Yu Jun suddenly slammed his cup down. "Hey, kid, are you here just to pick a fight? If you want to know the truth, I've told you everything—every single detail. And now you're calling me a liar? Then tell me—what's the real truth?"
I replied calmly, "You know the truth better than we do. All we have so far is that Huang Youcai died under suspicious circumstances—and five million yuan from his account somehow ended up under your name."
Huang Xiaotao asked, "You said you and Huang Youcai were making fake phones together. Do you have any proof?"
Yu Jun snorted, "Officer, how do you expect proof for something like that? Everything was just a verbal agreement—so outsiders don't get any leverage."
"Where's the stock?"
"Already sold. Maybe you're using one of our fakes right now," Yu Jun said with a smirk.
Huang Xiaotao shot back seriously, "So you're saying no witnesses, no proof. But leaving that aside, unexplained assets worth millions alone are enough to bring you in for questioning."
Yu Jun plopped back into his chair, carefree. "Bring it on. Who's afraid? Besides, I know how to clean that money."
I thought to myself—this guy's pretty cocky, openly admitting to money laundering right in front of cops. But at least he inadvertently confirmed the money's illicit origins.
…
I suspected the whole business deal with the deceased was a sham. Yu Jun likely used the "Wealth-Passing Spirit Cat" curse to kill Huang Youcai's family, then transferred the assets into his own name. In essence, it was murder for financial gain.
Though Yu Jun looked like a slick product manager, he was still a pawn working for a boss. Five million was a fortune to him.
The first murder was just a test—eliminating a rival. The second was pure greed. Yu Jun's command of the "Wealth-Passing Spirit Cat" was growing stronger, and if left unchecked, more victims would surely follow.
I slipped my hand into my pocket and activated the voice recorder on my phone, giving Huang Xiaotao a subtle nod. She turned to Yu Jun, "Since you've opened up, why don't you be honest with us? Where exactly did the money come from?"
Yu Jun smiled, "Huang Youcai gave it to me."
"You mean after he died?" Huang Xiaotao sneered.
"Come on, officer, don't you know how this works? He wrote me a five-million-yuan check. I went and withdrew it—so of course his account was short five million!" Yu Jun shrugged helplessly.
"Why would he give you that money?" Huang pressed.
"He saw me as a brother," Yu Jun answered.
Huang Xiaotao scoffed, "He saw you as a brother, huh? Yet you rented a place right across from his house and didn't lift a finger after his death. You even moved out immediately. Last I checked, you took something from his home too!"
Yu Jun's eyes flickered briefly in surprise—he hadn't expected we'd dug that deep—but he quickly masked it with a calm smile. "So what? Whether I'm a good brother or not, Huang Youcai gave me that money. Maybe he lost his mind—gave me the cash, then killed his whole family. What does that have to do with me?"
Huang Xiaotao suddenly exploded, slamming the table. "Yu Jun, you killed for money—destroyed two families for filthy greed. You're beyond redemption!"
I hadn't expected her outburst, but her fury shattered the tense atmosphere.
Yu Jun's face darkened instantly, baring a grim smile full of sharp teeth. "You say I killed for money? Got any proof? Ask what you want, investigate all you want. But I suggest you hurry, because I'm applying to immigrate. Soon, Chinese police won't be able to touch me."
Huang Xiaotao clenched her fists so tight I feared she'd punch him.
So I said, "Do you really think we don't know you've got the 'Wealth-Passing Spirit Cat'?"
From our encounter, I was almost certain Yu Jun was the mastermind. I said it to test his reaction.
Yu Jun paused, then slowly applauded. "Impressive. You're way more capable than those cops before—finding out even this. But so what? Even if you know, what can you do?"
We were momentarily speechless. He admitted it so easily.
Yu Jun continued, "You saw my methods—I don't even have to lift a finger to kill from thousands of miles away. Consider this your warning: my patience has limits. Push me too far, and we'll all sink together. Enough wasting time—I've got work to do."
He openly threatened us, but I noticed his foot trembling. I smirked. He was bluffing. The "Wealth-Passing Spirit Cat" wasn't that powerful.
I don't believe such overpowered curses exist without a price or limits.
After his dismissal, Yu Jun got up to leave. I said, "We've asked everything we need. Let's go."
"Go?!" Wang Dali's eyes bulged. "This bastard's so arrogant. Aren't we going to arrest him?"
"Come on, he hasn't broken the law yet. There are hundreds of people here—if we force an arrest, it'll turn into chaos, and we won't get out either," I explained.
We had no choice but to retreat for now. But as we left, I quickly tore a sheet of paper from the desk, wrapped it around the plastic cup Yu Jun had thrown in the trash, and slipped it into my pocket.
After leaving the factory, I worried Huang Xiaotao might still be upset and tried to comfort her—but she looked calm, not angry at all. Catching my gaze, she smiled, "Did I act believable just now?"
"No way—you were faking being mad!" I exclaimed.
"That outburst wasn't entirely fake. Thinking about that girl who lost her whole family last night really got to me. But yelling was just to get him to spill the truth. By the way, Song Yang, you recorded everything, right?"
I took out my phone. "All recorded."
Wang Dali was amazed. "Since when do you two communicate by eye signals? I'm totally clueless."
Huang Xiaotao smiled faintly. "That's called teamwork."
We got in the car. I told Huang Xiaotao not to leave yet—I noticed Yu Jun's hands were covered in bandages. I guessed the "Wealth-Passing Spirit Cat" must require the user's lifeblood daily. Once Yu Jun got off work, we'd tail him.
Huang Xiaotao agreed, put on some soft music from the speakers, and leaned back with her eyes closed.
Stakeouts are dull. Wang Dali suddenly spoke up: "You know, I think the best person to solve this case is…"
"Who?" Huang Xiaotao and I asked in unison.
"Zhang Jiulin!" Wang Dali grinned mysteriously.
"Your classmate?"
"No, I'm reading a novel called 'The Underworld Merchant.' The protagonist's name is Zhang Jiulin. I think this 'Wealth-Passing Spirit Cat' is one of those dark spirits from the book. Since these dark spirits exist, maybe there are merchants who handle them. We should find a professional."
I scoffed, "You actually believe that nonsense from a novel?"