After a night of “settling,” the director seemed to have finally figured something out. He stubbornly claimed that he alone wanted to harm Su Xingtong and that it had nothing to do with anyone else.
This kind of nonsense was not only unbelievable to Mo Junyi, but even the officer taking notes didn’t buy it.
Liu Minghua even laughed. “Your talent for ‘protesting too much’ is truly unmatched.”
Realizing he had made a slip of the tongue, the director changed his previous attitude of stubborn denial. He shut his mouth tightly and refused to speak, no matter what the police asked.
Mo Junyi stood to the side with his arms crossed and suddenly spoke up coldly, “Is that person’s name Qi Ying?”
The person who had been sitting there playing dead jolted, looking up at Mo Junyi in disbelief. In fact, the suspect wasn’t the only one shocked; the other criminal investigators present were also stunned, thinking to themselves, Has Team Mo reached a level of god-like intuition? However, they couldn’t tell if Mo Junyi was bluffing or not, so they kept their expressions neutral.
The director quickly realized this as well and immediately retracted his expression, sneering, “I don’t understand what you mean.”
“If you don’t understand, there are plenty of people who will.” Mo Junyi didn’t look flustered at all. “As long as we call him here and have Bai Yuan identify him, everything will naturally become clear.”
The director pursed his lips tightly, staring unblinkingly at Mo Junyi. Large beads of cold sweat slowly rolled down his forehead. Mo Junyi maintained his composed manner, looking as if he had a plan all along.
The director closed his eyes, making a final argument: “That name is fake. You can’t possibly contact him.”
“I can’t, but Su Xingtong can.” Mo Junyi saw the director let out a scoff, seemingly dismissive of his words. He gave the man a faint glance and continued, “If Su Xingtong can’t contact him, Li Jinghan surely can.”
At the mention of that name, the director’s face turned pale instantly. Mo Junyi stopped while he was ahead, looked down at the time, and said, “The morning interrogation ends here. I hope you can give a satisfactory answer this afternoon. After all, in a society ruled by law, going to prison for someone else isn’t exactly a profitable deal.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the interrogation room. Liu Minghua gave a few instructions to the others before following him out. “Chief! Who exactly are those two people you mentioned?”
Mo Junyi slowed his pace and replied, “Qi Ying is likely Bai Yuan’s ‘sugar daddy.’ Li Jinghan is Qi Ying’s ex-boyfriend and a good friend of Su Xingtong. Qi Ying has always harbored a grudge against Su Xingtong because of their relationship. It’s reasonable to speculate he has a motive to kill.”
Liu Minghua’s mind worked fast. As soon as Mo Junyi finished, she straightened out the connections and couldn’t help but sigh, “Tsk—the entertainment industry is truly a mess.”
Mo Junyi didn’t respond, nor did he tell her that the “source” of all this, Li Jinghan, was currently captivating his dim-witted cousin to the point where the kid didn’t know what day it was. He could only say that Li was worthy of being the “all-consuming” protagonist of the original story.
Leaving the interrogation area, Mo Junyi personally went to the National Security Bureau to check for any traces of Qi Ying. Unfortunately, the result was as expected. There were very few people in all of Huayang City named Qi Ying—few parents would choose “Ying” (Shadow) as a name. None of those few could be matched with the suspect. The lead seemed to have gone cold.
However, Mo Junyi looked prepared. He wasn’t surprised by the result, nor was he in a hurry.
At noon, the forensics and lab teams sent over the analysis of the powder and other samples collected from the scene. The investigators, who were originally discussing what takeout to order, had to continue working overtime.
The powder was, as expected, chalk. The autopsy report showed nothing unusual aside from some alcohol.
“Alcohol?” Liu Minghua frowned while opening her lunch box. “Did the deceased go on the wire while drunk?”
“That shouldn’t be the case. According to the director’s confession and previous deductions, the original target was Su Xingtong.” Liu Ye pointed out the discrepancy nearby. “Why would they force-feed the stunt double alcohol for no reason? It must be a coincidence, right?”
