The Interrogation

Zhou Zhaotao's goons were all hauled back to the station for questioning. There were so many of them that Officer Ding had to send in the troops and split them into groups.

Wang Zhiyuan was paired with Lin Moran, and the guy sitting across from them was Zhou Jin, the big cheese of the Elite Nightclub. Wang Zhiyuan picked this guy himself.

Back when Wang Zhiyuan was still Zhou Zhaotao, he had his fair share of dealings with Zhou Jin. He knew the guy like the back of his hand - a classic fair-weather friend, but damn, he could run a club. No matter how rowdy the customers, he handled them like a pro. Even when Hou Yuankun came to stir up trouble, Zhou Jin didn't break a sweat. The guy was a gem.

Grilling him the usual way wouldn't cut it. So Wang Zhiyuan cut to the chase, "Are you gonna spill the beans, or should I do it for you?"

Zhou Jin was thrown for a loop, "What do you mean?"

Wang Zhiyuan shot back, "Do I really need to spell out what goes down in that club of yours?"

Zhou Jin's heart skipped a beat, and he started to lose his cool. He thought he was here because of Zhou Zhaotao's case, which he couldn't care less about. But now it seemed like they were out to get him. He quickly got his act together though; he'd seen this movie before. Ever since he got into this business, he'd been in the hot seat almost every month. So he put on a smile, "Is there some kind of mix-up here?"

Wang Zhiyuan leaned back, "Is there?"

Lin Moran had skimmed through the case files before the interrogation, but what Wang Zhiyuan was doing was way beyond what the files could explain. So he just sat there, taking notes, not making a peep.

"I'm a legit businessman, Officer Ding knows that," Zhou Jin said, taking off his glasses and leisurely cleaning them with a cloth from his pocket.

Wang Zhiyuan pressed on, "Do you know Xu Haihong?"

Zhou Jin paused, his head bowed as he cleaned his glasses, hiding the flash of panic on his face. He put his glasses back on and nodded, "Yeah, she worked at the club."

Wang Zhiyuan continued, "She's been missing for almost a month, hasn't she?"

Zhou Jin replied, "Missing? I heard she quit and went back to her hometown."

Wang Zhiyuan asked, "Where were you on the night of March 8th?"

Zhou Jin's back was drenched in cold sweat. He thought Wang Zhiyuan was bluffing, but mentioning March 8th set off alarm bells. There's no way that date was a coincidence! He racked his brain before saying, "That was International Women's Day, right? The club was closed for half the day. I took my wife shopping and then we had dinner at KFC with the kids."

Wang Zhiyuan leaned in, "I meant after 9:30 PM."

Zhou Jin was cracking under pressure.

One thought was racing through his mind!

He knows!

He really knows!

He's not bluffing.

Zhou Jin took off his glasses again, wiping them with the cloth. But this time, he wasn't as composed. Even Lin Moran could see he was rattled. Lin Moran was starting to see Wang Zhiyuan in a new light, though he still had no clue what was going on.

Zhou Jin put his glasses back on and said, "After 9:30, I was watching TV with my wife until around 11 PM…"

"We can check the security cameras in your building to see if you stepped out after 9:30, right?" Wang Zhiyuan cracked his neck.

Zhou Jin pursed his lips, then nodded, "Yeah, sure."

Wang Zhiyuan knew Zhou Jin wasn't as cool as he was trying to appear. But that was enough for him. He wasn't really after Xu Haihong's case; he didn't give a rat's ass about the others. What he really wanted was to use Zhou Jin to take down Qian Haiyang!

So he switched gears and started asking about Zhou Zhaotao.

Zhou Jin didn't relax. He was on edge, trying to figure out Wang Zhiyuan's game. It seemed like Wang Zhiyuan knew about Xu Haihong being tortured to death by a psycho customer, and though Zhou Jin wasn't the killer, he had helped dispose of the body. But they had been careful, and the customer wouldn't talk. The only other people who knew were his two trusted men, who he believed wouldn't rat him out, at least not to the cops. And the other person who knew—

Well, Zhou Zhaotao was dead. But even if he wasn't, he wouldn't have gone to the cops. After all, the order to dispose of the body came from him.

Zhou Jin's head was spinning. He answered Wang Zhiyuan's questions cautiously, not wanting to step on any landmines.

