Chapter 33: Interrogation

Four hours earlier.

The man sitting in the chair lowered his head to glance at his watch. The two thin hands slowly converged beneath the numeral twelve, emitting a crisp “beep, beep” sound.

“Time up?”

Behind him, a capable young woman asked quietly as she stubbed out her cigarette on the windowsill.

The man nodded without speaking. He covered his watch and looked toward the large mirror beside him. It was a one-way mirror. On the other side was a small room containing nothing but a table and two chairs. A short-haired man in a windbreaker sat slouched in one chair, a notebook and teacup in front of him. The girl who looked like a student sat quietly opposite him, her hands cuffed to the table. Not a trace of resistance showed on her face as she answered every question docilely.

“Yu Mi, do you think she has a problem?” The woman moved behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders and kneading slowly. “Sit up straight. Stop slouching.”

“Qi Xin is Qi Jianguo’s eldest daughter,” the man said, his voice hoarse as if he hadn’t had water in a long time. “I don’t think it matters whether she has a problem. What matters is what the higher-ups think. Right now, Qi Jianguo’s younger daughter, Qi Ran, is already under the control of the Bai Family. The orders are simple: if this girl is ordinary, hold her in protective custody. If she really does have a problem, extract all the intel, then lock her up anyway.”

From deeper inside the room, a younger man swore. The man didn’t say anything, just took out a cigarette. The woman lit it for him. A thin trail of smoke rose as he inhaled deeply.

He fixed his eyes back on the one-way mirror. The questioning seemed almost over. Fang Qi had rearranged the questions over and over, but still couldn’t get anything. The girl’s answers were normal—too normal—without a single stumble or mistake, as if she had memorized a script.

Fang Qi had tried banging the table or deliberately repeating questions to provoke some emotion, but it was useless. The girl only showed a bit of fear, nothing more.

The interrogation had reached an impasse.

“Li Yuan, your turn. Go get three boxed meals, plus water and tissues,” he said. “Add Clarity Drug to all three. We’re working overtime tonight.”

“Which boxed meals? I saw several kinds today,” the woman asked. “Green pepper pork, celery with pork, and potato beef brisket.”

“Pick one of each, let her choose. Then give one to Fang Qi,” the man said. “Fang Qi has finished playing the bad cop. Now you’ll play the good cop. Remember, she’s a high school student. Don’t let her think you’re a police officer or some kidnapper. Make her think you’re a strict, no-nonsense dean of students. She’ll be more familiar with that.”

The woman nodded, then hesitated as she stood up. “How should I do it?”

The man took a drag of his cigarette, thought for a moment, and then said slowly, “You go in there. First, put the meals on the table. Remember, keep a cold face. Scold Fang Qi for crossing the line again and again. Say that this time, no matter what, you’ll report him to the higher-ups for breaking the rules and get him kicked out. At that point, Fang Qi will say, ‘Who told you to come in? The interrogation isn’t over.’ Then you’ll say that according to the rules, it’s now mealtime. Fang Qi will curse, maybe kick the table, and say, ‘She’s not talking, so she gets no damn food.’ Then you have to act even more aggressively…”

Li Yuan chuckled softly. “How about I slap him and say she’s just a student, she has basic human rights? If Fang Qi won’t let her eat, I’ll go to the Team Leader right now and get him fired?”

The man took a drag. “You’ve got a real knack for this. After Fang Qi leaves, soften your tone. Don’t ask her those questions. Just chat. Comfort her, tell her that as long as you’re here, Fang Qi won’t be able to hassle her anymore. I probably don’t need to teach you that part; just act naturally.”

“I slap Fang Qi, he won’t mind?” Li Yuan asked.

The younger man on the other side of the room laughed. “Sister Li, it’s just an act. Don’t hold back. Last time, that bastard Fang Qi hit me so hard he nearly knocked my tooth out. You slapping him will be payback for me.”

“With how thick-skinned Fang Qi is, your slap will be no different from tickling,” the man said with a smile. “Off you go. Don’t forget the Clarity Drug.”

Li Yuan nodded, pushed open the door, and left.

