Lin Qingge shot Hua Jinrong a strange glance, then slowly nodded, seemingly surprised that Hua Jinrong had directly apprehended Lu Huaiying.
After leaving her address for Leng Ningyue and giving a few more concerned instructions, Lin Qingge departed with Hua Jinrong.
Inside the interrogation room at the Daoli District Police Station.
Lu Huaiying, treated as a suspect, glared with displeasure at the person responsible for his predicament.
"Mr. Lu, I know I'm exceptionally handsome, so much so that even another man would feel inferior and be unable to resist stealing a few glances at me~
But you shouldn't be looking at me with such adoration, should you?"
...
Lu Huaiying, feeling a chill, wore a constipated expression. He opened his mouth again after a long pause:
"The death of old Master Shangguan has nothing to do with me. I can willingly provide all the information I have. In exchange, you must release me."
"Mr. Lu, rest assured~
While this is a police station, we don't resort to forced confessions.
As long as your involvement in the murder is ruled out, you will walk out of here with all your limbs intact."
Lu Huaiying, who had no trust in Hua Jinrong, pointed at Lin Qingge beside him.
"I have another condition: the information I have can only be given to him.
Besides that, I will not answer any questions from anyone in the police station."
"You're quite discerning in your choice,"
Hua Jinrong muttered quietly, then smiled and said,
"Then I shall trouble Detective Lin~"
With that, he led his men out of the interrogation room, leaving the space to Lin Qingge. Yan Tinghao, with characteristic厚脸皮, also remained.
"Don't worry, I'm familiar with the Daoli District Police Station. This interrogation room neither has a viewing room nor is it equipped with listening devices.
However, even if Inspector Hua and the others can't hear, I will proactively report all case-related information to the station."
Perhaps sensing that the person before him was not quite what he had imagined.
Lu Huaiying raised his eyelids and cast a meaningful glance at Lin Qingge before recounting, in detail, the reason for his presence in the Shangguan family's villa courtyard.
"About a month ago, old Master Shangguan secretly sought me out.
He commissioned me to investigate the social connections of his wife, Xiahou Jin.
He requested that I photograph every man his wife Xiahou Jin met and ascertain their identities."
"Boss, isn't that what you always do, helping people catch their cheating spouses?"
Because Yan Tinghao was excessively tall and burly, Lin Qingge, unable to reach his head, could only nudge his side with his elbow, exposing his secrets.
Caught off guard, Yan Tinghao yelped in pain.
"Ouch, Boss, why are you hitting me?"
"What do you mean, 'catching cheating spouses'?
How could such a trivial matter be worthy of my personal involvement as Harbin's number one detective?"
"But Boss, you clearly..."
Before Yan Tinghao could finish speaking, he was forcefully interrupted by a frustrated Lin Qingge.
"It's your lack of education.
What I do is help employers find the true culprits who are destroying their marriages, thereby allowing them to see the true face of their partners!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Tinghao's expression became enlightened.
Ignoring the simpleton, Lin Qingge turned his attention back to Lu Huaiying, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Did you discover something?"
"Old Master Shangguan's wife, Xiahou Jin, frequently traveled to a hotel in the Taiping Bridge area in a car driven by chauffeur He Zhang.
There, I photographed Mrs. Shangguan's cousin.
However, calling him a cousin seems inaccurate; their intimate behavior was more akin to clandestine lovers.
I haven't yet ascertained the man's identity, only that he frequents the Taiping Bridge area, is idle, but spends lavishly.
Consequently, he is surrounded by a group of equally idle hooligans.
Those hooligans call him 'Big Brother,' and even nearby gang disputes over territory will deliberately give him some leeway."
Lin Qingge, hearing this, rubbed his chin and muttered,
"When did such a person emerge in the Taiping Bridge area that I'm unaware of?"
Meanwhile, Lu Huaiying continued.
"I had the photographs I took developed and delivered them to old Master Shangguan.
Old Master Shangguan seemed to have already known about Mrs. Shangguan's infidelity. After receiving the photos, he merely glanced at them briefly, without flying into a rage.
He simply instructed me to investigate the man's identity, gave me a sum of money, and let me leave."
"When did you deliver the photos to old Master Shangguan?"
"Yesterday evening, after dark.
Because old Master Shangguan required all investigations to be conducted in secret.
To avoid attention, I scaled the wall to infiltrate the Shangguan residence, went to the study, and handed the photographs to old Master Shangguan myself."
"I'm not one to say this, but surely you, as someone involved in such matters, could have disguised yourself?
You could have gone to old Master Shangguan's company office disguised as a deliveryman, or perhaps as a newspaper vendor blocking his usual route.
There are countless cases of people being shot and killed by homeowners for trespassing.
You were a reporter before, surely you haven't forgotten such basic common sense?"
During the Republic of China era, there was no ban on firearms, and coupled with the turbulent times, the guards of wealthy households were generally armed, so Lin Qingge was not exaggerating.
Lu Huaiying pondered for a moment and explained,
"Mrs. Shangguan always traveled in the car driven by chauffeur He Zhang for her clandestine meetings.
Therefore, I concluded that chauffeur He Zhang, even if not Mrs. Shangguan's accomplice, had been won over and bribed by her.
The same likely applied to those around him; the company would also have Mrs. Shangguan's informants.
Furthermore, old Master Shangguan was very particular about what he consumed, and lunch was typically prepared by the household cook and delivered to his company.
Finally, I have sufficient confidence in my own abilities."
"Confidence?"
Lin Qingge's gaze fell upon Lu Huaiying's still-bleeding shoulder, and a sarcastic smile curved his lips.
Whether it was genuine pain or having struck a nerve, Lu Huaiying turned his head away somewhat awkwardly, retorting with less conviction,
"When I infiltrated the Shangguan residence last night, Miss Leng was not present in the villa."
"Alright, let's set aside whether Senior Leng was at the villa last night.
After discussing old Master Shangguan's affairs, it's time to discuss yours.
Tell me, who exactly are you?"
"What is there to explain about me?
Don't you already know my background clearly?"
Lu Huaiying retorted with a blank expression, but Lin Qingge smiled.
"At first glance, your explanation seems reasonable.
However, there are two flaws.
First, how could a mere reporter like you possess such skill to evade everyone in the Shangguan residence and infiltrate old Master Shangguan's study?
Second, although you were commissioned by old Master Shangguan to investigate Mrs. Shangguan, you then furtively infiltrated the Shangguan grounds after the incident.
You might argue that upon hearing of old Master Shangguan's death, you appeared here out of concern or curiosity.
However, according to that logic, you would have at most circled the exterior of the villa a couple of times.
Yet, in reality, you infiltrated the villa.
Furthermore, as an outsider who had never set foot in the Shangguan residence, how did you so easily locate old Master Shangguan's study?
Even more so, how can you be so intimately familiar with old Master Shangguan's daily habits, such as the minor detail that lunch was prepared by the household cook and delivered to him?"