Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1212: Midnight Knock

“Wipe it off.”

Chen Mingming brought some tissue over from the living room.

Only then did Zhao Le notice a bit of blood on his face. He smiled sheepishly and took the tissue to clean it off.

Chen Mingming glanced at the neatly chopped ribs on the cutting board and casually said, “Your knife skills are pretty good. Ever thought about becoming a chef?”

Zhao Le chuckled, “It’s just a few chops like this. At home, it’s fine, but working in a restaurant? I’d probably embarrass myself.”

Chen Mingming nodded and leaned casually against the refrigerator door, chatting like a classmate: “Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?”

It’s perfectly normal for students to discuss future plans.

Zhao Le hummed in response, gazing out the window with a hint of hope. “Lawyer, I guess? I did major in law.”

“To pursue justice?” Chen Mingming asked curiously.

Zhao Le smiled shyly, sweeping the bones aside with the knife and then slicing ginger. “Doesn’t that sound silly? Lawyers who fight for justice don’t make much money, do they?”“Lawyers in our country are quite different from those abroad,” Chen Mingming said calmly. “And they’re not like the ones in Hong Kong movies either.”

Zhao Le nodded without saying more. After finishing the ginger, he started picking vegetables. “What about you? What do you want to do in the future? You’re great at profiling classwork—planning to follow in your father’s footsteps?”

“Later,” Chen Mingming said, looking down and lost in thought.

At the time, Chen Mingming’s parents separated and later divorced quietly, so classmates didn’t really know about his family situation.

“Fair enough. There’s plenty of time to figure it out,” Zhao Le said.

Chen Mingming glanced at the refrigerator behind him, opened the door, and remarked, “This fridge is old; maybe it’s time to replace it. Could be a safety risk.”

Zhao Le paused mid-vegetable picking, then continued, smiling. “Still works, so I’ll keep using it. If it breaks, we can fix it. Thanks for the reminder. You don’t need to stand here; you’re the guest.”

“No problem, sitting or standing, it’s fine,” Chen Mingming said, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. “I’ll drink this.”

“Sure!”

Dinner was quickly ready, and the three of them ate casually.

Chen Mingming was a quiet type, but after Zhang Xiaoqin regained her spirit, she was cheerful, talking about many things. She mentioned it had been a long time since the house had guests or been lively.

After dinner, Chen Mingming mentioned leaving, and Zhang Xiaoqin asked Zhao Le to see him out—she was a hospitable person.

“Your sister’s doing well now.”

Downstairs, Chen Mingming remarked with some emotion, “I remember when the class came to visit last time, she was very quiet.”

“Yeah… I was prepared for a long road of recovery,” Zhao Le said with a slow sigh, looking at the night sky. “That night she suddenly spoke to me and even volunteered to do rehab exercises. I was so happy.”

Chen Mingming casually asked, “Does your sister know about the dismemberment case?”

Zhao Le’s smile froze. He nodded, “Two police officers asked after the incident.”

He wasn’t surprised that Chen Mingming knew about Zhang Xiaoqin and Wang Liang. Partly because Chen Mingming had visited the class, partly because his father was a local police officer. For a case as big as the dismemberment, it’s natural he would know something.

Chen Mingming nodded. “Given her past relationship with Wang Liang, it was inevitable the police would come around.”

Zhao Le hummed in acknowledgment.

“Don’t worry, the killer will be caught eventually. It’s just a matter of time. Don’t let this affect your current life,” Chen Mingming said.

Zhao Le nodded quietly and instinctively asked, “Does this mean the police have any leads?”

Chen Mingming replied calmly, “They don’t reveal that easily. Even if I asked, I wouldn’t know.”

“True…” Zhao Le nodded.

Chen Mingming continued, “The world’s justice system is thorough; no matter how careful the killer is, mistakes are bound to happen. They just might not have been discovered yet. We’ve read plenty of cases—you should know that.”

