A madman in France? How come he's always at crime scenes!

Feishui City Bureau.

As soon as Wu Liang arrived at the police station, he looked up and saw Meng Jiang and Zhang Ze waiting for him there.

Meng Jiang got straight to the point, handing over the meeting paperwork.

"Cao Yang started wanting to see you at four in the morning."

Wu Liang took it and glanced at it.

"What's going on? Did you have a sudden epiphany in the middle of the night?"

"After the supplementary questioning yesterday, he acted strangely. In short, he kept saying he wanted to see you."

"No one else is here?"

"I won't see anyone."

Zhang Ze nodded, looked around, and then lowered his voice.

"Only the three of us know about this right now. The registration at the detention center is for a lawyer's visit, not for an interrogation by the special investigation team."

Wu Liang understood.

The outside world already knew that he was acting as Cao Yang's agent. Although it couldn't be hidden, there was some basis for it. However, the situation was completely different when Cao Yang took the initiative to ask him to meet.

The former only involved lawyers, but the latter shows that Cao Yang's psychological defenses are beginning to weaken, and he may even hand over something.

As for Tan Yongren, as long as Cao Yang lives, a sword will forever hang over his head.

A police officer passed by and greeted Meng Jiang. All three of them stopped talking at the same time.

Meng Jiang spoke only after the footsteps had faded into the distance.

"You met with him privately as his lawyer; there was no eavesdropping."

"So rule-abiding?"

Meng Jiang shook his head.

"It's not that I'm giving you face, but I'm afraid that someone might use it against me in the case file later, and I'm also afraid that Cao Yang might have reservations and not say anything."

Wu Liang said he understood.

Cao Yang trusts no one now, and he most likely knows that there are eyes and ears within the police force.

In such situations, a lawyer's visit becomes the only way to get him to speak, albeit reluctantly.

……

Inside the meeting room.

In just a few days, Cao Yang had lost a lot of weight. Meng Jiang told him that after Wu Liang met with him on the 3rd, he had almost started a hunger strike, and the food sent to him was often served again in perfect condition.

Wu Liang sat down, maintaining his professional smile.

"Mr. Cao, do you miss me that much?"

"Stop talking nonsense."

Cao Yang's voice was hoarse as he looked down at the shackles on his wrists.

"Whether I live or die is irrelevant."

"Whether it's the death penalty or execution by firing squad, it makes no difference to me whether it's quick or slow."

Wu Liang raised an eyebrow with interest.

"Then why did you contact me at four in the morning?"

Cao Yang raised his head, his eyes sharp.

"You told me last time that if I died now, Ah Lian would be the one to be eliminated."

"Then give me a straight answer: what guarantees do you have that you can rescue her from Tan Yongren?"

Wu Liang did not rush to answer, but slowly observed Cao Yang's condition.

Although she is thinner, she actually looks more like a living person than before.

People facing death often have no emotions, but Cao Yang's eyes and the wrinkles between his brows prove that he is afraid.

I can't guarantee that.

Cao Yang's eyes darkened.

Wu Liang opened his notebook, his tone flat.

"If you want to hear nice words, you can find someone else. I can't say things like 'I will definitely protect her,' 'I will never let her get hurt,' or 'The law will give you justice.'"

"You served in the military, and then spent so many years in the underworld; you know how to handle trouble. When someone who knew a secret dies, what becomes of the lingering attachments he left behind?"

Cao Yang's eyes were unfocused, so Wu Liang answered for him.

"threaten."

The meeting room fell silent.

After a long pause, Cao Yang lowered his head and spoke.

"She knows nothing."

Wu Liang smiled dismissively.

Whether she knows or not is unimportant. If you're alive, she's the rope that holds you in place. If you're dead, she's the evidence that someone else once tied you to that rope.

Upon hearing this, Cao Yang's breathing became even heavier.

"Stop talking."

"You're the one who sent me."

Wu Liang smiled slightly, "It's too late to complain now."

