“Who’s Lu Yongyuan? I don’t know him.” Zhao Tian glanced at Ye Jinchen and replied swiftly.

“He’s the guy who lives in Building 6, Unit 101 on Ping Alley. Just a couple of days ago, you slapped him twice in public—already forgot?” Ye Jinchen looked coldly at Zhao Tian.

“Oh, you mean him? Come on, boss, are you serious? Two slaps can kill someone? Don’t just dump the blame on me just to close the case quickly.” The disbelief on Zhao Tian’s face didn’t seem fake.

Even so, Ye Jinchen’s expression remained unchanged as he asked indifferently, “Why did you hit him?”

“That bastard beat up my woman like that—how could I let it slide? Two slaps were already going easy on him!” Zhao Tian spat in disgust. “I’d wanted to kill him long ago. Thank God I didn’t need to lift a finger. Boss, you should go ask the gods which deity finally opened their eyes and took him away. I wanted him dead, sure, but it was just a thought. Thinking about killing someone isn’t a crime, right?”

According to Zhao Tian, the day he got out of prison, he went straight to see Tangtang. To his shock, she was covered in bruises. After asking, he found out it was Lu Yongyuan who had done it. He then got Lu’s address from Tangtang and staked out Ping Alley for several days until he finally caught Lu Yongyuan.

Zhao Tian was dying to send Lu Yongyuan to the afterlife, but since he had just gotten out, he didn’t dare cause too much trouble. He was even hoping that after Tangtang finished her work this year, the two of them could go back to his hometown and live a decent life. So, at the time, he just gave Lu Yongyuan a beating to teach him a lesson—not seriously enough to kill, and definitely not to murder.

“I’ve turned over a new leaf. I’d never do anything illegal again.” Zhao Tian sounded self-righteous, though there was a faint glint of gloating in his eyes. It was clear he truly despised Lu Yongyuan.

For now, it seemed Lu Yongyuan’s death wasn’t related to Zhao Tian.

“You'd never do anything illegal again? Then what about the phones you stole at the internet café?” Ye Jinchen put down his pen and looked at Zhao Tian expressionlessly.

Ye Jinchen’s aura was already intimidating, now with a stern face, it was even more frightening.

Zhao Tian’s face froze, and he said awkwardly, “I… I was just… short on cash.”

Fresh out of prison with no means of income and a criminal record that made finding a job nearly impossible, Zhao Tian had been given a few hundred yuan by Tangtang for living expenses. It didn’t last long. Feeling ashamed to keep asking her for money, he saw some college students carelessly leaving their phones on the desks at the café, and the temptation got to him.

“Isn’t that just asking to be stolen?” he muttered.

“Short on cash, so you steal? Ever think about getting a job?” Ye Jinchen’s voice grew more severe. Zhao Tian was a textbook example of how a person’s nature doesn’t change. He’d barely been out and already slipped back into old habits.

Zhao Tian mumbled something under his breath—Sang Tong couldn’t catch it, but she got the gist: Zhao Tian was just a lazy drifter who wanted easy money. Decent jobs wouldn’t hire him, and he couldn’t stand hard labor.

What a waste of all that muscle, he could be hauling cement buckets on a construction site for hundreds a day.

“Where were you the night before last and early yesterday morning?” Ye Jinchen went straight to the point.

“At the internet café, or maybe at Tangtang’s place—I don’t remember,” Zhao Tian replied. Sometimes he got so lost in gaming he didn’t know what day or time it was.

He claimed that ever since he got out, he was either gaming at the café or fooling around with Tangtang, barely keeping track of dates.

Xu Ran had already pulled up the surveillance footage from the café and surrounding areas. Sure enough, Zhao Tian was at the café that night and early the next morning, but he did leave for about half an hour, right around 2 to 3 A.M.

“I had a stomachache and went to the toilet, is that a crime? The grilled sausages they sell at the café were bad, gave me the runs. Almost blew my guts out.” Zhao Tian didn’t care. “You guys should check out their food hygiene. If someone dies from eating that stuff, who takes responsibility?”

While Ye Jinchen was questioning him, Sang Tong quietly checked the map. From Tangtang’s place to Lu Yongyuan’s apartment, it was about a ten-minute ride by shared bike, shorter if you took a shortcut. A round trip would take just over twenty minutes, leaving only a few minutes for the actual crime if Zhao Tian were the killer.

Plus, Lu Yongyuan’s system had a high alcohol content. If he didn’t get drunk at Li Xingfa’s house, then he must’ve been drinking afterward. Given the conflict between Lu and Zhao Tian, there was no way the two of them would sit down for drinks together.

