When leaving, I gave the boss five hundred yuan. The boss was puzzled, "Is that too much?"
"You'll know if you check the private room," I replied.
The boss looked at the cloth I was carrying, seeming to recognize it, and started to speak but stopped. I gave an awkward yet polite smile, "Boss, I'll come back to eat here next time."
With that, I pulled Yang Zhenzhen and we ran.
Once we felt we were in a safe area, I let go of Yang Zhenzhen's hand and said with a smile, "Yang Zhenzhen, I have something to do today, let's meet another time." Without noticing Yang Zhenzhen's disappointed look, I turned to hail a taxi across the street.
A taxi arrived. Seeing Yang Zhenzhen still there, I suddenly realized something. I quickly shouted, "Yang Zhenzhen."
"Hmm?"
"Your phone, your phone!"
After saying that, I threw my phone onto the roadside and got into the taxi. I was in a hurry and forgot to get Yang Zhenzhen's contact information, so I left my phone with her. I believed her thought process would surely understand my intentions.
...
When I arrived at the special task force, I spread the curtain on the table and said enthusiastically, "This is Jiang He, a twenty-something face with fifty-something hands. I believe the Long-tongued Ghost stole Jiang He's identity, dressed up, and approached Zhang Ying. He made certain promises to Zhang Ying, which made her try her best to deal with me."
"This is just your speculation, and it can't be used as evidence, can it?" Yu Xiaoluo asked.
"Why not?"
"If this were a photograph, it might serve as evidence, but this is a painting. It can only be a reference, not evidence," Yu Xiaoluo said.
...
In this painting, Yang Zhenzhen used a realistic style, painting the face with yellow broth, giving me even the sense of layers of foundation makeup. Perhaps the Long-tongued Ghost's makeup skills could perfectly transform his face into that of a young man. But time spares no one; he was over fifty, and his bone structure revealed his age. In front of someone as observant as Yang Zhenzhen, the Long-tongued Ghost's disguise was useless.
When I saw this painting, I thought I had found the Long-tongued Ghost. Clearly, that was not the case. Yu Xiaoluo reminded me that a painting cannot be used as evidence. I was somewhat dejected.
"Xiaoluo, take a photograph of this painting and coordinate with the local police station to see if they can help us find this person."
Luo Bo sensed my disappointment and started making arrangements. Yu Xiaoluo was a bit displeased, "Do we really have the energy for such a needle-in-a-haystack task right now?"
"We have to try."
Yu Xiaoluo sighed, "Alright, I'll go get the camera now."
...
After Yu Xiaoluo left, I looked at Luo Bo and said indirectly, "Brother Luo, if there's really no hope, then forget it. Don't trouble the comrades at the police station."
"Investigation is essentially manual labor. It's not like on TV where you find the killer immediately upon spotting a clue. Tang Nan, you've provided a direction. Think about it, Jiang He stayed in Hu Shi for two years. Besides painting replicas of famous works, he also forged two authentic-looking forgeries of 'Woman 3'. He gave one to Director Zhou, and the other fooled some so-called experts. Jiang He could easily create those replicas, but those two forgeries wouldn't have been so simple. The materials, the paints, and the unique forgery techniques. This isn't something an ordinary person could do."
"Can we find these people?" A flicker of hope reignited in my eyes.
"It's not easy! But it's a hope nonetheless."
"Then I hope we can find him~"
Luo Bo gently patted my shoulder, offering comfort for my current mood. I noticed that Luo Bo, while comforting me, looked somewhat troubled.
"What's wrong, Brother Luo?"
"I have a guess. Zhang Ying didn't commit suicide; she was murdered, and a suicide note was left behind."
"Yes, that should be it, right!"
"Do you remember the story I told you about the university student who died in our school? That very low-level suicide note. Over the years, I've solved more cases and realized something: very few people can perfectly imitate someone else's handwriting."
As expected of a top-tier criminal investigation talent, he had already sensed it. Indeed, that professor was the Long-tongued Ghost. Just as I was about to tell him this fact, Luo Bo spoke first, "If the professor is the Long-tongued Ghost, we should stop the investigation."
"Why?"
"A heinous murderer isn't scary. The scariest thing is a criminal with exceptionally high intelligence."
I had a vague premonition of something bad. I thought of the hawk-dove game the Long-tongued Ghost mentioned last night. I am the hawk; I fear nothing. The Long-tongued Ghost told me it was his game, and I would still face it head-on. Just as the Long-tongued Ghost said, when hawks meet, both are injured. I don't care. If you are my enemy, even if I die, I will grab your leg and drag you down. If you cut off my hand, I still have teeth to bite you tightly.
My failure is merely an individual failure, but the Long-tongued Ghost's failure could doom the entire 'Logical Paradox' organization. To me, that has value.
