The current situation is clear, Li Qiang's death is definitely not a simple matter. To uncover the truth, two people must be found. These two are Han Jie and "FullLittlePiggy." However, finding them is no easy task. After much thought, I decided to approach it through Li Feng. After all, Li Feng has been released. Due to confirmed alibis, Da Huang said the criminal investigation team has already cleared him as a suspect.
...
The next morning, after getting up, I contacted Da Huang to find Li Feng. Upon meeting Da Huang, I noticed his dark circles. This brother was clearly not in a good mood today. As expected, not long after I got in the car, he started mumbling, "Do you really see me as your errand boy, assigning me tasks first thing in the morning?"
"Brother Da Huang, what are you talking about?" I replied dismissively.
"Just stating the facts!"
I chuckled and revealed the truth, "Couldn't sleep well yesterday?"
"I saw his mother was tired, so I thought I'd keep her company for the night. But I got kicked by her invisible leg." Although he sounded annoyed, I could see Da Huang was quite happy.
Li Feng lived in a dormitory building. The cramped space was shared with others. As we followed the address, I felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing the building's structure. I remembered when I first came to Beijing to find my buddy, I lived in a similar dorm.
...
Today was the weekend, and the door was open. The room was about the size of a bedroom, with two beds. One bed was as clean as if no one had ever slept on it, while the other showed signs of life, with rolled-up clothes stuffed beside the quilt. Besides the beds, there was only a dilapidated table with a simple bookshelf, filled with books on recipes and investment management.
A thin young man, wearing a sleeveless undershirt and loose shorts, barefoot, sat on a chair reading a financial investment book. Seeing us enter, his puzzled gaze naturally fell upon us. He seemed shy. We remained silent, and so did he.
Da Huang couldn't hold back. Clutching his bag, he asked, "Hey, kid, where's Li Feng?"
To be honest, Da Huang's demeanor had a touch of roguishness. His question startled the young man, who stammered, "Brother Feng hasn't been back for a long time."
"How long is 'a long time'?" I asked, curious.
"It's been over a week."
Da Huang and I exchanged glances. The young man then began to ask us, "Brother Feng, did he get locked up?"
"Hey, kid, I'm asking you, and you're turning the tables on me. How would I know?"
Da Huang didn't want to reveal anything about Li Feng and started to develop a dislike for the shy young man.
"What do you need Brother Feng for then?" The young man seemed to lack social awareness and continued to ask.
"Owes money."
Hearing Da Huang say this, I let out a helpless bitter smile. But the young man looked at us with surprise and then asked hesitantly, "How much does Brother Feng owe you guys?"
"Kid, why are you asking? Are you going to pay it back for him?"
Da Huang was truly annoyed with the kid and spoke without any pleasantries. The young man, seemingly oblivious to our expressions, continued, "I don't have any money. Can't you see I'm unemployed? Brother Feng paid my rent for the past few months."
If this were Li Feng's friend, I might have been willing to help. So, I casually asked, "Brother, what's your relationship with Li Feng?"
"Bosses, please don't misunderstand. Li Feng and I have no relationship."
The young man's statement was decisive and completely angered Da Huang, who exclaimed, "He paid your rent, so how can you say you have no relationship?"
"He was willing to pay for me. If he wanted to help me, should I have refused?"
The young man stated this unpleasant fact as if it were perfectly reasonable. Da Huang was so choked with anger that he almost attacked. I pulled Da Huang aside and asked with a smile, "You seem quite concerned about him."
"Concerned about him? Don't be ridiculous, boss. I'm concerned because I'm afraid if something happens to him, no one will pay my rent. Let's be honest, why would you lend money to such an orphan? He has no parents, no siblings. He eats alone and nobody starves. Now he's run off, and you can't find him, so you've lost money."
"You know he's an orphan?"
"Of course, I know. If I hadn't insisted on being his brother, he wouldn't have paid my rent or cooked for me."
After speaking, the young man flashed a smile that was utterly sickening, as if he were gloating over his victory.
"I didn't realize you were a PUA master."
I said it casually, but the young man actually knew the term, which made him even more smug. He replied, "What do you think?"
I signaled to Da Huang to teach this young man a lesson. Da Huang understood and pointed at the young man's nose, saying, "Stand up. Stand up."
"What for?"
"I told you to stand up, so stand up."