“Yeah,” Zhao Le smiled at Chen Mingming. “Enough of that… You’re leaving next Wednesday, so I probably won’t make it to the airport. Remember to come back and visit if you have the chance.”

“I will,” Chen Mingming said with a faint smile.

Zhao Le said, “It’s the first time I’ve seen you smile. Not easy.”

The library girl had said the same once… Chen Mingming paused, then nodded and left without saying more.

…

“Classmate’s gone?”

Zhao Le went upstairs and opened the door to see Zhang Xiaoqin clearing the table. He hurried over. “I’ll do it. Go rest… take a shower. You’ve had a long day.”

“Mm… alright,” Zhang Xiaoqin nodded, smiling. “I can manage.”

Once she entered the bathroom, Zhao Le put down his things and sat down. He took out his phone, paused for a moment, seeming to hesitate.

Then he gritted his teeth and set the phone down.

Time passed slowly. Zhao Le watched the wall clock, suddenly stood up, and walked to the bathroom door, knocking twice.

“Lezi?” Zhang Xiaoqin’s voice came from the bathroom. “I’m almost done. Wait a bit.”

“Not for that, sister. I need to go out for a bit.”

“Go out? At this hour?”

“The dish soap’s out. I’ll go buy some,” Zhao Le said casually. “And check if anything else is needed… Sister, is there toothpaste left?”

“Toothpaste… half a tube,” Zhang Xiaoqin replied. “Then go, and be careful.”

“Okay, sister.”

Zhao Le exhaled slowly. He didn’t put on shoes first. Instead, he went to the kitchen, poured out the remaining half tub of dish soap from the cabinet, then grabbed his keys and left.

He hurried downstairs, looked around, wrapped himself in his coat and hood, and rode off on a shared bike parked nearby.

Under an old tree not far away, a figure emerged after Zhao Le left.

Chen Mingming watched Zhao Le’s fading figure thoughtfully.

…

Since these are likely two different cases, they couldn’t focus on just one.

In the afternoon, the special task force split into two teams. One, led by Ma Houde, rushed to X City, while Zhou Yusheng handled Wang Liang’s case.

Zhou Yusheng hadn’t received any messages from Chen Mingming for most of the day. After checking in once around noon, Chen Mingming hadn’t contacted them again.

After dinner, Zhou Yusheng’s wife called to say Mingming hadn’t returned home. He worried and was about to call when a colleague knocked and entered.

“Captain Zhou, we have a discovery!”

“Oh?” Zhou Yusheng perked up. “What did you find?”

“We found a person who might have last seen Wang Liang,” the colleague said excitedly.

“Where is this person now?”

“Coincidentally, this person is at the detention center!”

“Hmm?”

At the same time, he explained: “Here’s the situation. Wang Liang had no relatives in this city, and when he was murdered, we didn’t even know what he was doing. So we put out a notice via radio and newspapers, hoping someone with information would come forward… and unexpectedly, someone did.”

“At the detention center? Who is it?”

A colleague said, “He’s involved in private lending… Captain Zhou, you know these people don’t exactly have clean backgrounds. He was caught because he got into a fight with a debtor while collecting a debt, injured the person, and the police were called.”

“Private lending…” Zhou Yusheng tapped the table with his fingers. “Wang Liang borrowed money from this guy’s company?”

“That’s right!” The colleague sat down. “According to him, he saw Wang Liang on December 1st… which happens to coincide with the time Forensic Nan estimated Wang Liang’s death.”

“I want to interrogate him personally!” Zhou Yusheng said gravely.

…

In the interrogation room.

A man wearing an orange prison uniform, with a shaved head and tattooed hands, was brought in by two uniformed officers and pressed onto a chair.

After confirming his basic information, Zhou Yusheng sized him up and went straight to the point: “You said you saw Wang Liang on December 1st?”

“Yes, sir,” the man nodded.

