CEO's Ugly Flash-Marriage Wife Hides So Many Identities
Chapter 348: The Older, the Wiser

Chapter 348: Chapter 348: The Older, the Wiser

Elder Qiao didn’t rush to speak. He looked deeply distressed, as if unable to suppress his pain.

His eyes gradually turned bloodshot as he sat on the chair, his entire body tense, glaring angrily at the pile of photographs.

Finally, Elder Qiao spoke, word by word: "The police told me this was my grandson. I don’t believe it. They couldn’t even determine the murderer, and it became a cold case."

"So... this isn’t my brother?" Qiao Rui just wanted to confirm who this little boy really was.

"It’s not." Elder Qiao nodded.

"Then where is my brother?" Qiao Rui became agitated. "Do you have any information about him?"

Elder Qiao didn’t answer immediately. He only said, "At the time, I carelessly let slip that the Qiao Family would one day belong to my grandson.

As a result, my only grandson was cruelly persecuted, and the culprit is someone among your uncles and their wives. I don’t know exactly who, but if you have the ability, you can investigate."

Qiao Rui froze on the spot.

No wonder this matter was a taboo in the Qiao Family, with not the slightest clue to be found—it turned out the murderer was hiding among their own kin.

So, none of them would admit it. When questioned, they would all plead ignorance.

Qiao Rui was flustered but could see that Elder Qiao was genuinely grieved and upset.

He said it wasn’t her brother, and yet he didn’t provide information either.

"Grandpa, where is my brother?" Qiao Rui asked again.

Elder Qiao’s bloodshot eyes glared at her. "Do you think if I knew, I wouldn’t bring him back?"

Qiao Rui hesitated, still harboring some doubts about her grandfather.

Elder Qiao scoffed coldly, "If my grandson were still here, do you think I’d need to deal with those useless bastards day in and day out?"

Qiao Rui was taken aback. "So you have evidence proving the deceased wasn’t my brother, right?"

Elder Qiao sneered. "You’re quite sharp. None of the others dared to ask me, but here you are, quick to question. You’re certainly smarter than them."

Qiao Rui couldn’t wait any longer. "Grandpa, can you get to the point?"

She was already desperate to know the truth, yet Elder Qiao was beating around the bush, driving her to frustration.

"Qiao Rui." Elder Qiao gazed at her with deep eyes. "You need to understand, when it comes to your brother, you and I share the same goal. We both want him to live well and return to us."

Although Qiao Rui had many grievances against Elder Qiao, in this matter, she felt he wouldn’t stoop to being so cruel.

His concern for her brother was indeed evident.

Qiao Rui nodded. "Yes, I can feel Grandpa’s intentions."

"Hmph!" Elder Qiao scoffed. "I doubt that’s truly what you think in your heart."

"Regarding this matter, I do feel Grandpa’s sincerity. I trust you." Qiao Rui spoke earnestly and seriously.

Elder Qiao looked at her and said, "At the time, we conducted a DNA test, and it confirmed he was your brother."

Qiao Rui froze, staring at Elder Qiao in shock.

If it was her brother, why would Elder Qiao say it wasn’t?

There had to be more to this.

She frowned. "Does that mean there was an issue with the DNA test? Results can be tampered with."

Elder Qiao glanced at her, his eyes carrying a hint of approval, and nodded slightly. "Yes, I tampered with that DNA test."

"You?" Qiao Rui immediately understood. "You wanted to make everyone think your grandson was gone and lead them to believe the deceased was my brother."

Elder Qiao nodded. "I did think that way at the time. Your brother disappeared, and then this child’s body was found. They all insisted it was your brother. The clothes and shoes were also his, and even the DNA on the clothes matched him. But the body wasn’t.

Someone manipulated the evidence, thinking they could deceive everyone. But my old friends helped me discover the truth—it wasn’t my grandson. Yet, I had to accept it publicly, and this matter was ultimately suppressed.

Because of this case, the identity of the deceased was never deeply investigated, and only a few people know the truth, so it was buried.

The Qiao Family doesn’t talk about it either, because some of them are glad it ended this way."

From what Elder Qiao said, Qiao Rui understood most of it.

Her brother’s existence meant he would inherit the Qiao Family and reap the benefits of their wealth.

But if her brother were gone, then the entire Qiao Family would be divided among their sons.

This was why, in their eyes, her brother had to die.

