Chapter 121: The Arsonist

Wang Yazhuo’s face flushed an even deeper shade of red. At that moment, the adorable little rascal pointed at her face and asked with complete innocence, "Sister Yazhuo, why is your face so red?" This comment only made Wang Yazhuo more uncomfortable. She rolled down the car window and remained silent for a long while before finally speaking.

She began to recount the karaoke parlor fire that had occurred several years ago. Wang Yazhuo did not tell me why she had been there, and I did not press her on it. I only needed to know the cause of the fire, not why a young girl like her would be in such a place. I was confident that if she were lying, I would be able to tell.

Years ago, even as social attitudes in Beijing were becoming more open, places like karaoke parlors were generally frequented only by men. Women who went there were often looked upon as outsiders—or, to put it bluntly, fallen women. A teenage girl seen in such an establishment would typically be viewed as a delinquent.

Although Wang Yazhuo came from a family involved in criminal activity, she was clearly not that kind of person. Still, I did not harbor excessive doubts; given her personality, she was full of curiosity about many new and strange things. That was why she had joined us at the haunted house in the suburbs. If she had followed Wang Jianming to the parlor out of curiosity because she saw him going there, it was at least somewhat plausible.

Wang Yazhuo said that when she arrived, the karaoke parlor was packed. She had managed to slip away from the people following her and squeeze into the crowd. Because she was a pretty girl, many men came over to flirt, but she ignored them all.

That karaoke parlor was quite high-end. Unlike ordinary singing halls, it featured various private rooms. In those days, most karaoke venues didn't have private chambers, and those that did were frequently visited by underworld figures; they were convenient spots for underground transactions.

Wang Yazhuo searched from room to room. Finally, through a small glass window on a large door, she saw Wang Jianming. Her tone turned somber as she said this. She confessed that it was the first time she had ever seen her grandfather conducting a drug deal.

I was slightly taken aback; I hadn't expected that Wang Yazhuo was unaware of Wang Jianming’s usual business dealings prior to that day. The parlor was filled with loud music and bustling crowds. Standing outside the room, she couldn't hear what Wang Jianming and the other party were saying. She only saw Wang Jianming and a man in the room—a man with short hair and sunglasses whom she could not describe in detail.

Hearing this, I grew suspicious. There was a major contradiction in her account. Wang Jianming never went anywhere without his entourage. If he were truly conducting a drug deal, there would certainly have been someone outside the room acting as a lookout, and it would have been impossible for Wang Yazhuo to see inside through the small glass window so easily.

Furthermore, when I had rushed into the burning karaoke parlor to find anyone who might know the whereabouts of Duan Kun, I had clearly seen Wang Jianming standing in the crowd surrounded by several of his henchmen. I voiced my doubt, but Wang Yazhuo shook her head, insisting she didn't know why that was the case, yet swearing that she was not lying to me.

She seemed nervous, as if terrified I would accuse her of deception. I decided to shelf my doubts for the moment and urged her to continue. She explained that she had seen Wang Jianming holding a box filled with clear bags containing a white, powdery substance.

At the time, she didn't know what it was, but she grew suspicious when she saw the other party hand Wang Jianming a suitcase full of cash. Any fool could see it was a transaction, and since the powder looked like drugs and was so valuable, she began to have her doubts.

She said that after she returned to the courtyard, she pressured Sun Yuxiao until he couldn't keep the secret any longer and finally told her the truth. When Wang Jianming found out, he was furious, though his rage was directed at Sun Yuxiao, not her. According to Wang Yazhuo, Sun Yuxiao was beaten so severely by Wang Jianming that he nearly died.

Wang Yazhuo kept her head down. I couldn't see her expression, but I could faintly sense that she did not approve of Wang Jianming’s criminal activities.

"What happened next?" I asked. "Get to the point."

Wang Yazhuo hesitated for a moment before looking up, though she turned her face toward the window, leaving only her profile visible to me. The cold wind blowing in from outside tousled her short, playful hair.

"They were about to come out," she continued. Once the deal was done, Wang Jianming and the other man stood up. Panicked, Wang Yazhuo turned and ran toward a secluded area. Her mind was in chaos, and she didn't know where she was going until she stopped, breathless, at the entrance of a dark emergency stairwell.

She didn't find relief there; instead, she became even more anxious because the area was pitch black with no lights. Soon, she heard footsteps. Terrified, she hid behind a door, and even now, her voice was full of lingering fear as she recounted it.

She heard the footsteps drawing closer and nearly cried out, but managed to cover her mouth in time. The person never discovered her. Only after the footsteps faded did she peek out.

The man was heading toward the light inside the karaoke parlor. She saw his back and confirmed he was a man carrying a large bag, though she didn't know what was inside. Not long after, a commotion broke out, and she heard people screaming that there was a fire.

Frightened, Wang Yazhuo ran back toward the main area of the parlor; it was the only path she knew. The emergency stairwell was pitch black, and she wasn't sure if it would lead her to safety, so she didn't think twice. She soon collided with someone who knocked her to the ground; the man appeared to be in a panic.

As she caught a glimpse of his face, the chaos around them grew louder. The man kicked her in the head, and she collapsed in a daze. He continued running toward the emergency stairwell, and as she watched him go, she was certain he was the same man she had seen earlier with the large bag.

"Did you get a clear look at his face?" I asked.

That man must have been the arsonist, and the bag he carried likely contained flammable chemicals. After the fire started, everyone rushed toward the main entrance. The emergency stairwell was likely just for show to satisfy safety inspections—hence why the lights were off.

In a panic, no one would have thought to run toward the emergency stairwell; it was further from the main exit than the rest of the parlor. Whoever ran that way must have scouted the route beforehand. Wang Yazhuo nodded and confirmed she had seen his face.

The man appeared to be between thirty and forty years old, with dyed golden-short hair and a sturdy build. It is difficult to describe a person's appearance, but Wang Yazhuo said she would certainly recognize him if they met again, even if she couldn't describe him clearly to others.

She added that after she escaped the fire, Wang Jianming had made a great effort to find the man, but after months of searching, he had come up empty-handed, and the matter was eventually dropped. The police never found the arsonist, instead pinning the blame on the karaoke parlor’s manager as a safety violation.

After she finished, I pondered the situation carefully. If Wang Yazhuo wasn't lying, then Wang Jianming’s behavior at the time was also highly suspicious.

If it were just a drug deal, a karaoke parlor wasn't a good location due to the crowds. However, if Wang Jianming was relying on the "most dangerous place is the safest" psychology, it was barely plausible. But the lack of a lookout—that was completely abnormal.