In the 60s and 70s, Hong Kong was quite poor. The citizens worked hard, leaving early and returning late, often holding multiple jobs. To cater to these early risers and late-night workers, breakfast stalls and midnight diners sprang up everywhere, slowly becoming numerous and varied.
The most famous among them were Luk Yu Tea House, Lin Heung Tea House, and Kam Fung Cafe, as well as stalls like Chan Kee, Tak Kee, and Ma Zai in the third-floor cooked food section of Kowloon City Market, offering lavish breakfast feasts.
If one early morning, you saw someone frequenting these places, heartily indulging, would you assume they were merely early risers hungry for a delicious bite?
Nooo, they might also be CID detectives who had been up all night interrogating suspects.
Because of overnight stakeouts and breakthroughs, entire teams would gather, taking turns to press on with interrogations.
Those coming off shifts not only needed a breather but also had to rush out to quickly refuel.
They couldn’t sit down to savor a full spread of dim sum delicacies, but there was a certain satisfaction in their swift and hearty consumption.
After filling up, Fang Zhenyue took his colleague Jiayi to verify recent financial transactions of “Datou.” On the morning of the 23rd, Datou had deposited HK$300,000 into his account.
By this morning, he had withdrawn HK$100,000, leaving a balance of HK$200,000.
The source of this money was currently untraceable.
Even after pulling financial records from Zhou Xinhui’s wealthy accounts and Xinhui Leather Co., no recent large expenditures were found; even with money moving in and out, everything was clearly itemized and unremarkable.
The detectives suspected Zhou might have paid in cash, but this made verification difficult at the moment.
Back at the police station, they organized the interrogation records. The HK$300,000 deposited by Datou was recorded by the bank.
However, Mawei claimed the deal was for HK$400,000. So why had Datou only deposited HK$300,000? And why, on that day, had he only withdrawn HK$100,000 to give to Mawei?
Further questioning and calculations revealed that Mawei had already received HK$400,000 from Datou on the day Zhao Dongsheng’s death was reported in the news.
The police logically inferred that the HK$300,000 deposited by Datou was merely his own cut as a middleman, not the full commission from Zhou Xinhui.
To thoroughly investigate this money trail, the interrogation room continued to grill two gang leaders and a junior caught in connection.
Qiu Sushan secured a search warrant, and Fang Zhenyue, along with Jiayi, Xu Shaowei, and two forensic technicians, headed straight to Datou’s home.
After a two-hour thorough search at Datou’s residence, the forensic team collected several pieces of evidence, including fingerprints and footprints. Jiayi found HK$100,000 taped under Datou’s bed, Fang Zhenyue discovered HK$200,000 hidden in a window frame, and Xu Shaowei found a bag of marijuana in a hollow space under the bathroom sink.
Returning with their haul, they compared the money and after confirmation from their forensic colleagues, they could almost assert that it was from the same batch.
Fang Zhenyue brought the replaced Three Blessings and Gary, along with two other lab technicians, to the Mawei family for a search.
They eventually discovered 250,000 Hong Kong dollars, which was roughly 400,000 in commission. Immediately, 150,000 was spent to either repay loans or indulge in extravagant consumption.
Taken back to the police station, a series of comparisons and tests confirmed that this 250,000 belonged to the same batch previously seized at Mawei’s place.
Jiayi sat at the desk, crunching numbers. In the past few days, Datou had essentially handled 1 million of the same batch of Hong Kong dollars: hiding 300,000 at home, depositing 300,000 (of which 100,000 was seized on the spot), and giving 400,000 to Mawei.
Staring at the numbers for a long time, an idea suddenly struck her, and she looked up to ask Fang Zhenyue:
“Brother Yue, is it possible that the tycoon Zhou Xinhui gave Datou 1 million Hong Kong dollars to fully entrust him with the murder-for-hire? But Datou, being greedy, only handed 400,000 Hong Kong dollars to Mawei. Feeling he had leverage over Datou, Mawei extorted an additional 100,000. If this settles, wouldn’t Mawei make 500,000 from the murder, and Datou, merely acting as a middleman, also makes 500,000?”
“It’s very likely,” Fang Zhenyue pressed his finger on the notebook Jiayi was using to record this, then lifted his finger and turned to Liu Jiaming:
“Go talk to Mawei! Datou took 1 million from the boss and only gave him 400,000. Datou did nothing and pocketed half of the amount. See how Mawei feels about this.”
