As the two confronted each other, Attorney Chen quietly walked to Lin Xiaohe's side and said in a low voice, "Time is of the essence. The most reliable person we found is Chief Detective Li Minyou of the Hong Kong Island District. Li Minyou is Liu Fu's man and is irreconcilably opposed to Yan Xiong. His godson died at Yan Xiong's hands, and Li Jiusheng also seems to have died at the hands of Song Tianyao. Whether it's for his dead godson or to gain acceptance from Li Jiusheng's police force, Li Minyou must be irreconcilably opposed to Song Tianyao and Yan Xiong. Just now, the Causeway Bay Police Station did try to transport an unidentified body to the Yau Ma Tei Police Station in Kowloon, but Chief Detective Li intercepted it halfway and directly arranged for the body to be sent to the Universal Funeral Parlour for cremation."
"What benefits did you give him?" Lin Xiaohe asked calmly.
Lawyer Chen said, "Ge Enlei 100,000, Lai Man-yau 300,000, plus a promise to Mr. Lin that I will help him resolve the armed conflict Sai Wan Wo On Lok smoothly."
"Very good, what about Jingxuan?"
"We've already arranged for someone to inform Wen Jingyuan."
"The body is missing. Jingxuan was quickly silenced after revealing that Song Tianyao was the mastermind. Now all that's left is for him to get me a phone line in the hospital room. Tell A-Sen that workers will definitely gather at the Labour Department again tomorrow morning. Don't try to appease them with money again; instead, give the Foreign Devil at the Labour Department some empty promises to calm them down and disperse them first. Also, Song Tianyao won't miss the news of my entry into the Police Station. I was photographed, and it will definitely be in some newspapers tomorrow. Because of this news, Xizhen Properties's stock should drop. Have A-Sen go see my wife. My in-laws and my wife should be able to come up with some cash to buy some shares and stabilize the situation until I get out."
"OK."
Chapter 407 Sounding the Horn
"Mr. Song, shouldn't we leave here and seek medical treatment? Or should I go buy a few copies of today's unpublished newspapers... Newsboys and newspaper vendors should be out selling them by now," Ji Wenming asked Song Tianyao, who was sitting at the wooden table in the interrogation room, intently playing chess with one of Yan Hung's plainclothes officers.
By this time, it was already 5:40, and the vendors and teahouses selling breakfast had already opened for business.
Song Tianyao took a sip of tea, placed the chess piece on the board to concede defeat, waved for the plainclothes officer to go outside and stretch his legs and buy some newspapers, then patted the empty seat next to him. "Lawyer Ji, sit down and chat. Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Isn't this place good? Everyone in the Police Station, whether Foreign Devil or China person, can attest that I, Song Tianyao, have been here assisting with the investigation all night. Whatever happens outside is none of my business. If I go out, I won't scare the Lin Family. Only if I stay here can I scare Lin Family. The Lin Family won't be afraid of a young upstart like me. They'll definitely make Police Station treats us to lunch before we leave."
Ji Wenming, carrying his briefcase, sat down on the chair next to Song Tianyao. He had developed dark circles under his eyes from accompanying Song Tianyao on his work these past few days.
"There's still a lot going on at the stock exchange, Mr. Song, aren't you worried...?"
"I hired Jonathan Gore and Luo Zhuankun to help me, not because I have too much money and want them to spend it for me, but to get things done for me. I know very little about stocks, why should an amateur direct an expert?" Song Tianyao grabbed the cigarette pack beside him, opened it only to find it was empty, crumpled it, and threw it into the trash can in the corner as he spoke.
Thud, the cigarette pack missed its target. Song Tianyao got up, picked it up, and threw it in the trash can. Then, listlessly, he sat back down. Ji Wenming opened his briefcase, took out a carton of elegant Life Buoy mint cigarettes, and said to Song Tianyao:
"I bought this for my wife while passing by a department store, but I didn't expect to not have time to go home for the past two days."
He opened the packaging, took one out and handed it to Song Tianyao, then lit one for himself and put it in his mouth.
"You actually smoke?" Song Tianyao asked in surprise as he saw Ji Wenming skillfully lighting a cigarette.
Ji Wenming exhaled a puff of smoke and nodded. "Being a lawyer is stressful, and I used to smoke and drink heavily, but I've quit since I got married. I didn't sleep tonight, so I lit a cigarette to keep myself awake."
"No matter how stressful being a lawyer is, it's probably not as stressful as marrying a junior member of the Lu Family, right? Just chatting casually, my Big Brother, Mr. Chu. Chu Xiaoxin, is about to become the Lu Family's son-in-law. Could you provide some inside information? Do the women in the Lu Family have any spoiled princess temperaments?" Song Tianyao asked casually, holding a menthol-flavored cigarette between his fingers.
Having spent the last few days by Song Tianyao's side, Ji Wenming had grown accustomed to Song's unwavering interest in trivial matters even amidst dire circumstances. He chuckled and said, "It's alright. I started working at the law firm first, met Mr. Lu, and after he appreciated me, I was introduced to his wife's niece, who is now my wife. Compared to some of my law school classmates who met women first and then wealthy men, I had it easy. Those guys all married rich men's daughters and nieces, but they were constantly seen as social climbers, living off women, and people worried they were after their family's money. Back then, when my classmates and I got together, we'd talk about this, since we were all in similar situations. Seeing that my relationship with my wife was quite harmonious, they asked me how I got along with her."
"What do you mean?" Song Tianyao asked Ji Wenming earnestly.
"I said, don't worry about your wife's opinion. When your social status rises, your family's attitude towards you will also change. Because if they don't change, you will change your attitude towards them when you reach a certain level yourself. So, in life, everything depends on yourself. If you're a good-for-nothing, you can't keep even a fairy princess. If you're talented, you can still make it even without a rich man's daughter as your wife." Ji Wenming loosened his tie and said to Song Tianyao, "When I said these words, I was young and impetuous. Now, I'm afraid I wouldn't have the courage to say them again, especially not if my wife heard me."
After saying this, they both laughed.
"Knock, knock, knock." A plainclothes officer knocked on the door and entered, holding several freshly printed newspapers. He said to Song Tianyao and Ji Wenming, "Mr. Song, the newspapers have been delivered!"