Chapter 38: Gently

Chapter 38: Gently

Each floor of the apartment building housed over ten units. Perhaps due to the lack of ventilation from north to south, there was a damp scent characteristic of the rainy season, like the musty smell of an old cloth, seeping through the masks into their nostrils.

The sensor lights were broken and hadn't been fixed, making the narrow hallway eerily dark, reminiscent of an escape room setting.

Tang Yun turned on his flashlight to clearly see the door numbers.

"1012, it's over here." He switched off the flashlight, lowering his voice as he advised, "When we go in, watch your expression, try not to be intimidating. If you can, smile more; otherwise, they might become wary and think you..."

Tang Yun paused momentarily, as if searching for the right words, and Kuang Yanhe filled in, "Have a stern face and aren't up to any good."

"Oh?" Tang Yun's face lit up with the joy of shared experience, "So others have said the same about you too?"

Kuang Yanhe felt like he was about to explode in frustration: "Only you would say that."

Tang Yun responded defiantly: "I don't believe it."

After knocking on the door a few times, a woman's voice came from inside: "Just leave it at the doorstep."

Tang Yun removed his mask and introduced himself: "Hello, Ms. Cao, I'm the representing attorney for Mr. Li Xiaobo. I'd like to discuss something with you. May we come in?"

After a while, Cao Mengmeng opened the door, asking, "How did you find out my address?"

Cao Mengmeng, in person, looked nothing like her delicate name suggested. She sported short hair dyed silvery-white, with grayish tips that resembled the hues of a silver gradient cat. Her face was petite, with monolid eyes, slightly downturned corners of her mouth, and frequently furrowed brows, giving off an aloof, world-weary vibe.

Tang Yun pressed on, "We got the information from the police. I have a few questions for you."

Cao Mengmeng didn't pick up on his little white lie and let them in.

The apartment was compact, a single story covering around 50 square meters. The kitchen, living room, and bedroom were interconnected, separated by two rows of waist-high cabinets. Although the decor was modest, it was clean and had a subtle pleasant fragrance.

The cabinets were filled with books, predominantly mysteries, psychology, and to Tang Yun's surprise, many law-related titles.

"Are you into law studies as well?" Tang Yun asked.

"Oh, these are my sister's books. She ran out of space at her place, so she stored them here."

A rather plump silver gradient cat spotted them. After a brief pause, it boldly approached Tang Yun, sniffing the familiar scent of a cat on his trousers.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Cao Mengmeng courteously handed each of them a bottle of mineral water.

"Thank you." Tang Yun and Kuang Yanhe simultaneously took their seats on the sofa. The silver gradient cat immediately jumped onto Tang Yun's lap, seeking affection.

Tang Yun gently stroked its back, and the little fellow arched its back in pleasure. Leaning towards Kuang Yanhe, Tang Yun whispered, "This one's quite flirtatious, isn't it?"

Kuang Yanhe, on the verge of saying something cheeky in return, held back and instead asked, "Is your cat pregnant?"

Cao Mengmeng replied, "He's a male."

"Alright then."

Tang Yun chuckled, confidently stroking the cat's belly. The cat, perhaps thinking Tang Yun was playing with it, suddenly swiped its claws against the back of his hand.

"Hiss—" Tang Yun drew back, but not quickly enough. A few white scratches marked the back of his right hand. It stung a bit.

"Are you alright?" Kuang Yanhe leaned forward, concern evident.

He tried to grasp Tang Yun's wrist to inspect the injury, but before he could, Tang Yun waved it off, saying, "It's nothing. I've been scratched by cats before."

Cao Mengmeng took the silver-furred feline to the balcony and confined it there. She assured Tang Yun, "Sometimes, it's just like this—a little wild with strangers. But it's been vaccinated for rabies, and it scratches me all the time. It's nothing to worry about."

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing fresh-looking red scratch marks on her forearm.

The balcony door was a sliding one. The cat stood up, using its front paws to push open a small gap in the glass door. It squeezed its body through, effectively forcing the door wide open.

It then sauntered over and lay down on Kuang Yanhe's lap.

Tang Yun hesitated to pet it further, querying, "Isn't it wary of strangers at all?"

