We Weren’t Fated, I Just Played My Cards Right - Chapter 10

Zhao Suifang stood outside the Zhan residence for a long time. Since her husband’s death, she had been in a daze, unable to accept how her once-happy family had shattered overnight.

She hadn’t even dared to tell her daughter, who was studying abroad.

It wasn’t until relatives called her daughter home that the girl learned of her father’s death. Refusing to believe it was natural causes, she insisted they report it to the police.

What good would reporting do? Would the police even believe them?

Yet as Zhao Suifang recounted everything that had happened recently at the station, she grew increasingly convinced her husband’s death wasn’t so simple.

It was then she realized the company had descended into chaos—with Zhan Hongye benefiting the most.

It was the simplest deduction: setting aside all other factors, whoever stood to gain the most from her husband’s death was the prime suspect.

To outsiders, she must seem insane—accusing someone without evidence. But she just knew Zhan Hongye had killed Old Qin.

After a long while, Mrs. Qin stiffly turned and walked home.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to find strangers in her living room alongside her daughter.

One stood as she entered. “Mrs. Qin, we’re from the Special Cases Division of Qingcheng Public Security Bureau. Here are our credentials.”

He handed over his ID. Zhao Suifang took it numbly, checking the badge number and photo before looking to her daughter.

Zhao Suifang whispered, “I verified with 110—they’re real.”

Though she’d never heard of this department, and it was unusual for police to visit at night, the emergency hotline wouldn’t lie.

Nodding, Zhao Suifang returned the ID and asked hopefully, “So you’re here to…?”

The young buzzcut officer said, “Your husband Qin Kai’s case has been filed and transferred to our division. We’d like to ask you some questions.”

“Alright, alright.” Zhao Suifang’s voice trembled. “Ask whatever you need, I’ll tell you everything.”

An hour later, several police officers took their leave from the Qin residence.

Once in the car, an officer in the backseat asked the buzz-cut officer driving: “Captain, should we inform Consultant Yan about Qin Kai’s case?”

Fang Chuan shook his head: “Not necessary for now. Consultant Yan is attending meetings in Beijing these days—even if we told him, he couldn’t return. Didn’t Mrs. Qin provide us with leads? Though they’re just speculations, they’re definitely worth investigating thoroughly.”

The officer in the back agreed: “It’s not just Zhan Hongye—that Dong Zhenghao is also suspicious. As Zhan Hongye’s brother-in-law, he happens to be Qin Kai’s business partner too. What a tangled web. When Qin Kai had his accident, Zhan Hongye snatched up most of the Qin family’s resources almost immediately, leaving the remaining benefits to Dong Zhenghao.”

Fang Chuan gave a noncommittal “Hmm”: “Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility of the Qin family staging this themselves. Let’s go back and comb through Qin Kai’s social connections—no detail should be overlooked.”

Such special cases were particularly challenging to investigate, often highly concealed. Those with unusual methods had motives that could be bizarre, sometimes even laughable. Yet all homicides, no matter how varied, followed certain patterns with clear objectives—they could always trace them back to the source.

Mrs. Qin hadn’t told anyone about the police filing the case.

Not even Dong Zhenghao, who had always been closest to their family. Despite visiting her twice personally, he hadn’t heard a word about it from Mrs. Qin.

The day of Qin Kai’s funeral arrived. Attending two funerals in less than a month, both for people close to him, even Dong Zhenghao couldn’t help feeling somber.

After most attendees had left, he slowly made his way out of the cemetery.

Not far from the gates, he suddenly spotted a man holding white chrysanthemums. Dong Zhenghao looked closer—wasn’t that Mr. Zhuo?

This Mr. Zhuo had been rather cold toward him at the Zhan family banquet. Dong Zhenghao had assumed any chance of collaboration was slim, but out of courtesy, he still greeted him: “Mr. Zhuo.”

“Mr. Dong, here to pay respects to Mr. Qin?”

Dong Zhenghao nodded with a sigh. “Yes. Just like that, he’s gone.”

Mr. Zhuo was silent for a moment before saying, “I’m late. Would you mind showing me the way?”

“Of course not.”

After Qin Kai’s funeral that day, Dong Zhenghao’s mood became as radiant as August sunshine—so bright it was almost blinding.

Even when faced with his troublesome eldest daughter Liu Mumu, he could muster a smile, showing just how elated he was.

While others might not know the reason, his wife Jiang Li, who shared his bed, understood perfectly.

