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Old Shao pushed against the iron door, which shook slightly but remained firmly shut. It seemed that this door hadn't been opened in a long time, as the hinges creaked loudly, startling the kidnapper standing on the platform.
When the kidnapper turned around, both Old Shao and Yuan Jun were taken aback.
Even though the assailant wore a cap and a mask, Old Shao and Yuan Jun recognized him immediately by his eyes and brow.
Shock filled Old Shao's face; he never expected the kidnapper to be him. But in the next moment, understanding dawned on him. If the kidnapper was indeed him, then everything made sense. His sneaky presence outside Longling District wasn't to harm Ge Dongyun, but rather to protect her.
The man in black was none other than the long-missing Wang Liguo.
At that moment, Old Shao recalled what Wang Liguo had once said to the task force members: "What kind of leader can a girl be? Girls are meant to be protected."
“Wang Liguo!” Old Shao shouted through the door. “Do you even know what you're doing? Open the door immediately and don’t make things worse.”
Now that his identity had been exposed, Wang Liguo saw no reason to keep up the pretense. In truth, he knew there was no escape for him at this point, and he no longer wished to disguise himself. From the moment he locked the rooftop door, he understood there was no turning back.
Suddenly, Wang Liguo let out a bitter laugh, pulling off his cap and glancing at its logo before tossing it to the ground. He ripped off his mask and threw it away with a swift motion. The mask glided through the air like a parachute, drifting gently down from the twentieth floor.
Old Shao noticed that veins were bulging on Wang Liguo's arms; he seemed quite angry.
Yet his expression remained relaxed as he said, “Hello, we meet again.”
There was a carefree bravado about Wang Liguo, as if nothing could pressure him.
“Wang Liguo,” Old Shao spoke softly. “I know why you kidnapped Xiao Xuanmiao. For over a week now, you've been lurking outside Ge Dongyun's home. You feared someone would harm her; although you didn’t fully trust that note, you once told me you wanted to protect Ge Dongyun.”
Wang Liguo trembled slightly; he didn’t look at Old Shao, instead focusing on the scissors tightly gripped in his other hand.
He had feelings for Ge Dongyun. This delinquent, known throughout the school for his violent past and feared by other students, was quietly protecting his goddess in his own way. Yet he felt he had failed in his duty; just this morning, Ge Dongyun had been harmed.
When the task force members arrived at Ge Dongyun's house, reporters were already there ahead of them—likely tipped off by Wang Jing. Now it was clear to Old Shao: reporters arrived faster than police because they had been notified beforehand. Once they showed up, public opinion would inevitably shift towards blaming whoever left that note.
The move known as "Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell" had indeed left those reporters spinning, but fortunately, the task force had captured Wang Gui, the so-called "note" murderer, which turned out to be nothing more than a complete prank.
"Wang Liguo, listen carefully," Old Shao nearly pressed himself against the door. "From the very beginning, there has been no murderer. The so-called killer claiming to seek revenge for Xiao Xuanmiao is just a bored person's joke. Xiao Xuanmiao has never done anything wrong to Ge Dongyun. Don't do anything foolish."
Upon hearing Old Shao's words, Wang Liguo looked at him, his tone filled with skepticism. "No murderer? If there’s no murderer, how did Ge Dongyun die?"
"It was her stepmother who killed her." After careful consideration and for the sake of Xiao Xuanmiao's safety, Old Shao decided to tell Wang Liguo the whole truth.
Old Shao spoke calmly and clearly, avoiding any words that might provoke Wang Liguo.
Meanwhile, Xu Yiman and Guan Deng had already set up cameras on the rooftop of the opposite building, and clear images appeared on the task force members' phones.
Due to only a glass barrier separating them, Old Shao could not see Xiao Xuanmiao's exact situation. However, through the phone, he could see clearly. At that moment, Xiao Xuanmiao was standing in a narrow space, with most of her foot already dangling in the air. Her hands were tied together, making it impossible for her to grasp the railing to prevent herself from falling.
The rope binding Xiao Xuanmiao was just ordinary hemp rope; it wasn't thick. This coarse rope was not sturdy at all. Even if Wang Liguo did nothing, just by her own weight, Xiao Xuanmiao could easily snap the rope, leading to irreparable consequences. The limit for the safety airbag was fifteen meters; even jumping from the sixth floor could be dangerous, let alone from twenty stories up.
Old Shao had to prepare for both scenarios: if he could persuade Wang Liguo to open the door, that would be best; but if Wang Liguo remained obstinate, he needed a rescue plan in place.
Before long, the security team leader finished arranging his tasks and came up as well.
As Old Shao spoke to Wang Liguo, he typed on his phone: "If the Special Police arrive, have them come to the second-to-last room here and try to ascend from the twentieth floor to protect Xiao Xuanmiao's safety. Yuan Jun, go tell Jiang He this message."
