Qin Guan wasn't interrogated for the entire day.
No one came to question him, nor did anyone inform him of what was happening outside.
He was held in solitary confinement, with meals delivered by officers at regular intervals.
But Qin Guan no longer felt the agitation and despair he had before.
While Auntie Feng was being questioned at the police station, he was comfortably stretched out on the wide bench that served as his bed, gazing up at the gray ceiling, contemplating the day he would walk free.
He was about to regain his freedom—a certainty he, as a professional criminal lawyer, understood better than anyone.
Ever since he'd calmed down and pieced together everything Xu Ruyi had done, the scales of victory had begun tipping in his favor.
The three deadly arrows he'd shot back were impossible for Xu Ruyi to catch.
Impossible for the police to catch, too.
Once "Zeng Demei" was found, it would immediately prove that Qi Min was still alive after returning from the Lakeside Charm Hotel. That alone would fundamentally dismantle the so-called "case of Qin Guan killing Qi Min while on a business trip."
Qi Min's time of death was an even bigger bombshell—how could a death occurring just two weeks ago be pinned on a murder case from a month prior?
These two points alone would pull him out of his current predicament.
Then there was Feng Zhi.
As long as the police investigated Feng Zhi and uncovered his collusion with Xu Ruyi, the first thing established would be the dubious origin of the crucial piece of evidence—the "black stockings." Evidence with an unclear chain of custody could hardly be presented in court. Even if forcibly submitted, it wouldn't hold. A defense lawyer could easily attack it, and in most cases, it would be dismissed.
But that wasn't even the most critical part.
The most critical part was that Feng Zhi and Xu Ruyi's secret collusion, once proven through investigation, would backfire—they would become suspects in the murder case themselves.
Even if the police couldn't find ironclad proof of them killing Qi Min, Qin Guan wasn't worried. Once in court—his battlefield—he would make that bitch witness his power firsthand. He would personally sever their freedom and send them both behind bars.
Yes, in this arena, he had plenty of methods, tactics, and "connections"—Xu Ruyi never understood why he mingled with all those unsavory characters. In the next showdown, she would learn the hard way.
This was likely something those two fools never considered before hatching their plot. How dare those two dimwitted brains try to fool the police and him—a professional lawyer? From the moment they ignorantly made their first move, their fate was sealed.
Qin Guan lay quietly, his mind already dissecting the case from a professional lawyer's perspective and searching for every piece of evidence detrimental to Xu Ruyi.
And then, of course, there was the property.
The property—the Xu family's immense wealth. This was something Qin Guan had never spoken of to anyone, yet deep down, he had never let his guard down about it.
It was also the most crucial reason he was now dead set on destroying Xu Ruyi after tearing off the mask.
Since his in-laws constantly claimed they treated him like a son, half of that wealth should rightfully be his—otherwise? They got the praise for their "generous sponsorship," they got the credit for "treating him like a son," all while trampling on his dignity to polish their own image? For free?
Moreover, all these years he had slaved away for the Xu family, providing care and emotional support to everyone without complaint—if not for that wealth, why would a distinguished lawyer like him lower himself so much?
Qin Guan sat up and stretched. At this stage, the old pretenses were unnecessary. The moment he regained his freedom, his first move would be to put Xu Ruyi away. Regardless of the court's final verdict, he would win completely.
Legally, he was the father of their daughter, Xu Ruyi's husband. If his plan succeeded and Xu Ruyi was convicted of murder, potentially facing the death penalty, then according to the order of succession, he could effortlessly take possession of all the assets under her name.
Even if, by some fluke, she escaped the death penalty and only served a few years in prison, it would be enough. Qin Guan had the means to seize that property for himself.
What he wanted, no one had ever been able to stop.
"Hey—do you know what time it is? Why hasn't the food come yet!" The suspect held in the cell opposite shouted across to Qin Guan again.
Qin Guan had already lain back down. At the sound, he opened his eyes. Through the iron bars, he could see the man's somewhat aged, stubbled face. A pair of bloodshot, alcohol-swollen eyes stared blankly at him. "Hey, what'd you do to get in here? You look decent enough. What happened?"
It was a face that looked familiar—the standard drunkard.
Like… like his own drunkard father.
In a momentary daze, Qin Guan seemed to be transported back to his first year of middle school—
He was a boarding student. On a Sunday afternoon, after lunch, he was packing his clothes to return to school. His drunkard father lay comfortably on the bamboo recliner bought with the sponsor's money, just outside the door. He fixed Qin Guan's busy figure with those same bloodshot, alcohol-swollen eyes, sneering: "Look at you livin' the high life, boy. Rich folks took a shine to ya, sponsorin' your schooling, buyin' you fancy clothes and shoes. Tsk tsk, your future's gonna be a hundred times cushier than your old man's! Livin' the dream!"
Qin Guan ignored him.
The man grabbed his liquor, took a big swig, gulped it down, and let out a loud, satisfied belch before continuing. "First thing you'll do when you start livin' good, boy, is look down on your old man, right? I embarrass you, huh?"
In the past, that sentence would have been followed by him grabbing something to hurl at Qin Guan.
But that time, he didn't.
The drunkard lay there steadily, watching his son, who was now taller than him. His pent-up resentment no longer dared to lash out uncontrollably. He could only keep drowning himself in drink.
"Sigh… Son gets successful, looks down on his old man. Even though I raised him through every hardship, changin' his diapers, so what? His old man will never measure up to that rich fake 'daddy'! That daddy's so great, givin' money, buyin' things, respectable. If it were me, I'd pick that daddy too!"
Qin Guan still ignored him.
He slung his bag of clothes and schoolbag over his shoulder and strode towards the door.
His steps were abruptly halted by his father's next words.
"Lookin' down on us… A crazy mother, a drunkard father. Both just dead weight. Took care of your Ma… guess it's my turn next, eh?"
...
"Qin Guan, food!" A familiar voice snapped Qin Guan back to the present.
Seeing the face, Qin Guan's spirits instantly lifted. He sprang up and rushed over. "Officer Wu! You're here? Thanks, thanks. Why haven't I seen Captain He all day?"
This was He Zhisheng's disciple and subordinate, Xiao Wu.
"Captain He is busy!" Xiao Wu handed the food through the bars and turned to leave.
Qin Guan couldn't let him go.
He grabbed Xiao Wu's arm, pleading and eager. "I know Captain He's busy, so I've been waiting. But the waiting is truly agonizing."
He was anxious. Even though he knew he was close to winning, the wait was torture.
"That… could you tell me? Have you caught 'Zeng Demei' and Feng Zhi?"
"Don't even mention it," Xiao Wu said, looking exhausted. "That 'Zeng Demei' you mentioned, no real name, no surname. Where are we supposed to find her? Can't find her! Just can't! Hey, are you still holding back some info? We're killing ourselves looking! I spent the whole day in the video room watching footage, my eyes are about to fall out!"
Couldn't find Zeng Demei?
Unacceptable. This woman was crucial for his exoneration and for nailing Xu Ruyi.
"Can't find her! We checked that hotel you mentioned several times. They have no employment records for her. The hotel doesn't know where she came from. Her ID belonged to Qi Min's mother."
Xiao Wu tried to pull his arm away. "In short, if you can't provide her real name, finding her is like searching for a needle in the ocean! A waste of effort! Captain He said forget it! Drop this lead!"
"You can't drop it!" Qin Guan clung to Xiao Wu's arm, not daring to let go. His mind raced, hesitating, wrestling with himself, before finally blurting out:
"I forgot to mention! This woman… she very likely has a criminal record!"