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

Chapter 89 Cooperation

Lin Zhiyi arranged to meet at a quiet bar in the city center.

When Wu Liang arrived, it was already past nine o'clock at night. The place was nice, with no noisy dance floor, only a man holding a guitar sitting on a small platform, softly singing an old song from many years ago.

Wu Liang glanced around and quickly spotted Lin Zhiyi sitting by the window.

She was only wearing a light-colored shirt today, with a trench coat beside her, which made her look much less imposing. There was still a little wine left in the wine glass in front of her.

Wu Liang walked over and sat down opposite her.

"The place Miss Lin chose isn't as safe as I imagined."

Lin Zhiyi looked at him.

"Attorney Wu, what location do you think I would choose?"

"The office, the rooftop, or the underground parking lot?"

"I don't have that many shameful things to do."

Wu Liang smiled, beckoned to the waiter, and ordered a glass of soda water.

Lin Zhiyi looked at him. "Not drinking?"

"I generally stay awake during work hours."

The waiter quickly brought the water over, but Lin Zhiyi didn't get straight to the point.

"The wage paperwork at the construction site has been restarted."

"I know."

"Zhang Huaizhong has been transferred." Lin Zhiyi paused for a moment. "Attorney Wu should be satisfied with this matter."

Wu Liang picked up the cup and took a sip.

"Whether I'm satisfied or not is not important. What's important is whether the workers get the wages they deserve. You capitalists always like to complicate simple things."

Lin Zhiyi wasn't angry. She drank the wine in her glass in one gulp and chuckled softly.

"Attorney Wu really likes to label people."

"Oh? Miss Lin feels wronged?"

"Not really." Lin Zhiyi looked out the window. "I just feel that some things always seem easy to outsiders."

The neon lights reflected off the glass, blurring her profile.

Some people drink for fun, while others drink simply to suppress their inner thoughts. Lin Zhiyi clearly belongs to the latter.

Looking at the woman in front of him, Wu Liang felt he understood her a little better.

Rather than saying that Lin Zhiyi invited him here today for negotiations, it's more like she's finally decided to confront the past.

Lin Zhiyi turned her gaze back.

"Attorney Wu, I came here today not because I trust you."

"normal."

"My understanding of you only goes back to that incident with the workers. You seem to be a very meticulous person," she paused, "Back at the cemetery, you said there was something wrong with my father's situation. I thought about it for a long time afterward and I think you probably didn't just say it casually."

"That's definitely not the case."

"So I need to know what you want from me."

Wu Liang noticed that Lin Zhiyi's eyes were slightly red from the alcohol, but her voice remained completely calm and composed.

Even sadness seems to be arranged in a pre-planned order.

"What I want is very simple," Wu Liang said, "your memories, and your identity."

Lin Zhiyi's brow twitched slightly.

"identity?"

"The deceased's family." Wu Liang put down his cup. "Your father, Lin Huaishan's, accident happened twenty years ago. As an outsider, I have no right to access the materials from that time. But if you want to apply for an investigation, there is a procedure to do so."

Lin Zhiyi looked at him.

"Do I need to sign?"

"It might be necessary later," Wu Liang said, "but not now."

This answer made Lin Zhiyi relax her guard a little.

She originally thought Wu Liang would produce a bunch of documents and push her into a pre-set position, just like she had experienced over the past twenty years.

Why?

"Because you haven't thought it through yet."

Wu Liang looked at her and said, "Investigating old cases isn't as simple as just flipping through some documents. Once you sign the application, everyone who handled the case back then will know."

Lin Zhiyi fell silent.

"I can take the consequences," she said.

Wu Liang shook his head.

"Ms. Lin, I've met many people who say they can bear the consequences. But when the real consequences are right in front of them, most people regret it. Your father has been dead for twenty years. This isn't something you can decide tonight just because you've had a drink and your emotions are running high."

Lin Zhiyi's expression darkened.

"Attorney Wu, have you always been so rude?"

"Divide into categories."

"Should I thank you for thinking so highly of me?"

"No need," Wu Liang smiled slightly. "Just don't treat me like someone who specializes in reopening old wounds."

Lin Zhiyi was quiet for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"You weren't this considerate when you said those words at the grave."

"On that day at the cemetery, I just wanted to confirm one thing."

Do I have a fever?

"right."

Lin Zhiyi lowered her eyes and looked at the empty cup in front of her.

"I should have been at Teacher Chen's house that day," she began slowly. "When I was little, whenever my father worked overtime, he would send me to her house. She had a small room in her house specifically for a few children to do their homework."

Wu Liang did not interrupt.

Lin Zhiyi seemed to be organizing her memories.

"I remember it was raining that night. Teacher Chen cooked noodles, but I didn't really want to eat them. She also said I had to finish them before my dad came to pick me up. Later, I got sleepy and fell asleep on the table."

"If the materials state that he left the company because I had a fever, then there is definitely a problem with that statement, but that doesn't necessarily mean he was murdered."

"That's right."

Wu Liang answered very quickly this time.

Lin Zhiyi looked at him, her eyes relaxing a little.

Her biggest worry was that Wu Liang would use a single wrong statement to completely change the story of her father's death.

But Wu Liang did not do that.

"Where do we begin?" she asked.

"Start with what you can be sure of."

Wu Liang took out a folded piece of paper and pushed it in front of her.

The above is a collection of case files compiled by Wu Liang regarding the events of that year.

Lin Zhiyi's gaze froze when she saw the last item.

"briefcase?"

"When your father left the company, someone mentioned in the documents that he was carrying a briefcase," Wu Liang said. "But it's not on the list of his belongings. If you can find any information about this incident from relevant personnel in your company, please let me know immediately."

Lin Zhiyi looked up.

"You suspect there's something in this bag?"

Wu Liang did not deny it.

Lin Zhiyi picked up the paper and looked at it for a long time.

"I can cooperate with you," she said, "but on three conditions."

"explain."

"First, you must tell me if you find any materials related to my father."

"Can."

"Second, no public application may be made in my name without my consent."

"Can."

"Third, I will only investigate my father's case. If you want to use me to investigate a case, I will immediately terminate the cooperation."

Wu Liang nodded.

"Reasonable."

Lin Zhiyi seemed surprised that he agreed so readily.

"Aren't you going to explain anything?"

"An explanation is just a cover-up, and I'm a very straightforward person."

Lin Zhiyi glanced at him, then finally put the paper in her bag, picked up her trench coat, and stood up.

"Attorney Wu."

"Um."

"I don't want my father's story to become fodder for other people's gossip."

Lin Zhiyi didn't say anything more and turned to walk towards the door.

The glass door was pushed open, and the night breeze dispersed the faint smell of alcohol on her.

Wu Liang remained seated, watching her walk to the side of the street. Instead of getting into the car immediately, he stopped for a while under the streetlights, took out the paper from his bag, and looked at it again.

Through the glass, Wu Liang couldn't see her expression.

All I saw was her carefully putting the paper away, as if she were finally putting a question that was twenty years overdue into her own hands.