So, if Zhao Tian didn’t do it—could someone else have killed Lu in cooperation with another?

The night the incident occurred, Lu Yongyuan called for a massage. The one who came was Yunyun. Could it be that Yunyun was working with Zhao Tian—Yunyun got Lu Yongyuan drunk, and then Zhao Tian made his move?

In the previous case, Mi Xinya and Guan Xingwen worked together in a similar way, so this isn’t impossible either.

But... why would Yunyun help Zhao Tian? Could it have been Tangtang who actually showed up, and Yunyun gave a false statement to cover for Zhao Tian and Tangtang? What reason would compel her to go this far for them? Based on their “surface-level sisterhood,” wouldn’t she be more likely to distance herself?

Zhao Tian had a motive, but not enough time to commit the crime. If the three of them really did it together, coordinating would not be easy. Besides, Zhao Tian wears a size 43 shoe, which doesn’t match the footprints left in the room.

Both Zhao Tian and Li Xingfa could be the killer, but based on the limited clues, Li Xingfa’s motive seems stronger.

Sang Tong absentmindedly rubbed her fingers as she recalled visiting Li Xingfa’s home.

Zhu Yinghe didn’t seem to be forced. Li Xingfa probably knew that those two were involved with each other. On top of that, Li Xingfa had his own issues—things that threatened his masculinity. For people with fragile egos, this kind of emotional blow can feel worse than death. From that perspective, Li Xingfa’s motive appears much stronger.

That night as she went to bed, Sang Tong thought again of the cutting board incident. Just like the other team members said, how much hatred would someone need to do something like that?

Sang Tong had another dream that night. When there’s no case, she sleeps soundly through the night. But when there is one, her sleep is restless, haunted by dreams that hint at motives.

In the dream, Sang Tong was running nonstop, a lump stuck in her throat that couldn’t rise or fall. Something was chasing her. When she looked back, she saw only a massive overpass. The grass was so tall it nearly swallowed her. The terror came from somewhere deep in that unseen grass. All she could do was run—forward, forward...

When the alarm woke her up, Sang Tong clearly knew that her ability had probably activated again. The dream was a hint.

It had been a long time since she’d dreamt of such an exhausting scene. She glanced down at her growling stomach and remembered that she had passed out after washing up last night, skipping dinner altogether.

After breakfast, she took a cup of soy milk to the office building. As she walked past the front of the building, she finished her drink and called out to someone ahead.

“Le Qiwen.”

“Huh? What is it? You scared me.” Le Qiwen had been reviewing surveillance footage until two or three in the morning. Now when the two looked at each other, both had dark circles and swollen eyelids.

Sang Tong asked, “Where was Lu Yongyuan’s last worksite again?”

“Golden Osmanthus Garden, I think. We can check in the office in a bit.”

Construction sites have high worker turnover, so it’s not easy to track people down. This conclusion came after interviewing other workers.

As they were talking, Ye Jinchen walked in. Sang Tong called out, “Captain, I’d like to request to go to Golden Osmanthus Garden today.”

All assignments were given out by Ye Jinchen. Usually, Sang Tong went wherever he did. This was her first time volunteering to go out on her own.

“Alright, go with Ding Jianxiu,” Ye Jinchen said without rejecting her. He couldn’t take Sang Tong with him every time, he had plenty on his plate and couldn’t always look after her.

At first, he was worried that this high-level "parachuted-in" officer might get into trouble, so he kept her close. But after some time, Ye Jinchen realized the girl did have some skill. Simple fieldwork like this probably wouldn’t go wrong, so he let her go.

Sang Tong saluted, “Yes, Captain.”

She’d been worried Ye Jinchen wouldn’t approve. After all, she hadn’t been there long, and most new transfers without established trust were confined to desk duty—reviewing files and videos. The fact that he was now letting her go out alone meant her efforts had paid off and she had earned some trust.

Hmm, a positive development. Not bad at all.

Around 9 A.M., Sang Tong and Ding Jianxiu arrived at Golden Osmanthus Garden. The project was nearing completion, and only a few workers were still on-site. Many of the temps like Lu Yongyuan had already moved on to the next site.

As they walked out from the parking lot, a tall new building loomed ahead.

“If you’re thinking of buying a place, don’t consider this one,” Ding Jianxiu said when he saw Sang Tong eyeing the billboard outside the sales office.

“Why not?” she asked, puzzled.

“See that overpass? When Golden Osmanthus Garden first broke ground, the overpass wasn’t in use yet. Now it is, and it’s really noisy on the west side. The good units have all been picked over, and what’s left over there isn’t selling well.”

“Oh.” She nodded, and then realized—wait, she wasn’t planning on buying a house at all!