“Yes, sir.” Liu Jiaming got it, and the next interrogation strategy was to divide them—this way of manipulating the mindset. These punks weren’t exactly calm types, and a little instigation would make them slam the table and curse.
Datou was so ruthless, initially wanting to keep 600,000 for himself, clearly not treating Mawei as a brother, even treating him like a fool to be commanded.
Such condescension and disrespect, if Mawei could still feel calm and justified about Datou making this money, he wouldn’t have chosen this path.
Indeed, within 15 minutes, Mawei spilled everything about Datou. Basically, from the first day Mawei knew Datou, all the misdeeds he had committed, even urinating on the clothes an old granny was drying downstairs when drunk, were not omitted.
About 10 days ago, Datou approached Mawei with a job, a great deed of robbing the rich to help the poor, a lucrative gig that could set them up for retirement.
400,000 to kill the real estate tycoon Zhao Dongsheng.
When assigning the task, Datou had given Mawei 10,000 Hong Kong dollars as a deposit, with the rest to be paid upon the man’s death.
While handing over the deposit, there was also a detailed briefing on Zhao Dongsheng. It included several of his family addresses, the residences of his various mistresses, his daily habits, and favorite entertainment spots—an impressive compilation of professional detail.
The transcript was exceedingly thorough. Mawei’s account of Zhao Dongsheng largely matched what the detectives had found.
However, the colleague who received this transcript also got a shockingly unexpected piece of explosive news.
When Liu Jiaming asked Mawei about the specific murder process and where the body was dumped, Mawei spread his hands and loudly proclaimed:
“Ah sir, honestly, I didn’t kill Zhao Dongsheng. We received that ten thousand Hong Kong dollars in advance and just spent our days drinking and living it up. ‘Drink today’s wine today,’ who would still think about offing that rich Zhao Dongsheng? Maybe once we ran out of money, we might have actually considered murder.”
“Don’t mess around, the evidence is conclusive. Are you trying to change your story now?” Liu Jiaming slammed the table.
“Why would I lie to you, Ah sir? I’ve told you so much truth already, what’s one more line? But Ah sir, could I possibly be a witness for the police instead? I didn’t kill anyone and could still testify for you. Does that mean I don’t have to be arrested?” Mawei leaned slightly forward, smiling easily.
Liu Jiaming frowned and signaled for Mawei to continue. Mawei casually crossed his legs and said:
“Just on the 23rd, I happened to read in the newspaper that Zhao Dongsheng had disappeared and might already be dead. Just as I was about to run out of that ten thousand dollars, I had the bright idea to go ask Datou for money. Who knew Datou was so gullible? A fool trying to con me? Ha, he was played by me all along. Trying to play tricks on your brother Mawei?”
Mawei couldn’t help but burst into loud laughter, only to be quieted by a slam on the table from Liu Jiaming, awkwardly touching the corner of his mouth as he continued:
“I was telling the truth, and Datou believed it. After all, he didn’t anticipate that someone else might really have taken Zhao Dongsheng’s life. Regardless of who killed him, Datou’s goal was achieved, and I got a bit of money to spend.”
“Zhao Dongsheng died on the night of the 22nd, and I have an alibi for that time.”
“That’s about it, Ah sir, you know the rest of the story.”
Liu Jiaming rubbed his fingers and asked Mawei for more details about his alibi, then wordlessly knocked on the desk and left the room.
Meeting the gaze of Fang Zhenyue and Jiayi, Liu Jiaming holding the transcript, asked, “Brother Yue, what should we do next?”
Leaning against the wall, Fang Zhenyue had a thought but didn’t rush to speak. Instead, he turned to Jiayi:
“What do you think?”
“Brother Yue, I was wondering… how did Mawei manage to spend all 150,000 Hong Kong dollars in just a day or two?” Jiayi blinked and then reflected on all the details of the case up to now.
“So?” Fang Zhenyue raised an eyebrow.
“Is it possible that Mawei wasn’t using that 150,000 to pay off debts or anything?” Jiayi pondered. “Like, maybe buying someone to act as his alibi, spending money to tidy up loose ends to ensure that even if the police caught him, he wouldn’t slip up. Or even, could that money have been used to buy some boat tickets, helping him flee Hong Kong to escape the limelight?”
Fang Zhenyue pursed his lips, “You’ve keenly noticed this money that vanished into thin air, but I have some other ideas about where it might have gone.”
Jiayi and Brother Yue exchanged glances, seeing he wasn’t ready to reveal more, she pinched her chin and pondered for a while before whispering to Liu Jiaming and Uncle Jiu for several moments.
