Chapter 108 Stubbornness

Chapter 108: The Stubborn Silence

When Wei Zhengyi entered the office, he felt something off.

He bit back his greeting and glanced around in confusion, only to find everyone sitting quietly at their desks, busy with their work. Everything seemed normal—except for the unsettling quiet that had replaced the usual lively chatter.

He held his tongue, not daring to speak, and edged his way to his desk, sitting down cautiously.

"Morning?" He tried a hesitant 'Morning?' with Luo Kaiyang beside him.

Luo Kaiyang turned and smiled at him. "Morning."

And that was it.

Wei Zhengyi scratched his head, totally lost. He half-heartedly skimmed the case file in front of him, shooting furtive looks around, still clueless.

What on earth was going on?

After pretending to focus for a moment, he couldn’t hold back any longer and leaned toward Luo Kaiyang, whispering, "What gives?"

Luo Kaiyang shook his head, signaling he had no idea.

"Already weird when I arrived!" he whispered back.

Wei Zhengyi scanned the room again. Brother Jiang fiddled with his computer, same as ever. Brother Zhou was nursing his tea. Xiao Shen and Captain Yang were both reviewing case files...

On paper, everything was fine. So why the chill?

Growing more puzzled, Wei Zhengyi could only slump at his desk and obediently return to his file.

The usually bustling morning was deafeningly quiet, making the sounds of people talking outside unusually distinct.

Finally, Shen Qingye had enough of the tension. She stood up naturally and said, "I’ll go check if Captain Yang’s team has finished the interrogation."

Less than two seconds after Shen Qingye left, Yue Lingchuan slowly rose as well. "I’ll go too."

As their figures disappeared, the office exploded with chatter half a minute later:

"What’s happening? What’s going on?" Wei Zhengyi asked, eyes bugging out. "Why does it feel like Captain Yang and Xiao Shen had a fight?"

Luo Kaiyang shrugged helplessly. "But they seemed fine? Didn’t they have dinner together yesterday?"

He turned to Zhou Qiming. "Brother Qiming, you were the first one here. What’s the deal?"

Zhou Qiming shrugged. "Beats me."

"When I arrived, they were already like this—ignoring each other. Freakishly awkward."

"Then why?" Wei Zhengyi grew even more confused. "Did they really argue? Over what? Captain Yang’s usually pretty easygoing unless it’s about a case. And Xiao Shen’s a girl—he’d never snap at her—would he?"

Especially since Shen Qingye had been excelling in both investigations and paperwork since joining the team. With a case just wrapped up, he couldn’t imagine what could’ve caused a rift.

The group flailed like confused puppies, completely in the dark.

It was the team’s sole married guy, Jiang Cheng, who finally looked up from his computer and said flatly, "Stop overthinking it. They didn’t fight."

Everyone instantly turned to him. Luo Kaiyang pressed urgently, "Spill it—what’s the deal?"

Jiang Cheng just reminded them, "Didn’t you guys notice the boss acting weird today?"

"Acting weird?" Wei Zhengyi thought for a moment, then it clicked for him. "You mean—the boss's clothes today?"

Luo Kaiyang also seemed to catch on. "Oh yeah, the boss is dressed... kinda..."

He struggled to find the right word before settling on a less certain one: "Extra?"

Jiang Cheng's lips twitched, and Zhou Qiming stroked his chin, adding, "Exactly. The boss never gives a damn about clothes. In the summer, it’s often just a T-shirt and shorts. Since when does he try this hard?"

Wei Zhengyi looked thoughtful, but Luo Kaiyang was still confused. "What does that have to do with him acting strange today?"

Zhou Qiming already had an inkling and couldn’t help rolling his eyes at Luo Kaiyang’s question. "Some detective you are."

Luo Kaiyang immediately protested, "How is that a detective thing?"

The others exchanged glances, shaking their heads helplessly.

Luo Kaiyang thought hard before it hit him:

"Wait… is the boss dating someone?"

·

After leaving the office, Shen Qingye could tell someone was tailing her. She had a vague idea of who it was, pursed her lips, but didn’t look back.

