Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Wei Muran could not fully grasp the purpose behind this but sent the message according to what was said.
After a long while, they finally received a reply, “I’ll consider it.”
“We can’t be too anxious. He’s very cautious and may sense that something is amiss. Fortunately, his editor was also very attentive towards him and was also very anxious when requesting him to attend the events, so he’s suspicious this time.” Qi Youxuan then continued, “Tell him that the movie studio has contacted the website and hopes to communicate directly with the author as soon as possible, and that he needs to consider it quickly.”
Qi Youxuan thought for a moment then said, “There have been fewer movies with this subject matter recently. Moreover, the National Radio and Television Administration has more restrictions on the subject matter for movies. It’s difficult to find a subject matter that will smoothly obtain approval and won’t be delayed for years before it can be released. This book is an opportunity as it meets all the criteria.”
Wei Muran typed and sent the messages over as Qi Youxuan spoke.
Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Wei Muran turned and saw Yang Shaozhan giving her another ‘OK’ sign.
Wei Muran nodded. Qi Youxuan unconsciously drummed his fingers rapidly on the backrest of the chair and said, “Tell him that our website has previously contacted you numerous times in order to promote you but you declined every time. To be honest with you, you’re not the only choice as we’re also negotiating for the movie rights for two other books. The movie studio is also very interested in one of them. The website will give priority to the author easiest to work with. They’ll need the author’s cooperation for future promotional activities. Honestly, we don’t have high hopes. Even if you come in person to discuss and sign the contract, is there any guarantee that you’ll cooperate during future promotional events? I feel that the opportunity will go to those that seize it. Don’t waste this chance.”
Wei Muran typed and sent exactly what was said.
This time Mei Shiyu’s reply was quicker.
“I accept. When can I come to discuss it?” replied Mei Shiyu.
Wei Muran looked at Qi Youquan.
Qi Youxuan stared at the chat window and drummed his fingers unconsciously on the back of the chair.
“The day after tomorrow,” said Qi Youxuan after deliberating for a moment. “Tell him it’s the day after tomorrow. The movie studio said that if they can’t make it on the day after tomorrow, then they’ll have to arrange it in the next month. They have some time available the day after tomorrow. We can’t ask him to come immediately; he’ll be suspicious. If we delay too long, he might change his mind. The day after tomorrow is a safe time.
Wei Muran nodded and replied with the words, [The day after tomorrow.]
The other party replied promptly with [OK], then the avatar turned grey.
Wei Muran closed the chat window before exiting QQ.
Yang Shaozhan then said, “The other party’s IP address is shown to be in Jinshi City when I was on QQ but when I checked, Song Pengfei is in B City.”
Yang Shaozhan pulled up Song Pengfei’s information, showing that he was from Shenzhen City. Similar to most non-Beijing natives who find their way to Beijing, he came to B City and lived a hard life. At first, he lived in a very remote place and was sharing a house in a house with others. It took an hour and a half to travel to work every day.
He moved within the Fifth Ring Road two years ago and rented an apartment on his own. The information discovered by Yang Shaozhan was clearly shown, including his rental agreement, address of his previous residence, current residence, the company he works for, and even his workplace number. Even his social security card number was displayed.
Song Pengfei’s cell phone number was also out in the open.
Zhao Yiyang called the front desk of Song Pengfei’s workplace and asked if Song Pengfei was there. The front desk said he was but before the call was transferred, Zhao Yiyang hung up.
“If Mei Shiyu is in Jinshi City right now, then Song Pengfei can’t be Mei Shiyu,” said Zhao Yiyang.
“Is it possible that it’s a fake IP address? Isn’t there some software to mask IP addresses?” asked Xing Jiadong.
Yang Shaozhan shook his head. “The other party isn’t using any.”
“We’ll first need to find Song Pengfei at his workplace. I’ll follow up with the application, then Jiadong and I will go to Song Pengfei’s house to investigate. Zhang Ming, take Yiyang with you to detain Song Pengfei at his workplace and bring him back here. Shaozhan, continue to check on Mei Shiyu’s IP address in Jinshi City. It’ll be good if it’s at his house. See if you can find out his real identity and actual location,” ordered Jiang Yuecheng.
Zhang Ming and Zhao Yiyang’s operation went smoothly. When they arrived at Song Pengfei’s workplace and met him, Song Pengfei was confused and totally unaware of what was going on.
When they told Song Pengfei about <Killer of the Heart> after they brought him back, he was puzzled. “What is that book? What is it about? What does it have to do with me?”
Wei Muran showed him a photocopy of the contract. “That is a copy of your identification card, right?”
Song Pengfei’s eyes widened and even retrieved his original identification card, checking each number one at a time.
After a long while, he nodded blankly. “Yes, it’s mine, but what is this? Copyright contract? When did I sign this?”
