Chapter 291

After Wang Anping was arrested, to quickly break the case's key point, Lin Dongfan and Director Qi each sent personnel to conduct a joint interrogation of Wang Anping.

Wang Anping used threats to force Feng Qiu to cover up Gao Lu's fake death, and this is already solid evidence.

The focus of this joint interrogation is to find out who is behind Wang Anping, to have him say whose orders he was following.

As soon as Wang Anping loosens his lips, we can take action against the boss behind the scenes.

And that behind-the-scenes boss is very likely Gao Peng.

However…

The interrogation results left Lin Dongfan greatly disappointed.

Wang Anping's mouth was sealed tight; he refused to admit he was acting on someone else's orders, even striking a heroic, death-defying pose and saying, "Everything I did was just to get revenge on Lin Dongfan!"

This outrageous "confession" was reported to Director Qi, who also found it a headache.

Director Qi found amusement in the bitterness.

Smiling, he teased Lin Dongfan: "Now he says it's to get revenge on you—motive reasonable, logic flawless. In the end, you've become the biggest stumbling block; tell me, does it sting?"

"Give him a few tricks, and I don't believe he won't tell the truth," Lin Dongfan proposed.

Director Qi said: "What tricks? He's tight-lipped. Now he's admitted he killed Gao Lu to get revenge on you and to trip you up. He's gone from a simp to a mad dog, unafraid of the death penalty—would he fear your tricks?"

"Death isn't scary; what's scary is being half-dead, wanting to die but unable to," Lin Dongfan said.

Director Qi laughed: "The previous interrogators were Yang Qing and Peng Tianhua. With them on the job, do you think they'd leave any tricks? I don't know Peng Tianhua, but Yang Qing excels at stirring things up, full of tricks."

"Then what do you think we should do now?" Lin Dongfan asked.

Director Qi analyzed without hesitation: "Let me tell you, Wang Anping's key psychology is that he hates you. The woman he wants has only you in her heart, looks down on him, and he hates you to the bone. Under this hatred, a terrifying will to oppose arises: he won't let you get your way, determined to fight you to the end. The angrier you get, the more excited he becomes, gaining a sense of triumph over you. As long as he can stall you, keep you from cracking the case, he feels he's won—even if it means death, he'd die proudly."

"Makes sense," Lin Dongfan nodded deeply: "So, how exactly should we interrogate him now? Spit it out—I don't want Along lecture."

"For someone with such a twisted psyche, no trick works; you need time to wear them down, but our time is tight—we can't keep dragging this out."

Speaking until his mouth dried, Director Qi picked up his tea and took a sip.

Moistening his throat, he continued: "In my view, we should shift the breakthrough to Gao Lu. Zhao Lianyue of the Management Committee and Qian Mu ye of the High-Tech Zone Public Security Bureau have both confessed that everything they did was under Gao Lu's orders. But Gao Lu isn't an official; she relies on the power of her big brother behind the scenes. Getting her to talk would be much easier. After all, that big brother once wanted to kill her to silence her. Whether she admits it or not, that incident surely left a psychological scar of estrangement from her kin in her heart."

"Let's do that."

On psychological analysis, Director Qi is an expert, and Lin Dongfan can find no fault.

That afternoon at 4:30.

Lin Dongfan summoned Yang Qing and personally went to the hospital to interrogate Gao Lu.

After a few days of bed rest, Gao Lu had returned to a plump, healthy state—able to eat, sleep, and watch TV, which was still legal news, as if she wanted to bone up on legal knowledge.

Lin Dongfan asked the officer guarding the door: "These past few days, has Li Hengbo come to see Gao Lu?"

"No, just her son Gao Shuo came by, but we didn't let him in," the officer replied.

"Thanks for your hard work—be sure to hold the final post."

After instructing the guard, Lin Dongfan pushed the door open, Yang Qing followed, and he latched the door behind them.

Gao Lu, leaning against the headboard, merely glanced at the two, acted as if nothing was wrong, and went back to watching legal news, remote in hand.

Yang Qing yanked the power cord as soon as he got close, and the TV went black instantly.

Gao Lu rolled her eyes: "Itchy hands? Studying law is a crime? Plug the cord back in! I've turned over a new leaf—don't make me curse you."

"Plenty of people have cursed me—you're not special." Yang Qing turned on his law‑enforcement recorder, aimed it at Gao Lu, and began recording the whole session.

Lin Dongfan dragged a chair to the bedside and sat down.

He pulled out a cigarette and asked Gao Lu: "Want one?"

