Chapter 692: Redemption

The interrogation ended, and Shu Shifang said, “I have a request. I want to speak with Chang Juan for a moment.”

Chen Shi nodded, “Go ahead.”

Leaving the interrogation room, Ai Ying and Chang Juan both looked at Shu Shifang with puzzled expressions. Shu Shifang turned to Chang Juan and said, “I’ve told the police everything. You don’t need to lie anymore. I’m no longer your partner. Take care of yourself… Maybe we’ll meet in court, if I live that long.” She managed a faint smile.

Chang Juan’s expression was complicated. After Shu Shifang was taken away, she said, “Officer, I have something to say too.”

Chang Juan entered the interrogation room. “About a year ago, Thirty-Nine came to me and told me she was the one who killed my parents. I was completely shocked because she had always been very kind to me, like a close elder. Knowing she was my parents’ killer, I could never forgive her. Thirty-Nine promised me revenge, and now she’s fulfilled that promise. But I feel heavy-hearted… I don’t think she’s entirely bad. What do you think?”

“She’s a bad person with a conscience, who found her way back, even if it was late,” Chen Shi said.

Chang Juan recounted the events of that night, which matched Shu Shifang’s version. She ended by saying, “Please release Chun Li. She didn’t do anything; she was just too scared to deal with the police.”

Since the killer was Shu Shifang, Chun Li was only a witness and was released after being detained for a few hours.

The case finally had a resolution, giving Lin Dongxue a sigh of relief. As they walked outside the police station in the early morning, Lin Dongxue asked, “How did you discover Shu Shifang was a man… I mean, used to be a man?”

“It was the photos. I went back to Ma Xiang’s house and noticed the photos only showed a young Ma Xiang, but none of Shu Shifang. So, I deduced that the missing photos were hers. Then I considered what she might be hiding. The surveillance, cancer treatment drugs, and the findings on the computer all pointed to one conclusion: the person living there wasn’t Ma Xiang. So I made the bold assumption that Shu Shifang was his former partner.”

“I see!” Lin Dongxue nodded with a smile. “I wonder why Chang Juan’s parents were killed and why Zhou Tianan didn’t use his own people but outsourced to two newbie killers.”

“More importantly, the timing of Chang Juan’s parents’ murder coincided with Zhou Xiao’s spree. I wonder if there’s a connection.”

“Do you think there is?”

“Based on Zhou Tianan’s behavior, he always has a purpose for killing. It’s never just for fun. I believe there’s a pattern among the victims.”

Chen Shi sighed, thinking there might never be an answer.

“Don’t think about it anymore. It’s so late. Are we heading back to the city?”

“Yes, let’s go grab a late-night snack.”

“Is there any place open this late?”

“I’ll take you to a spot.”

In the car, Chen Shi remembered it was February 14th. Even though he hadn’t prepared anything, pretending he didn’t know seemed wrong. So he said, “Sorry, I’ve been busy these past few days and didn’t prepare anything for today.”

“Huh?” Lin Dongxue looked at her phone and laughed. “Haha, I forgot too. Say something sweet then.”

Chen Shi thought for a moment and said, “I do have a gift for you.”

Lin Dongxue’s interest was piqued, her eyes shining. Chen Shi said, “Maybe inspired by Chang Juan, I now give you a command: whenever you say ‘one, two, three, four,’ I’ll do anything you want unconditionally.”

“Anything?” Lin Dongxue smiled. “Guess what I want you to do the most?”

Chen Shi knew, “Ask whatever you want. I know you’re curious. Although I’m not ready yet, this is something you can never fully prepare for.”

Lin Dongxue’s heart raced. Chen Shi’s past was just a thin veil away. They stared at each other for a long time before Lin Dongxue kissed him gently on the lips and said, “I’ll reserve this right for now. You promised to do anything, so I’ll think of something more worthwhile. Haha!”

“Aren’t you curious anymore?”

“I’m curious, but I trust you. If you don’t tell me, there must be a reason. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. Tell me when you’re ready, dear.”

“Thank you.” Lin Dongxue’s understanding moved Chen Shi deeply.

The case’s follow-up work was extensive. Shu Shifang confessed to many of her and Ma Xiang’s hired killings. Based on her information, the police solved four or five contract murders.

However, Shu Shifang knew almost nothing about the murder of Chang Juan’s parents. The employer was very mysterious, and they met in a deserted house in the suburbs, so Shu Shifang never saw his face.

Shu Shifang mentioned a detail: the kill order included burning a brown notebook, which they did.

“What was in the notebook?” Lin Qiupu asked.

Shu Shifang shrugged, “Just some formulas and data. It seemed professional, but I couldn’t understand it. If we could understand it, we wouldn’t be killers.”

To uncover the truth, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue investigated all the projects Chang Juan’s parents had worked on. After days of digging, Chen Shi’s head was aching.

Their last project was researching genetically modified drought-resistant rice. There was nothing special about it. The final product wasn’t ideal and remained in the experimental stage, never reaching the market.

Reviewing the case, Chen Shi suddenly noticed a discrepancy. He rushed to the detention center to see Shu Shifang again. Due to her lung cancer, Shu Shifang looked pale and coughed constantly. She was held in the women’s detention center.

Shu Shifang said, “I’ll be released on medical parole soon, but I probably won’t live long.”

“I noticed your killing methods were different this time. You never used a knife before.”

Hearing this, Shu Shifang frowned, “That’s obvious. The situation was urgent; I didn’t have time to think.”

“What was so urgent?”

“Ma Xiang was going to hurt Chang Juan.”

“You stopped him last time. Why not this time, especially since you brought him?”

“I told you, it was for Chang Juan’s revenge.”

“For revenge, wouldn’t it be more meaningful for Chang Juan to kill Ma Xiang herself? I have a theory: Chang Juan stabbed Ma Xiang that night. You realized things were irreversible and taught her to make it more exaggerated and wild. You knew the more suspicious she was, the safer she’d be because we already knew her identity… Why do I think this? Because Chun Li’s behavior was suspicious. She didn’t kill anyone, so why run from the police? I suddenly understood. That night, she saw Chang Juan kill. She ran to protect her friend.”

Shu Shifang stood up suddenly, knocking over her chair. “The case is closed. Why drag another person into this? She acted on impulse, unlike us rotten scum!”

“That’s all I needed to hear.” Chen Shi smiled.

Realizing her slip, Shu Shifang’s face turned cold. Chen Shi said, “Don’t worry. I just wanted the truth. Since you’ve taken the blame, I won’t pursue it further. I have no evidence anyway.”

Shu Shifang let out a long breath. “As long as she can live well, it’s enough for me. Destroying a life takes one night, but redeeming it takes much longer.”