Chapter 104 The Clown

A one-million-yuan lottery ticket; after taxes, it’s estimated to be eight hundred thousand.

In this era, eight hundred thousand is equivalent in purchasing power to eight million in later generations.

It was indeed a considerable sum.

By the same logic, it was worth taking a risk for.

"Mai Ruoyun doesn't know about this money?"

"What's the reason?"

Chen Mo looked at him like he was an idiot, feeling that Xu Feng had spent so much time writing every day that his brain had gone stiff, unable to see even the most obvious problems.

"When I collected the prize money, I wore a mask."

"The lottery staff also stated they wouldn't reveal my identity."

"After winning the lottery, I never used that money. Even Li Xiaolan didn't know, so Ruoyun definitely didn't."

Xu Feng explained in a firm tone; Mai Ruoyun liked him for his talent, not his money!

But in Chen Mo's eyes, his explanation was incredibly weak.

It felt like a child insisting that a toy belonged to them.

It was very childish.

"Before you married Li Xiaolan, did anyone ever confess their feelings to you?"

"N-no."

"Then after you got married, has anyone besides Mai Ruoyun expressed any affection for you?"

"Also... no."

Xu Feng's brow was tightly furrowed as his gaze remained fixed on the policeman before him.

He felt that the policeman in front of him was intentionally trying to drive a wedge between him and Ruoyun.

"I don't mean this as a personal attack, but after the case is over, you can stand in front of a mirror and look at your greasy physique and decadent aura. Then you'll know I'm right."

After Chen Mo finished speaking, he turned and left the interrogation room.

Xu Feng's only merit was his job as a Calligraphy Teacher, which could be attractive, but Mai Ruoyun didn't fall into that category.

Therefore, the idea that Mai Ruoyun was deceiving Xu Feng by saying she liked him for his money held water.

What was laughable was that Xu Feng was still kept in the dark, believing he had great charm.

He had even tried to take the blame for her just now; it was ridiculous.

As he walked out of the interrogation area, he reviewed the current case in his mind.

Clear Mind began to work once more, sorting through his cluttered thoughts.

The reason Xu Feng suddenly couldn't take it anymore after ten years of marriage to Li Xiaolan wasn't that he couldn't stand his wife's harshness.

It was because he had an affair and a large sum of money.

And when he previously claimed he didn't know who the killer was, he was lying.

He suspected the killer was Mai Ruoyun, so he chose to hide it.

Based on this, Xu Feng's suspicion could basically be cleared.

For now, Mai Ruoyun's suspicion was actually skyrocketing!

Because according to what Xu Feng had confessed...

...this Mai Ruoyun liked him very much, to a pathological degree.

To get him to divorce Li Xiaolan, she had even attempted to jump off a building.

But that's where the problem lay.

If Mai Ruoyun really liked him to a pathological degree...

...then earlier in the meeting room, she wouldn't have gone without asking a single question about Xu Feng's situation.

And she certainly wouldn't have shown a look of disgust when the Calligraphy Teacher was mentioned.

Moreover, Xu Feng didn't fit the standard of what women liked.

No matter how one looked at it, it seemed like Mai Ruoyun said she liked Xu Feng just for the money.

"She tried for three years but could never get Xu Feng to divorce Li Xiaolan."

"When Xu Feng finally asked for a divorce and Li Xiaolan refused, did Mai Ruoyun choose to kill out of anger?"

"Eight million! A fortune an ordinary person couldn't earn in a lifetime—it's enough to take a risk."

Chen Mo murmured to himself.

Unknowingly, he had walked into the lobby of the Municipal Bureau.

"Xiao Chen!"

His thoughts were interrupted, and he looked toward the direction of the voice.

He saw Sister Qing and Xiao Liu standing up from the nearby seating area, looking at him.

"You guys haven't gone back yet?"

"I've already settled everything for Uncle Wang."

Chen Mo noticed the worry on Sister Qing's face and offered another word of comfort.

But after the words left his mouth, seeing her reaction, he realized he was preaching to the choir—or rather, his words were falling on deaf ears.

They had absolutely no effect.

"Brother Mo, I've said this eight hundred times, but Qing just won't listen."

Xiao Liu threw up his hands in a gesture of helplessness.

"Xiao Chen, the police here say my father is suspected of intentional homicide, dismemberment, and body disposal, so they won't let us see him for now."

"I want to trouble you to go and see him for me."

As Wang Xiuqing spoke, she grabbed Chen Mo's hand, her face full of pleading.

She looked like a daughter worried sick about her father.

"Okay."

Chen Mo nodded. While outsiders couldn't move an inch here, he could go wherever he pleased.

Checking on Uncle Wang was just a short walk away.

"I can go see Uncle Wang, but you have to go back with Xiao Liu."

"Uncle Wang definitely won't be getting out anytime soon, so you can't just wait here forever, right?"

Wang Xiuqing understood the logic, and given Xiao Chen's relationship with her father, she figured he would take extra care of him.

Chen Mo watched the two of them leave, with Sister Qing's nagging still echoing in his ears.

"You say he's so old; what if he gets bullied by the bad people inside? I heard people in there are very fierce and only get in because they've done something wrong."

"Will he be beaten in there? Will he be forced by bad guys to massage their legs and shoulders?"

...

A few hours ago.

Inside the Detention Cell.

Uncle Wang was holding a washbasin in his arms, which contained disposable items like a towel and a toothbrush.

As soon as he stepped inside, the gazes of the five people already there turned toward him in unison.

"Boss, another newcomer. The job of massaging shoulders and pounding legs should be handed over to him, right?"

A short man looked at the boss beside him with a fawning expression.

"Mm."

The boss was resting with his eyes closed, sitting cross-legged, and let out a soft grunt.

"Old man, what are you in for?"

The short man walked up to Uncle Wang in a few steps and demanded an answer.

To his surprise, Uncle Wang didn't even look at him.

His gaze casually swept around the Detention Cell.

Then he whispered, "Hehe, the layout of Detention Cells across the country is basically the same."

"This damn sense of familiarity."

Then he simply found an empty spot and sat down.

His words and his familiar attitude not only stunned the short man but also made the boss, who was meditating on the bed with his eyes closed, open them.

"You!"

The short man snapped out of his confusion, feeling like he'd been played.

If you're a damn regular, does that mean I have to keep pounding legs and massaging shoulders?

He was about to expose the lie immediately.

But he was stopped by the boss raising a hand.

"Old gentleman, they're ignorant. Please excuse the offense."

"But I am indeed curious, what are you in for?"

The boss's tone was friendly—scouting the situation before making a move.

This was a necessary awareness for those in the underworld.

"A small matter."

Uncle Wang thought about his charges this time and responded casually.

Compared to his previous charges, there was indeed no need to be too nervous.

"It seems you're too embarrassed to say."

"How about this: you guys go first and introduce yourselves."

The other four in the Detention Cell nodded in unison.

"I'm in for theft." "I'm in for drunk driving." "I'm in for stealing a car."

Then, the short man spoke up proudly.

"The boss and I got into a fight and stabbed someone. Intentional injury."

"Hey, keep it low-key."

The boss shot him a displeased look.

Then he looked at Uncle Wang, who seemed perfectly at ease.

He heard:

"Me? I'm suspected of intentional homicide, dismemberment, body disposal, concealing criminal facts, and refusing to cooperate with the investigation, among other charges."