This was a tactic the Investigation Team had always used, especially effective on students. It made the person feel that they were being respected, that even under interrogation, someone was still willing to protect their most basic rights. Naturally, they would then start wondering whether they should actually confess. Once they realized they had the power to choose and took that first step, many things would flow smoothly from there.

She went down to the main hall and pushed open the supply room door. “Three boxed meals.”

The three young people inside saw her and scrambled to their feet, stammering, “S-Si-Sister Li, good evening. What kind of boxed meals?”

Li Yuan noticed the playing cards under them and sighed helplessly. “On the night shift, just don’t fall asleep. Play your cards if you want. One of each kind.”

The three exhaled in relief and quickly brought out hot meals and water. “Sister Li, want a bag?”

Li Yuan hesitated. “No, this is fine.”

After closing the door, Li Yuan sighed soundlessly. She knew why those three were so terrified of being caught by her. At some point, everyone in the team had become convinced that she and Yu Mi were a couple—or if not, just one step away. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Being caught by her felt the same as being caught by Team Leader Yu himself.

But that wasn’t the truth. She knew it, Yu Mi knew it. The relationship between them was probably the furthest thing from romance. Of all the people in the world, those two could never have anything to do with each other… As for why, it really wasn’t something that could be explained in a few words. Li Yuan sighed.

Lost in thought, she soon arrived at the interrogation room door. She took a deep breath and pushed it open.

“What are you doing in here?” Fang Qi raised his face, his expression dark. “Don’t you know how to knock?”

So intimidating, Li Yuan thought. If she didn’t know Fang Qi’s true personality, based on looks alone, he didn’t seem like a policeman at all. His crew cut, three-white eyes, hooked nose, and stubbly sharp chin practically screamed “bad guy.” Everyone in the team had heard about the joke he’d made earlier: while doing volunteer work at a welfare institute, he scared two young aides into quitting. But the elderly loved him, each one wanting to treat him as their own son.

“Whatever you need to ask, we’ll do after eating,” she said, placing the meals on the table, her face expressionless. “Time’s up already. Regulations say—”

“Time is not up,” Fang Qi cut her off, pressing a hand down on the table and onto the meals. His voice was low and slow. “Mealtime is when the interrogation is over. This is an interrogation room. I am in charge of the questioning. So the rules are what I say. Now take these meals and get out. Don’t interfere with official business. Understand?”

Hell, Li Yuan thought. She felt like she was losing ground against Fang Qi’s aura. Even knowing he was just acting, those eyes were still hard to meet. A professional bad cop indeed.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve overstepped, Fang Qi,” Li Yuan’s expression went cold. “I’ll report this to the Team Leader.”

“Get out,” Fang Qi said in a low voice. “I’m saying this one last time.”

“This is the rule—”

“Bang!”

A loud crash rang out. Li Yuan’s face turned a little pale. She gripped the edge of the meals, suddenly at a loss for how to continue the act. Should she slap him now? Would that seem too sudden? After getting slapped, how should Fang Qi leave more naturally? Should she bring up Team Leader Yu to pressure him? The originally planned lines seemed to be losing their logical footing.

“I…”

Li Yuan opened her mouth, her heart sinking. She suddenly regretted agreeing to Yu Mi’s request. She really wasn’t good at this kind of thing. Her very first attempt was going completely wrong.

“What do you want to know?”

Just then, she heard the girl’s calm voice.

Fang Qi turned his eyes back to the other side of the table and picked up his pen. “Start talking.”

“You go outside. I’ll talk to her,” Qi Xin said. “I want the green pepper and pork.”

“You—”

“Do as she says,” Li Yuan said quietly. “Are you going to refuse her request out of spite? If so, then I guess I don’t need to report to the Team Leader. You can just get out right now.”

“…I’d like to see who ends up getting kicked out if you mess this up,” Fang Qi slowly breathed out.

“Suit yourself,” Li Yuan shot back. “Now, take your meal and leave.”

Fang Qi looked at Li Yuan, then at Qi Xin. He said nothing more, just kicked his chair aside forcefully, grabbed one of the boxed meals, pushed open the door, and left the interrogation room.