They found the person in charge of the site.

At this point in the project, the logs of worker attendance were piled up in a warehouse. Thankfully they came in time, once the project wrapped up, those would be tossed out.

The warehouse was messy, books and notes stuffed into burlap sacks. Everything was handwritten, daily wages and hours. With so many workers, legibility depended on the writer’s care.

“Lu Yongyuan was at Site 7, west side,” Ding Jianxiu pointed at the name in one log and told Sang Tong excitedly.

She leaned over to look—it really was his signature, identical to the one they had seen earlier. No doubt about it.

They were lucky—the supervisor for Site 7 hadn’t left yet, and it didn’t take long to find him. He managed dozens of workers. At first, he couldn’t recall the name, but when Sang Tong showed him a photo, it jogged his memory.

“Oh, this guy! I sort of remember him,” he squinted at the photo.

“He worked here for about six months and left four or five months ago. One of the first to leave,” the supervisor said. “Good worker. Diligent. Never took a day off. Tough guy.”

“Did he have any conflicts with anyone?” Sang Tong asked.

“No big disputes on site, that I know. Personal stuff, I wouldn’t know. Some of his old coworkers are still around. You could ask them.”

If there had been any serious workplace issues, he would’ve heard about it. He’d seen people fight with shovels over cement duty, one guy even injured another’s foot. But the minor stuff he didn’t keep track of.

It was working hours, so they had to wait until the workers came down from the site to talk to them.

“Can we go check out the west side?” Sang Tong asked.

“Sure, take the southern path. Wear your helmet,” the supervisor said without probing further.

They circled around to the west side. Once the towering buildings were behind them, the overpass came into view. From where they stood, it curved like a huge arc overhead, its pillars tall and imposing. Cars roared by above, definitely noisy.

Sang Tong adjusted her line of sight. The scene in front of her overlapped with the one from her dream. She knew she’d found the right place. This was it.

“What’s that area for?” she asked, pointing ahead.

The grass had been cut and piled up. The soil was freshly turned, still damp and red-brown.

“They’re planning to build a small park with a pavilion or something,” the supervisor replied.

The excavators had already broken ground, and construction would begin soon.

Sang Tong pressed her lips together in silence. In her dream, she’d been standing in that very spot—but now, the earth had been dug a meter deep. Not a trace remained—not even grass, just mud.

“That used to be where the workers’ portable cabins were. All torn down now,” the supervisor added, pointing into the distance. “Aside from the noise on the west side, Golden Osmanthus Garden isn’t bad. School’s right out the front gate. A shopping mall’s going up nearby too.”

Sang Tong glanced at him. From the way he spoke, it was clear the west side units were indeed hard to sell.

After some waiting, she and Ding Jianxiu finally met a few of the remaining workers from Site 7—but unfortunately, only one or two of them knew who Lu Yongyuan was.

"Yongyuan, ah, now I remember. As for conflicts, I really haven’t heard of any," one of the men said.

"Yeah, he had a pretty good temper. He never argued with people and was quite warm-hearted too. He was always willing to help out and had a good relationship with everyone," another added.

“He got along well with his coworkers, but what about his personal life? Like a romantic partner or anything?” Sang Tong asked. She suspected that the killer mutilating Lu Yongyuan's body after hanging him had a deeper meaning.

“Well, that’s hard to say. He did like to tell dirty jokes sometimes—you know how it is, a bunch of guys eating together,” the man said while glancing at Sang Tong, clearly holding back. But from his words, it wasn’t hard to tell that Lu Yongyuan had quite a loose attitude when it came to women.

“We never saw any women around him though. Can’t say more than that,” the two coworkers added. After all, these were private matters—guys might joke over drinks, but nobody talks about that stuff openly.

They continued asking a few more questions, but didn’t gain any useful leads, at least nothing these men knew of.

“Alright, thank you,” Sang Tong said.

Watching the two workers leave, Sang Tong felt a bit disappointed. There were too few clues, they’d need to find a real breakthrough.

"That area over there hasn’t been demolished yet?" she asked the person in charge, pointing to a spot in the northwest.

The person replied, “Yeah, that part’s still under planning. Construction will begin at the latest by the end of the year.”

Sang Tong nodded and thanked him. Then she and Ding Jianxiu re-recorded the worker logs, and by the time they were done, it was already evening. Sang Tong rubbed her sore arms, and the two of them found a small restaurant for a quick dinner.

After dinner, Ding Jianxiu had other matters to handle, while Sang Tong returned to the office to keep working overtime. She needed to reorganize all the information. Since her dream gave her a clue, she couldn’t let it go to waste.

See, what a dedicated little worker she was.

