At that time, there were two other men in Zhou Rongfeng's office. The thin one wearing glasses was He Qi, and the fat one was Xie Tangmao. Both were vice presidents of the company.
The police spoke with each of them separately.
Xu Mengshan: "You're a vice president at Gold Splitting Treasure Company?"
He Qi appeared quite calm. It seemed people working in this gray industry all carried an obscure, unfathomable aura about them, never easily letting others see through them.
He Qi replied: "Yes."
Xu Mengshan: "What are your specific responsibilities?"
He Qi: "Accounts receivable."
Xu Mengshan: "Debt collection?"
He Qi: "You could say that."
Xu Mengshan: "How exactly do you carry out your work?"
Not a ripple of emotion crossed He Qi's face: "Just the usual methods—text messages, phone calls, communication. We might also contact their relatives and friends, trying to get them to repay the debt as soon as possible."
Xu Mengshan smiled; that was quite a euphemistic way to put it. The man before him was clearly a seasoned old hand, answering only what was asked by the police, never offering an extra word.
"Do you know Fan Lingling?"
He Qi looked composed: "No, I don't."
"Aren't you in charge of debt collection? She started receiving all sorts of harassment and threatening messages last week—wasn't that your doing? And you still don't know her?"
He Qi smiled faintly and said, "Officer, our company has thousands of clients. I'm in management—how could I possibly know every single one?"
Without pausing, Xu Mengshan stared straight into He Qi's eyes: "But Chen Zhaoci said that day the company boss saw Fan Lingling, and it was on a superior's orders that she was brought to the company. Who gave the order? Wasn't it you?"
He Qi's lips twitched slightly: "I'm not clear about that. If Chen Zhaoci really said that, you should ask him."
Xu Mengshan coldly stared at him for a few moments before continuing: "What were you doing at the company today?"
He Qi: "Handling work."
"What kind of work?"
"Just some accounts receivable and work arrangements. Everything's in the office—you can go take a look."
"Where were you between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m.?"
"At first, I was in the office. Later, when I heard something had happened, I rushed to President Zhou's office."
"Who can verify that?"
"Company employees. I discussed work with a few people."
"After you arrived at Zhou Rongfeng's office, what did you see?"
He Qi: "I saw President Zhou lying on the floor, with a lot of blood. I was the one who called the company staff with medical training to bandage him."
Xu Mengshan: "How long after you entered did he wake up?"
He Qi: "About ten minutes or so."
"So, those people who went after Fan Lingling—were they arranged by you?"
He Qi: "...Yes."
"You say you don't know Fan Lingling, so why did you immediately gather people to capture her as soon as you found Zhou Rongfeng injured?"
He Qi paused noticeably for a few seconds before saying: "I wasn't capturing her. I didn't know who it was. But President Zhou was in that state—clearly, he'd been attacked. I sent them to find the perpetrator."
"But I've asked them—you told them at the time to capture a young girl! And you still say you don't know Fan Lingling?"
He Qi remained expressionless, silent for a moment, then slowly said: "As a superior, I knew Chen Zhaoci was bringing a female client to the company today to discuss business, but that doesn't contradict the fact that I don't know Fan Lingling."Xu Mengshan sneered, "But your boss was injured and unconscious. Although you called the company's medical staff, you took it upon yourself not to call an ambulance or report to the police. You said he only woke up after ten minutes of unconsciousness! Why? Why didn't you call, and instead handled it privately?"
He Qi's face finally flushed a little. He picked up the teacup in front of him and took a big gulp before saying, "Our company's medical staff are quite capable. Everyone usually turns to them for any issues, and they can handle even serious injuries. I originally planned to call an ambulance if President Zhou didn't wake up after a while."
Xu Mengshan slammed his hand on the table. "You're spouting nothing but lies! Do you even believe these far-fetched excuses yourself? Huh? How much do you really know about Fan Lingling's case? Why were you afraid to call the police or an ambulance? What are you trying to cover up? What shady business are you hiding? Start telling the truth now!"
...
You Mingxu and Yin Feng stood behind a one-way glass wall on the first floor.
You Mingxu said, "Aren't you good at behavioral analysis? And that microexpression stuff. Can you tell which parts of what he said are lies and which are true?"
Yin Feng: "Uh..."
You Mingxu glanced at him.
He said, "A Xu, you've been watching too many TV dramas. I'm not some supernatural being. If microexpressions were all-powerful, there'd be no need for you police to investigate cases. A microexpression expert could just take one look and catch the criminal."
You Mingxu snorted through her nose, watching the people in the interrogation room, and said, "Xu Mengshan is asking all the right questions, but no matter how far-fetched He Qi's testimony is, we don't have evidence right now." She punched the wall heavily.
Another fist came from beside hers, pressing against the wall right next to hers. She turned her head and saw the warm, gentle smile in Yin Feng's eyes. You Mingxu's heart, originally filled with grief and indignation, suddenly felt enveloped by that smile.
Next to be interrogated was another deputy general manager of Gold Splitting Treasure Company, Xie Tangmao. You Mingxu and Yin Feng took over the questioning.
Judging by his appearance, Xie Tangmao was the kind of person who easily gained others' favor—of medium build, with a fair complexion, smiling before he even spoke, and with a smile that carried a touch of kindness and amiability. When he sat down, he even bowed and nodded, extremely polite.
You Mingxu asked, "What are you responsible for at Gold Splitting Treasure Company?"
Xie Tangmao replied, "Officer, I'm mainly in charge of human resources, administration, and business expansion—that is, opening new stores. Basically, all the miscellaneous tasks fall under me, but I'm less involved in specific business operations. All my work records and financial statements are clear and available for inspection. I assure you, my work is completely above board."
You Mingxu smiled and asked another question, "Do you know Fan Lingling?"
Xie Tangmao shook his head, "I didn't know her before. Today, I heard that this girl injured President Zhou at our company and then disappeared, so that's how I came to know about her. Ah, no matter what the girl did wrong, now that she's missing, her family and friends must be heartbroken. I can't bear to see families suffer like this. Since she went missing from our company, once this is all over, I'll definitely do my part to help search for this girl..."
He spoke eloquently, visibly moved, even with a somewhat impassioned tone. You Mingxu kept her eyes fixed on him, while he seemed focused solely on his own narrative, continuously expressing his fairness, kindness, and enthusiasm.
You Mingxu asked again, "Where were you and what were you doing between 6:30 and 8:00 tonight?"Xie Tangmao smiled: "Oh, I'm in the office, working overtime. The company's business volume has been heavy recently, so my workload has increased accordingly. As the head of logistics, I must ensure supporting services keep up, right? I truly didn't know what happened outside - with the door closed, I really didn't notice. Had I noticed something was wrong earlier, I would've rushed out immediately to mediate between Fan Lingling and General Manager Zhou. Then no one would've gotten hurt, right? And Fan Lingling probably wouldn't have run away either."
"When did you arrive at General Manager Zhou's office and what did you see?"
Xie Tangmao replied: "Probably around 7:30, before 8 pm. When I entered, I saw them all there - General Manager Zhou leaning on the sofa, unconscious, with blood on the floor. It was terrifying. Why would a young woman resort to violence? This only harms both parties. Fortunately, General Manager Zhou is fine, otherwise the girl would've faced jail time, right?"
"Why didn't you call the police or an ambulance? Why did you send people after Fan Lingling?"
Xie Tangmao paused, then said: "I'm not sure about that. It was He Qi who said not to call the police. What could I do? He's the company's second-in-command - I couldn't override his decision even if I wanted to. As for chasing Fan Lingling, I don't know about that either. You'll have to ask He Qi."
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