Ch 173: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

Zhang Yang never expected that just attempting to probe Shen Yunxuan in person would get him arrested. He struggled violently, shouting angrily, “Shen Yunxuan, what do you mean by this? Even if you reject my confession, you can’t just have people arrest me! Who are these people? Gangsters?”

But deep down, fear had already started creeping in. The two men restraining him were incredibly skilled, reminding him of the mercenaries he had hired in his previous life. However, these two lacked the unruly aura of mercenaries and instead carried an air of discipline—were they government personnel?

Shen Yunxuan rolled her eyes. “You really like to put on a show. I haven’t even said a word, and you’re already accusing me of getting people to arrest you. And you’re bringing up a confession? Who are you trying to confuse? Did you forget how you drugged me in the wilderness? There were no cameras there, but do you really think your purchase of illegal drugs can’t be traced? Be honest and go with them.”

She didn’t even bother looking at him and walked straight into her bedroom to finish packing her suitcase.

Zhang Yang’s pupils constricted in shock. He never thought someone would investigate his drug purchase. Who helped Shen Yunxuan check? Normally, without evidence, even if she reported him, the police wouldn’t open a case. He had been confident that the system had erased all traces of the drug, which was why he dared to do it. Was she bluffing?

Suddenly, he turned and shouted toward the hallway, “Liu Dao, come help me!”

Several men suddenly rushed out from the stairwell. Seeing Zhang Yang restrained, they immediately attacked the two men holding him. Zhang Yang took the opportunity to dart into the elevator. Xu Wenyu stepped back and made a call. “Capture Zhang Yang. There are more upstairs—come up and handle them.”

The moment Zhang Yang stepped out of the elevator, he was immediately subdued. One of the men flashed a badge. “Police investigation. Please cooperate.”

Zhang Yang’s expression changed drastically. “Investigation? What for? Did Shen Yunxuan order my arrest? At least tell me what crime I’ve committed!”

“You are suspected of using illegal substances and colluding with criminal elements. Get in the car!” Two officers escorted Zhang Yang into a vehicle while others went upstairs to capture Liu Dao and the rest of his men.

By then, Shen Yunxuan had finished packing, and the team helped transport her luggage. Half of the personnel escorted her safely back to the Xu residence, while the others took Zhang Yang and his accomplices in for interrogation.

At that moment, Elder Xu had just finished drafting his formal report and was preparing to leave for a meeting with the commander. When he saw Xu Wenyu return with a grim expression, he asked, “What happened? Trouble?”

Xu Wenyu explained everything, frowning. “Dad, Zhang Yang is extremely suspicious. I suspect he knew Yunxuan would travel through time today and deliberately set up an ambush. He likely planned to kidnap or control her for some unknown purpose.”

Given Shen Yunxuan’s abilities—bringing back weapons, viruses, or other potentially dangerous items—she could pose a national security threat if misused. Xu Wenyu now considered Zhang Yang a serious risk.

Elder Xu instructed firmly, “Investigate thoroughly. See if he has any overseas connections. This matter is yours to handle.”

Xu Wenyu acknowledged the order. Once Elder Xu left, she reassured Shen Yunxuan. “Don’t worry. From now on, you’ll live here. This is a military compound—completely safe. You must be exhausted today. Eat something and rest well. I’ll go check on Zhang Yang’s interrogation.”

Shen Yunxuan nodded, smiling. “Alright. I’m fine. I feel incredibly safe with all of you around.”

Xu Wenyu smiled and patted her head before heading out.

That night, Shen Yunxuan had a fantastic appetite, eating two large bowls of rice along with a variety of dishes. She then took a relaxing hot bath and fell asleep early.

She wasn’t worried about Zhang Yang at all. The efficiency of the state’s machinery was no joke. If Zhang Yang was suspected of being a spy and a threat to her and the country, they would investigate him thoroughly until nothing was left of him. Zhang Yang was arrogant and full of himself—she highly doubted he could hide his tracks well after being reborn.

