Chapter 136: Nangong Mengli's Acting

Nangong Mengli's cold face betrayed no emotion as she calmly nodded.

Mu Lingxi raised an eyebrow and picked up a file from the table. "Murong Mengli, twenty-three years old, born September 17th. Mother, Wang Cuiping—a former slave the Murong Family Head purchased from human traffickers. Is this information accurate?"

Nangong Mengli's expression didn't change in the slightest. "It is accurate."

Mu Lingxi casually tossed the file onto the table. Leaning forward slightly, she pinned Nangong Mengli with a sharp gaze that seemed to pierce right through the dark.

"According to the evidence I've gathered, Murong Zhuo didn't treat you very well. There are even rumors that your mother died indirectly at his hands. That makes me quite curious—since none of your siblings had the guts to step forward, what gave you the courage to stand up for Murong Zhuo?"

Nangong Mengli raised her eyes to meet that sharp gaze. She fell silent for a moment before answering slowly, "That isn't a rumor. My mother died because of him."

"Oh?" Mu Lingxi's lips curled into a faint smile. "That makes this even more interesting. Logically speaking, you should hate Murong Zhuo, yet you acted completely contrary to common sense. Why?"

"What do you think I am?" Nangong Mengli suddenly asked.

Mu Lingxi frowned. "What do you mean? Aren't you the Third Miss of the Murong Family? Do you have another identity?"

Nangong Mengli nodded calmly. "When Murong Zhuo was alive, I was the high and mighty Third Miss of the Murong Family. But now that he's dead? What am I?"

Mu Lingxi's frown deepened as realization dawned.

"I do hate him, but I don't hate wealth and status. He can die, but the Murong Family's inheritance must include my share. It is what he owes me, and what I deserve!" A trace of unwavering ambition bled into her cold voice.

"So you stepped forward for yourself? To make a name for yourself and fight for the inheritance?"

"What else?" Nangong Mengli's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "If not for myself, would I do it for Murong Zhuo?"

"Aren't you afraid Pride will kill you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because Pride is a man too, and a beautiful woman always receives a bit of preferential treatment from men. The facts have proven exactly that." Nangong Mengli broke into a brilliant smile. Even the glaring lights in the room seemed to soften under it, painting the corners of her eyes and the curve of her brows in a radiant glow.

The breathing of the two male enforcers in the room suddenly grew heavy, an uncontrollable flash of stunned admiration sweeping through their eyes.

"Ahem..." Mu Lingxi let out a light cough, snapping the two male enforcers back to reality. They lowered their heads in embarrassment.

"Next question. Miss Murong, what is your relationship with Su Mu?"

"He is a shareholder of Bronze Coffin, and my business partner."

"I'm afraid it's not quite that simple. Qian Zihao was your fiancé, yet you brought Su Mu to attend the banquet. Aren't you afraid..."

"I like him," Nangong Mengli said coldly. The sheer bluntness of her words caught even Mu Lingxi off guard.

"You like him?" Mu Lingxi was highly suspicious. Would a woman willing to risk her life for wealth and status so easily fall for a man from the Lower District?

"What? Is that not allowed?"

"Miss Murong, judging by everything you've just told me, wealth and power should hold far more weight in your heart than love. A Nightmare Apostle from the Lower District with strength merely at the Bronze Tier couldn't possibly compare to the richest man in Star City, Qian Zihao, right? Yet you chose to attend the banquet with Su Mu instead of Qian Zihao. That in itself is very intriguing."

At this, Nangong Mengli suddenly smiled, her expression equally intriguing. "Captain Mu, I think... you will know the answer to that question the moment you meet Su Mu. Do you have any other questions? If not, I need to go back and mourn Murong Zhuo."

Mu Lingxi stared at her for a long moment before finally letting Nangong Mengli go.

"Captain Mu, Miss Murong wasn't lying. The polygraph didn't go off once."

Mu Lingxi glanced at the polygraph, her eyes unreadable.

"Bring Su Mu in."

The moment Su Mu walked in, Mu Lingxi and the others finally understood why Nangong Mengli had said those words.

Wearing a crisp suit and Tinted Glasses, with a Snakewood Cane in hand, the man looked like a noble who had just stepped out of a classical oil painting. He possessed an innate aura of effortless elegance.

When he sat down in the interrogation chair, the glaring light hitting him felt more like a stage spotlight shining down on a superstar. It cast a glowing sheen over his flawless, pale skin—a complexion so perfect, without a single visible pore or blemish, that it looked like the smoothest silk in the world.

For a brief moment, even Mu Lingxi felt her heart flutter. It had nothing to do with romance; it was simply a primal instinct, much like a man seeing a beautiful woman or a woman seeing a handsome man. People were instinctively drawn to beautiful things.

How could a grown man have such perfect skin? 'What a pretty boy!'

Mu Lingxi cursed inwardly, forcing down the strange feeling in her chest. She was here to conduct an interrogation, not to admire eye candy.

"Mr. Su, you didn't have an invitation to the banquet. May I ask why you were in attendance?"

A gentle smile played at the corners of Su Mu's lips. His soft gaze, seeming capable of piercing the darkness, rested steadily on Mu Lingxi. He behaved like a perfect gentleman, always remembering to look people in the eye when speaking to give them the utmost respect.

"At the invitation of a beautiful lady."

"Was it Murong Mengli?"

"Indeed."

"What is your relationship with her?"

"Colleague and friend."

"Oh?" Mu Lingxi narrowed her eyes. "Because it seems to me that Miss Murong is quite close to you. She just personally admitted that she likes you. Furthermore, as far as I know, when Pride was leaving, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and killed your romantic rival, Qian Zihao. Why didn't he kill anyone else? Why single out Qian Zihao? And another thing! You were the one who brought the Eye of Gold back from the Nightmare World and gave it to Murong Mengli so she could present it to the Murong Family Head. Yet, coincidentally enough, Pride suddenly appeared and snatched the Eye of Gold away. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Su Mu's smile remained. "You suspect I am Pride?"

"If you can't answer the question, then I have every reason to suspect you."

Su Mu calmly pushed up his Tinted Glasses and offered a gentle smile. "Captain Mu, forgive my bluntness, but if I were Pride, do you think you would still be sitting there safe and sound, asking me questions?"

Bang!

The male enforcer standing to the side slammed his hand against the table. "Su Mu! Watch your tone! This is the Law Enforcement Bureau, not your home!"

He had already taken a strong dislike to Su Mu; jealousy between men was always the most painfully obvious.

Su Mu shifted his dark gaze to the male enforcer. Even strapped to the interrogation chair, the words he spoke still made them feel like falling into an ice cave.