Chapter 30: It Is Time to Close This Case

Zhou Yi looked at the three forensic reports in his hands.

The first report concerned the clothes and trousers. It stated that the evidence had been repeatedly soaked and washed in some kind of disinfectant, leaving no trace of blood. The report included a note explaining that using oxidizing agents on blood-stained clothing destroys the protein structure of the residue, rendering it undetectable. This matched perfectly with the empty bottles of disinfectant found during the search of Zhang Xinli’s home, confirming that she had acted with premeditation.

The second report covered the shoes. They were an exact match in size and sole pattern to the size 42 footprint found at the crime scene, though they, too, had been repeatedly soaked and cleaned, leaving no trace of blood or soil.

The third report was for the fruit knife. A large number of fingerprints were found on the handle. Through the sequence of the prints, the technical department extracted four individuals' prints; the last one matched the sample provided by the butcher, while the earliest print was incomplete, with only half a print recovered. However, this half was sufficient, as it was a perfect match for Zhang Xinli. Notably, there were no fingerprints belonging to Wang Youfu.

Forensic examination confirmed that the blade's dimensions matched the wounds on the victim as well as the injury on Zhou Yi’s arm, confirming it was the murder weapon. Although a large amount of animal fat was found on the blade, no human blood was detected. Eventually, the technical team dismantled the plastic handle and extracted a trace of blood from the gap between the handle and the blade. It was confirmed to be a perfect match for the victim, Du Xiaolin.

Zhou Yi let out a long breath. With the physical evidence gathered, the case was effectively entering its final stage. Yet, he could not bring himself to feel happy, especially after learning that Zhang Xinli was pregnant with twins. He wondered if, in the timeline before his rebirth where this case remained unsolved for twenty-seven years, Zhang Xinli had successfully given birth to those twins. In such an environment, what kind of life would those children have faced? And with this current outcome, if those children were born, what kind of life would they face now?

He had heard the theory of the butterfly effect—that a butterfly flapping its wings could eventually trigger a massive storm on the other side of the ocean. He wondered if he was that very butterfly.

"Zhou Yi, Sister Qiao sent a fax from the hospital, specifically addressed to you," Chen Yan called out as he ran over.

Zhou Yi took the paper and looked at it. Indeed! Residue of a controlled anesthetic drug had been found in Wang Youfu’s system. Zhou Yi’s hypothesis was confirmed once again. He did not know how surprised Qiao Jiali at the hospital had been when she received the test results. When others asked her what was wrong, she had only replied with two words: "Divine detective."

"Captain Wu, the relevant reports are all here. Take a look."

"Oh, right." Wu Yongcheng snapped back to reality and went to put out the cigarette in his hand, only to realize he hadn't even lit it. Zhou Yi took note of everything; Captain Wu clearly had something weighing on his mind. Wu Yongcheng pulled out his cigarette case and put the cigarette back inside.

"Let’s go. Let’s wrap this case up."

...

In the interrogation room, Zhang Xinli’s demeanor had visibly calmed down. Zhou Yi walked in and placed the two key pieces of evidence in front of her, intended to remind her not to harbor any illusions about getting away with it. Experience told him that the look in Zhang Xinli’s eyes now was that of a criminal who had given up all resistance.

"I killed Du Xiaolin."

The first sentence Zhang Xinli spoke upon reopening the conversation signaled that the cold case, which had remained silent for twenty-seven years in another timeline, was finally settled.

"Tell me the details—including your motive and the process of the crime. I want a full, detailed confession."

"Everything goes back four years. At that time, our hospital organized an exchange program to a hospital in the capital, and I was selected. The leader of the delegation was Zhu Xuejun. Of course, I had heard his name; after all, he was the hospital’s most famous specialist, the director’s favorite. I had assumed he was an elderly man; I didn't expect him to be just over forty. He seemed difficult to approach, always speaking with a grave tone that made people nervous.

"We took a slow train to the capital, a journey of over ten hours. To my surprise, he initiated a conversation with me on the train and even offered me fruit someone had given him, which left me flattered. In our conversation, I discovered he wasn't as stern as he appeared; he was gentlemanly and knew how to charm a woman. But I never imagined that all of this was just a facade.

"After we arrived in the capital, we had a week-long itinerary. One day after work, he suddenly found me and asked if he could take me out to dinner alone. I went. To be honest, I had selfish motives. I was an outsider in Baicheng, living a tiring life, staying in a rental, eating in the cafeteria. Why shouldn't I enjoy life? Why should I have to suffer during the prime of my youth? Just because I wasn't born into a better life? I wasn't willing to accept that. And the men pursuing me—none of them were worth my time, especially that Wang Youfu. He should look in a mirror; how could I ever be interested in him? If only I could marry a doctor—they earned more than us, didn't have to work night shifts, and had a future. But there were so few doctors, and so many nurses, with new young graduates arriving every year.

"Although Zhu Xuejun was a bit older, he was a department head and a specialist. He must have been wealthy. If I married him, I could change my destiny.

"That night, we ate, watched a movie, and went to the park. While walking, he suddenly kissed me and said he liked me. Later that night, when we returned to the hotel, I followed him to his room. That night was my first time. When he saw the blood on the white sheets, he was very moved and promised he would treat me well. I thought I was about to start a good life.

"But the next day, I heard from other colleagues that he was already married and had a ten-year-old son. I was stunned, and I spent the whole day in a daze. It wasn't until he came to see me that evening that I snapped out of it. I hit him, called him a liar, and threatened to report him to the hospital leadership. He hugged me tightly and told me he and his wife had long since lost all affection, had been sleeping in separate rooms for years, and were planning to divorce. He said he had fallen for me at first sight and was willing to divorce his wife to marry me properly.

"I was blinded by his sweet talk. He knelt before me and swore he would divorce and marry me. I chose to believe him, and, possessed by a spell, I sank into his lies. After we returned from the capital, I became his mistress. He rented an apartment for me and would come over two or three times a week. Every time he came, I would prepare a table full of food, thinking we were dating. But all he wanted was to get into bed; I was nothing more than a tool for his sexual gratification. So eventually, I stopped cooking; he wouldn't eat it anyway.

"He never spent the night, always leaving after a while. And he was incredibly cautious, never meeting me near the hospital and forbidding me from mentioning him to anyone. He said if our affair were discovered, his career would be ruined, and he wouldn't be able to marry me. It wasn't until later that I realized not a single word he said was true."