They arrived at a nearby teahouse and booked a private room.

A young woman dressed in a cheongsam brought the hot tea and left the tea room.

Zhou Qian took out the voice recorder, performing very professionally and formally, and began the interview.

She had done her homework in advance, plus she was a professional host herself, so the interview went smoothly without any awkwardness.

At first, there were concerns that Li Rong might stumble or find some questions difficult to answer.

But after the interview, they realized they had worried too much.

She was clearly not new to this type of interview, as she answered every question without hesitation.

The interview lasted over an hour, and Zhou Qian had nothing more to ask.

She picked up her teacup, and while sipping, looked at Song Guanchao.

Song Guanchao nodded to her, indicating the interview could end.

"Teacher Li, that's all for today's interview. Thank you for your cooperation."

She stood up, "I need to go to the restroom."

Once she left, Song Guanchao said, "Teacher Li, after Captain Lin passed away, has your life been affected?"

Li Rong sighed, "To say there's no impact would be deceiving myself. After all, we've lost a source of income, and the two kids at home are at an age where money is needed. Plus, I don't have much savings, and I'm unsure how to cover the kids' college tuition."

This statement, Song Guanchao didn't quite believe.

Her attire and her mental state did not match someone troubled by financial issues.

Someone truly worried about money wouldn't have the mood for beauty salons.

So, she's lying.

Her financial condition isn't poor.

This is very strange.

When Lin Bin was alive, he was neither greedy nor corrupt; both were ordinary salary earners. Yet after his death, Li Rong's living standards not only didn't drop but even improved?

Song Guanchao had some suspicions in his mind.

He took a sip of tea and decided to probe.

"After Captain Lin's death, has Teacher Li received any sponsorship?"

Li Rong didn't expect this question, paused for two seconds, and her eyes showed a hint of evasion as she quickly picked up the teacup to cover her panic.

After putting the cup down, having composed a strategy, she said, "Received some donations, but not much."

From her reaction, Song Guanchao got the answer he wanted.

In addition to donations, she definitely received other money.

Song Guanchao's mind raced.

The head of the provincial city police criminal investigation team holds considerable power within their scope of authority.

If he wanted, he could easily earn money most people wouldn't make in a lifetime through a simple favor.

But Lin Bin was neither greedy nor corrupted, being upright and righteous.

This integrity, however, can often offend people.

Therefore, after Lin Bin's death, there were likely only some donations organized internally by the Police Department and official compensation, with no private assistance for his widow and son.

So the question is, where did Li Rong get the money beyond donations, and who gave it?

A figure flashed in Song Guanchao's mind—Tan Xiang!

Tan Xiang was an undercover chosen by Lin Bin; their relationship was deep. After Lin Bin's death, she cared more than anyone else.

Moreover, Tan Xiang had the financial means.

He surmised that Tan Xiang should have been discreetly supporting Li Rong.

To verify his suspicion, Song Guanchao adopted a deliberately serious tone, "Teacher Li, I need to ask you some things, hoping for your cooperation."

His sudden seriousness made Li Rong inexplicably nervous, prompting her to automatically straighten her sitting posture.

"W-What do you want to ask?"

"Has someone always been sponsoring you?"

Li Rong's eyes showed a trace of nervousness as she instinctively denied, "No!"

Song Guanchao gazed into her eyes, his look was sharp, and Li Rong felt a faint sense of pressure.

A few seconds later, she voluntarily averted her eyes.

"Teacher Li, I hope you can cooperate. If you don't tell the truth, I will have no choice but to ask my friends at the bank to check your transactions."

Li Rong was startled, and the next second, she suddenly stood up, emotion decidedly agitated, "What right do you have to investigate me? What do you want to do?"

She reacted strongly, but the stronger her reaction, the more it highlighted she indeed had a problem.

And the problem was significant.

"What right?"

Song Guanchao laughed lightly, took out his phone, found Liang Jianfeng's number, and then tossed the phone in front of her, "This is the number of Director Liang at the city bureau. Either you cooperate with me, or I'll take you to the city bureau to let Director Liang ask you face to face."

Li Rong's face went pale, "You, you... What do you really want to do?"

He originally intended to keep things low-key, but he found it impossible to proceed quietly.

Once he decided to investigate, this situation was inevitable.

Since that's the case, it's better to just be upfront, making it easier.

Song Guanchao lit a cigarette, tapped the table, "Sit down and talk."

Li Rong hesitated for a few seconds before finally sitting down.

"Tell me, has someone been sponsoring you?"

Li Rong's hands were tightly clenched, after a while, she whispered, "Yes, but it's personal sponsorship."

Personal sponsorship?

She's still trying to dodge.

"Who is the person sponsoring you?"

"I don't know."

"Since Teacher Li is unwilling to say, then forget it. I'll spend some effort to investigate myself."

"I really don't know."

Li Rong suddenly grabbed his hand, "District Chief Song, I'm not lying to you, I really don't know."

Song Guanchao asked, "This isn't something shady, what are you afraid of?"

"Or, are you worried that the person transferring money to you has an unclean identity?"

Li Rong's body trembled slightly, Song Guanchao's words hit the point.

"Teacher Li." Song Guanchao's tone was gentle, "Lift your head, look at me."

Li Rong slowly raised her head to meet his gaze, but after just a few seconds, couldn't help but want to turn away.

"Look at me."

Song Guanchao repeated, "I ask, you answer."

"Has the other party contacted you?"

She was about to say no, but Song Guanchao's eyes seemed like blades, able to pierce through her facade.

"Contacted."

"What did they say?"

"Nothing, the other party just told me they were a friend of my husband. Worried about us living with difficulty, so every month they would transfer me a sum for living expenses."

"How much?"

"Not, not much."

"How much is not much?"

"In total, two hundred thousand."

"In total?" Song Guanchao sharply caught this seemingly benign term.

"What does 'in total' mean?"

"You're sponsored by more than one person?"

"There are two."

Song Guanchao was surprised, an unexpected discovery indeed.

He initially assumed it was Tan Xiang sponsoring Li Rong, but now finds that besides Tan Xiang, there's another!

Who could it be?

Temporarily setting aside this doubt, he continued to ask, "How many times has the other party contacted you?"

"Not many... After he died, contacted once to ask for my card number, later contacted a few more times, asked me some questions."

"What did they ask?"

"They asked how many properties we have, whether there's surveillance at home, where my husband usually goes, and if we have safe deposit box services at the bank..."

Li Rong's voice grew quieter, clearly recognizing the implications of these inquiries.

Indicating that Lin Bin might have left something behind after his death, and such things were very important to those sponsoring him.

Song Guanchao said, "Tell me, after Captain Lin passed away, what did he leave behind?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.