Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 408 - 381: The Extra Money

Mr. Qin spent a night in the detention center looking okay, just a bit tired, but his spirits were still good. After all, he had been through the days of being sent down to the countryside; he could weather the current situation without too much difficulty.

Seeing Mr. Qin in such a state, both Qin Xi and Li Xianglu breathed a sigh of relief. Then Qin Xi saw the police officer who was five meters away with his back turned and gave Li Xianglu a look—they had been searched upon arrival and were not allowed to bring in anything, so he had given the items to Li Xianglu in advance.

With Qin Xi standing by her side, Li Xianglu reached into her pocket and then pulled out the piece of paper from the Storage Ring. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Qin Xi briefly asked about the case, and Qin Shouren frowned upon looking at the paper. It turned out that the equipment company wasn’t his brother’s company—this scheme was deep indeed.

The paper detailed everything Qin Xi had found in the past two days; the only matter was not to let outsiders hear about it.

After talking for a while longer and as the time was almost up, Qin Shouren whispered, "After the incident, I went to the scene and saw that ECG monitor, which seemed different from the one we originally had. Could it have been swapped?"

Qin Xi furrowed his brows, and Li Xianglu widened her eyes in surprise—was it possible that someone had switched the devices?

Seeing the police officer turn around and cough to signal them to hurry up, Qin Xi quickly asked, "Dad, can you confirm it?"

Qin Shouren shook his head and said, "I can’t be sure. It just looked different because I examined each item carefully when we bought them. I remember the device had a missing rubber suction head, and I had it replaced, so my memory is clearer. I remember there was a scratch in the lower right corner of the machine, but I didn’t see it when I went there after the incident."

Qin Shouren quickly finished speaking and then coughed, signaling, "Alright, children, go on. Don’t worry about me; I am fine."

Qin Xi nodded, said a few words to the watchful officer, and then left with Li Xianglu the way they came.

On the way back, Qin Xi was driving and deep in thought while Li Xianglu pondered Mr. Qin’s words and asked, "Honey, do you think dad could have seen it wrong?"

Qin Xi glanced at Li Xianglu and nodded, "It’s possible, but we can’t rule out that the good device was indeed swapped."

Li Xianglu grew restless, "Then, do you think dad has to take full responsibility for this?"

Qin Xi considered and said, "It’s making quite the stir now, and after all, dad did sign to purchase the equipment. If the patient’s death were due to the equipment, dad would indeed be responsible for negligence and would be dismissed from his public position."

Li Xianglu was stunned—Mr. Qin was the dean, and if he were dismissed, even if he could practice medicine at another hospital later, this incident would always be a stain. It would absolutely cause emotional trauma, and to negate a lifetime of hard work like this was truly a pity.

After returning home, Xu Wu came over, appearing somewhat agitated. Li Xianglu pulled him to sit down without asking what happened first but instead said, "Have you eaten? I’ll make you some noodles."

Xu Wu, seeing Li Xianglu like this, showed a child-like smile and shook his head, "Not yet, I’m starving sis, I want beef."

Li Xianglu patted his shoulder and told Qin Xi, "You two talk, I’ll go make Xu Wu some noodles."

Qin Xi nodded, and after Li Xianglu had left, he asked, "What happened?" Xu Wu usually didn’t act like this, so Qin Xi was concerned that something tricky might have happened.

Xu Wu did not answer immediately but agitatedly tousled his hair before saying, "Uncle Qin’s salary card suddenly has an extra fifty thousand yuan."

Qin Xi’s eyes widened, his expression turned stern, and he smirked as if understanding that the other party was playing for keeps. If that was the game, then they would all play along.

Li Xianglu brought in three bowls of noodles; she hadn’t eaten much in the afternoon, and Qin Xi had only had a bun, so she simply made three bowls of noodles.

Grandfather and Su Yan also came in from the back, having just put the children to bed.

Qin Xi quickly ate his noodles and shared what happened to Xu Wu. Su Yan furrowed her brows as well—fifty thousand yuan, deposited after the purchase of the equipment. Now the situation became virtually indefensible.

Li Xianglu heard and asked, "Wasn’t dad in Huai County with Aunt Yang at that time? Couldn’t that be proof?"

Qin Xi nodded, and the old man added, "Indeed, at that time, your dad and Xiao Yang were in Huai County. Plus, the bank can provide evidence that the money was not deposited by the person in question—that can be used as evidence, right?"

Qin Xi shook his head and said, "The other side might claim it was a prearranged payment. Moreover, nobody has touched that money for so long. If it had been discovered earlier, it might have been better."

Xu Wu thought for a moment then laughed, "I think we’re missing the point. Why not prove that the money was for something else, like selling an antique, and received as a payment?"

Li Xianglu shook her head, "It’s not that simple. The other party could find a scapegoat to claim that it was Mr. Qin who wanted the equipment at that time and deposited the money himself."

Xu Wu frowned—it was a complex situation. He viciously thought about dealing with the wrongdoer. Li Xianglu saw Xu Wu’s look and knew what he was thinking. She smacked his shoulder and glared at him, and Xu Wu sheepishly lowered his head.

It was past ten o’clock, and Li Xianglu went to bed first, while Qin Xi and Xu Wu murmured about something in the study, not knowing when they would go to bed. The next morning, Li Xianglu woke to find the bed empty and saw Qin Xi in the bathroom washing up.

Li Xianglu glanced at the still-sleeping children and asked, "You didn’t stay up all night, did you?"

Qin Xi turned around with a smile, "I slept, but you were so sound asleep you didn’t notice. It’s still early, just seven. Sleep a bit more; I have to go out with Xu Wu, and we may not be back by noon. Just take care of the kids."

Li Xianglu nodded but didn’t go back to sleep. Instead, she helped Qin Xi prepare his coat, pants, and shoes and watched him change. She took out a small bowl of wontons from the Storage Ring.

Qin Xi ate the wontons helplessly, finished up, and took the pack of buns Li Xianglu handed him before leaving.

Qin Xi was gone the entire day. Li Xianglu stayed home with the two children, while Grandfather made several calls and was picked up by a car for an afternoon. Su Yan also handled some matters over the phone, even having Xu Xi contact a lawyer.

It was only at midnight that the two men returned, looking travel-worn. As October approached, the weather became chillier, and the night air held a bite of cold. The underfloor heating at home had already been turned on.