"Zeng Demei" had a criminal record.
This was something Qin Guan had discovered the very first time he cornered "Zeng Demei" in that shabby, oil-stained rented room.
Xu Ruyi was naive about the world and poor at judging people, but Qin Guan was different. Due to his profession, he had encountered all kinds of "criminals" and suspects. This experience had given him sharp eyes, much like a police officer's.
He was extremely accurate at reading people, especially those who had served time or committed crimes—he could spot them at a glance.
Yes, the first time he saw "Zeng Demei," he sensed something "off" about her.
So, when "Zeng Demei" opened her mouth and tried to spin lies to deceive him right under his nose, Qin Guan grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the grimy, blackened wall.
"I'm telling you, I don't care what you did before or how many years you were locked up. You listen to me: if you dare play me, I will absolutely send you back inside. I'll make sure you rot in there!"
"Not only that, I know plenty of people inside. I'll have them give you special care! Make sure you suffer!"
Just those two sentences turned "Zeng Demei's" face pale with fear. Her speech instantly became slurred. "I… I didn't… I'm not tricking you, really, I'm not…"
"It's best you aren't. In this world, anyone who dares trick me or stand in my way has stopped breathing! Including my own father!"
Yes, Qin Guan had said it through gritted teeth at the time. In that moment, consumed by fury, finally having caught "Zeng Demei" after being toyed with and filled with pent-up rage, the words had tumbled out without thought.
Would "Zeng Demei" remember that angry outburst?
Had she told anyone else about it?
Or worse, if the police found her, would she use it to bite back?
Even if she did, Qin Guan wasn't afraid. He blinked away the fragment of memory—it was all ancient history, long faded without any evidence. He shouldn't let it surface now. What he urgently needed to do was help the police find "Zeng Demei" and secure convictions for Feng Zhi and Xu Ruyi.
"That woman has a criminal record. You can look into it," Qin Guan stated.
He hadn't investigated it himself—another point that infuriated him. At the time, he was completely in the shadows. That bitch Xu Ruyi was closing in step by step, barely giving him room to breathe. He simply hadn't had the time.
"Investigate? How? We only have her photo! We don't even know her real name!" Xiao Wu was irritated, frowning, and still trying to leave.
It was true. The police only had surveillance photos—photos Qin Guan had mostly seen. At the Lakeside Charm Hotel, "Zeng Demei" had deliberately avoided the cameras or kept her head down each time. The surveillance hadn't captured a clear, frontal image of her face.
The front desk of the Lotus Hotel had captured some footage, but the woman was cunning. Whenever she went out, she always wore a hat or wrapped a scarf around her face, making it impossible to see clearly.
Only Qin Guan had gotten a good, clear look at her face.
The police had issued bulletins with both the sketch based on Qin Guan's description and the surveillance photos of the woman. But no one had come forward with any useful information.
"Are you sure this person even exists?" Xiao Wu stared impatiently at Qin Guan, his tone thick with suspicion. "We can't find her anywhere! That rented room you mentioned wasn't leased under her name. The ATM surveillance footage you pointed us to only shows a pair of legs! The phone number you provided—we monitored it immediately. It's been stationary in the city the whole time, no activity, always switched off! Ugh, it's exhausting, Qin Guan. I'm starting to wonder if you made her up!"
If "Zeng Demei" was made up, then the entire story was unreliable.
Qin Guan knew Xiao Wu was deliberately provoking him—a tactic the police sometimes used to squeeze out more useful leads. He knew it, but he still couldn't stay calm.
This woman had to be found immediately.
"Go question Xu Ruyi! She knew about this woman from the very beginning! She must have bribed her! Because that 'Zeng Demei' is greedy—all she ever wanted was money, only money! Check Xu Ruyi's bank accounts! If the accounts look normal, no withdrawals, then check her jewelry! Gold! Yes, gold! 'Zeng Demei' was wearing gold hoop earrings! She insisted on gold! Ever since I got access to the home safe, I helped Xu Ruyi store all her gold in the bank. Go check the bank records! She must have withdrawn some jewelry!"
"If it's not gold either…" Qin Guan's anxious mind raced. "Then it was blackmail! Xu Ruyi must have found out about 'Zeng Demei's' criminal record! She got leverage over 'Zeng Demei,' that's why the woman obeyed her!"
Xu Ruyi had nearly succeeded in bribing the woman.
"She has to disappear. She can't appear. She can't be found by the police!" After reaching an agreement with Qi Min, this was Xu Ruyi's first concern regarding "Zeng Demei."
Give her a sum of money and make her vanish as far away as possible.
Withdrawing large amounts of cash was risky. After impulsively taking out the sum for Qi Min, Xu Ruyi had to find a way to make amends.
Gold. No woman could resist gold.
She retrieved a gold bracelet and a gold chain from the bank's safe deposit box.
But Xiao Zhi stopped her.
"This path won't work. The fact that this woman helped Qi Min carry out blackmail and extortion shows she's no ordinary person. She's probably greedier and more ruthless than Qi Min. Bribing her would be like burying a landmine for ourselves."
"Because once this kind of person tastes the sweetness, she won't stop. Even if she takes the gold and leaves now, she'll find an excuse to come back anytime she wants. Are you going to pay her off every single time just to stop her?"
Xiao Zhi was remarkably clear-headed.
"But this woman has to be dealt with. It's just that to handle someone like her, you need a special approach. You have to hit her deadly weakness—pinch it tight—so she'll never dare make a sound."
Xiao Zhi quickly found the woman's deadly weakness.