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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Yinyan's life, which has spanned nearly a lifetime, is undoubtedly legendary. Online, there are many imaginative scenarios: if one could travel back forty years, all they would need to do is find someone named Liu Yinyan, encourage him, and befriend him. Then, one could spend the rest of their life lounging in comfort.
However, everyone knows that Liu Yinyan succeeded, yet few understand what he did during those years of success. Some say that the initial accumulation of capital is often tainted, so how did Liu Yinyan, starting from nothing, become a leading figure in the venture capital world with personal assets worth billions in just a few decades? What experiences did he go through?
Did Liu Yinyan engage in any undisclosed activities? Why did the kidnapper specifically mention this? Was it to expose him? To seek revenge?
I asked, "Liu Lao, what businesses does your Rongding Group operate?"
Liu Lao replied somewhat impatiently, "Rongding Group primarily engages in venture capital. Essentially, we invest in any promising enterprises we come across, and they naturally provide us with corresponding shares. So, in reality, the fields Rongding Group covers are beyond your imagination—real estate, internet ventures, animation films..."
I nodded. With Liu Yinyan's personal wealth alone amounting to billions, the assets of Rongding Group must be even more staggering.
If we follow the kidnapper's line of reasoning, then Liu Yinyan must know about the matter he mentioned. But if Liu Yinyan doesn't know, there's not much we can do.
"Liu Lao," I continued to give Liu Yinyan an out. "Since the kidnapper has brought this up, there are two possibilities. One is that he intends to disrupt our plans deliberately; the other is that he wants revenge against you. As for why he wants revenge, think it over carefully. If you come to a conclusion, you can ask Liu to tell us."
I walked over to Liu and said softly to him, "Liu, Gu Chen asked me to pass on a message when he left. He felt his words were too harsh earlier and wanted me to apologize on his behalf. Hand me the car keys; I need to step out for a bit."
Liu sighed and handed me the car keys. "It's nothing; you’re all still young. Sometimes many issues can't be resolved through anger; finding Liu Feier is what truly matters. I know Gu Chen's temper; it's not a big deal. By the way, I can't leave right now. If you have time, could you buy me a lottery ticket?"
I nodded. Liu was always this soft-spoken type who never got angry with anyone. However, his biggest hobby was indeed buying lottery tickets; he almost always spent two dollars on a ticket and had been doing so for three or four years without winning even a dollar—his luck was truly unfortunate.
"I'm off," I called out to Liu Yinyan from a distance. "If the kidnapper calls, make sure to listen to Captain Shao."
With that, I left with Guan Zengbin.
As we walked down the road, Guan Zengbin asked, "What are we doing now?"
I smiled and replied, "Let's investigate those four suspects on the whiteboard—starting with the easiest ones to check and eliminate."
"Who is it?" Guan Zengbin asked.
I replied, "Hou Yao, one of the so-called four campus beauties. Given the current situation, it seems the kidnappers are not after money but have other motives. It’s very likely that someone funded the kidnappers to carry out this act. Our beauty, Hou Yao, certainly has both the motive and the means."
"Then how much do you think a life is worth?" Guan Zengbin looked at me and said, "Two people have already died."
I sighed, "In China, a life is truly worth very little. In a well-known domestic violence case, the husband only served six or seven years in prison and compensated the victim's parents with just forty thousand yuan. Many reckless drivers choose to run over victims a second time when they could still be saved, simply because killing someone costs far less in compensation than leaving them severely injured."
"So it seems that taking a life doesn’t require much money," I said as I started the car. "Let’s contact their school’s director in advance to find Hou Yao; we have many questions to ask her."
We arrived at Dongxing University, one of the best universities in Dongxing City.
After parking in the underground garage and heading upstairs, we found ourselves facing a basketball court filled with energetic athletes, creating a vibrant scene.
I remarked with a hint of regret, "One of my life's regrets is not getting into college and experiencing what university life feels like."
"Academic failure!" Guan Zengbin scoffed.
It suddenly struck me that Guan Zengbin, at nineteen years old, was actually just a sophomore herself. However, having spent so much time with her, I had completely forgotten this fact.
As we walked through the long tree-lined path, we saw quite a few couples cuddling together. Walking alongside Guan Zengbin felt almost like being in a couple myself. Despite being of similar age, our lives were starkly different from those around us. Reflecting on this made me realize how interesting life can be.
"Sometimes I think that quietly finishing university, finding an ordinary job, marrying, and having children might also be a good life," Guan Zengbin said as she looked at the many yellow leaves about to fall from the branches. "But perhaps this thrilling life suits me better—death, murder cases—how many people can say they've lived such an exciting life?"
