Chapter 67: Inducement

Inside the interrogation room.

Hong Jun pushed himself up, grabbed the steamed bun from the table, opened the plastic bag, and took a large bite.

He chewed forcefully with every bite, his cheeks bulging, stuffed full of food. He chewed deliberately, bite by bite, as if trying to grind away all the bitterness of the past years.

Halfway through, tears were already streaming down his face, pattering onto the table in large droplets.

Qiong Cang and He Jueyun did not disturb him. They watched quietly, and Qiong Cang pulled two tissues from the bag and handed them over.

Hong Jun took them and wiped his face, but he could not stop the hot tears from flowing. Finally, he raised his arm and wiped his face harshly with his sleeve.

This was probably the saltiest, most bitter, and yet most tasteless bun he had eaten in years.

When he finally finished eating, his shoulders slumped, and he fell once more into a hollow daze.

Qiong Cang began her questioning.

“Why did you get a half-month supply of sleeping pills all at once?”

This time, Hong Jun answered cooperatively, shaking his head wearily as he spoke: “I can’t sleep. I’ve been taking sleeping pills for a long time, and my dosage has always been high. I’ve already developed a severe dependency. The doctor advised me to reduce the dosage, but I’m just too tired.”

Qiong Cang asked, “How many people know about this?”

“Probably not many,” Hong Jun said. “But if anyone wanted to check, it wouldn’t be hard. I didn’t deliberately hide it from anyone. I go to the hospital every week. If someone was tailing me, they would know what I was doing.”

Qiong Cang asked, “Who was the person you wanted to protect in the first place?”

Instead of answering directly, Hong Jun asked, “Is Shen Sui really the Murderer?”

“According to regulations, we cannot tell you the specific details of the case before the investigation results are out,” Qiong Cang said, gathering the documents on the table and organizing them. “What I’m telling you now is just my own reasoning and findings. I suspect she is, but until the court issues a formal verdict, it remains just a suspicion.”

Hong Jun asked doubtfully, “Why would she kill Ding Tao? Ding Tao was very rich, and Shen Sui is just a housewife. If Ding Tao is dead, she has nothing.”

“It seems you’ve looked into Shen Sui. Too bad you don’t know much about Ding Tao.” Qiong Cang chuckled, dodging the most critical details and speaking vaguely. “We are still investigating the specific reasons. I only know that anyone who passes through the scene will inevitably leave traces. However, I can correct a misconception of yours. Ding Tao was not as wealthy as you think. His daily expenses were huge. The couple loved buying luxury goods and collecting valuable items, driven by intense vanity. The factory’s profits were no longer enough to maintain their glamorous facade, so Ding Tao dabbled in some gray areas and accumulated over a hundred million in debt. These are company operations issues; I don’t know if you can understand.”

It did not matter whether Hong Jun understood or not. He only needed to grasp the words “over a hundred million” and “debt.”

Qiong Cang said, “Now, can you answer my question from earlier?”

Hong Jun’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I thought it was… a friend of mine. She’s a colleague of mine, and I told her about my past. You said the Murderer used my sleeping pills to kill him and wore a cleaner’s shoes, so I thought it was her.”

Qiong Cang rested her chin on her crossed hands, analyzing his emotions as he spoke of this person, and then said, “Why did you think it was her? No matter how good your relationship is, an ordinary person wouldn’t commit murder to seek revenge for someone else.”

“She’s different… She’s dying, she’s very sick. I didn’t have much use for money, so I would lend her money for her medical treatment. She was always very grateful to me and wanted to repay me.” Hong Jun’s voice grew softer as he lowered his head. Recalling something, he showed an incredibly bitter smile. “She was just like me, all alone. Her son died a long time ago, but she never knew who the Murderer was. Maybe my emotions affected her. Sometimes, I really needed to talk to her just to keep going. Later, she said she wanted to get revenge for me, so I thought she had actually done it.”

