Ning Zhiheng and his two companions got into the car and drove to No. 2 Liushu Hutong, the rented room of the tenant Dong Chengjie, to inspect the scene.
Throughout the journey, Ning Zhiheng remained calm and silent, but his heart was filled with turbulent waves that surged and lingered for a long time!
He wasn't thinking about the two precious jade artifacts or Dong Chengjie's true identity.
What shocked him most was the professor he had met today, Professor Fang Boyi, a renowned expert in the antique trade from Jinling University!
Because of this Professor Fang Boyi, he had actually met him long ago and even drawn a portrait of him by hand.
The moment he first saw Fang Boyi, he realized that Fang Boyi looked extremely familiar. His facial features and the distance between his eyebrows and eyes were exactly the same as the person who introduced him to the Party in the third scene in Lu Ming's memory, the one who stood with him under the Party flag to take the oath.
Although many years have passed, the person who introduced him to the Party has transformed from a young military officer into a refined university professor. The passage of time has left its mark on his face, such as his skin becoming looser and his eye bags deepening, but his facial features remain largely unchanged.
Ning Zhiheng's painting skills are outstanding. He pays special attention to the details of human facial features. His observation ability far exceeds that of ordinary people in recognizing other people's faces. In addition, he had personally drawn a portrait of Fang Boyi. Therefore, Ning Zhiheng was able to quickly determine that the person who introduced Lu Ming to the Party and the Professor Fang Boyi in front of him were the same person!
Now he can say with certainty that Fang Boyi must be a high-ranking member of the underground party, and may even be Lu Ming's superior, as well as the farmer Xia Deyan's superior!
He had been an officer for many years, while Lu Ming was just a soldier at the time. Moreover, he was Lu Ming's introducer to the Party, so it's conceivable that his status and position within the Party were definitely above Lu Ming's.
This sudden discovery left Ning Zhiheng deeply disturbed. This meeting allowed him to clearly understand the core figures of the Nanjing underground Communist Party.
However, he still wouldn't take the initiative to contact the underground party. He felt that it was better to keep things as they were, ensuring his own safety and avoiding revealing his identity as much as possible, which would benefit both sides.
Fang Boyi never expected that a chance encounter would lead to such a revelation. The young man, a former soldier, recognized him instantly and guessed his identity with surprising accuracy.
It can be said that fate plays tricks on people. The sky is high and the earth is vast, and there are countless living beings, but in the darkness, mortals whose fates are intertwined can never sever some kind of connection.
Ning Zhiheng and his two companions quickly arrived at No. 2 Liushu Hutong, while Liu Datong went to find the landlord who lived nearby.
A short while later, she hurriedly arrived with a man in his thirties.
"Commander Ning, this is the owner of this house, his name is Jin De," Liu Datong said to Ning Zhiheng, pointing to the owner.
Then, glaring at Jin De, he said, "This is Commander Ning, who came specifically to question you. Jin De, answer his questions honestly. Let me tell you, Commander Ning has sharp eyes and doesn't tolerate the slightest injustice. If you say anything untrue, don't blame me for being impolite!"
He was quite scared. Cui Er had risked breaking his leg to tell him the truth, but Commander Ning saw through his lie as soon as he arrived, causing him to lose face in front of Commander Ning.
He had also questioned the landlord, Jin De, fearing he might be hiding something as well. If Commander Ning exposed him again, he would be utterly worthless in Commander Ning's eyes!
With landlord Jin De nodding in agreement, Ning Zhiheng said, "Jin De, open the gate first. I need to check the scene and ask some questions later!"
Jin De readily agreed and quickly stepped forward to take out his key and open the courtyard gate. Ning Zhiheng went in first. It was a middle-to-upper-class residence, with a fairly large courtyard and spacious living quarters.
Jin De quickly stepped forward and opened the door. Ning Zhiheng entered the house, which had four rooms. Ning Zhiheng nodded and asked, "This house is really nice. The rent must be quite high, right?"
Hearing Ning Zhiheng's question from the side, Jin De felt uneasy, not understanding what this Commander Ning meant, and dared not answer for a moment!
Liu Datong, who was behind him, reached out and gave him a push. "Commander Ning is asking you a question! What are you daydreaming about!"
“Yes, it’s not cheap. This is my family’s ancestral property. I wouldn’t have rented it out if I wasn’t really short of money. It’s only ten yuan a month! But Dong Chengjie agreed on the spot. He was very decisive!” Jin De didn’t dare to delay any longer and answered immediately.
Ning Zhiheng nodded, then asked, "This house looks very clean, and the furniture is very tidy. Did you clean it?"
“No, no, this is how the house was when Dong Chengjie handed it over. He’s a very clean person. Every time I came to collect the rent, the house was spotless inside and out,” Jin De replied.
Ning Zhiheng turned to Liu Datong and said, "Datou, think back, when you interrogated Cui Er, did he touch any other furniture or items?"
Liu Datong recalled for a moment and replied, "During the first interrogation and torture, Cui Er made it very clear that he searched the entire room, looking in every corner. The scene should have been very messy!"
"That means that after discovering his home had been burglarized, Dong Chengjie cleaned up the scene and restored it to its original state. Then, the next day, he paid the rent and left!" Ning Zhiheng pondered.
"This further shows that he has a guilty conscience. He's afraid that when the landlord takes over the house, he'll notice something amiss and realize that the room has been burgled," Chen Yanqing added.
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