Guan Zengbin's words resonated with me; some people simply cannot live without passion. Logically speaking, perhaps even murderers feel the same way.
We were received by the director of the School of Economics and Management; Guan Zengbin had already made arrangements in advance. The police were coming to investigate students from their college, which was not unusual. The director's surname was Wang; he was portly with sparse hair that seemed to stretch long around his head—if straightened out, it would definitely reach his waist.
"Haha," Director Wang chuckled as he rubbed his head humorously. "I used to be like you—young and full of vigor—but now I've only got fifty left."
“Has Classmate Hou Yao arrived yet?” After laughing, I asked Director Wang.
Director Wang shook his head and spread his hands. “This Hou Yao, well, she’s quite the troublemaker. Even though it’s class time, she skips class whenever she feels like it. But despite her skipping, her exam scores are always good; she has never failed a subject. However, I’ve already called her father, so we should be able to find her soon.”
Director Wang invited us to sit in the faculty lounge for a moment. Suddenly, I remembered someone and said, “Do you know a student named Zhang Yunhu? If he’s around, please call him over.”
“Sure, Zhang Yunhu, right? I’ll go check,” Director Wang replied as he stepped out.
A moment later, Director Wang returned with a list of students from Hou Yao's class and informed us that Zhang Yunhu would be here shortly.
I looked at the list and indeed saw the names Liu Fei'er, Hou Yao, and Zhang Yunhu. The contact numbers for their parents and details about their family situations were also quite thorough. Zhang Yunhu could be considered a rich kid too, but he was not as wealthy as Liu Fei'er or Hou Yao.
After scanning the list, I chuckled and said, “I didn’t realize it until now; there are quite a few rich kids here. I’d estimate about one-third of them come from well-off families. At least they all have houses and cars and don’t have to worry about food or clothing.”
Guan Zengbin shrugged. “Naturally, those with money have access to more resources. However, the children from poor families who manage to get in here deserve more respect.”
Just then, the door to the lounge swung open. We looked up to see a very handsome young man enter. He stood at around six feet tall, almost as tall as Gu Chen, with a well-proportioned physique—muscular but not overly so. He wore clean and simple clothes that were all designer brands. His hair was neatly styled back.
If it weren’t for the list, one might think a celebrity had walked in. But that wasn’t surprising; if Hou Yao and Liu Fei'er liked someone who was scruffy and unkempt, that would be quite unlikely.
Zhang Yunhu looked at us with some confusion since Guan Zengbin and I appeared to be older than him.
“Gentlemen from the Municipal Public Security Bureau,” Director Wang said. “We need to ask you a few questions; just tell us what you know.”
“Please take a seat,” I gestured to Zhang Yunhu. “Do you know why we’re looking for you?”
Zhang Yunhu sat down while Director Wang took a seat beside us.
After a moment of silence, he spoke up. “You’re here because of Liu Fei'er’s situation, right?”
"You are very smart," I said.
Zhang Yunhu shook his head. "The newspapers and the internet have reported it; Liu Fei'er is missing, and her whereabouts are still unknown. The media is speculating that she has been kidnapped. Besides, I'm her boyfriend. If I can't figure this out, I might as well not get into Dongxing University."
"Then!" I said, "with Liu Fei'er missing, have any of your classmates shown unusual behavior? Like Hou Yao?"
Upon hearing that name, Zhang Yunhu fell silent for a moment before responding, "Hou Yao is my classmate. She wouldn't do something like that."
"But didn't Hou Yao say before that she wanted Liu Fei'er to disappear forever?" I asked.
"That's right." Zhang Yunhu glanced at us and then looked at Director Wang. "To be honest, before I started dating Liu Fei'er, I had a fling with Hou Yao. It was during the second half of our freshman year. One time, we went out to eat, got drunk, and ended up in a hotel room together, where we did what often happens between men and women."
A look of helplessness crossed Zhang Yunhu's face. "As a man, I felt I had to take responsibility. But one day, I accidentally found out that during that dinner, a classmate had slipped something into my drink. It turned out everything was planned by Hou Yao. Knowing the truth made me feel as if I'd swallowed a fly."
"So I broke up with her without giving a reason; I wanted to spare her feelings," Zhang Yunhu continued. "That was understandable since I had always liked Liu Fei'er. A month later, I confessed my feelings to Liu Fei'er, and she agreed. But Hou Yao wasn't happy about it; she thought Liu Fei'er had seduced me, which is why I left her."
I didn't understand the love affairs of the rich and handsome; I could only listen quietly.
"Once, Hou Yao seemed angry and said in front of many classmates that sooner or later, she would make Liu Fei'er disappear."
Zhang Yunhu looked quite troubled.
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