Kiwi Beyond the Cage 016

**Honeyed Cage (II)**

**Ji Pingjiang, male.**

Over twenty years ago, due to gambling debts, Ji Pingjiang had a dispute with debt collectors. He wielded a knife and inflicted serious injuries on two individuals and minor injuries on three others. While fleeing in his vehicle, he crashed into the sea and vanished without a trace. Despite days of police salvage operations, only the wreckage of his minivan was recovered; Ji Pingjiang's body was never found.

Whether he is dead or alive remains unknown. All that is certain is that he has not been seen for all these years.

Three years ago, Ji Wei ceased her search for Ji Pingjiang and officially erased his identity records. Thus, in the eyes of the law, he has been regarded as a "dead man" who simply disappeared, and was the first to be ruled out as a suspect.

"It's actually him..."

Not only was Ou Yanglin astonished, but all the police officers involved in the case were left dumbfounded. "All these years... he didn't die??"

Whether Ji Pingjiang is dead or alive can only be confirmed by finding the murderer himself. The one undeniable fact is that the skin tissue extracted from Hong Mao's nail indeed belonged to Ji Pingjiang.

"This is just too unreasonable," someone muttered.

Ou Yanglin countered, "What's unreasonable?"

It is precisely because the evidence points to Ji Pingjiang that it makes sense.

Ou Yanglin pulled over a whiteboard, posted a photo of Ji Pingjiang, and drew a red arrow, "He Xiaoyuan's fatal fall, Ji Pingjiang's murder of Sheng Linrong, a vengeful killing."

The arrow pointed again to Meng Qingde, "Ji Wei lived with the Sheng family and was abused by Meng Qingde. During that hospital incident, he harbored murderous intent towards Ji Wei."

If over these years, Ji Pingjiang has been alive and closely monitoring his daughter, then the death of Wu Fali also has an explanation. Perhaps the Employer X of Wu Fali is none other than Ji Pingjiang.

Wanting to give his daughter a birthday gift but unable to appear due to his identity, killing for her as a vent and offering the corpse as a gift, seems plausible.

"Found it!" Zhao Liang typed rapidly on the keyboard, "Ji Pingjiang studied computer science at a prestigious university in his early years and even participated in the CF Challenge... he's a talent."

How did such a promising and elite individual get involved in gambling?

When he married He Xiaoyuan, he was a core engineer at a company in the neighboring city. In the fifth year of their marriage, he was poached by a renowned local enterprise with a high salary, and he moved to this city with his wife and daughter. Zhao Liang exclaimed, "It's actually Guangtai Technology!"

At that time, Guangtai Technology was precisely under the control of Sheng Linrong.

After only two months at Guangtai Technology, Ji Pingjiang was cornered at his workplace by debt collectors due to gambling debts, followed by his knife-wielding assault, escape, and disappearance. Oddly enough, after Ji Pingjiang vanished, none of the individuals he stabbed caused a commotion. Although they demanded substantial medical expenses, they did not urgently pursue compensation from He Xiaoyuan...

Recalling that video recording, Sheng Linrong seemed to be well-informed about He Xiaoyuan's family situation, and his malice towards Ji Pingjiang was utterly unmasked, "This gambling debt..."

Zhao Liang boldly speculated, "It's rather suspicious."

The deeper they dug, the more entangled Ji Pingjiang became with the Sheng family. If the so-called gambling debt was a conspiracy by Sheng Linrong to win back He Xiaoyuan, then Ji Pingjiang must have harbored intense hatred for Sheng Linrong.

"Given this... it does seem that the entire case is indeed unrelated to Sheng Long," Ou Yanglin mused, "Do you think he's innocent?"

"Aren't you the one who told us not to rely on feelings when solving cases?" Zhao Liang scratched his head, "But this guy is pretty creepy."

"And..." His voice paused as he leaned in closer to Ou Yanglin, somewhat embarrassed, "Don't you, Lin, feel increasingly uneasy as we delve deeper into this case?"

