A Sharp Edge Emerges From The Mist Chapter 2

Summons

Shuangcheng Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Detachment, interrogation room.

The lights were cold white, evenly covering every corner, leaving no shadows to hide in. The air smelled of disinfectant, old paper, and a faint hint of coffee stains.

Shen Qingwu sat on the hard-backed chair, yet her posture was as if she were at the head of a boardroom table. She wasn’t wearing the pearl-white suit from yesterday’s news, but a more professional charcoal-gray suit with a silk white shirt underneath, her collar adorned with a small platinum dragonfly brooch. Her hair was still meticulous, and her makeup was so light it was almost invisible, yet it perfectly outlined the sharpness of her features. Her hands were folded on the table, the watch face reflecting a calm halo under the lights.

Lin Jianfeng sat behind the desk opposite her, a thin stack of transcript paper spread out before her. She wasn’t wearing her police jacket, only a deep blue shirt with sleeves rolled up to her forearms, revealing clear-lined wrists and a simple, practical black sports watch. Her gaze fell calmly on Shen Qingwu’s face, lacking the pressure of scrutiny but carrying a penetrative force that brooked no evasion.

Xiao Chen sat beside her, responsible for the recording, looking a bit nervous with his pen hovering over the paper.

CEO Shen, thank you for taking the time to come, Lin Jianfeng spoke, her voice exceptionally clear in the quiet room. Routine procedure, just to understand the situation.

Shen Qingwu nodded slightly, the corners of her mouth even forming a very faint, standard professional curve. Cooperating with an investigation is a citizen’s duty. Please, Officer Lin.

Last night, October 24th, between 7:00 PM and 11:00 PM, where were you?

At the company, Shen Qingwu replied without a moment’s hesitation. During a critical stage of financing for the New City Development Zone project, I was in the conference room with my team last night, reviewing the final version of the investment risk assessment report. The meeting started at 6:30 PM and lasted until about 11:20 PM. If needed, I can provide meeting minutes, surveillance footage, and the contact information of the seven colleagues present.

Her speaking pace was steady, the information specific and impeccable.

Lin Jianfeng nodded, her pen tapping lightly on the paper without recording anything. During the meeting, did you ever leave? For example, to take a call or go to another floor?

Twice, Shen Qingwu recalled. Around 8:10 PM, I received an urgent overseas call from a European investor and left the conference room to take it in my private office for about fifteen minutes. Around 9:30 PM, I went to the technical department to confirm the parameters of a data model, which took about twenty minutes. The surveillance in the hallways and corresponding areas should be able to verify both time periods.

How is the soundproofing in your private office? Lin Jianfeng suddenly asked a seemingly irrelevant question.

Shen Qingwu’s eyelashes flickered almost imperceptibly before she regained her composure. Very good. Professional-grade soundproofing materials were used. Once the door is closed, you basically can’t hear anything outside. Is Officer Lin worried I heard something I shouldn’t have, or… didn’t hear something I should have?

A very slight counterattack, tinged with a hint of inquiry.

Lin Jianfeng didn’t take the bait. Her gaze moved from Shen Qingwu’s face to her folded hands. Her fingers were long and clean, her nails trimmed round and neat without any decoration. On her left ring finger was a plain platinum band, very thin, almost blending into her skin tone.

Did you know the deceased, Zhao Ming?

I didn’t, Shen Qingwu shook her head. I only learned that name from the news this morning. It’s a pity such a tragedy occurred.

But his work might have involved some investigation into the New City Development Zone project.

Is that so? Shen Qingwu tilted her head slightly, showing just the right amount of confusion. This project is open and transparent. All bidding processes, qualification reviews, and environmental impact assessment reports are posted on the government website. I don’t quite understand what kind of investigation a journalist would need to conduct on a legal and compliant project to the point of getting into… this kind of trouble. She replaced the word suicide with the more neutral trouble.

What journalists investigate is sometimes more than just surface compliance, Lin Jianfeng looked at her. It could be the ultimate beneficiaries of capital flows, historical issues left over from the land acquisition process, or… old accounts that certain participants are unwilling to have opened.

The air in the interrogation room seemed to freeze for half a second.

The professional smile on Shen Qingwu’s face faded, replaced by a deeper calm, bordering on icy. Officer Lin, Qingyuan Capital’s participation in the New City project is based on professional market judgment and strict compliance reviews. If the possibilities you mentioned exist, they certainly have nothing to do with my company. She leaned forward slightly, her voice lowered but clearer. The funds involved in this project are in the tens of billions, and the underlying network of interests is complex and intertwined. Sometimes, investigating deeply is like feeling for stones in deep water; you never know what the next stone you touch will be, nor what is watching you from the darkness.

She paused, leaning back against the chair again, her tone returning to indifference. I appreciate the police’s pursuit of the truth. But I must remind you, some waters are much deeper and more dangerous than they appear. Jumping in blindly might lead to… drowning.

