Was it Zhou Jin

The streetlights in the neighborhood were dropping like flies.

Over the years, the old residents had been moving out and renters moving in. The place was going downhill, with people skipping on maintenance fees and thieves making a killing. They'd nick anything - milk bottles, bikes, clothes... if it wasn't nailed down, it was fair game.

Wang Zhiyuan had only been living here for a few days and was already at his wit's end. He'd been scouring the newspapers for real estate listings. The housing market wasn't as crazy as in the future, and the loan policies were decent. If only he had a computer...

Wait, a computer?

As he opened the door, a thought zipped through his mind.

Due to the car accident, the higher-ups had ordered them to lay low and not contact Qian Haiyang directly. So, Ding Shuqing had Beanpole and Wang Rui keep tabs on him, while they focused on Chen Jili from the cement factory.

They found the bank where the money was transferred to Chen Jili's account. It was in the city.

Ding Shuqing and Wang Zhiyuan rushed to the bank to check the surveillance footage. When the bank security played the tape, both of them were dumbfounded. Ding was shocked because the person on the screen was a young woman in her twenties, dressed modestly and looking innocent. Wang, on the other hand, recognized her. It was Sun Wan, one of Zhou Jin's college girl minions. She was the quiet, bookish type.

So, Zhou Jin was the one trying to have him whacked. Zhou was smooth as silk with people, but clearly a rookie when it came to hiring a hitman, sending one of his own girls to do the job.

Wang Zhiyuan smirked inside but kept a poker face.

Ding took the tape back to the station to get a clear image of her face, then handed it to Wang Zhiyuan to track her down.

They had two leads - Chen Jili and Qian Haiyang.

Bighead eagerly took on Qian Haiyang, leaving Wang Zhiyuan with Chen Jili.

Chen Jili had spent the night in lockup and was out of it. He kept mumbling, "I didn't mean to, I swear…"

Wang Zhiyuan shoved the printed picture in front of him, "Know her?"

Chen Jili hesitated but then sighed with relief, "Nope."

Wang Zhiyuan pressed, "She sent you fifty grand and you don't know her?"

Chen Jili's eyes darted around, "Not really…"

"Is it 'not really', 'no', or 'yes'?" Wang Zhiyuan grilled him.

Chen Jili shook his head vigorously, "No, I swear."

Wang Zhiyuan pocketed the picture and left.

He wasn't sweating Zhou Jin. The guy was a scaredy-cat, and the fact that he tried to hire a hitman was already out of character. If Zhou didn't succeed this time, he'd probably lay low for a while. He didn't have the guts to keep trying like Qian Haiyang, who'd be relentless.

Wang Zhiyuan crumpled the picture and tossed it in the trash.

On the flip side, if he couldn't take down Qian Haiyang in one shot, the hunter would become the hunted.

Back at the office, only Wang Rui was there. Bighead didn't take him to see Qian Haiyang, considering Wang Zhiyuan's safety.

Ever since Wang Zhiyuan punched Lin Moran, Wang Rui had been giving him the cold shoulder.

Wang Zhiyuan couldn't care less. It's not like he was Mr. Sunshine himself.

They both kept to themselves, ate lunch separately, and acted like the other didn't exist. The weird vibe was finally broken when Bighead returned in the afternoon.

Wang Zhiyuan asked, "What did Qian Haiyang say?"

Bighead plopped down, wiping his face, "Qian Haiyang said her name is Sun Wan, and she works at some swanky nightclub."

"Really?" Wang Zhiyuan was surprised. He thought Qian Haiyang would keep that under wraps.

Bighead continued, "I hightailed it to the nightclub. The manager wasn't there, but some supervisor was all wishy-washy. I'm pretty sure she's the one. I told them to either hand her over or I'd haul them in. The supervisor called their boss, Zhou Jin – the slippery guy who was questioned at the station before. He said Sun Wan quit a few days ago and gave me her number. I called it, and guess what? Disconnected! But I didn't let it go. I nagged until they coughed up her home address." He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket.

Wang Zhiyuan glanced at it. Looked like a rural address.

Wang Rui chimed in, "So, we're gonna hit the road and track her down?"

Bighead laughed, "You were acting all smart earlier, telling me how to do my job, and now you're clueless? We're cops, man! The whole country is our turf. We don't need to go ourselves. We'll get the local cops to help out. I bet Sun Wan is still in town. I think Zhou Jin knows something. Follow this lead, and we'll hit the jackpot."

Wang Rui wondered, "Why do you think Qian Haiyang gave up Sun Wan?"

Bighead shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe he's playing both sides."

Wang Zhiyuan added, "He might think Zhou Jin is trying to frame him."

Bighead and Wang Rui both paused.

Meanwhile, Zhou Jin was pleading with Qian Haiyang, "Boss Qian, I know I should've talked to you first, but I was backed into a corner."

Qian Haiyang smirked, "What's with the formalities, Manager Zhou? Right now, I'm the one knee-deep in crap, while you're sitting pretty watching the show."

Zhou Jin hurriedly explained the whole story about Xu Haihong's death and mentioned Wang Zhiyuan's interrogation.

Qian Haiyang's brows furrowed, "How come I didn't hear about this?"

Zhou Jin replied, "I told Director Zhou (Zhou Zhaotao) before. He said it was taken care of and not to make a fuss."

"I see." Qian Haiyang flicked ash from his cigarette, "Go back and shake down everyone who knows about this. See if anyone spilled the beans. If not, don't sweat it. That cop isn't a psychic. He's probably bluffing. But you need to keep your cool!"

Zhou Jin wiped the sweat from his brow, "But that cop seemed to know everything. I think he's onto us."

Qian Haiyang waved him off, "Enough. I'll have someone else deal with the body. Let's put this to bed. Get Sun Wan out of town. It's just a minor traffic accident, no one died. The cops won't be on it forever."

Zhou Jin felt a weight lift off his shoulders seeing Qian Haiyang so chill about it. He cracked his first smile since walking into the office, "Thank God you're here, Boss Qian. I was losing my mind."

Qian Haiyang stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and patted Zhou Jin on the shoulder, "Director Zhou always looked out for you guys. Now that he's gone, it's my turn."

The way he said 'you guys' and 'me' made his ambitions crystal clear.

Zhou Jin wasn't dumb. He quickly played along, "Absolutely, with you at the helm, we're in good hands just like before."

Qian Haiyang finally flashed a satisfied grin.

Now, instead of watching Qian Haiyang 24/7, they had to keep tabs on Zhou Jin round the clock.

Bighead tailed Zhou Jin as he left the Tengfa Corporation building and hopped into a car.

"Based on what you said, if Qian Haiyang thinks Zhou Jin is setting him up, does that mean Zhou Jin, not Qian Haiyang, paid off Chen Jili?" Bighead asked while driving.

Wang Zhiyuan, lounging with his hands behind his head, drawled, "Who knows? Maybe it really was just a freak accident."

Bighead retorted, "If that was the case, Zhou Jin wouldn't be hiding Sun Wan."

"Hmm…" Wang Zhiyuan closed his eyes for a nap. He couldn't care less about Zhou Jin's shenanigans.