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The tavern owner was wiping the counter when he heard footsteps entering the establishment. He looked up to see that the newcomers were Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan.
The tavern owner hurried out from behind the counter to greet them, "Oh, gentlemen, has the case of Zhu Dapeng been solved?"
Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan casually found some chairs to sit down.
Wang Zhiyuan replied, "If it were solved, why would we come here?"
Tao Ziwen explained to the tavern owner, "We're here to ask you if, besides Lao Fan, Zhu Dapeng had any conflicts with anyone while drinking here."
"Conflicts..." The tavern owner recalled carefully for a moment. "He did have a bit of a spat with a customer at the next table. Does that count?"
Wang Zhiyuan quickly responded, "Yes! That definitely counts!"
Tao Ziwen then asked, "Do you remember what they were arguing about?"
"The wife of Zhu Dapeng came to call him home, and Zhu Dapeng pushed her a little. His wife then spilled the drink of the neighboring table." The tavern owner added, "It was just this little thing; surely the people at the next table wouldn't kill Zhu Dapeng over it?"
Tao Ziwen pondered for a moment. "So, Zhu Dapeng's wife came here while he was drinking?"
"Yes!"
"Can you provide more details about what happened at that time?"
The tavern owner replied, "Sure!"
And so, the tavern owner began recounting the situation.
That night, he was calculating the day's earnings when aside from Wang Dapeng, there were three other people drinking in the tavern. The half-closed door was pushed open by Zhu Fan from outside. The tavern owner glanced up but didn't pay much attention.
Zhu Fan walked up to Zhu Dapeng and said, "Dapeng, stop drinking and let's go home! You have to work early tomorrow, don't you?"
Zhu Dapeng glanced at Zhu Fan and replied, "You damn woman, I can’t even enjoy my drink with you around!"
Zhu Fan explained, "It's not that I don't want you to enjoy yourself; I'm just worried you'll get drunk and miss work tomorrow. You've finally found a job; you can't just disregard it like that!"
Zhu Dapeng's temper flared up as he stood up unsteadily. "I don't care at all! What's it to you, you spendthrift woman!"
He staggered toward the counter, shouting, "Boss, bring me another bottle!"
Almost losing his balance, Zhu Dapeng's wife rushed over and grabbed his arm, urging him, "Let's not drink anymore, okay?"
Zhu Dapeng shoved her away, causing her to bump into a brute at the nearby table. The brute spilled his drink everywhere. He immediately stood up and pointed at Zhu Dapeng, cursing loudly, "You scoundrel! I can't stand people like you who get drunk and hit women!"
Zhu Dapeng retorted defiantly, "I'm hitting my own wife; what business is it of yours?"
The brute slammed the table in anger. "You asking for a beating?"
The two companions at the brute's table also stood up. Just as the brute was about to confront Zhu Dapeng physically, the tavern owner quickly intervened, stopping the three men. "Gentlemen, please! Let's not escalate this. I'll compensate for the spilled drink!"
The tavern owner reached for a bottle on the counter and handed it to the brute.
Another young man at the brute's table advised him, "Brother, today is supposed to be a good time for us three to drink together; don’t let this ruin our mood!"
The brute weighed the bottle in his hand and said, "I'll take this as bad luck. Brothers, let's move somewhere else and continue our gathering!"
The three men left their seats and exited the tavern. After they left, the tavern owner turned to Zhu Dapeng and said, "Zhu Dapeng, your wife has come to get you. My tavern is closing now; it's time to call it a night! It's already past one in the morning!"
Zhu Fan stood up; her clothes were torn from the tables and chairs, revealing bruises underneath. She looked gratefully at the tavern owner.
Zhu Dapeng insisted, "No way! I haven't had enough to drink yet. Even if the King himself came, I wouldn't leave!"
Zhu Dapeng sat down at the table and looked at his wife, who had just gotten up, with an authoritative gaze. "Wife, go and open another bottle of wine for me!"
Zhu Fan was a bit slow in her movements, prompting Zhu Dapeng to bang on the table and shout, "Hurry up!"
Startled, Zhu Dapeng's wife reluctantly took a bottle of wine from the tavern owner's hands and placed it on Zhu Dapeng's table before twisting off the cap.
The tavern owner sighed as he returned to the Counter to continue tallying the day's earnings.
