(2) Hiding

Xuzhou City is small, and there aren’t many trains passing through. The only train to the North City departs at 1 PM.

Xiao Lang bought two train tickets, though it’s unclear who he’s planning to take with him.

It was still early, so Shen Wanwan and Cui Luo went to a noodle shop near the train station to fill their stomachs.

Shen Wanwan ordered beef noodles without beef, and Cui Luo ordered plain noodles.

The shop was old and rundown, with wobbly tables, but the food tasted quite good.

After eating a couple of bites, Shen Wanwan thought of Lin Yuying’s cooking. “It’s good, but I think my mom’s cooking is even fresher.”

Cui Luo wolfed down his noodles. “Auntie’s cooking is so good, I’ll have to try it someday.”

Shen Wanwan looked at the shop owner.

This was a small family-run shop, where both the husband and wife worked together, preparing the soup base and kneading the dough.

Shen Heping was about to retire, and Lin Yuying was good at cooking. If they were to open a shop, they could make a decent living with the current situation.

These days, anyone with a bit of sense went into business.

However, most people didn’t have the courage to open a shop or buy property. For cautious people like Shen Heping and Lin Yuying, it was even less likely.

Shen Wanwan was mentally calculating the funds needed to open a shop.

She wanted to buy a small house near the city bureau, and also a small phone for easy communication. Both of these things would require money.

The salary from the team was enough for her to live comfortably, but saving up to buy a house would take some time.

The thought of money made Shen Wanwan feel a headache.

—

The train left at 1 PM, and it was customary for people to arrive at the train station two hours early. So, around 11 o’clock, Cui Luo and Shen Wanwan split up to guard the entrance.

Xiao Lang was more patient than most people, or maybe he just wanted to avoid Brother Rong. He didn’t appear at the ticket checkpoint until 12:30, and he was with a woman.

They both had large backpacks, and Xiao Lang was also carrying a large plastic bag.

Xiu Mei was Xiao Lang’s girlfriend. They had been together for three months, and it was the peak of their romance.

However, no matter how romantic it was, they had only known each other for a little over three months. When Xiao Lang suddenly suggested leaving Xuzhou, Xiu Mei was still uncertain.

As they were about to reach the ticket checkpoint, Xiu Mei grabbed Xiao Lang’s arm. “Are we really leaving? I haven’t even told my parents. If they find out, they’ll definitely kill me.”

Xiao Lang was eager to board and urged, “I’m taking you to make big money. In two years, when they see how much money you bring back, what will they say? Hurry up, the train is about to leave.”

Xiu Mei kept glancing back while holding her backpack.

Just as Xiao Lang tried to pull Xiu Mei forward, two hands landed on his shoulders.

Cui Luo leaned in close to Xiao Lang’s ear, smiling, and asked, “Brother Lang, where are you going?”

—

Liu Fanrong was forcibly taken to the pretrial room at the bureau.

Tao Jiang personally interrogated him, with Zou Guodong and Shen Wanwan accompanying him.

This wasn’t Liu Fanrong’s first time here, but never had he been this nervous.

He was clutching his own wrist with one hand, forcing himself to stay calm, but his thigh couldn’t help but shake.

Tao Jiang observed all of this.

He stood up and poured Liu Fanrong a glass of warm water. “Brother Rong?”

Tao Jiang held a high position at the bureau, and Liu Fanrong had heard of his reputation.

He didn’t dare to mess with Zou Guodong, let alone Tao Jiang. The way Tao Jiang called him “Brother Rong” made him uneasy.

Liu Fanrong didn’t take the cup. “I’ve already said everything I need to say. Why have you brought me here again?”

Tao Jiang didn’t respond. He leaned against the desk, arms crossed, and looked at Liu Fanrong. “You’ve got a wound on your arm. Did a woman do that?”

Liu Fanrong glanced at his arm. “My cat scratched me.”

“Seems like your cat’s temperament isn’t too good.”

