Chapter 44: Self-Confession of a Future Without Hope, Huang Yan Drinks Paraquat¹?

Suddenly, Su Ming’s question caught Huang Yan off guard.

She was completely focused on the phone, and after a moment of confusion, she subconsciously started recalling the screen lock password.

At the same time, as Huang Yan zoned out and her guard dropped significantly, Su Ming had no hesitation. He immediately stepped forward and wedged his foot against the cabin door, swiftly pushing his way inside.

His left hand, which had been holding the phone, instantly released it and grabbed Huang Yan’s right wrist, the one still holding the knife.

His free right hand was prepared to act, should Huang Yan try anything even more extreme.

Su Ming’s sudden move caught Huang Yan, still dazed, completely off guard.

When she finally reacted and instinctively tried to swing the fruit knife, a sharp pain shot through her wrist. The fruit knife, stained with dried blood, dropped to the cabin floor.

Su Ming quickly stepped on the knife with his left foot, using his body weight to further restrain Huang Yan’s movements.

This sudden act of control made Huang Yan even more agitated, and she struggled fiercely while shouting.

“Ah… it hurts!”

“Let go! Let go of me!!!”

But her struggles were futile.

In terms of strength, technique, or body size, they were completely on different levels.

Moreover, due to her prolonged mental strain, combined with the effects of drugs and medication, Huang Yan had no capacity to resist.

Seeing this, Xu Changsheng rushed forward and asked anxiously, “Xiao Ming, how is it?”

“Did you manage to placate her? Are you hurt?”

Controlling criminal suspects or individuals attempting suicide can be extremely dangerous, often leading to accidental injuries or even fatal outcomes if not handled properly.

Therefore, Xu Changsheng’s first concern was for Su Ming’s safety.

Su Ming didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked at Huang Yan, whose emotions were still unstable, though she was now incapable of any further resistance.

He took out handcuffs from his waist. Since they were in a Ferris wheel cabin, he first handcuffed Huang Yan’s right hand to his own left hand.

He exhaled a deep breath and spoke in a gentle tone.

“Alright, relax, Huang Yan.”

“I had to use this forceful method to ensure your safety.”

“I hope you can cooperate from here on out and avoid doing anything extreme. It’s better for all of us.”

After speaking, Su Ming turned to Xu Changsheng behind him, shook his left hand, still handcuffed to Huang Yan’s, and smiled casually.

“I’m fine, Sheng Ge.”

“It was an emergency just now, so I had to act quickly…”

Xu Changsheng waved his hand, signaling Su Ming not to explain further. Then, he turned to Huang Yan and said, “Huang Yan.”

“This morning, at Shude High School, we discovered an accidental fall. Inside, we found…”

Before Xu Changsheng could finish speaking, Huang Yan, still holding her phone with a vacant expression, stared at Su Ming and choked on her words.

“So you…”

“You… you’ve been lying to me, haven’t you? My parents never… they never even looked for me!!!”

“They’re still busy with their so-called work, let alone telling you where I am!!!”

“You’ve been lying to me from the start!!!”

Seeing the disappointment in Huang Yan’s eyes and sensing her emotions about to collapse, Su Ming sighed deeply and pulled the phone from her grasp.

Without further explanation, he dialed the first contact on the phone, switched to speakerphone, and waited for the call to connect.

As soon as the call connected, before the familiar dial tone had even fully sounded, it was answered immediately by an anxious male voice.

“Officer Su, Officer Su!”

“Did you… did you find Xiao Yan? Did you find her?”

Hearing the familiar yet somewhat strange voice, Huang Yan’s eyes immediately widened, and her emotions visibly stabilized.

Seeing Su Ming not respond immediately, the male voice grew more frantic.

“Su… Officer Su, please answer!”

“We did as you asked. We haven’t called Xiao Yan, and we didn’t dare contact her, not wanting to interfere with your investigation.”

“How is she? She… she won’t be…”

At this moment, another voice, raspy, furious, and frantic, came through on the phone.

“That bastard Huang!”

“One year ago, when Xiao Yan had that car accident, I told you to stop worrying about the company, but you said…”

“Now is a critical period for the company, just two more years and then you’ll retire. By then, even if Xiao Yan can’t work because of her leg, the money will last for her whole life!!!”

“Instead, you run around all year, barely coming home, and now you’re telling me you’re quitting? Go find someone else for this job!!!”

“And if something happens to Xiao Yan, you’d better forget about living!!!”

…

Su Ming immediately deduced that this was Huang Yan’s mother. He glanced at Huang Yan, who was staring blankly ahead, her eyes slightly misted with tears.

With a resigned sigh, Su Ming finally responded.

“I found her.”

“I’m with Huang Yan right now. Do you want to talk to her?”

He held the phone up to Huang Yan, showing her the familiar number on the screen. Huang Yan opened her mouth as if she had a lot to say, but she didn’t know where to begin. She glanced at the gray bottle in the corner of the seat and shook her head, signaling that she didn’t want to talk.

Su Ming didn’t push her. He took the phone back and said, “Your daughter doesn’t want to talk right now.”

“By the way, you don’t need to come to Fantawild. Head straight to the Huaihai Criminal Investigation Team.”

“We’re taking Huang Yan to the team now. We need her assistance with another case.”

“As for the details and questions, we can discuss them when you arrive at the criminal investigation team.”

“That’s all for now.”

With that, he immediately hung up the phone. He looked at the still-dazed Huang Yan and explained softly.

“Yes.”

“I lied to you just now. Your parents didn’t know you were at the amusement park. That’s something I inferred from the clues.”

“However…”

“I didn’t lie about your parents worrying about you. We intentionally asked them not to call you to avoid causing any further emotional turmoil.”

In juvenile cases, the regulations require that the guardian be notified. So, when Huang Yan’s parents were on their way to the amusement park, Su Ming had already communicated with them.

Thus, the half-truths he told Huang Yan were intended to ease her, though they weren’t entirely false.

He put the phone back in his pocket and lightly shook the handcuffs, signaling for Huang Yan to snap out of her stupor.

“Now you see where you stand in your parents’ hearts.”

“Stop with the self-destructive thoughts. Just talk things out; that’s all we need.”

“As for why they’re so obsessed with making money and don’t spend time with you, you’ll need to discuss that with them later.”

“For now, let’s head to the station.”

“We need you to tell us everything about the Blue Whale Game.”

The two words “later” in Su Ming’s sentence completely triggered Huang Yan’s nerves. The tears that had been welling up in her eyes finally spilled over, streaming down her face as she hoarsely muttered.

“Later?”

“But I have no future anymore…”

“Even if I start regretting it now, it’s too late to regret!!!”

———

—Paraquat, also known as methyl viologen, is a toxic organic compound and herbicide used to control weeds and grasses