The entire course of events, Chen Fang had completely understood.

But there was still one thing he hadn't figured out.

That was the woman in the village saying that Ren Qing'an was now locked up in the mental hospital.

What was that all about?

If such a crime was truly committed, shouldn't he be directly sentenced to death?

But he didn't dare to ask.

He knew that if he asked this question, Liu Dawei in front of him would start doubting him.

Pausing for a moment, he continued, "Brother Liu, I didn't expect Ren Qing'an to be such a person. It's simply terrifying. When I went to the village today to inquire about him, the villagers were guarding against me as if they'd seen a ghost. It seems your village really speaks of him with fear, doesn't it?"

Liu Dawei laughed upon hearing this.

He waved his hand and said, "Not really. Ren Qing'an is about my age. In a way, we're childhood friends. I have no personal grudge against him. In my memory, he's not a bad person. The reason the village behaves like this is because of an order from the village chief. No one is allowed to talk about Ren Qing'an with outsiders, or they'd face punishment. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come looking for you as the village security chief..."

"Why is that?"

Chen Fang asked.

Liu Dawei replied with disdain, "Why else? This guy brought disgrace to our village. He's the first real villain in our village's history. Who would want this bad reputation associated with them..."

The reason seemed plausible.

But the battle-hardened Chen Fang still sensed something amiss.

Considering what he found online about Ren Qing'an before coming, there wasn't a single report about such a high-profile case, which seemed odd no matter how you looked at it.

After dinner,

Chen Fang didn't linger.

He found a black car at a high price and headed to the Yang'an City overnight.

He had to figure out what was going on with Ren Qing'an.

But without any leads or acquaintances, how should he investigate?

After much thought, Chen Fang decided to visit the Yang'an City Mental Hospital the next day.

If what the woman from Pinghu Village said was true, he would certainly find something there.

However, the events of the next day made Chen Fang even more certain of the underlying issues.

Around 8:30 in the morning.

He arrived punctually at the gate of the Yang'an City Mental Hospital.

Upon hearing he was there for a visit,

the guard handed him an application form to fill out.

As he wrote down the name "Ren Qing'an" in the visitor section,

the guard beside him visibly tensed up.

Without saying a word, he snatched the application form from Chen Fang's hand, shoved him out of the gate, and told him there was no one by that name there.

Chen Fang knew arguing would be pointless.

So he wisely stepped aside.

After he left, the guard immediately picked up the phone in the security room and dialed.

Chen Fang hid behind the guardroom window and overheard the following conversation:

Guard: "Hello, is this Director Zheng? A young man just came by wanting to visit someone named Ren Qing'an."

The phone was on speaker, and a tense voice inside asked, "Who was it?"

The guard instinctively shook his head and said, "I don't know, I didn't ask. I told him there's no such person here and chased him away, just as you instructed."

A long sigh of relief came from the other end of the line.

The voice said, "You did well. Remember, whoever comes looking for Ren Qing'an must be immediately driven away. Understood?"

"Rest assured, Director Zheng, leave it to me. I guarantee no one will get in!"

After receiving a confirmed response,

the call ended.

From this call,

Chen Fang could confirm that Ren Qing'an was indeed "detained" in this place.

Simultaneously,

he also had a bad premonition.

Coming here so rashly might negatively affect Ren Qing'an inside.

Chen Fang's concerns were valid.

At this moment,

in an office on the third floor of the administrative building of the Yang'an City Mental Hospital,

a middle-aged man with a slightly balding head was pacing anxiously.

His name was Zheng Changliang, 44 years old, the director and party secretary of the Yang'an City Mental Hospital.

The call from the security guard just now was made to him.

His mind seemed completely unsettled by that call.

After pacing back and forth several times,

he still couldn't put his mind at ease and picked up the phone on his desk.

He found a number in his contacts.

Seemingly having made a significant decision, he finally dialed.

After a few seconds, the call was answered.

Subsequently,

a woman's voice came through.

Zheng Changliang was obviously taken aback.

Then stammered, "Hello, I'm looking for... looking for President Li."

"President Li is not here, what do you need? Just tell me."

The woman on the other end replied coldly.

Zheng Changliang hesitated for a moment, then said, "I wanted to discuss something concerning Ren Qing'an with President Li."

It seemed the mention of "Ren Qing'an" had an effect.

The phone line went silent instantly.

This silence lasted a few seconds, then a familiar voice spoke, "Ah, Director Zheng, it's been a long time, how come you have time to call me today?"

"Pres... President Li, um... someone came today to visit Ren Qing'an."

As soon as Zheng Changliang said this,

silence fell again on the other end.

But it was evident that the person was still holding the phone due to the audible heavy breathing.

"Who was it?"

President Li asked.

Zheng Changliang quickly replied, "I didn't ask, looked like a man in his thirties, had a non-local accent. Our security guard turned him away, saying there's no one by that name here."

"Good, very good, Director Zheng, you've done well."

President Li chuckled.

After that,

President Li asked, "Director Zheng, do you have time this evening? It's been a long time since we've met; we should catch up."

Zheng Changliang seemed to have been waiting for this invitation.

He immediately showed a subtle smile and said, "With an invitation from President Li, how could I not find time? Anytime you need me, I'll be there."

President Li gave a cordial laugh and said, "Alright, let's meet at the Moon Palace at 7:30 tonight."

"Alright, Moon Palace it is, see you there," replied Zheng Changliang with great joy.

After hanging up the phone with a beaming smile,

he rubbed his hands vigorously.

The corners of his mouth curled into a sneer, and he said, "Hehe, let's see how I don't bleed you dry this time..."

Back with Chen Fang.

As he was pondering his next move,

he suddenly saw a taxi pull up at the gate.

A young man got out of the car,

holding a bouquet of fresh flowers.

At first, he thought, like him, the man was here for a visit.

At that moment,

a woman in a nurse's uniform appeared at the gate...

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