“This is the author’s electronic contract for the book rights to <Killer of the Heart>,” Wei Muran explained.
Song Pengfei was even more shocked and immediately shook his head, looking very puzzled. “I’ve never written a novel. My composition skills were bad since childhood, and I’ve always been an academic theory person. The work I do for the company I work for is my professional field, which is software engineering. As you know, they’re complaining about people in the IT industry online. It’s really not an exaggeration. We’re really busy and would work all day long and overtime. Where would we find the time to write novels?
Qi Youxuan did not express an opinion and asked, “Do you usually read novels?”
Song Pengfei shook his head. “I used to read when I had free time during my university days but not anymore.”
“Are you usually under a lot of stress during your busy work life?” asked Qi Youxuan.
“Sigh!” Song Pengfei let out a heavy sigh, nodded and said, “It’s really stressful. I was thinking that since it was B CIty, there would be many job opportunities and promising prospects. I was young and aggressive, so thought I’d give it a shot. My family isn’t considered well-off, middle-class, but I can’t be still asking my family for money, even though I have a job. I’m a man. If I ask my family for money, my parents would be the laughing-stock of the people around them.”
“That’s why I rented a place in a remote location when I first got here. The advantage was that it was really affordable; my wages were not high at the time. I was almost depressed. As my wages increased, I gradually moved closer and my living conditions improved a little.”
“The company also knows that we face a lot of work-related stress, so we’d regularly be visited by a psychiatrist.” Song Pengfei was afraid they would overthink thus he quickly waved his hands and said, “It wasn’t a formal consultation. It’s like to advise us on ways to relieve stress. He would make us comfortable and relaxed a little. Of course, he also left us a business card. If we have any questions, we can also contact him privately.”
“A while ago, my family faced some difficulties. My parents invested in a fundraising company— loan-sharking—to earn a higher interest. The operations sadly went south and the owner disappeared, and they lost two hundred thousand yuan. My family is considered middle-class; my parent’s combined pension amounts to about seven thousand yuan but they’re not working full-time anymore. Their bank account balances are decreasing little by little. During that time, they couldn’t help but to find fault with each other and got into arguments often. My mom would come crying to me in secret.”
“I really wanted to help but I just couldn’t; I’m drifting over here. It was considered pretty good that I didn’t have to ask my family for support, but I didn’t have any savings. I was particularly anxious at the time and felt that I wasn’t a filial son. My parents were in trouble but I can’t even help. I felt like I was going crazy. So I secretly went to see the psychologist hired by the company before.”
“What’s the name of that psychiatrist?” Even Xing Jiadong sensed this was bad and asked anxiously.
Song Penfei was a little stunned but still said, “Xu Heyou. However, this was more than a year ago, almost two years. I got better and better at work and went home during the holidays to advise my parents. I even sent money home but my parents didn’t want it and put it in my savings. Anyway, the days are getting better and those unpleasant memories will naturally be forgotten. My mood got better, so I didn’t visit him again. I don’t know how he is now.”
“Your company didn’t ask him to come for psychological counseling anymore?” asked Zhao Yiyang.
Song Pengfei shook his head. “No. Not long after I stopped seeing him. Our company also changed to a different psychiatrist. As I’ve spoken to Dr. Xu before, it felt strange, so I asked the company. The company said that Dr. Xu went to Jinshi City. The new psychiatrist was recommended by Dr. Xu.”
Jinshi City. Everyone there glanced at each other.
“Do you need an identification card to see the psychiatrist?” asked Zhao Yiyang.
“Yes, of course,” said Song Pengfei.
This explains why Mei Shiyu had Song Pengfei’s identification card to sign the contract with.
After letting Song Pengfei go, Wei Muran contacted Jiangshi Chinese Network. Informing them that they will temporarily requisition Pu Qiuping’s editor account number. She also told them about their contact with Mei Shiyu. The website did not reveal any inconsistencies.
When she hung up, she heard Jiang Yuecheng asking Qi Youxuan, “What do you think?”
“There’s no doubt that there is a connection between Mei Shiyu and Xu Heyou.” Qi Youxuan then said, “However, I don’t know if they’re the same person, partners, or is Mei Shiyu another person being controlled by Xu Heyou.”
Qi Youxuan drummed his fingertips on the desk. “Jinshi, Jinshi… I’m more inclined to think that Xu Heyou and Mei Shiyu are the same person.”
“We have to find a way to secure Mei Shiyu. If he really is Xu Heyou, then this person will have an excellent grasp of human psychology. I’m afraid he’ll see through our intentions and get suspicious,” said Jiang Yuecheng worriedly.
Qi Youxuan shook his head. “Xu Heyou orchestrated so many things, I’m afraid that he wants to let the world know of his genius. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to come over when we told him we had someone else to promote.”
