They let me out at midnight and I got back my phone, which the police had confiscated. Inside, I saw the text messages Li Qian had sent me.
"When you went to shower, I heard people talking in the hallway. I saw the police checking rooms and left in a hurry. Did they give you any trouble?"
"Why aren't you replying to my texts."
"Are you angry? I didn't mean to."
I looked at the messages and couldn't help but laugh out loud. She led me to such a dangerous place and then pretended nothing happened. Li Qian, you truly are full of surprises! But it's alright. The one billion funds, along with the death of financial manager Zhang Keqiang, have vanished without a trace. I will absolutely not stand by and do nothing. Since you, Li Qian, want to continue playing this game with me, I'll play along until the end.
I replied to her text.
"It was so embarrassing. I went out for a meal today and didn't bring my ID. The police brought me to the station, and I couldn't reply to texts on my phone. I just saw your messages, I'm fine now. I explained everything and am already back at school. It's a good thing you weren't implicated. See you tomorrow, come find me at school after you get off work."
"Okay, as long as you're not mad at me, that's all that matters. See you tomorrow, goodnight."
...
At this time, going back to school? I might as well hang out at an internet cafe nearby. I went into an internet cafe and saw a few familiar faces who were staying up all night. I joined them in playing Tian on "Journey to the West 2." We dispersed around four in the morning when dawn broke. Some were secretly watching adult movies, some were sleeping with their heads on the desk, and some went to play Counter-Strike. I opened Sina's Yellow Pages by myself and searched for how to transfer ten billion to another account.
There were no answers. Too few people in this world had ten billion, let alone ten billion RMB, not even game currency.
I really admired Zhang Keqiang. How did he manage to take ten billion right under the police's noses?
...
The next day, I returned to my dorm and crashed. I was woken up by my phone's ringtone at noon.
"Were you angry with me yesterday? Why haven't you sent me any texts all morning."
I was puzzled. Should I have texted in the morning? Having never been in a relationship, I had no experience.
"I'm really not angry, I was just sleeping."
"I don't believe you, unless you tell me your bank password."
Wasn't this being unreasonable? I didn't care about this.
"303606"
"You seem quite honest, I'll let it slide for now! See you after work."
"See you after work!"
Yesterday, I confidently told the teacher I would study hard and strive for improvement. Today, I slept the entire day and skipped every class. In the evening, I arrived at the restaurant as promised. I wanted to see Li Qian's hypocritical face and find a way to expose her.
Things didn't go as I expected. I waited at the restaurant for a long time, but Li Qian never showed up. When I called her, her phone was turned off. I thought about it, she had asked for my bank number. Had she done something to my bank account? That account was for my tuition, it didn't have much money, but if she had tampered with it, I would hand over the evidence to the special investigation team.
I checked the account and found nothing suspicious. I returned to the restaurant and asked the owner again. The owner said Li Qian hadn't arrived yet.
Just then, my phone rang. It was Yu Xiaoluo. I could sense Yu Xiaoluo's anger through the phone. I braced myself and answered.
"Tang Nan, you're not telling me the truth anymore, are you?"
"How could that be, Sis!"
"You told me the girl who went to the hotel with you yesterday was Li Qian, a nurse at the city hospital, right?"
"Yes, that's right!"
"Don't lie, she doesn't know you at all."
"Impossible, have her confront me."
"Then come over."
I took a taxi to the police station near the city hospital. In an interrogation room, Luo Bo, Yu Xiaoluo, and a strange girl were there. When I entered the interrogation room and saw Yu Xiaoluo's stern expression, I immediately put on a fawning smile: "Sis, I really wasn't lying. This time I didn't do anything heroic, I..." As I spoke, Yu Xiaoluo sneered, as if to say, you've been exposed, so stop denying it. I looked at Luo Bo, his face was serious, as if he was contemplating something. I then noticed the girl here, and caught a familiar scent of disinfectant on her.
In that instant, I was stunned. I thought of an impossibility within the impossible. If this was true, then my opponent this time would be someone I couldn't handle. At this moment, Yu Xiaoluo snorted and said, "Do you need an introduction?"
