Chapter 5: The Rebound

Qiu Jiang and her companion were not the last to arrive, but unfortunately, neither of them was familiar with the layout of the Municipal Bureau. By the time they reached the interrogation room, the session had already begun.

The soundproofing of the room was so poor that as soon as they stepped outside, they could hear Wu Yongjun’s angry shouting and the clatter of handcuffs slamming against the table.

"I didn't kill her! Li Guimin has already confessed, so what right do you have to arrest me?"

Wu Yongjun was frantic and agitated, a stark contrast to the mild-mannered, unremarkable passerby he had seemed when they first encountered him. It would have been suspicious if such a man didn't have a prior record, especially considering he had previously volunteered information himself.

Qiu Jiang grew increasingly certain that he was one of the shadows she had seen—the very person who had killed Wang Qiumei. Fearing he might try to pull a trick and escape, she crouched by the window to listen intently to the movements inside.

Deng Xingwang, seeing her posture, curiously crouched halfway down to mimic her. Their stealthy behavior drew strange looks from colleagues passing by, but thankfully, no one said anything, allowing their eavesdropping to continue uninterrupted.

"What are you making a scene for? Is this the place for your shouting? And you know exactly why you were brought in, don't you? You dare yell at me? Trying to see who has the louder voice?"

Guo Kai’s stern rebuke came through clearly. Sometimes, having a louder voice was quite effective; not only did it make the two eavesdroppers flinch, but Wu Yongjun’s voice inside began to weaken as he started to offer a stream of excuses.

"Officer, this really has nothing to do with me. I did commit some petty theft in the past, but I’ve long since turned over a new leaf. I’ve never done anything else wrong. Wang Qiumei’s death has absolutely nothing to do with me. I just ran into Li Guimin when he was in a panic; he told me he had killed someone while sleepwalking and was terrified. I only agreed to lie for him because I felt sorry for him. I know that’s against the law, and I’m willing to accept any punishment, but the rest really has nothing to do with me!"

He was still quibbling—quite the actor.

Qiu Jiang frowned, worried he might actually escape. Furious, she shook her clenched fists, but unable to vent her frustration, she continued to press her head against the wall to listen. Hearing him continue to lie, she wished she could barge in and expose his true face.

When one is already irritable, the slightest disturbance makes it worse, let alone having one’s shoulder tapped repeatedly.

Who on earth was it?

Qiu Jiang turned around, unwilling to leave, only to see Chen Da staring at her with wide eyes. Standing behind him with his arms crossed was the leader they addressed as "Captain Ji."

She and Deng Xingwang stood up straight in an instant.

"Good day, Captain!"

They offered sycophantic smiles. Seeing them like this, Chen Da didn't know whether to be angry or amused.

Still, they were his own subordinates, and he approved of their thirst for learning. However, with a high-ranking official present, he had to reprimand them to save face, so he grumbled loudly.

"You two little brats, you’re not very old, yet you’ve already learned how to eavesdrop."

"Captain Chen, we were wrong." Qiu Jiang was the model of someone who knows when to yield, and she apologized obediently.

Deng Xingwang, though a beat slower, caught on and immediately followed suit. Their strategy was to admit fault quickly, though whether they would refrain from doing it again was another matter entirely.

Chen Da glanced secretly at Ji Mingcheng. Qiu Jiang immediately realized who held the real authority here, so she offered a second, more thoughtful apology.

"Captain Ji, we were wrong. We promise it won't happen again."

Ji Mingcheng watched her bright, restless eyes and didn't believe for a second that she wouldn't do it again.

He kept his arms crossed and watched her performance in silence until she grew uncomfortable and lowered her head. Only then did he deign to speak, "Fine. Since you want to listen so badly, come in properly. Don’t skulk around like thieves; it ruins the image of the police."

He strode toward the interrogation room. Qiu Jiang blinked. If she understood correctly, what he meant was...

Her eyes lit up instantly. She caught Chen Da’s eye, gave him an innocent look, and followed Ji Mingcheng inside.

Chen Da was left baffled, wondering how he hadn't noticed this girl was such an opportunist; he had thought she was a "good girl."

Talk about being outsmarted by one's own protégé. Careless.

When Ji Mingcheng entered, followed by his two little "tails," Guo Kai stood up. Ji Mingcheng nodded at him and walked over. The young officer beside Guo Kai immediately had the sense to vacate his seat.

Once he sat down next to Guo Kai, the young officer joined Chen Da and the others at the row of chairs by the window.