Knocking on the door of Team One’s office, Captain Yang called out for her to enter. Shen Qingye stepped inside, but before the door could close, a hand shot out to stop it.

His heat radiated against her back, making her tense up.

"Xiao Shen’s here?"

Captain Yang, none the wiser, rubbed his eyes wearily. Bags under his eyes—he looked wrecked.

Shen Qingye looked up and saw dark circles under his eyes, a clear sign he hadn’t rested well. Her chest tightened, and she quickly stepped forward, forgetting her earlier awkwardness. "Captain Yang, did you not sleep at all last night?"

Li Mingliang, standing nearby, yawned heavily. "Ugh. Pulled an all-nighter... That asshole won’t crack."

"Refuses to talk?" Yue Lingchuan frowned, grabbing a stool and pushing it behind Shen Qingye before casually leaning against the desk. "Isn’t the evidence solid? Why won’t he confess?"

"Exactly," Captain Yang sighed. "He shuts down like a brick wall, no matter what we say. What can we do?"

Yue Lingchuan’s brow furrowed deeper. "What’s the current situation?"

He was referring to yesterday’s investigation into Ke Zhiwei’s background. Li Mingliang didn’t hold back. "Lao Huang combed through Ke Zhiwei’s dorm and found a few letters in his books. The handwriting matches the one you found earlier, and the content is similar—likely drafts he chickened out on sending."

"Then Lao Huang questioned Ke Zhiwei’s roommates about whether he’d ever pursued anyone. They said there was a period when Ke Zhiwei acted strangely, often writing something on pink stationery. But when they asked, he’d freeze or snap at them, so they stopped prying. Figured he was simping for some girl but didn’t want to talk about it. After that, Ke Zhiwei seemed to avoid writing letters in the dorm altogether."

"Oh, and that was around the second semester of sophomore year—which lines up with when Qin Jiayu was being harassed by those letters."

"Later, Lao Huang dug deeper into Ke Zhiwei’s personality and social habits. Seems friendly, but zero real friends. Even his roommates couldn’t recall his true thoughts—he’s a total follower, nothing special."

"Since graduation is coming up, we also checked the companies he’s been interviewing with. Turns out, he’s only applied to top-tier firms, even some major listed companies—some rivaling Zhou Corp, maybe even bigger."

Shen Qingye instinctively locked eyes with Yue Lingchuan, then jerked her gaze away.

"Some rivaling Zhou Corporation?" She whispered, pieces falling into place.

Li Mingliang nodded: "Although those companies recruit new employees every year, they only hire individuals who excel in every aspect. While the University of Finance and Economics is decent in our city, it's not among the top-tier schools in the province. Ke Zhiwei himself isn't exactly top-notch either, so naturally, those companies would choose more outstanding candidates. That's why Ke Zhiwei struck out at several interviews in a row."

He paused, then added: "His roommates knew about this. Zhou Yuanfeng even advised him to start with smaller companies to gain experience and then move to larger firms once he had achievements, but Ke Zhiwei wouldn’t listen. I also spoke with the interviewers from those companies and gathered that Ke Zhiwei was rejected partly due to his lack of qualifications, but also because they felt his attitude was problematic—too pushy and unpredictable, which made them prefer other candidates."

Yue Lingchuan asked: "Have you spoken with Zhou Yuanfeng? Did he recall any past conflicts with Ke Zhiwei?"

Li Mingliang shook his head with a bitter smile: "No."

"Upon learning that Ke Zhiwei was the mastermind, Zhou Yuanfeng was even more shocked than we were, kept saying it couldn’t be true. They got along fine in the dorm, with no conflicts throughout their four years of college. His other two roommates shared the same sentiment..."

Shen Qingye remarked: "So, it might just be his one-sided grudge toward Zhou Yuanfeng."

She speculated: "Judging by how he manipulated public opinion, he seemed particularly fixated on Zhou Yuanfeng’s family background, always pushing the narrative that way... A chip on his shoulder about rich people? Jealousy of Zhou Yuanfeng’s privileged upbringing?"

