Chapter 139

Song Wen went to open the door and asked, “Who’s making noise downstairs?”

Now that a homicide had occurred, Mingyue Restaurant had long ceased operations and closed the building. There were still a few police officers downstairs, so logically there shouldn’t be any issues.

“Two people came over, they said…” Zhang Ziqi began, then glanced at Meng Tiantian sitting in the room, hesitating to continue.

Song Wen frowned and asked, “What can’t be said?”

Only then did Zhang Ziqi speak up, “They said they’re Meng Tiantian’s company boss and manager, requesting her release.”

Meng Tiantian didn’t expect this turn of events. When she heard this, she exclaimed and lifted her head. Then, she tapped her chest with a bit of pain, as if wanting to cough up blood, and whispered, “Why are they causing trouble…”

This was indeed the style of an entertainment company. When something happened and wasn’t understood, their first reaction was to come and bail out their person. But in this case, it was different from others. Firstly, it was a criminal case, which was serious. Secondly, Meng Tiantian was currently just cooperating with the investigation. It was safest for her to remain silent until the investigation concluded. Requesting her release at this point could easily escalate the situation. But obviously, the people from that company didn’t see it that way.

At this moment, in the lobby on the first floor of the Lotus Moon Restaurant, the waiter had already cleared away the remnants of the previous meal, the tables and chairs were set up, and the floor had been cleaned. Except for the body displayed at the entrance, there were no other anomalies.

In the lobby, a chubby man was waving his manicured fingers and arguing with the police downstairs, “On what basis do you detain my artist? Do you know how much damage this behavior does to the reputation of our company?”

The young police officers downstairs were still trying to explain, “Well, they are the last people who had contact with the victim. They’re all suspects and must cooperate with the police investigation…”

Another police officer added, “Yeah, it’s not like we detained only her.”

“Then where’s the evidence? Why don’t you show us the evidence?” The manager continued to press aggressively.

The young officer said, “The police are still investigating and are not obligated to present evidence to you. Besides, they were dining together with the deceased, and the staff present are all witnesses.”

“Dining together is one thing, but she’s not the murderer. Since she’s not the murderer, why are you detaining her? You should release her now and continue the investigation later. What’s the meaning of detaining her in the restaurant now?” The manager argued rapidly, “Tiantian absolutely couldn’t have killed anyone. She’s a public figure. If this matter gets online, it will have a bad impact. Moreover, she has an important shoot tomorrow morning. You must release her immediately, otherwise, we’ll send you a lawyer’s letter, and you’ll have to compensate our company’s losses!”

Song Wen happened to come down the stairs at this moment. Originally, he came down to see what was happening out of curiosity. When he heard this, he chuckled, “You really have what it takes, daring enough to send a lawyer’s letter to the police station. Since you know the law, let’s discuss it. You’re obstructing the police investigation. We can arrest you right now, you know?”

Seeing that the other young police officers made way for Song Wen, the manager pointed his manicured finger directly at him, “Let me tell you, we’re not easy to mess with. Just tell me if you’re releasing her or not!”

Song Wen shrugged, “If Meng Tiantian didn’t commit murder, she’s just cooperating with the investigation. Once the investigation is clear, she’ll naturally be released. Cooperating with the police is a citizen’s duty. Actors can’t have special treatment. You’re making such a fuss, are you trying to get her on the hot search?” Then he looked at the people in front of him and asked, “By the way, which company are you from?”

Zhang Ziqi only mentioned that these people were Meng Tiantian’s manager and boss, but the specific details were not very clear.

The man who looked like a boss beside him stared at Song Wen and asked, “Nancheng Dynasty Entertainment, have you heard of it?”

Their company wasn’t particularly famous nationwide, but it was relatively big in Nancheng, more like a local big shot. The company had seven or eight minor artists, and although Meng Tiantian wasn’t the most famous among them, she was considered a rising star with several unreleased dramas. If something went wrong now, they would have to compensate the production crews.

So, the boss and the manager attached great importance to this. When they heard that something had happened at the Lotus Moon Restaurant and confirmed that Meng Tiantian had been detained by the police, they hurriedly came over to demand her release.

Song Wen shook his head, showing no mercy, “Never heard of it. We’re from the Nancheng City Bureau. You should have heard of us, right?” Then he turned to Zhang Ziqi and said, “Take down the name of the company and check it with the neighboring department to see if they’ve paid their taxes.”

