When Zhuang Zi left the police station, Lu Yuze was still waiting at the entrance.

She saw him but intentionally ignored him, heading straight to the car.

However, Lu Yuze clearly had more to say and walked towards her.

“Zhuang Zi.”

She had no choice but to stop and turn around, politely but distantly asking, “What is it?”

Lu Yuze looked at her, smiled faintly, and asked, “Can I have your contact information?”

Zhuang Zi thought for a second and then replied in a calm voice, “Don’t you have a girlfriend? This isn’t appropriate.”

Lu Yuze looked slightly embarrassed and was about to say something when Zhuang Zi quickly added, “I have some urgent matters to attend to, so I’ll be going now. Goodbye.”

As he watched her get into the car, Lu Yuze remained where he was, not moving.

As the car drove out of the police station gate, he bowed his head in pain and sighed.

……

After Zhuang Zi left the office, Si Hang called Xiao Zhang, and they went to visit He Yue’s company.

On the way, Xiao Zhang asked, “Boss, who do you think is the most suspicious?”

Si Hang paused for two seconds, his deep voice calm and unhurried as he said, “Jiang Tianchen hasn’t had much contact with Zhuang Zi, so it’s unlikely. As for her first love, given how much he hurt her back then, even if he were mentally unstable, he wouldn’t do something like this. Our preliminary guess is that He Yue is the most educated and methodical among them. He fits our previous profile of the perpetrator: high intelligence and some anti-detection capabilities.”

Xiao Zhang said, “So it seems it’s He Yue.”

Si Hang responded indifferently, “We need to wait until after the questioning to draw any conclusions.”

……

He Yue’s company was located in a high-end office building in the CBD city center.

Upon reaching their destination, the two took the elevator directly to the 26th floor.

The elegantly decorated open-plan office area was bustling with activity. Following the administrative assistant, Si Hang and Xiao Zhang navigated through the dense cubicles towards the end of the office. The staff occasionally glanced up, their eyes filled with curiosity and confusion.

He Yue’s office was in one of the innermost rooms.

As they reached the door, a woman in her thirties came out, meeting them head-on.

The assistant politely greeted her, “Mrs. He.”

Si Hang glanced at the woman in front of him with a calm gaze.

Was she He Yue’s wife?

The woman, very well-mannered, smiled and nodded at everyone. “Are you business partners?”

“Ah, no,” the assistant introduced her, “These two are police officers. They made an appointment with Mr. He yesterday to discuss some matters today.”

The assistant then introduced the woman to the officers, “This is Mr. He’s wife.”

“Police?” The woman’s face showed vigilance and confusion. “What are the police doing here?”

Si Hang presented his badge, “Hello, we are criminal police officers from the Beiyan Branch. We need to talk to Mr. He regarding an intentional murder case.”

“What?” The woman was stunned, her eyes widening in shock as she looked at everyone. “Murder case?”

“Is Mr. He available?”

After a long pause, the woman, still in disbelief, responded, “How could my husband be involved in a murder case?”

“Sorry, we can’t disclose details at the moment. Is Mr. He here?”

The woman was still in a state of shock, so the assistant stepped in, “Mr. He is in his office. I’ll take the officers in.”

The three of them bypassed the woman.

The assistant opened the office door, revealing a bright and clean office where He Yue sat calmly behind his desk. A thirty-year-old man, fair-skinned and handsome, impeccably dressed in a suit, exuding a refined and steady demeanor. Seeing them enter, he immediately stood up from his chair, greeting them with a warm smile and a gentlemanly manner.

He Yue’s wife followed them back into the office and asked her husband again, “What’s going on? The police said you’re involved in a murder case. What is this about?”

“You should go back,” He Yue patted his wife’s arm, reassuring her. “It’s nothing, just cooperating with the police. They’ll probably just ask a few questions, and it’ll be fine.”

“But…”

“Alright,” He Yue interrupted, “I have a meeting later. Don’t delay me here. Let me finish talking to the officers quickly so I can attend the meeting.”

His wife looked worried and tense, “This is a murder case. How can I not be concerned?”

He Yue patiently explained, “It’s just to cooperate with the police in their investigation. I didn’t do anything, so they can’t wrongfully accuse me, can they?”

Still uneasy, his wife stood in the office, reluctant to leave.

“You should go out first.” He Yue guided her towards the door, “Even if I’m not in a hurry, don’t delay the officers’ work here, alright?”

She frowned, repeating at the door, “Call me immediately after you finish talking.”

He Yue nodded, pushing her out of the door, “Have Xiao Wang take you home.”

He closed the door, turned back, and smiled apologetically at Si Hang and Xiao Zhang, “Sorry about that.”

Si Hang smiled, taking a seat opposite He Yue’s desk, “Thank you, Mr. He, for cooperating with the police.”

“It’s my duty. I hope to help you and clear my name as soon as possible.”

Nodding, Si Hang asked a few basic questions before directly getting to the point, “According to procedure, I need to ask about your activities that night and whether anyone can confirm you stayed at the hotel without leaving.”

He Yue looked at him calmly, “The hotel should have surveillance footage.”

Si Hang asked, “Can you tell us if you had any conflicts with the victim, Zhuang Zi?”

He Yue’s statement matched what Zhuang Zi had provided and also mentioned Zhuang Yao. He said he was indeed very angry about Zhuang Yao’s remarks at the time, and because of the commotion she caused, their argument in the restaurant was secretly recorded and posted on social media, garnering significant attention and relentless insults from netizens. Eventually, his company in Shenzhen found out and forced him to resign.

It was a humiliating experience, and he had indeed harbored thoughts of revenge. However, after leaving Shenzhen, he happened to meet some old friends who invited him to start a business together.

In hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise. Returning from Shenzhen to develop his career, he ended up better off than before.

Although he held a grudge, he had been too busy with work to think about revenge. Maybe in the future, if he ran into Zhuang Yao in the business world, he might make things difficult for her, but he had never considered deliberately harming Zhuang Zi.

……