Wang Zhiyuan's lips twitched, but he held back the venomous words that were about to spill out. He stood up and asked, "Who's next?"
"Someone named Liang Yi," Lin Moran said after a pause. "Ring any bells, master?"
Wang Zhiyuan replied, "Don't call me master. Call me… Bruiser." He didn't feel attached to the nickname, but he didn't care either.
Lin Moran grinned, "You got it."
Wang Zhiyuan never had a soft spot for people who were all smiles. They were either hiding a knife behind their back or never took anything seriously. Lin Moran seemed to be neither, but somehow even more annoying.
He went back to the interrogation room, and soon Lin Moran walked in with Liang Yi.
Wang Zhiyuan didn't have much of an impression of Liang Yi, seemed like some manager from a branch office. A small fry. He let Lin Moran handle the questioning.
Lin Moran didn't beat around the bush, firing questions like a pro, and occasionally setting a trap.
Wang Zhiyuan couldn't help but give him a second look. He remembered Li Xingchen as a man of few words, silent but efficient. He liked that type - they didn't gossip or nag. They gave you space when you needed to be alone, and when you needed company, they were there, silently by your side. But seeing Lin Moran, all chatty and smiley, made him feel like his past preferences were a cruel joke.
"Will our conversation today get out?" Liang Yi suddenly blurted out.
Lin Moran smirked, "Nope." He looked sly as a fox, oozing confidence. Liang Yi and Wang Zhiyuan couldn't see the injured side of his mouth.
Liang Yi whispered, "For real?"
Lin Moran kept his poker face, "Got something to hide? Point it out, I'll keep it under wraps."
Liang Yi asked, "Can you really keep it hush-hush?"
Even Wang Zhiyuan, who knew the ins and outs, was curious now.
Lin Moran reassured him, "Relax. This ain't some crime movie, nothing's gonna leak."
Wang Zhiyuan snorted.
Liang Yi took it as a cue and spilled the beans, "I know that before Zhou Zhaotao had his accident, he had a bit of a spat with Qian Haiyang."
Wang Zhiyuan was taken aback. Was this a case of 'you don't find the silver lining unless it hits you in the face'?
Lin Moran probed, "What was the spat about?"
Liang Yi said, "Not sure. I was having dinner with a client and saw them in a private room. I was about to say hi when I heard Zhou Zhaotao say, 'Deal with it yourself!' Qian didn't say anything. I was leaving when I heard Zhou say, 'Your life, your problem.' Then Qian said, 'I can't take all the blame for this'... That's all I know."
Lin Moran asked, "When was this?"
Liang Yi replied, "February 15th. I remember because I celebrated Valentine's Day with my wife the day before."
Wang Zhiyuan frowned but didn't say anything.
Lin Moran asked, "Anything else?"
Liang Yi shook his head, "Nope. I'm just a sales manager. I don't rub elbows with the big shots."
Lin Moran said, "Your info is gold. Thanks for playing ball."
Liang Yi chuckled, "Helping the cops is our civic duty, right?"
Lin Moran gave a dry laugh. Hearing that from someone with underworld ties was just weird.
Liang Yi seemed to realize how phony he sounded and sighed, "Honestly, I just want them to catch the bastard who killed our boss Zhou Zhaotao."
Lin Moran said, "Don't worry. We'll give it our best shot."
After Liang Yi left, Lin Moran saw Wang Zhiyuan deep in thought and asked, "What's eating you, Bruiser?"
"Nothing," Wang Zhiyuan stood up, then paused, "What did you just call me?"
Lin Moran chuckled, "Bruiser."
Wang Zhiyuan shot him a glance and walked out.
Lin Moran got busy with the paperwork.
Wang Zhiyuan didn't go far, just lit a cigarette in his usual brooding spot.
He remembered the incident Liang Yi mentioned. In fact, he and Qian Haiyang had a long history of bad blood. Qian Haiyang had been his protégé, but as he helped expand the business, his ambition grew. Zhou Zhaotao tried to rein him in, but to no avail, and their relationship soured.
What Liang Yi mentioned was the straw that broke the camel's back. In his previous life, Wang Zhiyuan had won thanks to Li Xingchen. But this time, Qian Haiyang had the upper hand.
Wang Zhiyuan felt an indescribable frustration.
Li Xingchen, though his killer, had inadvertently extended his life by three years. The contrast between his two lives made this favor glaringly obvious.
If only he had realized the change in time sooner, Zhou Zhaotao wouldn't have died in the explosion, and he could have taken a smoother path. But he missed the boat.
"Bruiser, what are you daydreaming about? Are we done here?" Bighead came out of the interrogation room, rubbing his shoulders.
Wang Zhiyuan flicked the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with his foot, "Not yet."
Bighead asked, "Any new leads?"
"Sort of," Wang Zhiyuan replied.
Bighead said, "Let's pow-wow after we're done."
Wang Zhiyuan nodded.
The rest of the interrogations were a snooze fest. Everyone played dumb.
Afterward, Ding gathered everyone to discuss the findings.
Tadpole shook his head, "Zhou Zhaotao wasn't exactly Mr. Popular. The guy's dead, and his crew still won't spill the beans."
Bighead said, "That's because these streetwise guys don't want the cops meddling in their business. They'd rather handle it their own way."
Beanpole asked, "So, do they know who did it?"
Wang Zhiyuan said, "The killer sure as hell knows."
Bighead rolled his eyes, "No shit, Sherlock."
Lin Moran spoke up, "There's this guy, Liang Yi, who dropped a nugget of info." He recounted what Liang Yi had seen.
Bighead exclaimed, "What's this Liang Yi's deal? Why's he singing like a canary when everyone else is zipped up?"
Lin Moran explained, "He's a sales manager at a trading company under Tengfa."
Bighead said, "Doesn't sound like a street guy."
Ding chimed in, "Don't forget, Zhou Zhaotao started in smuggling. A trading company is perfect cover."
Bighead scratched his head, "But why would Liang Yi, a small-time manager, stick his neck out?"
Lin Moran said, "He kept asking if we could keep it on the down-low. Seems like he's scared of Qian Haiyang."
"Right he should be," Bighead said. "If Qian Haiyang can off Zhou Zhaotao, Liang Yi would be a piece of cake."
Ding crossed her arms, "That's what's fishy. Liang Yi's a nobody. Whether Qian Haiyang is guilty or not doesn't affect him. He's got no reason to talk."
Tadpole suggested, "Maybe Zhou Zhaotao did him a solid, and he's trying to return the favor?"
No way.
Wang Zhiyuan silently shot down the idea in his head.
Ding said, "Even if he wanted to return the favor, this tiny bit of info wouldn't do much."
Wang Zhiyuan had an inkling of what might be motivating Liang Yi, but he kept mum. Liang Yi's statement was in his favor, so he'd rather have everyone believe it.
Suddenly, Lin Moran said, "After Zhou Zhaotao's death, Qian Haiyang's the big cheese. Maybe someone's gunning for him and wants to use us to take him down? It's just a word against him, no skin off their nose."
Wang Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes.
Ding slapped his shoulder and laughed, "Now we're talking!"