"You still haven’t told me where my brother went." Qiao Rui asked again.

Elder Qiao gave a bitter smile. "That’s right, because I don’t know either where your brother went. Whether he’s alive or dead, I have no idea. Over the years, I’ve privately sent people to search countless times, but it’s been fruitless.

He was just a child; where could he have gone? Did he run away after encountering danger, or was he harmed by someone? I have no way of knowing. In any case, there’s been no news."

As Elder Qiao spoke, he gave another bitter smile. "If you can find your brother, you’ll be the hero of this family."

As he finished, he pushed a photo album toward Qiao Rui.

Qiao Rui glanced at it and quickly opened it. The first page held a photo.

Elder Qiao sat in a grand chair, with a very spirited little boy standing in front of him. The boy had delicate features, no visible emotion on his face, but his eyes were clear and bright.

Qiao Rui had long forgotten what her brother looked like. She had been so young when it happened; she had no memories at all.

Now, as she looked at this photo and saw the boy’s appearance, she immediately felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

"This is my brother." Qiao Rui was certain—it was a bond rooted in her bloodline.

The feeling was strange, a rush of excitement as if she had found a long-lost family member, making her blood surge with warmth.

"Yes, it’s your brother," Elder Qiao said. "Qiao Yi—his name was given by me, hoping he would shine brilliantly in life."

Qiao Rui paused, looked up at Elder Qiao, and saw the strong hope in his eyes. It was an earnest expectation, a longing for his grandson to succeed.

Behind those emotions, however, was a faint sorrow.

With the boy missing, all that hope had become futile.

Qiao Rui lowered her head and continued flipping through the photos. Among them were images of her parents and the four of them as a family. There was even one of her in her mother’s arms.

Her parents looked so young. Her father held her brother in his arms, her mother held her, and they sat together for a family portrait.

As children, she and her brother looked somewhat alike, both with large eyes and mischievous smiles.

Finally, she saw her brother’s face. Unfortunately, there weren’t any particularly distinctive features.

No moles on his face, no scars, no birthmarks—at least none visible.

"Grandpa, didn’t my brother have a birthmark?" Qiao Rui asked Elder Qiao.

Elder Qiao hesitated for a moment and said, "Yes, he did. However, the location was too private for just anyone to know."

"Huh?" Qiao Rui was puzzled.

"On the inside of his left thigh, near the root, there was a white butterfly-shaped birthmark. When I first brought him home, I thought it was a skin condition and even took him to a doctor. Only after being told it was a birthmark did I feel relieved."

Qiao Rui was stunned, letting out a sigh in her heart.

Her brother was truly something else, even managing to have such a hidden birthmark.

"Grandpa, can I take pictures of these?"

"Go ahead," Elder Qiao said. "When you asked last time, I had already decided to show you."

Qiao Rui immediately took out her phone and began photographing all the pictures.

In no time, she had taken photos of everything, including the case-related photos.

Elder Qiao didn’t stop her.

When she finished, Elder Qiao said to her, "Go get the will from the safe."

Qiao Rui froze, unbelieving, as she looked at Elder Qiao.

He ordered, "Go get it!"

Only then did Qiao Rui get up and take a sealed envelope labeled "Will" from the safe.

"Open it!" Elder Qiao instructed.

Qiao Rui opened it and read its contents. To her shock, Elder Qiao had written the will to leave the entire Qiao Family legacy to his grandson Qiao Yi if anything happened to him.

If Qiao Yi didn’t return, everything would be entrusted to Qiao Rui to manage temporarily.

"Grandpa, why?" Qiao Rui frowned. "Do you trust me that much?"

"Frankly, no, I don’t," Elder Qiao said bluntly. "But right now, I have no one else trustworthy."

Qiao Rui suddenly realized Elder Qiao was a cunning old fox.

He wasn’t comfortable with her managing the Qiao Family, so he tied her down with this responsibility. This way, Qiao Rui couldn’t shirk her duties.

She couldn’t even afford to slack off.

And now, the Qiao Family was a mess that desperately needed cleaning up.

But whether it could be cleaned up remained uncertain.

"Grandpa is truly selfish," Elder Qiao said. "The Qiao Company has no successors. I’m powerless now. You’ll have to watch over it—for your brother’s sake."

Qiao Rui wanted to say something, but Elder Qiao interrupted, "Put everything away. We need to head to the company now."