At first, there were no leads. Then, when they had a suspect, they were frustrated by the lack of evidence. Finally, when they gathered some evidence, the clues pointed to someone else. Now, almost all the evidence seems to connect, yet it still leaves a suffocating feeling.

Ou Yanglin sneered, "Is it pleasant to be led around by the nose?"

After years of solving cases, she wasn't unfamiliar with high-intelligence criminals. Engaging in intellectual battles with them was a common occurrence. But this was the first time she felt like she was being toyed with and made to run in circles.

"He was so well-hidden before, so why did he reveal a flaw specifically with Hong Mao?" And such a shoddy flaw at that, which was completely inconsistent with the cunning and cunning methods he used to kill Wu Fali.

"Come with me."

After assigning tasks to the others, Ou Yanglin grabbed the back of Zhao Liang's collar.

The six-foot-tall giant was lifted like a chick. Hearing the laughter of his colleagues, he flapped around a bit, unable to even hold onto his bread, "Sis, sis, leave me some dignity... It's not like you don't sleep or eat..."

"Where are we going now?"

"The hospital."

She was now at odds with Sheng Long.

When they returned to the hospital once again, Sheng Long was not in the ward.

Seeing that Ji Wei was awake, Ou Yanglin softened her tone, "Where's your brother?"

"Gone to get food," she replied. From somewhere, she had found a coin and was sitting on the hospital bed, flipping it up and catching it smoothly, crushing and flattening it in her palm, unlike the first time she played with it.

Noticing that Ou Yanglin and Zhao Liang were both staring at her, she thought they wanted to play too. She slightly opened her fingers, peeked inside, and held it out to them, "Heads or tails?"

"Guess correctly, and it's yours."

This was a side of Ji Wei they had never seen before.

She was soft, compliant, yet lively. It was hard to imagine how she had grown up in the oppressive environment of the Sheng family. Was it related to Sheng Long?

"Heads," Zhao Liang spoke first, jumping to the conclusion: "I'm a police officer, forever aligned with the righteous path."

Ou Yanglin, who had intended to guess tails, swallowed her words, "Alright, I'll go with heads too."

"Wrong guess!" Ji Wei's eyes curved into a smile. Had her tone not been so childish, Ou Yanglin would have almost forgotten that she was a patient.

Her palm opened, revealing the coin lying flat in the other palm, engraved with vines on the reverse side.

Ou Yanglin fell silent. Zhao Liang let out a dry laugh, "How about another try?"

Ji Wei shook her head. Thinking Zhao Liang wanted it, she moved her palm closer to him, "Here, take it."

Zhao Liang hesitated for a moment, reaching out to take it, only to have Ou Yanglin slap his hand away, "Aren't you the beacon of righteousness? Guess wrong and still take it?"

"I wasn't really after it..." Zhao Liang obediently retracted his hand. He wasn't coveting the coin; he just wanted to spend more time with Ji Wei to build rapport, making it easier to extract information later.

Ou Yanglin got straight to the point, "Have you... seen your father recently?"

Ji Wei shook her head without a second thought, "He's missing. I can't find him, and neither can Mom."

"Have you been searching for him all these years?"

Ji Wei nodded.

"Why did you give up three years ago?"

Her movements paused, and Ji Wei looked up blankly, repeating, "Give up?"

Seeing her emotions still relatively stable, Ou Yanglin cautiously inquired, trying her luck: "Why did you remove your father's identity information three years ago?"

After searching for so long, to just give up like that, there must be a reason, "Did someone... say something to you?"

Ji Wei thought carefully for a long time and replied, "It was... my brother. He said..."

"What did he say?"

"He told me to give up, to stop looking. He said he would stay with me from then on, that he's my only family." The coin tumbled from her hand, rolling onto the floor as she murmured, "I didn't want to... I didn't want to..."

