“For your daughter, you’d definitely want to kill me, wouldn’t you?” Zhao Yao sneered. “But what did you just say? ‘There are no lawless people in the Mu family’? If you’re having these thoughts for your daughter now, your father could have had similar thoughts of greed back then for other reasons.”

“Spare me the righteous nonsense,” he said, slamming his handcuffed fists on the table, his eyes bloodshot.

“It was because of Mu Yecheng back then. He grew greedy when he learned about the whereabouts of the three million yuan. Instead of doing the right thing, he embezzled the money, which led to my mother and sister being targeted.”

“I watched as my sister was dismembered, and my mother died in a pool of blood clutching her remains.”

“Mu Jianhua, this is your father’s debt to me. It’s the Mu family’s debt. I will kill you, and I will destroy your entire family.”

Suddenly, Zhao Yao lunged forward and grabbed the enamel cup on the table, hurling it toward Mu Wan. It was the only remotely dangerous object in the room.

“Wan wan!” Kuang Ye quickly pulled Mu Wan down.

The cup hit the wall with a loud thud. It didn’t hurt anyone, but the goji berries and red dates scattered across the floor.

The room fell silent.

The officers and the vice-captain immediately subdued Zhao Yao. The vice-captain glanced at the mess and lightly scolded a junior officer. “No more bringing such ridiculous things into interrogation rooms next time.”

The officer stammered, “…”

Leaning closer, the vice-captain whispered, “We just had a big win. Don’t embarrass me. Own up, and next case, you’re coming on fieldwork with me.”

The officer quickly saluted. “Sorry, sir. It won’t happen again!” Fieldwork in the criminal investigation unit was a coveted opportunity, great for career growth and pay raises.

—

Knock, knock.

Amid the commotion, an elderly man with white hair knocked on the door.

Mu Jianhua was startled when he saw the visitor. He quickly opened the door. “Uncle Wang, what are you doing here?”

Wang Ran, now over seventy, was once Mu Yecheng’s adjutant. He had retired to his hometown but had flown in overnight after hearing about Mu Jianhua’s investigation into the Shenzhou Bank case.

Wang walked straight to Zhao Yao. “Are you the son of Zhao Binhai?”

Zhao Yao’s eyes were still filled with hatred, directed at everyone in the room. “Who are you?”

Wang pulled out a yellowed letter. “This is a letter your father asked me to send to your mother thirty years ago. It was returned because no one signed for it. Do you want to see it?”

Everyone in the interrogation room froze.

Zhao Yao repeated, “A letter from my father… to my mother?”

Wang nodded, his expression somber as he recounted the events of the past.

“Back then, there were six robbers. Five were hardened criminals, but your father was just an ordinary worker. The commander thought it was strange and contacted him in secret.”

“Your father confessed that your sister had a severe illness, and he had no way out. The commander persuaded him to cooperate, promising the best medical treatment for your sister in exchange for his help.”

“He agreed.”

“At that time, we didn’t have mobile phone tracking technology. Thanks to your father’s assistance, we quickly located the Robbers.”

“But when we arrived, all we found was their van at the border. Everyone was dead. Based on the bullet casings and fingerprints on their guns, the police determined they had killed each other in an internal conflict.”

“The commander later went to your residence, but your family had already disappeared.”

Zhao Yao’s face was filled with disbelief. His trembling hands opened the envelope. Inside was a weathered letter that read:

“Xiao Ying, Yaoyao, Xiaoyuan, I’ve made a mistake. I may have to go to prison, but I’ll try to get leniency. There’s a man named Mu Yecheng who said he could save Xiaoyuan.
Once I’m gone, take this letter and find him.
Yaoyao, my little man, protect your mother and sister. Study hard and don’t be like me.”

Tears fell onto the thin paper, soaking it.

It was unmistakably his father’s handwriting. Since he had only attended school until second grade, his father didn’t know how to write the character “Yao” properly and often used pinyin instead.

So, when his father mentioned “Mu Yecheng” on the phone back then, it wasn’t to name him as the culprit—it was to direct him to seek help from Mu Yecheng.

The man who could save Xiaoyuan.

Fate had played a cruel trick. If Zhao Yao had received this letter back then, he wouldn’t have spent thirty years hating the wrong person.

Mu Jianhua slammed his hand on the table in anger, his eyes red.

“The truth is out now. The person who caused your family’s tragedy wasn’t my father. He was trying to help your family. But how did you treat my daughter?”

“You—!”

Thinking of how his daughter had been cruelly murdered in the previous life, Mu Jianhua’s rage surged. He lunged forward and punched Zhao Yao hard.

Zhao Yao, now a hollow shell, didn’t react. If the Mu family wasn’t his enemy, then what had his years of hatred and efforts been for?

Kuang Ye, however, raised a critical question.

“Uncle Wang, the 3.18 case is connected to the Shenzhou Bank case. Why wasn’t this connection discovered back then?”

Wang Ran frowned. “The aftermath of that case was handled entirely by your grandfather.”