Which way to go is the road?

The swindler has been brought to justice and the truth has come to light, but the matter is not completely resolved.

The next day, Qian Luomei didn't go to "Shuiyunjian" and stayed in the courtyard. She didn't cry and wail like a young girl who had been deceived. She ate and drank as usual, but the glow of love had faded from her face, and her expression was gloomy, as if a torrential downpour was brewing.

But before the storm came a worrying calm. With such a major event happening, any hysteria, crying, or even suicidal behavior would be normal, and those who care about her would know how to handle it. This calm, however, left everyone helpless and anxious. The old man told Dong Lu to go back to the internet cafe first, while he and his wife took turns keeping watch over their daughter.

At 9:30 a.m., a policeman walked into the courtyard and followed the passageway to the backyard with ease: "Uncle Qian, Uncle Qian!"

The elderly couple quickly put their index fingers to their lips to make a quiet gesture, then pointed to Qian Luomei's room in the west wing, gesturing for the policeman to come in. The policeman glanced at the room and tiptoed into the elderly couple's room.

"Is Luo Mei alright?"

"He didn't cry or make a fuss, he just wouldn't speak and ignored everyone! I guess he's still not over it! By the way, Dazhi, did you catch those bastards?"

"They've caught them all! Not a single one escaped! We conducted a surprise interrogation last night, and they all confessed without much trouble!"

"That bastard who tricked Luo Mei has confessed too?"

"She's confessed. Now we need Luo Mei's statement and testimony! I'm coming to pick her up!"

"It's better not to let Luo Mei go. Even if she does, it'll be a couple of days late! I'm afraid she'll suffer another shock..."

"No, I'll go!" Qian Luomei appeared at the door at some point. "Brother Dazhi, I'd like to ask you for a favor!"

"Meizi, what are you saying? Don't be so formal! Just say the word if you need help!"

"I want to see him one last time!" Qian Luomei lowered her head, biting her lower lip, and slowly looked up at the policeman named Dazhi, her eyes shining.

Dazhi didn't know how to respond to this, so he turned to the elderly couple beside him and asked for their opinion with his eyes.

"Luomei, forget it, don't see him! Let's put this behind us!" the old man said earnestly. His wife chimed in, "Yes, Luomei! Why go see him? Don't go anymore!"

"I know it's time to move on, but I'm not willing to let this go unresolved, you know? I have to find out the truth. Even if he's lying to me, I want to know how I fell for it, what he was thinking when he was toying with my feelings! I'm not stupid, why did I fall for their tricks? How could I be so foolish?"

Qian Luomei tried her best to maintain her composure, but unconsciously her voice began to crack with sobs. Suppressing her feelings of grievance, she couldn't help but roar angrily.

"Dazhi, please help Luomei! Otherwise, she won't be able to get over this!" The old man patted Dazhi's shoulder, helped his wife, who was secretly shedding tears, into the yard, and punched the stone table with a dull thud!

Grandpa Qian personally drove his daughter to the police station, where they met in an interrogation room with isolation facilities. The "soldier" behind the iron bars was pale and melancholic. Although he was still wearing his military uniform, it was wrinkled and filthy from the previous night's ordeal. At first glance, his once handsome appearance amidst his disheveled state easily evoked pity. However, the shackles on his body made this appearance utterly ridiculous and ironic.

"I knew you'd come. Ask me anything you want to know! I'll tell you everything I know." The silence was broken as the "soldier brother" looked at Qian Luomei with an evil smile.

"Why choose me? There are so many women in Yandu City, why choose to harm me!"

"Because women like you are so easy to fool! You're past the age of being a princess, but you still dream of it. When I saw the name you chose for the internet cafe—'Water and Clouds'—I knew I'd succeed this time!"

"Why do you want to work in this industry? Although you didn't go to university, you're quite knowledgeable, good at communication, and intelligent..." He was interrupted halfway through his sentence.

"I know what you're going to say. Forget all the grand principles. You people were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, your starting point is even higher than the end point we strive for! Do you think my life's goal is just to live like you? Of course, it's more likely I'll never live as well as you, so I'm going into this line of work! To accumulate wealth in the shortest time to reach the same starting point as you, or even surpass you!"

"But what about now?"

"I don't know what I did wrong. During training at the base, our phones were all switched off. The police shouldn't have been able to find us so quickly!"

At that moment, Qian Luomei saw the image of the young cleaner in her mind and gave a bitter smile: "You're just unlucky. No, it should be said that those who do many evil deeds will inevitably perish; this was bound to happen sooner or later!"

