Snail Senior Brother

Chapter 116 Mending the Fences After the Sheep are Lost

Wang Tan died from an overdose of sleeping pills. He left behind a suicide note explaining his reasons.

The note stated that the lies tormented him every minute, and he could no longer bear such torture, so he chose to end his life. We all knew Wang Tan had lived a life of poverty. His turning point came last year when he sold two paintings abroad, gaining wealth and fame. However, this was not entirely true. Wang Tan had merely received some payment for imitating the famous painting "Woman 3." He then used this money to buy his own paintings from overseas, creating a false impression for the domestic Artists Association that foreign collectors recognized Wang Tan's artistic talent.

Leveraging this, Wang Tan's fame skyrocketed. Coupled with his absolute professional knowledge, he became the honorary vice-president of the city's Artists Association this year. This honor, however, took a toll on Wang Tan's conscience. He felt that his dishonest methods had tainted the purity of art, and he was tormented day and night by his actions, eventually leading to a mental breakdown and his suicide.

Because Wang Tan had forged "Woman 3," the case was transferred to the "Black Gold" task force, becoming a branch of the 107 major fraud case.

"Why did you go to Wang Tan's house?" Yu Xiaoluo asked me directly.

I didn't hide anything and told Yu Xiaoluo about my visit to Wang Tan's home. Yu Xiaoluo couldn't believe it and tentatively asked, "Tang Nan, are you saying the Long-Tongued Ghost can do disguises? Don't you think that sounds too childish?"

"Disguises might be an exaggeration, but I believe the Long-Tongued Ghost definitely used plaster, foundation, and his painting skills to alter his appearance."

"Even if his appearance was altered, a painter could recognize him by his hands. So, you think Wang Tan was looking for the Long-Tongued Ghost to kill him and staged his suicide?"

...

I didn't answer Yu Xiaoluo's question. Instead, I turned to Luo Bo, who had remained silent, and said, "Someone promised to put down his work and investigate the Long-Tongued Ghost with me, but after finding some clues, he got scared and backed out. Another suicide note. If I'm not mistaken, the handwriting is Wang Tan's. Are we going to investigate? Do you dare to investigate!"

I spoke sarcastically, but Yu Xiaoluo didn't scold me. Instead, she looked at Luo Bo with surprise, along with me. Luo Bo still had that worried expression, his brows furrowed. Finally, he made a decision: "Xiaoluo, treat Zhang Ying's case and this case as serial murders. Conduct new autopsies and determine if their deaths are truly related to sleeping pills."

"Okay!"

Luo Bo finally acted. I was relieved. With Luo Bo's help, dealing with the Long-Tongued Ghost would be much easier. He had professional advantages and would surely find the Long-Tongued Ghost quickly.

"Brother Luo, what about me?"

"You are not to be involved in this case. And you need to immediately cancel your art exhibition designed to lure the snake out of its hole. Do you know you are putting an innocent girl in the most dangerous situation?"

...

This was something I hadn't considered at first. I truly didn't know the Long-Tongued Ghost was so insane as to kill without hesitation. Now, Luo Bo was right. No matter what, I had to get Yang Zhenzhen out of this situation.

But I had just hurt Yang Zhenzhen's feelings today. Could I really be so cruel to a girl? If I revealed my purpose to her, she barely had any friends. She must have thought of me as a friend, perhaps even developed feelings of love. If I exposed my intentions, would she live in the shadow of this forever?

"Sister, can you do me a favor?"

"Speak!" Yu Xiaoluo was always direct and efficient.

"I bought a painting from Yang Zhenzhen for 158,000. Can you approach her as a police officer and tell her I'm a liar?"

Yu Xiaoluo looked at me with interest, "Do you like her?"

"Stop messing around, sister. You'll know when you meet her. She's a fatty, very fat. How could I like a fatty?"

"Are you that shallow?"

Yu Xiaoluo's question caught me off guard. I couldn't immediately refute it. Yu Xiaoluo chuckled, "Tomorrow, I'll go see Yang Zhenzhen."

...

The fifth day!

Two more days until the old ghost arrives.

The exhibition was set up to find and capture the Long-Tongued Ghost before the old ghost arrived. But I underestimated the Long-Tongued Ghost. This person isn't a mentally ill individual with arrogant theories; he is highly intelligent and ruthless.

I thought that even if the Long-Tongued Ghost had planned ahead, he couldn't have accounted for causality. I was wrong, completely wrong. Gao Qiang was an unforeseen factor. Yang Zhenzhen clearly wasn't. I had thought about it carefully.

The problem lay with Juan Mao. Juan Mao was the internet cafe manager. We were familiar, but only within the context of the internet cafe. I knew him, but I never knew he was my senior at school. He didn't ask me, but he immediately spoke about my transformation into Jiang He. Furthermore, Juan Mao even pointed me in a direction, towards a beautiful girl who knew Jiang He.

These processes were all normal and unquestionable. However, after I met Yang Zhenzhen, I discovered a problem. Yang Zhenzhen was obsessed with painting, had an unconventional appearance, and with her unusual behavior, she had almost no friends. How did Juan Mao, who had been working as an internet cafe manager, know Yang Zhenzhen?