I didn't speak, staring at the stranger girl in front of me in horror.
Luo Bo sighed. He must have noticed my expression. He said, "Tang Nan, I believe every word you say. But if this is true, I'm getting goosebumps."
At this moment, I also felt my hands trembling. I clenched them tightly and stared at the girl's face, "Don't tell me, your name is Li Qian?"
"Yes, I am Li Qian. Tang Nan, nice to meet you."
"You know me?"
"Of course I know you. When you were hospitalized at the city hospital, I was your nurse. You might not have seen me, I usually wear a mask."
At that moment, I really got goosebumps. I pointed at this nurse and said, "Yu Xiaoluo, Brother Luo, this woman is lying. She must be a pawn."
"What pawn? Tang Nan, don't treat us like idiots. If you don't trust the Criminal Investigation Bureau and think we're fools, playing games with us. Fine, I'll tell you, next time, no one will give you any favors."
Luo Bo sighed, "Tang Nan, that's not right of you. Since you don't know Miss Li Qian, then we need to talk about last night's events again."
I didn't speak, staring at Li Qian. I could sense a trace of panic in her eyes, but one's gaze couldn't be used as evidence. Luo Bo smiled, stood up, and said to Li Qian, "Miss Li Qian, you're no longer needed here. You can come with me to complete some paperwork and then you can go home."
"Thank you."
Luo Bo and Li Qian walked out. Just as I was about to explain, Yu Xiaoluo stopped me. She stood up, closed the door, returned to her seat, and slapped a pile of documents onto me.
This was the information on Li Qian. I picked it up and glanced at it, nothing special. What happened at home was similar to what I said, except Li Qian claimed the two hundred thousand yuan for her father's surgery was found. Moreover, Li Qian showed no regret for taking the two hundred thousand yuan for her father's surgery. If the surgery was delayed, her father might have been permanently disabled.
"Luo Bo is a frontline talent who rose through the ranks in the criminal police force, nicknamed 'Detective Glasses.' There are no cases he cannot solve. After we questioned Li Qian, Luo Bo consulted my opinion, and then we jointly called Team Leader Wang. Team Leader Wang made a decision."
"What did Luo Bo ask you?"
"What do you care about that? Don't you want to know Team Leader Wang's decision?"
"What decision could Team Leader Wang make? To have me assist in solving the case."
Yu Xiaoluo snorted and pointed at the stack of documents I was holding, "The front is Li Qian's information, and the back is the informant's contract. If the other party wants to involve you, then we'll use you as bait to lure out this big fish and recover ten billion yuan in losses for the country."
I was familiar with signing contracts, but I still read the terms carefully. Yu Xiaoluo was so angry she wanted to slap me. I smiled wryly and said, "It looks like a contract of servitude, I need to read it carefully."
"This is for your safety. You can act alone, but if there's any danger, you must call me. My phone is on twenty-four hours a day, with four batteries."
...
A moment later, Luo Bo also came in. He saw me handing the contract to Yu Xiaoluo and smiled, "Tang Nan, do you know about locked-room murders?"
"I've seen movies, but I'm not entirely sure about the details."
"Locked-room murders are categorized into twelve types. One type involves the killer utilizing a pre-arranged mechanism within the room, and this mechanism is difficult to detect."
As expected of Detective Glasses, I gave Luo Bo a thumbs-up. "Li Qian, oh, or rather, the fake Li Qian, led me into this room, and a dead body suddenly appeared. Was there a mechanism set up?"
"Not exactly clever, a small trick. She bribed someone at the hotel, and that person, according to the photos provided by the fake Li Qian, gave you the key to the designated room."
I listened with excitement. This fake Li Qian had indeed planned ahead, pulling me into this mess. Relying on his experience, Luo Bo retraced the events of that day. This was a setup, and within this setup, I could truly feel the state I had always pursued.
All things under heaven are not mine to possess, all things under heaven are mine to use.
Luo Bo seemed to have used his abilities to solve this impossible event, but Luo Bo's abilities might be part of the other party's plan. Now, let's understand this "setup" based on Luo Bo's findings.