"Go ahead and try a puff—I'll call the nurse right away." Gao Lu's eyes were still sharp; she saw at once that Lin Dongfan just wanted a smoke for himself.

Lin Dongfan glumly slipped the cigarette back into his pocket: "Let's get straight to the point. First question: Zhao Lianyue of the Management Committee confessed that you promised him, if he smoothed things over with Qiangsheng Petrochemical, you'd secure his promotion to Deputy Mayor of Nanzhou. Explain—where does this authority of yours come from?"

"I have no authority—I was just bragging. And Zhao Lianyue believed it, easy to fool a fool." Gao Lu kept her eyes on the TV; this bored gaze had nowhere to land.

Lin Dongfan said: "Emergency Department Director Feng confessed that Procuratorate's Wang Anping threatened her, forcing her to send you to your death. That day you nearly died on the operating table; I withstood the pressure and saved your life. You know in your heart who wanted to silence you. I can't fathom why you're protecting him."

"I've decided—I'll never diet again." Gao Lu said: "Some master once said, real men with taste all like my fleshy type; only dogs like skinny women."

Lin Dongfan furrowed his brows: "We're talking about murder and cover‑up, and you're chatting about dieting? Sister Gao, you seem to have switched channels."

"What kind of woman do you like?" Gao Lu suddenly turned to Lin Dongfan.

Lin Dongfan thought, then replied seriously: "I like women who cooperate with me at work. My ideal goddess spot is vacant—care to take a seat?"

No sooner had he spoken than Gao Lu hadn't even uttered a sound when Yang Qing gave Lin Dongfan a contemptuous look.

Lin Dongfan pretended Yang Qing's scorn wasn't aimed at him, then urged Gao Lu: "Think it over—I not only have taste, I know how to cherish and protect; at a critical moment I can keep you alive."

"Tsk!"

Gao Lu let out Along sigh.

She sighed wistfully: "Although I like your shameless, roguish‑handsome look, you can't save my little life. The ethylene warehouse explosion left four dead and five injured; the death penalty is unavoidable, and I've already braced myself to eat peanuts in prison. Considering you saved my life and cheered me up, let's write off our past grudges."

"Before you eat peanuts in prison, do you want to see your son?" Lin Dongfan asked.

Gao Lu's eyes lit up; after a moment's thought she gave Lin Dongfan a sideways glance: "I just forgave you, and now you're trying to dig a trap and run a game on me—can't you be an upright anti‑corruption boss?"

"This time I'm not trapping you—I'm just thinking of your Gao Shuo." Lin Dongfan said: "In last year's Lamborghini accident case, the court gave him a light sentence, a three‑year suspended term. He's still in the probation period. If he slips up even a little, that suspension is revoked and he'll have to serve the full year."

"I finally mustered a bit of goodwill toward you, and now you're courting death, using my son as leverage." Gao Lu furrowed her brows, looking ready to lash out.

Lin Dongfan laughed: "If I said I actually like Little Fat Gao, you probably wouldn't believe me. I'm worried that if you're gone, Little Fat Gao won't withstand the blow, and without parental supervision he'll make mistakes. So I want to arrange a mother‑son meeting so you can give him a protective shot to help him grow."

"That's actually something human to say."

Gao Lu's face showed a hint of relieved smile.

If there's any regret in this life, it's undoubtedly her son Little Half Gao—the one thing Gao Lu can't let go of.

Gao Lu suddenly asked Lin Dongfan: "Are you trying to make a demand?"

"No demands." Lin Dongfan shook his head: "I like Little Fat Gao from the bottom of my heart. As for whether you're willing to cooperate with my statement, the choice is yours—I won't force it."

"Scumbag, I'm sick of your emotional blackmail." With a faint smile, Gao Lu's eyes welled up: "Now I feel like I owe you a favor."

"If you want to repay me, if you want to explain something, I don't mind." Lin Dongfan laughed.

Gao Lu closed her eyes, leaned against the headboard, pondered for a moment, then hesitantly replied: "I need to think this over carefully; first let me see my son."

"Alright, get a good rest; tonight I'll bring Gao Shuo to see you."

As Lin Dongfan got up to leave, he plugged in the TV's power cord for Gao Lu.

Yang Qing remained silent all the way until entering the elevator, then admiringly praised Lin Dongfan: "Advancing by retreating, damn impressive, how did you know Gao Lu would fall for this?"

"When you get married and have kids, you'll understand why."

Speaking of the child, Lin Dongfan also felt a twinge of guilt; since Choubao was born, he had hardly held him, and left Jing on official business before the baby was even a month old.

Each day he could only see him via video call, and he didn't know whether in the future the child would recognize him as his father.