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At 11 P.M., Ye Jinchen arrived at the office and was surprised to find the lights still on. He walked to the doorway and saw Sang Tong sitting in front of the computer, focused and serious.

Sensing someone watching her, Sang Tong looked up and met Ye Jinchen’s gaze.

“Still not off work?” he asked, his voice low and a bit hoarse.

“Almost,” Sang Tong replied, eyes still on the screen.

“Mm.”

Ye Jinchen didn’t ask further and returned to his desk. He knew all too well that canvassing during investigations took the most time, sometimes you could go days without a single useful lead.

Once things quieted down, the only sounds left were the occasional tapping of keys between the two of them. Sang Tong was very focused. By the time she finished, it was past midnight.

Stretching her arms, Sang Tong was startled when Ye Jinchen suddenly asked, “Did you and Ding Jianxiu find anything?”

Her sleepiness vanished instantly. Only then did she remember she hadn’t reported today’s progress yet.

Clearing her throat—tight from staying up late, Sang Tong said, “Today I went to Golden Osmanthus Garden with Ding Jianxiu and confirmed that Lu Yongyuan left that construction site five months ago. According to his former coworkers, he never had any serious conflicts with anyone. But there’s one thing I found strange.”

Ye Jinchen raised his eyebrows. “What is it?”

“Wait a sec.” Sang Tong got up and moved the mobile whiteboard in front of him, then pinned a map to it.

Ye Jinchen didn’t help, he just sat there with one leg crossed over the other, watching Sang Tong frown and struggle as she moved things around. When she finally spoke again, he casually stopped typing, quietly suppressing the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“This is Golden Osmanthus Garden, located in the north of the city. And here, here, and here—these are construction sites near Golden Osmanthus Garden. This whole area is part of a new development zone. But over here—this is the site in the southern development zone where Lu Yongyuan ended up,” Sang Tong explained, marking multiple spots on the map.

There was an unexpected sharpness to the serious Sang Tong. Her appearance and clothes were ordinary, yet there was a determination in her eyes that made it hard to look away.

Ye Jinchen scanned the board briefly, then focused his gaze on the map.

“There are so many construction sites in the north, but Lu Yongyuan suddenly went all the way to the south. They’re both in the same city, sure, but that’s a huge distance apart!” Golden Osmanthus Garden was nearly completed, and many workers had moved to nearby projects. Only Lu Yongyuan had gone so far.

“He clearly had so many options. The new district of Golden Osmanthus Garden was about to begin construction, and Lu Yongyuan had already worked his way up to the position of deputy foreman on the construction site. His salary was one to two thousand yuan higher than what he’d earn in the south of the city—there was no reason for him to switch to a place that was farther and paid less,” Sang Tong said with confusion. “Plus, Golden Osmanthus Garden had even assigned him a portable prefab dorm, saving him a thousand yuan in rent each month. Why would he go through all the trouble to come work in the south of the city?”

“I asked around carefully about this,” Sang Tong continued. “Everyone who knew him said Lu Yongyuan suddenly decided to leave. He had even made plans to go out drinking with his coworkers in a few days. Then just like that, he left.”

It wasn’t unheard of for people to suddenly leave a construction site. Others mentioned it in passing but didn’t think much of it.

Ye Jinchen responded with a soft “Mm.”

Sang Tong capped her red pen, unsure what Ye Jinchen was thinking at the moment.

Meeting Sang Tong’s earnest gaze, Ye Jinchen finally spoke. “We can investigate it. It’s too late today, let’s continue tomorrow.”

Hearing his response, Sang Tong let out a breath of relief. She had honestly been a little worried Ye Jinchen would say she was wasting her time—after all, digging into this was going to be quite troublesome.

Now that her nerves relaxed, the tense atmosphere loosened too. Sang Tong casually joked, “It’s past midnight, it is tomorrow already.”

Ye Jinchen’s brow twitched slightly. Sang Tong quickly packed away her pen and obediently said, “Well then, Captain, you should rest early. I’ll head back to the dorm.”

Before Ye Jinchen could say anything, she shut off her computer, grabbed her little bag, and made a swift getaway.

Watching her flustered retreating figure, Ye Jinchen’s tightly pressed lips finally curved into a faint smile. Only after she disappeared around the corridor corner did he withdraw his gaze and return to the map on the whiteboard.

Sang Tong thought she’d be able to sleep well that night. After a whole day of running around, it was nearly two in the morning by the time she’d showered and gotten into bed. But just as her eyes closed, the dreams began again.

