Once they got back to the car, Zhou Tuoxing asked, "Who was that?"
"Zheng Xianwen, a...," He Chuan Zhou rubbed his temple, searching for the right words. After a moment's hesitation, she borrowed Brother Huang's description: "a master at making big promises."
Zheng Xianwen's case wasn't under their squad's jurisdiction, so He Chuan Zhou hadn't encountered his prowess firsthand. However, from the stories circulated among colleagues in the bureau, Zheng Xianwen was considered a genius with an extraordinary gift for persuasion.
He could make people willingly hand over their money. Even those he had swindled before might be persuaded to invest again, caught up in their dreams of getting rich.
According to He Chuan Zhou’s mentor, albeit a bit exaggerated, if he were involved in pyramid schemes and knew of Zheng Xianwen's talents, he would recruit him, ensuring the operation's success and global reach. Creating a new era of the Zheng scheme wouldn't be a challenge.
However, Zheng Xianwen wasn't exactly running pyramid schemes, nor was it entirely accurate to call him a con artist. Although he persuaded people to invest, the businesses he started did actually open.
Unfortunately, all his skills were in his mouth, with no talent for running a business. He would open a shop only to close it soon after. Lazy and unwilling to work a regular job, he continually sought partners for new ventures. After numerous attempts, he became notorious within his community.
But to say he was particularly vicious wouldn't be fair.
Aside from the trouble his mouth caused, Zheng Xianwen had no record of violence and was generally amicable. If someone needed help that didn't involve money, he was usually agreeable.
He Chuan Zhou met him after one of his former partners, in a fit of rage, beat him and sent him to the hospital with minor injuries. A neighbor called the police.
Zheng Xianwen, unable to move in his hospital bed, took the blame upon himself, claiming he had accidentally fallen down the stairs and broken his bones.
Brother Huang said that this made him even more dangerous. Zheng Xianwen's heartfelt, sincere words during conversations could easily deceive those who didn’t know better.
His previous imprisonment was because he irrationally agreed to be the legal representative for a shell company.
Now, Wang Gaozhan had just been released from prison with some savings, and He Chuan Zhou was worried that, having been out of touch with society for so long, he might be tricked by Zheng Xianwen into making foolish investments.
After hearing the brief introduction of Zheng Xianwen’s remarkable history, Zhou Tuoxing, bewildered, asked, "Why doesn’t he find a legitimate job? He would have made a fortune by now."
He Chuan Zhou replied, "He doesn’t like studying. He dropped out after middle school and started mingling in society, without much education, he got used to loafing around. If he were willing to find a proper job, his mother wouldn’t have died of anger."
He Chuan Zhou fastened her seatbelt and said, "Time’s up. Let’s get to work."
Brother Huang had just arrived at the precinct when someone informed him that Director Feng wanted to see him.
In the office, Director Feng had just finished a phone call. Seeing Brother Huang, she picked up a document from his desk and handed it over, saying, "The city bureau will send people this afternoon. You need to pick a few people as well."
Brother Huang’s forehead vein twitched as he asked, "For what?"
Director Feng, without looking up, replied, "To form a special task force."
Brother Huang was instantly frustrated, "Is that necessary? This isn’t some heinous murder case! Just some oversight is enough. Does the city bureau really need to be involved?"
Director Feng looked up, placed the document at the edge of the desk, sighed, and earnestly explained, "You know how ugly the last public opinion incident was. Even though the resolution was decent, what if something similar happens again? Han Songshan’s wife hasn’t even arrived yet, but she already reported to higher authorities last night, claiming there are people in our precinct who dislike Han Songshan, and she doesn’t trust our investigation skills. Everyone would be scared facing this situation."
Director Feng was stressed out, her tongue bitter from the tension.
"And after the Tao Xianyong incident, netizens might side with us once, but repeatedly? Not likely. It’s not enough for us to know the truth." Seeing Brother Huang’s expression soften, she continued, "We must solve this case quickly."
Brother Huang, holding back his frustration, took the document and, trying to control his tone, said, "We also want to solve it quickly."
Director Feng set a deadline, "Three days, can you manage?"
"Three days?" Brother Huang couldn’t help but exclaim, "If it were anyone else, maybe. But Han Songshan made so many enemies! I have a list of potential suspects as long as a page, and we only have so little people to verify and investigate. Plus, there’s no surveillance camera near the crime scene, so we have to expand our search area to a few kilometers away."