Didn't want to give up searching for Ji Pingjiang, or didn't want to have only Sheng Long as family?

Zhao Liang opened his mouth to press further but was stopped by Ou Yanglin.

Seeing Ji Wei's emotions about to waver, Ou Yanglin decided to stop while she could. She picked up the coin and pressed it back into Ji Wei's hand.

Half an hour had passed, and Sheng Long still hadn't returned.

A nurse entered, instructing Ji Wei to take her medicine.

Holding the water cup, Ji Wei seemed bored and kept glancing towards the door, "Hasn't my brother come back yet?"

Upon learning that he wasn't fetching food from the cafeteria but had ordered takeout to pick up, the two exchanged glances and reassured Ji Wei, "We'll go check."

It shouldn't take half an hour just to pick up takeout.

"Ling!" Just as they stepped out of the ward, Zhao Liang tugged at Ou Yanglin, "There he is."

Ou Yanglin followed the direction he pointed and spotted the half-open door at the stairwell entrance. Clearly visible was a figure holding a meal box; Sheng Long leaned against the wall, his eyelashes lowered as if conversing with someone.

The person was stepping on the stairs, a head shorter than Sheng Long, completely shrouded in the shadow cast by the door, with only the outline of a man faintly discernible.

Ou Yanglin made a gesture to Zhao Liang.

Zhao Liang understood instantly, turning to run in the opposite direction, silently calculating the timing. Ou Yanglin walked straight towards the stairwell, pasting a smile on her face as she pushed the door open, "Ji Wei has been waiting anxiously. Why are you here?"

The fire door let out a harsh click as it was shut tight by Ou Yanglin.

She glanced downward, the lanky man wearing a baseball cap, his face completely obscured by the wide brim. Startled by the door's sound, he jumped.

The conversation between the two men halted.

Sheng Long narrowed his eyes slightly, his complexion appearing pale against the dimly lit stairwell. He turned his face towards Ou Yanglin.

Caught off guard by Ou Yanglin's sudden intrusion, the man made a move to leave. As he turned, the sound of running footsteps echoed from below. Zhao Liang dashed up the stairs in a few strides, reaching out to grasp the man's shoulder, "Bro, no need to be in such a hurry."

Before the man could react, Zhao Liang yanked off his baseball cap, revealing a familiar, young face. The man's voice was hoarse with anger, "What are you doing?!"

The voice was youthful and somewhat recognizable.

With the cap removed, the man's face was fully exposed. Ou Yanglin saw Zhao Liang's mouth drop open, "Why is it you...?"

It was Sheng Long's assistant, Wu Li.

Previously, whenever they had met, he was always dressed in a crisp suit. After not seeing him for days, he had abandoned his gel and leather shoes, now wearing a baseball cap and looking disheveled. From a distance, it was hard to guess his age.

"Wait, why are you dressed like that?" Zhao Liang scrutinized him from head to toe.

Feeling embarrassed, Wu Li's eyes darted between him and Sheng Long, "What were you two talking about?"

Already on edge, Wu Li's irritation grew at Zhao Liang's interrogative tone. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn't rested well in days. His stubble and lack of energy made him look haggard. He snatched back his cap and put it on, "None of your business!"

Zhao Liang tried to ask a few more questions but was roughly pushed aside by Wu Li, "Captain Lin..."

"Don't chase him," Sheng Long, who had been silent, finally spoke.

The stairwell was filled with the sound of Wu Li's footsteps as he descended. Sheng Long indifferently remarked, "I fired him."

"Fired? Why?" Zhao Liang finally understood why Wu Li looked so haggard.

Perhaps feeling that too much time had been wasted here, Sheng Long grew impatient. He glanced at his wristwatch and asked, "You特意blocked the stairwell just to ask this?"

Of course not.

Regardless of what they wanted to ask, Sheng Long insisted that he needed to deliver the meal to Ji Wei first.

The two followed him back to the ward, where Ji Wei joyfully called out, "Brother!"

