Back to Three Years Old: Crushing Scumbags on a Parenting Reality Show 182

Chapter 182

From the moment Lu Shíjīn’s photo appeared on the screen, every word He Rongzheng uttered was a bombshell.

Wei Maomao, who had been slouching in her booster seat, casually listening to the introductions of relatives, sat up straight, her little fists clenched. She was shocked that Lu Shíjīn was sent by the He family and amazed by her newly found grandpa’s efficiency.

At the Wei family’s house, He Rongzheng had only briefly mentioned his long and costly search, which ended with an anonymous phone call from a kind-hearted fortune teller who didn’t ask for anything in return and whose number was no longer in service.

And now, he was talking about another matter the fortune teller had warned him about, besides his missing wife and child. Those two… unfriendly names.

Thanks to the fortune teller’s warning, He Rongzheng, still in the restaurant, his tears not yet dry, his heart still suspicious, quickly released some false information and urged his niece, He Lanxi, whom he had favored for years, to fly to Cangshan City, two thousand kilometers away.

Although he had sent her away… He Lanxi loved visiting his old villa whenever he was in the country. When she was younger, she came alone, later with her husband, and now with her children, they even stayed at the old villa for extended periods.

He Rongzheng had always kept the core business of the He Group in his own hands. He was still hoping to find his wife and child, so he was wary, he didn’t want to encourage his nieces and nephews’ ambitions. Even as he grew older and less capable, he hired professional managers instead of handing over the reins to his family, He Lanxi only managed some side businesses, like the publishing house and the newly established entertainment company. But since He Lanxi lived in the old villa, and sometimes, when he went to the company, she insisted on accompanying him, he let her.

He Rongzheng was old; the people in his family and company, seeing the shifting tides, tried to curry favor with his nieces and nephews, engaging in minor exchanges of favors, He Rongzheng had always turned a blind eye.

Because of this, He Lanxi, as his most favored niece, had extensive connections with the people around him.

And so, if what the fortune teller said was true, if He Lanxi truly had a problem… He Rongzheng couldn’t help but become suspicious, he no longer fully trusted anyone around him.

And it was precisely when he needed people the most, He Rongzheng sat in his hotel room, going through his list of contacts.

Those who frequently interacted with He Lanxi were the first to be ruled out, those he had met were also… suspicious. If his most beloved niece had a problem, then what about his other nieces and nephews… those who had connections with them, it was best not to use them either…

After eliminating them, who was left?

Not to mention his subordinates, even his close friends in the city, they had all watched his nieces and nephews grow up… He Lanxi even visited them on his behalf during holidays, bringing gifts.

They were all useless.

Holding this precious information, He Rongzheng couldn’t find anyone he trusted to verify it, thinking about his past trust and indulgence, he was almost angered to death.

At the restaurant, after everyone left, He Rongzheng, sitting amidst the empty plates and glasses, lost in thought, even briefly considered Shen Jianghe. He had searched online, Shen Jianghe and Shen Zilin were on that variety show with Zhang Shilan and her daughter last year, and now, he received the news that his daughter might be Zhang Shilan while having dinner with them, it was a bit too much of a coincidence. And he had only met Shen Jianghe once at a business event a few years ago, they barely interacted after that, this sudden invitation from Shen Jianghe was also a bit…

From the coincidence to recalling the details of their dinner, He Rongzheng’s intuition told him that even if Shen Jianghe knew something, he was probably an ally, not an enemy. But sadly, they were barely acquainted, he couldn’t entrust such an important matter to him based on just intuition.

In the end, He Rongzheng carefully chose an old friend from another city, someone he had gone through ups and downs with in the business world when they were young, they had their own businesses and lives now, they rarely met, but they still kept in touch online.

An old friend who probably hadn’t been approached by his family, especially not by He Lanxi, someone who probably wasn’t very valuable to them.

Truly, old friends were the best.

The people his old friend provided last night, the information they gathered kept pouring in, and this morning, his old friend even came in person.

This morning, He Rongzheng, using the excuse of meeting his old friend, got rid of his usual bodyguards and driver, he left the hotel through the back door with the people he hired last night, got into his old friend’s car, and went to the Wei family’s house.

His old friend was efficient, but also quite blunt, when he took out the wig and mask, he even commented that He Rongzheng, at his age, was being too cautious. Those who knew would think he was guarding against his family, those who didn’t would think he was on a spy mission.

He Rongzheng, embarrassed, still put on the wig, sunglasses, and used a cane when they reached the Wei family’s building, he had his bodyguards carry the wheelchair and entered the building separately.

His old friend, after providing him with people, traveling overnight to help him investigate, politely said that he would lend these people to He Rongzheng for now and wouldn’t ask about what they were doing unless He Rongzheng told him himself. What could He Rongzheng say? Could he tell him that the mess in the He family was even more complicated than a spy mission?

Unlike the chaotic past, when it was difficult to trace the source even with money, now, as long as they knew the key person, with the price He Rongzheng offered, it was easy to unravel everything.

Starting with He Lanxi and Zhang Shilan, then Bai Lei, then his other nieces and nephews, their network of relationships was investigated, and He Rongzheng found Lu Shíjīn last night.

Lu Shíjīn, to be precise, was someone kept by the Bai family to do their dirty work. This time, he was hired by Bai Lei to approach Wei Chengli, to somehow obtain the hair of either the wife or the little girl. Of course, Lu Shíjīn, having only been to the Wei family’s house once, hadn’t succeeded yet.

But it was enough to shock He Rongzheng.