Beside her, He Jueyun picked up his pen to take notes.

Hong Jun asked again, “Who was the person who helped Shen Sui kill him?”

“If we knew, we wouldn’t be interrogating you right now.” Qiong Cang lit up her phone screen and showed it to him. “It has been less than six hours since the body was found. Because you didn’t tell the truth, we spent most of our time on you. You have to give us some time, don’t you?”

Hong Jun felt she made sense and did not press further. Then, he heard Qiong Cang lower her voice, speaking to him mysteriously, “However… I have a suspicion that Ding Xihua was forced to assist Shen Sui in the murder.”

Hong Jun’s pupils contracted. In his excitement, he could barely make a sound.

Qiong Cang continued, “Ding Xihua stayed by Shen Sui’s side, looking hesitant and submissive. They clearly claimed they hadn’t seen Ding Tao, but when I casually asked, they described the clothes Ding Tao had changed into just before he died. Besides, Shen Sui shouldn’t have been able to find someone to coordinate with her from the inside on such short notice.”

“Retribution! Look at that, it’s retribution!” Hong Jun burst into laughter. What should have been a hearty laugh squeezed out of his hoarse throat as a bizarre, cackling laugh, even carrying a hint of sobbing.

“He killed my wife and child, and twelve years later, he was killed by his own wife and son! What kind of retribution is this? Why does someone like him even exist in this world?”

Hong Jun’s body trembled uncontrollably. Qiong Cang asked, “Why didn’t you just ask your colleague? Where is she now?”

Hong Jun stopped laughing and said, “I tried, but her phone wouldn’t go through. That’s why I thought she was the Murderer.”

Qiong Cang said, “Name and contact information.”

A flash of hesitation crossed Hong Jun’s face, but in the end, he gave her the woman’s information.

He Jueyun noted it all down and sent it to his colleagues, telling them that this suspect was also a cleaner and asking them to help verify the details as soon as possible.

The hard-working officers contacted the relevant neighborhood administration directly, then located a hospital based on the phone number, quickly sending a reply back to the two of them.

“We found an emergency medical record. Dong Ruoyao, female, thirty-nine years old. Last night, while working on East City Street, she suddenly collapsed and was taken to the hospital by a passing vehicle. She’s out of emergency care now, but she hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”

Hearing that it was a woman, Qiong Cang knew she likely had no direct connection to Ding Tao’s case. The person who had moved Ding Tao’s body was a man with a shoe size over 43.

Besides, East City Street was very far from the crime scene. If Dong Ruoyao wanted to commit murder, she wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of choosing that location, which only served to cast suspicion on Hong Jun.

Sure enough, the person on the other end added another piece of information.

“We confirmed with the staff over at East City Street. Dong Ruoyao took part in a free physical exam organized by the neighborhood office yesterday afternoon. Afterward, she had dinner with their staff and took a nap in their breakroom. She went out to work in the evening and was rushed to the hospital shortly after. She had no time to commit the crime.”

Qiong Cang and He Jueyun exchanged a look, completely ruling out Hong Jun and Dong Ruoyao.

“She is currently at the People’s Hospital,” Qiong Cang said. “It’s been verified. She had no time to commit the crime.”

Hong Jun let out a massive sigh of relief.

Qiong Cang stood up and said, “Thank you for your cooperation. Once you complete the paperwork outside, you can leave.”

She pushed her chair back, a faint cold light flickering in her eyes once more. “However, I still hope you can advise your friend. Abide by the law. Don’t abandon your moral baseline just because a life is coming to an end. Murder is not that simple.”

Hong Jun stood up and watched them leave. Just as Qiong Cang reached the door, he suddenly said, “Thank you.”

Qiong Cang nodded to him and walked out.

·

Once they were far from the interrogation room, He Jueyun finally asked, “Was what you just told Hong Jun true?”

Their footsteps echoed one after the other, closely following each other in a distinct rhythm.

