Li Meng almost lost his balance. “What’s the problem?”

Mo Lin, in a good mood, elegantly took a sip of his coffee. “I suggest you watch the interrogation videos of Zhou Rongguang and Zhu Wanting repeatedly.”

During Zhu Wanting’s interrogation, Li Meng had been observing the whole time and was sure he hadn’t noticed anything amiss. “Mr. Mo, stop keeping us in suspense. Just tell me!”

“Did you notice their reactions when they heard ‘homicide’?”

Mo Lin put down his coffee and continued, “Zhou Rongguang’s first reaction was: Who killed him? Why kill him? But Zhu Wanting’s attention was on us performing an autopsy on her son’s body.”

“That’s the first suspicious point.”

“The second suspicious point: Zhu Wanting bypassed suspicion of everyone at the scene and tried to shift our attention to another woman, speaking with reason and evidence.”

“The third suspicious point: When she mentioned her daughter, she showed extreme guilt, even more concerned than about her son’s matter… Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Li Meng nodded, half-understanding. “You mean she’s hiding something about the case?”

“At the time of the incident, Zhou Rongguang was indeed grilling barbecue by the street, and the customers in the shop can testify.”

“Zhu Wanting, as the one greeting customers, would definitely be moving in and out of the shop. Neither of them had time to commit the crime.”

“I didn’t tell Zhu Wanting that the police were suspecting her daughter, but she always subconsciously showed concern for her daughter.”

“Why such a reaction? So I guess she might have seen something.”

Li Meng genuinely admired Mo Lin’s ability. “Then why not continue the interrogation?”

“She won’t talk. Continuing would just waste time.”

Li Meng scratched his head. “So when do we interrogate the little girl?”

Mo Lin glanced at Gu Yuan, who was sitting with his back to him, looking at his phone. “The little girl doesn’t need me to interrogate her. There’s someone more suitable than me.”

Li Meng thought: Who here could be more suitable than you?

Just as he was thinking this, he saw Mo Lin walking over to Gu Yuan.

Mo Lin said a few words to Gu Yuan, who then looked up, frowning at him. “Are you sure?”

“Sure, there’s no one more suitable than you here. Want to give it a try?”

Gu Yuan: “Reason?”

“Ever heard of dimensional suppression?”

“Speak human language.”

“Most people, when interrogating a 12-year-old girl, would have a bit of sympathy. I think only you here can overcome such unnecessary emotions, so you’re the most suitable to interrogate Zhou Jie.”

Gu Yuan’s voice instantly turned cold. “What gives you the right to insult me?”

Mo Lin thought: Even if the whole world insults you, I would never insult you.

However, when he spoke, it turned into, “I think we need to have a good chat after work.” To clear up any misunderstandings.

In Li Meng’s eyes, this sentence had the same impact as being called out as a kid: Don’t leave after school!

Gu Yuan’s mouth showed a rare smile, but no matter how you looked at it, it seemed eerie. “Looks like you’re no different from others.”

He had long labeled himself as a lone star, believing no one could tolerate his temper. He originally thought Mo Lin was an exception, but what he said today surprised him greatly.

After being distant from people for so long, he had built high walls around himself. How could he easily let others in?

Gu Yuan stood up, deliberately keeping a distance from Mo Lin, and walked around him towards the interrogation room.

The girl saw someone enter and looked towards the door. It was a very handsome brother, who suddenly slammed the door shut, causing a loud noise in the interrogation room.

She shivered, clearly frightened.

Gu Yuan dragged a chair over, sat opposite her, and put his hands in his pockets. “Do you know why I’m here?”

The girl, with tears in her eyes, looked at him. Her body was thin and small, wearing a thin sweater on top and Yan Hai City’s Seventh Middle School uniform on the bottom. She sat in the interrogation room, curled up into a small ball. Most people wouldn’t associate her with being a murderer.

The girl lowered her head, sniffed lightly, her voice as small as a mosquito’s. “I don’t know.”

Gu Yuan looked at her with indifference. “Where did you hide your brother’s vomit?”

Gu Yuan naturally exuded a gloomy aura. The light shone directly down from above, casting shadows from his hair onto his nose. His pupils were very dark, blending with the shadows. From the girl’s perspective, his eyes were completely hidden in the shadows.

The girl felt the cold aura emanating from his body, and she couldn’t help but shiver inside.

“Brother, what are you talking about? I don’t understand…” the girl whispered.

“Alright, then I’ll say something you can understand.” He leaned back, changing his angle to stare at her. “Where’s your school uniform jacket?”

“I lost it during PE class.”

“When and where did you lose it?”

“Yesterday afternoon, during the last class, at the school football field.”

“But at 7:30 last night, surveillance captured you wearing the school uniform jacket walking into the kitchen.”

The girl suddenly fell silent. After a while, she softly said, “I borrowed a friend’s clothes.”