At that very moment, Zhang Yang was in a miserable state. He had been taken to a special interrogation room, a small chamber with mirrored walls on all sides. Bright lights shone directly into his eyes. Sitting on a cold metal chair, his hands were cuffed to the armrests, making him extremely uncomfortable. In his past life, he had never suffered such treatment.

Fury raged inside him, but at the same time, he was getting anxious. Ever since his rebirth, he had been confident in his grand plans, following a carefully laid-out roadmap for success. He had already begun making investments and networking with powerful figures. He believed that if he ever got into trouble, he could always find someone to bail him out. But he had never expected to be brought to a place like this—what kind of organization was this? It was completely beyond his calculations.

He shouted angrily at the empty room, “Let me out! What crime have I committed? On what grounds are you holding me? I have powerful connections! Before you act against me, you’d better think twice about who you can and cannot touch!”

After an hour, his throat was raw from shouting, and he was beginning to grow restless when Xu Wenyu finally arrived.

From behind the observation glass, she saw his wrists were red from struggling, and he had descended into a state of agitation. She turned to the officer beside her and ordered, “Show him the evidence of his drug purchase. Ask him why he drugged Shen Yunxuan.”

The officer displayed security footage of Zhang Yang buying the drug, along with the payment records, on a hidden screen embedded in the mirrored wall of the interrogation room.

Only then did Zhang Yang realize the “mirror” was actually a screen.

The officer pressed the microphone button and, in an emotionless tone, asked, “This is evidence of your illegal transaction. Why did you drug Shen Yunxuan?”

Zhang Yang hadn’t expected them to dig up this evidence. He knew he couldn’t deny it, but he was confident there was no proof of him actually using the drug on Shen Yunxuan. He scoffed, “Buying drugs is a crime? Even if it’s a banned substance, I bought it and threw it away—I never used it on anyone. You’re falsely accusing me! At most, you can fine me for purchasing restricted substances, but what right do you have to keep me locked up?”

Xu Wenyu: “Ask him why he hired those thugs to stake out Shen Yunxuan’s home, why he hired a private investigator to look into her.”

The officer followed her instructions and asked the question. Zhang Yang immediately responded, “I just like her! We grew up together, all my friends know I like her—she’s my white moonlight, my true love. But when I confessed to her, she rejected me and disappeared.

I was worried about her safety, so I hired a private investigator to find her. Once I found out where she was, I hired a few guys to record some everyday videos of her, just so I could have something to watch later. It wasn’t even secret filming—I told them to film her openly whenever they saw her.

But she wasn’t coming home for a long time, and I was getting anxious. That’s why I went over myself. The moment I saw her return, I made up an excuse to approach her. Who knew I’d get arrested for it?

What law did I break? What danger to society did I cause? I didn’t kidnap or harm anyone! Even if you say filming her would infringe on her portrait rights, they didn’t even get to film! At most, that’s a minor offense, and I’d only get detained for a few days, right? You guys shouldn’t bully regular citizens just because they don’t know the law—I know the law just as well as you do!”

In his past life, he had been surrounded by women from various professions. He knew a lot and had always been careful. There was no way they could catch him with anything concrete.

As he spoke, Zhang Yang gradually calmed down and even felt emboldened. If they were asking so many questions, it meant they were just regular police officers. That meant he was safe—his worst-case scenario was a seven-day detention, and he wasn’t afraid of that.

Then came the next set of questions:
“You left after being rejected, but why didn’t Shen Yunxuan leave with you?”

Zhang Yang: “She said she wanted to go by herself first.”

“Surveillance shows she left several hours after you.”

Zhang Yang: “I don’t know. She was mad and didn’t want to see me, so I left. I don’t know why she left later than us.”

“You’ve never dealt with antiques before, so why did you suddenly go to an antique market, buy a cheap trinket, and then sell it for a high price? Where did you get that information?”

Zhang Yang’s face twitched slightly. “Just luck.”

“The moment you got that money, you went straight to Dongcheng Hospital to pay Feng Li’s medical bills. What’s your relationship with Feng Li? When and where did you meet him?”

