If this is just the beginning, what am I to do?
Director Lu used his privilege to lock me in the interrogation room. They wanted to break all my wings before the inspection. Lu Yao’s approach was simple and extreme: he wanted to wear down my confidence by harming my friends and family.
I can’t collapse now, but I still need someone to believe in. Ye Qingcheng is likely no match for Lu Yao. Lin Han, though smart, is powerless against authority.
At this moment, who can help me?
Imprisoned, I was summoned again.
"Your lawyer, Ye Qingcheng, might be a suspect in a dismemberment case. Therefore, we have some questions for you."
"Dismemberment case?"
"Tang Nan, we are asking you now, not the other way around. In 1999, a dismemberment case occurred at a coal mine in Datong, Shanxi. Have you heard of it?"
"No, I was probably still in school back then."
"This case is inseparable from Ye Qingcheng. She is likely the mastermind."
"Mastermind? Nine years have passed, and you still don't know who the mastermind is?"
According to the police, it was the 1999 shaft dismemberment case.
In 1999, Jiang Shen, a coal mine boss in Shanxi, returned home late at night to find his wife in bed with another man. Subsequently, the couple brutally murdered the man and dismembered his body, throwing it into an abandoned mine shaft. Two months later, as the abandoned mine was being renovated, decomposing remains were discovered by miners.
I looked at the young police officer questioning me, bewildered. "Ye Qingcheng got married?"
"No, Ye Qingcheng was that man."
I chuckled speechlessly. "If you can't find the killer, take your time. You yourself said the coal boss's wife was in bed with another man. What does that have to do with Ye Qingcheng?"
"The man who was having an affair with the coal boss's wife was named He Huan. He and Ye Qingcheng are husband and wife. After being caught, they controlled Jiang Shen. It was Ye Qingcheng's idea to kill Jiang Shen, dismember him, and throw the body into the abandoned mine."
"Is there any evidence?"
"Of course, there is. A witness. The coal boss's wife, Han Xiaoran, identified Ye Qingcheng from a photo in prison."
I roughly understood. This was an old score. Lu Yao, using his knowledge of my associates, had betrayed Ye Qingcheng.
"Since you've finished your investigation, I have nothing to say."
"You hired a murderer's lawyer, and you still have nothing to say?" the young police officer roared at me.
"A murderer's lawyer? If you know she's a murderer, why does she still have a law license? If you claim you didn't know she was a murderer, then I must ask, if the state doesn't know, how am I supposed to know?"
My statement silenced the young police officer. The older officer picked up the conversation. "Tang Nan, the situation is not favorable for you. If the prosecutor sends you to court, you'll most likely be sentenced. Cooperate with us now, and we can help you apply for a reduced sentence."
"I don't know anything. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell this fool. With such intelligence, you're a police officer? Please don't insult the profession." I shouted, pointing at the young police officer's nose, humiliating him without restraint.
Suddenly, the young police officer pushed his chair away and stood up. If the older officer hadn't restrained him, he would have attacked. I smirked contemptuously at him.
"Try hitting me. I'll ruin your reputation. Let me tell you, you have no idea what it means to be rich. In the eyes of the wealthy, you police officers are nothing. Oh, and your Director Lu once knelt down to perform oral sex for someone."
"You bastard, I'm done! I'm going to beat you to death!"
The young police officer tried to break free from the older officer's grip but was eventually pulled out by the calmer senior officer. Later, someone entered and escorted me back to my detention area.
After dinner, Lu Yao returned. He smiled at me. "Mastermind, your tactics are too crude. You tried to provoke a young police officer into retaliating against you in prison, so you could spread the news outside. Unfortunately, this officer has been educated. He knows that the best way to ensure you go to jail is not to provoke you."
This was precisely my intention, but I was surprised Lu Yao had figured it out so quickly. It seemed Director Lu was quite wary of me. He controlled everything, yet he didn't overlook even the smallest detail.
"Using such a method shows you're nervous. But what's the use of being nervous? You can only watch these events unfold naturally, unable to interfere."
"Are you here to gloat about betraying Ye Qingcheng?"
"I'm here to bring the Mastermind two pieces of news. One bad, and one worse. Which do you want to hear first?"
"The bad one."
