Chapter 367
Chapter 367
I went to work at the agency as usual that day.
Brother Liu called again in the morning with more leads.
He had discovered that Liang Yi suffered from chronic anemia, which began after she entered university. She also fainted suddenly from time to time.
Following that lead, he sent officers to investigate. They learned Liang Yi had sold blood more than once, though he didn’t know exactly how many times.
They learned about it from Liang Yi’s closest female friend.
Brother Liu also discovered that An Yutong had recently applied to change majors.
She originally studied e-commerce and was trying to transfer into law, but the application appeared to have been rejected.
Boss Xu called that afternoon.
He asked whether we had solved Liang Yi’s disappearance. He couldn’t take it anymore.
He was already preparing to hire people to deal with her parents. He could tolerate them for another two and a half days at most because he had other important business first. Once that was done, he planned to destroy them.
“Master Chen, it isn’t that I don’t trust you. I really can’t wait any longer.”
“The rumors have already started online. Busybody idiots who know nothing are calling me a heartless rich man and posting photographs of me and my family.”
Hearing the exhaustion in his voice, I promised, “Don’t worry, Boss Xu. We’ll have an answer tonight. But I only investigate the truth and tell you what happened. Whatever comes afterward is beyond me.”
Boss Xu was reasonable. “I only need the truth. Leave the rest alone. If people insist on blaming me for something unrelated to me, I won’t let them walk over me.”
That evening, I returned to the university and waited in the car for An Yutong.
My promise to Boss Xu had been complete bullshit. I had no certainty at all.
But I had developed a theory, and tonight’s meeting with An Yutong was meant to test it.
If I was wrong, I would be out of leads. It would be humiliating, but I could only tell Boss Xu to find someone better or ask Seventh Master to intervene.
Still, I thought the chances of being wrong were low. I had plenty of clues.
I leaned against the car and finished a cigarette. The beautiful figure soon emerged from campus.
She froze at the sight of me, then smiled and walked over to say hello.
“This is my last day investigating at the university, and the last time I’ll pick you up,” I said with a smile. “Your car still isn’t fixed?”
She shook her head helplessly. “The service department is useless. If complaints did any good, I’d file one.”
“Get in.”
I opened the passenger door for her.
We left the university, but tonight I wasn’t taking her home.
On the road, I asked, “People say wealth breeds conscience while poverty breeds schemes. Do you agree?”
She paused, then considered the question seriously. “Perhaps. Most poor people don’t receive a good education. Their inner worlds are barren, and they spend their lives chasing money. When they can’t pay for the problem in front of them, they take desperate risks.”
“They also fail to educate the next generation, creating a vicious cycle. That’s why there are so many poor people.”
I smiled when she finished. “You don’t seem to like the poor very much.”
She smiled awkwardly. “That isn’t true. Your question was specific, so I explained my understanding of that particular subject. There are good and bad people among both the rich and the poor.”
I nodded and fell silent.
After we had driven for a long time, she finally noticed something was wrong. She looked out the window, then at me.
“I think… you’re going the wrong way.”
“Am I? I don’t think so,” I said without expression.
She grew nervous and watched me closely. Her breathing quickened. “Thank you for taking me home, but I’d like to get out. I can make my own way back.”
I answered coldly, “We’re not home yet. Why get out?”
Her fear deepened.
“I want out! Let me out! I want to get out!”
“We’re not home yet. Why get out?” I repeated.
Her voice broke with tears. “I… I want out. If you don’t stop, I’ll call the police…”
I slammed on the brakes and pulled over.
We were already far beyond the city center.
Once the car stopped, she asked in a trembling voice, “What do you want…?”
I suddenly lunged and raised a hand to strike her.
“Don’t hit me!”
She screamed and instantly covered her head. The movement was practiced, almost reflexive.
I never brought my hand down. I withdrew it, sat back, and stared coldly at her.
“Do people hit you often?”
She didn’t answer. She looked at me in terror, tears filling her eyes.
“Who beats you?”
“Your father? Your mother? Or that precious little brother they spoil?”
Surprise flashed across her terrified face and disappeared almost before it appeared.
She choked out, “What are you talking about? Please don’t hurt me…”
I narrowed my eyes. “How could you not know what I’m talking about, Liang Yi?”
She froze, panic flickering across her face.
“Stop pretending. Are you still going to act for me?”
“An Yutong’s parents adore her and treat her like a priceless jewel. They would never hit her. At university, she’s a goddess admired by everyone. She’s beautiful, wealthy, and academically gifted. Nobody would bully her often enough to create that reaction.”
I stared at the “An Yutong” before me.
“Only Liang Yi has parents who favor sons over daughters. Whenever she makes a mistake at home, no matter how small – even if her brother frames her – she gets beaten.”
“That creates a reflex. The moment someone raises a hand, she protects her head and face because experience taught her how to take a beating.”
She stared blankly, no longer reacting.
Her silence was practically an admission.
“An Yutong’s car was never scratched, and nothing is wrong with it. I couldn’t understand why you told such a pointless lie.”
I fixed my eyes on her and spoke one word at a time.
“Then I received a call this morning and made a bold guess. At last, it made sense. You aren’t An Yutong. You’re Liang Yi!”
“How could Liang Yi afford driving lessons? Why would her parents ever pay for them?”
“You don’t know how to drive. But leaving the car at home or at school would make people suspicious, so you sent it to the service department. You don’t even dare retrieve it.”
“Isn’t that right, Liang Yi?”