She was still playing with the coin, tossing it into the air and catching it deftly. With her palm facing up, she asked Sheng Long, "Heads or tails?"

This was likely not the first time they had played this game.

Sheng Long placed the boxed meal on the desk.

Bending down, instead of answering, he took Ji Wei's hand, opened her palm, removed the coin, and placed it on the desk.

Kneeling in front of her, Sheng Long carefully wiped her fingers with a wet wipe, his lowered brows gentle and harmless, devoid of the gloom from the stairwell.

"Choose you," he finally replied.

Heads or tails were never his options; from beginning to end, his choice remained unchanged.

Ji Wei seemed stunned.

Staring blankly at Sheng Long's face, she raised her now-clean finger and gently poked his nose bridge, where a bright red mole sat, red as a drop of blood.

Zhao Liang was impressed, "You can choose like that?"

Ou Yanglin looked at the desk and noticed the coin standing upright, one side facing the sun and the other enveloped in shadow, its narrow edge facing Ji Wei.

"Let's go," Sheng Long said, after ensuring Ji Wei had started her meal. He rose leisurely.

Closing the ward door, the group proceeded to the lounge once more. Ou Yanglin got straight to the point with her previous question. Upon hearing Ji Pingjiang's name, he paused for a moment before responding, "Wei Wei's father."

"Ji Wei said that three years ago, it was you who asked her to注销Ji Pingjiang's identity information. Why?"

Sheng Long massaged his temple, seemingly finding the question foolish. His tone carried a hint of impatience as he reminded them, "He's been missing for over twenty years, and before he disappeared, he was in a car accident."

The vehicle had been retrieved from the water, severely damaged. What were the chances of survival?

"All these years, Wei Wei has been searching for Ji Pingjiang. After she fell ill, every birthday gift Sheng Linrong gave her was fantasized by her to be from Ji Pingjiang, believing that he never left and has always been by her side, protecting her."

The reason for removeing Ji Pingjiang's identity was related to some property issues, as demanded by her paternal uncle's family. Sheng Long merely used the opportunity to discuss it with Ji Wei, "Is there a problem with that?"

If there was a problem, they would have to seek out Ji Wei's paternal uncle's family abroad.

Zhao Liang clicked his tongue, "All these years, have you never seen Ji Pingjiang? Or have there been any suspicious individuals around Ji Wei and Sheng Linrong?"

"What do you mean," Sheng Long reacted swiftly, "Ji Pingjiang isn't dead?"

"We suspect your father's death is connected to him."

Sheng Long fell silent, his fingertips gently caressing the wrist of his right hand, where the bite marks from Ji Wei still lingered. Behind a wall's thickness, Ji Wei was eating her meal, the hospital room playing a comedy variety show. Though few laughs escaped Ji Wei, the caregiver chuckled incessantly.

"Mr. Sheng, what are you thinking?" Ou Yanglin stared at him intently, "This matter is related to the deaths of your parents. We hope you are not withholding any information from us..."

Sheng Long absentmindedly hummed an acknowledgment, lowering his lashes to continue pondering.

Under Ou Yanglin's persistent urging, he spoke: "Earlier, in the stairwell, didn't you ask me why I fired Wu Li?"

He abruptly shifted to an unrelated topic, "Because he betrayed me."

Sheng Long and Wu Li were high school classmates and attended the same university, studying law. Besides Ji Wei and Sheng Long, only Wu Li knew about the D card.

"All along, I thought it was my carelessness that allowed Sheng Linrong to discover the existence of the D card. It was only yesterday that I found out it was him."

It was Wu Li who secretly sold the D card to Sheng Linrong and engaged in a long-term transaction with him.

"I considered him a friend, yet he took Sheng Linrong's money and spied on me and Weiwei. Every move we made was reported to Sheng Linrong by Wu Li."

Zhao Liang didn't quite grasp it, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Instead of asking me, you might as well ask Wu Li." As the sole witness to his relationship with Ji Wei.