Zhang Ziqi sighed hastily.

The boss blushed deeply upon hearing this, “I’m Li Qilin. Do you know who my father is?”

Song Wen frowned at the boss, who was built like a Michelin tire. He thought to himself, What era is this? Still using this tactic? He retorted, “I don’t know. Are you mentally challenged? You have to ask others who your father is?”

This sentence made the police officers present struggle to contain their laughter.

“Where did you come from, little policeman? Be careful, I’ll directly find your boss and have you fired.” The boss looked at Song Wen, who was young, and tried to intimidate him. Being in the entertainment business, he thought he had some tricks up his sleeve and believed he had strong connections behind him, trying to scare Song Wen with them.

But Song Wen wasn’t buying it. “Fine, do whatever you want, but let me make this clear: until the case is clear today, no one will be released from here! Don’t think that money and connections can pave the way, and don’t think that you can rely on your old face to get away with it. Do you know what ‘the law is merciless’ means?”

As he said this, Song Wen glanced casually at Cheng Mo. Cheng Mo coughed lightly, feeling guilty, and lowered his head. Initially, he wanted to protect Tan Shan by doing a favor for the teacher. Such a gesture would be more effective than any amount of money. But he didn’t expect Song Wen to be so firm.

The boss wasn’t just bluffing. He immediately took out his phone and started dialing, “Ah, Director Zhang, I have something to discuss… Yeah, it’s infuriating…”

As soon as Song Wen heard this, he knew that this call was likely going to Director Zhang’s side. Even if it wasn’t Director Zhang himself, if the director personally intervened, the case would have to proceed.

Before, Lu Siyu had been listening to their conversation quietly. At this moment, he calmly walked downstairs and said to the manager, “Step aside a bit. You’re stepping on the victim’s clothes. Don’t disturb the evidence.”

The chubby manager then realized that he was standing next to the dead body and exclaimed, jumping back about half a meter, looking like a frightened rabbit.

Two minutes later, after the boss finished the call, his facial expression changed as if he had eaten something bad and choked on it.

As the manager was about to ask what was going on, the boss pushed him aside and turned to Song Wen with a smile, “Um… I’m sorry. I just found out the situation. It turns out that Division Captain Song is personally in charge of this case. It’s my mistake. Please forgive me, Captain Song. Tiantian is absolutely fine. We’ll cooperate with the police. You can continue with your investigation slowly…”

The manager wanted to say something more, “But Tiantian…”

The boss pulled him away and gritted his teeth, “We’ll talk later. If there’s really nothing wrong, they shouldn’t keep detaining her. Keep an eye on the internet. As long as there’s no leak…”

These words sounded more like something a person would say. As they walked away, the crisis was averted, and Song Wen turned around and went back upstairs.

The previous few sentences all fell into Cheng Mo’s ears, and the old man frowned even more and remained silent. While Song Wen appeared to be reprimanding the manager and the boss, every word was actually aimed at him. This leader, despite his young age, wasn’t as easygoing as he seemed.

After fussing for about ten minutes, they all returned to the private room and took their seats. Meng Tiantian glanced at the situation and knew that her boss and manager must have been embarrassed.

Their intention to rescue her was good, but coming over hastily only caused trouble for her…

As Song Wen sat down and waited for Lu Siyu to pick up pen and paper, he repeated the previous question, “Meng Tiantian, do you know anything else?”

Meng Tiantian hesitated for a moment. She knew that if she couldn’t explain clearly tonight, no one could save her. After weighing her options, she spoke up and revealed the truth, “Teacher Zhang… she… was extorting money from me.”

Upon hearing this, everyone present was somewhat surprised. At this stage of the case, another twist emerged.

With that said, Meng Tiantian hugged her arms, “At this point, I’m not afraid of anything else. I’m willing to use this secret to clear my name.”

She organized her thoughts and began to describe what happened, “In this matter, I am simply a victim. I thought that after I graduated, I would have no further interaction with this old woman. I majored in acting in college and immediately landed some minor roles in a few films after graduating. Then, I received a message from Teacher Zhang one day. She chatted with me for a bit and then said she recently found some class photos, which she sent to me. They were all group photos of me and my classmates. She praised my transformation over the years and said that I had become famous. She even mentioned that she was interviewed by the media before, asking if I had any scandalous stories from the past. Finally, she said she was in need of money and asked me for a loan.”