A few minutes later, Uncle Jiu and Liu Jiaming returned to the interrogation room.
Jiayi timed her wait, then ran back and forth outside the interrogation room a few times, running until she was panting and her face was flushed. She blinked at Fang Zhenyue, then immediately composed herself and knocked on the door of Mawei’s interrogation room.
Uncle Jiu came over to open the door, feigning ignorance with a perfectly clueless expression, he raised his eyebrows and asked in a low voice, “What is it?”
Facing Uncle Jiu, Jiayi almost doubted whether Uncle Jiu had really forgotten what she had just told him—true Oscar-worthy acting!
She wouldn’t lose to Uncle Jiu; with superb acting skills, she defensively glanced at Mawei with her eyes, then quickly averted her gaze.
Upon seeing her like this, Mawei immediately sensed something was amiss. He straightened up, leaned forward, and, while Liu Jiaming was also turning his attention to the doorway, eavesdropped with keen interest.
Did he not realize that both inside and outside the interrogation room were filled with people? Inside were the interrogators and the interrogated, outside were observers and discussants. How could he expect to overhear secrets not meant for his ears?
Jiayi pretended to whisper into Uncle Jiu’s ear, but occasionally let slip some crucial keywords:
“…found it, the money Mawei… was given… caught, being interrogated… they’ve got Mawei to confess, applying to become a cooperating witness…”
Uncle Jiu nodded as he listened, occasionally glancing at Mawei. His expression grew progressively relaxed; it started tense, signaling the need for more clues.
But as Jiayi continued, Uncle Jiu’s demeanor softened, and his body language became more casual.
Eventually, he even pulled out a small stick from his pocket and casually began nibbling on it.
After releasing the intended information to Mawei, Jiayi nodded at Uncle Jiu, then pointed at the stick he was chewing on, “Does it really work? Doesn’t it gather all sorts of grime?”
“Not at all, it’s Chinese medicine. In Africa, the locals use these sticks as toothbrushes, chewing off the bark to expose the fibrous strands beneath, which clean the teeth. Chewing on it continuously is good for oral health,” Uncle Jiu, with the stick in his mouth, added persuasively, “I’ll give you one too later.”
“Thank you, but no need, Uncle Jiu,” Jiayi waved her hand dismissively. A proper lady…no, a formidable female detective, shouldn’t be seen chewing on a stick.
Jiayi left the room, and Uncle Jiu patted Liu Jiaming on the shoulder, saying casually, “Just interrogate him as usual.”
After a disdainful glance at Mawei, he turned to leave with a flourish.
Seeing this, Mawei immediately suspected that the person who had taken his money had been captured and might betray him to become a cooperating witness.
Having been loose-lipped himself and applying to be a cooperating witness, he felt like the whole world was full of traitors like him.
People with poor brains panic easily, displaying neither logic nor wisdom, and he was no exception, blurting out in haste:
“Hey, officer, don’t go! I… I know who the murderer is, can I apply to be a cooperating witness? I swear I’ll tell the truth, everything else they say is a lie, they’re slandering me!”
Standing at the doorway, Uncle Jiu turned and looked at Mawei, asking indifferently, “What is it?”
Thinking Uncle Jiu didn’t believe him, Mawei hurriedly confessed like a machine gun: “Actually, after I agreed to help Datou kill someone, I was drinking with another brother. That brother is ruthless, he had killed someone back in his hometown. I was drunk at the time and told him that I didn’t dare to do the killing. If he could take out Zhao Dongsheng for me, I’d give him 150,000 Hong Kong dollars. Good brothers, let’s make money together…”
“And then?” Liu Jiaming’s toes curled nervously, still trying to maintain a calm facade as if he already knew this would happen, he subtly lifted his chin for Mawei to continue.
Outside the interrogation room, Jiayi, through the small window, observed Liu Jiaming’s performance and commented with a click of her tongue, “That’s too exaggerated. It would have been better if he’d tilted his chin down just a bit less.”
Fang Zhenyue had been intently watching Mawei, but suddenly, Jiayi’s remark hit his funny bone, and he couldn’t help but slap her on the back of her head, chuckling.
Inside the interrogation room, once Mawei had started speaking, there was no need to hold back.
Moreover, he believed he really wasn’t in big trouble, so he spoke freely, jumping right into the trap Jiayi had set without feeling any pressure.
