Detective Tang seemed astonished by her claim. His pupils dilated, with his mouth slightly agape. "Little Miss, whatever makes you arrive at that conclusion?"
There was no way she could explain that she had witnessed firsthand what kind of insidious man Meng Yaoshu was.
"I don't have any proof, but let's just say that the same as you, I have my own way of knowing things."
"Ha. I would never expect a high school girl to render me speechless like this," Detective Tang chuckled before leaning his upper body forward. "Alright. You got my interest here. Care to continue? I'd love to hear what you think I was hiding; it warrants your suspicion."
Li Caiyi steeled herself. 'Okay, this is it. I can't mess up here.'
She didn't have to prove her theory was correct. She just had to extort the information she needed out of him by any means.
"Meng Yaoshu is one of the big figures in the pharmaceutical world. I witnessed you secretly come to the party venue to meet with him that night. At first, I thought you came to report something to him as you did with me. But then, I realized someone as caliber as Meng Yaoshu couldn't possibly use a private detective to investigate something for him."
"Ouch, your words are like a knife piercing my heart, Miss. After all those times we spent together, are you still doubting my ability?"
Li Caiyi shook her head. "Don't misunderstand. I didn't mean to insinuate you are incompetent or something along that line. I said that merely because I knew Meng Yaoshu's character well. He is not a person who will trust an unrelated third party to investigate something for him."
"Hmm, you and his son are childhood friends, so it makes sense you will know one thing or two about him. But don't you think your speculation is pretty subjective?" Detective Tang propped his chin with his hand, clearly enjoying this situation.
"I'm aware of that. But it doesn't matter whether my assumption is true or not. Because later, a certain someone warned me to not 'poke my nose into somewhere it doesn't belong."
"Did someone threaten you again?" Detective Tang asked, looking alarmed.
"I reckon it was just a 'friendly warning,' at least for now. But that's not the point. I can only think of one reason that person will say that to me. I'm sure you know what I mean, right?"
Li Caiyi had to hold back the urge to feel her neck before continuing, "You are working secretly to uncover the secret behind a certain organization that produces a dubious drug. And for some reason, you met with Meng Yaoshu that night, who is deeply involved in the pharmaceutical industry. Is it far-fetched to think that your reason for meeting him was related to that?"
Detective Tang didn't respond and only shrugged. "Who knows?"
Li Caiyi slammed the table, startling Detective Tang and a few other restaurant guests.
"Wh-What?"
"Detective Tang, please tell me the truth. What were you talking about with Meng Yaoshu that night?" Li Caiyi put as much sincerity she could muster, so he wouldn't think she was making these all up.
"I don't know, Miss. Do I have to tell you that? Knowing more doesn't necessarily mean a good thing. It can very well endanger you as well."
"You don't have to tell me that. I'm aware of the consequences. Frankly speaking, I can't trust Meng Yaoshu. Which subsequently means that I can't continue working with you if there is a clue that you are colluding with that person!"
Detective Tang stiffened. His laid-back smile turned into that of a conflicted one. "Not only was I interrogated, but I was also threatened. Now, this is a twist I didn't see coming."
He could still joke around like that. Li Caiyi was frustrated because he didn't take her seriously at all. At times like this, she missed her adult version so badly. Was everything just a big waste of time after all?
'No, that can't be it. Detective Tang is clearly faltered. I just have to give him that one final push!'
"Did you remember what we talked about? You claimed that there is a possibility that the people within Meng Pharmaceutical may have something to do with that organization. That's why you want me to approach Meng Renshu, a considerably safer target. But what are you trying to achieve by getting closer to Meng Yaoshu, the head of the said suspicious company? Are you trying to sabotage our plan?"
"Wait, wait, Little Miss." Detective Tang quickly raised his hand in fluster. "Why don't you calm down first?"
"I'm always calm, Detective. I have said everything I wanted to say, so now is your turn. What is your answer?"
He sighed in defeat. "You didn't hold back your punch at all. At least give room for a man to defend himself, will you? Don't just decide I'm the bad guy here arbitrarily. Even I will feel hurt."
"Go on. I'm listening." Li Caiyi returned his words back at him, making him chuckle in amusement.
"Who would have thought you would be there watching me that night? Although I don't know your deal with Meng Yaoshu, but I certainly can't afford my important partner to bail on me at this point, or I will be troubled."
Li Caiyi made a victory fist under the table but kept her face straight. "I want to trust you, so please tell me the truth. Is Meng Yaoshu somehow related to that organization?"
"Well, the details are confidential, but I swear to heaven I wasn't trying to sabotage our plan. In fact, I was in the middle of investigating that night."
"What do you mean?"
"Meng Yaoshu has always been on the top of the list of people I want to check into. But that person is just too clean. His public persona is impeccable, and aside from the general information about him, no one had ever heard bad rumors about him. Not to mention he is an affluent and influential person. It's tough to find a crack in his airtight defense."
Li Caiyi nodded. Undoubtedly, someone as meticulous as him wouldn't let people get a hold of his weakness by leaving traces behind.
Detective Tang continued, "Someone like me would never be able to make an audience with him. That's why I made a gamble. Based on my source, I knew he would attend an anniversary party held by Glorious Days, thus why I went there."
"So your meeting that night was your first meeting with him? I'm surprised he voluntarily came out at all. And alone, on top of that."
"Yeah, because I pulled some string. Basically, I brought something he needed that night. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy to acquire that information."
Detective Tang heaved a long sigh as though he had just finished an ordeal. "But that's beside the point. Using that bait, I managed to lure the big fish out of his tank. I tried to manipulate him to talk, but sure enough, he is a tough nut to crack."
His explanation was pretty vague, but Li Caiyi got the gist. Knowing that Detective Tang didn't have any relation whatsoever to Meng Yaoshu made her relieved.
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