Chapter 347: The Last Ray of Hope

Lin Qiupu stared at Yi Qing for a while and then asked, “Was Zhao Puyang at the scene that day?”

“Yes,” Yi Qing said slowly. “I didn’t want to say it, to protect her. Zhao Puyang ran away from the orphanage that day, and it took me a lot of effort to find her. But it was too late… You should know what Zhao Puyang has been through. She hates the man who sexually assaulted her.”

“That’s nonsense! You orchestrated Zhao Puyang’s actions! Zheng Guohao had no connection with her. Why would Zhao Puyang go to kill the man who assaulted you?”

Yi Qing’s gaze was icy. She said, “You can ask Zhao Puyang.”

“Despicable! Using an underage child as a shield, how long do you think your lies will hold up?”

“Come back when you have evidence.”

Lin Qiupu glared at her, then said, “Take Zhao Puyang back for questioning.”

As Zhao Puyang was being taken away, Yi Qing ran out and said, “Puyang, don’t be afraid. I’ll get you a lawyer!”

Her words were like a decree. Zhao Puyang suddenly stopped resisting and allowed the police to take her away.

As Chen Shi had expected, Zhao Puyang was Yi Qing’s final trump card. She must have instructed Zhao Puyang beforehand, stating that Zheng Guohao was killed by both of them. It was purely conjecture, with no direct evidence. The only trace at the scene belonged to Zhao Puyang.

Even if Dr. Li and Zhao Puyang both identified Yi Qing, even if she was handcuffed and taken to court, Yi Qing would be released due to insufficient evidence, just like the car accident involving her father years ago.

Standing at the door, Yi Qing exchanged a glance with Chen Shi, a barely noticeable smile on her lips. Lin Dongxue asked, “Are we just letting her go like this?”

“There will be evidence! There will be evidence,” Chen Shi said.

After the police left, Yi Qing returned to her rest room, trembling as she poured and drank a cup of tea.

Putting down the cup, she brushed a lock of hair from her forehead and went over the case in her mind for the umpteenth time. Yes, she hadn’t left any traces. Zhao Puyang wouldn’t betray her.

Now she just had to keep her mouth shut. Her confession was the police’s only hope of arresting her.

The door behind her slowly opened, and Yi Qing turned abruptly to face Gu You. Yi Qing said, “Miss Gu, what do you want?”

“How does revenge feel?”

“What?”

“All along, it’s been hatred that sustained you. Is there a void when your great revenge is achieved, as if your life has lost its purpose? The saddest things in life are having nothing and getting what you wanted. The flame of revenge burns so brightly, but once it goes out, your world is left in darkness. You realize you’re a despicable person, no different from those you hate,” Gu You taunted.

“You!” Yi Qing clenched her teeth in anger, suddenly noticing Gu You’s hand in her pocket. Was she recording?

She couldn’t admit to the murder, not even to herself. She didn’t kill anyone; Zhao Puyang did.

Yi Qing instantly suppressed her anger and said coldly, ” She used your juvenile status, your ignorance, and your trust in her to fulfill her own revenge!”

Zhao Puyang’s expression was complex. She stared blankly at a point in the air, “Ms. Yi did it… Ms. Yi did it?”

Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi saw a glimmer of hope. But at that moment, a man entered and said, “No more questions. I’m Zhao Puyang’s lawyer. From now on, I will represent her case. You can’t talk to her directly.”

Lin Dongxue clenched her fists in frustration. The subsequent interrogation was torturous, with the lawyer interpreting every sentence and asserting that Zhao Puyang acted alone and that Yi Qing was only her protector.

The lawyer repeatedly cited the Juvenile Protection Law, emphasizing Zhao Puyang’s age of twelve.

At 3 p.m., the long questioning ended. The lawyer arranged for bail and took Zhao Puyang away. Lin Dongxue walked out of the interrogation room, bit her lip, and punched the wall in anger.

“Everything is going according to that woman’s script!” she said unwillingly.

Lin Qiupu said, “What if we charge her with inciting a minor to murder?”

Chen Shi said, “Insufficient evidence. Sending her to court like this is no different from letting her go.”

“Should we try a different approach?” Peng Sijue said. “According to Locard’s exchange principle, the suspect will leave something and take something from the scene. If we can’t find evidence Yi Qing left at the scene, what did she take away?”

Lin Qiupu pondered, “Even if we find something, she would still claim she was at the scene but didn’t commit the murder. Zhao Puyang did.”

Chen Shi said, “But the scene of Lawyer Bai’s murder is still a blank slate. If we can find evidence at Yi Qing’s place that she took from Lawyer Bai’s scene, we can charge her with his murder!”

Hope rekindled in everyone’s eyes. This seemed to be the last ray of hope…