Xu Yu immediately began reviewing all the statements the cleaner had given.
The first time she provided testimony, she claimed she wasn't familiar with Tao Xianyong.
The second time she met with He Chuan Zhou, she confirmed the existence of Yuan Lingyun and hinted at an
inappropriate relationship between her and Tao Xianyong. Although the police had already suspected such a
relationship, given that most murder cases involve money, power, or sex, it wasn't entirely surprising.
During the third interview for a character sketch, her description of Yuan Lingyun was vague. While she
provided some evidence, it didn't seem to be very useful.
There were also minor details.
For instance, when she first saw the body, she immediately assumed Tao Xianyong had been murdered.
All the clues she provided subtly pointed to Yuan Lingyun as the suspect.
If the police hadn't obtained surveillance footage from Zhou Tuoxing and traced it to Liu Guangyu, they
might have been led on a wild goose chase, only to find Yuan Lingyun with a perfect alibi.
Xu Yu rubbed her face in frustration, feeling a deep sense of unfamiliarity with the woman in front of her.
The cleaner's portrayal of a lonely, despairing figure, caught between survival and guilt, had seemed so
genuine that Xu Yu had instinctively believed her.
Yet, by standard procedure, the cleaner was just as suspicious as Yuan Lingyun.
The cleaner couldn't meet their eyes, shifting uncomfortably under He Chuan Zhou's direct gaze. She took a
deep breath and said, "Everything I've told you is true."
He Chuan Zhou believed her.
An ordinary middle-aged woman wouldn't have the sophisticated lying skills to deceive so many detectives
without showing any signs of dishonesty.
Experienced liars know to mix nine parts truth with one part lie to create a convincing story.
The cleaner didn't know how to craft that one part lie, so she withheld information, allowing the police to
misinterpret her statements.
He Chuan Zhou extended her hand towards Xu Yu. Lost in the realization of being deceived, Xu Yu stared
intently at the cleaner, trying to see through her. It wasn't until He Chuan Zhou reminded her, "Liu
Guangyu's photo," that she hastily retrieved it.
The cleaner took the photo and nodded.
Liu Guangyu's appearance was distinctive. He had a long, faint scar on the left side of his chin, extending
from his neck to his jawline. His thin, tightly pressed lips and upward-slanting eyes gave him a rebellious
and roguish look. His pronounced brow, narrow, prominent nose, and roughly cut hair made him conventionally
handsome despite his rough appearance.
He Chuan Zhou took the photo back, scrutinizing the man's face. She seemed unperturbed by the previous
deception and asked calmly, "What is your relationship with Liu Guangyu?"
The cleaner replied, "I have no relationship with him."
Xu Yu, sounding slightly resentful, said, "You always say that. Can we still believe you? You've lied to me
so many times."
He Chuan Zhou asked, "How did you meet him? Why did you help him?"
The cleaner hugged her arms, perhaps feeling cold in the room, and uneasily asked, "Can I have a glass of
water?"
Xu Yu went to the kitchen, found a kettle with some water left, and poured a cup to bring over.
Feeling the warmth in her hands, the cleaner seemed to relax a bit, finding a small sense of security in the
cup of hot water. She stared into the cup, gripping it tightly, and began to recount her story.
"Last month, after work, I took the bus home in the evening. It was already dark..."
The two locations were far apart, requiring a transfer. Liu Guangyu had followed her discreetly and suddenly
dragged her into a deserted corner during the transfer, holding a knife to her neck.
Liu Guangyu, strong and forceful, restrained her with one hand. The cleaner was so terrified she almost
collapsed.
"He asked if I knew Yuan Lingyun. At the time, I didn't know her name and said I didn't. He got angry and
yelled at me for a long time, brandishing the knife, and I finally understood who he was asking about."
The dim light in the room cast shadows that obscured her face in the water's reflection. The steam quickly
condensed into tiny droplets on the cup. She wiped the cup's rim with her hand, her skin reddened from the
heat, her fingertips damp.
"I just told him what I saw. The same things I told you."