To prove my suspicion, I went to the art studio and asked several people. None of them knew Yang Zhenzhen was called "Da Mei Niu" (Big Beauty). However, someone did tell me that Yang Zhenzhen's QQ number was Da Mei Niu.

Although Juan Mao was telling the truth, I sensed something was wrong and had to verify it immediately. When I found Juan Mao, he looked full of guilt. Before I could say anything, he immediately admitted he had lied.

Juan Mao's family conditions were not good; otherwise, he wouldn't have to work while studying. The day I was online, someone added Juan Mao on QQ. The QQ name was Da Mei Niu.

Da Mei Niu provided her student ID and name, and promised Juan Mao a sellable game account for "A Chinese Odyssey 2." This forced Juan Mao to lie and tell me that Da Mei Niu, Yang Zhenzhen, knew about Jiang He.

In reality, Juan Mao was very busy with his studies and the internet cafe, and had never heard of Jiang He.

After Juan Mao lied that day, he took another hundred yuan from me for cola and felt guilty. He went back to school and inquired about Yang Zhenzhen, only to find out she was a fatty.

No boy likes a fat girl; this seemed to be a truth.

Juan Mao felt quite guilty. I felt a bit helpless and asked him, "Did you receive the game account?"

"No, Yang Zhenzhen is a big liar."

"The person who lied to you wasn't Yang Zhenzhen, you idiot. When you have time, use your brain. Don't get so absorbed in online games that people think you're an idiot."

Juan Mao's face turned red from my words, but I didn't care about his embarrassment and walked away.

This was the Long-Tongued Ghost's "scheme." Wang Tan was killed by him, so Yang Zhenzhen must be in extreme danger. I couldn't wait for Yu Xiaoluo to inform Yang Zhenzhen of the danger. I had to tell Yang Zhenzhen myself, even if she hated me for the rest of her life, I couldn't let her get involved in such a dangerous situation.

...

I called Yang Zhenzhen, but she didn't answer. I went to the art studio, but she wasn't there. The teacher said she had taken leave for a few days to attend an art exhibition. I rushed to the exhibition hall by taxi. The staff had taken down my paintings, and Yang Zhenzhen wasn't there.

I had a bad feeling and quickly called Yang Zhenzhen. This chubby girl just wouldn't answer my calls.

I became anxious and called Yu Xiaoluo: "Sister, what did you say to Yang Zhenzhen?"

"I said what I needed to say. Don't worry, she won't hate you."

Hearing Yu Xiaoluo say this, I began to realize that Yu Xiaoluo's well-intentioned help had backfired. If Yang Zhenzhen hated me, she would have backed out. Why create so many complications? I was unhappy and said loudly, "Don't talk nonsense."

"How dare you speak to me like that? What I want to say is my business, and you can't control it?"

Yu Xiaoluo's bad temper flared up again. If I continued, she would surely hail a taxi and come beat me up. I could only take a deep breath and calmly say, "She knows everything, where did she go?"

"How would I know."

"Then I'll let you go."

Yu Xiaoluo hung up without even saying goodbye.

...

Just as I was at a loss, Yang Zhenzhen called me. She said excitedly, "Tang Nan, come to the Culture City."

I knew Culture City; it was a market selling stationery opposite the city hospital. Why would Yang Zhenzhen go there, and why was she asking me to come?

"What for?"

"When you get here, you'll know. Qian Kun Art Supplies."

With that, Yang Zhenzhen hung up. I took a taxi to Culture City and finally found the Qian Kun Art Supplies store. I saw Yang Zhenzhen waiting for me anxiously. As I was about to speak, Yang Zhenzhen cut in: "Tang Nan, I know I was wrong, and I know why you painted that picture. The police sister told me it was very dangerous. I know, but I can help you, and I can't bear not to. You treat me as a tool, but I truly consider you a friend. You know, since I was little..."

I interrupted her with a wave of my hand: "Stop the nonsense, I didn't say you weren't a friend."

Yang Zhenzhen, who had been anxious, suddenly smiled when she heard me. Her cheeks rippled with laughter.

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

"The colors of Dutch paintings, though appearing complex and simple, possess a subtle charm that not everyone can replicate. If someone were to forge 'Woman 3,' they would absolutely need to get the pigments from Uncle Li."

"Is he the only one?"

"Yes!"

I met Uncle Li. He was in his fifties, very thin, with a sharp mouth and monkey-like cheeks, large eyes, and a weary expression, just like Wang Tan. As soon as I mentioned "Woman 3," Uncle Li knelt down. He said he would tell me everything and begged me to protect him from being killed.

Uncle Li had seen the news and knew Wang Tan was dead. He was afraid someone would kill him. So, he confessed everything and asked me to spare his life.

...

There were five people involved in forging "Woman 3": Wang Tan was responsible for the canvas, Uncle Li for the pigments, there was a contact person with a butterfly tattoo, a craftsman skilled in forgery, and a salesperson.

After the painting was completed, the forgers gave them twenty million yuan and made a strange request.