People often have secrets, and an individual may have many secrets.
When a person's secret is exposed, the natural reaction is to protect the other secrets even more fiercely. At this moment, the exposed secret becomes instantly trivial, as people instinctively want to brush it aside to safeguard the others. This is just like Song Desheng at this very moment.
The mention of the earrings of the goddess of love by Wu Zhiming has already revealed one of Song Desheng's secrets. If Wu Zhiming continues to dig deeper using this secret as a breakthrough, or simply exposes it to the police, Song Desheng might face the revelation of more secrets one after another.
To protect the other secrets, Song Desheng must abandon the secret of the goddess of love's earrings.
However, Song Desheng is not a fool who would be frightened by a few words from Wu Zhiming.
So, Song Desheng said through gritted teeth, "I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"In your grandfather's jewelry collection room, there is an accessory called the goddess of love's earrings. Your grandfather bought it for a few hundred dollars decades ago. This time, your grandfather was robbed and killed, and the jewelry collection room was ransacked. Yet, the goddess of love's earrings were nowhere to be seen. Neither in the list of lost items you submitted nor in your insurance policy is there any mention of the earrings. What do you think the police will think if I tell them about this discovery?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"What can they think? If it's not there, can they somehow find it?" Song Desheng replied.
"I have proof of your grandfather's purchase of the goddess of love's earrings," Wu Zhiming said.
"That item might have been sold decades ago," Song Desheng said.
"Your grandfather had the habit of keeping records of all his transactions, from opening the pawnshop fifty years ago to the present day," Wu Zhiming said.
"If you can find such a ledger, then I have nothing to say," Song Desheng said with a smile.
"This ledger suddenly disappeared a few days ago, but fortunately, I investigated it in advance before it vanished, and I took photos of all the contents. Although the credibility is not high, it's enough to make the police suspicious of you. Once they become suspicious, they will dig into everything about you. Do you have the confidence to hide all your other little secrets?" Wu Zhiming asked with a smile.
Song Desheng's face turned ugly, and he couldn't say a word.
"Right now, you only need to reveal the small secret of the goddess of love's earrings and tell me where it is, and you can leave here. I am only interested in the earrings; I have no interest in who killed your family or who took your things. We are all from the upper class of Haixia City, and we often cross paths. There's no need for me to push you to the brink. Don't you think so?" Wu Zhiming asked.
After a few seconds of silence, Song Desheng said, "The goddess of love's earrings, I sold them."
"Sold?" Wu Zhiming raised an eyebrow and said, "To whom?"
"I sold them to a group of jewelers who approached me before. They wanted to buy the earrings, so I sold them to them in private, because my grandfather didn't intend to sell them," Song Desheng said.
"How much do you know about those people?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"I don't know much. I only know they are from Tianchuan Province and deal in jewelry all over the country," Song Desheng replied.
"How many of them are there?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"I'm not sure about the specifics. I've only seen three of them, and their leader is called Uncle Si. That's all I know," Song Desheng said.
"Uncle Si? When did they leave Haixia City?" Wu Zhiming asked again.
"I'm not clear on that either," Song Desheng shook his head.
"You know, I can use that little secret of yours at any time. So, if I find out you're lying, the consequences will be severe," Wu Zhiming said.
"I'm not lying, really, I swear to heaven!" Song Desheng said excitedly.
"Alright!" Wu Zhiming nodded and looked at the rat-like man, "You can take him back."
The rat-like man nodded and walked behind Song Desheng, pressing a certain spot on his neck.
Song Desheng's eyes rolled back, and he fainted immediately.
"This guy's words are not very credible," the rat-like man said.
"I know, and I also know that as soon as he goes back, he'll bite back immediately. But it doesn't matter. Let's find Uncle Si first. Whether this guy has anything to do with the goddess of love's earrings or not, finding him will help me confirm some things," Wu Zhiming said.
"Yes!"
Under the night's veil, the rat-like man escorted Song Desheng back to his residence.
Wu Zhiming also returned to the hotel, scaling the window to re-enter his room undetected by anyone.
Wu Zhiming picked up his own phone from the table and then packed another phone, tossing it out the window.
Naturally, someone was waiting downstairs to retrieve the phone he discarded.
Wu Zhiming sat on the sofa and turned on the TV.
About half an hour later, Dong Jian's call came in.
"I've checked out the background of the guy called Uncle Si. He's a figure in the underworld, dealing in jewelry for a long time, but his business is half legal, half illegal, and he likes to collect things from dirty places," Dong Jian said.
