi City Bureau police team entrance, when Chen Xiao first saw Yang Ziping, she was wearing pair of relatively new shoes.

Although those shoes have since been worn down, Chen Xiao, recalling Liu Guai’s reaction, asked.

Liu Guai chuckled bitterly: "Thank you, Mr. Chen, for not asking that earlier. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known how to reply."

Chen Xiao shook his head, Liu Guai sighed: "Once, I fell into the water and almost drowned due to my poor swimming skills. Ah Ping jumped from the bridge to save me. Since then, Ah Ping stirred strange feelings within me."

"But people in these villages thought I was attracted to Ah Ping’s looks, boasting arrogantly with my family’s small fortune and never explaining it. When we grew up, I tried the stupidest means of forcing a marriage, until Chen Yan arrived and I saw Ah Ping truly loved him, after which I gave up."

"Was she particularly graceful during those good times?" Chen Xiao asked.

Liu Guai answered without hesitation: "Yes, she didn’t have any temper, spoke gently, was kind to everyone, and incredibly strong—as if nothing in the world could panic her. In this area, aside from me, there were many who proposed marriage to her, some even wanting to marry into her family."

"No wonder her image and temperament might be the ’white moonlight’ in many hearts."

Liu Guai curiously asked, "What’s ’white moonlight’ mean?"

Chen Xiao laughed: "Nothing, just a metaphor. Let’s continue discussing Xiao Diandian’s issue, have you investigated after she went missing?"

"I looked into it for a while, but eventually got too busy with my own life and stopped searching."

Chen Xiao acknowledged with a hum, continuing to ponder about Liu Guai.

From their conversation, every word and expression from Liu Guai appeared very natural.

Thus, he didn’t seem to be lying or acting.

Inappropriate remarks for such contexts naturally came from him too.

Concluding this dialogue, Chen Xiao felt Liu Guai was not the person he had originally perceived.

Of course, it might be due to not deeply interacting with Liu Guai.

Evaluating someone is never determined in a few words.

After some thought, Chen Xiao asked one final question: "I heard your family once had a ’holding room’?"

Liu Guai froze for a moment, then laughed: "What holding room? That’s just a rumor. Mr. Chen surely understands my family’s business, and competition’s fierce in our line, each rival more ruthless. To establish oneself, sometimes you must be more ruthless."

"So-called ’holding room’ was actually a small brick house built for mountain guards when my family contracted the forest. That’s all."

"Have you been there recently?"

Liu Guai shook his head: "Why would I? I didn’t steal Xiao Diandian, we live under the rule of law now, and that little house’s long abandoned."

Chen Xiao’s gaze subtly sharpened: "Then let’s go for a walk later!"