C22 Enemies Always Cross Paths

Mrs. Wang was quite animated when she broached the subject, speaking with such fervor that she inadvertently sprayed saliva. Even as she disparaged the Lian brothers, she seized the opportunity to sing the praises of her own son.

"Take Lian Peng, for instance. He might not seem the most reliable, but he has been caring for his father for a few years now. Old Lian's health has been fluctuating for quite some time."

"Do you happen to know what transpired between the Lian father and son that led to such a strained relationship?" Jian Chenyi inquired, deep in thought.

Mrs. Wang dismissed the question with a wave of her hand. "How could I possibly know? It's their private business. No matter how unhappy Old Lian might be with his son, he wouldn't gossip about him to us."

That made sense.

After leaving Mrs. Wang's home, the group visited several other neighbors.

These neighbors shared Mrs. Wang's views regarding the Lian brothers.

Though neither brother was particularly commendable, Lian Peng, the younger son, had a slightly better reputation than his elder brother.

Stepping out from the last neighbor's home, Hua Ning summed up their findings: "It seems that Lian Xiangsheng and Lian Dongshen don't get along. Could he be involved?"

Xiao Chennai remained silent, contemplative. It was Jian Chenyi who offered, "It's difficult to say. I need to meet these two individuals first."

Descending the staircase, the trio encountered a man and a woman.

With the stairway being so narrow, they had to form a single file and sidestep to allow the pair to pass.

"Hello there."

A few steps later, the man and woman spoke up: "Hello, do you know which floor Lian Dongshen's apartment is on?"

Were they searching for Lian Dongshen? Xiao Chennai's expression shifted subtly as he replied, "It's just upstairs."

The man among the pair smiled in appreciation, "Thank you."

Once the two had departed, Hua Ning whispered, "Do they not realize Lian Dongshen has passed away? Should we try to get more information from them?"

Xiao Chennai shook his head, "They're quite young and likely didn't have a personal connection with Lian Dongshen. Let's wait and see."

They could clearly hear from the hallway that someone had been knocking on the door for quite some time. During this, the pair remained silent, offering no information to Xiao Chennai. Eventually, they stopped knocking and headed downstairs. They were taken aback to see Xiao Chennai and his two companions still there.

Before they could gather their wits, Xiao Chennai produced his badge from his pocket: "Police. Can we have a word?"

In the car parked below, a man and woman sat in the back seat.

"We're from the insurance company," they explained. "Mr. Lian Dongsheng purchased a policy with us for five million. Recently, while fully lucid, Mr. Lian changed the policy's beneficiary to his son. With Mr. Lian's recent incident, we need to confirm a few details."

The insurance agents, likely accustomed to police interactions, spoke without any hesitation.

Changed to his son's name? Jian Chenyi and Xiao Chennai exchanged glances. Outside, Hua Ning stood with her arms crossed in front of the car.

"Who is the current beneficiary of this policy?"

"Mr. Lian's youngest son, Lian Peng."

After the insurance agents left, Hua Ning climbed into the car and asked softly, "What's going on?"

Jian Chenyi succinctly recounted their conversation to Hua Ning.

Her eyes brightened. "Does that mean the killer could be Lian Peng, for the five million?"

She looked expectantly at Xiao Chennai, seeking confirmation.

Xiao Chennai, however, did not address her theory, simply stating, "Let's head back and regroup with Cheng and the others."

"Oh," Hua Ning responded, her face falling slightly.

Seeing her disappointment, Jian Chenyi engaged her in conversation: "Right now, Lian Peng seems like a likely suspect. After all, with Lian Dongsheng gone, he stands to gain the most."

Hua Ning responded wearily, "Perhaps."

Upon their return, Ding Yu and Cheng Sheng had also just arrived. Ding Yu eagerly briefed Xiao Chennai, "Leader, we've made a new discovery."

He winked at Hua Ning with a smug expression and said, "Elastic ropes like these are probably only used by the Lian Xiangsheng factory in our city."

Indeed, it was a significant discovery. With this information, they could almost certainly pinpoint Lian Peng and Lian Xiangsheng as the suspects.

Xiao Chennai set aside what he was holding and said, "Everyone, compile what we've found today. I'm going to ask Captain Wang for permission to summon Lian Peng and Lian Xiangsheng."

Truth be told, Xiao Chennai was quite anxious. Yet, the situation unfolded beyond his expectations.

After listening to his report, Wang Shengdong responded succinctly, "Summon Lian Peng and Lian Xiangsheng, and focus on the interrogation. Leave the rest to me."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chennai's usually icy demeanor softened considerably.

Stepping out of Wang Shengdong's office, he gestured to everyone, "Bring in Lian Peng and Lian Xiangsheng."

The news electrified everyone in Unit 9.

In a flash, they were all invigorated.

The team below acted swiftly, and soon Lian Peng and Lian Xiangsheng were brought in.

As fate would have it, Lian Peng and Lian Xiangsheng encountered each other outside the interrogation room.

The brothers appeared less like siblings and more like sworn enemies.

Upon seeing each other, neither man looked pleased.

Lian Xiangsheng let out a cold laugh and averted his gaze.

This laugh irked Lian Peng, who raised his hand and pointed at Lian Xiangsheng's nose, "What's that supposed to mean? Who are you to look down on anyone? Is it just because you have some money?"

Lian Xiangsheng chuckled disdainfully, "Yes, I look down on you. I am wealthy, unlike you, who never does anything worthwhile."

Enraged, Lian Peng lifted his foot to kick, but the quick-reacting officer who had escorted him restrained him just in time.

Not to be outdone, Lian Xiangsheng also struggled against the officer's grip, trying to lunge at Lian Peng.

"I look down on you too. Sure, you have money, but where has it all gone? Over the years, has our father ever spent a penny of it? The whole neighborhood knows you're the unfilial one."

"Don't hide behind the old man as a shield. Are you just trying to spend my money?"

The two brothers were at it again, their quarreling and cursing echoing down the entire corridor.

Before long, two more police officers arrived and finally escorted Lian Peng and Lian Xiangsheng away.

Once they were gone, Xiao Chennai emerged from around the corner. Jian Chenyi was right behind him, lamenting, "What a shame. All that commotion and not a single piece of valuable information."

It turned out that the meeting between Lian Peng and Lian Xiangsheng was no accident; it was orchestrated by Xiao Chennai. He had hoped that in their heated state, they might let something slip, perhaps reveal some useful information. Unfortunately, that hope was in vain.

Shortly after, Hua Ning showed up with her notebook in hand. "Leader, who should we interrogate first?"