“Which part?” Qiong Cang turned back with a hint of surprise. “I never guaranteed that what I said was the truth. My phrasing has always been ‘I feel’. Didn’t you catch that?”

“The part about suspecting Ding Xihua,” He Jueyun said. “Do you really suspect Shen Sui forced Ding Xihua to help her commit the crime?”

Qiong Cang smiled nonchalantly. “It was just to lower Hong Jun’s guard. He probably desperately wanted to hear that kind of outcome. He likely couldn’t even dream of such a dramatic plot.”

He Jueyun didn’t smile with her. “But from your tone of voice at the time, I think you were serious.”

Qiong Cang stopped and turned around to face He Jueyun.

In the empty corridor, the two stared at each other.

Qiong Cang hadn’t expected He Jueyun to one day point out her lying so incisively. Wasn’t he the type of person who would believe even the most basic lies?

Qiong Cang kept smiling as she asked, “Why do you think that? Everyone would think that was the most unrealistic line of all. Haven’t you been watching me run this Instance? We don’t have any evidence at all.”

“A feeling.” Although He Jueyun said it was a feeling, there wasn’t a hint of doubt in his tone. “If you didn’t actually think that, you wouldn’t have given Hong Jun that kind of expectation for no reason. You’re not that kind of person.”

Qiong Cang’s smile slowly faded. “What kind of person am I?”

He Jueyun struggled for less than a second before giving the most standard answer: “A good person?”

With her hands in her pockets, Qiong Cang pursed her lips but still couldn’t help but chuckle. “You could sound a bit more certain. Why did you have to add a question mark?”

He Jueyun said, “It’s your attitude, looking like you’re about to get angry, that made me add the question mark!”

Qiong Cang turned serious. “I want to hear your opinion.”

He Jueyun said, “To be honest, I really don’t think so. Shen Sui doesn’t strike me as someone that strong or ruthless. Most mothers wouldn’t force their own son down a criminal path. Did you get it wrong?”

Qiong Cang said, “I’ve gotten things wrong many times before.”

He Jueyun asked, “What?”

“Do you know what the most baffling, most discordant part of this entire case is to me?”

“What is it?”

Qiong Cang raised her hands to massage her temples. “This case seems to have been planned well in advance. The murderer deliberately sought out Hong Jun, who had a blood feud with Ding Tao, stole his sleeping pills, and dumped the body in the area he was responsible for cleaning. All of these actions pushed a suspect with the strongest motive right in front of the police.”

“Then there’s Shen Sui. A suspect who had the time to commit the crime, but has weak mental fortitude, no professional knowledge, and exposed multiple mistakes the moment she appeared. The evidence pointing to both of them is extremely crude and superficial. It’s as if a plan that was clearly well-conceived was executed with loopholes everywhere. That doesn’t make sense at all, does it?”

He Jueyun followed her line of reasoning and realized she was right.

Shen Sui’s reaction seemed entirely like a crime of passion. She hadn’t even sorted out her alibi when facing the police, and Qiong Cang had easily tricked her into exposing her lies. She had even greeted the police early in the morning wearing a dress, looking completely flustered and lost.

But if she was capable of setting up such an organized and prepared trap to frame Hong Jun, she shouldn’t have behaved this way.

The murderer’s behavior before and after was completely disjointed.

Qiong Cang said, “I bet the road surveillance near the crime scene will clearly capture Shen Sui’s car, as well as her face, proving she was at the scene and is the murderer in this case. Do you believe me?”

After she spoke, a vacuum-like silence fell over the corridor. The quietness made He Jueyun feel a chill creep over his body.

Just then, his phone chimed.

In this Instance, He Jueyun had already been startled several times by these sudden phone notifications. He looked down to read the message carefully. When he looked up at Qiong Cang again, his eyes shone with a glimmer of reverence.

Qiong Cang said, “Look into Ding Xihua. We might find something unexpected. His eyes tell me he’s far from simple.”