Silence fell for a long while.

Following normal questioning logic, Wu Liang should not provoke Cao Yang's emotions at this point, since Cao Yang has already shown signs of speaking.

But after several encounters, Wu Liang discovered that the more he provoked this desperate criminal, the more information he would reveal.

Sure enough, after a few minutes of waiting, Cao Yang finally spoke in a hoarse voice.

"I can't help it."

"After I got out, nobody wanted me." Cao Yang stared at the table. "I've been to jail, I've beaten people, and I can't do any decent work. She also had a serious illness back then, and it was Boss Tan who had someone find a place for her to get treatment."

Wu Liang listened quietly, then took out a pen and began to take notes.

"A-Lian is uneducated and doesn't have an ID card. Later, when Mr. Tan said he needed someone to cook and clean, she went there."

Wu Liang's pen stopped on the paper.

"Is she with Tam Wing-yan now?"

Cao Yang remained silent for a long time, as if he had finally made a decision.

"The Tan Family Old House"

……

October 7th.

Qingshan Cemetery.

When Lin Zhiyi got out of the car, it was not yet fully light.

The driver tried to hold the umbrella for her, but she raised her hand to stop him.

"No need, wait for me in the car."

The driver nodded without saying anything more.

This is the annual rule; Lin Zhiyi doesn't like having people following her around in places like cemeteries.

Tan Yongren knew about her habit, so he only had the flowers prepared and never sent anyone to accompany her to the grave.

Lin Zhiyi carried the flowers and walked inside.

White chrysanthemums and iris.

The bouquet was neatly tied, and even the ribbon was the plain color her father used to like.

She could hardly remember Lin Huaishan's voice anymore.

Memories from before the age of seven are always fragmented images.

The only thing that left a deep impression on me was when my father took me to Teacher Chen's house on the day of his accident, he carefully covered my books with protective covers.

"Zhiyi, make sure the strokes of your writing are aligned. Don't underestimate these details. In the future, you should always be upright in your conduct and actions."

Lin Zhiyi walked up the steps one by one, her heels making a soft sound on the stone steps.

The area in front of the tombstone had been cleared of weeds, and the surface of the tombstone had been wiped clean.

The three characters "Lin Huaishan" are engraved on it.

Lin Zhiyi put down the flowers, squatted down, and took out a tissue to wipe the corner of the tombstone.

"dad."

She spoke in a low voice.

"I am coming."

A morning breeze blew by, rustling the leaves for a moment before quickly stopping.

Lin Zhiyi knelt for a while, and as in previous years, she said some very ordinary things.

There were many projects this year, and we didn't even have a break during the National Day holiday.

There was a little trouble with Guangdong Hongyuan, but it's mostly resolved and there's nothing serious.

Uncle Tan is in good health, but he's becoming increasingly meticulous about his affairs.

She chuckled as she said this.

After laughing, they fell silent again.

She looked at her father's photo on the tombstone.

In the photo, Lin Huaishan is wearing glasses, has gentle features, and looks like an intellectual.

As she looked at the screen, she suddenly remembered Wu Liang's phone call.

The lawyer went on and on about the vandalism of his law firm and public opinion, but there was something he wasn't saying clearly.

Lin Zhiyi didn't like this feeling.

She has a habit of putting things out on the table, breaking them down one by one, and she can always find a solution.

"Dad, I recently met a very troublesome person."

She said in a low voice.

"He always seems to see things that others don't want him to see."

After saying that, he felt it was absurd, but he just smiled slightly and quietly rearranged the bouquet.

And so I just sat there quietly, feeling the morning breeze gently blowing by...

By the time we descended the mountain, it was already daylight.

She walked to the corner of the path and had just bent down to adjust her cuffs when a voice suddenly came from in front of her.

Lin Zhiyi raised her head.

A white shirt, a dark coat, and a half-finished cup of soy milk in his hand.

Wu Liangchong raised her glass and smiled naturally.

Good morning, Miss Lin.