“He didn’t reveal himself before because he was afraid he won’t be able to continue if his identity was known. At the same time, he longed for his book to be successful and be more well-known. It would be best if it would be a sensation. If it could be bolder, he would’ve wanted these three homicides to be exposed and have the public make the connection between these three homicides and <Killer of the Heart>, so as to admire his elaborate thoughts.”
“Previously, we told him that the website wouldn’t promote him anymore. He knows the power of publicity and therefore hurriedly agreed. I fear that he’d want us to reveal the three homicides and associate it with his book,” said Qi Youxuan.
“That’s insane!” exclaimed Xing Jiadong. “Could it be that he also has an insufferable past?”
Qi Youxuan pursed his lips, “Sometimes there’s no reason for someone to become insane. There are some who do research on psychiatry who eventually get pulled into it. It’s not unheard of.”
Xing Jiadong stared at him in all seriousness, as though this was the last time they would ever see each other and said bitterly, “You take care.”
Qi Youxuan was speechless.
Yang Shaozhan managed to find out the location of the IP address used by Mei Shiyu to login to his QQ account. It was a cybercafe in Jinshi City.
“Isn’t that like looking for a needle in a haystack? There are so many cybercafes. He may have just gone to a cybercafe far away to avoid detection,” said Xing Jiadong bitterly.
“That’s why we can only wait for him to come.” Qi Youxuan then went on saying, “He’s very conceited. The first three cases have been solved. He’s a little bit tempted. He wants the cases in the book to continue, to let the world know and not be obscured. He didn’t want people to think that it’s just a novel. He wanted to let people know that the cases in the book were realized. He’ll surely come.”
There was no way they would find a needle in a haystack in Jinshi City but as a backup plan, Jiang Yuecheng still had Yang Shaozhan investigate little by little, even if it was inefficient. In the event that Mei Shiyu went back on his word and turned out to be a no-show, they would not have to start from scratch.
Fortunately, the next afternoon, Wei Muran, who was logged in to Pu Qiuping’s editor number, received a message from Mei Shiyu. He stated that he would arrive at the B City airport at ten am the next day and would be able to arrive at Jiangshi Chinese Network’s office at about eleven am.
[Great, I’ll treat you to lunch tomorrow.] Wei Muran then typed, [Do we need our company to send a driver to pick you up? It’s the boss’s car.]
[It’s alright.] The other party then added, [I’ll take a cab.]
[Okay, this is our company’s address.] Wei Muran sent him the address of Jiangshi Chinese Network which she had prepared in advance.
Wei Muran then informed Jiang Yuecheng.
Jiang Yuecheng arranged for Zhang Ming, Xing Jiadong and Yang Shaozhan to go to the airport to stake out the place and be wary of anything that could go wrong.
The others headed directly to Jiangshi Chinese Network to set an ambush.
Both groups took Xu Heyou’s police sketch as Qi Youxuan felt that Xu Heyou and Mei Shiyu were the same person.
Around half-past ten in the morning, Qi Youxuan and Wei Muran were waiting at Jiangshi Chinese Network’s office. In the event that Mei Shiyu called Pu Qiuping, they would know.
Jiang Yuecheng and Zhao Yiyang waited at the entrance of the building. If all went well, they would surround Mei Shiyu as soon as Mei Shiyu entered.
Qi Youxuan received a call from Zhang Ming and he confirmed that Mei Shiyu was Xu Heyou. The person they saw at the airport was the exact same as in the police sketch.
Qi Youxuan immediately told Jiang Yuecheng. Both Jiang Yuecheng and Zhao Yiyang could not help but tense up.
At eleven fifteen, when Mei Shiyu, also known as Xu Heyou walked into the building, Jiang Yuecheng and Zhao Yiyang immediately walked in front of him. Zhang Ming’s party of three blocked Xu Heyou’s escape route from behind.
Jiang Yuecheng showed his identification. “Police, we suspect that you are involved in three homicides. Please come with us to assist in investigations.”
Xu Heyou’s eyes flashed and he understood. He chuckled softly. “So the promotions, the movie adaptations were all just ploys to bait me?”
“No, indeed your book was to be adapted into a movie. It’s just that the meeting wasn’t today,” said Qi Youxuan calmy. He and Wei Muran suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Wei Muran observed Xu Heyou.
Whether as a psychiatrist or as an author, Xu Heyou met everyone’s image of him.
He wore an elegant well-fitted suit, gold half-rimmed glasses and carried a laptop bag in his hands.
He looked like an elite, very trustworthy, pleasing to one’s eyes.
It was strange how Qi Youxuan’s words made Xu Heyou look so satisfied. He neither resisted nor tried to escape nor deny any wrongdoing. His eyes were brimming with satisfaction. “Very well, I’ll go with you.”
