Chapter 63: Chapter 63 What’s So Great About That_1
Mr. Zhao didn’t waste words; he quickly clicked on the fast forward button.
As the timestamp kept flickering, the car stopped in front of the gates of Hospital No. 8. He hit pause, blinked his eyes, and said with sudden realization,
"I know where this is. It’s just north of Hospital No. 8, bordering Shuiqingxin Residence. There’s a dead end with half a wall in front, and if you head south, there’s the mortuary’s side door. To the north, although Qingshui Residence doesn’t have a south gate, there’s a gap here. If you go through, you’ll reach building number three. I remember the victim rented a room in that building."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ning also recalled what Zhang Jiahui’s mother had said. Xu Dayuan waved his hand, signaling Mr. Zhao to continue.
Zhao Xinli pursed his lips, hit the play button, and the timestamp showed 19:05. Shen Guanlin got out of the car, bought a boxed meal from a stall in front of the hospital, then wrapped himself tightly in his coat and headed into the hospital.
Fast forwarding again, after driving for a while, the screen went dark, only to light up again with the timestamp now at 23:10.
As the car shook, at 23:35, it arrived in front of a residential building. As the corridor light flickered on, a figure emerged, wearing a hat and mask and dressed in a short down jacket. However, from his height and the white hair at his temples, it was clear that this person was the disguised Shen Guanlin.
The car started up and sped off, heading directly to Baima River Reservoir. The car stopped; the headlights remained on, and occasionally, the car would shake slightly.
At 23:51, Shen Guanlin appeared at the edge of the dashcam’s view. He seemed to run southward for a dozen steps, swung his right arm vigorously, and a dark shadow flew into the distance before dropping into the water.
Mr. Zhao paused the video and looked up at Xu Dayuan as if to ask if they needed to keep playing it.
Xu Dayuan waved his hand and let out a long sigh.
"I didn’t expect that the deleted content from the dash cam could be fully recovered. Alright, this isn’t just conclusive evidence; let’s interrogate them separately."
"Xu Da, am I still following?"
Xu Dayuan glared at him.
"Do you have a girlfriend? Kids to look after? Or do you need to clean your house before the New Year? If you have none of these, why the hurry to go back?"
With this precise barrage of questions, Zhou Ning obediently shut up, and Mr. Zhao wrapped an arm around Zhou Ning’s shoulder.
"Comrade Zhou Xiaozhou, just follow us honestly and watch the interrogation. The boss is going in personally!"
Xu Dayuan rolled his eyes and patted the computer.
"Quit the chatter, copy them a copy, then bring the computer and follow me in."
"Yes, sir."
Mr. Zhao saluted, showing his big white teeth as he followed Xu Dayuan into the interrogation room. Zhou Ning sat down in the chair, put on the headset, and looked towards the interrogation room.
As soon as Xu Dayuan entered, He Chunyang stood up, but Xu Dayuan gestured for him to sit down.
"The contents of the deleted dash cam video have been restored. The technical department will send you a copy soon. Go interrogate Shen Weijie. I’ll handle it here."
He Chunyang’s eyes lit up, and he quickly left.
The detective sitting beside Zhou Ning had already opened the copied files, found the relevant timestamp, and went to deliver them to He Chunyang. Zhou Ning turned his attention back to Xu Dayuan.
Xu Dayuan signaled to Mr. Zhao with a wave of his hand, and Mr. Zhao sped up the video, pausing it exactly when Shen Weijie attacked Zhang Jiahui.
He didn’t rush to speak, walking directly to the front of the interrogation chair, lit a cigarette, and offered it to Shen Guanlin.
"Would you like one?"
Shen Guanlin hesitated for a moment, but still took the lit cigarette. The natural aversions of a doctor seemed irrelevant at that moment. Very obediently, Mr. Zhao brought over a paper cup with some water in it, probably for ashing the cigarette.
Shen Guanlin took it, nodding slightly.
Xu Dayuan stood there, stepping on the interrogation chair’s footrest, smoking without uttering a word. When the cigarette burnt to the end, he flicked it into the paper cup in front of Shen Guanlin, making a sizzling sound.
"I don’t want to reiterate the policy. My colleague has talked with you all day, and you must be tired of it. To discover that your son of nearly thirty years is not your own must be heartbreaking. As a man, I understand how you feel. The evidence is right in front of us; it’s time for you to talk."
Shen Guanlin exhaled his last puff of smoke and tossed the cigarette butt into the paper cup.
"Will I be sentenced to death?" asked Zhou Ning, raising an eyebrow slightly as he shook his head.
"That’s up to the court, but I can tell you, your case is not merely about assisting in the destruction or falsification of evidence. Zhang Jiahui was still alive when she was thrown into the Baima River Reservoir. Harm leading to death without other serious circumstances carries 10 to 15 years. Of course, the actual sentence depends on your performance," Xu Dayuan replied.
Shen Guanlin fell silent again. Xu Dayuan was patient and waited a long time before Shen Guanlin leaned back and let out a long sigh.
"I didn’t know my son... Shen Weijie was acquainted with Zhang Jiahui, let alone in that sort of relationship. On the 21st, Zhang Jiahui called me several times, but I never picked up.
At around six-thirty in the evening, I left through the north gate, planning to go to the dumpling restaurant on the west side of the Shuiqingxin Residence, when Zhang Jiahui stopped me. She dragged me into a dead-end alley, hoping I would buy her a car.
I thought she was crazy. I told her to get real. We each got what we wanted, I had even settled her request for a job placement, and I never shorted her on payment each time I called for her services. If she wanted to extort money, she shouldn’t be working at the Eighth Hospital.
She went ballistic, grabbing me and yelling, telling me I would regret it. She said she knew my son Shen Weijie. I froze at that moment, and just then, the headlights flashed—Shen Weijie had arrived. Zhang Jiahui laughed like a madwoman and tore off her down jacket.
She said we, father and son, were no good, that she didn’t care about losing face as a prostitute, but we were different—one a respected head of Anesthesiology, the other married well above his station, how could we live in Qindao if others learned of our shameful deeds?
I held back the agitated Shen Weijie. I knew all Zhang Jiahui wanted was money because the incident would ruin us both if it came out. She could easily relocate to another city, but we couldn’t. So, I agreed to her demand.
However, just as Zhang Jiahui turned around, she slipped and fell. Shen Weijie pounced on her, hitting her on the head. I was stunned at the time. I checked her breathing and pulse, both extremely weak. With an injury in that location, the odds were high for subarachnoid hemorrhage, unlikely to be saved.
I wanted to take her to the hospital, but Shen Weijie disagreed, saying that even though Zhang Jiahui wouldn’t make it, the assault would still be investigated. So, he argued, it was all or nothing—might as well just dump her in the reservoir.
The weather forecast had predicted a significant drop in temperature that night. Once the body froze, it wouldn’t be discovered until next summer and would just be bones by then—no one would suspect us.
Then, we headed to the reservoir and tied Zhang Jiahui’s body to a tire. Fearing bloodstains, we didn’t dare push it upright, just lifted and hurled it into the edge of the reservoir, where it quickly sank. Shen Weijie wrapped the wrench in a plastic bag, which I threw into the reservoir. That’s what happened," Shen Guanlin said.
Xu Dayuan patted Shen Guanlin on the shoulder while the police officer in charge of recording hurriedly printed the transcript and placed it in front of Shen Guanlin to review.
Shen Guanlin grabbed the pen and signed his name without hesitation.
That’s how people are: once they decide to come clean, it seems they lose all initial resistance. However, years of parental care might just crumble within a few hours—Shen Guanlin was probably at his lowest then.
Xu Dayuan tapped on the glass, and the two police officers beside Zhou Ning quickly went out to fetch someone. They immediately handcuffed Shen Guanlin and escorted him away, and Zhou Ning followed them out of the interrogation room.
The bright incandescent lights in the hallway were quite glaring, but they also dispelled the chilling cold.
Zhang Jiahui had always navigated through men, thinking she was in full control and could extort as she pleased to achieve her goals, with her greed growing larger by the day. She cornered Shen Guanlin and even contacted Shen Weijie, aiming to blackmail both father and son.
But she miscalculated Shen Weijie’s temper and ultimately paid with her life. Cases like this make people lose faith in love. Zhou Ning shook his head, trying to shake off the case’s effect on him.
Mr. Zhao came over, his small eyes constantly blinking.
"Our boss is amazing, isn’t he?" he said.
Zhou Ning nodded. Xu Dayuan really was formidable. His oppressive presence, along with his psychological control over Shen Guanlin, forced a quick confession, greatly shortening the time for the trial.
"Leaders are indeed impressive," Zhou Ning acknowledged.
"Impressive my ass!" Mr. Zhao’s neck received a slap, the crisp sound echoing loudly in the corridor as Xu Dayuan glared at him.
"Stop spouting nonsense here. Learn properly from Zhou Xiaozhou. Without a complete chain of evidence, don’t even think about going home today. Might as well stay here for the New Year. I could boast and solve cases better than you—cut out the brown-nosing!" Xu Dayuan scolded.
Mr. Zhao fell silent, and Zhou Ning pursed his lips before finally squeezing out a statement.
"Xu Da went too far. Why bring up that nickname?"
Just then, the door to the opposite interrogation room opened, and He Chunyang came out with a breezy expression, waving the transcript in his hand.
"This evidence is too important. Shen Weijie confessed. A leader is indeed a leader—truly formidable!" He Chunyang exclaimed.
"Get out!" Xu Dayuan yelled.
