Chapter 148: Secrets

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue stood for a while on the landing. Chen Shi sent a text to Xu Xiaodong, asking him to check on what Xue Chengyi was doing.

Xu Xiaodong replied, “He went inside.”

“Let’s go!”

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue returned, and Chen Shi shouted into the room behind the police tape, “Who’s in there?”

Xue Chengyi, who was mopping the floor, jumped in fright and turned with an awkward smile. “I saw the floor was dirty, so I came in to clean it.”

Chen Shi’s face was stern. “I told you there are important clues inside and no one is allowed in. Does that not include you? Are you helping the murderer destroy evidence?”

“I… I’m not!”

Lin Dongxue said, “Obstructing justice is a serious offense. You’ll have to come with us.”

Xue Chengyi looked distraught. “Please… don’t charge me with such a serious crime. I didn’t do anything, really!”

“Come out!”

Xue Chengyi dejectedly put down the mop and came out. He pleaded with Chen Shi, “Officer Chen, you know me best. I can’t be the killer. My father died that night, and I was frantic. Why would I kill a nurse?”

“We’ll discuss it at the station.”

“This isn’t fair. If it weren’t for me, your daughter would have been assaulted by those punks. You can’t do this to me.”

“One thing at a time. If you’re innocent, I’ll apologize.”

Xue Chengyi, crestfallen, took out his phone, but Lin Dongxue snatched it from him. “What are you doing?”

“Just calling my wife. I need to tell her something.”

“We’ll notify her.”

Chen Shi took Xue Chengyi’s phone and handed it to Xu Xiaodong, instructing him to call Tang Hui and inform her that her husband was at the station, ensuring she wouldn’t flee out of guilt.

Realizing he was cornered, Xue Chengyi’s eyes dimmed.

At the station, Chen Shi didn’t handcuff Xue Chengyi but gave him a cup of water. “We’ve met several times now. Let’s not beat around the bush. What were you doing at 4 a.m. the night of the incident?”

“I’ve said it repeatedly. My wife and I went out for a midnight snack… Officer Chen, what’s your game?”

“Take a look at this picture.”

Chen Shi showed him photos of the front and back of the pillow, then took his cup. Xue Chengyi broke out in a cold sweat, forcing a smile. “I don’t know what this is.”

Chen Shi, wearing gloves, picked up the cup. “Your fingerprints are on this. We’ll compare them.”

Sweat poured from Xue Chengyi, but he remained silent.

Chen Shi made a call. A forensic technician entered and took the cup. Xue Chengyi gulped nervously. The room was silent during the wait. Ten minutes later, the technician brought a report.

Chen Shi glanced at it and handed it to Xue Chengyi. “A perfect match. The fingerprints on the pillow are yours.”

“I can’t see it clearly. Bring it closer.”

Chen Shi moved it closer. Xue Chengyi suddenly snatched it, crumpled it, and swallowed it.

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue laughed. Xue Chengyi’s irrational behavior was childish. Chen Shi asked, “Had enough? We can print more for you.”

“I… I have the right to remain silent.”

“Watched too many Hong Kong movies? Here, you don’t have that right.”

“I won’t say anything. You can’t make me. I want a lawyer,” Xue Chengyi said, glancing at the camera.

“If you won’t talk, I will!” Chen Shi detailed his theory of the crime.

Sweat poured down Xue Chengyi’s face. When Chen Shi finished, he stammered, “How… how do you know so much? It’s like you saw it yourself!”

Chen Shi pointed to his eyes. “For me, it’s almost the same as seeing it. How long do you plan to keep lying? Your wife is already here, in another interrogation room. If you don’t talk, her version might be worse for you.”

Xue Chengyi’s psychological defenses crumbled. He slumped and said, “I’ll talk!”

In 2001, Xue Chengyi repeatedly failed in business. He scraped together some money to invest in a friend’s clothing company. At that critical moment, his mother-in-law fell seriously ill, requiring expensive surgery.

As the money drained away, Xue Chengyi grew anxious. His relatives thought he was wealthy from his business ventures and didn’t know his troubles.

One night, after much deliberation, Xue Chengyi decided not to “submit to fate.” He tried to smother his mother-in-law with a pillow, and Tang Hui caught him in the act.

They argued, and Xue Chengyi begged Tang Hui to let him go through with it. He couldn’t bear to see his life’s efforts drained away. Eventually, Tang Hui agreed.

They killed her mother together. Six months later, Xue Chengyi’s business succeeded, but a thorn remained in his heart. He felt uneasy around his wife.

The secret caused the couple to grow apart, even ignoring each other’s affairs.

Years later, Xue Chengyi’s father fell ill and was hospitalized. The dreaded moment arrived. That night, his wife, who hadn’t smiled at him for years, tossed him a pillow and said, “It’s time to repay your debt!”

Reluctantly, under his wife’s threat of exposure, Xue Chengyi placed the pillow over his father’s face. When he couldn’t finish the act, his wife pressed his hands down until his father stopped struggling.

They thought it was over, but then they heard a voice, “What are you doing!?”

A nurse had witnessed the murder. The couple panicked. When the nurse ran to call for help, Tang Hui grabbed a cane and struck her on the head (in Tang Hui’s version, she claimed Xue Chengyi did it).

They carried the nurse’s body upstairs and threw it out a window to stage a suicide.

Afterward, they called relatives and held a funeral that day. Xue Chengyi thought everything was foolproof, not realizing the police were already onto him…

Xue Chengyi sighed, “Maybe this fortune was never meant for me. I’ve had years of comfort. Now it’s time to pay the price.”

Chen Shi said, “If you didn’t want to treat your mother-in-law, you could have taken her home and stopped treatment. Why do such a thing? Modern healthcare is expensive. It’s understandable to live within your means.”

“If I did that, what would my relatives think of me? They’d call me heartless. When I had nothing, Tang Hui still married me. Her family supported me financially.”

“In the end, it’s about saving face.”

“Isn’t life about appearances? Wealthy people are all like this, just luckier. I’m just unlucky,” Xue Chengyi said with a bitter smile.

Chen Shi had said all he could. He stood up and said, “Mr. Xue, good luck.”