"You..." Zhao Liang's voice was cut off by Ou Yanglin.

This time, she didn't even bother to drag Zhao Liang along; she ran out while making a phone call, "Find Wu Li's location, quickly send someone to protect Wu Li!!"

If Ou Yanglin's guess was correct, Ji Pingjiang's next target would be Wu Li.

Previously, Ou Yanglin couldn't fathom why Ji Pingjiang was so well-informed about the Sheng family's affairs. He couldn't possibly be operating alone; there had to be someone assisting him. Sheng Long was the prime suspect, which was why she kept pressing him.

Now that Sheng Long had revealed the existence of a third party, and given that Wu Li had betrayed his friend for money, was it possible that Wu Li, during his transactions with Sheng Linrong, had come into contact with Ji Pingjiang and, for some reason, sold the information to him as well? This was merely Ou Yanglin's conjecture, and it could very likely be a misdirection by Sheng Long. However, if it held true, Wu Li would undoubtedly be the next victim, and she couldn't afford to gamble with a life at stake.

Already deep into the night, police sirens wailed as they sped through the streets toward Wu Li's residence.

Sheng Long stood by the hospital window, gazing at the distant cityscape and lightly tapping the windowsill.

Behind him, a rustling sound signaled Ji Wei approaching with a sugar box. She first tilted her head to look at him, then followed his gaze out the window, cocking her head again, "Brother, what are you looking at?"

"I see a kiwi bird flying in the sky," he replied.

Ji Wei immediately retorted without hesitation, "Kiwi birds have no wings; they can't fly."

"Then they should be kept in cages," he said.

"Look—"

It seemed as though silent fireworks had burst in the sky.

Sheng Long wrapped his arm around Ji Wei's shoulders, confining her within his embrace, and propped her chin up to look outside once more. In the distance, what appeared to be black smoke rose, or perhaps it was just a dark cloud. Fire trucks followed the direction of the police cars, and even the hospital became restless with activity.

"Outside the cage is too dangerous," he murmured.

Ji Wei stared blankly.

As if licked by something cold, the color drained from her face, inch by inch, and she began to shiver uncontrollably. Sheng Long held her close, pressing his cool lips against the corner of hers, and bent to whisper low in her ear, "Only by brother's side is it safest."

A minor explosion occurred at Wu Li's home, flames consuming everything within. By the time the fire was extinguished, it was already past midnight. The fire caused no casualties, yet Wu Li had vanished. He had disappeared without a trace.

The police reviewed surveillance footage along the roads but found no sign of Wu Li. Instead, they spotted a suspect resembling Ji Pingjiang. Following the cameras for several days, they finally captured a clear image of the suspect's face—it was indeed Ji Pingjiang, who had been missing for years.

"This is... near the hospital?!" A sense of foreboding welled up in Ou Yanglin's heart.

She reached for her phone, about to contact Sheng Long, when the caregiver in charge of Ji Wei called first, "Officer Ou Yang."

The caregiver anxiously reported, "Xiao Wei's condition has worsened for some reason. I shouldn't disturb you... but Mr. Sheng has been unreachable since this morning..."

Chasing through several nearby streets, the surveillance system was rapidly scanning for Ji Pingjiang's face. Hearing the information through the receiver, Zhao Liang tentatively searched for Sheng Long, "Found him..."

8:15 a.m.

In the surveillance footage, Sheng Long, dressed in white top and black pants, walked side by side with a delivery person, carrying boxed meals.

"Wait," Zhao Liang leaned in, enlarging the screen.

Between the brushing of their clothes, a black cylindrical object at the cuff was faintly visible. They weren't walking side by side; it was a hostage situation.

Ji Pingjiang had taken Sheng Long hostage.

"What is he planning to do?!" It was already two in the afternoon. Zhao Liang looked at Ou Yanglin, "Could he still be targeting Sheng Long??"