With four extra people in the room and a change in the interrogators, Wu Yongjun’s psychological pressure spiked, making him even more guarded. Especially since this was the man who had terrified him earlier with a pair of gloves—gloves he wasn't even sure he had used—he was on high alert, shouting his innocence incessantly.

"Officer, I am truly being framed."

As Wu Yongjun spoke, his eyes filled with tears. "My father just passed away, and I have an eighty-year-old mother left at home. How could I dare to cause trouble and worry her? I was just a fool for being soft-hearted and giving false testimony. Please, I beg you to go easy on me, please!"

He pressed his palms together in a prayer-like gesture, the handcuffs rattling with his movements.

Guo Kai frowned at his display, while Ji Mingcheng sat with his hands resting casually on the table, legs crossed, watching the performance with calm interest. Only when Wu Yongjun grew tired did he raise an eyebrow and begin the interrogation.

"Let’s talk about this."

He pulled out the evidence bag and pointed to a dark, stained area. "The blood type on these gloves has been confirmed to match Wang Qiumei’s exactly. Do you think it will be difficult to determine if these gloves were left behind by the killer? And shall we discuss the likelihood of the killer’s fingerprints being on them?"

His demeanor remained relaxed, but Wu Yongjun’s body grew increasingly tense. Especially when Ji Mingcheng ordered an officer to bring the evidence bag closer for him to inspect, Wu Yongjun confirmed the authenticity of the gloves and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Im... impossible..." How could they have found them?

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

A figure in a white lab coat entered—it was Dr. Lu, the medical examiner they had seen that morning. After nodding at Guo Kai and the others, he looked directly at Ji Mingcheng, clearly an old acquaintance.

"A-Cheng, the fingerprint results are in. The prints on the gloves are a perfect match for Wu Yongjun."

"No wonder he’s from Hong Kong; these results came out fast," Chen Da whispered, his words caught by Qiu Jiang.

Hong Kong?

She knew of the place—the city that had finally returned to the motherland's jurisdiction a few months ago. She heard it was economically developed and enjoyed a high degree of autonomy. She had heard people mention it often since arriving here.

She remembered the local language there was different from the mainland, which explained why she found the accents of Captain Ji and Dr. Lu slightly strange.

"How is it possible? I clearly..." He glared at the gloves, wishing he could tear them to shreds and swallow them.

Ji Mingcheng chuckled. His eyes seemed to see right through Wu Yongjun’s arrogance and filled with disdain for his intelligence. His words were cutting. "It seems you’ve recognized them. How about that? A bit disappointed to find they aren't fakes?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. No matter how good of an actor you are, in the face of absolute evidence, all your actions are utterly ridiculous." Ji Mingcheng was adept at infuriating people, especially when he poked at their wounds.

Wu Yongjun had never expected that the gloves he had hidden in a hole in the alley—before he could even dispose of them—would be found so easily. His psychological defenses collapsed. Moreover, the fact that he had been toyed with by the police—the very people he thought he was outsmarting—was a heavy blow to his vanity.

His defenses shattered. In a fit of violent rage, he lunged at Ji Mingcheng, screaming, "You look down on me? I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

It all happened in the blink of an eye. No one expected him to try to attack in such a state, and he reached Ji Mingcheng’s desk before anyone could react.

In an instant, the hearts of Guo Kai and the others leaped into their throats, terrified that this high-ranking official would be injured on their watch.

However, they underestimated their colleagues, and they especially underestimated Captain Ji’s combat skills. Just as Wu Yongjun stumbled forward after being struck by a baton, Ji Mingcheng leaned over the table, hooked him, and with a thunderous crash, sent him flying in a shoulder throw into the corner.

"Hold him down," Ji Mingcheng said coldly.

Chen Da and Guo Kai quickly reacted and pinned him to the ground. Wu Yongjun, still unrepentant, spat viciously. "You damn bitch, you're just as wretched as that whore. She’s dead, and you deserve to die too. You’ll die by my hands sooner or later, hahaha—"

He laughed hysterically, crazed and chilling, directed at Qiu Jiang, who had grabbed a colleague’s baton and struck him when no one else had reacted.

Chen Da and the others assumed the girl would be terrified, but she responded with her most "sincere" gesture.

Seeing her middle finger extended, everyone was left stunned.

Qiu Jiang, confused, asked them carefully, "Isn't this the sign for 'rebound'?"

As in, bouncing the malice back to the sender.