Chapter 34: A Selfish Man

In the interrogation room, Kong Wende sat slumped in the chair. Lin Qiupu and another senior officer, along with a stenographer, took their seats. Lin cleared his throat and began, “Name…”

On the other side of the one-way mirror, the task force members were all gathered, keen to uncover the truth of the case. Chen Shi was among them.

After going through the basic information, Lin Qiupu said, “Kong Wende, you’re here for a reason. No need for me to spell it out. Start confessing.”

Kong Wende looked up, “If I confess, can I get a lighter sentence?”

“That depends on your level of cooperation,” Lin Qiupu replied, though everyone knew Kong Wende had at least three lives on his hands—there was no escaping the death penalty.

After a moment of silence, Kong Wende began, “I didn’t expect things to turn out this way. It all started with me embezzling company funds. I found a loophole in the insurance company and began diverting small amounts. It grew over time, and by March this year, I had embezzled nearly 400,000 yuan. I was saving it to buy a house in a good school district. But then, my father-in-law got sick with stomach cancer. Multiple surgeries drained my savings. I hated the insurance company. They promised coverage, but when it came to the claim, they dragged their feet. The little they paid out barely covered the hospital bed. If they had paid promptly, none of this would have happened!”

Lin Qiupu interrupted, “This is about you, not the insurance company. Focus on your actions.”

Kong Wende requested a cigarette, took a drag, and continued, “My father-in-law’s illness dragged on until March this year when he finally passed. Around the same time, my supervisor discovered my embezzlement. He threatened to take me to court unless I covered the shortfall. Desperate, I took out a high-interest loan. I considered selling my house but had a bottom line—I wouldn’t sacrifice my family’s happiness.”

Lin Qiupu couldn’t help but smirk at the irony. This man, who claimed not to sacrifice his family’s happiness, had later slaughtered them with his own hands.

“High-interest loans are a trap. The interest piled up. I maxed out my credit cards and still couldn’t keep up with the payments. The lenders harassed me at home and at work, pushing me to the brink. Around May, an unexpected twist occurred—my twin brother found me. I didn’t know I had a twin. He was working in a restaurant. When we met, it was like looking in a mirror. I called home and learned I had a twin who was abandoned because of poverty. We met a few times. He envied my suit-and-tie life, thinking I had it good. But I envied him—footloose and fancy-free, unlike me, who was cornered with no way out.”

“The debt collectors were relentless. I argued constantly with my wife. Work pressures mounted. I felt trapped. I considered suicide to leave my family with the insurance money. But thinking of the insurance company’s games, and my wife calling me a failure, I thought, why should I die? They’re the ones who should die!”

His eyes flashed with anger, transforming from a meek middle-aged man to a fierce criminal.

“Last Friday, I took all the money I had scraped together to the loan sharks, hoping to pay down some of the debt. They told me my debt had doubled to 800,000 yuan. I argued, but the thug mocked me, threatening to sell my organs, my wife, my son. Rage overtook me. I grabbed something from the table and struck him. By the time I calmed down, he was dead.”

“I was terrified. Was my life over? I sat there for a long time, then came up with a plan—a perfect escape plan. I was desperate, so why not take a gamble? I cleaned up and left, bought some sleeping pills, and went home pretending nothing had happened. I struggled with the decision all night. Kill my whole family? I had to, because they knew about my twin brother. No loose ends. If I didn’t act, I’d go to jail, and I couldn’t stand this life anymore. Fate handed me a chance to start over. Why not take it?”

Kong Wende grinned maniacally, lost in the memory of planning that night.

“On Sunday, I invited my twin brother over to meet the family. That night, we ate together, then went to a club. I slipped home while he was distracted. My wife made a dessert—tremella lotus seed soup. I mixed in the sleeping pills and left. Around eleven, I returned with my brother, making sure we weren’t seen by the cameras. Everyone was asleep with the TV on. I let my brother drink the soup and went to the bathroom. I had hidden a hammer there, but my wife had put it away. I panicked, grabbed the toilet tank lid, and told my brother to check the kitchen light. When he turned, I smashed his head in. He died instantly. The lid shattered, and I cut my hand. I was too excited to notice.”

“I went to my mother-in-law first. Killing her didn’t affect me much. She screamed, which scared me. My wife rushed out. I panicked, opened the door, and struck her. She fell, and I hit her again to make sure she was dead. Then I went to my son’s room.”

Kong Wende swallowed hard. “He was awake, staring at me from under the covers. I felt a pang of sadness. How could I kill my own flesh and blood? I stood there a long time but couldn’t do it. So I cleaned up and left. If I had killed him, you wouldn’t have caught me. In the end, I’m just an ordinary man, not heartless enough to see it through. To succeed, one must have a heart of stone.”

He buried his face in his hands. The officers outside were stunned. Lin Qiupu said, “You’re wrong. Your son didn’t reveal anything. You’re here because your crime was full of flaws. Crime is a grand lie. There’s no perfect crime. If you don’t want it known, don’t do it.”

With nothing more to ask, the interrogation ended. The officers were left pondering the depths of human depravity.

Lin Dongxue said, “Even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs. This man, twisted as he is, still has a shred of humanity.”

Chen Shi shook his head. “You’re wrong. A child is an extension of oneself. Loving his son is just another form of selfishness. To him, murder became the only solution. His inherent coldness and selfishness drove him. And there are many like him, just not pushed to the edge like Kong Wende was.”