They Are All Liars

Old Chen suspected a love triangle between Li Banfeng, He Jiaqing, and Lu Xiaolan. Li Banfeng was a little angry. More than a little, actually. He was furious. Yet he kept it under control. Not only did he suppress his rage, but the corners of his mouth turned up into a faint smile. Old Chen was deliberately trying to provoke him to coax out whatever information he wanted. He might even be trying to push me into having an episode right here, so he can slap cuffs on me as an emotionally disturbed suspect. Without a trace of emotion, Li Banfeng said, word by word, "Lu Xiaolan and I aren't even friends. There's nothing going on between us. You can ask my college roommates, or find other classmates to verify that." Old Chen asked once more, "Really nothing at all?" Li Banfeng answered calmly, "If there were, there were. If there weren't, there weren't. If you don't believe me, go investigate. It's that simple. There's no need to overcomplicate an easy matter." It truly was that simple. Old Chen nodded. "I believe you." Li Banfeng continued, "I did bring He Jiaqing to the hospital, but that doesn't make me a killer, does it? "He Jiaqing's third uncle is right here in the hospital. Why not call him in so we can hash this out together?" "No one is treating you as a killer. Otherwise, I would've taken you down to the station long ago." Old Chen fumbled with his cigarette pack, resisting the urge to pull one out. "As for He Jiaqing's third uncle, you mean He Haisheng, right? He's the one who called the police, he's the one who brought me to the hospital, and he's the one who told me to look for you." Li Banfeng fell silent. This third uncle was insidious. Old Chen slipped the cigarette pack back inside his coat. "Before He Jiaqing collapsed, he had dinner and drinks with you. Right after that round of drinking, he went comatose. "You claim you saw him off to the station. We'll pull the security footage there. I believe you're telling the truth, and I hope this really has nothing to do with you. "But let me give you a word of advice: things don't look good for you right now. For the time being, cooperate fully with our investigation, and try not to leave Yuezhou." *Click-clack—* Li Banfeng's phone went off. The corner of his eye twitched. It was very likely a text from He Jiaqing. Whether to tell the officer in front of him about this was a dilemma that tore at Li Banfeng. "Someone looking for you?" Old Chen gave a slightly meaningful smile, seemingly seeing through Li Banfeng's inner conflict. "There might be things you aren't ready to tell me. That's fine. Whenever you're ready, come find me." Old Chen led Li Banfeng out of the ward. Once at the hospital entrance, the two parted ways. Old Chen stepped into a black sedan. A young woman in her early twenties was seated in the back. Dressed in a business suit, she tucked her ear-length hair behind her ear, adjusted her rimless glasses, and kept her legs neatly together as she turned toward Old Chen. Only a third of her plump peach of a backside rested on the seat. Her name was You Xuehan, codenamed Tangyuan, the team's secretary. Holding an exquisite notepad, You Xuehan asked respectfully, "Captain Chen, how's the situation?" Old Chen lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. The crow's feet and smile lines on his face relaxed simultaneously, and his spirits lifted considerably. "The kid has solid psychological fortitude; he can keep his temper in check. But from what I can tell, he isn't a dark energy user. He's probably just a white lamb. "Still, he definitely knows something about He Jiaqing. Has anyone called him over the past few days?" Hearing this, You Xuehan opened Li Banfeng's file. "I just checked his call logs. Ever since He Jiaqing's accident, he's made one emergency call, "and the university called him twice. Other than that, there are no call records whatsoever—not even a single text message." "I'm betting it's not that there aren't any, but that we can't trace them," Old Chen said, exhaling a plume of smoke. "The moment he heard that message tone, Li Banfeng grew tense. Someone is contacting him, and he doesn't want anyone else to know." The man sitting in the front passenger seat turned his head and offered a suggestion: "Since this guy is suspicious, why not just arrest him?" He was a man around thirty with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and sharp cheekbones and jawline. He was quite handsome, though his hair was on the thinner side, combed into a sleek, neatly oiled shine. "Arrest him?" Old Chen frowned, looking at the man in the passenger seat. "On what grounds?" The man didn't seem to realize anything was wrong with his logic. "Since he has a motive, keeping him under lock and key is the safest bet." "What motive does he have?" Old Chen's tone grew heavier. The man remained indifferent. "If He Jiaqing's situation has nothing to do with him, why would he take him to the hospital?" Old Chen flared with anger. "What kind of damn nonsense is that!" The man fell silent, turning his gaze toward the window. His name was Xiao Zhenggong, known around here as Deputy Captain Xiao. He kept staring out the window, his disdainful expression conveying a clear message. He wasn't afraid of Old Chen, nor did he believe he had done anything wrong. He simply didn't care to waste his breath on