Transitions

Lin Yuan saw that Zhang Yan was already calling him Senior Brother, and he originally thought that since the mentor had stepped in, he could definitely leave.

However, the car took him to another police station.

"Why did we make a circle only to end up back at the station?" Lin Yuan asked, voicing his confusion.

"Well, we're not very clear either. Master told us to bring you here." Zhang Yan was actually quite puzzled herself.

Old Mo calmly said, "Cases of online fraud are usually handled here, so it's probably because of that."

Online fraud? Lin Yuan remembered that when they first set off, Zhang Yan had handled the procedures as if they were transferring an online fraud suspect.

Connecting the dots, it seemed the other party had no intention of releasing him immediately.

But the Zhang Yan in front of him clearly didn't seem to understand the inside story, so Lin Yuan didn't know what these people were up to and decided to just follow their instructions for now.

When they got out of the car, Old Mo not only put the silver handcuffs back on Lin Yuan but also deliberately dropped the friendly attitude he had in the car.

Lin Yuan followed the two of them through various transfer procedures and was finally led into a sealed interrogation room.

Zhang Yan even apologized to Lin Yuan when they parted, "Senior Brother, please don't mind, we're just following orders."

Whose orders were they, exactly? Lin Yuan sat alone on the iron chair, bored, waiting for the answer.

Soon after, Lin Yuan was met by two unfamiliar interrogators.

The questions these two asked were very serious and procedural, exactly like interrogating an online fraud suspect.

Lin Yuan connected the dots: Zhang Yan and Old Mo's change in attitude towards him in the car, and Zhang Yan's mention of being sent here according to orders.

An idea formed in his mind: someone wanted him to put on a show.

The reason was simple. Zhang Yan and Old Mo clearly already knew he wasn't a suspect, but the two guys interrogating him now looked completely serious, not at all like they were faking it.

Furthermore, giving him the label of online fraud and sending him here instead of directly releasing him—what was the purpose? Wasn't it to solidify his identity as an online fraud suspect?

Realizing this, Lin Yuan decided to cooperate and start acting. He wasn't so foolish as to tell the people in front of him, "Comrades, have you made a mistake? We're on the same side."

Because that would make him seem very stupid and low-class.

Lin Yuan wasn't sure how much of this situation was his own mentor's doing, and the current circumstances didn't give him time to ponder that question.

He was like an actor without a script, and even the cue to start was something he had to figure out himself.

He could only improvise his answers to the questions posed by the people in front of him.

After the routine introductions of name, age, Place of origin, and occupation, the questioning began to get to the point.

"What is your relationship with Song Xiaoxiao?"

"No relationship."

"No relationship? No relationship, yet you two were gathered late at night chatting for so long? And so enthusiastically?"

"She's my girlfriend's roommate. They were meeting, and I was just accompanying my girlfriend."

The interrogator flipped through the file. "That's not right. We've seen the surveillance footage. You and Song Xiaoxiao chatted much more than your girlfriend chatted with her, and by 'much more,' I mean significantly more."

"Uh, she recently started an online influencer business, and since I study computer science, she just consulted me about some live streaming technical issues."

"Specifically, what kind of issues?"

"Selection and procurement of live streaming equipment, construction of live stream network, video push stream, and so on—in short, some technical issues related to live streaming."

"So you participated in her live streaming business?"

"No." Lin Yuan immediately denied it. "I was just accompanying my girlfriend and happened to be asked some technical questions. I only knew she was doing live streaming through my girlfriend; I don't know anything else."

"Heh, you're very alert, very good at distancing yourself."

"I'm just telling the truth."

"Then tell us, what specific work did you, as her 'technical advisor,' do for Song Xiaoxiao? Try to be as specific as possible."

"Comrade, let me correct you, I am not her advisor. Her asking me for advice is like her home internet breaking, and I happen to know something about IT. My help to her is like plugging in a network cable or reinstalling a computer system. I haven't been involved in any of her live streaming business."

"As expected of a postgraduate student from a prestigious university, your words are precise. How much do you know about her live streaming course sales?"

"Huh? She's selling courses? Is she selling dance courses? She's a dance major, just like my girlfriend." Lin Yuan feigned ignorance.

"Are you sure you didn't know before?"

"I really didn't know."

"Doesn't your girlfriend usually mention these things to you?"

Lin Yuan thought for a moment. "Maybe she did. But I didn't pay attention."

"You seem to be trying very hard to distance yourself from Song Xiaoxiao."

"It's not 'seem like,' I really want to distance myself from her."

"Why? If, as you say, you don't have much interaction with her to begin with, why are you so eager to distance yourself from her?"

"There's a saying, 'birds of a feather flock together.' Personally, I feel that Song Xiaoxiao, me, and my girlfriend are not on the same wavelength, so I don't want my girlfriend to get too close to her. Comrade, please don't make me explain my understanding of 'birds of a feather flock together.'"

The two interrogators exchanged a smile. "You've blocked all the questions we were going to ask next. But we still want to ask, why would you keep someone you claim not to know at arm's length? Is it because she has some misconduct that makes you want to distance yourself from her?"

Lin Yuan certainly wanted to distance himself from Song Xiaoxiao because of her misconduct, but he also didn't want to expose it. Because once those misdeeds were written into the file, Song Xiaoxiao would inevitably end up in jail.

Although if Song Xiaoxiao really did go to jail, it would be her own fault, Lin Yuan didn't want to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

"I don't know if she has any misconduct."

"But then why do you want to distance yourself from her?"

"I've said it, because she and we are not on the same wavelength."

"Your explanation is too far-fetched, isn't it?"

Lin Yuan feigned contemplation. "Uh, when you make friends in daily life, do you open a calculator and count values one by one? Don't you just go by feeling and temperament? Isn't that precisely what the phrase 'birds of a feather flock together' encapsulates?"

The interrogators were speechless, because Lin Yuan was not only good at rambling, but he did so in a very scientific and rational way—meaning he spoke nonsense in a very logical manner, but you clearly knew he was rambling.

Lin Yuan also used this method to deflect the subsequent questions with minimal effort.

The two interrogators eventually closed their files and left, having gained nothing.

But Lin Yuan keenly noticed one thing—they hadn't mentioned him pulling out the hidden camera with his hand.