Xu Yu frowned, "If you'd never seen Liu Guangyu before and he kidnapped you, why didn't you report it
afterward?"
The cleaner instinctively touched her neck, as if she could still feel the cold, sharp blade.
She had been so frightened, thinking she was about to die, but later realized that despite his fierce
demeanor, Liu Guangyu never actually hurt her.
She had thought she was going to die and felt an ironic sense of peace. The end of her struggle seemed
fitting for someone who had barely survived.
In the moments before she fainted, the face close to hers, though filled with anger, also cried.
His fierce eyes welled with tears that streamed down his face, reflecting the cold night light before being
swallowed by darkness.
The memory made her heart ache. When she woke up, she was in the hospital.
Liu Guangyu had not only carried her to the emergency room but also paid her medical bills before leaving.
In the brightly lit hospital room, she was in a daze, her mind spinning. She saw Liu Guangyu's tear-filled
eyes whenever she looked at the light blue curtains or the young patients across from her.
That brief moment of pain had profoundly affected her.
It was more profound than despair and more brutal than heartbreak.
She couldn't articulate it, but the overwhelming, indescribable emotion made her cry.
She couldn't tell what made a person good or bad. There were no clear standards or boundaries.
Liu Guangyu, with his rough exterior and aggressive demeanor, had threatened her with a knife.
Tao Xianyong, well-dressed and respectable, had given her a job and money.
But if she had to choose, she felt Liu Guangyu was more genuinely good.
This illogical judgment led her to help Liu Guangyu when he approached her a second time.
After all, she felt her life was nearly over. What did it matter?
In a near-whisper, the cleaner said, "He couldn't even kill me. I thought he wouldn't dare kill Mr. Tao
either, just wanted to talk."
He Chuan Zhou handed the photo back to Xu Yu, leaned in closer to the cleaner, and asked, "What did he ask
you to do?"
"He didn't ask much. He just wanted me to give him the key to Mr. Tao's place so he could make a copy. He
asked me to confirm when Mr. Tao would return to Guangyuan, and to discreetly warn Yuan Lingyun to stay
away." She paused, adding, "He also told me not to lie if the police questioned me, saying I wouldn't fool
you."
The water in the cup had already cooled. The cleaner weakly smiled at He Chuan Zhou, holding the cup with
both hands and taking a sip.
Xu Yu didn't know what to say. She felt a mix of sourness and stifling frustration, like dark clouds on a
rainy day.
They had always believed the cleaner had no motive to lie. However, the complexity of human emotions meant
that sometimes motives were inscrutable.
Like this time.
Perhaps it was sympathy for someone from the same background.
He Chuan Zhou said, "You'll need to come with us to the station to give a detailed statement and identify Liu
Guangyu."
The cleaner supported herself on the back of the sofa as she stood up, her steps unsteady. She looked
noticeably more haggard.
He Chuan Zhou stood patiently by the door, adding, "Put on an extra coat. It's cold at night."
The cleaner murmured an acknowledgment, grabbed a scarf from a pile of clothes, and carefully tied it. She
then put on a black cotton jacket.
Standing before He Chuan Zhou, she smiled and said, "Thank you, officer."
He Chuan Zhou lowered her gaze slightly, looking at the cleaner's face. "I don't know what you're thanking me
for."
The cleaner's smile was not one of happiness but was genuine. "I don't know either. But you really are a
good person, officer."
He Chuan Zhou couldn't understand it. Most people thought she was cold, harsh, and unyielding, even
terrifying.
Yet this person, whose deception she had uncovered, thought she was kind.
Perhaps it was because the cleaner had never experienced much kindness.
---
When they returned to the station, several colleagues had also arrived.
One person raised a hand to report to He Chuan Zhou, but Brother Huang burst in from outside, waving a
document, and shouted, "You won't believe what I found when I checked the transfer records!"
Xu Yu was stunned for a moment before exclaiming, "No way!"
