163: Chapter 163 List Before Prisoners

Xiao Bei clenched his fists behind the one-way glass. This sanctimonious beast was still quibbling despite conclusive evidence. He looked at Zhang Yanzhi, the head of the Discipline Inspection Commission investigation team, beside him:

"Leader, does he think he'll be bailed out just like last time?"

Zhang Yanzhi pushed up his glasses: "According to the information we have, there is indeed someone behind him, but this time is different."

In the interrogation room, Captain Wang continued to press: "Then what about these girls?"

He showed photos of victims like Xiao Mei and Xiao Yu, "Why did they appear in your 'poverty alleviation project'?"

Liu Fuzhi sighed dramatically: "Young people today, they'll do anything for fame. We provide the platform, they sign voluntarily, and the contracts are written clearly in black and white."

He leaned forward, his handcuffs rattling, "Captain Wang, you're also in the system; you should understand how hard it is to start a business. We strictly abide by the law, but there are always jealous people spreading rumors."

Captain Wang slammed the table: "What about Chen Zhiming? Why was he imprisoned?"

Liu Fuzhi's expression didn't change: "Who? I don't know him. Maybe it was done by a business competitor? We are a tall tree that attracts the wind."

In the monitoring room behind the one-way glass, Xiao Bei was trembling with rage: "Shameless! The USB drive in Chen Zhiming's stomach clearly captured evidence of his crimes!"

Zhang Yanzhi pressed his shoulder: "Calm down. To deal with a person like this, evidence alone isn't enough; we have to break his psychological defenses."

The interrogation lasted for three hours. Liu Fuzhi remained airtight, pushing all crimes onto the fugitive Director Ma and the "voluntarily signed" girls.

When Captain Wang mentioned the Beauty Loan, he even showed a confused expression: "What loan? There are so many financial products now; it's normal for grassroots employees to engage in irregular operations."

Walking out of the interrogation room, Captain Wang loosened his tie and wiped his face wearily: "He's stalling for time, waiting for the people outside to make their moves."

"We need to change our approach," Zhang Yanzhi suddenly said, "Liu Fuzhi is suspicious and most afraid of being betrayed. If we make him think his accomplices have already confessed..."

Xiao Bei's eyes lit up: "A strategy of alienation?"

The next day, the interrogation room was rearranged. When Liu Fuzhi was brought in, he noticed a recording device on the table and a thick folder labeled "Director Ma's Confession."

"How did you sleep?" Captain Wang asked with a smile, his tone as relaxed as if they were chatting, "Director Ma was caught last night at a highway toll station in the neighboring province."

Liu Fuzhi's eyelid twitched, but he quickly returned to calm: "Oh? That's great. He absconded with funds, causing the company's capital chain to break."

Captain Wang pressed the recorder, and Director Ma's trembling voice sounded: "...It was all directed by County Magistrate Liu. He said there was someone above covering for him, so nothing would happen..."

Liu Fuzhi sneered: "Forced confession, right? Can you even believe the words of such a person?"

Captain Wang calmly opened the folder: "Director Ma confessed many details, such as how you screened streamers through medical beauty clinics—first offering free experiences with hydro-injections, then recommending hyaluronic acid, and finally inducing them to do high-priced projects. If they didn't have money, you recommended the Beauty Loan, and when they were at their wit's end, they came to the Live Streaming Company."

Liu Fuzhi's fingers began to tap the table unconsciously: "Who can't make up stories?"

"There's more," Captain Wang pulled out a few sheets of paper, "He mentioned that you have a small notebook recording the preferences of every 'VIP.' For example, Bureau Chief Zhang prefers long hair..."

Liu Fuzhi stood up abruptly, his chair clattering to the floor: "Nonsense! This is a frame-up!"

Behind the one-way glass, Zhang Yanzhi whispered to Xiao Bei: "Hit a sore spot."

Captain Wang pressed his advantage: "Director Ma also said that you raised a 'god-daughter,' Xiao Mei, specifically to entertain important clients. It's a pity, Xiao Mei is our person now."

Liu Fuzhi's face turned deathly pale instantly: "Impossible! Xiao Mei, she..." He suddenly shut his mouth, realizing he had let something slip.

In the monitoring room, Zhang Yanzhi immediately ordered: "Quick, bring Xiao Mei here!"

Ten minutes later, when the haggard Xiao Mei was brought into the room next door, and Liu Fuzhi saw her through the monitor screen, he collapsed into his chair like a deflated ball.

"Uncle Liu," Xiao Mei said softly into the microphone, tears rolling down, "I've told them everything... including how you made me accompany Director Li... and those recordings..."

Cold sweat seeped from Liu Fuzhi's forehead, his lips trembling: "Bitch... I treated you so well..."

Captain Wang closed the folder: "Are you willing to talk about the Beauty Loan now? For example, how you forged the girls' income statements to make the interest rates appear legal?"

Liu Fuzhi's defenses began to crumble. His eyes darted around, his fingers nervously clutching the corner of his clothes: "I... I want to see my lawyer..."

"You can," Captain Wang stood up, "But let me remind you, Deputy Director Li was already taken into custody for investigation last night. Do you think he will confess everything he knows in exchange for a lighter sentence?"

This sentence became the straw that broke the camel's back. Liu Fuzhi suddenly broke down and cried: "I'm just an executor! The leaders above wanted to play, what could I do? Those loan contracts were all done by Director Ma; I don't understand finance at all!"

Xiao Bei first sought permission before pushing the door open, slamming a stack of files on the table: "Then what about these plastic surgery reports? Using fake medicine for medical beauty, and plastic surgery has also become a poverty alleviation project?"

Liu Fuzhi was speechless, his fat body beginning to tremble.

Three days later, with the complete testimonies of victims like Xiao Mei and Xiao Yu, a massive criminal network surfaced. They exploited young women's appearance anxiety, first attracting them with free experiences, then inducing them through layers of schemes to take on huge debts, and finally forcing them to participate in live streaming or becoming playthings for the powerful.

In the Jinhe County Commission for Discipline Inspection conference room, Xiao Bei pointed to the relationship chart on the whiteboard: "The most despicable thing is this 'upgrade mechanism'—most people are brainwashed into believing that as long as they endure, they can go from being the 'chosen' to the 'choosers.' Li Xingyu is a typical example; she went from a victim to a perpetrator."

Zhang Yanzhi took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose: "What's even more terrifying is that this model is spreading across the country. On the surface, they are legitimate medical beauty institutions, but behind the scenes..."

"Deputy County Magistrate Xiao!" A staff member hurried in, "Chen Zhiming has woken up and says he has an important situation to report!"

In the hospital ward, Chen Zhiming's eyes flashed with an unusual light: "It's not just Jinhe County... They have a 'Beauty Alliance,' where twenty-seven medical beauty institutions across the country share 'resources'..."

He said with a tremble that there was another list in his encrypted email, which he had risked uploading before he was imprisoned.

Xiao Bei and Su Yun exchanged a glance, both gasping in cold air—this was far larger than they had imagined.

Outside the window, a rainstorm suddenly arrived, the raindrops pounding violently against the glass, as if questioning how much unknown darkness was hidden behind this bright and glamorous world.

...