"From underground?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"Yeah, he likes to deal in antique jewelry. According to my investigation, he left Haixia City this afternoon and his current whereabouts are unknown. I've already arranged for someone to trace him," Dong Jian said.
"Find him and bring him to me," Wu Zhiming said.
"Uncle Si is always surrounded by several strong men. I need to call on Greedy Wolf and the rat-like man," Dong Jian said.
"No problem!" Wu Zhiming said.
"It should be possible to catch up within a day. Just wait patiently!" Dong Jian said.
"Alright!"
After hanging up the phone, Wu Zhiming didn't return to his room, instead, he lay down on the sofa.
The next morning.
Municipal Bureau.
Zhou Jianye's car had not yet arrived at the Municipal Bureau when he received a call from a comrade at the bureau.
"What? Song Desheng went to report a case early this morning, saying he was kidnapped by Wu Zhiming last night?" Zhou Jianye asked in surprise.
"Yes! Song Desheng said he was knocked unconscious by Wu Zhiming's men and then taken away from his home!" the person on the phone said.
"Tell Song Desheng to wait for me at the police station. I'll be right there!" Zhou Jianye said, hanging up the phone, and then stepping on the accelerator hard.
What would have been a half-hour journey, Zhou Jianye completed in just fifteen minutes.
Zhou Jianye's car rushed into the police station compound, and after parking, he immediately went to the reception room.
Inside the reception room, Song Desheng was being interrogated.
"Inspector Zhou, you're finally here!" Song Desheng said excitedly upon seeing Zhou Jianye.
"Tell me, how were you kidnapped by Wu Zhiming last night?" Zhou Jianye asked in a deep voice.
"I was knocked unconscious at home last night while sorting things out. When I woke up, I saw Wu Zhiming. Inspector Zhou, I can be one hundred percent sure that Wu Zhiming is the murderer of my grandfather!" Song Desheng said excitedly.
"Why?" Zhou Jianye asked.
"Just a few days before my grandfather's accident, my grandfather once told me that someone had approached him, willing to buy a piece of jewelry called the goddess of love's earrings from him, but my grandfather refused. At that time, I didn't think much of it because almost every day someone approaches us to buy something. And yesterday evening, after I was kidnapped by Wu Zhiming, the first thing Wu Zhiming asked me for was that goddess of love's earrings!" Song Desheng said.
"Oh? You mean the one who offered to buy from your grandfather before was Wu Zhiming?" Zhou Jianye asked.
"Yes! My grandfather didn't sell to Wu Zhiming because someone else offered a higher price, so my grandfather didn't sell it to him, but my grandfather didn't tell Wu Zhiming either, because he looked down on Wu Zhiming!" Song Desheng said.
"So, you mean Wu Zhiming wanted to buy the earrings from your grandfather, your grandfather didn't agree, so Wu Zhiming broke in and robbed, and after taking all your jewelry, he found that there was no goddess of love's earrings inside, and then he found you?" Zhou Jianye asked.
"Yes! Absolutely, Inspector Zhou, please arrest Wu Zhiming immediately and give us an explanation!" Song Desheng said excitedly.
"Calm down first," Zhou Jianye waved his hand and said, "To kill so many people in your family for a piece of jewelry, I think the motive is not enough. Wu Zhiming's status is there. How much can jewelry be worth? At most a few tens of millions? If you can't buy it, you can't buy it. There's no need to kill so many people."
"You don't know! Although the goddess of love's earrings is just a piece of jewelry, this piece of jewelry is related to a huge treasure called the Treasure of the Goddess of Love. It's said that there are treasures left by the emperor inside. Previously, Christie's auctioned off a tear of the goddess of love, which is a necklace. That necklace was bought by Wu Zhiming. As long as the three-piece set of the goddess of love is collected, the treasure can be opened, and the goddess of love's earrings is one of the three-piece set. If Wu Zhiming gets the goddess of love's earrings, it means he has collected two-thirds! Only the last ring of the goddess of love is left! Then he is extremely close to the Treasure of the Goddess of Love!" Song Desheng said.
Zhou Jianye's brows furrowed. What Song Desheng said seemed to make some sense.
He had always felt that there was something wrong with Wu Zhiming, and now that Song Desheng put it this way, the problems with Wu Zhiming were even greater.
"What time were you kidnapped?" Zhou Jianye asked.
"About ten o'clock last night," Song Desheng said.
"Ten o'clock?" Zhou Jianye pondered for a moment and then said, "This... seems to be wrong?"