Director Feng gestured for him to calm down and said, "The city bureau is helping this time, and there’s a witness, right?"
"You mean Jiang Pingxin? Whether she saw anything useful or not is uncertain. The biggest problem now is she doesn’t want to talk!" Brother Huang, frustrated, mentioned her name, feeling his mouth ulcers worsening. "A high school senior, a minor, about to take her college entrance exams in a month, living alone, and investigating her sister’s death for years. We can’t force her. If we bring her to the precinct for questioning, the media will accuse us of being insensitive, lacking empathy, using violent methods, and ruining her crucial exam period."
Director Feng nodded, understanding, and softly said, "But we can’t ignore important clues."
Brother Huang sighed heavily, knowing arguing was pointless, and said as calmly as possible, "I know. Xu Yu and Shao Zhixin went to her school this morning."
Director Feng was surprised, "Why send them?"
Xu Yu was a relatively new officer, and Shao Zhixin, though highly educated, lacked experience.
Brother Huang explained, "Captain He suggested it. Jiang Pingxin is less wary of them. They might get her to talk. Plus, her teachers are protective of her, so we might be unwelcome if we go."
Director Feng was quickly convinced, "Oh… that might actually work."
Xu Yu and Shao Zhixin arrived at the school around 9 AM, when classes were in session. After inquiring about Jiang Pingxin’s class, they decided to wait in the office rather than disturb her directly.
The long, quiet corridor was pierced by a ray of golden sunlight from the far balcony. Listening to the students reading, they instinctively lowered their footsteps.
Stopping outside the office, Xu Yu adjusted her half-frame glasses and, turning her head, said with a serious air to her partner, "Prepare to witness the unparalleled skills I learned from He Chuan Zhou."
Shao Zhixin, skeptical, whispered, "Do He Chuan Zhou’s skills require glasses?"
Xu Yu, annoyed, hissed, "You don’t get it. This makes me look more approachable. Otherwise, people think detectives are intimidating and associate us with bad news."
She knocked on the door and, hearing a response, entered.
Jiang Pingxin’s homeroom teacher had been informed and looked a bit tense, her natural wariness mixed with a hint of coldness.
Xu Yu smiled and extended her hand warmly, almost obsequiously, like a concerned parent, "Hello, Teacher Zhao."
The homeroom teacher stiffly shook her hand. Seeing how young and friendly they appeared, unlike her stern image of detectives, she seemed to relax slightly.
Xu Yu took the initiative to move an empty chair over and sat down next to the teacher's desk, placing one hand on the table as she began chatting casually, "It's like this. I believe you are aware of the situation with your student, Jiang Pingxin?"
The homeroom teacher immediately responded, "Her family situation is indeed special, but she is a hardworking student and gets along well with her classmates. I believe she will achieve good results in the college entrance exam. Right now, her main focus should be on studying."
Xu Yu nodded patiently and said, "She mentioned to the police that she saw the suspect in a murder case. However, when the police tried to collect evidence from her, she refused to provide any clues, insisting that we first investigate her sister's case."
The homeroom teacher opened her mouth, ready to defend her, with a prepared speech, but Xu Yu interrupted her with a smile before she could get past "she."
"We're not here to hold her accountable or to pressure her. We just hope you can help us talk to her. We understand that her main focus should be preparing for the college entrance exam. But think about it, carrying such a big secret must make her anxious. We've explained her sister's case many times. No matter what conditions she sets, we cannot give a different answer."
The homeroom teacher was taken aback, unable to refute, not knowing what to say.
Xu Yu, considerate, said, "Don't be nervous, teacher. We understand her actions. After all, Jiang Pingxin is a minor and a high school student. Her sister was her last close relative, so it's normal for her to be overly persistent. Our team is currently reviewing surveillance footage from several streets around the crime scene, but the area is vast. We've been working overtime, and if we can't find any other leads, we hope she can assist us."
The once defiant homeroom teacher felt a pang of guilt and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
"It's not hard, it's our job." Xu Yu replied sincerely, then quietly asked, "We'd like to have a private word with her later. Is that okay? Just to explain things. A single break period will suffice."
The homeroom teacher hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Alright."