Chapter 29: I’ll Let You Keep Up the Act
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A single sentence from Zhou Yi brought Zhang Xinli’s sobbing to an abrupt halt.
“Officer... what do you mean? I don’t understand.” Zhang Xinli asked with an innocent, bewildered expression.
Zhou Yi’s assessment was that her acting was far less natural than Wu Yongcheng’s performance on the phone. Although her face showed confusion and innocence, her body had immediately stiffened, revealing how nervous she truly was.
“It’s all right. If you want to act, then we’ll accompany you and take our time. We have plenty of time here, after all.”
“Let’s start with Wang Youfu. What is your relationship with him?”
Zhang Xinli hesitated before answering, “We’re husband and wife.”
“When did you get married?”
“We registered our marriage on the fourth of last month.”
“How long have you known each other?”
“Four or five years, I suppose.”
“How did you meet?”
“He broke his leg outside one time, and I happened to pass by. I found someone to take him to the hospital. Later, when he learned that I was a nurse in the emergency department, he deliberately bought me something to thank me, but I didn’t accept it. He said he wanted to take me out for a meal, and that was how we got to know each other.”
“He pursued you?”
Zhang Xinli nodded. “At first, he was simply very attentive to me. He often bought me things, and I thought he was just grateful. Later, I realized that he actually wanted to pursue me.”
“What was your attitude toward his advances?”
Her attitude was obvious enough, but interrogation worked by asking questions that compelled the subject to recount the objective facts.
The corners of Zhang Xinli’s mouth involuntarily turned downward—a classic microexpression of disgust.
“What attitude could I have? He’s several years older than me, and he isn’t good-looking either. He’s short and fat, and, most importantly, he has no money and no house. How could I possibly choose him?”
“Then why did you accept him later?”
Zhang Xinli sighed. “I was getting older and still hadn’t found anyone I was satisfied with. My family kept pressuring me. My mother said that, at my age, the children in our village would already be in primary school. My father said that if I still didn’t marry this year, the only men he could find for me would be divorced or widowed. Wang Youfu may not have had much going for him, but at least he treated me well. Besides, after all these years, I had rejected him so many times, yet he still refused to give up. I was moved by him, so I chose him.”
Everything sounded reasonable—a helpless decision by a woman who had been overly choosy and was no longer young.
But Zhou Yi knew it was a lie, a carefully woven story Zhang Xinli had prepared.
“Since you were already married, why did you sleep in separate rooms?”
“He snores when he sleeps, and I can’t stand it, so we slept separately for the time being.”
Another perfectly reasonable explanation.
“You said earlier that Wang Youfu wanted to eat something you cooked, so you went out to buy groceries?”
“Yes. He wasn’t feeling well today, so he took half a day off and came home to rest.”
“Did he show any unusual behavior before you left?”
“No. He said he was very tired and wanted to sleep for a while.”
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This time, Zhang Xinli’s answers were extremely brief, completely different from the way she had spoken earlier while covering her face and crying.
Zhou Yi gave a faint, cold laugh inwardly. He could clearly sense her unease. He had said that he would accompany her and continue “acting.”
Once a lie had been exposed, being pressed for further details naturally created an instinctive resistance.
“What dish did he want you to cook?” Zhou Yi continued.
“Braised... braised pork.”
“How much meat did you buy?”
“Four... fourteen yuan worth of meat.”
“How many pounds?”
“Two... no, three pounds.”
“How much did pork cost per pound?”
“I... I think it was a little over eight yuan per pound.”
“If meat cost eight yuan per pound, how did you buy three pounds for fourteen yuan?”
Zhou Yi’s questions came faster and faster, while Zhang Xinli’s answers became so tense and disjointed that they barely made sense.
Zhou Yi knew that she had abandoned the murder weapon because, suddenly sensing that she was in danger of being exposed, she had made a hasty decision.
She had had no time to prepare in advance, so her memory was muddled.
“I... I can’t remember. Then it wasn’t three pounds.”
“Is the child Zhu Xuejun’s?”
“Yes.”
For an instant, both sides fell silent.
Calmly, Zhou Yi took out a sheet of paper and placed it in front of her. It was the ultrasound report Qiao Jiali had found.
“We found this. It belongs to you, doesn’t it?”
Zhang Xinli could not deny it. Her name was clearly printed on the paper.
“Now, tell us about your relationship with Zhu Xuejun.” Zhou Yi rapped his knuckles heavily against the table. “Think carefully before you answer. Every lie you tell here will eventually cost you.”
Zhang Xinli stared blankly at the sheet of paper before her. Suddenly, her entire body seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon, collapsing into the chair.
The vitality vanished from her eyes.
Then, without warning, two streams of tears ran down her face. Zhang Xinli began to wail, mumbling through her sobs, “Babies, Mommy is sorry. I’m sorry.”
Wu Yongcheng stood up, took a ceramic mug, filled it with water, and set it in front of her.
“Zhang Xinli, Wang Youfu isn’t dead. Zhu Xuejun is being held in the room next door, and the forensic report on the weapon you hid will be ready soon. Stop struggling. Confess everything and seek leniency.”
Zhang Xinli stifled her sobs. Trembling, she reached out and lifted the steaming cup of water.
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She raised her head and said painfully, “Could you let me rest for a while? My stomach hurts a little.”
...
In the corridor of the municipal police bureau, Wu Yongcheng held a cigarette between his lips and stared blankly into the darkness beyond the window.
At this time yesterday, he had been on duty with Chen Yan.
Strictly speaking, someone of his rank did not need to stand watch. But there was nothing for him to do at home anyway, so he applied to work night duty of his own accord every time.
Compared with that empty house, the bureau made him feel more of the warmth of ordinary life.
Zhou Yi poured himself a glass of water but did not go over to speak with Wu Yongcheng, because he had noticed that the other man was troubled.
After Zhang Xinli asked to rest, Wu Yongcheng agreed. For one thing, she was pregnant, and if they pushed her too hard and something happened, it would cause trouble for the bureau. For another, even criminal suspects were protected by law and entitled to basic human rights.
So Wu Yongcheng decided to give her twenty minutes to rest.
“Why are you here?” Zhou Yi caught sight of a familiar figure in the corner of his eye.
It was Xu Nian, still wearing the same white coat.
Xu Nian handed him a document. “I’m running an errand for the technical division. They’re short-handed.”
Zhou Yi accepted it and thanked her.
“I heard you were transferred here?” Xu Nian asked.
“For now, I’ve only been temporarily assigned, but it should become official soon.”
Xu Nian smiled faintly. “Then congratulations. We’ll be colleagues from now on.”
“Thank you. Though I hope I’ll have as little contact with you as possible at work.”
Xu Nian asked in confusion, “Why? Am I that unpleasant?”
Zhou Yi smiled. “You misunderstand. Having to deal with you at work means another dead body has appeared.”
Xu Nian froze for a moment. She had not expected that answer.
“Does your wound still hurt?”
“Wound?” Zhou Yi, who was studying the forensic report, looked up in surprise. “Oh, right. I’ve been so busy that I forgot all about it.”
Seeing him completely absorbed in the report, Xu Nian said with a trace of disappointment, “All right, you get back to work. I’ll be going.”
“Forensic Pathologist Xu.”
Xu Nian had just turned away when she looked back.
“What is it?”
“The wound doesn’t hurt anymore.” Zhou Yi broke into a broad smile. “Thank you.”
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