Chapter 78: New Witness

Chapter 78: New Witness

"The police came to your door?" The man's voice deepened slightly: "What did they ask about?"

Guan Lili lounged on the sofa, twirling her long hair with her slender, fair fingers, her voice dripping with coquettishness: "They asked if I knew about Song Yansheng's involvement in the killing. I said I didn't know. Then they asked how I met Song Yansheng, how our relationship was, and about our child's birth date. I answered everything just like you told me to."

Hearing this, the man's tone softened slightly, and he asked again: "Did they seem suspicious of anything?"

Guan Lili thought for a moment: "Not really, they were pretty polite."

The man on the other end finally relaxed: "Good, as long as they weren't suspicious."

Guan Lili couldn't help but ask: "Honey, what's really going on? What did Song Yansheng do? Killing? How did he get caught by the police?"

She looked at her crimson manicure, her tone complaining: "I was really scared today."

The man chuckled softly: "Don't worry, I've already handled everything. Nothing will happen. If anyone asks, just play dumb."

Guan Lili snorted lightly: "What do you mean, play dumb? I really don't know anything. You never tell me a thing..."

The man laughed softly: "I didn't want to stress you out. Just let me handle the work stuff. You just focus on looking after our son, go shopping when you're free, spend some money. I make so much money, isn't it all for you to spend?"

Guan Lili rolled her eyes: "That sounds great, but our son still can't even call you 'Dad'! When he grows up and doesn't know who you are, don't blame me!"

"I won't blame you; it's all my fault. I'm not good enough." The man brushed it off with a laugh, then coaxed: "Do you need more cash? Want me to send you some? Didn't you like that new bag that just came out?"

Guan Lili finally smiled, but her words were still coy: "It's always money this, money that. It's like I only care about your money..."

"How long has it been since you last saw me and our son? Before long, Haohao will forget all about you!"

The man soothed her: "Don't worry, once I sort things out here, I'll take you and our son on a trip, alright?"

"That's more like it." Guan Lili played with her long hair, then couldn't help but ask: "But is Song Yansheng really going to jail? If he goes to jail, won't it mess up our son's future? Our son is still registered under his name. If something happens to him, won't it mess up our son's future?"

The man on the phone reassured her: "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

"Haohao isn't his son anyway. We'll just remove Haohao from his registration. It'll be fine. He's my son, after all."

Guan Lili pouted, but her voice softened: "I knew you'd handle it. These things can't possibly trouble you..."

"Oh, and I saw a bag I liked while shopping the other day, but it's kinda pricey..."

...

...

"So, is it possible that Song Yuhao isn't really Song Yansheng's son?"

In the Criminal Investigation Detachment office, everyone gathered to discuss the progress of the case. Zhou Qiming tapped the table, his brows furrowed: "So, did Song Yansheng know about this?"

Shen Qingye said: "He probably did."

Yue Lingchuan nodded: "Indeed. Just based on the child's appearance, Guan Lili's spending habits, and her attitude toward him, Song Yansheng couldn't have been unaware."

Jiang Cheng added: "Moreover, as Jiang Chengtao's secretary, Song Yansheng had to handle all sorts of things for him, from company matters to his personal life. If Guan Lili was really Jiang Chengtao's woman, he must have seen her before."

"That's strange." Wei Zhengyi hissed lightly, finding it hard to understand: "So, his wife isn't his, his son isn't his, and he has no other relatives—why would he be threatened by Jiang Chengtao to take the blame for him?"

Everyone fell silent, exchanging glances. Wei Zhengyi looked around, confused: "So, is it really because he's loyal to Jiang Chengtao? Willing to do all this out of loyalty? Or does Jiang Chengtao owe him a favor that we don't know about, and he's repaying it?"

Luo Kaiyang also murmured, "It really doesn't add up..."

It seems unlikely that Song Yansheng hadn't noticed, given all the evidence, and he doesn't strike me as a fool. But if he did know, it's even stranger.

He's all alone—no parents, no wife, no kids. Why would Jiang Chengtao threaten him?

Although he contracted a hitman, he wasn't the mastermind. If he confessed honestly, cooperated actively with the police, and exposed Jiang Chengtao, he might have gotten a lighter sentence. Instead, he's shouldering the blame alone, staring down the possibility of life in prison.

"There's another issue," Shen Qingye said quietly. "Does Jiang Chengtao know that Song Yansheng knows the child isn't his?"

It was a bit of a mouthful, but after a moment, everyone got it.

—Was this a scheme by Jiang Chengtao and Guan Lili to frame Song Yansheng? Or was it a mutual agreement among the three to give Guan Lili and her child a legitimate status?

Zhou Qiming murmured, "Judging by Jiang Chengtao's demeanor, he doesn't seem the least bit concerned that Song Yansheng might turn on him."

Why is that?

Jiang Cheng said, "Either Jiang Chengtao is just banking on Song Yansheng's loyalty, or he's confident that even if Song Yansheng betrays him, he won't face any consequences. Or perhaps..."

