Chapter 165
Chapter 165
Brother Liu told us that Meng Yifan would be detained for forty-eight hours.
The current situation looked very grim for him.
The police wouldn’t just detain someone for that long without reason; they only did so if the person was a major suspect.
Of course, until a conviction was reached, no one could officially say Meng Yifan had killed anyone.
But now, even Song Xiaotian and I weren’t sure if Meng Yifan was truly innocent.
After hearing what Brother Liu had to say, I was already panicking.
“Brother Liu, please help us. Go see Meng Yifan.”
We couldn’t see him right now, so we had no way of asking him for the truth.
“Alright,” Brother Liu didn’t refuse. “What do you want me to ask him?”
I said, “Ask him if he really killed them. Tell him to give an honest answer. If he really did it, tell him to just confess to the police so we can start looking for a lawyer for him.”
Brother Liu nodded. “No problem. That’s not too much of a breach of protocol. Wait for my call tomorrow.”
After dinner, Song Xiaotian and I went back to Meng Yifan’s house.
Meng Yifan had bought this place the year before last. Now that Tao Xiaoyu was gone, he was all alone.
Just yesterday, he had been saying that when my lease was up, I shouldn’t renew it and that Song Xiaotian and I should just move in here with him.
And then, today, he was taken away by the police.
I was terrified that he really had killed someone. If he had, he probably wouldn’t have the chance to live in this house ever again.
That night, Song Xiaotian and I stayed in the living room discussing our options. If Meng Yifan really was the killer, we had to get him the best lawyer possible to try for a lighter sentence. At the very least, we wanted to be able to see him again in this lifetime.
I was too worried to sleep and didn’t drift off until three in the morning.
The next day, we went to the shop as usual; we couldn’t let the business fall apart.
I reminded Xie Peng not to tell anyone else about Meng Yifan being taken away by the police for the time being.
There were only a few of us left in the shop, and we were already short-staffed. If one or two more people left, we’d be worked to death.
Around noon, Brother Liu called me.
The news he brought was bad.
“He won’t admit to the murders, but on the night Tao Xiaoyu died, he appeared at her doorstep. Tao Xiaoyu died exactly during the window of time he was there.”
I had the phone on speaker, so Song Xiaotian heard everything Brother Liu said.
Both of our expressions darkened instantly.
“What time did Tao Xiaoyu die?” I asked.
Brother Liu said, “Between 11:00 PM and midnight the night before last. Meng Yifan appeared at her door at 11:35 PM. You tell me if that makes him a suspect. I’m starting to suspect he really did it.”
It wasn’t just Brother Liu; Song Xiaotian and I were both highly suspicious now too.
“Do you know how many people died in Tao Xiaoyu’s home? Two. There was also a man-Xiang Kai, the CEO of Jiangling Group. News of Xiang Kai’s death has been suppressed at his family’s request. Both Xiang Kai and Tao Xiaoyu’s bodies were stabbed over twenty times each. It looks like the killer was acting out of spite or revenge. Your buddy might really have done it; he’s in massive trouble this time.”
After hearing Brother Liu’s words, Song Xiaotian and I nearly collapsed.
Two people! Two lives!
Who else had a grudge against both Xiang Kai and Tao Xiaoyu recently? It could only be Meng Yifan!
And only he would have enough pent-up rage to keep stabbing them after they were dead!
It was over. This time, it was really over!
I asked Brother Liu, “Did you tell him that we were the ones who asked you to talk to him? Why is he stubbornly refusing to admit it?”
Brother Liu replied, “Of course I told him, but he just won’t confess. The surveillance footage shows him appearing at Tao Xiaoyu’s front door. He didn’t go in; he stood there for about five minutes and then left, disappearing from the camera’s view.”
“But that doesn’t mean he’s not a suspect. The surveillance at Tao Xiaoyu’s villa only covers the front door. There’s no guarantee he didn’t climb over the wall to kill them. Besides, he had been drinking at the time; it could have been a crime of passion while intoxicated. Now that he’s sober, do you think he’d dare admit to two murders? Confessing means the death penalty.”
I slumped to the floor, my head suddenly spinning.
I had only just realized that Xiang Kai had bought Tao Xiaoyu a villa, and the title was in her name.
Those two had died inside that villa, but what I couldn’t understand was how Meng Yifan knew Tao Xiaoyu had it.
Had he been investigating her behind our backs lately?
If so, then this wasn’t a crime of passion; it could be judged as premeditated murder.
Furthermore, if he didn’t kill anyone, he appeared at Tao Xiaoyu’s door at 11:35 PM that night and disappeared from the surveillance footage after five minutes. However, I clearly remembered that he didn’t return home until the early hours of the morning.
What was he doing during that interval?
After hanging up the phone, Song Xiaotian and I didn’t speak for a long time, our minds completely numb.
The police had almost certainly identified Meng Yifan as the killer; they were likely just conducting further investigation to gather conclusive evidence.
If they didn’t have solid evidence within forty-eight hours, they would have to release him first. Once they found proof, they would come for Meng Yifan again-and at that point, it wouldn’t be ‘cooperating with an investigation,’ but an arrest.
“That idiot!” I cursed in frustration. “They’re already broken up, yet he does something like this? Two lives! No matter how good a lawyer we hire, it won’t help!”
Song Xiaotian’s expression was equally grim. “Call Seventh Master. Have him come over.”
I pulled out my phone and gave Seventh Master a call.
Because of the mess with Meng Yifan and Tao Xiaoyu lately, I hadn’t had time to visit Seventh Master’s place.
About an hour later, Seventh Master arrived. His face darkened when he heard what had happened to Meng Yifan.
“How could this happen?”
“How could that boy be so stupid! Doesn’t he know that a life for a life is the law?”
I hurriedly showed Seventh Master the divination I had performed earlier.
I had already written down the hexagram from that night, along with the entire interpretation process, on a piece of paper.
“Seventh Master, this was my first time performing a divination. I don’t know if I got it right. Please take a look-is Meng Yifan really going to prison?”
Seventh Master took the paper and studied it for a long while.
After a moment of silent reflection, he said, “I have a general understanding of destiny, physiognomy, and divination, but my expertise lies in Yin Pan Qi Men and Yang Pan Qi Men. I only know a little about Six Yao, and my knowledge is far from profound.”
“Looking at these two hexagrams, your prediction that Tao Xiaoyu would die in seven days was clearly correct, as it has already come to pass.”
“Now, looking at Xiao Meng, he has entered a Day Tomb. This represents being trapped in a confined space, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to prison. This should correspond to him being detained by the police for forty-eight hours.”
“If he were truly going to prison, he should have entered a Moon Tomb or a Year Tomb, and the Year Pillar would have to be in conflict with him.”
“Assuming he really killed two people, that’s a death sentence. The hexagram should show him being overcome and killed. But look at the Official Ghost Zi Water that represents him; it isn’t being overcome to death. It’s just very weak. Furthermore, he is prosperous in the Year Pillar, so the Day Tomb you mentioned cannot represent him going to prison.”
Upon hearing Seventh Master’s analysis, Song Xiaotian and I immediately grew excited.
“Does that mean Meng Yifan didn’t kill anyone? He won’t have to go to prison?”
“No.”
Seventh Master’s expression turned solemn. “I am only explaining to you that a Day Tomb doesn’t mean he’s going to prison. What I want to say is that there is a problem with the way you cast the hexagram. This divination can only focus on Tao Xiaoyu’s final outcome; it cannot see Xiao Meng’s final outcome.”