Chapter 122: Gathering Clouds of Suspicion

At dawn, Zhang Qinglin sat at the table inside the prefab shack, staring at the doorway. Everything around him was calm, as if nothing had happened at all.

Soon, he heard the heavy iron gate rattle followed by voices. It must have been the workers arriving for their shift. Zhang Qinglin’s gaze pierced through the doorway, fixed on the pond in the distance. He heard some workers questioning why Uncle Zhong was nowhere to be seen, while others remarked that they hadn't spotted the big man, Qian San, or the others either. Zhang Qinglin watched blankly as the laborers walked past the shack toward the pond, his heart still gripped by tension. He wasn't worried that they would discover the big man's body, but he felt an inexplicable unease. He had already tossed the wooden board Uncle Zhong had erected into the trash heap at the far end of the yard.

He sat in the shack for the entire morning, but suddenly, Zhang Qinglin realized something was wrong. By all accounts, if Uncle Zhong had killed the big man by accident, and the witnesses, Qian San and Lizi, had fled in terror and never returned, and if Uncle Zhong had truly gone to surrender himself to the police, the authorities should have arrived long ago. Yet, there was not a sound. It was all too normal.

Just as Zhang Qinglin stood up to leave, Bai Weiwei suddenly appeared in the doorway. She stepped inside, closed the door, and looked at him with an expression of disbelief. Then, glancing out the window, she said calmly, "Don't make a sound. Come with me now, and don't say a word. Wait for me in the car by the gate."

The look in Bai Weiwei’s eyes told Zhang Qinglin that she knew everything; otherwise, she wouldn't be so composed. As he watched her turn and open the door to leave, he didn't overthink it and followed her out. Outside the main gate sat a white pickup truck. Bai Weiwei walked toward the pond, where a stranger was standing. Zhang Qinglin assumed this person must be there to replace Uncle Zhong, and he made his way to the pickup. The vehicle was empty, and as he opened the door and climbed in, he inadvertently caught sight of two partial, red fingerprints smeared on the side of the truck bed.

Zhang Qinglin leaned closer to inspect them. They were human fingerprints, the depth of the marks suggesting a desperate struggle.

"What are you looking at? Get in, we're leaving!" Bai Weiwei’s voice rang out from behind him. Zhang Qinglin was startled and turned to see her heading toward the driver's seat.

Once the car left the West Gate Timber Yard and merged onto the highway, Zhang Qinglin stared straight ahead and asked, "Where are we going?"

"Beijing. I originally planned to head back the day after tomorrow, but it seems we've moved up the schedule."

Zhang Qinglin glanced over, unable to hold back any longer. "What did you do to Uncle Zhong?"

"What about Uncle Zhong?" Bai Weiwei asked, her hands on the steering wheel as she cast a sidelong glance at him.

"Did you get rid of him?" Zhang Qinglin asked, his face stiff with agitation. Seeing that she remained silent, he continued, "Uncle Zhong was a responsible man. In the end, he did what he did for the sake of your fishery. You didn't actually..."

"Do what to him? Kill him? How could you think that of me? Uncle Zhong worked for my father for years. His health hasn't been good lately, so we arranged for him to rest and recover at the timber yard. Even those quiet days weren't peaceful; Qian San and his group were stealing steel and timber from the yard night after night, sometimes even robbing their own people. At first, Uncle Zhong ignored them, but they grew increasingly brazen. He warned them many times. I knew those people were pitiful and had families to feed, so I turned a blind eye, but I never expected things to escalate like this. On his way to the police station, Uncle Zhong was hit by a car and hospitalized."

"Were Qian San and the others arrested?"

Bai Weiwei shook her head. "I don't know where they are now."

Zhang Qinglin looked out into the distance, a complex mix of emotions churning within him.

"By the way, is the jade tiger still there? It wasn't stolen by Qian San and his crew, was it?" Bai Weiwei asked, her eyes on the road.

Zhang Qinglin pulled the jade tiger from his pocket, held it up, and said helplessly, "Everything that has happened, one thing after another, is all because of this piece of jade."

Bai Weiwei turned to look at it briefly before returning her gaze to the road. "What are your plans once you reach Beijing?"

Zhang Qinglin hadn't truly thought that through yet. Should he return to the courtyard house, or look for Cheng Che first?

"There is one more thing I haven't told you. You need to prepare yourself mentally."

Zhang Qinglin turned his head to look at the solemn-faced Bai Weiwei.

"That woman, Wanqing—is she from the Chen family?"

"Yes, she is a relative of the Chens. Why?" Zhang Qinglin’s eyes flickered.

"It’s nothing, just a reminder to be careful. The Chen family has always been unscrupulous and cunning in their business dealings. I suspect that the body you mistook for yours—your friends wouldn't have made such a mistake. It is highly likely that the Chens staged it on purpose to spread the news that you were dead." Bai Weiwei turned the steering wheel and pulled into a service station.

"Have you had dealings with them? Why would you say that?" Zhang Qinglin asked, his eyes widening as he stared at a large green truck in front of them.

"In business, clashes are inevitable. As for their motives, you’ll have to ask yourself that. What is it they want from you, or perhaps, what value do you hold for them?" Bai Weiwei pressed the brake, hit the window button, and looked over at him.

She then addressed the gas station attendant, "Fill it up, please. Thank you!"