Liu Fanrong retorted, “Mimi’s very well-behaved, it’s just… just that she was a little unstable emotionally yesterday.”

It was really strange. Every night, Mimi had to sleep by his pillow, and occasionally, he’d complain about her snoring being too loud, but he couldn’t drive her away.

But last night, Mimi ignored him completely!!

Shen Wanwan, feeling a little awkward, muttered softly, “If you don’t come clean, she probably still won’t pay attention to you tonight.”

Liu Fanrong: “?”

Tao Jiang said, “A big man like you likes cats? Liu Fanrong, for the sake of your cat, you’d better cooperate with us, so you can go back early and accompany it.”

Liu Fanrong forced himself to stay calm and sneered, looking over. “Captain Tao, though I’m no big shot, I know a few people in Xuzhou. When I’m out there, I’m the one beating others up, never the other way around. I wasn’t raised by fear. If you don’t have solid evidence, you’d better release me quickly.”

Tao Jiang smiled. “How do you know we don’t have evidence?”

Liu Fanrong snorted. “I haven’t killed anyone. What evidence could you possibly have? You’re trying to fabricate something?”

Shen Wanwan spoke up, reminding him, “The results of cooperating or not cooperating are very different.”

Liu Fanrong didn’t pay attention to Shen Wanwan. He also wanted to outdo Tao Jiang, so he took this opportunity to arrogantly say, “Captain Tao, what’s up with your team member? We’re talking, and she keeps interrupting.”

Tao Jiang didn’t get angry, instead, he smiled. “My team member just got back from the train station.”

Liu Fanrong: “?”

“She brought someone back, someone you should recognize.”

Liu Fanrong suddenly had a bad feeling.

Tao Jiang handed Liu Fanrong a cigarette. “Xiao Lang saw something, and he told us about it. Brother Rong, should I relay it to you, or do you want to tell me again?”

Liu Fanrong stared at the unlit cigarette, as if it were a sharp weapon.

This cigarette was like a dagger held in front of his throat—any slight mistake could lead to his death.

In just a few seconds, Liu Fanrong had broken out in a cold sweat.

He forced himself to remain calm and took the cigarette, his fingers trembling. “What… what did he say?”

Shen Wanwan smiled and asked, “Are you sure you want us to speak first?”

Liu Fanrong: “…”

—

Liu Fanrong admitted that he had been at the scene.

That afternoon, he had bought some food and gone to Zhang Yingming’s house to eat with him.

Liu Fanrong hoped that Zhang Yingming would be able to make up for the losses at the store. He knew Zhang Yingming had many ways to make money, and if he could make up for it in time, the store wouldn’t have to close down.

But Zhang Yingming’s gambling addiction was too strong. He even wanted to borrow money from Liu Fanrong again, claiming that if he had one more chance, he could win back all the money he had lost.

Liu Fanrong refused, and this led to a huge argument. Zhang Yingming even said that he would rather die than pay back the money.

Liu Fanrong left angrily, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. That night, he returned to settle things with Zhang Yingming.

“When I went there, the fire had already started. I saw someone in the fire, and it scared me. Didn’t they want to blame me for it? So I ran. While I was running, I happened to see Xiao Lang. I wasn’t sure it was him, but he looked like him. He often came to my place, and my house is nearby. It wasn’t strange for him to be there. So, I told my guys to go find him, but unexpectedly, he ran first. That definitely means it was him.”

Shen Wanwan asked, “How did you plan to kill Zhang Yingming?”

Liu Fanrong replied, “How else would I kill him? I would’ve beaten him to death.”

“With what tool?”

“I picked up a brick on the road,” Liu Fanrong said. “He was burned to death. I wanted to smash his head, so it definitely wasn’t me.”

Tao Jiang coldly said, “To put it simply, Zhang Yingming really was smashed to death.”

Shen Wanwan knew that Tao Jiang didn’t believe Liu Fanrong’s words, but she still wanted to ask a few more questions, so she looked at Tao Jiang.