It was the same scene as the previous night, the same looming silhouette of the overpass behind her. She was running, panting, the waist-high grass blocking most of her view. Before long, she realized a dark shadow was gradually gaining on her. Even though she was running with all her strength, the pressure behind her kept intensifying. She desperately tried to escape, but she couldn’t shake the icy fear of the shadow trailing her.

Suddenly, she stumbled and lost control of her body, falling forward. The instant she hit the ground, fear surged over her like a tidal wave. One thought screamed in her mind—Run!

She had to escape!

But her feet felt rooted in place. She couldn’t move.

The shadow came closer and closer. The grass rustled. Then, like a net descending from above, it fell over her. The shadow stood right in front of her. In the dim light, she couldn’t make out its face.

Her vision blurred like a veil had been thrown over her eyes. Then, in the next second, the veil fell, and the shadow turned into the hanged body of Lu Yongyuan. His lower half was soaked in blood, his pale face swaying overhead with a creaking sound, and his bulging eyes stared straight at Sang Tong.

Sang Tong jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat.

She’d seen plenty of corpses before and never once been afraid. But this one image had left her in a cold sweat, and she felt it was downright embarrassing.

She glanced at the alarm clock, got out of bed, and took another shower. After that, she did her laundry and hung it on the balcony. Looking up at the clear sky and the brilliant sun in the distance, Sang Tong finally managed to pull herself fully back into reality.

As soon as she walked into the office, Le Qiwen greeted her with a yawn. “Seeing you with dark circles as bad as mine makes me feel better.”

“Didn’t you leave the office early yesterday? Why are you this tired?” Sang Tong asked in surprise.

“Don’t ask. I was dreaming all night. Da-da-da-da—just the sound of knives chopping on a cutting board the entire night. Couldn’t sleep a wink. I’m dying here,” Le Qiwen said, waving his hand.

Sang Tong couldn’t help laughing. “If you’ve done nothing wrong, you don’t need to fear ghosts knocking at your door. Those lingering effects of guilt…”

As she said this, her gaze drifted downward. Le Qiwen quickly rolled his chair behind his desk to block her view.

“Comrade Sang Tong, a gentleman does not stare at what he shouldn’t,” Le Qiwen declared firmly, refusing to admit that phantom pain had tormented him all night and that he still wasn’t feeling well.

The two of them were left behind in the office while everyone else went out again. Sang Tong knew Ye Jinchen was probably giving her a little freedom to follow up on the issues she’d uncovered yesterday, so he didn’t assign her any new tasks for the day.

She had just sat down in her chair when someone appeared at the door.

“Sang Tong, Zhu Yinghe just filed a report!” a fresh-faced newcomer ran over and called from the doorway.

“Who?”

Both Sang Tong and Le Qiwen showed surprised expressions. Why was there suddenly a police report?

“Zhu Yinghe.”

Sang Tong and Le Qiwen quickly met with Zhu Yinghe.

Zhu Yinghe had seen Sang Tong before and remembered her clearly. Many officers had visited Zhu Yinghe’s home, but female officers were rare.

It was only now that Sang Tong realized Zhu Yinghe had come because of Li Xingfa.

“My husband abuses me.” Zhu Yinghe rolled up her sleeve a little, revealing green and purple bruises. Just looking at them made one feel the pain.

Her fingers trembled, and her voice quivered, “All these bruises on me were from him.”

Sang Tong’s brows furrowed tightly.

She hadn’t been wrong last time—Zhu Yinghe did have marks on her body, but she hadn’t expected them to be from abuse.

“Why did he hit you? Was it after drinking or while sober?” Sang Tong asked.

“He… he… I don’t know. Maybe both,” Zhu Yinghe seemed nervous. Sang Tong poured her a cup of warm water.

“Did you two have a fight?” Sang Tong softened her tone. “Don’t be afraid. In a bit, my colleague will help you get an injury assessment. There’s no other purpose, it's just to protect you better.”

Domestic abuse usually doesn’t come out of nowhere. If this had been going on for a while, Zhu Yinghe should have reported it long ago. The fact that she was coming forward now made Sang Tong suspect there was more going on.

“Just some small arguments, nothing serious.” Zhu Yinghe spoke vaguely, avoiding Sang Tong’s gaze.

Sang Tong’s frown deepened, but she soon relaxed her expression.

Her eyes fell on the bruises on Zhu Yinghe’s arm. She wasn’t sure if Li Xingfa had really hit her, but the fingerprint-shaped bruise on her wrist definitely wasn’t from him. That mark looked like something Lu Yongyuan might have caused.

This couple was clearly hiding something.

It was probably all the recent visits that had spooked them into staging this. Sang Tong began to question their intentions.

“How’s your relationship with your husband usually?” Sang Tong asked.

