Chapter 153: Chapter 152 Everyone Dies Together_1
After he spoke, Mr. Zhao regretted his words, realizing he had just called himself a donkey. He quickly stepped forward and said,
""Look at this, now that you’ve used us, your attitude changes instantly. But I’m puzzled. I came here with Zhou Xiaozhou. How did you know Zhou Xiaozhou would cooperate with you? It looked as if you had rehearsed it, leaving me completely dumbfounded.""
Xu Dayuan laughed and gave Zhou Ning a nudge on the shoulder.
""He’s got a sharp mind. This kind of cooperation comes naturally to him; no need to plan ahead. But it’s normal for you not to understand, because you’re dumb!""
Inside the interrogation room, Xu Dayuan patted Tao Zhenshan on the shoulder.
Carrying his thermos, Tao Zhenshan stood up and walked out, his face showing frustration and anger. As he turned into the next room and saw Zhou Ning and the others standing there, his face cleared of its gloom.
Drawing closer, he set down the thermos and looked at the group up and down.
""What’s this? Any breakthroughs?""
Mr. Zhao grinned, flashing his teeth, and gestured towards Liu Yufei with a nod of his chin.
""Ask Mrs. Liu. We don’t know anything. We’re just here for the show.""
Tao Zhenshan slapped Mr. Zhao on the back and raised his fist in frustration, but still didn’t approach Liu Yufei.
""I don’t dare to provoke her. She’s the provincial champion in Sanda. You think I’m kidding?""
Mr. Zhao’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Liu Yufei. He had gotten a taste of her kick earlier, but a provincial Sanda champion was on a whole different level. This explained why she could work in the criminal police team and why no one dared to belittle her.
""Mrs. Liu, cover for me from now on!""
Liu Yufei didn’t expect Mr. Zhao to come out with such a remark, and it made her laugh on the spot.
""Not calling me Mr. Liu anymore?""
Mr. Zhao brought his hands together, rubbing them in front of Liu Yufei.
""My mistake, you’re my dear sister. Since you look so young and beautiful, it’s easy to mistake your age. Anyone who calls you ’Miss’ upon meeting you must be blind.""
Tao Zhenshan coughed and interposed his hand between the two.
""I’m the deputy team leader, after all. What’s this supposed to mean? Isn’t someone going to explain to me what’s going on here? You’re all jovially joking around while I’m still clueless. How about you go and have a meeting with Chen Chunxi, this tough nut to crack?""
Mr. Zhao kept grinning, unfazed by the trouble.
""Just watch patiently, Mr. Tao. It’s no fun if we spoil the ending, right? We are people with public spirit.""
Tao Zhenshan gnashed his teeth in response but said nothing more, quickly grabbing a pair of headphones. Mr. Zhao, quick on his feet, snatched up another pair and passed them to Liu Yufei in a sycophantic manner that Zhou Ning couldn’t bear to watch.
After all the tension over several days, letting off some steam seemed to relax everyone.
Liu Yufei didn’t take the headphones, signaling Zhou Ning and Mr. Zhao to listen together. She just moved closer to the one-way mirror, staring intently at the movements inside the interrogation room.
Xu Dayuan wasn’t sitting; he was holding a stack of papers, leaning against the edge of the table, watching Chen Chunxi.
""You’ve got stamina. It’s been over ten hours since last night. However, take a look at this. I think once you’ve read it, you’ll feel that your ten hours of persistence are beginning to pay off.""
As he spoke, he threw the stack of papers on the table and held up a law enforcement recorder in front of Chen Chunxi. The video didn’t start from the beginning, but from the part where Wang Wenjing tearfully claimed ignorance of everything, and that it was all Chen Chunxi’s manipulation, up to when she was handcuffed and taken away.
Upon reading, Chen Chunxi made no move, but Xu Dayuan laughed, lit a cigarette, and while smoking, continued to watch Chen Chunxi.
""According to what Wang Wenjing said, her poisoning of Zhang Guanglei falls under the category of the crime of delivering hazardous substances. Fortunately for her, after checking the list, the Diphacinone she used is not among the 1,059 types of highly toxic substances listed for that crime, so it’s considered a minor case.
Considering she caused harm to Zhang Guanglei but didn’t endanger his life, we can determine the circumstances are minor. At most, she’s looking at 3 to 10 years of fixed-term imprisonment.
Plus, Wang Wenjing has shown a good attitude in admitting her guilt and has made meritorious service, which could lead to a lighter sentence. With a good lawyer, it might even be reduced further. However, according to her, you’re the mastermind behind Zhang Guanglei’s murder with both witness testimonies and physical evidence against you. You know the kind of punishment you should receive, don’t you?""
After finishing his speech, Xu Dayuan displayed Wang Wenjing’s statement to Chen Chunxi, emphasizing the last page signed with "the above statement is true" and Wang Wenjing’s signature inked beneath it, with two lines of bright red fingerprints standing out sharply.
Chen Chunxi tried to grab the statement, but Xu Dayuan quickly pulled it back and handed it to the clerk instead, snuffing out his cigarette and crossing his arms as he said,
""This is your last legal lesson. If a criminal suspect caught by the criminal investigation authority refuses to admit to their crime, it’s up to that authority to investigate whether the suspect has committed a crime and deal with it according to the results:
If there’s enough evidence to prove a suspect has committed the crime, they should still be held criminally responsible, even without the suspect’s confession. Of course, without sufficient evidence, no criminal responsibility can be pursued.
Refusing to admit guilt will be seen as having a bad attitude, and the courts will issue a heavier sentence. Do you understand? With the murder of Zhang Guanglei, we have ample evidence. Even if you deny any wrongdoing, you’ll still be transferred to the procuratorate.""
