Chapter Forty-Eight: Sophistry

Sitting in the interrogation chair, Chai Yan felt much more at ease; after all, here he was no longer under the threat of death. No matter how arrogant the Little Prince was, he wouldn’t dare to come here and kill him, and Haifeng and the others were police—they couldn’t take his life, and would even guarantee his personal safety.

Although Chai Yan had lost his freedom at this moment, he felt a kind of happiness. For the first time, he realized how fortunate it was to live in his own country, and how valuable the law truly was. The terror in his heart had dissipated like smoke, and new thoughts began to form in his mind.

The White Tiger Squad’s operation had not only resulted in the capture of Chai Yan and his group in Annan, but over a hundred family heads and organizers, and more than twelve hundred adult content streamers were arrested nationwide, putting enormous pressure on the interrogations. The White Tiger Squad was fully engaged in this work.

Wen Yuxin was assigned to interrogate Chai Yan. She knew this was merely a formality, as Haifeng and the others had already questioned him before returning to the country, and had collected the relevant evidence. This was just a procedural step. So Wen Yuxin followed the template given to her by Haifeng, sitting beside another officer and began questioning Chai Yan.

Once the interrogation started, Wen Yuxin discovered Chai Yan had no intention of confessing truthfully; instead, he persistently denied his previous statements. With the threat of death gone, Chai Yan’s shameless nature surfaced again. He understood the significance of verbal evidence, and decided not to confess anymore, knowing that refusing to plead guilty wouldn’t harm him—in fact, it might even bring some benefit.

This was the wisdom Chai Yan had gleaned from the "University of Society": “Confess and you get a harsher sentence; resist and you go home for New Year’s.” He was determined to overturn his previous confession and refuse to admit guilt.

He knew Haifeng and the others would not use torture to extract a confession, and he had no fear of being beaten. On top of that, they were obliged to ensure his food and rest. Under such favorable conditions, Chai Yan felt it would be a crime to be honest with them.

Wen Yuxin began by asking about Chai Yan’s organization of prostitution and drug trafficking in Ming City. Chai Yan refused to discuss it, always replying, “It’s been too long, I can’t remember.” No matter how Wen Yuxin pressed, Chai Yan stuck to this answer. Wen Yuxin realized he would not provide any further testimony on that matter, so she no longer pursued it.

The evidence for the case was ironclad; Wen Yuxin knew that no matter how much Chai Yan argued, he could not escape the law’s judgment. So she switched to questioning him about the adult content platform.

She said, “You claim you don’t remember Ming City, but surely you recall your activities in Annan? Tell me what you did there.”

Chai Yan replied, “I was engaged in legal business in Annan! Is there a problem with that?”

Wen Yuxin asked, “Was your adult content platform also legal business?”

Chai Yan countered, “What adult content platform? I don’t know anything about that. I was just running a streaming platform, making a living with my technical skills. Is there a problem with that?”

Wen Yuxin pressed, “You call that making a living with technical skills? Your platform is full of adult performances—isn’t that an adult content streaming platform?”

Chai Yan said, “I only provided the streaming platform. If someone used it for adult performances, I truly didn’t know. I’m innocent. You should understand—technology itself is blameless; you wouldn’t arrest a knife seller just because someone used a knife to commit murder, would you?”

Wen Yuxin nearly laughed in exasperation at Chai Yan’s shameless words. She said, “Just because technology is blameless doesn’t mean those who use it for evil are also blameless, right? You claim ignorance about adult content streaming, yet in Annan you admitted to organizing these adult streams. Why?”

Chai Yan smiled and replied, “If I hadn’t returned to the country then, I would’ve been killed. And your ‘Ghost Scourge’ blocked every route home. If I didn’t say those things, would I have survived? Those were emergency statements made under threat to my life—they shouldn’t count. Surely you know that’s invalid? If you don’t, you can submit my confession to the court; I trust my lawyer will explain its illegitimacy.”