"He's got something else on Song Yansheng," Luo Kaiyang murmured.

The office went quiet for a beat.

Wei Zhengyi scratched his head and couldn't help but groan, "Why does this case keep getting more tangled?"

From Feng Yuxue to Su Jinfu, then from Song Yansheng to Jiang Chengtao, and now Guan Lili is involved. The web of relationships is a tangled mess. Just when we thought we had a lead, pulling one thread only revealed more knots.

Shen Qingye took a deep breath and said, "At least this trip wasn't a waste. At least we've got Guan Lili as a starting point, which gives us a direction to investigate."

Yue Lingchuan nodded, "Exactly. Those were just our earlier guesses. We still need to dig deeper to find the truth."

He looked at Zhou Qiming and asked, "How's your investigation going?"

Zhou Qiming perked up and said, "We followed the leads Wu Chuanming gave us and looked into Hengtai's projects over the years. We did uncover a few missing workers, and we're now reaching out to the contractors and their coworkers from back then to dig deeper."

"As for Hengtai itself, we've gathered more in-depth information. Jiang Chengtao built Hengtai from the ground up and has absolute control, making him the top dog in the company. Hengtai has a wide range of businesses, and Jiang Chengtao often travels. The smaller stuff is handled by Song Yansheng, working with the executive president."

Yue Lingchuan pondered for a moment and asked, "Does Jiang Chengtao have any other secretaries apart from Song Yansheng?"

Zhou Qiming paused, thought carefully, and said, "Besides Song Yansheng... he's also got an assistant who takes care of his day-to-day stuff."

Yue Lingchuan asked, "When did that assistant join?"

Zhou Qiming glanced at the documents beside him, "Seven years ago."

Shen Qingye had a sudden realization and looked at Yue Lingchuan, "Are you thinking... of starting with that assistant to investigate the relationship between Jiang Chengtao and Guan Lili?"

Yue Lingchuan stood up and said, "If she's clued in on Jiang Chengtao and Guan Lili, that'd be perfect. If not, we can still ask her about Song Yansheng."

Working in the same company, she'd likely have a better grasp of the dynamic between Song Yansheng and Jiang Chengtao.

·

Around 1 PM, the rest of the office had already returned from lunch, but Pei Yanling had just finished organizing her work for the day. She rubbed her sore neck and walked downstairs, her steps heavy.

Since Secretary Song was taken away by the police, her workload had increased significantly. What used to be a normal workday now required overtime just to complete her tasks.

The worst part was that the boss still hadn't made any moves to hire new help.

Pei Yanling sighed, hoping that Secretary Song could return as soon as possible. He was highly competent at work, and after years of collaboration, they had developed a certain rapport. Bringing in a new person would require an adjustment period.

She had been truly overwhelmed with work these past few days.

She was past the point of hunger, and with the weather gradually getting warmer, Pei Yanling had little appetite. She had initially thought of just grabbing a quick bowl of noodles, but shortly after leaving the company, a high-clearance jeep pulled up beside her.

Pei Yanling glanced casually, not paying much attention, but the moment the car door opened, someone inside suddenly called out her name:

"Ms. Pei Yanling."

Pei Yanling was startled, turning to look at the person. He appeared to be in his twenties, wearing a casual denim jacket, tall and handsome.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, her expression turned cautious: "You are..."

Wei Zhengyi took out his badge from his pocket: "Ms. Pei, we're with the police. Please come with us."

Pei Yanling looked at the small font on the badge that read "Pingjiang City Criminal Investigation Detachment," then stared at him, momentarily bewildered.

...

The car didn't head to the police station. Surprisingly, it stopped outside a rather well-known restaurant.

Pei Yanling looked at Wei Zhengyi, opening her mouth: "Officer, what exactly is this about... can you tell me now?"

Wei Zhengyi unbuckled his seatbelt and pulled out the key, smiling gently at her: "Ms. Pei, don't worry. You'll soon find out what's going on."

Pei Yanling was skeptical, but her mind suddenly recalled Song Yansheng, who had been taken away some time ago.

Could it be...

Wei Zhengyi led the way, and the two of them went straight up to the second floor, stopping outside a private room.

Wei Zhengyi pushed open the door, and Pei Yanling looked up to see several police officers sitting inside.

Both men and women.

She pursed her lips, hearing Wei Zhengyi close the door behind her, her steps hesitant.

Shen Qingye stood up and said, "Ms. Pei, don't be nervous. Please have a seat."

Pei Yanling hesitated for a moment, then slowly sat down across from everyone.

"What do you want with me... exactly?"

Shen Qingye smiled, not hiding anything, and pushed over a photo, getting straight to the point:

"Do you know this person, Ms. Pei?"

Pei Yanling glanced at the person in the photo, her eyes flickering slightly.

"...I know her."

Shen Qingye said, "Who is she?"

Pei Yanling looked at the people in front of her, pursed her lips, and after a moment of silence, said:

"She is Guan Lili, she is... my boss's girlfriend."