"Luomei, do you hate me a lot right now?"

"A little, but I hate myself even more. I must have been blind to fall for you. The thought that our meeting, getting to know each other, and falling in love was all a meticulously planned deception, including how many times you rehearsed your words, suddenly makes me so disappointed in this world! Was it wrong of me to just want a serious relationship? I fucking picked a conman after all that searching, you know? I was even prepared to break ties with my family for this relationship, and in the end, everything I did turned out to be a joke!"

Tears welled up uncontrollably, quickly sliding down her cheeks and falling to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Luo Mei! I've lied to many women before, and you're the only one I've apologized to in person. I know you've sacrificed a lot for this fake relationship, not just financially. When I was lying to other women, they were all wary of me, taking many precautions before giving me money, which made me go through so much trouble! Being with you isn't so tiring. Sometimes I don't feel like I'm lying; I'm genuinely enjoying a relationship. I even thought about making it real, so I didn't sleep with you for the two months we were together. I wanted to give you respect! Even if I find out it was all a scam in the end, it won't be so shameful to look back on it!"

"So my foolish efforts have been rewarded like this? Should I say thank you? But I still want to say thank you. Whether what you said earlier was true or not, I believed it! I've already believed so much, so this little bit doesn't matter. At least there was some genuine feeling in my wholehearted devotion!"

Qian Luomei wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes, trying her best to calm herself down.

"Luomei, I cheated you out of a total of 30 yuan..." This time, his words were interrupted.

"I'm leaving now. I'll say a few last words to you. Did your initial statements about the starting point and the end point make you feel justified in lying, and believe that poverty is a legitimate reason for any crime?"

Qian Luomei gathered all the knowledge she had acquired in her life to launch a counterattack that was destined to succeed. Before the other party could think about it, she continued speaking.

"No one can choose the family they are born into. You say we were born with a silver spoon in our mouths, and I admit that, but we didn't have a choice, just like you were born into poor families! Money and wealth are fluid. The right path is to work hard and strive to make wealth flow into your own pocket! What's the point of acquiring wealth through trickery and plunder? There was a kidnapper in Hong Kong who kidnapped a wealthy businessman's child and received tens of millions in ransom. Was he successful in life? Was he happy? In the end, he still got shot! Resentment towards the rich will only lead you into the abyss. Getting rich without going through the process is just asking for trouble!"

"Now that a few people control this wealth, how can it circulate? Even if we work hard and strive, where will we find opportunities? Your viewpoint is too naive!"

"To ask this question, one must first understand society without prejudice. At least for now, I think what you're saying is alarmist! It's really strange that we can discuss such issues in a prison cell." Qian Luomei glanced at the interrogation room, shook her head, smiled, and stood up from her chair. "I'm leaving. I still have to give a statement and testify! We were all lovey-dovey just two days ago, and now I have to accuse you of a crime. How ridiculous!"

"Luomei, I really have feelings for you. We get along so well! Please wait for me to get out, okay? I promise I won't lie to you again, and I'll live a good life with you!"

"Okay, I'll wait for you to come out!" Qian Luomei smiled, a smile full of cunning sorrow!

"You're lying to me!"

"You lied to me first!" Qian Luomei roared as she said her last words, then walked out without looking back.

Taking her statement made Qian Luomei recall the whole process again. Only after getting out of that relationship did she realize that every deception has flaws, and looking back, she found that some of the performances were ridiculously fake.

Qian Luomei looked as if she had just emerged from a fog, every pore of her body filled with exhaustion. She forced herself to complete the evidence collection process at the police station, and when she returned to the car, she didn't say a word. She put on her sunglasses, adjusted the seat, and lay down quietly on it.

Grandpa Qian took off his coat and covered his daughter with it. He silently started the car and drove smoothly and steadily to the courtyard. He wanted to call his daughter to get out of the car, but he was afraid of disturbing her sleep. Upon closer inspection, he saw that a few tears had welled up in Qian Luomei's eyes.

"Son, cry if you want to! Don't hold it in. It's not shameful in front of your father."

Qian Luomei's tears streamed down her face, and she cried louder and louder, her body shaking violently. Like a child, she cried her heart out in front of her father, feeling wronged, angry, disappointed in love, and apologetic to her parents!

Grandpa Qian finally breathed a sigh of relief, a smile on his face, though tears still clung to his lips. He held his daughter's hand tightly and patted it lightly twice: "Alright, alright, it's all over now!" Qian Luomei, however, became even more unrestrained, hugging her father and crying even more uncontrollably, her movements and tone filled with coquettishness.