Chapter 89: The Long-Awaited Call

2022-05-20

So when Sister Mao said those words, I just couldn’t bring myself to refuse. Suddenly, I remembered Widow Wang, the one who’d chosen to end her life out of loneliness. The difference was clear—Sister Mao still held on to hope, but Widow Wang had lost hers long ago.

Two women, both awake through sleepless nights.

Sister Mao drove while I rode beside her. I knew what she was thinking—making an appearance might help Brother Huang Er a little. Ever since he was locked up, her life revolved around making money and waiting.

“Little Wu, what kind of case is it this time?” she asked as we drove, her tone light.

I just smiled. “Can’t say a word until I’ve got the facts.”

She gave a quick snort. “You think I can’t guess? I bet it’s that case about Liu Feier going missing. The rumor mill in Dongxing City is out of control, and of course, people are talking here too. Am I right?”

I just shook my head, saying nothing. The warmth of the car made me feel like I was nestled on a leather sofa by a fireplace. There was nothing but the gentle hum of the engine—almost like a lullaby, making it hard to keep my eyes open.

My eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Funny how you can go a whole day without really working, but the moment you pause, the exhaustion hits. Somehow it’s so much easier to keep going when you’re running on adrenaline, but the quiet brings its own weight.

Sister Mao carried on. “Looks like you’re tight-lipped as ever. Fine, let’s talk about something else. Got a girlfriend yet? Anyone you like? Want me to set you up with someone?”

By then, my mind was a fog. Her last words echoed in my head and, before I knew it, two faces flashed through my mind—Guan Zengbin and Zhao Mingkun. They seemed almost real, standing before me, eyes wide, staring straight at me.

Are these really the people I like? Am I really the kind of guy who could fall for two people at once?

I closed my eyes, too tired to think anymore.

No idea how much time passed. I just felt someone gently nudging me awake. When I opened my eyes, the sky was already growing light, and Sister Mao was looking at me with a smile. “You sure slept well. I, on the other hand, just spent two hours driving with no one to talk to.”

I gave her an apologetic grin. “Since we’re here, why not come in too? With Sister Mary’s help, it won’t take long before we find whose cigarettes those are.”

Which was exactly what she’d had in mind, so she happily agreed and followed me inside.

The sun was barely up, but most people were already at work. I took Sister Mao to the office, introduced her briefly, and Mary quickly brought her in to help.

Team Leader Shao was still staring at the whiteboard in the office. There weren’t many names left on it now—it actually looked nice and tidy. I walked over, took a look, and saw only a few people remained. Seeing me, Team Leader Shao set down his teacup and asked, “Any news?”

I nodded, then shook my head. Reluctantly, I admitted, “This group is ruthless. We traced the clues in Liu Feier’s room to Chen Lin and confirmed his identity. But just as we tried to use him as a breakthrough, he turned up dead.”

Team Leader Shao nodded. “I know about that. Chen Lin used Liu Feier’s lipstick, left the only piece of evidence at the scene, so to be safe, they killed him. Didn’t come as a surprise. They’re far too cautious. Three days now and still no calls.”

I sighed. “But there’s a new lead. We found some unusual hand-rolled tobacco inside their car—a kind called Davidoff. You almost never see it in Dongxing City. So I brought in Sister Mao, she’s an expert on this stuff.”

Both Team Leader Shao and Sister Mao nodded in agreement.

I turned to Mary. “Any luck with the surveillance footage?”

Mary shook her head. “They’re sly—never saw the car go in. The one time there was a blind spot, someone walked by with a bunch of hydrogen balloons, blocking the camera. My guess? That’s when the car drove in and parked.”

“Hydrogen balloons?” I asked.

Mary nodded, exasperated. “Like the ones with cartoon prints they sell at fairs—Pleasant Goat, Boonie Bears, that type. A fistful would cover half their body. And the rest of them? Just another face in the crowd. No way to find them easily. I’m still comparing footage, so I didn’t call you all yet.”

“Has to be their doing,” I muttered. “These people sure know how to pull off a trick or two.”