The person was arranged by Bai Lei, but who was behind Bai Lei, it was obvious. And this Lu Shíjīn had already entered their home! This was just stealing hair, if it were something else… He Rongzheng didn’t think He Lanxi secretly trying to get Zhang Shilan and her daughter’s hair was meant to be a surprise for him.

Lu Shíjīn was still tight-lipped. He only revealed bits and pieces after a long interrogation last night. This morning, while He Rongzheng was taking him to three different DNA testing centers, following his old friend’s arrangements, he finally managed to get two more pieces of information out of him, about the conversation he overheard between Bai Lei and her daughter, Cheng Rongrong, when he was summoned by Bai Lei for the task.

It was about Bai Lei’s daughter saying something about checking with a publishing house if Zhang Shilan had a novel about a certain month, if she did, then it was almost certain.

Lu Shíjīn only overheard a few words; he didn’t hear everything clearly, they stopped talking as soon as he approached.

Even after learning that one of his targets was named Zhang Shilan, he didn’t ask about their earlier conversation. It wasn’t that Lu Shíjīn was professional and discreet, it was because… Although he was hired by the Bai family to do their dirty work, he was still quite superstitious. When he walked over, he happened to see Bai Lei’s daughter’s face, how should he put it, the hatred and malice in her expression when she said those words, coupled with her young age and small stature, it was quite unsettling.

This was why Lu Shíjīn, although he didn’t ask, remembered those few vague words.

He Rongzheng, after a night and a morning of investigation, besides his emotional outbursts and his old friend’s complaints, he shared most of the important details with the three people before him.

His other nieces and nephews also had their issues; they had even tampered with some of the leads he received over the years, but for now, they didn’t seem to be related to Zhang Shilan. Only He Lanxi, Bai Lei, oh, and now Bai Lei’s strange daughter, this line mentioned by the fortune teller, it was connected to Zhang Shilan.

“From what I’ve gathered, Lu Shíjīn was summoned by Bai Lei on October 4th. And based on what Bai Lei and he said, they had someone watching your building from the morning of October 2nd, but you two didn’t leave the house those two days, except for Lili, they couldn’t get close, so they sent Lu Shíjīn to approach Lili. Oh, and don’t worry, I already had people check this morning, the person watching your building is gone now. The task was probably transferred to Lu Shíjīn.” He Rongzheng said, glancing at the downcast Wei Chengli.

Mmm, not so happy anymore, right?

So now the question was…

He Rongzheng, after recounting his investigation, looked at the three stunned people before him and concluded, “Now we just need to figure out how they found out about Lanlan before I did… Because I didn’t want to alert them, I haven’t investigated further. So, let me ask you, think carefully, before this National Day holiday, recently, did anything unusual happen? Like, discussing the search for my daughter, talking about Lanlan’s parents, Lanlan’s childhood, did anyone contact you about Yanmu Village, the place where I went with your mother? Anything related, anything that might lead them to suspect my relationship with Lanlan? And that thing Bai Lei’s daughter mentioned, about a publishing house, a certain month, a novel?”

“A novel about a certain month, is it ‘Moon of Qingqiu’?” Wei Chengli asked, a thought suddenly striking him, he looked up at He Rongzheng, his eyes wide.

“Moon… of Qingqiu?” He Rongzheng said, after a moment of confusion, he looked at Wei Chengli excitedly. “Right, Qingqiu, that night, I jokingly told Lanlan’s mom that she was like a fox fairy from Qingqiu, descending from the moon to save a mundane mortal like me. That night… that night… Lili, the novel you mentioned…”

“Oh, that’s…” Wei Chengli said, finally having a chance to impress his new father-in-law, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to explain.

Just then, a certain stinky dumpling stood up in her booster seat and shouted, “Dad, Mom, I need to go to the bathroom!”

“What’s going on, why are you calling for Dad… Ask Mom to take you. Dad is talking to Grandpa.” Wei Chengli said, rubbing his ear, which was ringing from her shout, he glanced at the little rascal, annoyed.

Zhang Shilan looked at the little chubby baby, standing stiffly in her booster seat, she looked so tense… like a frozen rice cake.

Before Zhang Shilan could speak, the stiff rice cake pointed her chubby arm at her not-so-bright husband.

“Grandpa, look, my dad doesn’t take care of children, he just makes your daughter do it!” Wei Maomao said, accusingly.

“Okay, okay, okay, I’ll take you, I’ll take you! You, who could go to the bathroom and shower by yourself last year, are you regressing now that Grandpa is here?” Wei Chengli said, exasperated and amused by the sudden accusation, he stood up, pulled the little rascal out of her booster seat, and turned to He Rongzheng with a smile. “I’ll continue after I come back…”

“It’s a novel I’m writing, inspired by the story Mom told me about you two. The working title is ‘Moon of Qingqiu,’ but it’s just a first draft, I haven’t even contacted the publisher yet, besides Chengli, no one else should know about it.” Zhang Shilan said, interrupting Wei Chengli with a smile, she then glanced at Wei Chengli while He Rongzheng seemed lost in thought.

A warning glance from his wife, who had just lied. A pinch from the little rascal in his arms.

Wei Chengli swallowed the words “You also told Yan Yan about it on Mid-Autumn Festival.”

This look and this pinch calmed Wei Chengli, who was eager to redeem himself in his father-in-law’s eyes.

Thinking about it, although it wasn’t just him who knew, mentioning Yan Yan now… Bai Lei’s stepdaughter, Cheng Rongrong’s half-sister, it didn’t seem appropriate…

At least, this little rascal definitely wouldn’t approve.

Wei Chengli, his arm aching from the pinch, didn’t dare to stay any longer, he quickly carried the little rascal, who claimed to need to use the bathroom, out of the room.