novelraw Chapter 465 - 464: The Suspected Culprit
Chapter 465 - 464: The Suspected Culprit
Ji Rui specifically bought those two puppies back; they’re Alaskan malamute sled dogs, one with grey and white fur, the other black and white.Baobao didn’t know Ji Rui had specially bought him two puppies, he only thought they were going to the pet shop to see White and Little Bai. When he saw White and Little Bai snuggling together in the cage, eyes closed, fast asleep, he was disappointed. He didn’t want to wake the kittens, but his little mouth pouted unhappily.
Ji Rui found it amusing and patted his head to comfort him.
"Alright, Daddy will take you to see other little animals."
Had he not heard him mention the excitement about Luo Yuanyuan’s dogs a few days ago, Ji Rui wouldn’t have realized the little guy liked dogs so much.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time Baobao showed his liking for dogs. But previously, Ji Rui mostly had an indifferent attitude toward Baobao. What he liked or disliked wasn’t important to Ji Rui, nor was there a need to put special effort into caring for it. So, even if Baobao mentioned it, he habitually ignored and forgot it.
"What is it? Is it a monkey?"
Baobao blinked excitedly, his dark eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.
Ji Rui thought, "No way, is this kid more interested in monkeys than dogs?"
Unbeknownst to Ji Rui, Baobao had such a guess because the pet shop clerk had once told him there were several little monkeys in cages in the yard and invited him to take a look.
And Ji Rui was heading in the direction of the yard.
"Of course not!"
Ji Rui shook his head in denial, and Baobao, full of curiosity, looked up at Le Tong.
It was rare for Ji Rui to be playful and want to surprise his baby son, so Le Tong certainly couldn’t ruin his plan. She also shook her head, pressing her lips to indicate she would never betray.
When Baobao stepped out into the yard and saw the two dogs in the big cage in the middle, he immediately let go of Le Tong and Ji Rui’s hands and ran over.
"Wow, these two dogs are so beautiful!"
Ji Rui walked up behind him, squatting down to hug him, "Baobao, do you like them?"
Baobao’s gaze never left, as if glued with 502 adhesive to the two puppies.
"Hmm, of course I like them!"
Baobao responded enthusiastically, his eyes alight with excitement, staring at the two puppies for a long while. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, and his eyes dimmed.
"But Mommy won’t let Baobao keep them." His tone carried a bit of grievance and helplessness.
Le Tong felt inexplicably sad. Though he’s only a six-year-old, he has to give up many pleasures that someone his age should enjoy.
He used to love swimming with Ji Rui, but since he’s been ill, not only swimming but even taking a bath can’t be too leisurely; he must finish bathing within the scheduled time.
His fondness for cats and dogs also had to be set aside due to his health condition, discarding the idea of bringing these pets home.
"Baobao, we can buy them first and later bring them home with Little Bai. How does that sound?"
The dull look in Baobao’s eyes immediately regained its usual spark.
"Daddy, are we really buying them?"
Before Ji Rui could answer, he had already stretched out his little hand to touch the black and white puppy.
"You will be called Little Black. The other is Little Grey!"
Le Tong couldn’t help but chuckle on the side; this little guy could come up with names effortlessly.
Baobao took out the little round ball that White and Little Bai loved playing with and rolled it over to Little Black. Little Black kicked it with his paw, and the ball went straight back to Baobao’s feet.
Baobao didn’t mind, not even a bit annoyed, and his patience was several times that usual. He squatted on the ground and tossed the ball again, this time towards Little Grey.
Seeing Baobao playing cheerfully with the two puppies, Ji Rui and Le Tong wisely refrained from disturbing him, dragging over some chairs casually thrown into the yard, sitting down with their eyes glued to Baobao.
"Being a child is wonderful!" Le Tong said wistfully, perhaps recalling recent experiences.
Ji Rui turned and looked at her affectionately, "If you’re willing, I’d pamper you like a child for life."
Le Tong shivered instinctively, raising her hand to touch her arm as goosebumps crept up.
This man must have searched for some cringe-worthy words online, right?
Otherwise, with his usual cold and sullen demeanor, how could he speak such sweet, doting words?
"Ji Rui, wake up; this style doesn’t suit you. Try a different approach!" Le Tong rolled her eyes at him.
While the adults were chatting and bantering, Baobao was already playing with Little Black and Little Grey, cheerful laughter ringing out occasionally, mixed with the barking of small dogs.
With new friends, Baobao completely forgot about his beloved White and Little Bai. He ran and jumped around the yard, soon sweating all over.
Though Le Tong chatted with Ji Rui, her gaze rarely left Baobao. Seeing him sweaty from playing, she took a clean towel from her bag and went over to help him wipe sweat.
"Alright, Baobao, no playing too late!"
Although Baobao’s health has been improving, even in good condition, his stamina and tolerance still differ slightly compared to healthy people, so he tires easily.