"I have shown you the evidence before, with fibers from gloves containing your DNA found on the murder weapon, and the murder weapon also has the blood of the deceased Zhang Guanglei. Furthermore, the murder weapon was used to wedge the accelerator pedal, helping to hold it in place,"
"The surveillance footage from near the hospital has also been reviewed, and you did not take Wang Wenjing to the hospital. We have found the driver and vehicle that did. Alright, talk about your motive for the crime. Of course, you can also say something else; consider this your last chance to speak."
Xu Dayuan spoke at a measured pace, each sentence delivered with utter detachment; in actuality, what he said was not an exaggeration—the current evidence was sufficient for referral to prosecution.
Everyone knew, however, that Wang Wenjing was the key person behind this, even though she only induced the act and never actively demanded anything. But defining exactly how to classify her involvement was very challenging.
Chen Chunxi sighed and glanced at the pack of cigarettes Xu Dayuan had thrown on the table.
"Want to have one?"
Chen Chunxi shook his head, remaining silent for a long while before finally speaking.
"I knew Wang Wenjing would say this; I’m not at all surprised. In fact, I also thought that if the day came when this is exposed, I’d take all the blame—just to keep her out of it."
Mr. Zhao nudged Zhou Ning.
"What’s the meaning of this opening statement, does he have regrets?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"It boils down to one thing: I can selflessly give, and I can tarnish my own reputation, but you can’t splash your dirty water on me. Chen Chunxi must have felt extreme disappointment; perhaps he was deeply in love with Wang Wenjing."
Liu Yufei glanced at Zhou Ning.
"What are you getting sentimental for? Do you have a girlfriend? Have you experienced this kind of profound affection? Or are you saying..."
Mr. Zhao raised his hand, stopping Liu Yufei’s barrage.
"That’s enough, sis. I was wrong, sister, don’t be so hurtful. You start firing heavy artillery the moment you open your mouth—who could withstand that? Let’s watch the interrogation. It’s a critical moment now."
Liu Yufei laughed and gave Mr. Zhao a glare, then turned to look at the interrogation room.
And saw Chen Chunxi lift his head and continue:
"I’ve figured it out. Since I’m going to die, let’s die together. I’ll talk."
Chen Chunxi began to confess, and the situation was not very complicated.
He met Wang Wenjing last year when he lost his wallet while getting breakfast, which was quite embarrassing. Wang Wenjing paid for him. They got to know each other and realized she bore a striking resemblance to his ex-girlfriend.
Latter he saw injuries on Wang Wenjing’s body, and she was always trembling, feeling as if someone was following her. Under Chen Chunxi’s interrogation, she revealed she had a boyfriend who was a civil servant. He was usually fine, but became violent when drunk. Each time she broached the subject of breakup, she would end up brutally beaten.
Chen Chunxi felt tremendous sympathy for her. To comfort her, he invited her for a meal, and afterwards, they ended up in bed. Wang Wenjing regretted it immensely, telling him not to get involved in her affairs and not to bring trouble upon himself. The more she refrained, the more Chen Chunxi saw her as kind-hearted.
After the Spring Festival, Wang Wenjing was beaten again, to the point of hospitalisation. Chen Chunxi went to find Zhang Guanglei, but Zhang was defiant, telling him to stay out of their business and insulting Wang Wenjing, calling her promiscuous. They got into a fight, but nothing was resolved.
By the end of June, Wang Wenjing attempted suicide. She said she couldn’t get rid of Zhang Guanglei and had drugged him, but he didn’t die. She cursed for him to die in a car crash and asked Chen Chunxi to take care of her daughter in the future.
Chen Chunxi became agitated upon hearing Wang Wenjing wish for Zhang Guanglei to die in an accident. He suggested staging a traffic accident. After tailing Zhang for two days, he learned that Zhang also frequented Jingkou District every day.
They plotted together, with Wang Wenjing promising to increase the drug dosage. She would hurt herself in a quiet place to create an alibi for Chen Chunxi while he would intercept Zhang Guanglei on the road, knock him unconscious, and then stage the car accident.
They chose the fourth of the month, as it rained continuously, and dense fog formed every morning—poor conditions for surveillance and suitable for action. Wang Wenjing had her daughter to find Sun Yannian in Jingkou at the time of the incident. This way, even if someone started investigating, Sun Yannian would have more motive, especially since his father was with Zhang Guanglei’s ex-wife. This implicated many issues that weren’t easy to clarify.
However, Chen Chunxi hadn’t expected to see Zhang Guanglei having breakfast with Sun Manqing, nor did he anticipate that Sun Manqing would follow him to the scene of the accident, and even less that he would end up crashing into Zhang Guanglei’s car.
Sun Manqing wasn’t dead at that time and was trying to call the police with his mobile phone.
Chen Chunxi rammed his car into him, then found Sun Manqing and Zhang Guanglei’s mobile phones. After pulling the cars aside, he took a canister of gasoline and doused them. Before he could set the fire, a third truck crashed onto the scene, and the two vehicles were instantly crushed.
Chen Chunxi was terrified. Taking advantage of the dense fog, he made his way directly to Jimi Cliff, smashing the phones and throwing them into the sea, discarding his clothes there as well, and then returned to the construction site only after cleaning up.
Seeing Chen Chunxi signing the record in the interrogation room, Zhou Ning breathed a sigh of relief.
Mr. Zhao sighed deeply, remarking with great emotion.
"If one were to say Wang Wenjing was the mastermind, then for the death of Sun Manqing, Chen Chunxi bears an inescapable responsibility. Will he be sentenced to death?"
Liu Yufei shook her head. Zhou Ning glanced inside the interrogation room and said slowly:
"That is for the court to decide. Come on, let’s go write the report!"