Tao Jiang said, “You ask.”

Shen Wanwan smiled gratefully.

Liu Fanrong was frightened by Tao Jiang’s words and hurriedly asked, “What do you mean, ‘smashed to death’? When I got there, he was already dead and the fire had already started. What I’m saying is the truth.”

Shen Wanwan asked, “Where did you put the brick?”

Liu Fanrong answered, “I just tossed it away.”

“Tossed it at Zhang Yingming’s house?”

Liu Fanrong furrowed his brows. “I think so, but I’m not sure. When I saw the fire, I was dazed.”

“Did you go inside the house?”

“…I did.”

“And then what did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything. I saw he was dead, so I closed the door and ran.”

“Besides Zhang Yingming, did you see anyone else?”

“No, I didn’t pay attention.”

—

Most of the team members had their own tasks, and only a few people were left in the office.

Zou Guodong, who was in charge of investigating Liu Fanrong and Xiao Lang, was still in the office. He didn’t believe a word Liu Fanrong said. “He says he wanted to kill but didn’t succeed, and then says someone else got there first. Do you hear how absurd that sounds? He’s clearly making excuses!”

Tao Jiang also said, “It’s indeed possible he’s just coming up with an excuse. Once he found out Xiao Lang had witnessed him at the scene, he had to admit part of it to clear himself of suspicion.”

Shen Wanwan was lost in thought, supporting her chin with her hand.

Seeing this, Tao Jiang gave Cui Luo a look, and Cui Luo asked, “Wanwan, what are you thinking about?”

“I really found a specific brick at Zhang Yingming’s house, right near the door. It matches what Liu Fanrong said.”

Zou Guodong wasn’t impressed. “So what? He might have thought the brick was easier to use than an iron bar and just switched it.”

“But what about Fang Qinghua? He didn’t have any intention to kill Fang Qinghua. Could it be that Fang Qinghua really wanted to save someone? But if she saw the fire, why didn’t she wake up the neighbors and have everyone help put it out? Wouldn’t that be faster?”

“She was probably worried about Zhang Yingming. These two were like mother and son. She was too anxious to think clearly.”

Shen Wanwan still felt something didn’t make sense.

At that moment, the team members investigating He Qing returned to the office.

Xiang Dong took the initiative to report to Tao Jiang, “We found that He Qing withdrew 50,000 yuan from her bank account two days ago.”

“Wow, really wealthy,” Zou Guodong remarked. “She’s richer than me. Did I choose the wrong profession?”

Tao Jiang gave him a glance. “People like you don’t belong in a nightclub.”

Zou Guodong: “…”

Xiang Dong said, “Moreover, He Qing has been in contact with several people with criminal records. We suspect she hired someone to kill, and we’ve already brought the person back.”

He Qing had a hard life, she was an orphan.

She grew up without enough food or clothes, and by her teenage years, she began finding ways to earn money using her body.

After the 1980s reforms, things escalated quickly.

Now that she had some money, she “retired from the front lines” and had a stable romantic relationship with Zhang Yingming.

Zhang Yingming wasn’t a good person, and He Qing was also making dirty money, but neither of them rejected the other.

However, unlike Liu Fanrong’s version, He Qing claimed that she was the one who broke up with Zhang Yingming.

Zhang Yingming developed a gambling addiction and, after spending all their shared money, still tried to borrow more from He Qing.

He Qing knew that Zhang Yingming had no way back and didn’t believe he could change, so she decisively broke up with him.

As a result, Zhang Yingming even went to her house to steal money.

Shen Wanwan also came to join the scene with He Qing.

He Qing had a well-proportioned figure and still had her charm.

Her long wavy hair was styled similarly to Yang Chunling’s.

She held a cigarette between her slender fingers, but she couldn’t really light it in the bureau. The impatience in her expression grew more obvious. “I’ve said it many times, Zhang Yingming stole a lot of my money. I hired someone just to get the money back. Why would I kill him? Now that he’s dead, what happens to my money?”