My senior sister and I were in utter chaos listening through the earphones. I worried, "Don't cause any deaths."
Senior sister sighed, "In the world of The Schemers, killing is not a difficult matter, let alone watching someone die."
...
The values I've cultivated my whole life are not so easily broken. I can call myself a Schemer. If you expect me to stand by like a robot and watch others meet untimely deaths, I truly can't do it.
"Call the police."
"What do you say?" Senior sister asked me.
"This racket is disturbing the neighbors."
As we were talking, the earphones went silent. I tapped them, no response. I glanced at senior sister, who frowned and muttered, "It seems our eavesdropping earpiece was discovered. Let's go." With that, she started the car. A traffic officer knocked on the window. Senior sister rolled it down.
"You can't park here, ma'am. Please present your driver's license."
"Sorry, I'll leave right away," Senior sister said with a smile.
"Driver's license."
As senior sister was reaching for her license, a car behind us crashed into ours with a clang, and the trunk popped open. The traffic officer's face changed, and he yelled into his walkie-talkie, "I have a murderer here, a murderer."
I was stunned. Murderer? I turned to look into the trunk and saw a black bag, a pale white hand, and indeed, a dead body. There were police officers nearby, and a large group of them ran over menacingly, arresting senior sister and me.
...
"Who is the corpse? Officer, you ask me, but who am I supposed to ask? I didn't even see its face before I was arrested."
"Don't think you can lie."
"I'm not lying."
I tried my best to explain. I genuinely didn't know who the person in the trunk was. Fortunately, my saviors arrived: Luo Bo and Yu Xiaoluo. Seeing the two of them, my heart felt warm, and I genuinely smiled.
Luo Bo exchanged a few words with the interrogating officer and then went out to handle the paperwork. Yu Xiaoluo sat opposite me. I grinned, revealing my teeth, "Sister, thank you for coming to save me."
"Do we have any secrets between us?"
"We're close, how could we have any secrets?"
Yu Xiaoluo looked at me disbelievingly and snorted. Then she asked seriously, "Is Cao Qian the Li Qian who impersonated a nurse at the city hospital?"
"No."
Yu Xiaoluo glared at me and then asked, "Is there a man named Wangzi who was Cao Qian's ex-boyfriend? Do you know?"
"I have a vague idea."
"You don't know the ex-boyfriend of your cohabiting girlfriend?"
"We're just flatmates. I plan to buy the house. At most, we're landlord and tenant, not cohabiting girlfriend."
"Which room do you sleep in?"
"The small one!"
"We found a set of women's change of clothes in that room."
I blurted out, "She stayed with me last night, no, she stayed in my room. I was drunk and fell asleep in her bed."
Yu Xiaoluo looked at me, clearly not believing me. I toughed it out and said, "This isn't a big deal, is it? I'm an informant. But I don't have to report renting a place like I do with you, my liaison. If you don't believe me, give me a mark of the virgin's cinnabar, and you can check later."
"Who you live with is none of my business. Don't get agitated."
"How can I not be agitated? You start by asking me this, and you even know about the women's change of clothes in my room. What exactly are you investigating?"
"Luo Ge will tell you when he gets here. I've asked everything I wanted to."
I was bewildered and looked pitifully at Yu Xiaoluo, "Sister, can you give me a hint?"
Yu Xiaoluo turned her head away and ignored me. I awkwardly touched my face, "I'll just wait for Luo Ge to come back."
...
Luo Bo walked in. I looked at him, puzzled. Luo Bo nodded at Yu Xiaoluo, who also left, leaving just him and me in the room. Luo Bo looked at me sternly. I looked back and asked him softly, "Luo Ge, who is the deceased?"
"According to his ID card, his name is Wangzi. He was a patient at a mental hospital in Beijing with a PCL score above 30, classified as primary psychopathy."
"He's dead?"
"Yes!"
I truly couldn't believe it. Wangzi was dead. He appeared with the presence of a final boss, proficient in everything from chess, chess, calligraphy, and painting to medicine and traditional Chinese arts. Teacher Wang Ren described him as if no one in this world was smarter than him.
Moreover, I had met him before. His oppressive aura was so strong that even my senior sister seemed less imposing in his presence. I had even arranged to meet him at the bureau for a showdown. For such a person to die like a random passerby was incomprehensible to me.
"How did he die?"
"Sudden death."
I finally let out a long sigh of relief, "If Wangzi died of sudden death, it wouldn't fall under the category of homicide."
"It shouldn't, but I think he might have been scared to death."
"Scared to death?"
I couldn't help but laugh. It was too preposterous. Only in 1990s Hong Kong films did people often die of fright. In reality, who dies from being scared?
"I'm serious. When people experience extreme fear, adrenaline surges. The increase in hormones can lead to internal organ damage, resulting in sudden death."
"Unless he encountered a ghost..."
As I said that, I instinctively stopped. Horrifying things are rarely seen in everyday life. But if senior sister wanted someone to experience something horrifying, she could certainly make it happen.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I'm not thinking about anything," I quickly denied. Wangzi wasn't murdered, but the fact that his body appeared in senior sister's car was suspicious. Furthermore, senior sister had just told me that in the world of The Schemers, killing wasn't difficult, let alone watching someone die.