Brother Huang slapped the papers on He Chuan Zhou's desk, twisted open a bottle of mineral water, took a big
gulp, and then continued, "It's that straightforward! Yuan Lingyun transferred 23,200 yuan to Liu Guangyu's
Alipay account a little over a month ago! I really love how this guy operates; he leaves solid evidence."
He Chuan Zhou looked through the records, raising an eyebrow. "Why such an exact amount?"
"Who knows, maybe that number has some significance. Someone should bring Yuan Lingyun back for
questioning," Brother Huang said, pointing to a colleague. The person replied, "Brother Huang, I have
something to report too."
Brother Huang said, "Then Xu Yu, you go."
Xu Yu, who had just sat down, sighed and got up again.
Brother Huang moved to the wall, erased the existing notes on their whiteboard, and started drawing a new
relationship diagram, saying, "Honestly, killing someone for 20,000 yuan is a bit far-fetched. Liu Guangyu,
delivering food, could make six to seven thousand a month. I think it might have been a bit of coercion."
A colleague moved a chair to the center of the room and sat down, saying, "Liu Guangyu might be open to
coercion, but Yuan Lingyun can't be that poor, right?"
Another colleague brought out some files and said, "Actually, she is. Yuan Lingyun's family is really poor.
Specifically, her original family is very poor. She was born in a small village in the poorest county of
City A, which only got out of poverty at the end of last year. The entire village has just one
20-square-meter general store; for anything else, you have to go to the town market."
Brother Huang paused his writing, genuinely impressed, "Getting into A University from there is really
impressive."
The colleague handed his notes to Brother Huang, nodding, "Yes, she has a talent for running and was
specially recruited by A University. She has won numerous national awards and was a mainstay of the
provincial track team. Unfortunately, she ruptured her Achilles tendon during training and never fully
recovered, so she had to retire early."
Brother Huang clicked his tongue, sensing the hopelessness.
Health is a critical barrier for athletes. If they can't overcome it, years or even decades of effort can be
wasted.
Sports require not just skill but also a lot of luck.
A colleague sighed, "Yuan Lingyun worked really hard in both academics and sports. Her mother disappeared
when she was in elementary school, later found to be dead, and her relationship with her father was poor.
It's truly unfortunate she ended up like this."
Everyone sighed briefly.
Brother Huang asked, "What about Liu Guangyu's background? Any findings?"
The responsible colleague replied, "Oh, right. While coordinating, an officer from City C recommended his
mentor, who knows Liu Guangyu's family well. But he's retired, and I couldn't reach him by phone. The
officer said he'd check in person after work."
Brother Huang said, "Try calling again now."
City C, located in the southwest of the country, is thousands of kilometers from City A. Liu Guangyu's
hometown is in a remote village there.
The colleague dialed the number, the signal beeping a few times.
This time, it connected, and a slightly hoarse elderly voice came through the speaker, "Hello?"
He Chuan Zhou stood beside him, signaling for the phone. The colleague handed it to her.
"Hello. This is Officer He Chuan Zhou from the South District Public Security Bureau in City A."
"Oh, hello, Officer He. I heard you're looking for Liu Guangyu. Has he caused trouble?"
He Chuan Zhou turned up the volume and asked, "Do you know about his situation?"
"More or less. When he was a minor, he didn't go to school and stole things on the street. I caught him
several times."
Brother Huang flipped through the records, spreading his hands.
He Chuan Zhou said, "It seems his record doesn't show any offenses."
The man sighed twice, sounding resigned, "There was no need. He just stole food. I paid for it and let him
go after a lecture. His father is a scoundrel, lazy, unemployed, lying at home all day. He didn't care for
his son or his education. What could the boy do?"
The officers exchanged thoughtful glances.
He Chuan Zhou asked, "What about Liu Guangyu's mother?"
The man found a place to sit, exhaled, and replied, "His mother left a few years after he was born, before
he started elementary school. No one knew where she went. When I transferred to their precinct, nobody could
clearly say her full name. Few locals were literate, so names were often in dialect. The only official
record I found was on his birth certificate, where his mother is listed as Xu Chunhui."