Chapter 638: True Lies

Chapter 638: True Lies (Update 1)

Zheng Xiangyu’s expression changed. Lin.

His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, and a trace of panic crossed his face.

He no longer met Xiao Yu’s eyes; his gaze drifted toward the window.

Xiao Yu was waiting.

He knew that Zheng Xiangyu was about to say something.

“Sometimes, I think this world is strange,” he said.

Zheng Xiangyu mused, “Your kindness is like candy—once eaten, it’s gone. But your faults are like scars, lingering forever.”

Laughing off the philosophy, Xiao Yu replied calmly, “That’s human nature and life’s raw truth.”

It’s like the stronger someone is, the more they remain humble.

Yet when they’re weak, their words turn into bravado.

The harsh truth is that the world doesn’t let ordinary people thrive.

If you want riches, you either need connections or real power.

“Bao Shuang—she’s outrageously cunning,” he declared.

Zheng Xiangyu’s calm gave way to a mix of hatred, coldness, and helplessness. “When I found out her true nature, I warned my wife: never let Bao Shuang work as our nanny.”

“Then, for the first time since our marriage, she exploded at me. She said she’d always known about Bao Shuang—how pitiful she was, deceived and heartbroken by scumbags, even to the point of treating her like a sister…”

“Women are emotional. I don’t know exactly how Bao Shuang deceived my wife, but I know she succeeded,” he admitted.

“To me, Bao Shuang is like a venomous snake in sheep’s clothing. I knew that letting her continue as a servant would eventually lead to disaster.”

“From that day on, my wife and Bao Shuang grew extraordinarily close—as if they were sisters. Meanwhile, I spent months on edge, always worried she might make a move on my wife. Time passed, slowly and painfully.”

“I noticed Bao Shuang growing increasingly lazy, refusing every task. Several times, I even saw my wife’s face turn red and her body bruise… and I began to suspect—had Bao Shuang done something to her?”

“Every time I asked, my wife would stammer and insist nothing happened. That only confirmed my fears: Bao Shuang had definitely done something. I was furious yet utterly helpless; with my wife defending her, I couldn’t get rid of her.”

“One night, after getting drunk, I had Chen Guodong drive me home from the hotel. Maybe it was the alcohol, but I ended up spilling my family’s secrets to him.”

“Then, a month later, out of the blue, Chen Guodong demanded two million from me.”

“Honestly, I was shocked. I even thought something might have happened to his sister. Since he had been my driver for so long and we were practically friends, I didn’t hesitate to hand over the two million.”

“But then, the very next day…”

At this, Zheng Xiangyu’s expression shifted rapidly—flashes of terror, shock, and disbelief. After a long pause, he continued slowly, “He actually kidnapped Bao Shuang and called me, saying he had taken my wife and demanding that I prepare the money…”

“Can you believe it? I thought I was hearing things. All I could wonder was: why would Chen Guodong kidnap my wife?”

“Did I treat him poorly in the past? Or did I wrong him somehow? Or maybe… I was just too kind, which made him do this?”

“But when I got home, I found my wife soundly asleep in our bedroom—she hadn’t been kidnapped at all. I couldn’t understand it.”

“Maybe it was anger, or maybe disappointment in Chen Guodong, but I called the police. And only after I calmed down did I realize something was off.”

“Bao Shuang was gone!”

By then, Xiao Yu continued to stare coldly at Zheng Xiangyu.

He knew Zheng Xiangyu was lying!

Having lived through two lifetimes, he felt a headache coming on from the cascade of lies.

Why?

As I’ve said before.

The crudest lies are 10% truth and 90% falsehood.

The most masterful deceptions are 90% truth and 10% lie.

But Zheng Xiangyu’s lies were at least 99% truth.

He managed to conceal even the tiniest lie within that 99% truth flawlessly.

Ordinary people—or even Xiao Yu himself—couldn’t figure out

exactly where that sliver of falsehood had slipped into his words.

What is a true lie?

That’s it!

After a brief pause, Zheng Xiangyu continued, “It wasn’t until that moment I realized that Chen Guodong’s real aim might not have been to kidnap my wife at all. As you just mentioned, from the beginning, his target was… Bao Shuang!”

Chen Guodong planned to kidnap Bao Shuang… Xiao Yu scrutinized every nuance in Zheng Xiangyu’s expression, gestures, and tone.

Finally, he was certain of one thing.

This was 100% the truth!

Could it be that Chen Guodong orchestrated the entire kidnapping scheme with Bao Shuang as the target?

Why would he do that?

Xiao Yu let out a sigh.

Repaying a favor?

His sister was gravely ill, and initially, Zheng Xiangyu gave Chen Guodong money three times—a total of 300,000.

Those were life-saving funds!

Then he asked for another two million. What kind of money was that?

Money to buy a life?

A settlement fee?

Xiao Yu recalled the crack on Bao Shuang’s neck.

It all matched!

So, before Chen Guodong drove into the pond, was Bao Shuang already dead?

Was she murdered by Chen Guodong?

Then why the talk of suicide?

Because he had killed someone—was he trying to atone by killing Bao Shuang?

Kidnapping, murder… even surrendering wouldn’t have made a difference.

So, suicide?!

Thanks to Zheng Xiangyu’s account—and Li Nuo Zhao’s input—most of the case’s mysteries found an answer.

But… what about that one tiny lie hidden in his words?

What exactly are you trying to cover up?

“Then why didn’t you tell the police back then?” Xiao Yu asked coldly.

“Why should I?”

Tears even glistened in Zheng Xiangyu’s eyes as he calmly met Xiao Yu’s gaze. “Besides, it’s only my guess—what’s the point of saying it? Chen Guodong is dead, Bao Shuang is dead. I don’t even know if my guess is right, nor whether Chen Guodong died because he helped me. What more do you want me to say?”

No lies… Xiao Yu’s expression grew even more complex.

It was clear that Zheng Xiangyu was just as shocked and surprised by Chen Guodong’s death.

This meant he had somehow anticipated that Chen Guodong might go that far.

Not only did he murder someone, but he also ended his own life!

Wen

Xue