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Shao Zhixin went downstairs with his colleague to pick up the takeout. Those who stayed behind in the room fidgeted anxiously, looking a little uneasy.
Perhaps this was an old-fashioned way of expressing goodwill, hoping they would show more care. But first, their profession made them cautious about food. And second, it was their duty to handle such matters, so an unsolicited meal left them feeling a bit awkward.
Especially when they thought about Zhu's mother, who had walked all the way from the bus station to their branch office to save a three-yuan bus fare. Even though it was cool in the morning, she arrived drenched in sweat. Yet, she still spent hundreds of yuan to order them a late-night meal. No matter how luxurious the food was, it would inevitably taste bitter in such circumstances.
Shao Zhixin went down looking distressed but came back a short while later in high spirits. Before he even entered the door, he had already started pulling things out of the bag.
Inside were items like cakes, pizza, and barbecue, things Zhu's mother
wouldn’t typically order.
There was no receipt attached to the bag, so it was likely delivered directly by the store. Upon opening it, they found one inside, and judging by the number, it was probably ordered by Zhou Tuoxing.
“What a scare!” Shao Zhixin patted his chest in relief. “Zhou Tuoxing is truly like a brother to me!”
The colleagues swarmed over, chattering noisily and telling He Chuan Zhou to thank the “kind citizen” on their behalf.
If he was present, they called him “brother-in-law.” If he wasn’t, they called him “kind citizen.” This undisciplined group was truly incorrigible. Only Brother Huang felt the sting of the expense and, speaking as an experienced elder, admonished He Chuan Zhou: “What a waste! You can’t afford to keep spending like this. Next time, make him grab something from the snack shop across the street. You’ve got to manage the finances if your partner doesn’t know how!”
Xu Yu shouted excitedly, “Brother Huang! You can’t make everyone around you as stingy as you are! Zhixin has already picked up all your bad habits!”
Brother Huang yelled back, “What do you know?!”
He Chuan Zhou, frustrated by the noise, snapped, “Just eat, all of you! Finish it and get back to work.”
The next morning, around 8 o’clock. After squeezing in a few hours of sleep, He Chuan Zhou freshened up and drove to the residential area where Sun Yiyao lived.
Following the directions from the security guard, she walked across the bridge by the scenic lake and happened to spot Sun Yiyao holding her child while chatting with neighbors at a small pavilion. In mid-conversation, Sun Yiyao glanced in her direction and seemed to recognize her. Her smile froze instantly, and she quickly turned away and left.
He Chuan Zhou followed unhurriedly and saw Sun Yiyao briskly walking through a small path, carefully adjusting her grip on the child. She freed one hand and fumbled in her pocket for the access card.
Before she could open the door, Brother Huang stepped out from the side, cutting off her path.
Sun Yiyao, entirely focused on He Chuan Zhou, was startled by Brother Huang’s sudden appearance. She recoiled instinctively, flustered as if her feathers had been ruffled.
Brother Huang skillfully pulled out his badge from his pocket. Noticing the child in Sun Yiyao’s arms was asleep, he lowered his voice and said, “Why run? Do you think you can get away? Let’s not cause a scene and make people aware I’m a cop, alright?”
Sun Yiyao tightened her grip on the baby. The excessive pressure caused the infant to let out a soft cry, eyes still closed. Startled, she immediately loosened her hold, murmured soothingly a few times, and managed to lull the child back to sleep.
Her gaze drifted aimlessly into the distance, avoiding Brother Huang’s eyes as she made a futile struggle. “I have the right not to cooperate with your investigation, don’t I? You came yesterday, and now you’re here again today. This is disrupting my normal life. If this keeps up, I’ll file a complaint against you!”
From behind, He Chuan Zhou approached and heard her hollow threats. She chuckled lightly and said, “Are you sure about that?”
Her smirk was stiff, her facial muscles tense. With deep, shadowed eyes, she gazed downward from her slightly elevated position, exuding a chilling sense of authority.