“It’s okay. Xingfa takes good care of me. He earns the money outside while I stay home and manage the house,” Zhu Yinghe said. “He’s never made things hard for me in day-to-day life.”

“And he still hits you even though the relationship is okay?” Sang Tong pressed.

She couldn’t understand it, being hit counted as a good relationship?

“Well… maybe sometimes he just loses his temper…” Zhu Yinghe mumbled, still avoiding eye contact and nervously fidgeting with her fingers.

“What do you think of Lu Yongyuan?” Sang Tong suddenly asked.

“Yongyuan? He’s alright. Easy to get along with. Whenever he came over, he’d help around the house. Very hardworking,” Zhu Yinghe replied awkwardly.

Sang Tong’s frown deepened even further. Zhu Yinghe’s demeanor…

They hadn’t even gotten anything concrete out of Zhu Yinghe when not long after, Li Xingfa showed up. As for the domestic abuse claim, he didn’t deny it at all—in fact, he seemed almost eager to admit fault, even promising he’d never do it again. His attitude was so overly sincere, he looked like he was about to kneel and beg Zhu Yinghe for forgiveness on the spot.

Watching this coordinated act between husband and wife, Sang Tong couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling, but whatever it was, it didn’t sit right.

She felt unsure. Li Xingfa was currently the primary suspect. What was he trying to accomplish with all this?

Domestic violence meant he’d be detained for a while, but Li Xingfa didn’t seem to mind. His willingness to confess was oddly enthusiastic.

The more eager he was, the more complicated the situation seemed. Sang Tong couldn’t quite figure out what was going on, so she simply reported everything to Ye Jinchen.

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Ye Jinchen returned in the afternoon. Zhu Yinghe was still in the reception room and hadn’t left. She hadn’t even touched the boxed lunch Sang Tong had brought her, while Li Xingfa, on the other hand, had already eaten and seemed to be in a good mood.

Ye Jinchen called out, “Xu Ran, come with me.”

“Coming,” Xu Ran responded. The two moved in perfect sync.

Sang Tong was eavesdropping in another room. The questions Ye Jinchen asked were more or less the same as hers. Li Xingfa still openly admitted to the domestic violence and had a very good attitude about admitting his mistake. He said he just had a bad temper and didn’t intend to hurt Zhu Yinghe. Also, whenever he drank, he would lose control and not even remember what he did. He promised to drink less in the future, claimed this time was an accident, and vowed to treat Zhu Yinghe well from now on.

This man’s mouth—when it came to sweet talk, he really had an endless supply of lines.

Sang Tong didn’t make any judgment about the couple’s actual relationship, but the affection they presented on the surface felt undeniably fake.

“You suspected your wife was involved with Lu Yongyuan, so you hit her?” Ye Jinchen suddenly asked Li Xingfa.

Li Xingfa froze, clearly not expecting Ye Jinchen to ask so directly and without any lead-in. His instinctively clenched fists revealed his current state of mind, and his expression twisted instantly.

But he quickly recovered.

“Oh, that’s just baseless gossip from outsiders. How could I take that seriously? My wife and I have always had a good relationship. Ask the neighbors if you don’t believe me. I just drank too much and lost control, that’s inherited from my father. He had a terrible temper too, and my mother suffered a lot.”

“So because your father hit people, you think it’s okay for you to do the same? That’s not how it works.” Everyone is different, even siblings raised in the same home. Environment might shape personality, but it’s not a license for violence.

“Yes, yes, I was wrong. I admit it. I’ll quit drinking,” Li Xingfa replied without caring about Ye Jinchen’s tone. He forced a smile and nodded repeatedly, trying to brush off the questions with a casual attitude.

Ye Jinchen glanced at him.

Domestic violence usually only results in criticism and education. Detention time is short. If Zhu Yinghe forgives him, he’ll get out even faster. Maybe pay a fine, nothing major.

Is that why he’s so shameless? Because the punishment isn’t harsh enough?

Ye Jinchen’s eyes grew darker, his gaze half-lowered as he looked lazily at Li Xingfa, entirely unmoved by his dodging, “Have you really never once suspected your wife?”

“Sir, that’s not right. My wife is so virtuous—ask anyone, no one has a bad word to say about her. My wife and I have always been close. What, are you hoping we’ll get divorced?” This time, Li Xingfa’s tone grew firmer, clearly dissatisfied with Ye Jinchen’s question. He made an effort to defend his marriage and his wife’s image, though under the table, his fists remained clenched.

Ye Jinchen sneered, his gaze sharp as a knife cutting into Li Xingfa’s core. His voice turned icy, “You did suspect her, and you did hit her.”

