All evidence pointed to Ma Cong.
Now, all that was needed was to find the few people who had beaten up Li Yang to piece together the case.
This took a bit of effort, but fortunately, by asking street vendors along the way, they finally found a few witnesses.
"Indeed, several people ran this way, but I don't know if they were the ones you're looking for."
"They ran towards Lianglulou. Go ask at the Dandan noodles stall over there, he's right at the street corner."
"One of them was a bit tall, I heard someone call him 'Ganzi' (Pole)."
Asking house by house, Hu Jia finally tracked down the group.
According to their confession, the incident was instigated by Ma Cong.
With eyewitnesses and physical evidence conclusive, the arrest began.
Hu Jia walked at the forefront, brimming with excitement. "You dare frame my brother, you're dead."
Meanwhile, Lü Qingqing and Ouyang had their own plans. Hu Jia only knew that Li Yang had been framed, but the two of them understood that while this setup appeared to target Li Yang on the surface, it was actually aimed at Hu Jia.
The thought of the mastermind lurking in the shadows, instigating the widower's suicide in an attempt to agitate Hu Jia's nerves, made them grit their teeth in hatred.
They intended to force Mo Yun to talk and expose the shadow behind him.
...
But all excitement was completely extinguished by that suicide note.
Ma Cong was dead.
He died by suicide.
He left behind a suicide note detailing the entire process of his crime.
The entire process was almost identical to Hu Jia and the others' analysis, with hardly any discrepancies.
Ma Cong confessed that when he saw Li Yang in the vicinity of the vocational school that day, he conceived the idea of framing him. So, he stole the shoes first, then committed the murder.
The motive for the murder was simply that he had asked Mo Yun for money, and Mo Yun had refused and humiliated him.
Although there were many unconvincing aspects to this, Ma Cong admitted to everything.
The case was considered closed.
"Qingqing, why does this whole thing feel so strange? Ma Cong only saw Li Yang in the area and impulsively decided to frame him, but judging by the layout of the crime, this case should have been premeditated." Hu Jia said.
"Ahem, you're overthinking. Think about it, Ma Cong was already planning to assassinate Mo Yun and had prepared to be caught. It's normal for him to see a scapegoat and think of a way to clear his name on the spur of the moment." Lü Qingqing, though she knew Ma Cong was lying, had to conceal the truth.
After all, digging deeper into this matter would lead to Li Zhenhui, then to Hu Shilong, and then to the shooting ten years ago.
She couldn't predict Hu Jia's reaction upon learning that the killer of his father was still at large.
If he were to become paranoid and depressed again, it would be a significant loss.
"Is that so? Li Yang is just that unlucky." It was evident that Hu Jia, though half-believing, wasn't overly concerned.
"Yes. That kid is just that unlucky." Lü Qingqing affirmed.
"Then when we get back, I'll have him take a bath with pomelo leaves." Hu Jia chuckled. "By the way, I've always had a question for you."
"Ask away."
"Why were you and Li Yang investigating Mo Yun that night? What does it have to do with Li Yongqiang?"
Lü Qingqing had never imagined she would almost stumble over this question.
One had to admit, Hu Jia was too sharp.
"Didn't Li Yongqiang find a listening device at home? He suspected someone was eavesdropping on him and spying on him, so we helped him investigate. That person was Mo Yun."
"Why would Mo Yun be monitoring Li Yongqiang?" Hu Jia asked again.
Uh...
Lü Qingqing's face turned green.
Indeed, for every lie you tell, you have to weave countless more to cover it up.
"I don't know about that. Mo Yun is already dead. Why don't you call him up and ask him?" Lü Qingqing could only shift all the blame onto the deceased.
If you have the ability, go summon a ghost!
Hu Jia stared at Lü Qingqing, one second, two seconds, three seconds...
Lü Qingqing felt sweat prickling her palms. Hu Jia's gaze was too terrifying, as if it could see through one's very soul.
Just as she was about to use feigned anger to mask her panic, Hu Jia suddenly smiled. "Forget it. He didn't tell me anything either, so I won't bother with it anymore."
With that, Hu Jia left as if nothing had happened.
Watching Hu Jia's receding back, Lü Qingqing felt a chill down her spine. She knew very well that Hu Jia was not easily fooled. The reason he didn't press further was likely out of trust in her.
No, this matter needed to be brought to the attention of Li Yang and Ouyang Wen. What if she kept her mouth shut, but they slipped up?
...
Tong Meng blew a flirtatious glance at Lian Shu and sensually got out of bed.
But as soon as her back was to Lian Shu, her eyes were filled with disdain.
Hmph, useless fellow, did it even last two minutes?
Of course, Tong Meng didn't care about that. Her mind was filled with the man with the small mustache.
She didn't know his name, but she was too familiar with his face.
This was because that man was currently on a mission, tracking Hu Jia.
Tong Meng swaggered into the bathroom, turned on the water, and took a shower.
Emerging from the bathroom, Lian Shu's study door was still closed. It seemed the man's report wasn't finished yet.
Tong Meng thought for a moment, then immediately returned to her room, dressed, and instructed the maid, "Li Sao, the master is still discussing matters, and I don't want to disturb him. When the master comes out, please tell him I've left."
Tong Meng left, and Li Sao saw her off. When Li Sao turned back, she discovered a bracelet by the entrance, which Tong Meng must have left behind.
At this moment, Tong Meng had already quietly hidden in the darkness just outside Lian Shu's house.
She was waiting, waiting for that man to come out.
November in Chongqing had a slight chill, and Tong Meng's face was flushed red with cold, but she didn't care. She had to uncover the man's secret tonight.
About 20 minutes later, the door to Lian Shu's house opened.
Tong Meng tidied her hair and emerged from the darkness.
The two walked towards each other.
The man had already seen Tong Meng, but Tong Meng was looking down as if searching for something.
"Oh dear." Tong Meng, not paying attention, slipped and fell.
The man pulled his hat down, trying to pretend he hadn't seen her. But how could Tong Meng let him go?
"Sir."
"Sir."
After calling out twice, the man could no longer pretend to be oblivious.
"I've twisted my ankle. Can you help me up?" Tong Meng's eyes welled up with tears.
"Miss Tong, I'll go get someone for you." The man maintained a certain distance.
Hearing his address, Tong Meng knew he recognized her.
"You know me?" Tong Meng feigned surprise. "Oh, you're the person who just went into Lian Shu's study."
Tong Meng quickly stopped the man from leaving. "Sir, you can't go call for help, please."
Tong Meng put on a pitiable look, which made the man very confused. "Why not? You're Lian Shu's guest, he can definitely help you."
"To be frank, I lost a gold chain that Lian Shu gave me, and I'm afraid he'll blame me. Now that I've injured my foot, if Lian Shu gets angry and insists I serve him, then I..."
Tong Meng deliberately left the sentence unfinished, leaving ample room for imagination for the man.
As expected, this trick worked very well.
The man seemed to understand Tong Meng's predicament. "Where do you live? I'll give you a ride."