“If you insist, we can apply for a warrant to compel your cooperation and notify your family. But if you’ve done nothing wrong, we’ll sincerely apologize to you,” He Chuan Zhou said in an even tone, her words plain yet pointed. Raising an eyebrow at Sun Yiyao, she added, “Do I need to spell out why they sent me here today?”
He Chuan Zhou had encountered Sun Yiyao a few times while investigating Jiang Jingcheng’s case. Although the meetings were brief, they left a deep impression, enough to make Sun Yiyao instinctively wary.
Saying nothing further, Sun Yiyao walked past Brother Huang, opened the glass door to the first floor, and led them upstairs.
Inside the elevator, Sun Yiyao shrank into a corner. Observing her subdued demeanor, Brother Huang glanced at his reflection in the elevator mirror and whispered to He Chuan Zhou, “Why do we look so much like villains?”
He Chuan Zhou shot him a bored look in response.
There was no one else at Sun Yiyao’s home, her husband was likely at work.
Once inside, she headed straight to the bedroom to lay the baby down. Meanwhile, He Chuan Zhou lingered at the entrance, her gaze slowly scanning the living room. When Sun Yiyao returned, she changed her shoes and sat on the armrest of the sofa. Brother Huang took a seat on the opposite side.
Sun Yiyao drew the double-layered curtains, darkening the room. The narrower field of view seemed to shield her slightly from He Chuan Zhou’s piercing gaze, offering her a faint sense of security.
She seated herself as far from He Chuan Zhou as possible, clasping her hands over her abdomen. With a feigned air of relaxation, she asked, “What else do you want to know?”
He Chuan Zhou continued to stare at her. “Tell me about your relationship with Zhu Shujun.”
Irritated, Sun Yiyao retorted, “I already said yesterday—”
Before she could finish, He Chuan Zhou cut her off. “Don’t bother saying you’re not close. When you lured Zhu Shujun into the club and made money off her commissions, you didn’t act like strangers.”
Sun Yiyao closed her mouth, silent.
"Think it through before you speak. My patience is limited, and I don’t like listening to lies," He Chuan Zhou said, crossing one leg over the other. Her relaxed demeanor contrasted sharply with Sun Yiyao’s wariness. “Of course, if you prefer the atmosphere of the interrogation room at our precinct, I can arrange that too.”
Sun Yiyao opened her mouth, her expression shifting between anger and hesitation. She seemed on the verge of a sharp retort but held back for some reason.
Brother Huang leaned in and nudged He Chuan Zhou with his elbow, silently mouthing, Don’t scare her like that. Then, speaking more gently to Sun Yiyao, he said, “We could understand why you withheld information last time, but this time, we hope you’ll be more forthcoming. Since you and Zhu Shujun were so close, do you know where her money went?”
Sun Yiyao paused to think before shaking her head. “I don’t know.”
Brother Huang continued, “Do you know which clients she was especially close with?”
Her response came slowly, not as if she were thinking, but as if she were deliberately stalling. “I don’t know.”
“How did you first meet her?” he asked.
“She worked at a hair salon. We started talking when I went in for a wash,” Sun Yiyao replied.
Brother Huang let out a helpless chuckle. “That won’t do. Zhu Shujun has been missing for over three years. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice anything?”
There was a brief pause of one or two seconds before Sun Yiyao began to respond. But before she could, He Chuan Zhou abruptly asked, “What were you doing on December 4th?”
At the mention of the date, Sun Yiyao visibly panicked, as though struck out of nowhere. She froze momentarily, her hands clenching instinctively before she quickly forced them to relax and hang by her sides. When she spoke, her voice wavered slightly, her body fidgeting. “That was years ago. How would I remember?”
He Chuan Zhou observed her intently, her tone calm yet edged with amusement. “Did I say which year’s December 4th?”
Sun Yiyao inhaled sharply, stilled her movements, and replied more steadily, “Even if it was last year, I wouldn’t remember.”
“Didn’t you just give birth last year?” He Chuan Zhou asked, feigning curiosity. “Aside from staying home with the baby, what else would you have been doing?”
