Chapter 174
Chapter 174
I had a rough idea of what Song Xiaotian was trying to do.
He was attacking her mind-Pan Xiaorou’s mind.
First, it was a probe. After all, the truth we’d arrived at through logical deduction was still only speculation, and speculation could be wrong.
But Pan Xiaorou’s reaction had already indirectly confirmed that our guess was correct.
What I hadn’t expected was that the people she sent hadn’t only been there to kill Tao Xiaoyu. They had actually planned to kill her husband, Xiang Kai, too.
The reason Song Xiaotian had changed his story on the spot was probably because he’d noticed how calm Pan Xiaorou was about Xiang Kai’s death. She could even chat and laugh as if nothing had happened.
Second, Song Xiaotian wanted leverage over Pan Xiaorou.
With our social status and identities, we had no right to negotiate with Pan Xiaorou at all. But if we got a hold over her, then the advantage would be ours.
After Song Xiaotian finished saying all that, Pan Xiaorou seemed rooted to the spot.
But this woman truly had nerves of steel. Not the slightest trace of panic showed on her face.
Yet the fact that she said nothing and made no response proved that her heart was already in chaos. She had no idea how to deal with Song Xiaotian.
“President Pan, for a woman to control such a large corporation is truly enviable.”
Song Xiaotian smiled faintly. “From now on, everyone will know Lanjiang City has a powerful businesswoman. The entire business world will know Lanjiang City has a beautiful female entrepreneur. You’ve achieved accomplishments and status some people could never reach in their entire lives.”
“But if all of that went pop, like a bubble bursting, it would be such a pity.”
“Ms. Pan, don’t you think that would be a pity?”
As the saying goes, attacking the mind is superior to attacking a city; psychological warfare is superior to armed warfare.
Song Xiaotian had been a police officer before, and he had interrogated plenty of criminals. His psychological tactics had reached a masterful level.
Pan Xiaorou still didn’t answer a single word.
After a long while, she lifted her eyes to Song Xiaotian and said expressionlessly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you have evidence, do whatever you want. But I will sue you. I will use the law to defend my innocence.”
“Be my guest.”
This woman really was hard to deal with.
Unhurried, Song Xiaotian said, “True. Xiang Kai’s death wasn’t carried out by the people you sent, so of course you feel confident. But since you were able to pin Tao Xiaoyu’s death on the first killer, why can’t we pin Xiang Kai’s death on the second killer?”
“I have to say, Ms. Pan, you really do have a strong heart. You think that now that your husband is dead, you can sit firmly in the chairman’s seat. But what you don’t realize is that the first killer is targeting your entire corporation. So let’s just wait and see how this plays out.”
With that, Song Xiaotian stood up directly, ready to leave.
I stood as well and followed him to the door.
Just as he pulled it open, Pan Xiaorou suddenly spoke again. “What do you want?”
The corners of Song Xiaotian’s mouth lifted into a smug smile, and he turned back to meet Pan Xiaorou’s eyes.
He walked up to her, then suddenly reached out and lifted her chin, smiling as he said, “President Pan, I want you.”
As soon as he said that, Pan Xiaorou’s gorgeous face flushed red.
I thought to myself, How did this guy go from negotiating to acting like a hooligan?
“You’re disgusting!”
Pan Xiaorou raised her hand and slapped Song Xiaotian’s hand away, furious. “If you dare get ideas about me, then you can die. I’ll make sure you don’t live to see tomorrow!”
Like some shameless old lecher, Song Xiaotian chuckled. “President Pan, I was just joking. Don’t get so worked up. What I want to ask you is this: do you know who killed your husband?”
Pan Xiaorou’s anger had not faded. She folded her arms across her chest and said coldly, “I don’t know.”
By then, we had sat back down again. Song Xiaotian asked curiously, “You really don’t know?”
Pan Xiaorou said, “Investigating cases is the police’s job. I just took over the company, and every day I’m buried in work. How would I have the time or energy to ask around about all that?”
It seemed she really didn’t care how her husband had died.
She was a woman with a strong focus on her career.
“Do you know Du Yunting?” Song Xiaotian asked.
“President Du of Weihai Group’s nephew?” Pan Xiaorou’s delicate brows drew together. “After President Du died, didn’t he take over Weihai Group? Why are you bringing him up?”
“He’s the killer who murdered your husband,” Song Xiaotian said.
Pan Xiaorou’s expression changed drastically, the shock on her face plain to see. “You’re saying… he killed Xiang Kai? With his own hands?”
Song Xiaotian nodded and said smugly, “I told you, we know a lot. He went to see your husband and demanded that your husband give up bidding on a major project. Your husband refused and even humiliated him. In a fit of rage, he butchered your husband-over twenty stab wounds.”
“We even know what they said to each other. We even know that before he stabbed your husband, he put on gloves.”
Song Xiaotian really was clever.
The details he mentioned were things we’d obtained through unconventional means. Even the police might not know them.
When Pan Xiaorou heard all this, she would be even more convinced that we knew a great deal-including the fact that she’d sent people to kill Xiang Kai and Tao Xiaoyu.
Those words only deepened the panic in her heart.
“How do you know so many details?” Pan Xiaorou demanded. “Are you Du Yunting’s people?”
Song Xiaotian shook his head. “We’re not Du Yunting’s people. On the contrary, we’re trying to deal with Du Yunting. And you don’t need to ask how we found out.”
“What I want to tell you is that Du Yunting is a madman. Over business matters, he actually resorted to knives and guns, all for the sake of that major project up for bidding in a few days. You should be preparing for the bid too, right?”
Pan Xiaorou’s face turned grave. She said, “Do you think a woman like me can sit in this position and keep it secure if I don’t do something for the company?”
Song Xiaotian said, “Then do you think Du Yunting will let you off once he knows you’re still going to keep bidding?”
Pan Xiaorou drew in a breath. “I don’t believe he would dare. This is a society ruled by law. Can he really cover the sky with one hand?”
Song Xiaotian shook his head. “You probably haven’t seen Xiang Kai’s body, have you? I don’t think you would go see it either.”
“If you had seen his body, you definitely wouldn’t be saying that. Over twenty stab wounds. I doubt you’d even recognize him as your husband.”
Pan Xiaorou might be a strong woman, and she certainly had some ability to have reached the position of chairwoman, but in the end, she was still a woman. There were some things she would still be afraid of.
For example, threats to her own safety.
She sat down, her alluring eyes sweeping straight over us. “So you’ve come to use me to deal with Du Yunting?”
Song Xiaotian nodded. “That’s right.”
Pan Xiaorou asked, “Which company are you from?”
Song Xiaotian said, “No comment.”
Pan Xiaorou asked, “What plan do you have?”
Song Xiaotian grinned. “The police know Du Yunting is the killer who murdered your husband. But as you know, Du Yunting can’t possibly be arrested. Right now, they’ve found a scapegoat.”
“We need President Pan to put pressure on the police and make them name Du Yunting as the suspect.”
“As long as Du Yunting is put on the back foot and is too busy looking after himself, you’ll be safe. At the same time, when it comes to the bidding, you’ll be able to seize the initiative.”
“But if we want to put him on the back foot, the first thing we need to do is get that scapegoat out.”