Settling opposite them, Cao Mengmeng hugged her arms and said, "He's a cat that prefers men. If it's a gay man, he's even more fond of them—so much so that he'll jump onto their laps for affection."

"Huh?" Both Tang Yun and Kuang Yanhe looked up, their expressions of surprise mirroring each other.

This cat... Is it that extraordinary?

"I'm joking! You didn't take that seriously, did you?" Cao Mengmeng looked at them, equally surprised.

“……”

Wanting to change the subject, Tang Yun broached, "I came mainly to ask about Zhang Yuwei. I assume you've seen the trending news?"

Cao Mengmeng nodded.

Tang Yun continued, "How's your relationship with Ms. Zhang?"

"We're close; she's a good friend of mine," Cao Mengmeng said, glancing at her cat. "If something happens to her, she'd tell me right away."

"Oh?" Tang Yun probed further, "Did she contact you on the night of the 11th?"

"Yes," Cao Mengmeng nodded, recalling, "Around 9 in the evening, she called me, sobbing, claiming she was assaulted by someone with the surname Li. She wanted me to accompany her to the police."

Her choice of words made it clear she had nothing but disdain for Li Xiaobo.

"Did you believe it could be true at the time?" Tang Yun inquired.

"Why not? What are men incapable of doing?"

Her instinctive choice of the word "men" instead of "Li" or "scumbags" indicates that her disdain wasn't just for Li Xiaobo as an individual but for the entire male populace. She clearly harbors a resistance towards men.

"How's Zhang Yuwei's relationship with Li Xiaobo normally? Did they have conflicts?"

Cao Mengmeng replied, "Well... I'm not entirely sure."

"Doesn't Zhang Yuwei confide her emotional issues with you?" Tang Yun asked with a faint smile, "You just mentioned that she'd always come to you first. Does it mean they've never had disagreements?"

Probably realizing she'd been cornered, Cao Mengmeng's gaze turned cold. After pondering a moment, she admitted, "After finding out that the man surnamed Li was married, Zhang Yuwei did get upset."

"How did she find out?"

"Someone told her."

"Who informed her? When did she learn?"

"Not long ago. As to who told her, I'm not sure. You might want to ask her yourself. I only know that she wanted to break up with him, but he refused and then assaulted her."

"Did she share the specifics with you?"

"Yes." Cao Mengmeng's gaze drifted as if recalling the details, "That night, Zhang Yuwei was determined to end things with Li. She asked him to come over and take away their pet dog—a Golden Retriever they'd been raising together..."

After ending the call with Zhang Yuwei, Li Xiaobo hurriedly drove to her place. After several failed pleas, his brutish nature surfaced. He demanded that unless Zhang Yuwei returned the two million she had spent during their relationship, he wouldn't agree to a breakup.

Zhang Yuwei didn't have that kind of money. Desperate, she threatened to tell Li Xiaobo's wife. Unfazed, Li Xiaobo, in a fit of rage, pushed her onto the sofa and began removing her clothes.

Zhang Yuwei screamed for help, prompting Li Xiaobo to pull out a fruit knife he'd prepared earlier from a fruit bag, threatening her to stay silent by holding it to her throat.

As Li Xiaobo assaulted her, he recorded the ordeal, threatening Zhang Yuwei that if she dared to leave him, the video would be distributed online, including among her friends and colleagues.

After much turmoil, Zhang Yuwei decided to report to the police.

Tang Yun inquired, "Did Zhang Yuwei resist Li Xiaobo during the assault?"

"Of course," Cao Mengmeng shrugged, looking rather helpless, "But she's a woman, after all. In the end, she had to yield, not knowing if resistance might lead to even graver consequences."

"Have you seen that video?"

"No, it's her private matter, after all. Even if she offered, I wouldn't feel right watching it."

"Understood." Tang Yun seemed to grasp the situation, smiled briefly, stood up, and said, "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Cao."

"It's fine."

Tang Yun and Kuang Yanhe walked side by side into the elevator.

"What do you think? Was she lying?" Tang Yun questioned.

Kuang Yanhe, who had been closely observing Cao Mengmeng's expressions throughout, felt she was avoiding their gaze, "I sense that her relationship with Zhang Yuwei isn't as close as she claims."