After recounting the events, the tavern owner couldn't help but express his sympathy. "Zhu Dapeng's wife is quite pitiful; she has to deal with such a husband who constantly berates and beats her. When Zhu Dapeng hits his wife, he really goes all out! Her screams can be heard down the street."
Tao Ziwen then asked, "Was it also Zhu Dapeng who broke his child's bones?"
"I can't say for sure. Although Zhu Dapeng usually treats his son well, when he's drunk and starts hitting, who can predict what will happen? If it were up to me, regardless of who killed Zhu Dapeng, his death would be a good thing for both mother and child, and for the whole street. You might as well turn a blind eye!"
Wang Zhiyuan interrupted the tavern owner's words. "Hey, Tavern Keeper, are you suggesting we turn a blind eye to injustice?"
"I didn't mean it that way; I'm just making a suggestion."
Tao Ziwen pondered for a moment before asking again, "Did his wife personally open the wine for him?"
The tavern owner replied, "Yes! Not only did she open the wine that night, but Zhu Dapeng also wouldn't let her go home. He forced her to pour him drinks until four in the morning when he finally passed out and allowed her to help him back."
"Tavern Keeper, can you find the wine glass and bottle that Zhu Dapeng used?"
"The bottles have been returned to the winery, but I can find the glass he drank from. Follow me."
With that, the tavern owner led Tao Ziwen and Wang Zhiyuan to the storage room behind the tavern. As they walked, he added, "Zhu Dapeng drank here, and by early the next morning he was dead. I felt it was bad luck, so I put that glass away."
The tavern owner took a cup out from a compartment in the storage container and handed it to Tao Ziwen.
Tao Ziwen asked, "No one has used this cup before, right?"
The tavern owner replied confidently, "No!"
Tao Ziwen then asked, "Tavern Keeper, can I take this cup back with me?"
"Sure!" the tavern owner readily agreed, "But why do you want to take a cup back?"
Wang Zhiyuan was also puzzled: "Yeah, Ziwen, is this cup the murderer?"
"The cup isn't the murderer; perhaps it can tell us who the murderer is!"
Wang Zhiyuan and the tavern owner looked at Tao Ziwen in surprise.
In the café.
Guo Ziqian was still reading "The Sonnet Collection," while Jia Guangren sat across from him, reading another book. He lifted his cup to drink water and realized that the clear tea inside had already been finished. He stood up and walked to the bar, placing the cup on the counter: "Miss, another cup of clear tea, please."
Cheng Yuyao took the cup and went to brew some tea.
Cheng Yuwan approached mysteriously and said, "Sir, I would like to inquire about something."
"What is it? I will definitely tell you what I know."
"I heard you call the person sitting across from you—Guo Ziqian?"
"What about it?"
"Does Guo Ziqian particularly like to champion the underdog?"
Jia Guangren was a bit curious: "He does have a sense of chivalry. But why do you ask that?"
Cheng Yuwan smiled subtly and then asked, "So why does he always come to our shop? Have you ever asked him if he has any feelings for my sister?"
Jia Guangren found it somewhat amusing: "That's not something I would bring up. If you want to know, you can just ask him directly!"
Cheng Yuyao brought out the milk tea she had prepared: "What are you two talking about?"
Cheng Yuwan quickly covered up: "Nothing at all!"
When Jia Guangren returned to his seat with a cup of tea, he caught the attention of Guo Ziqian across the table. Guo Ziqian put down the book in his hands, stretched lazily, and looked out at the street through the floor-to-ceiling window. As he watched, he suddenly stood up.
Guo Zhuanghuai was walking leisurely toward the casino across from the café, carrying a bulging money pouch. This money was what he had just withdrawn from the accounts of Dow Pharmaceuticals Group.
"What are you looking at?"
When Jia Guangren asked, Guo Ziqian realized he had been caught off guard. He gazed out the window and slowly sat back down.
"Nothing! I thought I saw an old friend I hadn't seen in a long time!"
Once Guo Zhuanghuai entered the casino and disappeared from view, Guo Ziqian turned back with a hint of sadness. He sighed for a moment and picked up his collection of sonnets again.
Seeing Cheng Yuyao staring at Guo Ziqian, Cheng Yuwan couldn't help but tease her: "Sister, I just asked that gentleman's name. Do you want to know?"
Cheng Yuyao countered, "Why do you want to know that?"
