Chapter 147: The Trap

Xue Chengyi woke up from his hangover, his head throbbing. He washed his face and saw his wife, Tang Hui, in the bathroom, emotionlessly burning something.

Xue Chengyi grabbed a shopping bag, lined it with dampened tissue paper, and Tang Hui dumped the ashes from the basin into it. She added some other trash on top as a cover.

Though the house had the heating on, it felt freezing cold.

Xue Chengyi broke the silence first. “Once this is over, let’s get a divorce.”

“Why?” Tang Hui said coldly.

“Why?!” Xue Chengyi’s anger flared up. “You killed my dad!”

“Is his life worth more?”

“I have money to treat him now, unlike back then when I had no choice but to do what I did!”

“Don’t forget, if my mother hadn’t ‘suddenly’ died, you’d still be a nobody. What my mother couldn’t enjoy, your father doesn’t deserve to either.”

“You wicked woman!” Xue Chengyi said through gritted teeth.

“I’m wicked? I sacrificed so much and didn’t turn you in. Our lives are tied together. If one falls, we both fall. So don’t think you can walk away!”

Xue Chengyi’s lips trembled with anger. At that moment, the intercom buzzed. He picked it up and asked harshly, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Old Chen.”

“Officer Chen!” Xue Chengyi’s tone did a complete 180. “What brings you here?”

“I’m investigating that nurse’s case. I didn’t want to bother you yesterday since you were busy, but I have some questions today.”

“I’ll be right down.”

Xue Chengyi signaled Tang Hui to hide the trash bag, quickly got dressed, and headed downstairs. Tang Hui warned, “Be careful. He’s a sharp cop. Don’t let anything slip!”

“He’s investigating the nurse’s case.”

“Don’t you know who killed the nurse? Remember, we went out for a midnight snack and know nothing.”

“You idiot, the police will check.”

“Just say the place was closed, so we came back.”

Xue Chengyi went downstairs and greeted Chen Shi with a smile, “Officer Chen, had breakfast yet? Join me!”

“No need. How about we go to your place?”

“The place is a mess after the funeral, and my wife is still cleaning up. Let’s eat out.”

They went to a nearby breakfast stall and ordered a few simple dishes. Chen Shi asked, “They say women and children’s money is the easiest to make. Your clothing business must be doing well, right?”

Xue Chengyi smiled. “It’s okay, just scraping by.”

“When did you start this business?”

“A long time ago. It wasn’t doing well initially, but it picked up around 2002.”

“Nothing’s easy in any line of work… Just a few routine questions.”

“Sure, go ahead! I’ll answer everything honestly.”

“At 4 a.m. on the night of the incident, did you see anyone suspicious entering or leaving the hospital?”

Xue Chengyi shook his head. “4 a.m.? I remember my wife and I went out for a midnight snack.”

“What did you eat?”

“We planned to go to a wonton shop, but it was closed, so we came back and had instant noodles.”

“Wasn’t your father also at that time?”

Cold sweat broke out on Xue Chengyi’s forehead. “Yes, yes. I mean, we planned to go, but when we got back, we found his ventilator had stopped, so we called the nurse. That’s when we discovered he was gone. Then we called relatives and friends. It was chaotic until dawn, and we didn’t eat anything.”

“My condolences.”

“Thanks. He’s gone now, and we have to move on.”

They chatted for a while until Chen Shi’s phone rang—actually, it was an alarm he had set. Pretending to answer, he said, “What? They found important clues on the seventh floor… Don’t touch anything. I’ll be right there…”

Xue Chengyi watched him, stunned. Chen Shi, excited, said, “They found some clues left by the suspect. The case might be solved today. I’ve got to go.”

“Go ahead. Do your job!” Xue Chengyi urged.

Chen Shi headed to the seventh floor of the hospital, where Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong were waiting. This top floor was usually empty, as patients preferred lower floors. Chen Shi placed a mop in the hallway and asked, “Any progress?”

Xu Xiaodong reported, “Xue Chengyi invested about fifty thousand in the clothing company in 2001. The company expanded later that year, and its stock price doubled. He became the deputy manager.”

Chen Shi said, “That guy intentionally told me it was 2002.”

Lin Dongxue added, “I checked the hospital records. Interestingly, Xue Chengyi’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2001 and suddenly died while hospitalized. Xue Chengyi didn’t ask for any compensation from the hospital, and they just let it go.”

“The ‘Heaven didn’t cut off his wealth’ thing is becoming clear. Xue Chengyi didn’t want to spend his investment money on his mother-in-law’s treatment, so he killed her.”

“Then what about his father’s death? With his current wealth, treating his father shouldn’t have been an issue,” Lin Dongxue wondered.

Thinking of the two sets of fingerprints on the pillow, Chen Shi said, “His father’s death was ‘payback’! Tang Hui knew about Xue Chengyi killing her mother. She chose to stay with him and not turn him in, which led to his successful business. For twenty years, this secret tied them together, like Wang Shuo wrote in his novel: ‘In fairy tales, two greedy people dig up buried treasure, only to find a skeleton. Though they quickly reburied it and planted trees and flowers over it, they both knew what lay beneath. Seeing the trees and flowers, they always thought of the skeleton.’ Now, with Xue Chengyi’s father in the hospital, Tang Hui demanded he repay his debt. Together, they killed the old man. Unfortunately, a nurse saw them, so they had to silence her.”

“If the nurse hadn’t seen it, this secret might have remained hidden forever,” Lin Dongxue said with a shiver.

Xu Xiaodong added, “There’s an old saying: ‘If you don’t want people to know, don’t do it.’”

“Not necessarily. An elderly terminally ill patient’s death wouldn’t usually raise suspicions, let alone require a forensic autopsy. Without the nurse, this secret would have stayed buried,” Chen Shi noted.

“But how do we find evidence?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“There’s definitely evidence. The nurse’s phone is still missing. The couple was busy with the funeral, so they probably haven’t dealt with all the evidence yet… I set a trap. Let’s wait for Xue Chengyi to walk into it.”

“A trap?”

Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Chen Shi lowered his voice, “Xiaodong, hide. Call me in five minutes and say anything.”

Xu Xiaodong slipped away. From the stairs came Xue Chengyi. Chen Shi smiled slyly, “Mr. Xue, what brings you here?”

“Oh, just handling some paperwork. I saw your car and thought I’d say hi,” Xue Chengyi replied, glancing at the room sealed off by police tape. “Caught the real killer yet?”

“Don’t mention it. The forensic team is stuck in traffic, but they should be here soon.”

Chen Shi’s phone rang. He pretended to be shocked by what he heard. “What? Two people dead… Keep the scene secure. I’ll be right there…”

He turned to Xue Chengyi in a rush. “Another case just came up. Could you watch this area for me? There are important clues inside. Don’t let anyone in until the forensic team arrives.”

“Sure, sure. Go ahead. I’ll take care of it,” Xue Chengyi nodded.

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue hurried downstairs. Lin Dongxue laughed, “That’s your trap? Will he fall for it?”

“He’s got a guilty conscience. He’ll definitely fall for it!”