“Whether you borrowed clothes or not, you know in your heart. We can just ask your class.”

“I didn’t borrow a classmate’s uniform…”

“Then whose?”

“An… upperclassman.”

“What’s his name, which class?”

The girl remained silent.

Gu Yuan grew impatient. “Speak, which class?”

“Qiu Yao, Class One of Junior Three.”

“Why did he lend you the jacket?”

“Because he has extra jackets.”

“What’s your relationship?”

“He’s my neighbor.”

“Which neighbor?”

“Qiu’s Duck Neck.”

“Where’s the uniform he lent you?”

“After I got home, I returned it to him through the window.”

“Returned it through the window?” Gu Yuan’s pupils contracted slightly. “Did you hand over anything else? Your brother’s vomit, bloody tissues?!”

The girl’s body shrank, and tears began to fall in large drops.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. After I returned the jacket to the upperclassman, I went inside to do my homework. After a long time, I heard noise downstairs, and only then did I know my brother accidentally fell into the oil pot…”

“If that’s really the case, why do we need a forensic doctor?”

Gu Yuan rubbed his temples.

“When I performed the autopsy, I found blood on the head, and the trachea was filled with vomit.”

“Your brother suffered a head injury, was unconscious for a while, then vomited, and suffocated.”

“During this time, why didn’t you seek help? Maybe he could have been saved!”

The girl’s face turned red, and she shouted, “I don’t know anything. I was upstairs doing my homework the whole time!”

“Unless a second person appeared at the scene, you can’t escape suspicion!”

“The police need to provide evidence! You’re wronging me, I didn’t do it!” The girl shouted in resistance, seemingly wanting everyone to hear.

Gu Yuan made everything clear, but the little girl refused to admit it, instantly transforming from a timid little mouse into a hedgehog full of spikes.

The people outside the interrogation room watched the scene inside and finally understood why Mo Lin wanted Gu Yuan to do the interrogation. He was indeed cold-hearted, not softening just because the other party was a 12-year-old girl.

Gu Yuan came out of the interrogation room with a dark face. “Li Meng, let’s go to Qiu’s Duck Neck.”

Mo Lin thought: Since when did you become so familiar with Li Meng?

Mo Lin stopped him. “Get in my car.”

Seeing the other approach, Gu Yuan took a step back. “Are we that close?”

“Starting to turn your back on me now?” Mo Lin looked at him like he was a child. “Still mad?”

Gu Yuan showed obvious impatience. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Really don’t understand?” He tried to get closer again.

Gu Yuan had to take another step back, cornered against the wall. “Stay away from me!”

Mo Lin’s eyes curved with a smile, his long eyes were beautiful, and his light-colored pupils reflected Gu Yuan’s image. “What if I don’t?”

Gu Yuan lowered his head, holding back, his hands in his pockets already clenched into fists. “Then don’t blame me for getting physical!”

“Whatever it is, let’s resolve it privately between us…”

“It can’t be resolved.”

“Why?”

Gu Yuan’s clenched fists instantly relaxed. “I don’t know why, but it just can’t be resolved.”

Mo Lin rarely frowned, placing one hand on the wall, looking down at him. “Lift your head and tell me why.”

Seeing Gu Yuan unmoved, he had no choice but to use his distinctly jointed fingers to lift his chin gently.

“What the heck is going on!”

Wang Yue looked at the two in the corner, his eyes nearly popping out.

“What the heck, go break it up, or they’ll start fighting!” Li Meng said, ready to pull them apart.

Mo Lin looked at the stubborn Gu Yuan and suddenly laughed. “Don’t want to say? Fine, I won’t force you.”

Mo Lin let go of his chin and took a step back. “But you should understand, I’m on your side, no matter when, no matter the situation…”

After saying this, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue candy, then slipped it into Gu Yuan’s pocket. He gently pried open Gu Yuan’s fingers and placed the candy in his palm. “Can you forgive me now?”

Gu Yuan’s ears turned visibly red. Holding the candy, the tension in his heart instantly eased. It was a strange feeling; just a moment ago, he hated him to death, but now he couldn’t hate him at all.

“Let’s talk it out, no fighting. This is the police station, it wouldn’t look good if the captain saw!” Li Meng finally chimed in. “Gu Yuan, weren’t we going to Qiu’s Duck Neck? Let’s go!”

Gu Yuan’s palm, holding the candy, was slightly sweaty. He put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the door without looking back. Li Meng was about to follow when Mo Lin pulled him back.

Mo Lin, with a smile in his eyes, said, “I’ll go with him.”

Li Meng finally breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s more like it. Colleagues should love each other. Gu Yuan has a bad temper, so be patient with him.”

Mo Lin patted Li Meng on the shoulder, his smile carrying a chill. “You seem to have a lot of free time. Then take someone to Yan Hai City’s Seventh Middle School to find out about Zhou Jie and Qiu Yao.”