CHAPTER 1386: CHAPTER 1386: REALLY CAPABLE OF TAKING ACTION

After finishing lunch, Luo Qiao walked back from the cafeteria with her colleagues, hearing people quietly discussing something along the way.

Luo Qiao separated from the doctor she was walking with and prepared to head back to the office. There was a surgery scheduled for the afternoon, and she wanted to rest a bit in the office.

Doctor Jiao from the office downstairs hurried up to her, "Director Luo, was it you who performed the surgery for Sun Jianhong this morning?"

Luo Qiao nodded lightly, "Yes. Is there a problem?"

Doctor Jiao quickly waved her hand, "No, no problem."

Normally a gossip, Doctor Jiao now asked with a solemn expression, "Was he really beaten so badly he almost died?"

Luo Qiao wasn’t sure why Doctor Jiao was asking but responded truthfully, "Yes, it was quite severe. If he had been sent in any later, he might have lost his life."

Doctor Jiao whispered, "That’s his own son, you know. How could he be so ruthless?"

Luo Qiao turned to look at Doctor Jiao, "You know them?"

Doctor Jiao nodded, "The victim is my grandmother’s neighbor. We used to play together as kids."

Luo Qiao didn’t press her. After all, there’s a bond from growing up together. She didn’t seem as excited as when gossiping about strangers, and after a long pause, sighed, "He’s got it really rough."

From Doctor Jiao, Luo Qiao learned that the victim’s name was Sun Jianhong. He’s currently in graduate school, and the one who beat him was his father, Sun Changlai. His mother had passed away last month.

His mom had lived a hard life since childhood, being the eldest in the family. She was extremely frugal, likely due to taking on too many burdens for her maiden family, which shaped her strong character. His dad, Sun Changlai, on the other hand, seemed quite mild-mannered to outsiders.

But this seemingly gentle man remarried with someone else just half a month after his wife’s death, and the new wife even brought along two children of her own.

Previously, they were a dual-income family and worked at the same workplace. A few years back, the workplace pooled funds to buy a three-bedroom apartment. The family of three had been living there comfortably.

But this time, when Sun Jianhong returned home, he learned from the neighbors that his father had remarried.

Walking into the house, he found it completely changed. The study was turned into a girl’s bedroom, and his own room had been given to the stepson as per his father’s decision.

Sun Jianhong couldn’t accept this and grew furious. He questioned his dad, demanding to know why he had done this, asking in anguish what he himself meant to his father now.

His father simply replied, "You’re grown up now. You’re in grad school; it’s time for you to be independent."

The implication was that he wouldn’t support his living expenses anymore.

This remark enraged Sun Jianhong, who then furiously asked his dad if he thought he was being fair to his mom.

Possibly overwhelmed by anger, he pointed at the trio—the woman and her two children—and cursed them out. His father, in a fit of rage, fought with him. Despite being a young man, his father wasn’t his match. Just at the peak of his fury, Sun Changlai spotted an iron rod leaning against the wall. Without thinking, he picked it up and struck Sun Jianhong with it. Both became consumed by emotions, and the tragedy unfolded.

Doctor Jiao sighed deeply, "His mom was an extremely frugal woman. She’d wear the same clothes for years, even perpetually sticking to her work uniform. But when his father remarried this woman, he immediately bought her gold jewelry.

To cater to someone else’s children, his own son came home to find no place to stay. In the end, all for the sake of helping his second wife vent her anger, he nearly beat his own son to death.

Director Luo, did you know? The neighbors are now speculating that the pair of children brought by his second wife might actually be Sun Changlai’s biological children.

There’s no proof, but from the way Sun Changlai has been acting, that’s what everyone suspects. Otherwise, someone as mild-mannered as he used to be wouldn’t suddenly commit such a cruel act."

After listening to Doctor Jiao, Luo Qiao remarked, "No matter the reason, as a father, for such a major decision like remarriage, he should have at least informed his son. And hitting his own biological son to defend his second wife is uncalled for. From the situation you described, he truly sounds awful."

As they talked, the two arrived at Luo Qiao’s office door. Doctor Jiao hesitated before saying uneasily, "Director Luo, can I ask a favor?"

Luo Qiao looked at her questioningly, "What is it?"

After mulling it over for a while, Doctor Jiao responded, "Director Luo, I know your husband works in the police department. I’m not trying to pull strings or anything. It’s just that I’ve heard people say that Sun Jianhong’s father’s second wife is quite influential and that she claims she’ll find someone to protect Sun Changlai.

So I was wondering if you could ask your husband to occasionally keep an eye on this case, not to advocate for Sun Jianhong, but just to ensure a fair and just handling."

Luo Qiao looked at Doctor Jiao, surprised by this other side of her, as the usually gossipy woman seemed genuine now. "You need to trust in the fairness of the law and believe that the investigators will handle this case impartially and justly."

Seeing Doctor Jiao’s disappointed expression, she added, "Thanks for sharing this gossip with me today. I can always share this as a story with my family later. Now go back to work."

Doctor Jiao hadn’t expected Luo Qiao to say this but smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Director Luo."