Zhang Yang sat up straight. “I came into some unexpected wealth and wanted to do a good deed, so I went to a hospital. I overheard someone say Feng Li needed 200,000 yuan for treatment, so I paid it for him—just an act of kindness. Is that a crime now?”

“You suddenly invested in a small company. When did you learn about this company? When did you meet the person in charge?”

Zhang Yang swallowed hard. “I had some money and randomly invested it. Just picked a company at random.”

“How did you pick it? What platform did you search on? Who introduced you? How did you learn about the company’s financials?”

Zhang Yang: “I have a bad memory, I don’t remember. That’s not illegal, is it? Why are you interrogating me? I want a lawyer—I refuse to answer any more questions!”

“A third of your funds were transferred to an overseas account. What was that for? When did you establish overseas connections? What was your purpose?”

Zhang Yang: “I was just investing, bringing in some foreign technology to start a business. Is that not allowed either?”

“How did you choose your foreign business partners? How did you learn about the overseas market? Where did you hear about this technology?”

Zhang Yang: “I forgot!”

All of this was information he had from his past life. He was simply using his previous-life knowledge to take advantage of opportunities in this life. How was he supposed to explain that?

“You’ve been frequently in contact with Fang Ding recently. Are you aware that she is involved in organized crime? Have you participated in her underground transactions?”

Zhang Yang: “I don’t know anything! I just thought she was pretty, so I met up with her a few times. I don’t know anything else!”

“How did you know that store was selling illegal sedatives?”

Zhang Yang, focused on defending his investments, took a second to process the question before realizing they were asking about the drugging incident. He quickly said, “A long time ago, I got a flyer about it. I memorized it, but I threw it away.”

“When Fang Ding was attacked by a gang, you saved her. How did you know she would be there?”

Zhang Yang’s mind was in turmoil. He scrambled for an excuse and finally said, “I didn’t know. I was just passing by and happened to see her.”

“The day you confessed to Shen Yunxuan, which direction did she go? Why didn’t you follow her?”

Zhang Yang hesitated. “Uh… west. I was heartbroken, so I didn’t follow.”

“You’re lying. Earlier, you said you left and didn’t know where she went.”

Zhang Yang quickly tried to correct himself. “We just went our separate ways—she went west, I went home. After that, I really didn’t know what happened to her. I wasn’t lying.”

“You’re lying again. Earlier, you said she was angry and left first, but the only way out was south, not west.”

Zhang Yang’s expression darkened. He instinctively reviewed his own fabricated story. “I was just estimating. It was dark at the time—I couldn’t tell east from west! It was just a slip of the tongue!”

“Where and when did you meet Feng Zhe?”

Zhang Yang let out a sigh of relief—at least this wasn’t a repeat of the previous questions. Feng Zhe was Feng Li’s son, and Zhang Yang had wanted to recruit him as a highly capable assistant. That was why he had paid Feng Li’s medical bills—to gain Feng Zhe’s gratitude. Without thinking too much, he casually replied, “I met him at the hospital. I paid his father’s medical bills, and he was grateful, so we got to know each other.”

“You’re lying. Feng Zhe said that you called out his name in front of a café, told him you knew about his father’s medical expenses, and said you could help him.”

Zhang Yang was really starting to panic now. Would the police actually investigate this thoroughly? Did they really go and question Feng Zhe? Had he just claimed earlier that he was doing charity at the hospital? What now? His statements weren’t matching up. Instinctively, he stammered, “I… I was just near the hospital when I overheard someone talking about Feng Zhe and Feng Li’s situation, so I called him over—to do a good deed.”

“What were you planning to do the day you saved Fang Ding?”

“How did you know where the antique market was? How did you know where to sell the item?”

“You’ve never been involved in investment before—where did you learn about foreign business partners?”

Zhang Yang felt like his head was about to explode. He was getting dizzy. It felt like the same questions were being asked again, yet somehow also different. He couldn’t tell which lies he had already told and which ones he still needed to fabricate. The police interrogation was making him spiral into panic, and despite occasionally demanding a lawyer or refusing to answer, he couldn’t help but blurt out explanations to some of their questions.