But his caution pissed off Wang Zhiyuan. When Zhou Jin said that Zhou Zhaotao and Qian Haiyang were as thick as thieves, Wang Zhiyuan slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

Zhou Jin nearly jumped out of his skin.

Lin Moran stopped writing and looked over.

Wang Zhiyuan walked over to the window, opened it, and stared outside.

If this had happened before Wang Zhiyuan started questioning him, Zhou Jin would have raised hell. But now, he didn't have the guts. Xu Haihong's body wasn't buried deep, and if they knew where to look, they could easily dig it up. And his alibi was full of holes. He never thought anyone would give a damn about Xu Haihong.

How did this cop find out? Why isn't he blowing the case wide open? What's his angle?

Questions swirled in Zhou Jin's head.

Wang Zhiyuan turned around, "I'll ask you one more time, what's the deal between Zhou Zhaotao and Qian Haiyang?"

Zhou Jin looked at Wang Zhiyuan's dark expression and something clicked. He hesitated, "Lately, Boss Qian and Zhou haven't been coming to the club together, but they used to be tight."

Wang Zhiyuan sat back down.

Zhou Jin felt like he was starting to get a read on Wang Zhiyuan.

Wang Zhiyuan asked, "I heard Qian Haiyang had a big deal with some folks in Cambodia?"

Zhou Jin replied, "I don't know about that. Tengfa does own shares in the Elite Nightclub, but we operate separately. So, I have no clue about Qian's dealings."

Wang Zhiyuan pressed, "But I heard they've been to the Elite Nightclub."

Zhou Jin was starting to think Wang Zhiyuan was some kind of wizard, knowing all about the nightclub . Did the cops have someone on the inside? He couldn't stand being in the room for another minute. He said, "They might have. We're in the business of entertaining, it's normal for guests to come and go."

Wang Zhiyuan continued, "Qian Haiyang always puts it on his tab when he comes to the club, right? A quick look at your books would tell us if he's been there."

Zhou Jin replied, "Tengfa is doing well, so it's normal for him to entertain a lot."

Wang Zhiyuan shot back, "I thought you didn't know much about Tengfa? Suddenly you're an expert?"

Zhou Jin finally cracked a smile, "Well, we're under the same roof. I know if we're making money or losing it."

Wang Zhiyuan's eyes flashed with anger.

Zhou Jin shifted uncomfortably. The pressure from Wang Zhiyuan was intense, almost on par with what he felt from Zhou Zhaotao.

Lin Moran suddenly chimed in, "Did Zhou Zhaotao have any enemies?"

Wang Zhiyuan shot him a sideways glance.

Lin Moran twirled his pen and smiled with the corner of his uninjured mouth, "Just trying to get the lay of the land."

Zhou Jin said, "Zhou Zhaotao had some business conflicts with Hou Yuankun."

Lin Moran asked, "What kind of conflicts?"

"Conflicts over supply channels," Zhou Jin shifted in his seat, the tension making him stiff, "That's what I heard."

"Have you ever been to Zhou Zhaotao's place?"

Lin Moran continued asking questions since Wang Zhiyuan stayed silent.

Zhou Jin was back to his normal self, answering questions. Maybe it was because Wang Zhiyuan was watching like a hawk, but he was pretty cooperative, except for the stuff he couldn't talk about.

After Lin Moran finished, he looked at Wang Zhiyuan for approval before letting Zhou Jin go.

"Should I bring in the next one?" Lin Moran asked.

Wang Zhiyuan ignored him and headed out.

Lin Moran followed him like a shadow.

Wang Zhiyuan knocked on the door of the interrogation room where Bighead was, grabbed a cigarette and lighter, and found a corner to sit and smoke. He was kicking himself for how he handled Zhou Jin. He was too aggressive, still stuck in Zhou Zhaotao mode. Even with dirt on Zhou Jin, there was no way he'd turn on Qian Haiyang just because of a few words from him.

He looked up and blew smoke into the air.

He wasn't Zhou Zhaotao anymore, the guy who could make his minions quake with just a word.

Crack.

Lin Moran popped open a can of Coke and leaned against the wall, drinking.

"What are you doing here?" Wang Zhiyuan's eyes were practically shooting daggers.

Lin Moran seemed oblivious to the loathing in Wang Zhiyuan's eyes and said matter-of-factly, "You're my mentor, of course, I'm sticking with you."