CEO's Ugly Flash-Marriage Wife Hides So Many Identities
Chapter 262: Confrontation, Unspeakable Hardship

Chapter 262: Chapter 262: Confrontation, Unspeakable Hardship

Qiao Xiang was left speechless, her face cycling through shades of white, red, and purple—a thoroughly unsightly scene.

Anyone could see the embarrassment written all over Qiao Xiang’s face.

All eyes in the room were fixed on her.

Having no choice, she could only speak with tearful eyes, adopting a pitiful demeanor, "I know, whatever I say now, none of you will believe me."

"How can we believe you if you don’t speak?" Qiao Rui looked at her, her tone flat but each word laden with pressure, "Elder sister, why not share the unspeakable difficulties you’re facing so that we all can judge for ourselves whether you have colluded with those three people or not."

"Exactly!" He Lan agreed with Qiao Rui’s words, "If you don’t speak up and also prevent us from calling the police, I truly can’t understand you. The more you stop us, the more we suspect you’re the mastermind."

"How could I possibly do that?" Qiao Xiang defended herself, "That’s a criminal act; I could never do something criminal."

"Qiao Xiang." He Zheng finally spoke up, "Currently, all three of them unanimously claim that you’re behind the scheme. You need to clarify that."

"Maybe they’re trying to frame me, to shove the blame onto me so they can clear themselves of suspicion," Qiao Xiang continued to defend herself, "They’re saying this to trap me!"

"There’s that possibility," Pei Liyan interjected at that moment, "But we can’t rule out the possibility that you’re in cahoots with them!"

At those words, Qiao Xiang’s complexion changed.

Qiao Rui instinctively glanced at Pei Liyan.

He met Qiao Rui’s gaze, his eyes slightly raised, revealing an inscrutable depth of emotion.

"No! I didn’t," Qiao Xiang shook her head. "I know you don’t believe me, and I can’t tell you the reasons, but I really am the biggest victim here."

It was then that Lu Heming spoke, "Miss Qiao, we interrogated these three people separately, even using some methods. Their stories align too perfectly over different times and settings."

"Maybe they prearranged their stories!" Qiao Xiang exclaimed in a low voice, her mind a complete mess.

"Then let’s call the police!" He Lan suddenly said earnestly, "I am the victim, and I insist on calling the police. Let it be handled lawfully so no one can slip away undetected."

"No!" Qiao Xiang still shook her head, then suddenly pleaded with Pei Liyan, "President, may I speak to you for a moment? I can give you reasons."

Everyone was puzzled, failing to understand what Qiao Xiang meant, finding her quite perplexing.

He Lan couldn’t help but retort, "Why are you looking for Big Brother Pei? Can he decide whether I call the police? I am the victim; he can’t decide for me. I want to call the police."

"He Lan!" Qiao Xiang pleaded again. "Please, isn’t that enough?"

"No!" He Lan simply found the whole situation inexplicable, remembering how it was Qiao Xiang who took her out for singing and drinking, chatting cheerfully with Gao Yan and the others at the table, only to wake up after drinking too much to find herself kidnapped.

He Lan simply couldn’t make sense of it.

Qiao Xiang pursed her lips, her eyes reddened, as she looked toward He Zheng, "He Zheng, and you. I want to explain my reasons to you and the president in private."

He Zheng was startled and seemed somewhat troubled by her earnestness.

At that moment, Pei Liyan spoke indifferently, "Alright."

A glimmer of light appeared in Qiao Xiang’s dim eyes.

Pei Liyan and He Zheng took her to a private room nearby.

Upon opening the door and closing it after them, the three were left alone.

He Zheng looked at Qiao Xiang. "Speak. What’s going on? Why are you stopping us from calling the police?"

"Ah Zheng, President!" Qiao Xiang let out a wry smile, "I’ve been harmed by them. If we call the police, I will be completely ruined!"

He Zheng didn’t understand, "Why would you say that?"

Qiao Xiang hesitated to speak, clearly in pain.