Zhou Yusheng asked, “Why are you sure it was December 1st?”

The man explained, “Our company sets the final repayment date for the first of each month. Wang Liang was on the list of those who had overdue payments, so I went to see him that day. That’s why I remember it so clearly.”

“Describe what happened,” Zhou Yusheng said casually.

“I remember that day…” the man recalled. “By chance, I saw Wang Liang on the street and cornered him in an alley…”

…

“Brother Long, calm down, let’s talk!”

In the alley, the man called Brother Long grabbed Wang Liang’s hand, pressed his head against the wall, and sneered, “You little brat, trying to hide from me? You dare dodge my debt? You don’t want to survive here, huh?”

“Brother Long, let go, let’s talk it out. I’ll pay back the money, I promise, okay?”

Brother Long snorted and slapped Wang Liang’s head. “You have money for others but none for me?”

“No, sir! Whoever told you that? I’d pay you first if I could!”

“Hmph, don’t think I don’t know!” He slapped him again. “Around here, who doesn’t know I lend money? Someone told me you’ve already paid back tens of thousands recently, but not me, right?”

“Stop, stop, Brother Long! Don’t hit me…”

…

Brother Long was thorough and reenacted the scene.

“This brat suddenly kicked me and I fell!”

Brother Long growled, “I was furious. I saw him run, grabbed a bottle, and threw it—hit him right on the head!”

“And then?” Zhou Yusheng asked, glaring.

Brother Long shrugged. “The kid kept running, and I chased him but he got away. I even thought about catching him at work, but he got arrested the next day… Sir, doesn’t this count as a meritorious act? Can I get reduced sentencing?”

Zhou Yusheng expressionlessly said, “I don’t know about reduced sentencing… but based on your own words, you clearly used illegal violence against someone. Evidence is solid.”

“What? Sir, I… I’m wrong, I was just talking to him! I didn’t hit anyone, really!”

Zhou Yusheng shook his head and waved, “Take him away.”

Later, Zhou Yusheng and his colleague left the interrogation room and discussed the case in the hallway.

The lights flickered unevenly.

“This Brother Long probably isn’t lying,” Zhou Yusheng said firmly.

“Yeah… but it seems he wasn’t the last person to see Wang Liang,” the colleague nodded.

Zhou Yusheng suddenly stopped. “Check Wang Liang’s payments from November 23 to December 1 last year, see if he really repaid a lot like Brother Long said.”

“Understood,” the colleague replied.

Zhou Yusheng added, “Also check Wu Rong’s account for any large transactions.”

“You mean…?”

“Just check. Report back immediately. And make it detailed—any spending, any transfers, everything clear.”

“Got it!”

…

Zhao Le rode his bike to the supermarket entrance—but didn’t go in. Instead, he hailed a motorcycle taxi that operated at night.

Soon, the motorcycle stopped at an old street corner.

After paying in cash, Zhao Le walked quietly into the alleyways, avoiding crowded areas, and eventually stopped in front of an old house.

He didn’t go up, hiding in a corner below, looking up.

He hesitated briefly, then bit his teeth and decided to leave.

Unexpectedly, as he turned, he saw a figure standing under a streetlight… Chen Mingming.

“M-Mingming… what are you doing here?” Zhao Le stiffened.

Chen Mingming walked slowly toward him under the light, saying nothing, just locking eyes with Zhao Le. Zhao Le instinctively stepped back.

“Do… you have something to say to me?” Chen Mingming asked softly, sighing.

Zhao Le took a slow breath, then smiled, “What a coincidence… You came to see as well? I heard from you tonight and couldn’t help but come here myself… to see… where this scumbag died.”

Chen Mingming nodded calmly. “Then let’s go up and see.”

Without waiting for Zhao Le, Chen Mingming walked toward the stairs.

Zhao Le hadn’t expected him to go straight up. Frowning, he hesitated a moment, then clenched his teeth and followed.

(End of Chapter)