Song Wen asked, “Are those photos crucial? Are you afraid she’ll make them public?”

Meng Tiantian nodded, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and bravely said, “Yes, I admit it. I had plastic surgery in high school.”

Upon hearing her words, Song Wen turned his gaze to confirm. He was quite sensitive to facial features. Now, upon closer inspection, it was indeed noticeable that Meng Tiantian’s jawline was sharp and thin, her nose bridge was high and straight, and her double eyelids were slightly wider than usual.

Meng Tiantian looked at them, “I was quite ugly in middle school, and my body hadn’t developed at all. I had short hair, dark skin, and looked like a tomboy. Later, in high school, I grew my hair out and underwent some procedures, gradually becoming more attractive. I’m currently at a critical point in my career. If something like this gets out, it will definitely be detrimental to my professional life. I have never publicly admitted this before, but since you are all police officers, I hope you can keep it confidential…”

Meng Tiantian’s experience, like that of the ugly duckling turning into a swan, was something that could be rumored about among actors, but it couldn’t be proven. Teacher Zhang had plenty of clear photos that could prove she had undergone surgery.

People’s hearts are truly unpredictable. Teachers and students used to have an extremely close relationship, spending three years together day and night. Ten years later, she had entered society and become an adult who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her teacher. Meng Tiantian never expected that her past would be dredged up ten years later. And her past being used by her own teacher for blackmail was beyond her imagination.

Song Wen frowned, “So she started extorting money from you?”

If what Qian Jiang had said before was just a lack of professional ethics, then what Meng Tiantian was saying now was much more serious. Extortion had already constituted a crime. Zhang Dongmei had gone too far in this matter.

Meng Tiantian said, “She was using this to blackmail me. She gave me her account number. The first time, she asked for twenty thousand, and I transferred the money to her. Two months later, she came to me again, asking for thirty thousand. These transactions are all recorded. If you don’t believe me, you can check Zhang Dongmei’s bank records.”

Several transactions added up to more than fifty thousand. Since Meng Tiantian dared to ask them to check the records, she probably wasn’t lying.

With that, Meng Tiantian sighed, “This matter is a bottomless pit.” She rested her hands on her knees and continued to explain, “Later, I realized that my middle school photos were a vulnerability. Giving money to my middle school teacher to prevent the release of my embarrassing photos was another vulnerability. The former situation would require photo evidence, while the latter, just the title alone would be enough to stir up gossip. Unfortunately… I didn’t think through the reasons behind it initially. And Zhang Dongmei wasn’t going to let me off so easily.”

She didn’t know before, to what extent the greedy Zhang Dongmei would extort her, how much money would buy her silence, and when this nightmare would end.

Song Wen looked at her, “So, are you here today to resolve this matter?”

Meng Tiantian paused here. She had already decided to betray Tan Shan. When disaster strikes, even husband and wife will fly separately, let alone middle school classmates.

“Just three days ago, Tan Shan contacted me privately. In fact, I hadn’t spoken to this class monitor for a long time. She asked me if Teacher Zhang had been borrowing money from me recently. At first, I was reluctant to admit it, but later she said that Teacher Zhang owed a lot of money. She also asked me if Teacher Zhang found out about something and was using it to blackmail me…”

Meng Tiantian paused for a moment. “I think Tan Shan should know something. At that time, I wasn’t very trusting of her, but later she said she had a way to end this matter.”

Lu Siyu noted this down and circled Tan Shan’s name. It seemed that as the organizer, Tan Shan might have known more information.

Song Wen continued, “Tan Shan’s plan was to have dinner with the teacher and then record a video humiliating her?”

Meng Tiantian blinked and admitted, “Yes, before today’s dinner appointment, Teacher Zhang had no idea we were all there. Tan Shan lied to her, saying some students wanted math tutoring, and asked her to introduce us. When she saw us, she wanted to leave, but where could she go?”

Meng Tiantian felt relieved to get everything off her chest, “We recorded the video not just to vent, but more to hold her accountable. With this video, we also have leverage over her, so we won’t be at her mercy anymore. As an actress, I should be mindful of my public image, but I was too angry, so I hit her. Before we started recording, we agreed that this video would only be kept for ourselves. And it will be edited later. Seeing everyone else getting physical, I couldn’t hold back…”

“So, were the others also blackmailed by Teacher Zhang?”

