Sweeping Mouse Ridge – Chapter Four : 1

Ten years had passed, and he had not changed a bit.

This was the first thought that came to Li Ziyong’s mind when he saw Hu Yanyun through the glass doors of Building D in the Runtang High-Tech Incubation Park: the same slightly upturned lips, the same piercing eyes, the same upright posture, the same messy, frizzy short hair—perhaps… he was still that arrogant, presumptuous, and unrealistic immature youth.

He pushed open the glass door, and the moment their eyes met, he saw Hu Yanyun smile, revealing a row of small white teeth. The smile was so gentle and approachable, completely devoid of the domineering, invincible energy he had displayed when they talked about making a magazine at Old Gu’s barbecue restaurant. Perhaps time would eventually smooth out even the hardest stone’s rough edges? He couldn’t help but feel a sliver of hope.

They shook hands firmly.

“I was startled when I received your call,” said Li Ziyong. “Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye! Why did you not even call before coming over?”

Hu Yanyun smiled.

This smile made Li Ziyong feel a little uneasy. He exchanged a few polite words, the meaning of which he himself did not quite grasp. Huyan Yun did not respond much, only nodding at some points. When the conversation turned to his recent situation, he spoke more, saying that he currently did not have a stable job, but was a freelance writer, earning a little money by writing articles on Lu Xun studies and the like. He had no other income.

“But your reputation has grown significantly in recent years. When I drink with my old buddies, they often mention you, praising you for helping the police solve so many cases,” said Li Ziyong.

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Hu Yanyun suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The spacious corridor was quiet. The beeping of fax machines and the ripping of tape being torn, emanating from behind the blue-green glass curtain walls on either side, only added to the stillness. Li Ziyong looked at Hu Yanyun and found him scrutinizing him, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

Suddenly, that feeling from ten years ago—that he felt Hu Yanyun could see right through him—came back.

This feeling was truly unsettling.

Sure enough, ten years had passed, and this guy had not changed at all; in fact, he was even more difficult to deal with.

However, Hu Yanyun said nothing, just smiled and continued following Li Ziyong to the north-end of the corridor. Entering the door, they saw a pretty young woman sitting behind a reception desk decorated with a pale yellow backdrop, typing away at a computer. Judging from the smile on her lips, it was definitely a casual conversation unrelated to work.

Passing the cherry wood partitions adorned with some artwork, a 200-square meter office space came into view, divided into dozens of cubicles by white partitions. Although it was working hours, there were only a few people at their desks, and those present did not seem very busy. A few girls were gathered at a long table against the wall in the last row, sorting stacks of newspapers and materials into individual bags, which were printed with the name and logo of Mingyi Public Relations Company. This was likely preparation for an upcoming event.

“This way, please.” Li Ziyong led Hu Yanyun into a small meeting room on the right, asked him to sit down, and filled a glass of water at the water dispenser. “So, what brings you here? You’re not here to ask about advertising business with our company, are you?”

Hu Yanyun took a sip of water and smiled, “I’m here to ask you about the case of Sweeping Mouse Ridge.”

Li Ziyong turned around and placed a slightly full glass of water in front of Hu Yanyun: “Wasn’t that case solved? It was that scumbag Zhou Liping who did it. I was the one who led the way when the police came to arrest him.”

“You’ve probably heard about it,” Hu Yanyun said, taking another sip of water. “The police interrogation of Zhou Liping did not go smoothly. Zhou Liping vehemently denies committing the crime.”

“What’s the use of denying it! Ten years ago, he denied that he was responsible for the ‘Western Suburbs Serial Murders’!” Li Ziyong sneered. “But speaking of which, back then, it was thanks to your deduction about the comics that we were able to catch him so quickly. It’s just a pity—”

Although he did not finish his sentence, it was clear that Li Ziyong meant it was a pity that Zhou Liping had escaped life imprisonment or even the death penalty at that time.

Hu Yanyun paused for a moment before saying, “Actually, my reasoning had flaws…”

“Whatever!” Li Ziyong said impatiently, “Anyway, we caught him in the end. I want to see how he will pull it off this time.”

“Although I can not see the police interrogation records, some friends have said they have not found any major inconsistencies in Zhou Liping’s confession. It’s still difficult to determine whether he’s the real culprit behind the Sweeping Mouse Ridge Case…”

“Hu Yanyun!” Li Ziyong sat down opposite him, his gaze and tone unfriendly. “We are old acquaintances. I welcome you today, but I absolutely don’t want to hear anyone defend Zhou Liping ! He’s a despicable and shameless killer, it’s that simple, and that conclusion is more irrefutable than the earth being round or coal being black!”

“For me, there’s nothing beyond question,” Hu Yanyun said calmly. “Besides, I’m not defending Zhou Liping. I just want to say that the existing evidence is not enough to prove that Zhou Liping is the real culprit in the Sweeping Mouse Ridge case—”

“Evidence? What more evidence do you need?!” Li Ziyong interrupted him rudely. “As far as I know, the CCTV footage from the Qingshikou East Lane traffic light on the night of the incident captured a photo of him driving in the Sweeping Mouse Ridge. Isn’t that enough to convict him?”