“I did not!” Li Xingfa’s voice suddenly rose several notches, practically shouting. Even Xu Ran, who was recording nearby, jumped from the outburst.

Bloodshot veins had crept into his eyes, and his emotions were out of control. He suddenly stood, then quickly sat back down. The emotional swings were erratic, almost like he had multiple personalities. He now sat quietly like nothing had happened.

“Sir, I’ve said everything I need to say. If you insist on pinning a false charge on me, there’s nothing I can do. I’m just an ordinary person.”

Realizing he couldn’t bluff his way out, Li Xingfa started playing the victim, subtly implying Ye Jinchen was abusing his power to make him confess to something he didn’t do.

Unfortunately for him, Ye Jinchen wasn’t a green rookie—he wasn’t going to be thrown off by these antics. He continued coldly, “These rumors didn’t start just a day or two ago. Maybe you didn’t believe them at first. But when people say it over and over, it gets to you. You were attracted to your wife’s looks in the beginning. But then you realized those looks attracted others too, and you grew uneasy. Those comments from others became like needles stabbing your heart, making you lose sleep. Eventually, every glance at your wife made you question—if there’s nothing going on, why would people talk? After all, flies don’t buzz around eggs without cracks.[[zpsti5]] Over time, you started to believe the rumors.”

That’s human nature. Trust doesn’t collapse in an instant. Once doubt takes root, people will search for proof. And doubt only grows over time. The more Li Xingfa denied it, the more it showed his insecurity.

Ye Jinchen’s relentless pressing left Li Xingfa humiliated. Knowing he had exposed too many flaws, he finally gave up resisting, “Yes, I did have doubts. But I really do love my wife. Sir, you’re not married, are you? A little suspicion and conflict is normal in marriage. I love her. I was afraid she might really leave me. That fear lingered for a long time, and I bottled it up. So I invited a few friends to drink away the frustration. When I got home, she argued with me about the drinking, and I lashed out. I regretted it afterward and apologized. I’m a man—I have pride. Do you need me to cry and admit I’ve been cuckolded for you to be satisfied? I accept whatever punishment you have for domestic violence. But don’t falsely accuse me of more.”

Li Xingfa slumped in his seat like a deflated balloon. He seemed to lose all his energy with that admission, looking nothing like the aggressive man from earlier.

He lowered his eyes and sat powerlessly, like a man wronged who didn’t know how to fight back.

Ye Jinchen stared at him, brows furrowed deeply, never relaxing.

There was a knock on the door. Le Qiwen entered and handed two pieces of paper to Ye Jinchen before exiting the interrogation room.

A few seconds later, Le Qiwen appeared beside Sang Tong.

“What’s that?” Sang Tong asked.

“Bank statements,” Le Qiwen replied.

Inside the interrogation room, one glance at the papers told Ye Jinchen exactly why Li Xingfa had really come.

“There’s an extra fifty thousand yuan in your account from the last two days. Where did it come from?” Ye Jinchen placed the paper on the table and stared at Li Xingfa.

Sure enough, Li Xingfa could no longer hold the act. His performance froze on the spot.

He stammered, “It’s savings from over the years. My wife made some money from a small business.”

“Selling sausages at a stall outside the school? Fifty thousand yuan in four months?” Ye Jinchen let out a laugh. “Business that good? Maybe I should quit my job and sell sausages too.”

Outside the room, Sang Tong and Le Qiwen: ∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?

Li Xingfa wanted to say “yes,” but even he knew that there was no way you could earn that much from a street stall in South City. Not even twenty or thirty thousand, let alone fifty.

“We borrowed some too… We’re thinking about buying a house,” Li Xingfa mumbled after a long pause.

Ye Jinchen didn’t say anything. He just watched Li Xingfa spin his web of lies.

When Li was done making things up, Ye Jinchen asked, “Who did you borrow from?”

“Just a friend,” Li Xingfa stammered, unable to give a name after a long hesitation.

The truth was already obvious.

One lie leads to many, and eventually, you get tangled in your own web. Li Xingfa realized he couldn’t keep it up. He mumbled something inaudible and fell completely silent.

“The day before that money was deposited, Lu Yongyuan withdrew fifty thousand yuan from the bank. But his home showed no trace of the cash,” Ye Jinchen said calmly.

Li Xingfa’s pupils trembled, his face paler than paper. His fingers clenched the hem of his shirt, frozen like lead.

“T-that’s a coincidence…”

Even as he said it, Li Xingfa knew how laughable it sounded. Sure, the world has coincidences… but this?

He thought that as long as there was no bank transaction, no one would find out. It was all in cash—he had planned it perfectly!