"Why do you say that?"

"Firstly, when referring to Zhang Yuwei, she consistently uses her full name. If they were truly close, wouldn't she use a nickname instead? Unless the friend's name is only two characters long. Moreover, her statements contradict one another. One moment she says she and Zhang Yuwei are quite close and she's the first to know everything. Yet, when questioned, she often stumbles... However, it's also possible she's just guarded against us, especially regarding questions that might influence the final judgment."

Tang Yun felt his analysis was astute, echoing his own observations. On the surface, Cao Mengmeng seemed cooperative, but her arms were always folded defensively.

"The most puzzling aspect is the video. Zhang Yuwei claims Li Xiaobo recorded it, but he denies it," Tang Yun mused, unintentionally biting his lip. When he released it, the lip was reddened, "Of all the assault cases I've handled, this is the first where the perpetrator filmed the act."

"Perhaps for a thrill?" Kuang Yanhe glanced at his lips, "Maybe he only recorded specific sections?"

As the elevator doors opened, Tang Yun briskly walked to the parking spot, "If he only captured certain parts, why would Zhang Yuwei fear? Why not vehemently deny it's her?"

"You have a point."

"Additionally, with technology so advanced now, even if her video leaked, she could claim it was AI-generated. Who could prove it's genuinely her?"

"What should we do next?"

During the police's investigation, lawyers don't have access to the case files. They can only gather evidence from testimonies. Cao Mengmeng's statement is clearly detrimental to Li Xiaobo, so it's out of the question.

Only when the police conclude the investigation and hand over the case to the prosecution can Tang Yun access the files, verifying the authenticity, legality, and relevance of the evidence and attempt to exclude any inadmissible evidence.

"We'll decide once we see the case files."

"Alright."

Kuang Yanhe, following closely behind Tang Yun, noticed reddened scratch marks on his hand. In a swift motion, he grabbed Tang Yun's wrist, examining it closely.

Tiny beads of blood seeped out from the pale skin, not yet fully dried.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

Tang Yun stared at the furrowed brow before him, slightly dazed. Kuang Yanhe's unexpected action made him feel as if he held a special place in Kuang's heart. Yet, another voice inside him reasoned it was mere common concern. Anyone else, and Kuang would've asked the same. So, he shouldn't flatter himself too much.

The injury didn't hurt. Had Kuang not mentioned it, he would've forgotten about the scratch altogether. But Tang Yun feigned a hint of hurt and whined, "A bit. I didn't realize the wound was so deep."

"I think I have band-aids in my car." Kuang Yanhe stated, opening the trunk. He fetched a backpack and rifled through its multiple pockets, eventually pulling out a small box of band-aids and a disposable antiseptic swab.

"Do you want to apply it yourself, or should I help?" Kuang inquired after climbing back into the car.

Without hesitation, Tang Yun extended his hand, struggling to contain his glee. He feared his elation would become too evident to Kuang.

"Thank you, Assistant Kuang."

Kuang paused, seemingly thrown off by the novel address. As realization dawned on Tang Yun, he was about to clarify it was a jest when he noticed Kuang chuckling, apparently unbothered.

Kuang tore open the antiseptic's packaging, grasping Tang Yun's slender finger and drawing it closer. His gaze fixated on the immaculately shaped fingernail.

"Why are you trembling?" Kuang questioned.

Tang Yun felt utterly defeated. In that moment, he empathized deeply with those suffering from Parkinson's, his hand shaking uncontrollably as though he'd just carried tons of rice.

Why was this happening?

He wished he knew.

Tang Yun clenched his fist, attempting to hide his nervousness.

Looking up, he met Kuang's intriguing gaze, a playful smirk pulling at his lips. Tang Yun couldn't ascertain if Kuang used that expression with others, but when those eyes fixed on him, he felt like he'd been struck by lightning, trapped with no escape.

"I'm just afraid of pain," he blurted a clumsy excuse.

Kuang's eyes clearly conveyed disbelief. Yet, they sparkled with mischief as he chuckled, "Alright, I'll be gentle then..."

A subtle sting emanated from the back of his hand, held firmly by Kuang. Tang Yun's mind wandered, thinking such lines would be more intriguing in a more intimate setting.