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“I need to correct you. The surveillance video only shows him driving through the Qingshikou East Lane traffic light; it did not show him getting into the Sweeping Mouse Ridge. According to Zhou Liping, he only dropped Xing Qisheng off at the Sweeping Mouse Ridge intersection and then was told to get out of the car.”

“Can you believe the words of a murderer who’s a complete liar?”

“There’s currently no evidence to prove that Zhou Liping’s a complete liar,” Hu Yanyun said. “Besides, everyone may lie for various reasons, but that doesn’t mean that a liar’s a murderer.”

Li Ziyong was enraged: “What do you mean by that?”

“What I mean is, judging someone’s guilt or innocence should not be based on morality; those are two completely different things. Similarly, it should not be based on personal likes or dislikes, as that could easily lead to errors,” Hu Yanyun said calmly. “Take you, Li Ziyong, for example. I cannot say you’re the real culprit of the Sweeping Mouse Ridge Case just because you told a couple of lies.”

Li Ziyong erupted in anger: “What lies did I tell?”

“The day they arrested Zhou Liping, Du Jianping noticed your arm was injured. You said you twisted it while moving furniture for the company the day before, but actually, you got injured in a fight with Zhou Liping the day before. Am I right?”

As if struck by a hook punch, Li Ziyong’s expression immediately drooped, and he slowly sat down in the chair opposite Hu Yanyun: “This…who told you this?”

“Nobody told me this; it’s just a somewhat flawed deduction,” Hu Yanyun said. “I heard about your injury. While waiting for you outside the building, I casually asked the cleaning staff. He said your company has not bought or sold any furniture in the past few days, nor has it moved any furniture internally, and asked him to clean it. After coming in, I checked the bottom of the movable furniture; there were no protruding or recessed dust bands. In other words, you lied; the company has not moved any furniture in the past few days. So I guessed your injury might be because you got into a fight with someone—and you’re too embarrassed to tell Du Jianping, most likely because you’re ashamed. And the person who caused your embarrassment is right in front of you, so I thought of Zhou Liping.”

Li Ziyong was dumbfounded. The fact that he fought with Zhou Liping was revealed during Zhou Liping’s interrogation, and he had no choice but to admit it. Although Du Jianping was angry that he had not told him earlier, he promised to keep it a secret for him. He thought the matter was over, but Hu Yanyun pointed it out so easily. He was visibly embarrassed, his chubby cheeks drooping. He habitually pinched his large nose and muttered, “So what…it has nothing to do with the Sweeping Mouse Ridge Case.” Suddenly, he remembered something and abruptly looked up, glaring at Hu Yanyun: “Wait a minute, what does this have to do with you? Are you a police officer? What right do you have to interfere in the Sweeping Mouse Ridge case?”

“Of course it’s related,” Hu Yanyun said slowly, taking a sip of water. “After the Sweeping Mouse Ridge Case, first Liu Simiao was forced to leave the Special Task Force, then some media outlets started making veiled attacks on a police officer who let the enemy go unpunished ten years ago. These two incidents involve my two best friends, and I can not just sit idly by.”

“Look at you, so confident!” Li Ziyong sneered. “What else can you do but stand by and do nothing? Do you think you’re writing a detective novel where the police come begging you when a case is stalled?”

“That’s your second lie,” Huyan Yun said.

“What?!” Li Ziyong was stunned again.

“Just now in the hallway, you mentioned that when you were drinking with your former colleagues, they often praised me for helping the police solve many cases—that’s impossible. Don’t even mention the real world; even in detective novels, when have you ever heard Lestrade and Gretchen publicly admit that Sherlock Holmes was the real solver? No police officer would acknowledge the achievements of an outsider in criminal investigations, just like how the Green Standard Army, even after being utterly defeated by the Taiping Army, would not admit the fighting prowess of the Xiang Army,” Hu Yanyun said with a smile. “However, this matter does pique my curiosity. Honestly, in my memory, you were a rigid and stubborn guy. When did you start learning to be opportunistic and flattering? Or is it because of some unspeakable reason that you have to work hard to gain my favor to avoid getting involved in trouble?”

Li Ziyong’s face turned a deep purplish red, like a pig’s liver.

“I have a suggestion: let’s put aside all our prejudices against each other and others, and have a proper talk.” Hu Yanyun seemed completely oblivious to his furious expression. “I’m here today not to argue with you, but purely to seek your advice, hoping you can unravel some mysteries in my mind… Life’s inherently a process of accumulating mysteries. Besides, ten years have passed, and most mysteries will probably never be answered. Only a very few mysteries, due to chance, have the possibility of being solved. We should not give up this opportunity, which may be the only one. What do you say?”

The small reception room was completely silent. After a long, long time, Li Ziyong’s expression gradually returned to normal.

Across the table, he extended a hand, the ripped sleeve of his shirt peeking out from under his suit jacket.

Hu Yanyun smiled, extended his hand, and shook it firmly.