Seeing Chai Yan’s smirking face, Wen Yuxin grew angrier, but she reminded herself this was an interrogation, and kept her composure. She continued, “You say the adult content streams are unrelated to you, but how do you explain your financial records? The gifts from the adult performers were all processed through your platform—does that not involve you?”

Chai Yan said, “Streaming platforms profit from gifts given to hosts. I provide the platform, and naturally earn revenue from gifts as a legitimate business. They use my platform, so it’s only fair I get paid—I am providing them a service.”

Wen Yuxin asked, “You provide a technical platform, but do you not monitor its content? Are you truly unaware of what’s happening on your platform?”

Chai Yan replied, “My platform is for streaming. What they perform, I really don’t know—I focus solely on technical operations. Besides, even if there were adult performances, I am not obligated to regulate them. My company is in Annan, so we abide by Annan’s laws, which do not require content regulation.”

Wen Yuxin continued, “But your hosts are all from the mainland, and your actual business is conducted here—would you deny that?”

Chai Yan said, “My company deals in internet business, aimed globally, not just domestically. I don’t know why there are local hosts.”

Wen Yuxin pressed, “Then what about the recordings of adult streams stored on your servers? And the coercion and manipulation of those girls by your employees?”

Chai Yan said, “I don’t know about that. With so many people, anything can happen—I can’t watch my staff every moment. If they used the company to commit crimes, I’m unaware. If they did, you absolutely must bring those scoundrels to justice and not let them go.”

Wen Yuxin said, “Your subordinates have already pointed you out. Are you still going to resist?”

Chai Yan replied, “What they say has nothing to do with me. Maybe they’re just trying to smear me to cover up their own misdeeds.”

Wen Yuxin realized Chai Yan would not confess regarding the adult content streaming, so she stopped pressing and shifted the topic, “What about forcing mainland female hosts to Annan and compelling them to provide adult services?”

Chai Yan answered, “I never forced them. Sending them abroad was a reward for good performance, a chance to travel. Whatever else they did was their own choice—besides, Annan is different from here, adult services are legal there. If they wanted to do it, I couldn’t stop them.”

Wen Yuxin asked, “You never forced them?”

Chai Yan replied, “Of course not. I knew nothing about such matters.”

Wen Yuxin pressed, “You never abused those girls?”

Chai Yan answered, “Some did provide services for me, but I paid for it—and that was in Annan. It was normal consumption.”

Wen Yuxin continued, “Was it really normal? Does abuse count as normal consumption?”

Chai Yan replied, “I paid. It was fair exchange, not abuse.”

Wen Yuxin asked, “Wasn’t it you who directed girls to the Little Prince?”

Chai Yan replied, “I did take some girls to the Little Prince, but that was for parties. What happened afterward was not my concern.”

Wen Yuxin was furious at Chai Yan’s evasions. He had done so many terrible things, yet now denied everything. She couldn’t help but say, “Do you realize how many people your platform has harmed? Those girls suffered terribly because of you—do you feel no guilt at all?”

Chai Yan replied, “I only provided the streaming platform. How they used it is not my responsibility. Besides, those girls no longer have to toil endlessly for meager wages; thanks to their work as hosts, they’ve gone from barely surviving to living in luxury. I helped them—how is that harm? I don’t see how I harmed them.”

Wen Yuxin looked at Chai Yan, unable to understand how he could feel no guilt for his actions, how he could remain so shameless after hurting so many people. She said angrily, “Do you know some girls chose suicide because of your platform, because you forced them into adult services? You say you didn’t harm them, but you gave them to the Little Prince as playthings—isn’t that harm? You forced them to Annan to provide adult services, forced them into adult performances for your profit—isn’t that harm? Do you feel no guilt? Do you still think you’re innocent?”

Chai Yan laughed, replying, “You said it yourself—it was suicide. How is that my concern? Lots of people commit suicide every day—you can’t pin them all on me. She chose her path; I didn’t force her. You can’t blame me.”