“I originally thought Ah Feng was just boasting, but who knew he was really ruthless enough to actually go and kill Zhao Dongsheng. So, the moment I got the money, I gave Ah Feng 150,000 Hong Kong dollars. You can’t mess with someone who dares to kill like that. Ah sir, don’t be fooled by how I look; in front of someone like Ah Feng, I’m just a good citizen.”
After saying this, Mawei leaned forward, excitedly poking his head forward on the table:
“Ah Feng is really fierce. He stormed into Zhao Dongsheng’s house, chopped him up with a machete, calmly cleaned the scene, and took away the body to dismember and dump into the sea to feed the fish. It gave me goosebumps just hearing about it.”
“Which Ah Feng is this? The one from Hung Hom To Kwa Wan or the Ah Feng from the Tsim Sha Tsui Cleaver Gang?” Liu Jiaming, leaning sideways with his legs crossed, asked with a half-smile.
“Ah sir, you’re tricking me, haha. Since I said I’d tell the truth, I won’t bluff you anymore. People who know me, Mawei, know I value loyalty and honesty the most,” Mawei leaned back, shooting Liu Jiaming a reproachful glance before he continued:
“It’s the Ah Feng who lives at No. 19 Model Village in Quarry Bay, North Point, with a crew cut, this tall, this fat, and with eyes this small.”
Mawei gestured as he spoke, displaying the linguistic capabilities of an uneducated delinquent with a limited vocabulary.
“Alright, got anything else you remember? Don’t keep recalling one thing now and another later; I’ll think you’re playing games with me,” Liu Jiaming slapped his hand on the table.
“That’s all for now… uh, if I remember something crucial later, I’ll tell you, Ah sir,” Mawei chuckled, glancing at Uncle Jiu and then back at Liu Jiaming, inquiring, “When can I go home?”
“Sit tight for a bit longer,” Liu Jiaming rubbed his fingertips against the table, turning to look at Uncle Jiu.
The two exchanged glances and then stepped out of the interrogation room together.
Outside, Jiayi asked Fang Zhenyue, “I guessed wrong, huh? That money was actually spent to subcontract someone else for the job. Did you guess right, Brother Yue?”
“Just about there, it was merely a stroke of genius that turned out to be right,” Fang Zhenyue pattedJiayi’s shoulder, “Impressive, you’ve already got a knack for interrogation, just using a little trick and you got Mawei to fall right into the trap.”
“Thanks, Brother Yue, hehe, you’re not bad either, guessing where Mawei’s money went,”Jiayi looked up and returned the compliment to Brother Yue.
“You’re the clever one, catching that the sudden disappearance of a large sum was a breakthrough,” Fang Zhenyue raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment.
Uncle Jiu and Liu Jiaming, one with arms crossed and the other with hands on hips, stood at the doorway of the interrogation room staring at Fang Zhenyue andJiayi.
Jiayi’s peripheral vision suddenly caught the two, and she quickly realized Uncle Jiu and the others had finished their interrogation. She turned around with a smile, “Uncle Jiu’s acting is top-notch.”
“Jiaming was great too, the way he propped up his leg at the end was spot-on.”
“Thanks a lot,” Liu Jiaming bowed with clasped hands, “That’s more like it.”
“After retirement, you should go fight for the Best Actor at TVB,” Uncle Jiu removed a little stick from his mouth, peering through a small window at Mawei, who was looking around inside, and said to Fang Zhenyue:
“Boss Zhou put up a million to take out Zhao Dongsheng, it got subcontracted down the line to Ah Feng, and by then, only 150,000 was left, tsk tsk.”
“One greedier than the next,” Liu Jiaming sighed, then turned to Fang Zhenyue, “Sir, how about it?”
“Mawei’s description of Ah Feng’s method of killing doesn’t match the evidence we collected at the crime scene. Zhao Dongsheng was stabbed in the villa but didn’t die immediately. He later escaped from a car and ran for a while before being captured again. So, it looks like Ah Feng might not be the real murderer, but let’s bring him in first and talk later.”
“Right, I reckon Ah Feng was just bluffing, same as Mawei, just here to scam some money,” Liu Jiaming chuckled, the subcontracting scheme, too true to life.
So many things in this world work like this, money trickles down to the actual workers, and those who really buckle down to work might only get a tiny fraction.
Fang Zhenyue clapped his hands, “Jiaming, you come with me to catch Ah Feng. Eleven, you and Uncle Jiu go check out the other people Sanfu and the team are interrogating, compile all their statements for comparison.”
“Yes, sir.”