Baobao reluctantly said goodbye to Little Black, Little Grey, White, and Little Bai, obediently following his parents out of the pet shop.
When they arrived, the three of them strolled slowly along the roadside, but on the way back, they took the car that Xiao Li had parked outside, waiting for some time.
The car stopped by the roadside outside the building, Ji Rui was about to get out to open the door and let the mother and son out when he heard Xiao Li say, "Boss, Mr. Huang just called and said he has some documents to show you in person. Should he bring them to the office tomorrow, or...?"
Ji Rui checked the time, looked up at Le Tong, just about to say something, when he heard her say, "You go ahead, I’ll take Baobao home to rest first."
During this period of living and eating together, Le Tong already knew that Mr. Huang, whom Xiao Li mentioned, was a very capable private investigator, and it seemed he was also the one gathering information on the case of Ji Rui being assaulted.
Calling this late at night must be to report something urgent.
"But..."
Ji Rui’s words of concern hadn’t yet been spoken when Le Tong leaned over, kissed him, and said, "Alright, Baobao and I will head back, and you make sure you’re back soon. If you’re back too late, I won’t open the door for you."
Le Tong’s words were clearly spoken with a smile, obviously joking.
The house used a fingerprint system to open the door, so as long as Ji Rui’s hand was fine, there would be no embarrassing moment of being locked out.
The case of the attempted murder was something Ji Rui was anxious to resolve; only by finding the real culprit could he eliminate the potential threat to Baobao or Le Tong.
"Then... alright, you go home first, I’ll try to be quick."
Ji Rui watched as Le Tong and Baobao entered the elevator under the escort of bodyguards, then instructed Xiao Li to drive.
"Xiao Li, ask him for the location now, and I’ll head over immediately."
Xiao Li received the order, responded, and then picked up the phone to make a call.
"Boss, Mr. Huang said he’s at home now. If you don’t mind, you can go to his place to talk."
In the past, Ji Rui would never have gone to the home of someone he wasn’t personally close with. But now, he wanted to get the useful information as soon as possible and then quickly return home.
"Alright, his place it is."
At this hour, the main roads were congested, and it took Xiao Li ten minutes to cover just over a hundred meters in the dense traffic.
The car stopped at a red light, Ji Rui looked at the direction indicator, furrowed his brow, "Xiao Li, did you get the address wrong?"
"Boss, there are too many cars now; there’s an old road nearby that’s not congested."
Ji Rui nodded, "Uh-huh!"
More than half an hour later, Ji Rui was already sitting on the sofa at Mr. Huang’s house, taking the tea offered by him.
"Mr. Huang, no need for formalities, let’s get straight to the point; just say whatever needs to be said."
Mr. Huang nodded repeatedly and handed him a bulging envelope full of documents from the sofa.
"The video from that day, I’ve been investigating and verifying for several days, but I’m still at a loss."
Ji Rui was holding the tea cup, hearing this made his expression freeze, and he put down the cup with a snap.
"Then why did you urgently call me over?" Ji Rui’s tone was a bit sharp.
Ji Rui now regretted it; had he known there were no leads, he should have let this person personally deliver the useless material tomorrow instead; he wanted to be home with Le Tong and his son.
Mr. Huang chuckled, seemingly indifferent to Ji Rui’s harsh attitude. "Mr. Ji, please listen to me first."
Mr. Huang had worked with Ji Rui for a long time, but recently, Ji Rui had changed, becoming more humane, and seemingly more attached to home. This Ji Rui was unfamiliar, yet increasingly like a real person of flesh and blood.
Ji Rui impatiently furrowed his brows at him, his gaze fierce, as if to say, you better have reliable news for me, or see how I’ll deal with you!
Mr. Huang was spooked by the look, shivered, and picked up the document bag, pulling out a thick stack of documents.
"Weren’t you asking Brother Li to check that restaurant thing for me a couple of days ago?"
Ji Rui squinted, "Is there a connection here?"
"Yes, there is actually a connection!" Mr. Huang snapped his fingers, pulled out a few sheets from the thick stack, and handed them to Ji Rui.
Ji Rui, getting some inkling, took the documents, "Don’t tell me, that person is Ji Wen’s brother-in-law!"
He had suspected the brothers Ji Wen and Ji Wu, but always felt the likelihood was very low.
For one, the brothers were still in prison in Y Country, and their wives and children were also there. The last they returned was probably for last year’s Spring Festival.
Mr. Huang shook his head, "Of course not."
Ji Rui was dumbfounded, "Then who?"
"It’s not Ji Wen’s brother-in-law, but his brother-in-law’s wife."
Ji Rui exclaimed, dismissing Mr. Huang as trying to make a fool of him.
"That man that day was actually a woman disguised as a man. His wife used to be a model, tall and slender, so dressing as a man was no trouble at all."