Chai Yan smiled at Wen Yuxin, clearly pleased with his answers. Seeing the two officers before him almost bursting with anger made him happy. At this moment, Chai Yan was thoroughly satisfied with the law; he felt it not only spelled out lucrative methods in the penal code, providing him with ideas for making money, but also strictly limited police powers, allowing him to brazenly toy with them.

Chai Yan looked at Wen Yuxin: her hands delicate as young bamboo, skin like creamy jade, neck slender, teeth shining white—the beauty of her features made Chai Yan’s mind wander, and he began to flirt, “Officer, you’re quite attractive. You look even better when you’re angry. Have you ever considered a career change? If you become a streamer, I guarantee I can make you famous—you’ll earn far more than here. Interested?”

The officer beside Wen Yuxin was already unable to restrain himself after hearing Chai Yan’s words. He had never encountered such a brazen criminal. Though it was an interrogation room and as an interrogator he couldn’t touch Chai Yan, he picked up the ink pad on the table, ready to throw it at Chai Yan.

At that moment, a hand reached over from behind and pressed the officer’s arm down. It was Li Mengyang’s hand. When Wen Yuxin turned and saw Li Mengyang, she jumped in surprise. She hadn’t expected Li Mengyang to come here for the interrogation, and seeing his face sent a chill through her.

Whether it was the lighting or her own unease, Wen Yuxin felt Li Mengyang’s face was no longer gentle as before; instead, it radiated a murderous aura. The cold light behind his black-rimmed glasses seemed as if it could kill Chai Yan outright.

The officer turned, startled by Li Mengyang as well. Li Mengyang’s expression made him shiver; he felt a powerful sense of danger emanating from Li Mengyang, suffocating him. At that moment, he forgot Chai Yan entirely.

Li Mengyang said to the officer, “Sit down.”

As if compelled by some supernatural force, the officer obediently returned to his seat.

Li Mengyang then turned to Wen Yuxin, saying, “This isn’t the right place for you. Let me handle this.”

Wen Yuxin felt Li Mengyang was a completely different person from before, almost someone she didn’t recognize—someone whose mere presence inspired fear, even terror. She worried Li Mengyang might do something irreparable, wanted to insist she continue the interrogation herself, but her legs moved involuntarily.

She didn’t know what was happening—it was as if she were a puppet controlled by someone, and Li Mengyang was the puppeteer, making her move as he wished.

As she left, Wen Yuxin couldn’t trust this sinister Li Mengyang. She said, “Mengyang, we have enough evidence to send him to prison. Don’t be too impulsive—don’t do anything unnecessary. If we don’t get answers today, Captain Hai and the others will find another way tomorrow.”

Li Mengyang gave Wen Yuxin a slight smile and said, “Don’t worry, Yuxin. I know what I’m doing. You don’t need to worry about me. This person isn’t suitable for you to interrogate—you’re too kind, you’ll only get upset. Let me handle it. I know how to deal with this sort of person.”

Wen Yuxin left the interrogation room, still uneasy. She hurried to the monitoring room to see what Li Mengyang was planning. When she arrived, she found Zhang Mufeng already there.

Wen Yuxin said to Zhang Mufeng, “Li Mengyang seems off. Should we inform Captain Hai?”

Zhang Mufeng shook his head, “He knows what he’s doing. No need to disturb Captain Hai. I saw you were upset by Chai Yan as well; you must be exhausted. Go rest, I’ll keep watch here.”

Wen Yuxin shook her head, “I’m not tired. Let’s watch together.”

Zhang Mufeng knew he couldn’t persuade Wen Yuxin to leave, so he gave a wry smile, “All right, let’s watch together. But Yuxin, I don’t know what’s about to happen, so I hope you’re prepared.”

Wen Yuxin nodded, and the two of them watched Li Mengyang’s interrogation together in the monitoring room.