Chapter 219: Toppling Him

"Qin Guan lied. You didn't kill Qi Min,"

Old He looked at Xu Ruyi, "Because you simply couldn't have done it."

These five people couldn't even be described as just law-abiding citizens anymore. They were all genuinely kind, gentle, and sincere good people—

Influenced by her parents, Xu Ruyi had participated in various charity activities since childhood and still quietly sponsored children she'd never met to go to school; Feng Zhi's school club, "Zhiyan Society," had organized many sessions of charitable support activities; Qi Donghao might seem a bit flippant, but a year ago, he fell from the third floor while saving a child who had accidentally tumbled out a window, fracturing bones and lying in bed for three whole months; Cui Yuan was quiet, adopting three stray cats and two stray dogs in his rental, always helping out at the nearby stray animal shelter during bookstore breaks; Gong Xiaoyu, a full-time mom after her second child, took care of her two kids and a sick mother-in-law alone, earning praise from neighbors and relatives…

How could a group like this commit murder?

"You moved Qi Min's body."

At that construction site.

"I went to that site several times," Old He had mapped out every inch of the terrain. "The site had a manager with some connection to Qin Guan. That's why Qin Guan chose to dump the body there. First, he knew the place. He knew foundation formwork pouring was scheduled for that day—the perfect time to dispose of the body. Once the suitcase was thrown in and the concrete poured, the foundation solidified, or buildings went up on top… even with ironclad evidence, we could never tear down the structure to dig up the foundation."

"Second, Qin Guan chose that place because it offered him an escape route."

There was a worker on that site named Jiang Chun, a habitual brawler, drinker, gambler, and womanizer who had served two prison sentences—a thorough scoundrel. Yet, he was "good friends" with Qin Guan—Qin Guan had bought him drinks a few times, and he often bragged about having a lawyer friend.

Early that morning, before dawn, he received a call from Qin Guan asking for a "small favor"—

"I've got a lead over there that needs someone to watch it."

Qin Guan had him take a taxi to the Xinhe Hotel, wearing a cap and mask. He wandered around near the hotel for quite a while but couldn't find the "lead" Qin Guan mentioned. Then, as instructed by Qin Guan, he took another taxi to the construction site, being extra cautious along the way to avoid being followed, even throwing away the cap and mask.

"I suspect this person was Qin Guan's escape plan. Just in case—I mean, just in case—Qi Min's body was discovered in time, this man was probably meant to be Qin Guan's scapegoat."

The more Old He dug, the clearer his understanding of Qin Guan became.

This lawyer was exceptionally cunning and always operated with a backup plan. He was forever scheming, lining up pawns long before taking action.

Jiang Chun was his pawn. Li Yang was his pawn. Qi Min was his pawn.

And his ability to destroy evidence seemed innate—how do you deal with someone who could commit murder calmly at ten years old to secure his future?

"You're right. If you hadn't interfered, Qin Guan would have successfully dumped Qi Min into that deep pit. Then, Qi Min's case might never have seen the light of day. And you could forget about Qin Guan ever facing justice,"

Old He looked at Xu Ruyi's stern face—after learning her parents were both victims of Qin Guan, Xu Ruyi had likely realized completely that only ironclad, overwhelming evidence could topple him.

"To topple him, you dragged that suitcase out of the deep pit."

This was something Old He pondered for a long time to understand—why didn't Qi Donghao and Cui Yuan call the police immediately? Why go through the trouble of hauling the suitcase out of the pit?

"Because you were afraid."

Old He struck at the core of Xu Ruyi's fear—she was afraid. Afraid that her parents' deaths would yield no evidence. Afraid that every lawyer consulted told her it was impossible to win. Now they had found the suitcase containing Qi Min's body. Would calling the police guarantee victory?

"It really wasn't certain,"

Old He admitted frankly. "Qin Guan is a criminal defense lawyer. He's seen many crime scenes and handled countless pieces of minute evidence. Back then, Qi Min's body almost certainly bore no trace of him. Plus, contacting Li Yang before setting out, luring him away to frame him, and calling the thug Jiang Chun after the fact to lurk suspiciously near the Xinhe Hotel… it shows he had already calculated his escape. Meaning, his trip to the Xinhe Hotel to find Qi Min was premeditated murder. He knew what he was doing and how he'd get away with it."

And this man was a lawyer—in court, he had ten thousand tricks of sophistry.

"Calling the police, you couldn't be sure of a decisive victory. What if he escaped? But not calling the police… what then? That morning must have been the beginning of your new plan," Old He said.

Xu Ruyi swallowed hard, her gaze unable to meet Old He's anymore.

Yes. That early morning at the construction site, Donghao and Cui Yuan stood over the heavy suitcase. Both of them—no, all five of them—were in turmoil.

"Sis, Qin Guan's mind is terrifyingly meticulous! He must have planned every detail of disposing of the body! I've seen all the cases he handled at his firm's office. He fabricates evidence! He's extremely good at it!" Little Zhi said.

"We nearly lost him this morning! We never expected him to go to the Xinhe Hotel. We saw him return to Guanlan Court with our own eyes last night! Then we rested in the car. We woke up at dawn, checked the cameras, and realized he wasn't home! We raced to the Xinhe Hotel and saw him get on the pedicab with the suitcase! His whole getup made it clear he avoided cameras when he left!" Donghao said.

"Right. Choosing the pedicab, choosing this construction site… I think he'd thought through every detail," Cui Yuan said.

"Ruyi, maybe we should still call the police? It's been such a short time. Maybe Qin Guan hasn't had time to erase all the evidence. Call now, the police will arrest him immediately! Maybe he will face justice!" Sister Xiaoyu said.

"You couldn't accept it. You couldn't accept even the smallest chance of failure," Old He sighed. "Because this might be your only chance."

Yes. The only chance.

"You needed a clear, irrefutable chain of evidence that left Qin Guan no room to struggle. To lock him down. And conveniently, the police were already investigating Qi Min's disappearance during her business trip. They already suspected Qin Guan, were already investigating him. Li Yang was also adamant it was Qin Guan."

A fake death could become a real death.

"That morning, you made the crucial decision: to transplant Qi Min's death into her missing person case, to nail Qin Guan—already under suspicion and investigation—shut. So, everything changed after that. You were no longer the hidden victim. You became a participant in a homicide,"

Old He's eyes turned cold.

He could understand her, but he couldn't ignore what she had done.

Because he was a policeman. He had his principles. And these principles would stubbornly guide him for the rest of his life.