Da Huang had that swagger about him. The way he spoke, he really looked like a tough guy. The young man was forced to stand, his eyes showing a hint of fear. "Brother, I just took some advantage of Li Feng. I really have no relationship with him."
While the young man was making excuses, I secretly placed my phone in the drawer of the table beside him. Da Huang saw it and smiled, saying, "I lost my phone around here earlier. I suspect you took it."
"Me?" The young man pointed to himself and asked, "I haven't left the house for days."
"Do you have any proof?" Da Huang asked with a smile.
"No, it's just me. How could I have proof?"
"But I have proof!"
With that, Da Huang took out his phone and dialed me. My phone rang from the drawer of the table next to the young man. Da Huang and I looked at him, and he appeared flustered, "This is impossible!"
"Why is it impossible?" I asked with a smile. Dealing with ungrateful young men like this was too easy.
"I haven't left the house at all these days."
"If it wasn't you, who else could it be? Li Feng must have come back, right? Did he put this phone in your drawer?"
I tried to bluff him, but his answer left me with nothing.
"No, he hasn't been back. A young man in a suit came and took him away that day. Later, Li Feng called me and asked me to deliver his suitcase to an address. When I got there, no one was in the room, so I called Li Feng again. Li Feng told me to just leave it at the door. Since then, I haven't contacted Li Feng."
"A young man in a suit? What did he look like?"
"Small eyes, a nose similar to mine, a bit of a hooked nose, but he wasn't as handsome as me. A big mouth, maybe because he was wearing lipstick. His lips were always turned upwards. Bosses, I've told you everything I know. I really don't know how this phone got into my table. Please be merciful and let me go."
Da Huang glanced at me. I took the phone and said seriously, "One must know how to repay kindness. Otherwise, I won't let you off so easily next time."
"Brother is right. I won't dare to do it again next time." The young man bowed subserviently, his demeanor incredibly humble.
Seeing the young man's cowardly act, Da Huang sneered and pointed to the paper and pen on the table. "Where was Li Feng's suitcase delivered? Write it down. If you misspell a single word, you'll never be able to get by in Beijing."
"Okay, I'll write it. I'll write it now."
The young man didn't hesitate. He quickly scribbled an address on the paper and handed it to Da Huang with a fawning smile. Da Huang took it and snorted.
"Let's go!" I pulled Da Huang away as he was about to lecture the young man further.
...
Da Huang and I walked downstairs. Da Huang was furious and said to me, "People like this who are ungrateful should be chopped up and fed to dogs."
"Not everyone in this world is a good person."
"Right, there aren't that many good people. I understand that, but aren't you angry looking at this kid? Li Feng helped him a lot, and he talks behind his back and sells him out so readily."
"Sells him out so readily?" Hearing Da Huang say this, I suddenly felt something was off. There wasn't much in the room. It looked like one of the beds had been tidied up. On the other bed, rolled-up clothes were stuffed beside the quilt.
And the young man was wearing an undershirt and shorts. Not to mention it wasn't that hot, but those shorts didn't look like his. He was studying at home, barefoot, not even wearing slippers?
He was at home studying and unemployed, but on the bookshelf, besides financial books, there were also cookbooks. Both of these books were likely being read by Li Feng.
Da Huang saw me spacing out and added, "Yeah, if that's not selling him out, what is it?"
"If this kid hadn't retorted, we wouldn't have talked so much. During our conversation, he naturally let us see he was a PUA master. So, I used a trick, and he ended up selling out Li Feng."
"Yeah, that's pretty much what happened."
"So, we comfortably thought he had sold out Li Feng?"
"What do you mean?"
"Let's go back. Humph, we almost fell for this kid's trick."
Da Huang looked bewildered, "What do you mean, Tang Nan?"
"Let's go back."
When we returned, the young man was sitting on the bed with his legs crossed. His attire had changed. He was in a suit and tie, wearing gold earrings. Most importantly, his lips. He had applied lipstick and makeup. The lipstick color was vibrant, and he had even altered the corners of his mouth.
This alteration was so flamboyant that a slight smile could evoke the image of a pig from an anime, grinning widely.
"Tang Nan, if you hadn't come back, I would have been disappointed." His voice was much sharper than before.
"Who are you?"
"Ke Yingying, the traitor, has returned to Beijing. You should know who I am, right?"
"FullLittlePiggy?"
The young man clapped loudly upon hearing my question and exclaimed, "Yes, yes, that's my name."