But Luo Bo is different. He is a dove. He clearly had the ability to guess that the professor was the Long-tongued Ghost. But he dared not play that game with the Long-tongued Ghost. He feared that the core of the so-called 'born criminal' might be triggered. Therefore, Luo Bo chose to avoid it. This is the value of a dove; he escapes, but he can continue to be the captain and fight other criminals. Not losing is victory, but I believe this kind of victory is an individual victory, which I dislike.
"If the Long-tongued Ghost is the professor, you won't arrest him."
"No."
"You'll just watch him get away?"
"We still have a chance."
"Where is the chance? When? Tell me, tell me! Must we always be like this, wherever 'Logical Paradox' scams people, we go clean up their mess? As long as they leave the name 'Long-tongued Ghost', we send the person away, smiling and saying, 'Have a good trip, we're off duty, see you on the next case.'"
Luo Bo frowned, "Tang Nan, don't be so emotional, we..."
"Alright, I get it! We're not investigating anymore, right? Then that's it, I'm leaving."
With that, I angrily gathered the painting Yang Zhenzhen had drawn, tucked it under my arm, and left. Just then, Yu Xiaoluo came in with a camera, his expression freezing, "Where are you going?"
"Not investigating anymore."
"Why aren't we investigating anymore?"
"How would I know the reason? Ask your Captain Luo."
...
I walked angrily onto the street, wandering aimlessly. For many years, how many people and how much money has this 'Logical Paradox' organization scammed? Many scams are related to them. If we extend the time frame, at least tens of billions have entered the 'Logical Paradox' coffers. With so much money, they've long since had enough. Clearly, it's not about the money.
These dangerous people, just like that, we stop investigating, give up.
I felt uncomfortable and helpless. I don't understand criminal investigation. Without the 'Black Gold' special task force, even with a portrait, where would I find the Long-tongued Ghost? As I walked, I stopped.
My mind raced. Luo Bo mentioned that Jiang He wanted to make a forgery of a famous painting that looked indistinguishable from the original. He couldn't have done it alone. Materials, paints, people who understand these things must also be able to paint.
The reason I stopped and thought this was because I was standing in front of an exhibition hall, where a calligraphy exhibition was currently underway.
As soon as I entered, a security guard stopped me, "Buy a ticket."
"Not buying."
The security guard was taken aback, "Don't mess around!"
"Isn't this a calligraphy exhibition? Do you sell calligraphy?"
"Yes, of course, we sell it."
"Then let me in. I'll buy all the calligraphy here."
...
The security guard had never seen such a mentally unstable person and dared not make a decision. He called for the manager. I inquired about the prices. The calligraphy here was quite valuable. The two characters 'Jing Xin' alone cost several hundred yuan. The calligraphy in this exhibition hall was not by famous artists; it was just for members of the association to practice. Even so, it cost over a hundred thousand yuan.
I didn't hesitate and bought it all. I would have it framed today and donate it to our school library for free, adding a bit of cultural atmosphere. The reason for doing this was that I had my eye on this exhibition hall. I asked the staff to frame my curtain and hang it in the exhibition hall. They had priced their four characters at five hundred yuan, while my painting done with vegetable broth was priced at five million. At the entrance, I also had them hang a banner: "Solo Exhibition by Renowned Artist Yang Zhenzhen."
Then, I took the staff to the school's art studio and took all of Yang Zhenzhen's paintings. The teacher looked at me in shock. I said kindly to the teacher, "Lonely in the world, all creators of art are lonely, yet the rewards of art are abundant, far beyond imagination. It is the richness of the soul, priceless."
The teacher was deeply moved and asked indirectly, "What about my paintings?"
Seeing that the staff had taken all of Yang Zhenzhen's paintings, I smiled kindly at the teacher, "Your paintings... the rest of the story will be told in the next chapter."
With that, I turned and left, leaving the teacher to her imagination. Whether her paintings were good or bad, I had no right to comment, as I was not a seller of art. Yang Zhenzhen was unaware of this. I took all her paintings from the studio without anyone calling to inform her. She was truly an artist of the 'lonely in the world' type, acting too unconventionally, which resulted in her having few friends.
I dialed my own phone to find her. On the phone, there was a new phone charm, with a pink little pig hanging at the end. I stared at the phone charm, feeling contempt. Yang Zhenzhen asked me with the shy smile of a young girl, "Do you like it?"
Who would like such a thing, but I needed her paintings to help me find the Long-tongued Ghost. I bit my lip and said, "It's my favorite color. Let's go, I'll take you somewhere."
A solo exhibition was Yang Zhenzhen's dream. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she jumped and skipped like a cheerful little pig. Watching her back, I frowned. I hoped this girl wouldn't fall for me. I only wanted to use her exhibition to find the Long-tongued Ghost.