The Courtyard House: The story begins with He Yuzhu beating up the White Widow.

When He Yuzhu returned home and was tidying up the house with He Yushui, the deaf old lady was brought into the interrogation room again. After sitting down, the deaf old lady looked at Liu Kehao and the other two sitting opposite her, a strange smile on her face, and asked, "Why did you think of calling me today?!"

Liu Kehao asked, "Should I call you Bai Qingyi?! Or Nanzo Yunzi?!"

The deaf old woman feigned ignorance and said, "I don't understand what you're saying?!"

"No! You know!" Liu Kehao then changed the subject, continuing, "You think what you did was flawless, that no one would know. But you forgot! No matter how long the darkness lasts, there will always be a day of dawn. No matter how well you hide, you can't escape the eyes of the people. Your hideout in that rural area outside Fengtian was wiped out by us. I never expected that Kawashima Yoshiko, who should have been executed, would still be alive. I wonder if she can escape this time?!"

The deaf old woman's face instantly darkened; she knew that no matter how much she hid or concealed it, it was useless. She asked coldly, "How did you find that place?!"

Liu Kehao said, "Of course we have to thank you! If we hadn't followed your lead, we wouldn't have been able to find out where we were."

The deaf old woman was taken aback, but she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she feigned curiosity and asked, "It seems you've been watching me for a while. I'd like to know, when did you start watching me?!"

Liu Kehao retorted, "Do you know the White Widow from Baocheng?!"

The deaf old woman said, "I don't know him."

Liu Kehao laughed and said, "That's not funny! How could you not recognize the person you and Yi Zhonghai used to scheme against He Daqing?!"

The deaf old woman continued to feign ignorance, saying, "I understand what you're saying?!"

Liu Kehao said, "Actually, you know everything in your heart. You're just used to pretending not to hear, assuming everyone else is like you." Then he asked, "Can you tell me how you evaded the Kuomintang's assassination attempt?!"

The deaf old woman mechanically repeated, "What did you say?! I can't hear you!"

Liu Kehao stood up, walked around the desk, and went to the deaf old woman's side, staring at her closely for a while. Suddenly, Liu Kehao reached out and pinched and rubbed the old woman's earlobe, then pulled hard, tearing off a piece of dough.

The deaf old woman immediately covered her face, and after a while, she lowered her hands. Liu Kehao then tossed the human skin mask onto the table and said, "This face looks much more comfortable now."

The deaf old woman glared fiercely at Liu Kehao and said, "It was too lenient of you not to kill you back then! Now that you know who I am, you can do whatever you want with me. But don't even think about getting a single word out of me."

Liu Kehao said, "You overestimate yourself. The reason we interrogated you wasn't to get anything out of you! We wanted to give you a chance. Since you didn't cherish it, there's nothing we can do. Although you hid very well, as long as you exist, you'll leave traces. Some things don't need to be asked; just follow the traces to find the answer. Look, we've used the clues you left to dig out all those rats hiding in the shadows. Things are different now. We have plenty of time."

The deaf old woman fell silent. She knew that once her identity was confirmed, she wouldn't escape with a single peanut. If she died like this, it would be the end of it all. What she feared most was being used to create a scandal and lure out more people.

Seeing that the deaf old lady remained silent, Liu Kehao continued, "We've seen all the things you put in the secret room. Thank you for helping us solve so many mysteries."

The deaf old woman squinted, sized up Liu Kehao, and said, "You don't need to try to provoke me. Your methods won't work on me."

Seeing the deaf old woman's reaction, Liu Kehao said, "I know, nothing I say will make a difference. If you don't believe me, that's fine. Anyway, I've still gained a lot from our conversation today. At least your identity has been confirmed."

The deaf old woman pondered for a few minutes before speaking again, "Even if you're going to execute me, at least let me die knowing why! I hid so well, who discovered me?!"

Liu Kehao said, "How about we switch questions? I'll ask a question I want to know. After you answer me, I'll tell you the answer I want to know too!"

The deaf old woman's expression changed slightly, she sighed, and said, "Sometimes it's not so bad to be a fool." After saying that, the deaf old woman closed her eyes.

Liu Kehao said, "Since you don't want to talk, then forget it!" So Liu Kehao had someone take the deaf old lady away.

After the interrogation room door closed, Yu Jing asked, "Old Liu, what kind of riddles were you playing with her?! I couldn't understand a word you said!"

Liu Kehao looked at Xie Bin. Xie Bin said, "If I'm not mistaken, Old Liu and the deaf old woman were just testing each other. But Old Liu was a step ahead."

Liu Kehao shook his head and said, "We are indeed testing each other. But it's not a matter of one being better than the other; it's a close call. Over the years, I've dealt with many enemy agents. But compared to her, they're nothing. Although we have enough evidence to convict the others, getting the deaf old woman to talk won't be easy. Let's study this carefully and find a way to break through her defenses as quickly as possible."

As the deaf old woman was being taken back to her cell, a truck pulled up in the corridor not far away. Soon after, people began to emerge from the back of the truck. When the deaf old woman saw Director Yang and the real cover-up kingpin standing in the crowd, her face changed drastically. Indeed, the people in this truck were her henchmen, lurking in various important positions.

Factory Director Yang and Wang, who were covering up the deaf woman, also saw her at that moment, and their expressions changed several times in unison. Although the deaf woman was hiding it very well, the subtle changes in her face did not escape the eyes of the soldiers who were escorting her back to her cell.

The deaf old woman returned to her cell, walked to a corner, and sat down against the wall. Her mind raced through the events of the previous moment, like a movie playing in her head. Realizing she hadn't said anything wrong, she breathed a sigh of relief. But before she could even laugh out loud, the door to the cell next door opened. Seeing herself locked inside, the deaf old woman was startled again.

"Wait!" The deaf old woman called out to the guard who was about to leave.

The guard stopped and asked impatiently, "What is it?!"