It wasn’t a threat, but more like a calm statement, even carrying a trace of an imperceptible warning.

Lin Jianfeng met her gaze. Those eyes were beautiful, the iris a light amber color that should have been warm, but now they were like a frozen lake, with nothing visible beneath the surface.

Thanks for the reminder. Lin Jianfeng closed the notebook, which barely had any words written in it. The duty of the police is to find out how deep the water is and what lies at the bottom. That’s all for today’s questioning. If needed, we may trouble you again, CEO Shen.

Shen Qingwu stood up and smoothed out non-existent creases in her clothes. You can contact my assistant to schedule an appointment anytime. She walked to the door, her hand on the handle, pausing for a moment without looking back. Officer Lin, sometimes the truth doesn’t have just one face. The one you are obsessed with finding might not be the whole truth, nor might it be… the one that is best for you.

With that, she opened the door. The rhythmic sound of high heels clicking against the floor echoed in the empty corridor, gradually fading away.

Xiao Chen let out a long breath and wiped non-existent sweat from his brow. Captain Lin, her… aura is too strong. Her words were airtight, and she even turned it around…

And turned it around to pressure us, Lin Jianfeng finished, her gaze still fixed on the empty doorway. She told us two things: first, she has a perfect alibi; second, the water in this case is very deep, and we should be careful.

Is she trying to clear herself, or… is she really warning us?

Both. Lin Jianfeng stood up and walked to the window. Below, a black Bentley slid silently to the entrance. The driver got out and respectfully opened the door. Shen Qingwu’s figure appeared; she lowered her head slightly as she got into the car, her profile flashing behind the window before the door closed and the car merged into the traffic.

She has secrets, and those secrets are likely related to Zhao Ming’s death. Lin Jianfeng turned around, her eyes sharpening. But she’s too smart and too cautious to leave any direct evidence. Those reminders of hers are both a warning not to investigate her and perhaps… a sign that she herself is in these deep waters and senses other dangers.

So, our next step?

A two-pronged approach. Lin Jianfeng walked back to the table. First, thoroughly investigate all of Zhao Ming’s movements, communication records, and bank statements from the past six months, especially any intersections he had with parties related to the New City project, even indirect ones. Focus on where his missing hard drive might be and what exactly was on it.

Second, she looked at Xiao Chen, investigate Shen Qingwu. Not where she was last night—that’s bound to be clean. Investigate her company, look into all of Qingyuan Capital’s investment projects over the past three years, especially those that were aborted midway or were controversial. Check her background, her social circle, her parents… I remember her parents died in an accident years ago? Investigate that too.

Captain Lin, this… without clear evidence, investigating an entrepreneur of this level, will it…

Apply for it according to procedure, under the guise of a background check on a witness related to the case, Lin Jianfeng’s tone was beyond doubt. Remember, we aren’t targeting her personally. We are looking for the truth behind Zhao Ming’s death. And the truth, she recalled Shen Qingwu’s final words, her eyes darkening slightly, is often hidden beneath those seemingly perfect surfaces.

Outside, the sky remained gloomy. One rain seemed to have just stopped, while another was already brewing.

Inside the Bentley, Shen Qingwu leaned against the back seat with her eyes closed. The driver glanced carefully through the rearview mirror, not daring to disturb her.

Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the plain band on her left ring finger. The cold touch allowed her chaotic thoughts to coalesce slightly.

Lin Jianfeng… was sharper than she had anticipated and harder to deal with. Those eyes hid a hound-like intuition and a stubbornness that wouldn’t quit beneath their calm exterior.

This was not a good thing.

But strangely, when Lin Jianfeng looked her in the eye and said, The duty of the police is to find out how deep the water is, something that had been dormant deep in her heart for a long time seemed to stir slightly.

It was an almost absurd resonance—in this city where everyone wanted to protect themselves and avoid the abyss, there was actually someone willing to look down into it.

She opened her eyes and looked at the passing streetscape. The city remained prosperous and indifferent.

Her phone vibrated then, a new encrypted message from W:

Internally, the police have preliminarily classified the Zhao Ming case as full of suspicions and have opened an investigation. The lead is Lin Jianfeng. Clean background, outstanding ability, reputation is… won’t turn back until she hits the southern wall. She is applying to review Qingyuan’s project files from the last three years.

Shen Qingwu finished reading, her face expressionless. She replied quickly:

Provide the files according to standard procedures. Clear all traces of the Special Projects. Also, find a way to let her accidentally discover a small transfer record between Xinlong Underground Bank and Zhao Ming. Make it look natural.

Send. Delete.

She put her phone back in her bag and leaned against the seat again, her gaze fixed on the hazy skyline in the distance.

The southern wall?

She smiled, a smile devoid of warmth.

The real walls in this city were never built on the ground. They were hidden in data streams, embedded in contract clauses, and rooted in the darkest corners of the human heart.

Officer Lin, are you ready… to end up battered and bloodied?