Li Mingliang said: "That’s likely part of the reason."

Yue Lingchuan added: "On top of that, the girl he once liked ended up with Zhou Yuanfeng, becoming his girlfriend. That probably tipped him over the edge, leading him to orchestrate this framing and kidnapping before graduation, aiming to destroy Zhou Yuanfeng’s future."

Shen Qingye massaged her forehead: "People like him..."

She sighed softly, then suddenly thought of something: "By the way, Qin Jiayu mentioned Ke Zhiwei kidnapped her around 11 p.m. on the 31st. The fastest route from the University of Finance and Economics to Linjiang takes over an hour. That means Ke Zhiwei must have left around 10 p.m. that night—were his roommates already asleep by then? Did no one notice anything unusual when he left and returned?"

Li Mingliang gave her an approving look: "You’ve nailed it."

"His roommates indeed didn’t notice anything unusual."

"Because that night, they went to bed before 10 p.m."

"That early?" Shen Qingye raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more to it. "Did Ke Zhiwei... use some kind of method?"

Li Mingliang nodded: "The Trace Examination Unit found traces of Xanax in Tang Hao’s water cup."

Xanax...

Shen Qingye blinked in surprise: "Sleeping pills?"

Yue Lingchuan said gravely: "To be precise, anti-anxiety meds."

Shen Qingye asked: "That kind of drug... requires a prescription, right?"

Li Mingliang nodded: "Exactly. Old Huang (Lao Huang) found a bottle of Xanax in his dorm, along with prescription records showing he’d gotten it. That night, he used the excuse of being tired and wanting to sleep early to persuade his roommates to go to bed before 10 p.m. Once he confirmed they were asleep, he put his plan into action."

Yue Lingchuan asked: "When did he get the prescription?"

Li Mingliang: "On the 2nd of last month."

Shen Qingye muttered: "So, he’s been planning this since last month..."

After a moment of silence, Li Mingliang remembered something else: "Oh, about the knife you found in that cabin—the Trace Examination Unit successfully extracted fingerprints from it, and they match Ke Zhiwei’s."

Shen Qingye wasn’t surprised: "So now we have all the evidence we need, and the only thing missing is his confession, right?"

Captain Yang sighed helplessly: "We’ve been grilling him all night like a stubborn hawk, but he clams up completely. No matter what we ask, he stays silent as if he’s dead."

What do you do with a guy like that?

After a brief silence, Shen Qingye asked: "Mind if I take a crack at him?"

Captain Yang waved his hand: "Knock yourself out. Old Huang and Old Wei (Lao Huang and Lao Wei) are still there."

Shen Qingye got up, with Yue Lingchuan following right behind her.

·

The door of the interrogation room opened and closed, making almost no sound.

Inside the dimly lit room, the atmosphere was tense. Lao Huang and Lao Wei each took a sip of water, furrowed their brows, and slammed the table, saying, "Ke Zhiwei, if you’re willing to confess honestly, there might still be a chance for leniency. But if you insist on resisting like this, not even God himself could save you when you stand trial!"

Yet no matter how loudly they banged the table, the person sitting in the interrogation chair across from them remained motionless, head hanging low, utterly silent, like an unfeeling puppet.

Shen Qingye took a seat beside Lao Huang.

Only one light was on in the interrogation room, positioned directly above Ke Zhiwei, leaving none of his movements hidden.

When they had last seen him, it was in a classroom at the university. Back then, he had been wearing glasses, acting completely normal, no different from any ordinary college student. At the time, Shen Qingye had never imagined that he would turn out to be the mastermind they were searching for.

Now, seated in the same chair, at the same distance face-to-face, whether due to the lighting or the oppressive environment, the young man before them now carried an air of gloom about him.

After exchanging a look with Lao Huang, Shen Qingye sat down, looked at him calmly, and spoke: "Ke Zhiwei, do you think you’re very clever?"

Ke Zhiwei finally lifted his head and slowly turned his gaze toward her.