The first person to fall under suspicion was Sheng Xuan.

The bank matter had just been resolved, so could it be that Sheng Xuan, unsatisfied, had dealt Xia Xiaolan a devastating blow?

No, it couldn’t be Sheng Xuan.

It wouldn’t make sense from any angle. Sheng Xuan was talented and beautiful, with a promising future in the banking system. She wouldn’t risk getting her hands dirty with a murder case.

Ji Ya? George?

Ji Ya was preoccupied with making Elegance defeat Luna and didn’t have the energy to plan something like this.

Ji Ya and Sheng Xuan were cut from the same cloth, using feminine tactics. In a society governed by law, how could they bear to throw away their comfortable lives by getting involved with desperate criminals?

People from good backgrounds rarely resort to such extreme measures.

Everyone wants to enjoy the good life for as long as possible. Why risk getting personally involved when money and power can solve problems?

It wasn’t that Xia Xiaolan looked down on women – women could succeed in various industries, but how many made it to the top in the criminal underworld? This was a man’s doing. George was American and didn’t understand the Chinese psyche well enough… As Xia Xiaolan counted through the people she had offended, she narrowed down the suspects to Du Zhaohui and Ke Yixiong!

Could it be Du Zhaohui?

He treated human lives as worthless, always threatening to bind people and dump them in the sea.

But what benefit would Du Zhaohui gain from framing her and attacking her business? The Cheng Rong Group’s projects in Peng City didn’t conflict with the Golden Sand Pool.

The Du family straddled the line between legal and illegal, and Du Zhaohui was purely profit-driven. This action wouldn’t benefit him at all and instead carried considerable risk. Besides, Du Zhaohui’s recent attitude toward her had been strange, showing signs of wanting to repair their relationship.

“There’s an eighty percent chance this was Ke Yixiong’s doing…”

Hearing Xia Xiaolan’s mumbling, Ge Jian clenched his fists.

“What benefit would he get from this?”

Xia Xiaolan laughed lightly, “Since when do gangsters care about benefits? People in their world care about face. Face brings substance, and only by commanding respect can they attract loyal followers. Ke Yixiong blamed me for his men getting arrested!”

If he didn’t retaliate, Ke Yixiong would likely lose credibility among his people.

Xia Xiaolan’s smile turned cold – Ke Yixiong had picked the wrong target.

A thug is still a thug. No matter how clever, their class and social circle limited their perspective.

While Ke Yixiong might have access to some information, there was certain information no one would volunteer to him.

For instance, Mayor Tang stood behind Qihang Real Estate.

After Ji Ya’s wedding banquet, most of the important figures in Peng City probably knew this. Instead of using the protection of Bai Zhenzhu to establish authority, Ke Yixiong chose to attack Golden Sand Pool’s business to regain face… Xia Xiaolan was certain that Ke Yixiong was still unaware of this fact.

Xia Xiaolan didn’t explain much more to Ge Jian, just instructing him to silence everyone present at tonight’s scene, asking them to temporarily not discuss the matter as if it hadn’t happened.

She then went to her office to return Tang Hongen’s call.

Sure enough, Tang Hongen was still awake and answered quickly.

“Uncle Tang, the situation has been temporarily contained. I have a theory…”

What was the use of concealing thoughts? Better to communicate with them.

Whether it was Ke Yixiong or not, they just needed to follow the clues.

The perpetrators had made a major mistake by not killing Luo Yaozong before throwing him off the building. Perhaps they wanted to avoid leaving evidence, making his death look more like an accident. If they had been more ruthless, they should have lured Xia Xiaolan to the scene and framed her for murder!

They might have considered it.

But Xia Xiaolan was clever as a fox and never moved alone except during broad daylight.

No one could lure her out using any name.

The opposition could only frame her and damage her business. With Golden Sand Pool under tight security, it wasn’t easy to create a perfect murder there.

“I understand. Continue with the property sales tomorrow as usual, and let’s see if they have any more tricks up their sleeve.”

If there were more tricks, that weren’t scary – it would be perfect for catching them in the act!

Xia Xiaolan understood Tang Hongen’s meaning.

“Thank you…”

Tang Hongen laughed over the phone, “Both officially and personally, I need to handle this matter. Why thank me? Your mother doesn’t know about this, right? Don’t alarm her, let her rest well.”

Xia Xiaolan felt waves of warmth in her heart.

Family members don’t need to say thanks.

She was used to fighting alone. The responsibilities that should have been Xia Dajun’s had now transferred to Tang Hongen.

Xia Xiaolan had experienced maternal love, and now Tang Hongen was offering “fatherly love” in advance.

This emotion was too unfamiliar for Xia Xiaolan!

It was different from her relationship with Uncle Liu Yong. Without blood ties, this mid-life connection didn’t quite feel like a father-daughter relationship – it was more like having an uncle who looked after her in every way.

Meanwhile, the police station was conducting overnight interrogations of the captured suspects.

The first three caught maintained tight lips, sticking to their original story regardless of questioning. They insisted that Luo Yaozong had led them to steal steel materials, and after climbing over the wall into the construction site, two were caught first, leaving one to escape with Luo Yaozong to the roof of Building 2.

“The site’s security guards used wolves to track us by scent. If we were caught, they would surely beat us to death. Yaozong got scared and fell. It was because they pursued us too closely – otherwise, Yaozong wouldn’t have slipped. We hadn’t even stolen anything yet…”

Indeed, Luo Yaozong was the one who fell.

Though they admitted to being thieves, they hadn’t stolen any steel, so the sentence wouldn’t be too severe.

The three believed Luo Yaozong was dead and couldn’t testify against them.

The bald man caught last from the crowd kept crying innocence, but the police weren’t so foolish:

“We’ve questioned the villagers one by one. Luo Dayong was the first to receive the news, and you knocked on his door first. Then you went together to inform others, making your way to Luo Yaozong’s house. How did you know about Luo Yaozong’s accident?”

Unable to escape the charge of conspiracy, the bald man could only admit he had been keeping watch outside the wall.

When he heard the shout that Luo Yaozong had fallen to his death, he ran back to the village to spread the news. He even turned to ask the police: “Is Yaozong not dead?”

“That’s right, he survived emergency treatment, and the surgery was very successful. He’ll wake up soon. You’d better clarify your involvement quickly. We have a policy of leniency for those who confess…”

Confess for leniency, and serve a full sentence.

Resist questioning severely, return home for New Year.

Those who frequently operated in the underworld were familiar with this saying.

There was still hope if they kept their mouths shut, but if they confessed, everything would be over. The bald man’s eyes flickered as he lowered his head in silence.

These hardened criminals wouldn’t believe it until they saw the coffin!

However, the investigation wasn’t entirely fruitless.

“Only the last person caught was from Ganquan Village; the other three were from different villages. After interviewing the villagers, we learned that these four weren’t previously close with Luo Yaozong, but recently they’d been frequently drinking and eating together. Their relationship had suddenly become intimate.”

Excessive eagerness to please suggests either trickery or theft.

It seemed more like they had deliberately approached Luo Yaozong.

Just to steal some steel materials?

If they were really after money, why not try their luck in the pool? They might even dig up some golden sand – wouldn’t that be easier to carry away than steel?

Fighting her fatigue, Xia Xiaolan said, “Now I sincerely hope Luo Yaozong passes through the dangerous period and wakes up soon.”