Mo Junyi didn’t join the conversation. While everyone was deep in thought, Liu Minghua absentmindedly opened the lid of her lunch box. The savory aroma instantly filled the office.
Liu Ye snapped out of it and complained, “Sister Liu, the brothers’ takeout hasn’t arrived yet. Can you wait a bit before eating?”
Liu Minghua huffed and picked up her spoon. “Good food is worth the wait. Don’t be in a rush.”
The room was momentarily filled with groans of hunger. Mo Junyi waved his hand. “Resolve the matter before eating.”
Just as he spoke, there was a knock on the office door. Ordinarily, outsiders weren’t allowed in during a case, but since it was the lunch break, it was excusable for a family member to drop off some food.
Hearing the knock, several officers who had been slumped on their desks complaining to Liu Minghua instantly sat up straight. Those who were married or had partners looked expectantly at the door, their faces virtually screaming, “My wife is here to bring me lunch!”
Liu Minghua couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Look at you all.”
Mo Junyi said, “Come in.”
The doorknob turned slowly. Every eye in the room focused there, but soon, those expectant investigators were disappointed because the person who entered wasn’t a partner to any of them.
Su Xingtong walked in carrying a fairly large package. He was wearing a light brown trench coat and a pale yellow scarf, with a bit of the frost characteristic of a northern winter still on the tips of his hair. Seeing so many people inside, he froze for three seconds before saying hurriedly, “Um… did I come at a bad time?”
The room went silent for three seconds before the officers turned a teasing gaze toward Mo Junyi. Liu Minghua set down her lunch box and walked up with a smile. “You’ve come at exactly the right time. The brothers are all resting; we’re not talking about the case.”
Su Xingtong felt a bit embarrassed by the attention. Mo Junyi walked up to him, partially blocking the others’ view. “Why are you here?”
Su Xingtong didn’t look up at him but handed the package into his arms. “My manager asked me to come and check on the situation.”
Mo Junyi took the package and felt that it was still warm. Surprise flashed in his eyes. Su Xingtong, feeling awkward under his gaze, adjusted his scarf. “It’s lunch from the company. I thought… maybe you hadn’t eaten yet.”
Before Mo Junyi could say anything, the surrounding team members instantly started heckling: “Ooooh—”
Su Xingtong wasn’t particularly thin-skinned, yet his earlobes turned red from the teasing. Mo Junyi turned to give them a look. Liu Minghua, showing great situational awareness, shouted, “Why are you all crowing in the middle of the day? Shut your mouths!”
Seeing Su Xingtong’s embarrassment, Mo Junyi found a topic to change the subject. “Is the showerhead at home fixed?”
It would have been fine if he hadn’t mentioned it. But as soon as he did, Su Xingtong remembered what Lu Hengyu had accidentally said that morning, and the warmth on his face vanished instantly.
He replied flatly, “Mhm.”
Mo Junyi raised an eyebrow, wondering how a casual question had upset him. He had an inkling and asked, “What did Lu Hengyu say to you?”
A criminal investigator is, after all, an investigator; he guessed the general gist of what happened. But Su Xingtong didn’t want to tell the truth. He turned his head slightly and made an excuse. “He said Jinghan never mentioned me to him, so I felt a bit strange.”
Mo Junyi frowned, instinctively feeling that wasn’t why Su Xingtong was unhappy. But since the other didn’t want to say, he couldn’t push, so he followed the topic. “Perhaps it was to protect you.”
“Protect me?” Su Xingtong finally looked up at him in surprise. “Why?”
Mo Junyi picked out the parts of the day’s events he could share and explained them simply. Su Xingtong’s expression grew more solemn as he listened. By the time Mo Junyi finished, a chill had crept up his spine. “…I knew Qi Ying always had an issue with me, but I didn’t think he was this crazy.”
Mo Junyi saw the lingering fear in his eyes and felt an urge to reach out and comfort him. Halfway through, he realized that given their relationship, directly rubbing a big star’s head might not be appropriate. Ultimately, his hand landed somewhat awkwardly on Su Xingtong’s shoulder.
Mo Junyi gave him a light pat. “We’ll find him. Don’t be afraid.”