Xu Mo's Speculation

Seeing the middle-aged man immediately bolt upon spotting the police, the officers sensed something was off and promptly gave chase.

Anyone who runs at the sight of the police definitely has something to hide. Even if they’re not involved in this particular arson case, they’re likely connected to some other crime.

For all they knew, this man could be a fugitive.

The officers were in peak physical condition, and chasing suspects was their forte. This was largely thanks to the nature of their job, which often required them to pursue criminals, and over time, their stamina had been honed to perfection.

In contrast, the middle-aged man’s physical fitness was lacking, likely due to his age. You can’t fight time, after all.

Adding to his troubles, the hospital corridor was crowded, making it difficult to run fast. As a result, the man didn’t get far before the officers caught up and pinned him to the ground.

Onlookers in the corridor and patients in the nearby rooms gathered to watch the commotion.

One particularly clueless “good Samaritan” even stepped forward to lead the charge in criticizing the officers’ actions.

“What are you doing? Bullying an elderly man? Shame on you!”

Once someone took the lead, others quickly joined in.

“In broad daylight, you’re going to treat an old man like this in front of all of us? Let him go!”

The situation escalated as more self-proclaimed “champions of justice” stepped forward, loudly condemning the officers.

“Committing crimes in broad daylight… Who do you think you are? Let that man go, and deal with us if you dare!”

“Yeah, do you even respect the law?”

It was hard for anyone to watch a group of young, strong men pinning an elderly man to the ground in broad daylight.

Where’s the justice?

Where’s the rule of law?!

The crowd was outraged.

The more timid ones stayed back, hurling verbal abuse and berating the officers.

The bolder ones even stepped forward, ready to physically intervene and “rescue” the man.

Once the officers had the man fully under control, they took a moment to explain the situation.

One of the officers, after ensuring his colleagues had the man secured, stood up, pulled out his badge, and addressed the crowd.

“Everyone, calm down. We’re not bad guys. We’re police officers, and we’re investigating a case. This man is connected to an ongoing investigation…”

After a brief explanation, the crowd fell silent. The looks of pity they had directed at the man on the ground vanished.

Oh, it’s a police investigation… That changes everything.

Why didn’t you say so earlier? They had assumed these young men were troublemakers and the elderly man was their victim. Turns out, the man on the ground was the real villain.

The crowd’s gaze shifted to the man pinned to the floor, his face pressed against the ground. In their minds, they had already painted him as a despicable criminal.

Someone being pursued by the police isn’t necessarily a criminal—they might just be needed for questioning.

But someone being pinned down like this? That’s a different story. He must be guilty!

The tide of public opinion shifted instantly. The crowd stopped criticizing the officers and instead turned their anger toward the man.

Even the first person who had spoken out against the officers quickly changed their tune.

“I knew that old man was no good! Look at his shifty eyes—he’s clearly a bad egg! Good job catching him!”

The crowd: “…”

You were the one who started this whole thing!

Quick to flip sides, huh? Impressive.

“Yeah, yeah, I could tell he was trouble from the start. Wonder what he’s done.”

“I said earlier this was all a misunderstanding, but you didn’t believe me. You almost messed up the police’s work by siding with this criminal!”

“Hey, you up front, stop gawking and move aside! Don’t block the officers!”

“…”

The officers: “…”

They were used to scenes like this. It happened almost every time they worked undercover.

With the crowd watching, they escorted the man out of the hospital.

…

Based on the victim’s behavior and the fact that her father had fled upon seeing the police, Xu Mo had already pieced together the likely truth behind the case.

Of course, this was just a hypothesis. The specifics still needed to be verified.

Interrogation room.

The man sat in the interrogation chair, nervously glancing around. It was his first time in such a place.

“Are you Ms. Gao’s father? Why did you run when you saw us?” Xu Mo asked, his piercing gaze fixed on the man.

The intensity of his stare made the man even more anxious.

“I… I wasn’t running… I just… I suddenly needed to use the bathroom. Yeah, that’s it. I had to go.”

“So, it was just a coincidence, then?” Xu Mo asked with a smirk.

“Yeah, yeah, a coincidence!” The man nodded eagerly, seizing the opportunity. “It was just a misunderstanding. You’ve got the wrong guy. Let me go—I need to get back to the hospital to see my daughter.”

Letting him go wasn’t an option. The man clearly knew something, and Xu Mo was counting on him to confirm his suspicions.

“Ms. Gao’s piano shop was set on fire last night. We found traces of gasoline at the scene, which points to arson… Do you know anything about this? Or do you have any suspicions about who might be responsible?”

The man, already nervous, grew even more tense at the question.

“No, no… We just found out about it. We don’t know anything.”

“We? Who else is there besides you? Your wife?” Xu Mo pressed.

The man stiffened, his pupils contracting slightly, and nodded.

“Where is she? Why wasn’t she with you at the hospital?”

“She didn’t go.”

“She didn’t go? Your daughter nearly died, and she couldn’t be bothered to visit her in the hospital?”

The man avoided Xu Mo’s gaze, his eyes darting around uneasily.

“She… She hasn’t been feeling well lately, so I told her to stay home.”

For the next minute, Xu Mo didn’t ask any more questions.

The interrogation room was eerily quiet.

The man could even hear his own heartbeat.

Just as he thought he might have gotten away with his lies, Xu Mo suddenly stood up, pulled out his phone, and played a video, shoving the screen in the man’s face.

“We found surveillance footage of the arsonist setting the fire. The person in this video is the one who set the piano shop ablaze. Do you recognize her?”

As he spoke, Xu Mo watched the man’s reaction closely.

The moment the man saw the video, his body froze. His face filled with shock and worry, and his lips trembled uncontrollably.

Xu Mo also noticed a flicker of anger in his eyes.

His reaction was different from the victim’s, yet there were similarities.

Combined with the man’s earlier responses and behavior, Xu Mo was almost certain his hypothesis was correct.

The arsonist was the man’s wife—Ms. Gao’s mother.

Of course, Xu Mo had only deduced this based on the man’s reactions. As for the motive behind the arson, that remained a mystery.

But he was confident this man could provide the answers…