Chapter 108 - 80: The Dumbfounding Xu De

Meanwhile.

7:50 in the morning.

Xu De arrived at the law firm the three of them had opened together, only to find Wang Chao already standing at the entrance.

"Tsk, ’Houde Law Firm’."

Wang Chao gazed at the law firm’s name, a touch of emotion on his face.

Noticing Xu De walk up behind him, he turned his head, his face full of admiration.

"Lawyer Xu, this is a great name!"

"Honestly, every time I come to the firm, I feel like I’m becoming a man of high moral standing!"

Xu De ignored him.

’Houde Law Firm.’ That was the name of the firm he’d established.

It was located in the center of Lusen City, only two kilometers from the municipal building—a prime spot with abundant political resources. The office was two hundred and forty square meters, and he had no idea where Lin Yue had managed to secure it.

"Where’s Lawyer Lin?"

Xu De asked.

Wang Chao dropped the playful act and pointed to the car beside them. "She’s in the car waiting for you."

Xu De nodded. "Let’s go."

Without another word, the two walked briskly to the car.

SLAM!

The car door was pulled open, and Xu De plopped into the passenger seat. Wang Chao got into the driver’s seat, and seeing that everyone was there, he turned the key and stepped on the gas.

VROOM~!

The car slowly began to move.

As they pulled away, a voice came from the back seat. "What took you so long?"

Lin Yue, in the back, glanced at her watch with a hint of suspicion.

"Got held up by something on the way. It’s not a big deal."

Xu De said casually, then asked, "How did it go with the welfare institute?"

Lin Yue refocused and, after a moment’s thought, replied:

"I spoke with them on the phone last night. We can go this morning."

A visit to the welfare institute required an appointment, which had to be arranged by phone in advance. Of course, you could go without one.

But for the three of them, making an appointment was for the best.

Why?

They were there to investigate and gather evidence. They had to follow procedure!

Otherwise, if something went wrong, no one would take responsibility, and they would be left with nothing but regret. Not to mention...

Jiaqin Welfare Institute was different from an ordinary one. They were here to find evidence of violations, and the probability of trouble was not small at all!

Fortunately...

"Currently, the welfare institute is managed by a middle-aged woman named Cheng Tao, who serves as the director."

"She and the director from twelve years ago, when Liu Jingqi first entered the orphanage..."

Lin Yue hesitated as she spoke.

Xu De frowned and asked, "They were close?"

"I don’t know, but she was the vice-director of the institute at the time."

Lin Yue shook her head. After a moment of thought, she added, "In any case, she was in frequent communication with the director."

"If the welfare institute was really involved in some misconduct... it’s hard to say she wasn’t involved."

’The director has changed. That’s a good thing.’

’After all, if the former director was the one with the problem, it wouldn’t have any real impact on the current one. She would likely be very cooperative with their investigation.’

’But if this director is also connected to Liu Jingqi’s case...’

"What about the old director?"

Xu De frowned, pushing the question that had been weighing on his mind to the forefront.

Lin Yue replied, "The old director’s name is Zheng Tong. He’s in his sixties and retired. Apparently... it was because he had a grandson a couple of years ago."

Xu De understood and fell into thought.

’If they wanted to invalidate Liu Jingqi’s get-out-of-jail-free card, the welfare institute was the only place to start.’

’As for Zheng Tong... he most likely wouldn’t talk. He’d probably clam up completely. Approaching him recklessly would likely drag the case into a quagmire, wasting the precious time they had during the court’s recess.’

’That means they have to start with Cheng Tao!’

As he was thinking this, he and Lin Yue were suddenly jolted.

SCREECH~!

The sound of brakes pierced the air.

Wang Chao looked at the building in front of them and said, "We’re here."

Xu De and Lin Yue looked up.

The next moment, a building that looked like a rural elementary school appeared before them. The main entrance was blocked by a retractable gate, and inside, a flagpole stood tall.

To the right of the main gate hung a sign with a line of text.

[Lusen City Jiaqin Love & Care Welfare Institute]

This was the place!

"Get out."

Without hesitation, Xu De unbuckled his seatbelt, pushed the door open, and got out of the car, heading toward the security booth.

The guard made a brief call to the director. After both parties verified their identities, they were allowed in. Another guard was dispatched to lead them toward the office.

The welfare institute’s facilities were very basic.

It couldn’t be helped.

Government finances were tight these days. All across the country, they couldn’t even afford to hire enough police officers. It wasn’t until the appearance of auxiliary police—in reality, ’nuclear-powered donkeys’—that the crisis of being short-staffed was finally alleviated.

If it was like that for the police, what hope was there for orphans?

The amount of subsidies depended entirely on the local government. If the officials were dirt poor...

And with the internet not yet widespread, private donors were few and far between. As a result, it was common for welfare institutes to go out of business.

As for whether the orphans who grew up inside would give back to the orphanage...

They certainly did, and quite a few of them!

But that brought up another question.

A question that, for moral reasons, was never brought to the forefront...

"Is the character of an orphan raised in a welfare institute good or bad?"

Along the path, a few children who were playing stopped to stare at the ’intruding’ strangers, their faces filled with curiosity.

Upon entering the main building’s hall, Wang Chao couldn’t help but whisper to Lin Yue.

His brow was furrowed, his face full of suspicion.

"Liu Jingqi, Jiang Yu, and Qiao Wang... all three of them are orphans."

"Especially Jiang Yu and Qiao Wang. The two of them lived here for many years and were even raised here. Although they weren’t cherished like biological children, they at least never lacked for food or clothing. So how could they..."

He trailed off, unsure how to phrase it.

Hearing this, Lin Yue glanced at the guard leading them, hesitated for a long moment, then said in a low voice:

"Because..."

"They’re from an orphanage."

’What’s wrong with children from an orphanage?’

’Most people would subconsciously assume they are good, kind, and wonderful.’