“Exactly,” said Mary. “If they tried to destroy or steal the recordings, it’d leave a trace. Blocking the camera like this, even if the surveillance center saw it on live feed, no one would think twice. By the time they parked and left, the person just walked out with their balloons. No evidence left behind.”

“Right,” I said. “And after that, all they had to do was give away the balloons to kids on the street, and even the evidence vanishes. Clever move.”

“Enough about that. Team Leader Shao, how’s your side of the investigation going?” I asked, turning to him.

Team Leader Shao pulled up a chair and tapped the table. “Out of all those initial suspects, only four remain that we can’t rule out.”

He pointed to the whiteboard and introduced each one to me. “Number one, Zhao Dongfa. He’s the chairman of Dongfa Group. He and Liu Yinyan have been rivals for years—Liu used to work for him at that big company. But times have changed, and Rongding Group’s left Dongfa in the dust. Now they’re top dogs at Dongxing’s venture capital firm. Over the years, Liu’s poached plenty of Dongfa’s people, which left Zhao Dongfa spitting mad.”

“He’s got motive and means. If Liu Yinyan panics and Rongding’s stock takes a hit, Zhao benefits. No solid evidence yet, but we can’t ignore him.”

He pointed to the next person. “Number two, Cao Jie. He’s a senior manager who once refused to take Liu Yinyan onto the team. He regrets that now. Liu’s the vindictive type—any client Cao Jie had, Liu swooped in to steal. Right now, Cao Jie’s company is about to go under. He needs a big chunk of money to keep the doors open.”

“He’s got motive, but no funds for anything big. Still under investigation.”

“Third, Hou Yao. She’s Liu Feier’s classmate, and they’re both recognized as two of the ‘Four School Beauties.’ Coincidentally, they’re in the same class.” He pointed to the photo of a young woman. “Hou Yao had a crush on Zhang Yunhu, but he liked Liu Feier. The two dated briefly, and that made Hou Yao furious.”

Team Leader Shao took a sip of tea. “Hou Yao’s dad is just over forty and runs a new internet company. Not as loaded as Liu Yinyan, but still filthy rich. Not long ago, Hou Yao said in front of a lot of people that she wanted Liu Feier to disappear forever. Don’t be fooled by her age—she’s nineteen and has both motive and access to money.”

“And the last one?” I asked.

“Take a good look at the last picture,” Team Leader Shao said, fixing his gaze on it.

I leaned in and realized why he looked familiar. It was Lai San, the one who’d made a run for it from Longze City.

“Could it really be him?” I asked.

Team Leader Shao fell silent for a moment before answering. “After Lin Shu was arrested, Lai San’s whole network went dark. Almost everyone involved bolted straight away, including Old Zhang, the corpse dealer. Months have passed—how do you suppose Lai San and Old Zhang are surviving now?”

“Once you’re used to living large, it’s tough to go back to nothing. Guys like Lai San never saved a thing and have no family ties.” Team Leader Shao drummed his fingers on the table. “They’ve got both motive and means.”

I nodded. I’d suspected the same thing myself.

Team Leader Shao rubbed his teacup. “These people are ruthless but bold and meticulous. Normally, they wouldn’t kill unless absolutely necessary. But this time, not a single call has come in, and two people are already dead. That tells me they figure it’s worth it to kill—one is enough, two is a bonus.”

“Right now, the only person in the area who could organize so many people is probably Lai San. He acts crazy sometimes, but he’s sharp when it counts.”

I sat down. “We’d better dig deep into these four.”

Team Leader Shao nodded. “Already working on it. If you want to join in, go ahead. I’ve given everyone the green light—you can request almost anyone for help. This isn’t just about Liu Feier and Liu Yinyan anymore. The more time we waste, the bigger the mess gets.”

“Well…” I started, but Mary suddenly shouted.

We jumped and spun around to face her.

Mary said, “A strange number just called Liu Yinyan’s phone. If I’m right, that’s the call we were waiting for. I’ve patched Gu Chen into the line—we’ll have full access to the conversation. Be careful what you say.”

We all nodded in understanding.

“Hello, good morning.”

A sharp, piercing voice came through the line.