Han Likang thought he was joking, "Don't be silly! Be serious with me, this is an important issue."
"Do I look like I have the time or wherewithal to joke with you?"
Seeing that he was really serious, Han Likang sat down on the only available chair in shock, "What? How is that possible?"
Ignoring him, Han Leifeng wore his shirt and walked out to make a cup of coffee. His head was threatening to split open, less from the hangover and more from the recent developments.
Problems really came in torrents and not trickles for him.
He really regretted his stupidity. Why did he have to drink himself into oblivion and let that mentally unstable woman take advantage of him?
Now Bai Meixiang was one thing, but how could he also be so stupid as to spill the beans about Pei Yueran to his father?
Knowing now that he wasn't as simple as he formerly appeared, what's to say that he would not pose a different kind of danger to them?
Han Likang came out at the moment, grabbing the mug of coffee that had just been freshly brewed and taking a gulp. Han Leifeng looked at him with an annoyed expression before turning to make another one.
"If it's truly as you say, then we shouldn't waste any time. Let's pick a date to go and formally inform the Gao family. We could pick a date for the remarriage that day as well."
Han Leifeng looked at him. He really wanted to ask, "did you by chance leave your brain in my bedroom?"
Facing his piercing stare, Han Likang finally reacted, "What, was she not happy to see you?"
That's not right. He faintly remembered the young woman he saw weeping bitterly after the doctor announced Han Lei's death back then, looking as though she was about to faint away. Why wouldn't she be happy to know he was alive?
Han Leifeng sneered. So this was where he got his boundless confidence from. Who knew such useless traits were actually inheritable?
"If your wife who died nine years ago suddenly popped up in front of you today, would you be jumping for joy now?"
"What nonsense is that? How can a ghost—"
Seeing that he had almost been led astray by Han Leifeng, Han Likang's temper surged again.
"Forget it. Just make sure you come to the old house for dinner tonight, your grandfather is waiting for you. As for this matter, let us discuss it then," he spoke almost absentmindedly.
Han Leifeng didn't answer and Han Likang, who was preoccupied by his thoughts, didn't notice.
He left soon afterwards, and Han Leifeng was happy to be left alone with his thoughts. He tried Gao Tinghua once more and when he still didn't pick, finally gave up.
He couldn't believe Gao Tinghua could be so childish. What would ignoring his calls amount to?
Since he couldn't do anything about Bai Meixiang for now, he would play it by the ear. Thinking about Pei Yueran and Han Yichen, he frowned again, thinking.
Since Pei Yueran was not ready to forgive him, perhaps he should start with his son. No matter what, his son would forgive him more easily.
Blood is thicker than water after all.
*****
Gao Tinghua was not ignoring his calls out of childishness, but because he had been very busy.
Since the Li couple left, he had not rested. On one hand, he was busy investigating what happened at the banquet. On the other hand, he was also dealing with the men from the mysterious organization.
Charlie had caught a total of five men, but they were all very tight lipped. In spite of all the means they employed, they refused to spill. So he gave up finding information from them and just gave them to Gao Tinghua to play with them to his heart's content.
It had only been one day, but it was to the extent that their resolves were clearly weakening. A few of them even trembled whenever Gao Tinghua approached.
Now as he sat in his study holding the results of his investigation, he estimated that Li Chuanmo and his sister should have arrived home and put a call through.
Li Chuanmo, who was busy trying to get what he couldn't get on the plane from Pei Yueran, couldn't even sigh when the ringing of his phone gave her the excuse she had been looking for.
"You attend to that call while I just go and get ready for bed," She said before slipping out of his arms and walking away quickly.
"This had better be important," was what greeted Gao Tinghua's ears as soon as the call connected, making him realize that he probably interrupted something.
"My apologies Brother-in-law, I thought you would have settled in by now. Did I delay your urgent business perhaps?" He was eager to snoop around and uncover his secrets.
"The important matter that couldn't wait for a while?" Li Chuanmo was naturally not ready to waste words at all. He had more interesting things on his mind.
"It's like this Brother-in-law; I found out that my aunt had a hand in yesterday's events." Gao Tinghua announced with pride. It was the shortest amount of time in which he had investigated a serious matter.
"How?" Li Chuanmo replied without a change in tone. He had guessed that from the get go.
Gao Tinghua's eyes narrowed in admiration before reporting, "Madam Jiu said my aunt was the one that told her to occupy my elder sister for a while. She said that my aunt promised to give her husband a contract if she got her to reveal some information."
When Li Chuanmo didn't comment, he continued, "She said she was a bit surprised since the information she was asked to get was very simple, but she did it anyway because she didn't see the harm.
Madam Jiu also said that a waiter had already been arranged to stain their clothes, but the waiter that eventually did it wasn't the one they hired."
Li Chuanmo still didn't say anything, but his mind was thousands of miles away. Like this, it wasn't a stretch to conclude that Gao Lanmei was pretty suspicious. His current speculation was that she might even have ties to the mysterious organization, but he didn't voice it out.
"Did you look into her driver?" He asked.
Gao Tinghua nodded as if Li Chuanmo could see him, "Yes I did, and he said someone threatened him to do so, else his family would be killed. I already let him go."
It wasn't that Gao Tinghua suddenly found his conscience, but that the driver was seriously too chicken-hearted. Just hearing Gao Tinghua's name terrified him so badly that he peed his pants. Even before being questioned, he spilled everything with snot and tears.
Gao Tinghua also felt helpless.
The novel is winding down, and your writer is slowing down her writing too :-D