What if Wangzi was indeed killed by senior sister's scheme? Actually, senior sister's methods of scheming were never that sophisticated: traps, lies, eavesdropping, sedatives, psychological suggestion. Years ago, Wangzi had forced senior sister to jump off a building. His reappearance now, and senior sister enacting revenge, was entirely possible.
Unconsciously, I drifted off. When I came back to myself, I saw Luo Bo looking at me with a grave expression. I smiled sheepishly and listened as Luo Bo said, "It's not certain if this matter is related to 'Logical Paradox,' but Group Leader Wang emphasized that the 'Black Gold' special task force should take over this case."
"Why?"
"Teacher Wang Ren came to Hushi to meet an old acquaintance, Li Jiu, the 'Long-Tongued Ghost.' One reason was for old friends to meet as Li Jiu was on his deathbed. The other was to find the true headquarters of 'Logical Paradox' through Li Jiu."
I scratched my head, "I didn't realize Teacher Wang Ren had such a hidden agenda."
"Yes, I didn't know either. After Teacher Wang Ren had dinner with you all yesterday, she lost contact with her escorts."
"Teacher Wang Ren is missing?"
"Yes!"
"How is that possible?"
"What did you all do yesterday?"
"Luo Ge, I can tell you everything, but some things are unrelated to the case. Can you keep them secret for me?"
"It's related to that old ghost you mentioned."
"Yes!"
Luo Bo nodded in agreement. I trusted Luo Bo's character and recounted all the details of yesterday's meeting with Wang Ren. Luo Bo frowned and looked at me, "Are you sure Teacher Wang Ren said that?"
"Yes!"
"You're not lying to me?"
"What are you saying? Luo Ge, of course, I'm not lying to you."
"Regarding Teacher Wang Ren, the story I know is different."
Teacher Wang Ren was the goddess in the eyes of Beijing's public security, not because she was beautiful, but because her understanding of criminal profiling was divine. However, this goddess once had a complex past. When she first arrived in Beijing, Wang Ren met a fallen scholar from a scholarly family. It was the 1970s, and our country was going through an indescribably difficult period, especially for intellectuals after the founding of the nation, who lived extremely hard lives.
At that time, Wang Ren was living with this fallen scholar. Within two years, the scholar's family was rehabilitated. In that era of strict social strata, the scholar's parents felt that Wang Ren's learning was shallow and she didn't deserve their scholarly family. They forced him to break up with Wang Ren.
At that time, Wang Ren was pregnant with the man's child. She hid it from him and bore the son alone, enduring scorn from everyone. Because of the family reasons for the breakup, Wang Ren could understand the man's position, so she never lost contact with him. They corresponded, thinking of each other, but never mentioning their domestic lives. Wang Ren was skilled at psychological analysis; she could feel the man's joys and sorrows through the words in his letters. They weren't together, but their hearts remained connected.
Wang Ren raised her son alone. The man remained unmarried and saw his parents through their final years. Later, the man happened to meet Wang Ren again. It was then he learned that Wang Ren had raised his son. With his parents gone, no one could dictate their marriage. In the same year, they got married, and the following year, they had a daughter, who has now graduated from university and works in Beijing.
"Why is it different from what I know?"
"I don't know why Teacher Wang Ren would tell you that."
We were both bewildered.
...
Luo Bo frowned and changed the subject, "To find Teacher Wang Ren, we searched your house."
I already knew this. Yu Xiaoluo had asked me a barrage of questions when she came in earlier. I nodded, "Did you find anything?"
"Did you find that the house belongs to you?"
"The paperwork isn't completely finished yet."
"We still need to investigate the murder of Wangzi. Cao Qian is currently the prime suspect and cannot leave. You can go."
"Can I see her?"
"No. You can leave because you are an informant, and we need you to find Teacher Wang Ren. Beijing's criminal profiling is still very weak, and we can't afford to lose Teacher Wang Ren as a mentor. Group Leader Wang's intention is to prioritize rescue."
I sighed deeply, "At least give me a clue."
"It was quite chaotic at the time, but I can tell you that the person who hit your car was Fang Zixu, and there was a fight dispute nearby. Police officers from 110 were on duty. Tang Nan, thinking as a Schemer, doesn't this seem too coincidental?"
Fang Zixu, getting involved in such a big matter? I was truly surprised.
"When you leave, take Fang Zixu with you," Luo Bo said.
"Ah, why?"
"Is Fang Zixu a smart person?"
"I don't think so."
"But he answered the interrogation flawlessly. So, someone must have coached him. If you help him escape, it's a favor to you, convenient for your schemes."
These words made me look glum. Schemes require understanding the situation first. I don't even know what happened. How can I scheme? Speaking of the Fang family, it reminds me of a whole mess of troubles.
We had set a trap for Fang Zidong at the time. I wonder what's happening at home after he saw through his wife's poisoning.
After I rescued Fang Zixu and brought him home, I arrived at the second brother Fang Zidong's house. Fang Zidong was scrubbing the floor, and Li Xiuhua sat on the sofa, shivering like she had the chills. Zhou Meijiao was nowhere to be seen.