the old man. Though his back was turned toward Old Chen, the rearview mirror gave Old Chen a clear view of his face. Old Chen sighed. "From the day you arrived at the bureau, I told you that work needs doing, rules must be followed, and a conscience can never be forgotten. To this damn day, you still haven't gotten the message!" You Xuehan pursed her lips. The stifling atmosphere made her uncomfortable, and she hurried to change the subject. "Li Banfeng's background check is basically complete. He was an abandoned infant who grew up in a welfare home. He has no criminal record, though he was investigated several times for acts of self-defense." "Self-defense?" Intrigued, Old Chen took Li Banfeng's file and glanced over it. "One against three: two heavily injured, one lightly injured. One against five: one heavily injured, four lightly injured... "Is he really that good in a fight? Doesn't look like it. His build seemed pretty ordinary!" Old Chen read through Li Banfeng's dossier attentively. Halfway through, he couldn't help letting out a chuckle. "This kid... he really is crazy." You Xuehan asked, "Captain Chen, do we still need to keep an eye on Li Banfeng?" After pondering for a moment, Old Chen said, "Have Lightbulb trail him." You Xuehan reminded him, "Lightbulb's only been on the job for a month. Shouldn't we send Big Head instead?" Old Chen pinched his cigarette and took another deep drag. "He's just a white lamb. No need for Big Head. It'll be good practice for Lightbulb. "Have Big Head tail He Haisheng instead. That one won't be easy to deal with." *** On the subway, Li Banfeng pulled out his phone. Sure enough, there was a message, but it wasn't from He Jiaqing. *"Hello, this is Old Chen."* Old Chen? He sent this? That old bastard—he was bluffing me on purpose back there? What did he mean by sending this text? Just to test me? Not entirely. By sending this message, he had left behind his phone number. He genuinely wanted me to reach out to him on my own initiative. Li Banfeng had no intention of contacting Old Chen, but one thing made him intensely curious. During their conversation, Li Banfeng hadn't seen Old Chen take out a phone once. How had this message been sent? Was someone assisting him from the shadows? Or did Old Chen possess some sort of special ability? He Jiaqing was sleeping in the hospital right now. Could he be sending messages to him too? This world didn't seem quite the same as the one he knew. Different or not, what did that have to do with him? He Jiaqing's third uncle had arrived, so there was no need for him to manage that mess anymore. Going forward, he would just move bricks, keep his head down, and live his life. None of this was his concern. Li Banfeng wanted to put all this behind him as soon as possible. He unlocked his phone and aimlessly browsed news feeds on social media. The first headline: *8.83 Seconds! Sprint Legend Qiao Yuesheng Shatters the 100-Meter World Record Again! Here Is What He Said in the Post-Race Interview!* What did he say? Li Banfeng tapped on the article. "At the recently concluded Diamond League, sprint legend Qiao Yuesheng shattered the world record he set just last month with an astonishing time of 8.83 seconds. Who could have imagined that this legendary sprinter once nearly gave up on his dream due to hardship? Qiao Yuesheng was born into an ordinary farming family..." The article was long, droning on from the year Qiao Yuesheng was born all the way to his victory at the Diamond League. Li Banfeng scrolled to the very end before finally spotting the quote: "Dreams have nothing to do with skin color." A very inspiring line. Except Li Banfeng remembered him saying that last year. It was also last year that he had conquered the hundred-meter track as an East Asian, conquering the nine-second barrier. The next headline: *Famous Artist Chu Zikai Rips Away the Fig Leaf of Domestic Entertainment with a Single Statement.* "Ten years ago, Chu Zikai took the Chinese music scene by storm with his hit single 'I Am Your Guokui.' "His clear and heartfelt voice moved countless fans. Yet this exceptionally gifted music icon made an unexpected statement in public, exposing the little-known underbelly of showbiz to millions. Chu Zikai, now thirty-one, was born into an ordinary working-class family and had loved music since childhood..." Starting from birth again. Li Banfeng couldn't be bothered to read further and swiped straight to the next item. *Shocking Discovery: The Sun Is Not Alone! Astronomers Reveal the Sun May Have a Sibling!* "Recently, astronomers made a stunning discovery: our sun might not be alone, potentially harboring a previously unknown companion star. "As the master of our solar system and the star upon which humanity depends for survival, our sun was born 4.6 billion years ago..." Even when talking about the sun, they had to start from the year it was born. Every single one of these content mills must have been trained by the same damn teacher! *Click-clack!* In the middle of his irritation, Li Banfeng received another text. This one came from He Jiaqing. *"Bro, don't trust them. They're all liars."* Li Banfeng replied, *"Who do you mean by 'them'?"* *"Third Uncle, the cops, and the He Jiaqing you saw. They are all liars."* Li Banfeng put his phone away, suddenly feeling that the subway car was much colder than usual.