The collaboration he thought was hopeless had unexpectedly presented an opportunity after that chance cemetery encounter.

These past few days, he’d met privately with Mr. Zhuo several times and felt their discussions had gone well—perhaps they could take things further.

This news came out during a family dinner, revealed by Jiang Jia.

When Zhan Hongye heard this, his brow furrowed slightly before he turned to his young wife and asked, “How did you know about this?”

Jiang Jia scoffed. “From my sister, of course. She can’t resist showing off at the slightest opportunity. In her eyes, that Mr. Zhuo is practically royalty.”

Zhan Hongye didn’t inquire further, seemingly indifferent to this piece of news.

After dinner, he called his son into the study.

As soon as the study door closed, the usual gentleness on Zhan Hongye’s face twisted into something almost ferocious. He coldly demanded of his son, “You were the one who arranged Mr. Zhuo’s accommodations. How could you not know about something as significant as him meeting Dong Zhenghao?”

Zhan Huitian didn’t dare defend himself, only lowering his head in admission of guilt. “I was careless. I thought Mr. Zhuo had already made his decision—”

Before he could finish, a sharp slap struck his face.

The ringing in his ears and the searing pain on his cheek made Zhan Huitian clench his fists—only to immediately loosen them again.

“I’ve truly raised a useless waste!”

Zhan Huitian kept his head bowed, not daring to speak.

“Keep an eye on him. Report anything to me immediately. There won’t be a next time—understand?”

“But… there’s no way to stop Dong Zhenghao from meeting Mr. Qin,” Zhan Huitian hesitated.

“That’s not your concern. I’ll handle it.” With that, Zhan Hongye waved him away impatiently. “Go on, get out.”

It was only after Zhan Huitian left and another ten-plus minutes passed that Zhan Hongye emerged from the study, his expression calm once more.

Returning to their room, he saw Jiang Jia chatting with someone on her phone. He walked over, pulling her into his arms as he glanced at her screen.

Jiang Jia didn’t mind him looking—after all, there was nothing incriminating in her conversations with Jiang Li. Well, except for the fact that they were discussing her brother-in-law’s troublesome daughter.

“What are you talking about?” Zhan Hongye murmured by her ear.

Leaning against him, Jiang Jia shook her phone with a laugh. “Just my brother-in-law’s long-lost daughter. My sister says the girl seems a bit… off.”

Zhan Hongye thought for a moment. “The girl they brought over the other day? She seemed fine to me.”

“Fine? Within two minutes of her entering the house, Dong Qi broke his leg and had to be hospitalized. If you ask me, that girl is probably cursed for their family.”

“Who knows? Master Ning did say some people are born with harsh fates, prone to bringing misfortune to their families.”

Encouraged by his agreement, Jiang Jia turned to face him. “Speaking of which, isn’t Master Ning in Qingcheng right now? You’re close with him—could you ask him for a favor?”

“A favor? But this is all just speculation. Her fortune might actually be quite good,” Zhan Hongye chuckled.

Jiang Jia tugged lightly at his sleeve—a small gesture between them. “Not to actually divine anything.”

He understood immediately, but still refused outright. “No. That would harm the child.”

“Ugh, why must you be so stubborn?” Jiang Jia pouted. “It’s not like we’d abandon her—just keep her out of the house. You know how my sister is about appearances. Having to smile and cater to her husband’s ex-wife’s daughter every day, unable to vent—it’s eating her up inside. Who knows what kind of illness the stress might cause?”

Even though Jiang Jia didn’t get along well with Jiang Li, she still stood by her sister’s side.

Besides, having an outsider around meant someone would be taking a share of the property that rightfully belonged to her sister and nephew.

Zhan Hongye hesitated for a moment. “Well… I remember Old Dong doesn’t believe in these things.”

Jiang Jia scoffed. “Who cares what he believes? Another day, you invite Master Ning, and I’ll get my sister to bring the whole family over. Once they meet him and hear his words, he won’t have a choice but to believe.”

She herself had been skeptical about so-called masters before, until she and Zhan Hongye went to meet that particular one. It just goes to show—there’s always someone greater beyond what you know, and skies beyond skies.

If Master Ning hadn’t truly been extraordinary, she wouldn’t have resorted to this tactic to deal with her sister’s stepdaughter.

Zhan Hongye let her sway him for a while before reluctantly agreeing. “Fine, just this once.”

Jiang Jia happily threw herself into his arms. Zhan Hongye held her, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile.