Chapter 237: Chapter 234 Can You Shut Up_1
By the end, Chen Wenchi had started crying.
It took a long time before he managed to control his emotions. He wiped his face and stared at Xu Dayuan with wide eyes.
"You see, you asked me who had a grudge against my aunt. It’s Qin Xuejin! No one else but him.
When he was sent to prison, he still hoped my aunt would provide a false alibi for him, but she refused, and he even assaulted her for it. They might have been divorced, but he always held a grudge in his heart. He’s the most likely murderer. Stop wasting time here with me; go catch the killer!"
Watching the agitated Chen Wenchi, Xu Dayuan felt a sense of helplessness. Now the case seemed to be back to square one, and the suspicion surprisingly fell on Qin Xuejin. It appeared that Chen Wenchi knew very little.
"Qin Xuejin is dead!"
Chen Wenchi was stupefied, collapsing onto the chair. Just as Xu Dayuan was preparing to have him sign the transcript, Chen Wenchi suddenly sat up, speaking subconsciously.
"Wait, my aunt left me a box just at the end of last year. She called me over in the middle of the night, handed me a box, and told me to keep it safe without telling anyone. She said she would need it later and that I should ideally keep it in a bank safe deposit box. There could be something inside that box."
"Where is the box?"
Chen Wenchi’s face showed a touch of embarrassment. He closed his eyes, seemingly trying hard to remember, but his fingers started trembling slightly.
"Don’t rush me; let me think. It was Christmas Eve. I had plans to go out with classmates. I was going to drive my aunt’s car, but then I thought I’d be drinking, so I didn’t. And then..."
At this point, Chen Wenchi faltered.
Mr. Zhao was so anxious he began to stamp his foot and hit his palm in frustration, angrily pointing inside the interrogation room.
"This guy is infuriating. I really want to drag him out and beat him up. His aunt treated him so well, and he can’t even remember what she entrusted to him. It’s driving me mad!"
Zhou Ning gave Mr. Zhao a glance, still focusing on the interrogation room.
The first part of Chen Wenchi’s statement seemed to have been spoken subconsciously, but later it seemed he realized he had misspoken and started trying to spin his tale. Was he hiding something?
Why would he want to hide anything if his beloved aunt had passed away?
This didn’t make any sense.
After pondering for a moment, Zhou Ning took out his phone and sent a text message.
At the same time, Xu Dayuan’s phone rang. He glanced at the message and stubbed out his cigarette, then slapped his police badge down in front of Chen Wenchi.
"My name is Xu Dayuan. We’ve set up a special task force to secretly investigate the causes of Fang Wenjie’s and Qin Xuejin’s deaths. Moreover, we’ve obtained some evidence, which, of course, was found at Qin Xuejin’s place.
We brought you out from your workplace today under the pretense of a hit-and-run. Even Fang Wenjie’s and Qin Xuejin’s deaths were initially recorded as robberies. I cannot confirm anything else, but everyone in our task force is reliable. I hope you’ll tell the truth and not put on an act with me.
Some of your answers just now, I know, were half-truths. You work at Guanghai Pharmaceutical Group, and I don’t think your colleagues know about your relationship with Fang Wenjie. She didn’t use her connections to get you that job.
Moreover, that company where your father is the nominal legal person is actually controlled by Qin Xuejin. Don’t tell me they were on bad terms. I want to know the truth, or this case will remain unsolved. Besides, if we could find you, don’t you think the people behind all this might worry that you know something and could harm you or your parents?"
With that, Xu Dayuan handed over his phone, which displayed a photo of Qin Xuejin’s corpse. He swiped the screen, and the second photo showed the decayed remains of Fang Wenjie. Chen Wenchi shuddered uncontrollably at the sight.
Mr. Zhao nudged Zhou Ning, a puzzled look on his face.
"Do you think this guy knows everything, perhaps even some of Fang Wenjie’s plans, and he’s just putting on an act with us because they’re not sure if we’re really investigating the case or helping someone cover up evidence?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"This guy may seem a bit impulsive, but he’s tight-lipped. He’s someone who can keep things to himself. Moreover, since his aunt thought so highly of him, there’s probably a reason for that. I just don’t know if Xu Da has figured out all their family information. It feels like they know a lot of the inside story, but they’re just seeking an avenue to voice it."
Mr. Zhao stroked his chin, the more he analyzed it, the more reasonable Zhou Ning’s conjecture seemed.
"You make sense, but why didn’t I think of that layer?"
"My supervisor gave me a lot of books, including a few he wrote on criminal psychology. I have found them extremely insightful. You can pick up on some underlying messages from a suspect’s minor gestures and facial micro-expressions."
Mr. Zhao raised his hand, his face filled with wariness.
"Don’t even talk about reading, my head hurts, you aren’t trying to trick me into taking that what’s it, the judicial appraisal engineer exam, are you? I don’t have the educational qualification."
Zhou Ning waved his hand dismissively.
"An associate degree with two years of work experience is enough to take the exam. We’ll talk about it next year. Could you keep quiet and watch the interrogation properly?"
Mr. Zhao became obedient, and Zhou Ning continued to look towards the interrogation room. At that time, Chen Wenchi was staring dully in front of him, not knowing what he was thinking about. Just sitting without talking, Xu Dayuan put away his credentials.
"I can also tell you the truth. At present, we have very little evidence in our hands, just two accounts and some documents. But if these have already been cleaned up, there’s no way to verify anything. After all, Fang Wenjie was fired, and she also signed a confidentiality agreement voluntarily.
Moreover, at the crime scene where Fang Wenjie and Qin Xuejin were murdered, not a single trace of information was left behind—no fingerprints, bloodstains, shoe prints, or hair strands. We’ve screened repeatedly and found nothing, so this case will be archived and shelved without new evidence. Of course, officially, we will investigate the killer under the guise of a robbery or theft case. Do you understand what I’m saying?"
Chen Wenchi looked up again, glancing at Liu Yufei, his gaze settling on Xu Dayuan.
"What makes you think I would believe you?"
Xu Dayuan laughed, for the first time, not knowing how to respond to a youngster in his twenties who had managed to get on his nerves. Was he really expected to sing his own praises?
Lighting a cigarette, Xu Dayuan took a couple of deep drags before looking up to a corner of the ceiling and saying:
"I started working in 1991, initially as a community beat officer. In my second year on the job, during winter, the station chief’s brother-in-law drove drunk and smashed into the village supermarket, not only breaking the glass door but also leaving the place in shambles and injuring an elderly person.
The supermarket owner called the police, and I was at the scene. Given that I knew everyone in the village, the owner said that it was the station chief’s brother-in-law who had caused the accident, and then the owner was ’reeducated.’ Upset, I borrowed a camera from a colleague and took photos of the damage to the supermarket, the footprints, the tire marks, everything.
Of course, I also photographed the injuries that the owner had sustained. I went straight to the sub-bureau to find the deputy bureau chief in charge of criminal investigations, threw the photos in front of him, and asked if a police officer like that could be dealt with. If not, I’d resign on the spot, saying I refuse to wear this badge any longer because it’s shameful. Three days later, the station chief was removed, and his brother-in-law was arrested.
I don’t know how to make you trust me, nor do I know what to say to let you know how formidable our task force is. All I can say is that every department has people who forget their roots, but not our special case team.
By the way, have you heard of the Red Dress Serial Murder Case? That was cracked by our team. Catching the perpetrator, finding evidence, including information about the victims—it was a case that hung unsolved for over five years. Does that make me trustworthy now?"
Chen Wenchi clearly looked surprised and a little confused after some thought.
"That doesn’t make sense, I heard that the case was solved by the Qidong Sub-bureau. What does it have to do with you?"
Xu Dayuan couldn’t help but laugh out of exasperation. Liu Yufei walked up closer and raised a photograph from the commendation ceremony, it was one where Xu Dayuan went up for the award.
"You seem to know quite a lot. Xu Da was originally the captain of the Qidong Criminal Police Brigade. He was transferred to the city squad only last year. Stop beating around the bush, if you have something to say, say it. We don’t have the time to run circles with you here. We know this is serious, especially since the murders were carried out in a very professional way."
Chen Wenchi lifted his eyes toward Liu Yufei and nodded vigorously.
"I believe what sister says. I didn’t hide the stuff at home. After all, I was afraid those people would be watching, and they might search my place. I can retrieve it, but I need your guarantee for my parents’ personal safety. My sister has already died over this, and I can’t lose two more family members."
Xu Dayuan paused.
"The items aren’t the urgent matter, tell me in detail, what happened to your sister?"
Chen Wenchi hung his head, hatred seemingly brimming from his eyes, gripping the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white.
"They said my sister committed suicide by jumping off a building. On her computer, they found a suicide note. In early 2009, my cousin-in-law Qin Xuejin was accused of harboring criminals and was imprisoned. But who did he harbor? It was all fabricated!
In reality, it was all to shut him up, to ensure that my cousin wouldn’t get involved. He could only remain silent. My sister was seven years older than me, she started working with my cousin-in-law, later getting assigned to the administration department of Beishan Group at Beishan Academy. As soon as my cousin sensed something was off, she immediately transferred my sister to work in the administrative department of Guanghai Pharmaceutical Group.
We thought my sister had withdrawn early enough to avoid the incident since, from the accounts, my cousin didn’t seem to find any dealings between the two corporations. Moreover, one was near Longtai City on the eastern side of Ludong Province, close to the inland sea, while Guanghai Pharmaceutical Group was on Qindao, and the two weren’t closely related.
But just when we thought everything was settling down without a hitch, my sister was confessed to by Mr. Ren’s son. Under the guise of courtship, he sent flowers every day. Then, my sister started facing ostracism within the company, especially from other women. Nails in her chair, glue smeared on her table—these were commonplace harassments.
My cousin advised my sister to resign and find a different environment. My sister said there was no rush, that she had overheard a phone conversation by Mr. Ren, revealing that Beishan Group actually had ties with Guanghai, including asset transfers in their subsidiaries. After playing the recording for my cousin, my sister wanted to confirm a few more details before leaving two days later.
But the next day at noon, my sister jumped from the building. On her computer desktop, an opened document was found—a suicide note that talked about feeling mediocre, unworthy of Mr. Ren’s affection, unable to stand humiliation from others, and having no attachment left for this world. Do you think my sister would kill herself?"
"What was your sister’s name?"