Gradually, inconsistencies piled up, and bit by bit, useful information leaked out.

From behind the interrogation room’s one-way mirror, Xu Wenyu scrutinized Zhang Yang’s every response, comparing them to his detailed background records and marking all inconsistencies. The longer the interrogation lasted, the more suspicious Zhang Yang appeared. He seemed to know far too much—like how Shen Yunxuan’s situation changed on the 1st of every month, how Feng Zhe was an ideal entrepreneur, how that struggling small business had high potential, how an obscure foreign technology could make huge profits if introduced to the domestic market, and even how every stock he invested in had excellent growth.

Xu Wenyu even started to suspect: could Zhang Yang have some kind of investigative system? That would explain his seemingly random actions—suddenly buying antiques, suddenly recruiting talent, suddenly making strategic investments. Otherwise, how could his behavior be explained?

Then, Zhang Yang suddenly mentioned, “I was headed to the pedestrian street that day when I happened to run into Fang Ding and saved her.”

Xu Wenyu’s suspicion skyrocketed. That location was planned to be developed into a pedestrian street, but it was still just a government proposal—it hadn’t even gone out for bids yet, and it was not public knowledge. So how did Zhang Yang know about it?

She had the officer ask, “How many times have you been to the pedestrian street? What did you go there to buy?”

Zhang Yang: “I don’t remember. I go there when I’m bored—grab coffee, browse bookstores. I like wandering around alone.”

In reality, the area was already under demolition for redevelopment. The shops were closed. There were no coffee shops or bookstores there.

At this point, Zhang Yang was too suspicious. Xu Wenyu increasingly believed he might be a spy. She escalated the case and formally reported him as a potential national security threat.

“We now suspect you of engaging in illegal commercial activities, colluding with organized crime, and participating in Fang Ding’s scheme to extort businesses under the guise of water fees…”

Before the officer could finish, Zhang Yang shouted, “I didn’t participate! I thought Fang Ding was really collecting water fees—people paid without resisting! I had no idea it was extortion—I really didn’t know!”

“Slip of the tongue—Fang Ding only started this scheme today, meaning you couldn’t have seen her do it before. So, where exactly did you see Fang Ding collecting money? Who did you see paying without resistance?”

Zhang Yang suddenly realized the officer was baiting him. Fury surged through him—how was he supposed to remember every little detail from his past life? He had seen Fang Ding running these schemes before, so when the officer asked, he answered instinctively. But now, the timeline didn’t match at all.

His head throbbed violently. “What the hell do you want from me?! I want a lawyer!”

“You are now suspected of collaborating with a foreign organization and engaging in espionage. You are not allowed access to a lawyer.”

Zhang Yang’s eyes widened in horror. His mind raced through every question they had asked him, flashing like a slideshow. Cold sweat broke out all over his body.

If all his actions from this life were laid out in the open, there would be no way to explain how he knew so much. In a court trial, they might not be able to convict him, but if he was labeled a spy, he was done for.

Zhang Yang regretted everything. He never should have contacted Shen Yunxuan again after binding her to the system that day. If he hadn’t gone after her, he wouldn’t have been caught. He hated her—she had already caused him so much trouble in his past life, and now she had actually gotten him arrested in this one!

It had to be because Shen Yunxuan had exchanged something powerful from the system and aligned herself with high-ranking officials!

But he never considered that she would tell others about the system. After all, he had kept it a secret for over ten years in his past life. Who would ever reveal such a massive secret?

His thoughts twisted in desperation. He had no way to explain his actions, and if they truly branded him as a spy, he was doomed.

He gritted his teeth and made a ruthless decision.

“I haven’t committed any crimes,” he declared. “No matter how you investigate, you’ll find that I haven’t committed a single crime. But… if the country thinks I’ve crossed some gray areas, I’m willing to make amends.

“I’m willing to turn myself in and report Shen Yunxuan for researching classified black technology.”

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Thingyan (Editor/Admin): So so sorry for not releasing new chapters lately. I started a new project for my school and it has been awfully stressful. One more week and I’ll be done with it and be able to do more frequent updates like before 😅🥲