Li Haotian stared fixedly at Shi Ting’s face, and gradually began to sense that something was off. Though he led a dissolute life, he was no fool. This was the Military Police Division — no one here would dare impersonate the Commander’s son. That would be like charging headlong into a cannon’s mouth.

Looking further at Shi Ting’s bearing and presence, he found himself half-convinced by what Bai Jin had said.

Shi Ting had no desire to use his identity to pressure the young man. He raised a hand to signal Bai Jin not to say more. Bai Jin raised an eyebrow and sat to one side with a huff.

“You — you’re really the Commander’s son?”

“Shi Xingzhi,” Shi Ting said. “That’s my name.”

Hearing the surname Shi, Li Haotian coughed awkwardly a couple of times. “Well… sorry about before. I didn’t know who you were.”

“What we need to discuss has nothing to do with identity.” Shi Ting’s expression grew serious. “You are currently listed as the prime suspect. You must answer several questions for me.”

“You say I’m a suspect — what crime have I committed? Just because I knew this Mo… Mo whatever his name is.”

“Mo Xiangrong.”

“Right, Mo Xiangrong.” Li Haotian slapped his head. “I did see him last night. Did he commit a crime? Is meeting someone now against the law?”

“He’s dead.”

“Dead?” Li Haotian was stunned. “Really?”

“He’s lying in the autopsy room right now. Would you like to go have a look?”

At that, Li Haotian immediately waved his hands. “I wasn’t even close with him. Why would I go look at a dead body? But I really am being wronged here.”

“Because he died after meeting you.”

“What does his death have to do with me?” Li Haotian wailed dramatically. “When I saw him yesterday, he was still very much alive.”

“Are you certain?” Shi Ting kept his eyes fixed on him, not letting a single change in expression escape his notice.

Li Haotian lowered his gaze and touched his nose with one hand. “Chunlan from Yanque Tower can vouch for me.”

“We’ve already brought everyone from Yanque Tower in.” Shi Ting looked toward Bai Jin. “Go get this Chunlan.”

Bai Jin went out to the main hall, which was packed with people. A pungent smell of powder and perfume hung in the air, and a group of gaudily dressed women were whispering amongst themselves.

When Bai Jin appeared, a middle-aged woman dressed like a madam stood up and waved a pink handkerchief in his direction. “Oh, Officer — how much longer are you going to keep us here? We haven’t broken any laws or caused any trouble. Evening is almost here, and the girls need to get back to receive their guests.”

Bai Jin couldn’t stand the madam’s smell and hurriedly stepped back a couple of paces, frowning. “Which one of you is Chunlan? Have her step out.”

“Chunlan?” The madam swept her gaze over the cluster of women. “Where’s Chunlan? Come out here.”

One of the women answered, “Madam, Chunlan didn’t come. She’s been nowhere to be seen since early this morning. She’s probably gone off somewhere to fool around on her own again. Madam, you mustn’t let her off easy if you catch her.”

The madam spat in disgust. “That shameless little wretch — off meeting some wild man again. I’ll beat her to death when I see her.”

Bai Jin sighed. “Please, Madam, send someone to find Chunlan as quickly as possible. We have a very important matter to ask her about.”

“Of course, of course.” The madam wiped the fury from her face and put on a coy expression instead. “Officer, you’re so handsome — whatever you ask, I’ll oblige.”

Seeing her lean toward him again, Bai Jin quickly held up a hand to block her. “Then please have someone find her quickly. Our Director is waiting.”

“I’m happy to look, but Officer, you’ll have to let my errand boys out to search — how am I supposed to find her if you’ve got everyone held here?”

Bai Jin frowned. “Fine, fine — I’ll send two of our men along with them. Make sure they go quickly and come back.”

The madam called over an errand boy. “Baofu, take some people and bring Chunlan back to me.”

Li Haotian sat in the interrogation room, occasionally glancing at Shi Ting. Finally, he reached out a hand. “Director Shi, do you have a cigarette? Give me one.”

Shi Ting glanced at him, then pulled a box of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket and handed them over.

He didn’t smoke himself, but cigarettes and a lighter were things he always kept on him — you couldn’t go out on business without them.

Noticing that Li Haotian’s index finger was yellowed, Shi Ting knew he was a heavy smoker.

Li Haotian lit the cigarette hastily and drew a deep drag, his expression taking on an indescribable look of satisfaction — as though he’d just inhaled some divine remedy.

“Not bad cigarettes, Director Shi — though still a cut below a good cigar. If you smoke, I’ll send you a few boxes of imported cigars sometime. The flavor is absolutely exquisite.”

“How did you come to know Mo Xiangrong?” Shi Ting ignored his attempt at flattery.

Li Haotian took a couple more drags and, in somewhat better spirits, answered, “I wasn’t really acquainted with him. To be precise, I only met him last night.”

Shi Ting’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Yesterday evening, I received a phone call. Someone on the line said he had a box of premium cigars and fine tobacco and asked if I was interested. I’ve always been fond of cigars, so naturally I wanted to know more when I heard they were top-grade. The man on the phone said he was only a middleman, and that the real seller had the surname Mo. If I was interested, we could arrange a time and place to inspect the goods — a cash-and-carry transaction.”

“This man who called — did you know him?”

Li Haotian shook his head. “Going by his voice, I don’t think so. He didn’t sound familiar.”

“Where did you arrange to meet?”

“Yanque Tower, of course.” Li Haotian took a drag. “Toward evening, this man called Mo Xiangrong showed up. The cigars and tobacco he brought were indeed premium quality — I liked them the moment I saw them. But his asking price was too high — he seemed to be trying to fleece me. When I asked if he knew who my father was, he got scared and cut the price by half. Seeing that he was sensible about things, I invited him to stay and dine at Yanque Tower, and even gave him one of the girls as a gift. After he’d eaten, drunk, and had his fill of entertainment, he thanked me profusely and left.”

“What time did he leave?”

“Around eleven o’clock or so. I wasn’t watching the time when he left — it was Hongye who told me. Hongye is the girl I gave to him.” Li Haotian leaned in with his cigarette dangling and said quietly, “Hongye also said the fellow was no good — after all that effort, he only managed once.”

“Are you certain that after Mo Xiangrong left Yanque Tower, you never saw him again?” Shi Ting’s dark eyes were fixed on Li Haotian like a burning light.

At that, Li Haotian turned his head and took a drag of his cigarette. After a moment, he said, “Naturally. He and I had nothing more than a business transaction between us — no personal connection. Once the deal was done, what further dealings could there be?”

Shi Ting said nothing. From Mo Xiangrong’s expression and movements, he could tell that Li Haotian was lying.

After a moment, there was a knock at the door and Bai Jin walked in.

When Shi Ting looked up, he saw that Bai Jin’s expression was peculiar. He lowered his voice. “What is it?”

“Chunlan is dead.”

“What?” Li Haotian shot up from his chair. “Chunlan is dead? How did she die?”

“The errand boy Baofu from Yanque Tower led some people to search for her everywhere and finally found her in Catfish Alley — but by the time they found her, she was already dead.”

At the words Catfish Alley, the corner of Li Haotian’s mouth twitched.

“You know Catfish Alley?” Shi Ting immediately noticed the irregularity.

—