“I’m not sure about Tan Shan because she’s Teacher Zhang’s colleague, which makes her situation more special. As for the others, I assume so, but I’m not sure why they were blackmailed. Qian Jiang probably didn’t want to reveal why he was being blackmailed.”

At this point, Song Wen understood the truth of the matter and finally understood why, in Qian Jiang’s earlier description, they felt the students’ motives were insufficient. It was because Qian Jiang, for some purpose, concealed part of the truth. The teacher held these students’ weaknesses and was extorting them, which made sense for their retaliation.

“Tonight, after you all finished dealing with Zhang Dongmei’s abuse and came out of the private room, where were you?” Song Wen still didn’t give up his suspicion of Meng Tiantian. There was only a fine line between a blackmailed student and a culprit who killed the teacher.

“At that time, Zhao Yuliang suggested that we shouldn’t let Teacher Zhang leave in such a state. She looked disheveled with cake and beer all over her head. We gave her tissues and let her clean herself up, then we three girls took her to the bathroom to wash her face and comb her hair. I had a bit too much to drink and went to the bathroom. I lingered there for a while. When I came out, Teacher Zhang, Tan Shan, and Ji Meiyun were all gone. Then, I heard that Teacher fell from the rooftop.” Meng Tiantian’s description was similar to her previous confession.

“So, you weren’t present, but no one can prove it for you?” Song Wen pointed out the key point.

Meng Tiantian hesitated for a moment and nodded.

“Who do you think killed Teacher Zhang?” Song Wen asked the last question.

Meng Tiantian said, “It’s not me anyway.” Her eyes were dark and calm, showing no sadness for the teacher’s death. Then she added, “Whoever it is, they’re remarkable. Truly, I harbor no resentment towards the killer. Instead, I’m grateful.”

Song Wen speculated, “Because with the teacher dead, the extortion against you ends, your problem is solved, and you can rest easy about what happened in the past, right?”

Meng Tiantian shook her head, “A good teacher can save a child’s life, while a bad one can ruin everything. The person who killed Teacher Zhang prevented her from harming students anymore, which is a good thing.”

After Meng Tiantian left, Song Wen turned to Lu Siyu, “There’s a lot to remember today. Should I help you take some notes?”

In just a short while, they had interrogated three people, and the case was progressing layer by layer. Lu Siyu had been writing furiously, almost filling half a notebook.

This interrogation was only halfway through, and Song Wen felt sorry for him.

Lu Siyu rubbed his sore wrist and shook his head, “I can’t really read your handwriting, so I’ll have to organize it myself later.”

Song Wen felt aggrieved; he had originally meant well. “Are you criticizing my handwriting?”

Lu Siyu shook his head and looked up, calmly and sincerely saying, “It’s not criticism, it’s just not very pleasant to look at. I think you could practice a leader’s signature.”

Touching his wounded pride, Song Wen consoled himself that even though his handwriting isn’t pretty, his drawings were. Thinking like this, he felt much better. Then he turned to Cheng Mo, “What’s your take on the case at this point, Captain Cheng?”

Cheng Mo sighed. With the case summarized to this point, there had been some progress. He rubbed his slightly sore face ^[1]From the figurative face slap he received for trying to protect Tan Shan and said honestly, “Tan Shan seems to have a major issue. Additionally, there are still two students we haven’t questioned. We have to enforce the law impartially. If Teacher Tan really did something wrong, I won’t tolerate it.”

At this stage of the case, the truth still seemed somewhat elusive.

Lu Siyu glanced at her notes and absentmindedly licked her lips. “We’re still missing some information.”

Song Wen agreed, “Yes, Tan Shan lied, Qian Jiang only told half-truths. I think Meng Tiantian didn’t talk much about her school experience. As for tonight and recent events, she probably disclosed everything she knew. I assume each student’s reason for being blackmailed by the teacher might be different. Meng Tiantian’s reason might be one of the lighter ones.”

As Song Wen spoke, he drew a relationship map on the paper in front of him, with the five students surrounding it and the deceased’s name written in the middle.

A strange image appeared in Song Wen’s mind: the five students standing at a bustling street corner in Nancheng, their heads bowed as they gazed at Zhang Dongmei’s lifeless body on the ground, their expressions cold, and the crimson blood spreading beneath her…

“I’m curious now about what the whole story will look like when pieced together.”