I understood. This was a simple trap, designed specifically for those familiar with gemstones. It cleverly exploited the difficulty of finding matching chrysoberyls, using a silver necklace, which had low value and a deliberately antique appearance, as a cover.
"You're the victim, why are you the one being held?"
"After being cheated, I was furious. I looked everywhere for people, trying to find this Boss Bi."
Hearing what Lao Tie said, I gave a wry smile. "What's the use of finding him? Can you prove that the cat's eye the woman sold you was the same one you sold Boss Bi? Do you really expect Boss Bi to pay you two hundred thousand to buy back your cat's eye?"
"That Boss Bi clearly operates in the Panjiayuan circle. He wouldn't get rich off fifty thousand. I thought, if he didn't give me my fifty thousand, I'd use my months of experience in Panjiayuan to ruin his reputation, so he could never scheme around here again."
Seeing that Lao Tie had no intention of backing down, I sighed. "It's just fifty thousand yuan, why would you..."
Before I could finish, Lao Tie got angry. "What do you mean, 'it's just fifty thousand yuan'? Tang Nan, you've made money and don't care about it anymore? I wore my tongue out in the flea market for almost a year, working hard to earn only a hundred thousand yuan. He cheated me out of fifty thousand in one go. Can I just tolerate that?"
Seeing Lao Tie getting emotional, I quickly appeased him. "Lao Tie, I'm sorry, I misspoke. Let's solve the problem first. Did you beat him up for fifty thousand yuan or something? Why is a victim like you being detained?"
"That Boss Bi is dead."
"What?"
...
Lao Tie searched for people everywhere. One day, he received a call. Someone gave him an address, saying they had seen Boss Bi nearby. The person hung up after speaking. Lao Tie, hot-headed, took a bus to the address they mentioned.
Despite his anger, Lao Tie's soul remained that of a somewhat timid man, afraid of trouble. Lao Tie waited downstairs for several hours and finally saw Boss Bi. Boss Bi went upstairs humming a tune. At that moment, Lao Tie wanted to rush up and confront him, but he had never fought in his life, despite his large build. Boss Bi, with his bald head and plump physique, looked like a gangster.
Afraid to go up but unwilling to leave, Lao Tie paced back and forth downstairs. As a result, someone called the police, and they arrested Lao Tie. Lao Tie explained the truth – he wasn't a thief or a bad person; he just wanted to find Boss Bi, the cheat.
The police couldn't determine if Boss Bi was a cheat, but they could ask him. After finding out Boss Bi's floor from the property management, the police took Lao Tie with them to his apartment. The door was ajar. The police knocked, but there was no response. So, the police pushed the door open and went in. Boss Bi was already dead inside, having been strangled to death.
"The police suspect you of murder?"
"Yes, they suspect me of murder, and they searched me."
"And then?"
"I had a rope in my pocket, suspected to be the murder weapon. They detained me and asked a lot of questions these past two days."
Boss Bi was dead, and a suspected murder weapon was found on Lao Tie. That anonymous call to Lao Tie was clearly meant to frame him.
After hearing the whole story, I felt a bit displeased. "You didn't call me for something this serious."
"What could you have done if I called you?"
"What could your dad do if you called him? The last time he came to Beijing, it was because you were hospitalized. He's only been to big cities a few times and doesn't even know how to take a bus. Don't you know that?"
"I just wanted my dad to hire a lawyer for me. I didn't kill anyone, what am I afraid of?"
From the moment I met Lao Tie, I felt a sense of strangeness. After such a major incident, if it were before, I would have been notified as soon as he was detained. But this time, it was his father who came to my house with gifts to find me.
Lao Tie had changed.
"Lao Tie, did I do something to upset you?"
"No!"
"Then what the hell are you doing? Are you not considering me a brother anymore?"
After I said that, Lao Tie fell silent. I looked at him helplessly. "Alright, I won't waste any more words with you. I know the general situation. I'll get you out first, and then we'll have a good talk."
...
After leaving the police station, I went to a supermarket near the hotel and bought two boxes of Daoxiangchun mooncakes. I found the address on the map and took a bus to the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Wow, the building was truly magnificent and imposing. The solemn police emblem in front of me seemed like a bewitching mirror, making me afraid to look up. Later, I thought, I'm not a criminal. That's right, in the case of the Empty Room Celebrity Circle, the schemer was a fraud, but that doesn't mean all schemers are frauds.
With that thought, I held my head high and walked into the compound with the two boxes of mooncakes, only to be stopped by the guard.
"What are you here for?"
"Looking for someone."
"Don't you know you can't deliver gifts here?"
I hadn't considered this. It's different in the capital. In my hometown, during holidays, every government compound is bustling with people. I retreated and pondered by the entrance for a while, then walked in again with my head down. The guard stopped me a second time, his face darkening. "Which unit are you from, and what's your name?"
"Guard, I'm really not delivering a gift."
"You're carrying something?"
"Actually, I had a fight with my girlfriend yesterday. To apologize, I bought something for her parents. It's almost the Mid-Autumn Festival, and what household doesn't eat mooncakes, right?"
"Who is your girlfriend?"
"Yu Xiaoluo."
When I mentioned Yu Xiaoluo's name, the guard's expression changed, but he still said, "This is your private matter, resolve it after work."
A guard speaking like a high-ranking official made me unhappy. I plastered a smile on my face and said, "How about you help me deliver the mooncakes? Yu Xiaoluo might not be here, but you can give them to Huang Xinghao of Yu Xiaoluo's team. Tell him these are gifts from Xiaoluo's boyfriend as an apology. Brother, please, my future depends on you."
"Alright then, what's your name?"
"Tang Nan."
...
I waited outside for about half an hour. Yu Xiaoluo came out of the office building, dressed in a police uniform, looking stern and heroic.
"Xiaoluo, long time no see."
I extended my hand. Xiaoluo grabbed it and, with a swift, clean movement, applied a joint lock and pushed me to a corner where the guard couldn't see. I'm a private coach at a fighting club back home; I can take on four people at once. But in front of this woman, I was completely powerless. I even suspected those private coaches of tricking me.
"Let go, it hurts. It really hurts. If you don't let go, I'll shout 'assault,' the guards can hear."
Yu Xiaoluo was forced to let go. I rubbed my arm and looked at Yu Xiaoluo with a wronged expression. Yu Xiaoluo was furious. "Are you crazy? Who's your girlfriend? Who are you buying mooncakes for their parents?"
"Isn't this a last resort to see you? If you had given me your phone number, would we have ended up in such a misunderstanding?"
"What do you need me for?"
"I have a friend who's been detained, suspected of murder by the police. He definitely didn't kill anyone. Can you say a word for me?"
"Since he's been detained, it means the police have evidence to suspect him. Whether he killed anyone or not, the police will investigate thoroughly. I'm not involved in this, and you shouldn't be either. I'm leaving. Don't look for me again, we're not friends."
Yu Xiaoluo turned to leave. I quickly reached for her hand, but she dodged it nimbly and raised her hand to hit me. I quickly raised my hands to protect my face and shouted, "This is related to you. Do you remember the Cat's Eye Man that Qin Sisi mentioned? My brother was cheated by him."
"Cat's Eye Man?"