Ye Jinchen hadn’t considered that detail at first either.

When he first heard about the case, he thought the cash had been stolen—home invasion, murder, theft. Not uncommon. He checked the recent finances of several suspects. In the end, only Zhu Yinghe had deposited fifty thousand yuan into her account—one day after Lu Yongyuan withdrew it.

¥50,000 yuan isn’t a huge sum—normal deposits and withdrawals of that size are common, but considering Li Xingfa and Zhu Yinghe’s employment status, lifestyle, and daily expenses, there hadn’t been any recent job changes or legitimate income sources. From that, it’s very likely that the money came from the amount Lu Yongyuan had withdrawn.

“You found out your wife was with Lu Yongyuan. You were furious, felt humiliated—and so you decided to blackmail him, didn’t you?” Ye Jinchen cut straight to the truth.

Li Xingfa opened his mouth, wanting to deny it, but he couldn’t come up with anything to say.

“That rumor’s been going around for a while, you couldn’t have not known. But you and your wife have been together for years, there’s still some feelings there. So you had Zhu Yinghe help you stage a honey trap,” Ye Jinchen continued.

Li Xingfa’s face grew paler and paler. His lips trembled as if he wanted to defend himself, but when he met Ye Jinchen’s expressionless face, all his explanations were forced back down his throat. He choked on his words, his face turning red with suppressed panic.

Outside the window, Sang Tong glanced at Le Qiwen beside her in disbelief, she hadn’t expected this.

Eventually, Li Xingfa broke down and confessed the truth.

He hated Lu Yongyuan. How could he not?

Li Xingfa had health problems, and for years, they’d been childless. But he’d always treated Zhu Yinghe well and was grateful she’d never despised him. He often felt like he was dragging her down. His parents back home were unhappy with her because they had no children, but he brought Zhu Yinghe to live with him anyway. He knew the problem was his, but male pride kept him from explaining it to his parents.

Things had been fine for years, until Lu Yongyuan showed up.

When the rumors started, Li Xingfa panicked. But by then, Zhu Yinghe was already entangled with Lu Yongyuan and couldn’t break free.

Lu Yongyuan was completely unhinged. Seeing the bruises on Zhu Yinghe’s body, Li Xingfa had truly wanted to kill him, but Zhu Yinghe stopped him.

“Let’s just move away. Please,” she’d said to him.

The two of them were genuinely planning to leave. That night’s meal had been a farewell dinner, meant to end things and give Lu Yongyuan one final warning to stay away from their lives.

“Was it your idea to extort Lu Yongyuan, or your wife’s?” Ye Jinchen asked.

“Of course it was mine. Honestly, ¥50,000 yuan was letting him off easy. That bastard didn’t have much anyway, it was all he had saved.” Li Xingfa had learned everything during one of Lu Yongyuan’s drunken rants, and that’s when he set his sights on the money.

Lu Yongyuan never expected that even after Zhu Yinghe had come to him, she still wouldn’t let go of Li Xingfa—instead, they’d set him up. Resigned, he handed over the money to the couple.

Li Xingfa had thought it would all end there. But then Lu Yongyuan died, just as they were preparing to leave.

When he heard the news, Li Xingfa completely panicked. He was terrified his own greed would now cost him his life. He also feared the police might pin the murder on him just to close the case quickly.

People online always say that, don’t they? That police frame ordinary folks just to maintain their success rate.

“I didn’t kill him. I know taking that ¥50,000 makes me suspicious, and if you decide to force a confession for the sake of solving the case, what happens then? I’ve got no one behind me—I have to think of myself,” said Li Xingfa. That’s why he’d made Zhu Yinghe say she was a victim of domestic violence, to cover up the blackmail.

Sang Tong found his reasoning laughable. With all the legal education campaigns these days, how were there still people falling for internet conspiracy theories? If pinning a murder on someone was really that easy, economic criminals wouldn’t be fleeing abroad in droves every year.

“I had nothing to do with Lu Yongyuan’s death. I hated him, yes—but I also knew that killing means paying with your life. I wasn’t willing. He wasn’t worth it!” The chair clattered to the floor as Li Xingfa jumped up and grabbed Ye Jinchen’s arm. “Please, sir—you have to believe me. I didn’t kill him. I didn’t kill anyone!”

The charge of murder was far too heavy. Li Xingfa wasn’t ready to die.

“Accomplices are also responsible,” Ye Jinchen said flatly. This case might involve a male-female duo acting together. Both husband and wife were suspects, neither could be cleared yet.

And then Sang Tong remembered that dream she had.

If the one being chased was Lu Yongyuan… then who was the person running ahead of him?

Sang Tong could feel it, it was a woman.