Old Shao discreetly turned his screen towards Yuan Jun, who nodded in response.
Old Shao deleted what he had written on his phone and typed again: "Security team leader, keep an eye on the elevators and stairs on the twentieth floor; do not let unrelated people come up."
The security team leader nodded in agreement.
Old Shao methodically arranged everything while continuing to speak. He finally revealed to Wang Liguo how Ge Dongyun had died, hoping that knowing the truth would help Wang Liguo find his way back from this misguided path.
Wang Liguo was now at a point of no return.
"Ha, so what if that's the case? If it weren't for Xiao Xuanmiao, no one would have captured that video. Without that video, there wouldn't have been a prank, and without the prank, her stepmother wouldn't have thought of such a method to kill. Everything started because of her."
Old Shao angrily said, "Wang Liguo! You once said that girls are to be protected. Ge Dongyun is a girl, and so is Xiao Xuanmiao. Your hypothetical scenarios are just a diversion. If Ge Dongyun hadn't bullied Xiao Xuanmiao, if you could have stopped Ge Dongyun from bullying her, then none of this would have happened!"
"No!" Wang Liguo shook his head in rebuttal. "You don't understand anything. Ge Dongyun is not the kind of person who bullies others for no reason. She helps her classmates enthusiastically, she takes care of the stray dogs and cats near the school, and she never looks at me through colored glasses. She is the kindest person I have ever met."
With that, Wang Liguo glared fiercely at Xiao Xuanmiao and shouted, "There is no love or hatred in this world without reason. If Xiao Xuanmiao hadn't done something wrong, Ge Dongyun would never have laid a hand on her. Tell me, what did you do?"
Wang Liguo moved closer to Xiao Xuanmiao, the scissors in his hand already opened, ready to cut that thin rope at any moment.
"Don't be impulsive; I know about this matter," Old Shao quickly interjected. "We previously asked Ge Dongyun for the reason; this is how she responded to me..."
"Did she say anything to you?" Wang Liguo retracted the scissors and turned to Old Shao.
Old Shao nodded heavily and replied, "We have been investigating this case all along; there are many details you are unaware of, which makes it easy for you to act foolishly. Even if Xiao Xuanmiao made mistakes, she has already been bullied by you once; it's even now."
"What was it all about?" Wang Liguo asked seriously.
Old Shao answered, "For a very simple reason: your school has a tradition where classmates gather after each semester ends, right?"
A hint of loneliness and solitude flickered in Wang Liguo's eyes but quickly turned cold again. "That's right; there is such a tradition."
"Xiao Xuanmiao comes from a poor family; almost everyone in Dragon City knows this. To attend this event beautifully, Xiao Xuanmiao approached Ge Dongyun to borrow some of her branded clothes. Ge Dongyun agreed but asked Xiao Xuanmiao to return them promptly."
"But for some unknown reason, Xiao Xuanmiao didn't return the clothes on time. So Ge Dongyun had Zhuang Qinyun call her out, which led to that scene in the alley. Xiao Xuanmiao didn't notify you; you went on your own, right?" Old Shao stared at Wang Liguo, fearing he might do something terrible.
"That's right," Wang Liguo nodded. "I received the news and went myself."
Wang Liguo turned to Xiao Xuanmiao and asked sternly, "Is that so?"
Xiao Xuanmiao's voice was already tinged with tears as she spoke, "Yes, that's right. After the gathering, I couldn't find Ge Dongyun. I originally planned to return the clothes to her right then. But I waited and waited until the street-side restaurants closed, and I still didn't see her."
"My family is poor, and I don't have a phone, so I couldn't contact Ge Dongyun." Xiao Xuanmiao cried, feeling extremely wronged. "So I went home, planning to return the clothes to her once I could get in touch with her. Yizhuang Qinyun came looking for me and insisted that I wear those clothes, so I agreed."
"I know I was wrong. You heard it in the alley; I apologized to Ge Dongyun. She took my clothes and shoes, but I don't blame her because they were hers. I've always urged everyone not to attack you; I didn't want this to happen."
"I thought Ge Dongyun and I were good friends, and I didn't know what to do." As she spoke, Xiao Xuanmiao's tears fell like pearls from a broken string, plummeting from sixty meters high.
"Did you hear that?" Old Shao looked at Wang Liguo. "This matter is that simple; it just happened that someone recorded that video. It was all very coincidental. After learning the truth, do you still want to act this way? Ge Dongyun has always told us that she would bear everything alone."
Old Shao shouted, "She did this because she didn't want to drag you all into it."
"She knows you like him."
In the end, Old Shao decided to lie:
She believes you are not a murderer; do not betray her trust!
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