Cheng Yuwan replied, "I saw you looking at him, so I'm just trying to help you out!"
Cheng Yuyao suddenly asked Cheng Yuwan a random question, "Don't you feel like you've seen Guo Zhiqian somewhere before?"
Cheng Yuwan replied, "He came to our café, of course!"
"No, I mean somewhere else! It seems... last time when we were on a mission, he saved our mom."
With Cheng Yuyao's words, Cheng Yuwan gradually recalled the Masked Person from last night, slowly remembering the eyes and eyebrows of that Masked Person—they looked exactly like Guo Zhiqian.
"I need to confirm this!"
Cheng Yuwan picked up a freshly brewed cup of coffee and walked towards Guo Zhiqian. Cheng Yuyao stopped her, saying, "We don't know if he's friend or foe yet; don't alarm him."
"I know!"
With that, Cheng Yuwan approached Guo Zhiqian's table.
She placed the coffee in front of Guo Zhiqian and politely said, "Mr. Guo, your coffee has gone cold; let me get you a fresh cup!"
"Oh, thank you, miss."
Cheng Yuwan continued, "You don't need to thank me; this is from my sister. By the way, she also wanted me to ask you where you went last night?"
"Last night?" Guo Zhiqian smiled slyly and countered, "Where did you sisters go last night?"
Cheng Yuwan and Guo Zhiqian stared at each other, and Jia Guangren seemed to sense something was off. He stood up to defuse the situation for Guo Zhiqian: "Last night, Guo Zhiqian went home early. Why are you all so concerned about what happened last night?"
Guo Zhiqian and Cheng Yuwan simultaneously retorted, "It's none of your business!"
Jia Guangren felt embarrassed and obediently sat back down.
Guo Zhiqian added, "No matter where I go, I always go openly and honestly. However, it seems like you sisters are a bit different, right?"
"You..." Cheng Yuwan was momentarily speechless and angrily returned to the bar.
Cheng Yuyao asked her sister, "Sister, how's the investigation going?"
Cheng Yuwan replied in frustration, "What else could it be? The person who saved our mom last night must be him!"
Cheng Yuyao expressed her concern, "If that's the case, every time he comes to the café, it really could be to monitor us!"
"Sister, how about tonight..."
Cheng Yuwan made a gesture as if to "kill," but Cheng Yuyao quickly interrupted her: "No, we haven't determined whether he is friend or foe yet. Besides, he saved our mother’s life."
Cheng Yuwan pouted, "Fine, let him live a little longer for now!"
Every evening when the lights came on, it was the busiest time for the café. That evening, as usual, many customers arrived at the café. The Cheng Sisters were busy attending to the guests and were somewhat overwhelmed.
A stylish young woman entered the café. Cheng Yuwan greeted her warmly and led her to a seat. After asking what drink she would like, she headed towards the bar. Just as she stood up straight, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness but quickly recovered.
Cheng Yuyao prepared a cup of coffee and handed it to Cheng Yuwan. It was only then that she noticed Cheng Yuwan's face was pale.
"Sister, your face... are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine; I'm just a bit tired!"
Cheng Yuwan took the coffee and brought it to the young woman's table. As she walked back to the bar again, she instinctively touched her forehead and suddenly collapsed. The café patrons stood up curiously to watch, and Cheng Yuyao hurried out from behind the bar to support her sister.
"Sister, what happened?"
Cheng Yuwan's voice was very weak: "Sister, we should go to Mother soon... I should have..."
Guo Zhiqian, immersed in the collection of sonnets, looked up and immediately walked over to the Cheng Sisters. He asked Cheng Yuyao, "Do you need me to take her to the hospital?"
Cheng Yuyao replied, "No need! This is my sister's old problem; my mom will take care of it!"
Cheng Yuyao then helped Cheng Yuwan up with great effort and apologized to all the guests. "Dear customers, I am really sorry. My sister suddenly feels unwell, and I need to take her home. The café cannot continue operating."
Guo Zhiqian took the initiative to disperse the customers: "Ladies and gentlemen, there is an emergency situation at the café, and we need to suspend operations for now. Please leave here for the time being!"
The customers all stood up and left the café.
Guo Zhiqian and Cheng Yuyao supported Cheng Yuwan as they walked out of the café. He helped Cheng Yuyao call for a rickshaw to take them home together with Cheng Yuwan.
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