TFS Chapter 42

Zhang Shun, wearing headphones, observed every move of the Chen sisters in the interrogation room. He still didn’t have enough confidence in Chen Yi. Was she a person or a ghost, or was she somehow related to Zhang Yu? He subconsciously leaned towards the latter. Zhang Yu also recalled how the martial arts instructor, Lu Feng, said his eyes looked very similar to that unfamiliar martial arts actor, further confirming that this case must be related to Zhang Yu.

Every time the illusion that the criminal suspect was Zhang Yu surfaced, it wasn’t from fatigue this time, but a more focused search for the real suspect connected to the case. Even though Rui Yichen in the TV series was somewhat of a veiled reference, seemingly to Zhang Yu in real life, he didn’t want his investigations to go in the wrong direction due to these recurring illusions. But this time it was related to Zhang Yu, even though he was his own younger brother and he could be selfless and righteous, Zhang Yu was also a well-known entrepreneur in Shengshi City. Zhang Shun told himself that even if his intuition was accurate, he had to be extremely cautious in his investigation of Zhang Yu.

“Do you know what the most terrible thing about human nature is?” Chen Yi suddenly asked Chen Xin, not answering her question.

Chen Xin frowned, looking at Chen Yi in confusion. Despite being twin sisters, she couldn’t understand the woman in front of her at all. But Chen Yi didn’t seem to expect her answer, and continued to speak to herself.

“It’s that when you can’t divide a bowl of water equally, you’ll only sacrifice the weakest one.” Chen Yi’s eyes became deep, as if recalling something buried deep in her heart.

Chen Xin couldn’t help but sneer, the jealousy and hatred in her eyes intensifying. “Chen Yi, may you die a horrible death.”

Hearing this, the atmosphere in the interrogation room dropped to freezing point. However, Chen Yi didn’t show any emotional fluctuations at Chen Xin’s sudden curse. Instead, she smiled calmly, having expected this reaction from Chen Xin.

“Is your hatred because you think I stole everything from you and Yan Haoyu?” she asked softly, and without waiting for Chen Xin to answer, continued to mutter to herself, “But all of this is your imagination. Yan Haoyu never had feelings for you. Perhaps I should ask you, how does it feel to be Yan Haoyu’s stepmother?” The undisguised cruelty in her eyes was like a sharp dagger, instantly tearing through Chen Xin’s carefully constructed disguise.

Every word Chen Yi spoke was like a cold arrow, accurately piercing Chen Xin’s heart. Chen Xin’s face was pale and distorted, her eyes flashing with a dark light of intertwined anger and pain. This out-of-control emotion made her suddenly want to stand up, but the interrogation chair firmly restrained her hands and feet, preventing her from moving. The prison guard in the detention center immediately issued a warning, demanding that she remain calm, while also warning Chen Yi about her words.

Just as Chen Xin struggled and cursed, Chen Yi didn’t seem to care about the warnings. She looked intensely towards the glass on the side of the interrogation room, and her eyes met those of Zhang Shun, who was standing in the observation room. She slightly raised the corners of her lips, and mouthed audibly, “You’ve disappointed me.”

Zhang Shun slammed down his headphones, a complex undercurrent revealed in his eyes. Her provocation may have been intended to disrupt his focus and composure, but at least in that moment, whether it was for Chen Xin or for all those who lost their lives in the 619 case, he lost his composure.

The prison guard was also looking in the direction of Zhang Shun. Zhang Shun calmly put on his headphones again, “Don’t stop it, let them continue talking.”

After receiving the order, the prison guard returned to his position, silently watching the two seemingly mad women in the interrogation room.

“From the moment I returned to Shengshi City and decided to acknowledge you, I laid out a plan, waiting for you to fall into my trap based on our shared blood.” Before losing control, Chen Xin’s emotions had returned to a cold calmness.

“I’m just a disposable pawn to you. You’ve even stolen my life.” Chen Xin said, trembling, “Hell is on earth…” After finishing her sentence she started to laugh uncontrollably, and the tears flowed down her cheeks as she laughed.

Chen Yi originally did not want to say more, but at this time shook her head, “I was wrong, you did not want to use me, you arranged a road for me, if I had followed Yan Dongcheng, I would have had the chance to enter the entertainment industry and have a worry-free life. Otherwise, if I continued to pester Yan Haoyu, I would have blocked the way and ended up in this situation. People have to pay a price for what they have done, even if it’s a small one.”

Chen Xin sneered, “So I should thank you for stepping on my future and climbing to a higher position? What exactly is your purpose?”

Chen Yi did not answer, only silently looked at Chen Xin, “I will take care of our parents, so that you have no worries.”

“I’m afraid your crimes are no less than mine,” Chen Xin said sarcastically.

“You will let me know,” Chen Yi finally said, “But not now.”

The anger in Chen Xin’s eyes did not diminish. The person in front of her was like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, having tempted her to fall into a trap until she fell into a deep abyss, never to recover.

Zhang Shun recorded Chen Yi’s words in the observation room. He noticed that there was still a trace of connection between Chen Yi and her parents, and his heart stilled. Perhaps this would be a new breakthrough. He signaled the prison guard to end the meeting, then walked out of the observation room and waited at the door of the interrogation room for Chen Yi to come out.