Lu Yao chuckled. "I truly can't guess you. I thought your courage and insight would lead you to want to hear the worse news first. However, we must respect the Mastermind, mustn't we? You want to hear the bad news, so I'll start with that. Zhao Shicheng is dead. He was hit by a car while crossing the road. The driver didn't flee. It was a simple traffic accident."
"Your setup?"
"Not at all."
Zhao Shicheng knew in his heart that handing over the evidence to the police this time didn't guarantee Lu Yao's downfall. Therefore, Zhao Zhichao's safety became Zhao Shicheng's utmost concern.
Sending Zhao Zhichao to Beijing, fulfilling my agreement with Lu Fan, and ensuring Zhao Zhichao was reunited with Lu Fan had earned Zhao Shicheng my trust. Entrusting Zhao Zhichao to Lu Fan went against his past choices. However, Zhao Shicheng had come to understand over the years that Lu Fan was nothing like his father. Lu Fan was a good child, kind, upright, and most importantly, he truly loved Zhao Zhichao.
His niece's happiness made his own life and death irrelevant. Thus, Zhao Shicheng, armed with the evidence, headed to the designated meeting point with Ye Qingcheng. He planned to prove the story I told the police that afternoon and report Director Lu to the Disciplinary Committee.
However, when Zhao Shicheng arrived at Ye Qingcheng's location, Ye Qingcheng was being arrested. Zhao Shicheng understood immediately that Director Lu was now cutting off all loose ends. Zhao Shicheng therefore made a choice: he would deliver the evidence he held to the Disciplinary Committee, no matter what. But as he was taking a taxi, he noticed someone was following him. In his panic, he fled, running a red light and getting hit by a car.
His pursuers, under the guise of rescuers, attempted to treat Zhao Shicheng. Although their efforts were in vain, these two individuals absconded with the evidence Zhao Zhichao had collected over the years.
Lu Yao finished speaking, looking at me with a grin. "The old saying goes, when a person is unlucky, even drinking cold water will get stuck in their throat. It's so true, Mastermind. Dealing with Zhao Shicheng would have been troublesome. I never expected him to be run over and killed. Truly... I'm at a loss for words to describe my luck. Indeed, I am the true Mastermind of this scheme." I ignored Lu Yao's provocative sarcasm and simply asked, "What is the worse news?"
"I saved Ye Qingcheng, and she's now a fugitive. But tonight, the police will find her, and she'll be shot for resisting arrest. The police also found a diary in her personal belongings, which proves that Lin Zhijun is the 'X' driver, that the Lin family's wealth was obtained through fraud, and that the Lin Group is finished. On the night this truth is revealed, tomorrow night, someone will break into your home and brutally rape and murder your wife. The police report will state that this was an act of revenge."
"Lu Yao, you~"
I rushed to the cell door, reaching out to grab Lu Yao. He took a step back, out of my reach.
"Tang Nan, oh, Mastermind, everything you have is because you don't know how to refuse. Li Jiu pushed you into the position of the successor to the Mastermind. You couldn't handle it, so why didn't you refuse? You stole my position, so how can I not oppose you?"
Hearing Lu Yao say this, I silently retreated, regaining my composure. "Who says this position is yours? What right do you have to be the successor to the Mastermind? Do you think you've won? Yes, I'm angry, but this anger stems from my conscience. But honestly, you only killed Zhao Shicheng? Oh, right, you didn't even kill Zhao Shicheng; it was a car accident. What are you bragging about? Acting all high and mighty?"
"Oh, still talking tough?"
"This isn't talking tough. I won't arrange it for you. I have bad news and worse news. Which do you want to hear?"
"Learning and applying on the spot, Mastermind? What is this? This is how you are, being pushed forward by others, and yet meticulously protected. You always think you're very capable, but in reality, you're just learning other people's methods. You want to learn my methods too? Can you learn my complete negation?"
"Who wants to learn your complete negation? I do good deeds and ask no questions about the consequences. Let me tell you, Lu Yao, you don't understand cause and effect at all. Zhao Shicheng is dead. Someone will notify the mental hospital, and since the mental hospital was funded by Lin Han, they'll surely notify Lin Han about such a significant event as Zhao Shicheng's death. Do you think Lin Han will be afraid or worried? You really don't understand my wife. After Lin Han married me, she developed her own principles. No matter what happens, her safety comes first. This is Xi'an. If you want Director Lu's thugs to harm Lin Han, go ahead and try. See if you can still speak to me with such arrogance tomorrow."