Chapter 333 - 331: Going Back Soon

Chapter 333: Chapter 331: Going Back Soon

"Talk," Su Miaoyi said, looking at Twenty-one.

"If I talk, you can’t give Tian Min a hard time," Twenty-one said.

"Of course."

"What do you want to know?"

Zhuang Yanzheng looked at him. "What’s your name?"

"Cong Yu."

"How did you meet Lu Xian?" Su Miaoyi asked.

"He requested a bodyguard from Mia, so I stayed by his side for a while," Cong Yu said.

Zhuang Yanzheng asked, "What were you here for four years ago?"

"I took a job. Killed someone. I don’t know who placed the order... I had to kill some factory owner, but I can’t quite remember the details. I killed him, but I got injured and almost died myself."

"It had nothing to do with Lu Xian?"

"No."

"Did you come here with Lu Xian three years ago?" Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

Cong Yu nodded.

"What for?"

Cong Yu thought for a moment. "I’m not too clear on the specifics. That time, I went with Lu Xian to meet Zhao Yongliang. They seemed to be talking about an organization with ’fire’ in its name. Lu Xian and Zhao Yongliang were saying there was a large sum of money that needed to be laundered, which is why they came to Chang City. Then they mentioned someone had died and they wanted Zhao Yongliang to take that person’s place. I was only responsible for Lu Xian’s security, so I just overheard bits and pieces. I really don’t know the details."

Su Miaoyi gestured for him to continue.

Cong Yu continued, "Zhao Yongliang refused. He said, ’I’ve already made it clear to the boss. I’m not getting involved in any more of this business. I’m going to coast at the local police station back home for a few years, retire, and then go abroad to be with my wife and kids.’"

"Do you know what kind of organization it is?"

"They recruit people under them and brainwash them. Probably some kind of fraud ring. They laundered a ton of money," Cong Yu said.

Neither Su Miaoyi nor Zhuang Yanzheng spoke.

’So Zhao Yongliang’s divorce was most likely a sham.’

’And this Zhao Yongliang must have held an important, high-ranking position in the organization at one point.’

’He just up and quit, yet they didn’t have him silenced.’

"Tian Min said Zhao Yongliang seems terrified of you. She feels like you must have some dirt on him," Su Miaoyi said.

"I don’t know. I never noticed. Afraid of me? He probably just never expected to run into someone who knew his past in a backwater place like this. He’s just afraid his quiet life will be ruined." Cong Yu snorted. "I don’t get people like him. He wants money, but he also wants his official post. Insatiably greedy. Since he was already out, he should’ve just taken the money and gone to find his wife and kids. What’s the point of pretending to be so dedicated here? Who’s even paying attention to him? He can’t be a good person, but he’s a bad person who wants to be seen as a good one. I’ll never understand it."

"After I bought the house there, we met a few more times. He kept telling me to be careful and not get discovered, advising me to get out of the game soon. He wasn’t involved in the killing, but he probably helped cover our tracks and handled a few things for us. Otherwise, why would he have been so scared and run off the second the house was exposed?"

"When you were with Lu Xian, where did you go? What kind of places did he like to frequent? Tell me everywhere you went, and where he lived in Chang City," Zhuang Yanzheng said. "Everything."

Cong Yu listed a few addresses. "You probably won’t find anything there. It’s been three years, and it’s not like Lu Xian was staying there constantly."

"So, do you know where he is now?" Su Miaoyi asked.

"How would I know? I’ve only ever seen him in Chang City," Cong Yu said. "That’s all I know."

"Besides Zhao Yongliang, did you meet anyone else while you were with Lu Xian? Or did he ever have you kill anyone?" Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

Cong Yu thought for a moment. "No. I only met Zhao Yongliang. As for anyone else... it’s not like Lu Xian had me with him all the time."

"Did you run into any trouble while you were with him?" Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

"No," Cong Yu said. "So I have no idea why he even hired me for protection. It was a pretty easy gig."

Su Miaoyi nodded. ’Yeah, real easy,’ she thought. ’Going to get beaten up by Tian Min every few days.’

Zhuang Yanzheng glanced at the addresses written on the paper.

Cong Yu suddenly spoke up. "I just remembered something."

Su Miaoyi and Zhuang Yanzheng looked up at the same time. "What is it?"

"Lu Xian had me go take care of someone," Cong Yu said. "But I couldn’t find them. By the time I got there, they’d already skipped town, and I never found them after that."

"Who was it?"

"A bar owner." Cong Yu thought for a moment. "I think it was called either the Night Bar or the Moonlight Bar. It’s right here in Chang City."

"The exact address."

"Shanghe Street in the Chang City New District, I think. I can’t quite remember the street number," Cong Yu said. "It was two or three years ago. Besides, I failed that job. I tend to selectively forget things that are bad for my reputation."

"What was his name?" Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

"His name had ’Hui’ in it, I think."

Su Miaoyi and Zhuang Yanzheng stared at him, waiting for him to remember.

Cong Yu looked at the two of them and tried his best to recall. "I can’t remember."

Su Miaoyi and Zhuang Yanzheng continued to stare at him.

After another moment, Cong Yu burst out, "I really can’t remember! It’s been so long. I’ve taken on a lot of jobs and a lot of names since then—why would I remember this one? I’m pretty sure his name had ’Hui’ in it. You’ll have to look it up yourselves. I don’t know where he ran off to, but I never found him. And I have no idea if Lu Xian hired someone else to kill him later."

They left Cong Yu to rack his brain over the name.

Su Miaoyi and Zhuang Yanzheng stepped out of the interrogation room.

"Do you have any contacts in Chang City?" Su Miaoyi asked.

"Captain Duan," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi looked at him.

Zhuang Yanzheng glanced at the heavy rain still pouring outside. "It’s been raining a lot lately, so the mountain roads will be treacherous. It’s not practical for us to leave right now. Let’s have Captain Duan contact the city police. They can check out those addresses and look into that bar owner at the same time."

"Alright. I suppose that’s our only option," Su Miaoyi said.

That evening, the rain was still falling.

After dinner, Su Miaoyi stood on the veranda and called her aunt and uncle to reassure them, telling them she would be home soon.

Cheng Jue had recently landed a small role and was at the film studio. He’d likely be there until the school semester began.

After finishing the call with her aunt and uncle, Su Miaoyi called Shen Shilan.

Then she called Xia Ye and Shen Jun.

Chu Xingrou was also on the phone with her mother.

Lu Zhishen and Duan Wenrui went to find Tian Min again to persuade her to work with a sketch artist.

Zhuang Yanzheng listened to the women making their calls, then after a moment, he sent a text to Yan Zhiqing: [Mom, don’t you miss me?]

Almost a minute later, Zhuang Yanzheng received a voice message.

An incredibly long one.

The moment he played it, Zhuang Yihao’s voice erupted: "Miss you? Are you home? Stop with the useless chatter. Your old man is getting on in years, with no grandchildren to hold, and I still have to deal with company business every single day. Then I come home and have to listen to you asking my wife if she misses you? Oh yeah, you’re so handsome, of course she misses you. Now get lost."

Zhuang Yanzheng: "..."

Zhuang Yanzheng propped his feet on the opposite chair, leaned his head back, and let out a long sigh. "Ah... so unappreciated."

...