…

In the parking lot outside the Public Security Bureau, Chen Yi got into the car without saying a word, and left with her lawyer. Zhang Shun patted Chi Zijian’s shoulder, “Follow her, you can wake her up, but don’t lose her.”

Chi Zijian nodded, quickly started the vehicle, and followed closely behind the car Chen Yi was in.

Zhang Shun returned to the office and immediately summoned the colleagues from the Information Section, requesting 24-hour monitoring of all phone numbers and social media accounts under Chen Yi’s name. When she tried to contact the outside world in some way, he wanted to know the information and the target at the first possible moment.

*

Following Zhang Shun’s train of thought, Shen Qing began the investigation in the film and television industry. The success of this TV series made Yan Dongcheng the biggest beneficiary, with huge profits. At the same time, while the police were fully investigating the case, the popularity of the series continued to rise with the lead actors’ topic. Although it was still unclear why commercial competition would involve so many lives, Shen Qing chose to search Yan Dongcheng’s social network for people who had conflicts with him, or even irreconcilable enemies.

After days of visits and investigations, the clues in her hand gradually gathered, forming a vast network of relationships.

She had a feeling that from this list, if anyone in the crew had competitive relationships or conflicts of interest, they could be listed as key suspects. Only when the death of the entire crew threatened someone else’s interests could they carefully plan and evolve into a major case involving many lives.

In the middle of the night, the light from the desk lamp was dim yellow. Shen Qing carefully compared the statements, filtering out the three most suspicious suspects based on the authenticity of their alibis, the possibility of vendettas, and potential opportunities and risks.

Just after midnight, Zhang Shun came out of the office, feeling a little hungry, and prepared to go to the office hall to make a bucket of instant noodles. After taking a few steps, he saw Shen Qing focused at her desk. He paused silently for a few seconds, and when making the noodles, he opened another bucket and carried them together towards Shen Qing’s desk.

Perhaps smelling the aroma of the instant noodles, Shen Qing raised her head, rubbed her cervical spine, and showed a grateful smile when she saw the instant noodles in Zhang Shun’s hand. She got up and took a bowl of noodles, “Boss, I’m starving.”

Zhang Shun pulled up an empty chair and sat next to her desk. The two ate and chatted. “How’s it going? Have you finished visiting everyone on my list?”

Shen Qing nodded, and swallowed a mouthful of steaming noodles before introducing in detail the key suspects she had screened from Yan Dongcheng’s social network, as well as her preliminary analysis and speculation about these people.

“I’ve met the first suspect, it’s Li Ru, Yan Dongcheng’s current wife. You don’t need me to say more about their May-December relationship. Two months after Yan Dongcheng’s accident, Li Ru caught him in bed with a newly hired young nanny. Although the nanny was quickly fired, Li Ru was unhappy. Li Ru publicly purchased an accident injury and critical illness insurance policy for Yan Dongcheng, which is already very suspicious. Even more suspicious is that we can all see that Li Ru and Yan Haoyu’s relationship is very tense, but Li Ru also bought insurance for Yan Haoyu at the same time.” As she spoke, her eyes became meaningful.

Zhang Shun listened to her analysis of Li Ru’s movements, pondering the possibility, “The reason we didn’t focus on Li Ru at the time was because she didn’t have children, but it’s true that the death of the Yan family father and son is completely harmless to her. If you add this insurance, she can be considered to have completely turned over.”

“Yes, Li Ru’s motive is obvious, but there is another person who also deserves our attention.” She paused, and found one of the scattered documents on the table and handed it to Zhang Shun, “Qin Rui, Yan Dongcheng’s personal assistant.”

“Qin Rui?” Zhang Shun frowned, and couldn’t help but recall that he seemed to have seen the name on a list.

“Yes, Qin Rui worked by Yan Dongcheng’s side for six years, and was originally loyal, but recently, his behavior has been very abnormal,” Shen Qing said.

“What’s so abnormal about it?” Zhang Shun carefully browsed Qin Rui’s information, and soon he saw the problem.

“Qin Rui’s work performance has always been good, but he resigned after the incident. It’s also possible that he was fired. I don’t know what happened, but Qin Rui’s bank statements have been abnormal since the incident. Although I don’t know what industry he’s in now, the amount is definitely not something an assistant should have.” She pointed to the bank statement before turning the page.

“Is there any connection between Qin Rui and Yan Haoyu?” Zhang Shun asked.

“Currently, no other connection between them has been found, but they are about the same age, and Qin Rui has been by Yan Dongcheng’s side for so many years, there should be some clues that we haven’t found yet,” Shen Qing responded.

“Check Qin Rui’s communication records, whether there are any people we have recorded statements from, or relationship people within our range of sight. Also, immediately lock down Qin Rui’s location, in case he absconds. What about the last person?”

Shen Qing nodded, “After reporting to you, I plan to take people to guard these three, in order to avoid missing the opportunity. We have to bring people back tonight. The last situation is a bit complicated.”

“How so?” Zhang Shun’s eyes were hot, but the instant noodles in his hand had already turned lukewarm.

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