Chapter 162: Testimony

2022-05-20

If things really turn out the way Guan Zengbin guessed, then I can pretty much predict what’ll happen next. Du Zigui can’t be allowed to live. If Du Zigui survives, then everything Zhang Bin said falls apart. So odds are, Du Zigui will end up dead in a way that’s nearly impossible to tell if it was suicide or murder. That way, whatever evidence we have will shatter, and testimonies will be muddled at best.

But from what I can tell, nearly everyone thinks Zhang Bin is the killer. They just believe we haven’t found enough conclusive proof yet. Still, something about this all feels off. If Du Zigui really is dead, then things might just play out exactly like Guan Zengbin predicted.

In Guan Zengbin’s eyes, Zhang Bin is a scheming and two-faced snake. His fits of hysteria and floods of tears are nothing but an act for us. For all we know, he could be secretly laughing inside. But no matter what kind of person Zhang Bin is, the most important thing right now is to find Zheng Shuai or Cheng Yimin.

Before long, we arrived at Changshun Day Rental.

From the outside, the place was clearly an illegal construction—a little courtyard with a three-story building shoved in. You could see the stairs from the street. There were four small rooms on each floor, but who knew what the setup was like inside. The main gate to the courtyard was wide open, and we strode in without any hesitation.

There was a woman in her fifties sitting in the gatehouse. She looked like she weighed at least 250 pounds. In the dead of winter, she was wearing the largest shirt she could find, her belly barely covered. Couldn’t tell if she ran hot or cold. When she spotted us coming in, she pasted on a forced smile. “Hey there, you young folks looking to rent? Our rooms are cheap! Only fifty a day.”

Guan Zengbin stepped forward and flashed the special investigation team badge Team Leader Shao had given us.

Only then did she realize we weren’t here to rent rooms. She spat a mouthful of thick phlegm on the ground and said, “Which one of you is making trouble for me now? This is a legit guesthouse, you know! What do you think this place is? Whoever’s responsible, get your butt out here now!”

Her shout could shake the heavens and scare spirits. Thunder would bow down to her voice, and even the loudest loudspeaker would lose the fight.

Soon enough, residents started popping out, peeking from the hallway to see what the fuss was about.

“Hey, Sister Ma,” someone called out, “can’t you keep it down? The whole of Yumu City can hear you!”

Sister Ma was quick to fire back, “Why don’t you keep it down! Your whole family is loud! If any of you did something shady, be smart and come down—don’t make them come up to get you.”

Yeah, Sister Ma had a hot temper. Muttering to herself, she said, “I swear, there’s been nothing but trouble lately. People sneaking around outside, now cops at the door—how’s anyone supposed to enjoy New Year’s like this? And the fortune teller told me I’d have good luck this year!”

I just shrugged, then said, “No need to look for them. Zheng Shuai, come on down. What about Cheng Yimin?”

The one who’d replied earlier was none other than Zhang Bin’s lackey, Zheng Shuai.

As soon as he saw me, Zheng Shuai ducked his head back inside.

Gu Chen called out from below, “Sister Ma’s right, just come down. Don’t make me come up there and haul you both out.”

They’d seen Gu Chen’s strength firsthand when Hao Ren took them in. Now, the two of them scurried down like rats fleeing the light.

Sister Ma looked them over, unimpressed. “Well now, you two looked so well-behaved—didn’t expect you’d be the ones getting hauled in.”

I just sighed at Sister Ma. “I’ve got nothing to say.”

She spat again, grumbling, “Take whoever you want, but you’re not getting your deposit back…”

We cuffed the pair and took them to the car. Gu Chen kept a watchful eye on them.

Meanwhile, Guan Zengbin and I needed to check out the trio’s room. Sister Ma led the way.

“Those three…! Three grown men packed into one room and too lazy to even take out the trash. Stuff is piled everywhere. If I had more renters, I’d have kicked them out ages ago. I could tell right away they weren’t good news. I kept hearing them talk about ‘waiting for things to blow over.’ It’s like they think this place is their hideout!”

‘Waiting for things to blow over?’ I echoed. ‘Any idea who they’re hiding from?’

“Who else?” Sister Ma laughed. “Hiding from you all, of course!”

We’d reached the door.

With one push, we saw mountains of takeout boxes and beer bottles. The floor was coated in ash that had fused with the boards. Two beds were shoved together, the blankets filthy and unmade. It looked exactly the way you’d imagine those three living.

This time, there wasn’t even a TV. Just beds and a single chair—no bathroom, no shower. Who knew how they even spent their days packed in here.

Sister Ma spat on the floor. “Disgusting. If they didn’t pay me an extra twenty every month, I’d never let such slobs stay here! There’s nothing valuable in there—place is beyond hope.”

On the bed, I noticed a little desk. It was covered with freshly bought meals—some cold cuts, some cooked food. Holding my hand over it, I could still feel a little warmth, so they must’ve just brought it back. At least Zhang Bin hadn’t lied about that part.

A quick look around turned up nothing unusual.

Back at the car, we found the two mumbling endlessly to Gu Chen. “We didn’t do anything! We told you already—we’re innocent! Who’d risk trouble during New Year’s anyway?”

I tapped on the car door. “Zhang Bin’s already named you both. Still want to deny it?”

“Zhang Bin?” Zheng Shuai snapped, “I knew it, that guy’s no good. This was all him, he’s just dragging us into it. Seriously, we had nothing to do with any of this—he roped us in, but we never said a word.”

“Oh?” I shot both of them a hard look.

Cheng Yimin added, “It’s true. We tried telling Zhang Bin to let Du Zigui go, but he insisted on bringing him. We warned him not to take things too far, told him someone could get killed, but he wouldn’t listen.”

Zheng Shuai chimed in, “He treated Du Zigui like a dog.”

“We all tried to stop him,” Zheng Shuai said, glancing at Cheng Yimin.

Cheng Yimin nodded. “Yeah, but he didn’t care. And to be honest, Du Zigui always did whatever he said anyway. A couple days later, Du Zigui said he’d finished the job. To prove it to Zhang Bin, he even recorded it.”

“Recorded it?” The three of us perked up at once.

Cheng Yimin pulled out his phone. “Right here. I can show you the video.”

He played the recording.

After we watched it, none of us could calm down for a long time.

In the video, Du Zigui slapped himself and cried, “I’m sorry, Xiaoqi, I’m sorry! I don’t know what came over me, I really don’t…”

Then the screen went black, and the video cut off.

Gu Chen slammed his fist into the car door, putting such a dent in it that you could see how furious he was.

“People like that deserve to be torn to pieces!” Gu Chen raged.

“We really tried to talk Zhang Bin out of it,” Cheng Yimin said. “Even the restaurant owner saw how far he was going—he was right there. After that, Zhang Bin freaked out and went into hiding with us. Since then, he’s been acting weird, sneaking out alone without telling us where he’s going.”

“He’s been going out a lot?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Zheng Shuai replied. “Lately he’s out more than ever—except when he needs medicine or food, no clue what he’s up to.”

Guan Zengbin leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “Maybe he’s working on the Zhao Xiaoli incident.”

I nodded. The evidence pointed straight at Zhang Bin as the killer.

But if that’s the case… does that mean Du Zigui is dead?