Sun Yiyao steadied her erratic heartbeat and turned her head to glare at He Chuan Zhou.
He Chuan Zhou chuckled lightly. “No need to look at me like that. Police can uncover more than you’d think. Even though a lot of surveillance footage from that time has been overwritten, there’s an old saying: If someone thinks their actions are unknown... well, you get the idea.”
She leaned forward slightly, a spark of interest in her eyes. “Now, take a guess. Besides pinpointing Zhu Shujun’s time of death, what else do you think we’ve discovered?”
Sun Yiyao lowered her head, taking longer than before to respond. More cautious now, she ventured tentatively, “If you really had evidence, you’d have already arrested me.”
“That’s not necessarily true. Why assume law enforcement is so heartless?” He Chuan Zhou said, her tone ostensibly gentle but layered with a cold edge. “Your child isn’t even a year old. I’d prefer to give you a chance where I can.”
Her words seemed compassionate, but her expression and tone betrayed a calculated insincerity. “Besides,” she added, “I can’t yet determine what role you played or how deeply you were involved.”
Sun Yiyao said, “I don’t understand.”
He Chuan Zhou stood up and paced to her side, her tone chilling as she asked, “Don’t you have nightmares at night? Your child was just born, aren’t you afraid?”
As she spoke, she pulled out a photo of Zhu Shujun and slapped it onto the table in front of Sun Yiyao. The latter flinched as if burned, quickly turning her face away.
“So, you can’t even look at her, huh?” He Chuan Zhou leaned forward until they were eye level, one hand resting behind Sun Yiyao. She smirked. “Yet, the house you’re living in now, didn’t some of it come at her expense? Don’t you feel the least bit ashamed?”
Sun Yiyao straightened her back, about to retort, but Brother Huang’s sharp voice cut through, “He Chuan Zhou!”
He scolded her sternly, “That’s crossing the line, don’t you think?”
He Chuan Zhou scoffed coldly, stepping back and withdrawing her hand, leaving Sun Yiyao some space.
Before Sun Yiyao could speak, Brother Huang softened his tone and reassured her, “Don’t be afraid. She’s been under a lot of pressure recently. If you’ve been following the news, you might understand why. But trust me, she’s only pushing this hard because she wants to solve the case as soon as possible.”
Sun Yiyao, still visibly angry, shot back, “I want to file a complaint against her!”
He Chuan Zhou chuckled mockingly. “Go ahead.”
She leaned casually against the windowsill, out of Sun Yiyao’s sight, and exchanged a look with Brother Huang, silently urging him to push harder and take a bigger gamble.
Brother Huang sighed heavily and spoke in a patient, almost pleading tone. “I won’t deny she’s a bit emotional, but what she said isn’t wrong. Let me share a bit of insider information, right now, the testimonies we’ve gathered don’t work in your favor. If you can’t clear your name, there’s a possibility that the prosecutor’s office might include you in the indictment. I’m saying possibility. Personally, I don’t think you’re the killer. But even if the judge agrees, legal proceedings take time.
"If this drags on, the case could become public knowledge. Rumors will spread. Gossip will fly. What will you do then? What about your child? Think it over carefully.”
When his words fell, the room fell into silence for nearly thirty seconds. The only sound was Brother Huang’s own heavy breathing.
From his angle, he could only see half of Sun Yiyao’s face in profile. The long pause stretched on, making him strangely uneasy. His fingers brushed against the phone in his pocket, tempted to check the time.
“Indict me?”
Sun Yiyao’s gaze flickered. First, she looked at Brother Huang, whose face was filled with solemnity, then turned to glance at the shadowy figure of He Chuan Zhou behind him. Her words were deliberate and precise: “Where is the notice of case registration? Have you filed a case? Why would you indict me? I have nothing to do with this case. Whose testimony are you using? You know testimony alone can’t convict someone.”
When neither of them answered, Sun Yiyao broke into a smug smile. “You think I don’t know anything and can be intimidated.”