Yu Xiaoluo let out a scoff upon hearing my judgment. "Liu Chenxi couldn't possibly be Cat Eye Man. Cat Eye Man only appeared in the last two years, while Liu Chenxi has been living in Beijing for eight or nine years. However, it's quite possible that Cat Eye Man is a woman."
"What did you say?"
"I didn't say anything!"
"The last sentence?"
"I said it's very possible that Cat Eye Man is a woman!"
"Let's go, we're going to see Qin Sisi right now."
"It's almost closing time."
"Hurry up!"
"It's no use hurrying, this is Beijing."
"What about Beijing? Can't you meet prisoners at night in Beijing?"
"Rush hour!"
I'm from a small town and don't understand what rush hour is. My experience today is unforgettable. We were stuck on the road, with cars stretching as far as the eye could see. This is rush hour.
"We shouldn't have come, should we?" I asked tentatively, looking at Yu Xiaoluo's displeased expression.
"We're already here. I've contacted the prison, and we must see Qin Sisi tonight."
...
We arrived at the prison around 8 PM. Yu Xiaoluo had a busy day and was tired. She bought two cups of coffee and handed me one. I took a sip. "Why is there no sugar?"
"Americano tastes like this. If you don't want it, give it to me."
"Give it to you? I've already had a sip. Fine, I'll grudgingly accept it."
"16.8 yuan!"
"What?"
"Let's split it. Coffee isn't reimbursed."
I took out twenty yuan from my pocket and handed it to Yu Xiaoluo. "Don't forget to give me the change."
...
Thanks to Yu Xiaoluo's professional capabilities, we met Qin Sisi shortly after. Seeing our tired faces, Qin Sisi smiled slightly. "Thank you for your hard work. Have you found Cat Eye Man?"
"Qin Sisi, you've led us on a bitter chase."
Qin Sisi looked puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"Cat Eye Man is a woman, isn't she?"
I didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point. Qin Sisi pondered for a moment, then smiled with apparent relief. "So Cat Eye Man is a woman."
"You didn't know?"
"How could I have known? The first time I met him, he was a handsome guy. How could I have imagined she was a woman?"
"When did you meet him?"
"Eight or nine years ago, Cat Eye Man brought me into the organization 'Logic Paradox.' At that time, she was very dashing and youthful."
"Didn't you realize she was a woman?"
"How could I have? We only dated, held hands. We never even got to kissing before I started dealing with a con artist."
...
"I've learned that Cat Eye Man is a woman named Liu Chenxi. Do you have any impression?"
"No. The last time she contacted me, her name was Liu Cheng. I checked and it was a fake name. She had curly hair and looked completely different from when I first met her."
"How many faces have you seen her with?"
"Three or four, maybe. Each time she looked different, but her build and voice were very similar."
"So, you suspect she had plastic surgery."
"I never said she had plastic surgery. I'm just telling the police a fact: every time I saw her, she looked different. Yes, she might have had plastic surgery, or maybe it wasn't the same person."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"Officer Xiaoluo, I'm serving time. I wouldn't dare to spout nonsense without evidence."
I felt Qin Sisi was getting impatient and quickly changed the subject. "Qin Sisi, this isn't an interrogation, and I'm not a police officer. I want to ask you, were all your meetings with Cat Eye Man in Beijing?"
"Yes!"
"I see. Did you have Li Dazhi issue a forty-million-yuan draft to the investment firm? Is that true?"
Qin Sisi looked at Yu Xiaoluo and said with a smile, "Such bank transactions are recorded in the accounts. Didn't the police tell you that?"
Yu Xiaoluo quickly explained to me, "You didn't ask about this, so..."
"It's alright, it's alright." I turned back to Qin Sisi. "Do you know Bi Shuwen?"
"Outside of gilded splendor, rotten within. That describes her perfectly."
"Are you talking about her character?"
"No, her finances. She and her auction house appear prosperous, but they are heavily in debt. She is truly a financially burdened woman."
"Won't Fourth Master help her?"
"The Fourth Master you're referring to is her husband, right? Bi Shuwen has submitted two divorce agreements, both of which were rejected by her husband. I think her husband doesn't want this woman to take away family assets."
...
Things were getting complicated. If Bi Shuwen had financial problems, would her alliance with Fourth Master against Liu Chenxi be problematic?
