Chapter 58 :The truth

　　I stayed quiet, just letting the possibilities swirl around in my head. The more I thought about it, the more I found myself smirking and shaking my head.

　　“What’s got you grinning, Xiaofeng? You don’t seriously think this is all just a coincidence, do you?” Liu Dazhuang asked, puzzled.

　　“One coincidence is one thing, but two? Three? What are the odds?” I shot back, locking eyes with him.

　　“What exactly are you getting at?” he pressed.

　　“Think about it—Tongming Construction was the predecessor of Tongming Group. The Bagua stone carving in Huayuan Community was done by Panshi Carving, whose owner, Zhang Ke, just happened to have a background in construction. Are we really supposed to believe all of that’s just a coincidence?”

　　“Wait a minute—Zhang Ke used to work at Tongming Construction?” Feng Xiao blurted out.

　　“Bingo!” I nodded.

　　“And the person running the show at both Tongming Construction and Tongming Group has always been Zhang Ming. Which means Zhang Ke was one of Zhang Ming’s guys!” Liu Dazhuang added, starting to catch on.

　　I stayed focused on the documents, flipping through the pages as I continued, “And here’s the kicker—Panshi Carving was registered right after Li Hongmin’s death. That timing’s just a little too convenient, don’t you think? I’m starting to suspect…”

　　“Zhang Ming orchestrated the whole thing! The founding of Panshi Carving is directly tied to Li Hongmin’s death!” Liu Dazhuang cut in, his voice rising.

　　“Exactly!” I said, my tone firm. “I think Li Hongmin was murdered. Zhang Ming had Zhang Ke set up that company with a specific purpose in mind: to create the Bagua stone carving and use it to suppress Li Hongmin’s wandering spirit!”I shot to my feet. “Thank you, Director Feng!” I said, before turning to Liu Dazhuang. “Let’s move, Brother Dazhuang!”

　　We hurried out of the business bureau, and as soon as we were outside, Liu Dazhuang caught up with me. “Where are we rushing off to, Xiaofeng?” he asked, a little out of breath.

　　I glanced at my watch—it was almost noon. “You should head back, Brother Dazhuang,” I said. “It's nearly lunchtime, and you need to look after Sister Mengyun. I can handle the rest from here.”

　　He paused, clearly reluctant to leave. “Alright, but take care of yourself. And if anything happens, you better let me know right away.”

　　“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” I assured him with a nod.

　　I waited until I saw him drive off before shifting my focus toward Tongming Group’s building in the distance. My next challenge was confronting Zhang Ming—and the even more elusive Li Yongxia lurking behind him.

　　Zhang Ming wasn’t much of a concern to me; I’d already decided that Liu Dazhuang could take care of him. What truly worried me was the enigmatic Li Yongxia. Someone of her caliber wouldn’t give a person like Liu Dazhuang a second thought. If she wanted, she could eliminate him effortlessly, as if it were just part of a casual conversation.

　　I let out a heavy sigh and set off for Tongming Group.

　　The journey wasn’t far—just a couple of intersections and a quick turn.

　　When I reached the entrance of Tongming Group, nobody stopped me this time. I walked straight in and headed directly to Zhang Ming’s office.

　　But when I arrived, the door was wide open, and Zhang Ming was nowhere to be found.

　　Just like last time, I made myself comfortable on the sofa, picked up the teapot, and poured myself a slow, steady cup of tea, savoring each sip as I waited.The tea wasn’t hot, but it wasn’t cold either—still warm enough that I knew Zhang Ming hadn’t been gone long. As I took another sip, I glanced around the room, noticing just how spacious and extravagantly decorated the office was. The level of luxury here was far beyond anything you’d find at Liu Dazhuang’s police station or Feng Xiao’s business bureau.

　　But I was fully aware that everything Zhang Ming had here was built on the backs of others. Tongming Group had gotten to where it was by stepping over corpses, thriving on blood money.

　　“I knew you’d show up!”

　　I turned to see Zhang Ming walking in. He was dressed in a suit, his short hair neatly groomed, looking sharp and full of energy.

　　I didn’t respond, just turned back to my tea. I knew he wouldn’t dare make a move against me because deep down, he understood that he wasn’t my match.

　　Zhang Ming took the same seat as last time, settling in across from me, staring with a curious expression.

　　“Am I really that charming?” he sneered. “You weren’t gone for long, but it seems you already missed me.”

　　I glanced up at him, a smirk forming on my lips. “You’re right—I’ve been thinking about you day and night.”

　　A subtle change flickered across Zhang Ming’s face, barely noticeable unless you were paying close attention.

　　“Wang Xiaofeng, I know why you’re here. Isn’t it because—”

　　I quickly raised my hand to cut him off. “Let me do the talking.”

　　He looked a bit surprised but then grinned. “Alright, I’m all ears.”

　　I put down my teacup, ran my fingers over the teapot, and said, “Is this how President Zhang treats his guests?”Zhang Ming’s face remained stone-cold as he stood up, walked over to his desk, and dialed a number. He kept it brief: “Xiao Liu, bring a pot of tea over right away.” Then, he hung up without another word.

　　I couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. No wonder this guy had been able to stay on top for so long—he was a master at reading the situation and playing along.

　　Just as Zhang Ming sat back down, his assistant Liu appeared, carrying a steaming pot of tea, which he set down on the table.

　　“Leave and close the door,” Zhang Ming instructed curtly.

　　“Yes, sir.” The assistant shot me a quick glance before turning to leave, pulling the door shut behind him.

　　“Go on, I’m listening,” Zhang Ming said.

　　I didn’t even look his way. Instead, I poured out the tea that had gone cold and refilled my cup with the freshly brewed tea. I took my time, taking a slow, deliberate sip.

　　Across from me, Zhang Ming’s eyes were blazing with restrained anger. His fists had tightened, knuckles turning white.

　　I cast him a sideways glance, a faint smirk tugging at my lips as I set down the cup. “Where should I start?” I mused, locking eyes with him. “Let’s begin with Tongming Construction, shall we?”

　　There was a flicker in Zhang Ming’s eyes, but he didn’t speak. He just kept staring at me with that intense, unyielding glare.

　　“Tongming Construction was the original name before you rebranded as Tongming Group. Back when you were working on the Huayuan Residential Project, you had a foreman named Li Hongmin on the crew—or at least, he was some kind of manager. Doesn’t really matter what his title was; what matters is he existed. And your company owed him a significant amount for the work he did.”

　　I took another casual sip of tea, my gaze never leaving Zhang Ming. Seeing no reaction from him, I went on, “He came to you, didn’t he? More than once, asking for his money. But you didn’t pay him. Instead, you made sure he wouldn’t ask again—you had him killed.”

　　Zhang Ming continued to sip his tea, seemingly unfazed, mirroring my own slow enjoyment of the drink.

　　“You poisoned Li Hongmin in his own apartment—Unit 404, Building 17 of the Huayuan Residential Project. After that, things started getting weird there—ghostly disturbances and all. So, you brought in Li Yongxia and Zhang Ke. You had Zhang Ke leave Tongming Construction to launch a new venture called Panshi Carving, and you had Li Yongxia fiddle with the feng shui of the complex. That’s how the bagua stone carving ended up in the community—you aimed to use it to keep Li Hongmin's restless spirit in check.”

　　At this point, Zhang Ming suddenly froze, his hand pausing mid-sip. For a fleeting moment, surprise flickered across his face, but it was just a flash. He quickly resumed his tea and said, “Go on!”