The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 207 Everywhere There Are Witnesses!_1

Chapter 207: Chapter 207 Everywhere There Are Witnesses!_1

Officer Wu, accompanied by another junior officer, stepped out of the hospital.

"Leader, Qi Jianguo claims he was seduced and framed. Should we head to Qijia Village to investigate?" the junior officer asked. It was so cold outside, and Qijia Village was so far away.

Moreover, regardless of the reason, Qi Jianguo was caught red-handed, which made the charge of attempted sexual assault stand.

"We haven’t convicted him yet since Qi Jianguo has made his statement, we must make a trip to Qijia Village." Old Wu said, "What do you think, is Qi Jianguo telling the truth or lying?"

After thinking for a moment, the junior officer replied, "Whether true or false, he went into the girl’s room in the dark of night and even lay on top of Qi Xiaoyan with ill intent; the evidence is conclusive. As for the rest, it’s up for debate. We’ll know more once we get to Qijia Village."

"Not jumping to conclusions is good." Old Wu said with satisfaction, "Let’s go have a bowl of noodles first, then we’ll ride our bikes over."

After finishing their discussion, they went to the unit’s canteen to eat and rest for a while. Then, donning their coats and mounting their bicycles, they set off for Qijia Village together.

By the time they arrived at Qijia Village, it was already night. Secretary Qi made arrangements for the police to stay overnight.

After all, it was very late, and they were tired and hungry; they needed a good rest.

After dinner, Old Wu inquired further with Qi Xiaoyan.

The questions were the same as before, only this time they were asked in a different order or posed in a different way.

While questioning Qi Xiaoyan, Old Wu and Xiao Chen observed her closely.

They noted that Qi Xiaoyan’s answers were consistent with her first account, and by her expressions and eye movements, she didn’t appear to be lying.

Qi Xiaoyan was very angry and emotional; however, as the alleged victim, her anger was understandable.

At the same time, Old Wu also learned about Qi Jianguo’s whistle-blowing against Secretary Qi, wondering if there was something fishy there which required their investigation.

Upon learning that two officers had accompanied Secretary Qi, Zhao Dajiao sneaked off to speak with He Tiantian.

He Tiantian frowned, but then it dawned on her that Qi Jianguo had probably already taken action.

Qi Jianguo was treacherous; although he appeared genteel on the outside, he was full of deceit inside.

He had awoken and was likely to recant his statement.

The reality, with both testimonial and physical evidence against him, left Qi Jianguo beyond defense.

The only path left for his cunning plea was to find issues with her.

Ha, that would be even simpler.

Defame her by claiming she lured him over?

Defame her by alleging she seduced him?

Having realized these possibilities, He Tiantian formed a plan.

Since disembarking the train, He Tiantian had not met Qi Jianguo alone; moreover, Qi Xiaoyan was always present when she went to the livestock team.

In that case, only the nighttime could have been exploited by Qi Jianguo.

He Tiantian went to consult Third Grandma Qi, expressing her concerns.

Third Grandma Qi laughed, not worried in the least, and advised, "Move your things to my room. Just say that aside from that day when Xiao Yan came to chat with you, you’ve been sleeping in my room to take care of me at night."

Third Grandma Qi had hit the nail on the head.

Who says I don’t know how to play this game?

"Ah!" He Tiantian chuckled; the strategy was that simple.

There would always be witnesses at every turn!

He Tiantian moved her belongings into Third Grandma Qi’s room and made herself a bed with two quilt tubes on Grandma’s bed.

Third Grandma Qi was an exceptionally clean old lady with a taste for elegance; her pillows were not stuffed with old clothes or grass like others’, but were filled with cassia seeds mixed with wild chrysanthemum, and there were refreshing and mind-soothing herbal sachets by the bed.

Her clothes and bedding were all spotless, unlike some old ladies who can be quite sloppy and even have lice.

Living with Third Grandma Qi, He Tiantian didn’t have any psychological barriers, though she was concerned that Grandma might mind her tossing and turning at night!

Early the next morning, just after He Tiantian got up, Officer Wu arrived, led by Secretary Qi.

While Third Grandma Qi was cooking, He Tiantian answered Old Wu’s questions.

Old Wu asked He Tiantian many detailed questions, then circled back to resting at night.

"Have you been resting in this room for the past few days?" Old Wu asked, looking towards He Tiantian’s room.

He Tiantian shook her head, "No, after I returned to Qijia Village, grandma wasn’t feeling well, so I stayed with her in the main room the whole time. That day, grandma was feeling a bit better, and Xiao Yan and I hadn’t chatted for a long time; we slept together for the night. The rest of the time, I was taking care of grandma."

"Oh!" Old Wu noted, "So that’s how it was!"

After asking a few more questions, he told He Tiantian to continue cooking and called for Third Grandma Qi.

Third Grandma Qi’s answers were similar, and Old Wu could not find any discrepancies.

Combining the information, they couldn’t prove Qi Jianguo’s statements either, so all of that was of no use.

However, both sides were a bit vague, which would also be taken into consideration by the police station.

As it wasn’t easy to come here, Old Wu and Xiao Chen investigated once more, which turned out to have not many discrepancies from before.

But the scene of Old Lady Qi cursing abusively was still vivid in the memories of Old Wu and Xiao Chen.

After lunch, Old Wu and Xiao Chen left meal vouchers and money with Secretary Qi before departing.

"Leader, He Tiantian is quite pretty, no wonder Qi Jianguo was attracted to her," Xiao Chen said. "And Third Grandma Qi is from Qijia Village, and Qi Dazhu is even the village chief. Not helping Qi Jianguo but rather aiding He Tiantian shows that Qi Jianguo is not well-regarded in the village."

Old Wu chuckled, "You can’t just look at the surface of things!"

"Then leader, could there be more to it?" Xiao Chen asked curiously. "And you saw how forceful Qi Jianguo’s grandma was, so brutal with her words, ah..."

"Qi Jianguo had reported Qi Dazhu before," Old Wu said. "He also denounced He Tiantian; there was already friction between them."

"So... could it be that He Tiantian and Secretary Qi are conspiring to frame Qi Jianguo?" Xiao Chen considered the possibility.

"Hehe!" Old Wu laughed, "It’s not exactly framing; Qi Jianguo indeed harbored ill intentions and committed misdeeds."

With a troubled look, Xiao Chen said, "Leader, what are we supposed to do with this case then?"

"All we need to do is submit the evidence and records, the rest is not our concern," Old Wu reminded him; they were responsible for the investigation, and the judgment was a matter for the other departments.

Meanwhile, after Old Wu and Xiao Chen had left, Qi Jianguo found himself engulfed in tense remorse.

Why couldn’t he have waited?

He was about to go to university!

Even without He Tiantian, he could have found other good girls once in university. Why hang himself on this one tree?

Now, he had landed himself the charge of attempted rape, with prison looming ahead.

With such a stain on his record, no university would have him!

Qi Jianguo’s mind was in turmoil; while racked with guilt, he directed all the blame onto He Tiantian!