Qin Sisi understood my pensive expression. "Flies don't land on a smooth egg. Regardless of whether Cat Eye Man is male or female, she has had her sights set on Bi Shuwen for a long time."
"Why do you say that?"
"Do you remember I told you that the swindlers who tried to trick him under Cat Eye Man's manipulation fell into a 'humanity trial' set up by Cat Eye, and they killed each other with tragic ends?"
"You did say that. What about it? That was eight or nine years ago. Eight or nine years ago? Tell me more." My heart sank with realization, because this was the time Liu Chenxi came to Beijing, and she had been living in Beijing since then.
"Among those swindlers, there was a young man named Jiang Tian, who was the mastermind of the scam and died the most tragically. That Jiang Tian was Bi Shuwen's son. After Jiang Tian died, Bi Shuwen had a mental breakdown and took drugs for several years, which led to her financial difficulties."
"Cat Eye Man took you to Beijing and set up a trap for a rich second-generation heir. Was that rich second-generation heir Bi Shuwen's son?"
"Yes!"
I understood. Liu Chenxi had started her plan eight or nine years ago. She first appeared as prey and directly eliminated Bi Shuwen and Fourth Master's son, Jiang Tian. After his son's death, Fourth Master was ruined, and Bi Shuwen had a mental breakdown and became addicted to drugs, leading her company into debt. Fourth Master also ignored Bi Shuwen and acted on his own, maintaining his esteemed status in the antique world. However, Fourth Master was not satisfied with the status quo and attempted to achieve eternal fame by donating national treasures.
Jiang Tian and Bi Shuwen were easy to deal with, but Fourth Master was definitely not an easy opponent, otherwise, Liu Chenxi wouldn't have taken eight or nine years to plan against him.
Because of my intervention, Fourth Master and Bi Shuwen finally communicated. Presumably, Fourth Master saw through Liu Chenxi's scheme. After all, it was Fourth Master who had pointed out that Cat Eye Man was a woman.
However, I don't have high hopes for Fourth Master. The current situation is dire. Bi Shuwen has severe debt problems, and she also has a valid forty-million-yuan draft. In addition to these, there is Fourth Master's fortune and Bi Shuwen's pain from losing her son over the years and her husband's indifference.
"Let's go!"
I said to Yu Xiaoluo, stood up, and walked away. Yu Xiaoluo was extremely puzzled. "We're leaving just like that? We went through so much trouble to see Qin Sisi, and we're just leaving?"
"I think Fourth Master is in danger. We need to get back to the quadrangle courtyard in the Second Ring Road where Fourth Master lives."
Yu Xiaoluo was reluctant, but she didn't refute my opinion. However, at this moment, Qin Sisi called out to me, "Tang Nan, don't say I didn't warn you. In this 'humanity trial' setup, Cat Eye Man doesn't kill, but that doesn't mean Cat Eye Man *can't* kill. From what I understand, Cat Eye Man has a killer by her side, someone meticulous and utterly insane."
"A killer? Are you making a movie?" Yu Xiaoluo said unhappily.
"Believe it or not, just be careful."
I knew this was Qin Sisi's kind warning. She was still counting on us to help her escape the 'Logic Paradox' organization! Yu Xiaoluo wanted to say more, but I pulled her away. I had to notify Fourth Master first. Only by uniting with Fourth Master could I find evidence that Liu Chenxi was Cat Eye Man and bring Cat Eye Man to justice.
...
Yu Xiaoluo was somewhat unhappy. Driving during rush hour was a real torment. She had a bad temper, and when the car in front didn't move, she honked her horn. What was the point of honking? It couldn't solve the problem of being stuck.
As we neared Fourth Master's house, I asked Yu Xiaoluo to find a place to park and ran towards Fourth Master's residence. The door was open, and the lights were on. I didn't see any bodyguards; they weren't always there. The last time I visited, I entered the house directly.
The moment I opened the door, I was stunned. Fourth Master was slumped beneath the pear wood tea table, foaming at the mouth. Next to him lay an old Beijing soda bottle. Clearly, Fourth Master had been poisoned by this drink.
"Fourth Master is dead." I called Yu Xiaoluo. Yu Xiaoluo was very decisive. "Don't touch anything, don't disturb the scene. Wait for the serious crime unit colleagues to arrive."