At that point, Pei Liyan said, "Get to the main point, I’m giving you three minutes."

Qiao Xiang’s heart skipped a beat, and as she looked at Pei Liyan, shame was evident on her face.

"I, I was photographed in some indecent photos!"

He Zheng was thunderstruck, staring at Qiao Xiang incredulously, before cursing, "Scum, they did this to you?"

Seeing He Zheng so angry, Qiao Xiang cried. She hung her head, and tears slid down once more, "I can’t say it. I was hoping that you wouldn’t ask, and that I could find a way to retrieve the photos later. But you want to call the police, and I’m worried that too many people will see my own photos, which is why I tried to stop it."

He Zheng nodded. He felt very sympathetic toward her and then suddenly thought of something, asking, "What about He Lan? Was He Lan also photographed like that?"

"No!" Qiao Xiang shook her head.

"How can you be sure?" He Zheng frowned.

Qiao Xiang said, "I wouldn’t lie to you. They were always with me, on the sixth floor. He Lan vomited from the alcohol, and they disliked the smell, so they weren’t on the fifth floor. I heard that He Lan was saved by Qiao Rui, you can ask Qiao Rui whether or not He Lan was on the fifth floor!"

He Zheng nodded. "Indeed, she was rescued on the fifth floor!"

Qiao Xiang gave a wry smile, and suddenly realized in her heart that she no longer held any standing in their eyes. What He Zheng was most concerned about was still his sister.

If it had been before, He Zheng might have been very heartbroken for her, but today he had been getting impatient with her again and again.

And at this time, he could be so calm, asking whether He Lan had been harmed.

Her tears pooled in her eyes, pitifully spinning, "She’s fine, they only took photos of me."

Pei Liyan spoke up idly, "Do you really think that by not calling the police, the photos won’t be seen by others?"

"At least I could hide a bit of it," Qiao Xiang said.

"Your photos, Heming already got them!" Pei Liyan said sternly.

"Ah!" Qiao Xiang was utterly stunned, looking up at Pei Liyan, her lips trembling, "How, how do you know?"

Pei Liyan didn’t speak.

After a slight start, Qiao Xiang immediately understood. "You’ve seen my photos, haven’t you?"

He Zheng was also surprised, turning his head to look at Pei Liyan.

He didn’t speak.

But silence was as good as consent.

Qiao Xiang was suddenly extremely embarrassed, deeply mortified. She hung her head, and her tears fell plop plop. She was very annoyed and even more resentful.

He Zheng looked at Pei Liyan.

Pei Liyan glanced at Qiao Xiang and said sternly, "Qiao Xiang, I’ll only ask you once, were you behind this kidnapping case or not?"

"I did not!" Qiao Xiang immediately denied.

"But you were involved from the start, weren’t you?" Pei Liyan said again sternly, "It’s just that you lost control later on."

"Liyan, am I that kind of person?" Qiao Xiang didn’t answer but instead questioned back, her red eyes looking at him, "Am I really so contemptible in your heart?"

"The facts point to you, and the evidence is against you," Pei Liyan spoke coldly. "How then do you expect us to believe you?"

"Ha!" Qiao Xiang suddenly laughed in grief and anger, "I didn’t do it, believe it or not, that’s your choice."

Pei Liyan spoke again, "Then let’s call the police!"

Qiao Xiang’s eyes widened, her beautiful eyes looking at Pei Liyan with misery, "Do you really want to see me ruined and shamed to death?"

"The police won’t make your photos public."

"But they will know I was photographed inappropriately."

Pei Liyan’s gaze was calm as he swept across her face, "Do you think your photos haven’t been made public already?"

Qiao Xiang looked at him in panic, somewhat frantically.

Pei Liyan spoke again sternly, "If we don’t call the police, do you think everything will just be fine?"

"I..." Qiao Xiang stuttered, unable to speak.

Pei Liyan said, "You have two choices, either call the police and let them investigate, or confess everything."