Chapter 954: Revealing the Truth

Lin Dongxue asked, “Any other evidence? Like the dummy.”

Chen Shi replied, “Actually, the dummy is quite the opposite. It had too many fingerprints on it, hardly solid evidence.”

Lin Dongxue pondered if there were any other overlooked areas for evidence. At that moment, Tao Yuanyuan suggested, “Why don’t we confront the suspect directly?”

“It’s risky,” someone remarked.

“The screenwriter isn’t mentally tough. That day, when the dummy was mentioned, he became visibly flustered and spilled all about his crime to the police. I believe his conscience must be wavering,” Tao Yuanyuan explained.

Lin Dongxue looked to Chen Shi for his opinion. Chen Shi said, “Direct confrontation might work too. If he’s truly suspicious, we can restrain him today and gather more evidence slowly.”

Tao Yuanyuan turned to Xu Xiaodong and said, “Big brother Xiaodong, I need you to help me with something.”

Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and Tao Yuanyuan found the screenwriter. Lin Dongxue introduced, “This is our team leader.”

“Oh, hello. What can I do for you?” the screenwriter asked.

“Mr. Screenwriter, I’d like to have a word with you outside,” Chen Shi said.

Upon hearing ‘outside’, the screenwriter immediately tensed up but smiled, “Sure, let me grab my coat.”

Outside the hotel, as they walked, Tao Yuanyuan said, “Uncle Screenwriter, I heard your studio has disbanded, is that true?”

“Huh?” The screenwriter was slightly surprised. “Who told you that?”

“We found out through our investigation. Sorry about that,” Tao Yuanyuan replied.

“I understand. Starting your own business always carries risks. That year, we took on a big project together, collaborated on a long script, but the project fell through. The investors ran away. That year, everything—staff salaries, rent, utilities—was borrowed. We had to declare bankruptcy,” the screenwriter sighed.

“That’s really tough!” Tao Yuanyuan sympathized.

As they walked, the screenwriter instinctively looked up and noticed someone sitting in a meeting room above them. He exclaimed, “Someone up there is about to jump!”

“No, that’s a dummy,” Tao Yuanyuan clarified.

The screenwriter pushed up his glasses, “Are you conducting a falling experiment?”

“No, we’re recreating how you staged the falling incident,” Tao Yuanyuan replied.

The screenwriter turned to Chen Shi, “Is she making this up? This joke is in poor taste.”

Chen Shi calmly said, “Listen to her.”

Tao Yuanyuan shouted upstairs, “Xiaodong, go ahead!”

From Lin Dongxue’s room, Xu Xiaodong appeared and pulled a rope tied to the dummy’s feet on the meeting room’s windowsill.

Thus, the dummy fell down, passed by the director’s window, and swayed in mid-air. Xu Xiaodong reeled in the rope with both hands, pulling the dummy back into the window.

“Excellent!” Tao Yuanyuan cheered. She turned to see the screenwriter pale, sweating, and trembling hands.

This reaction undoubtedly revealed him as the culprit!

Tao Yuanyuan approached the point of the fall, turned around, and calmly said, “That night, Xiaoe was pushed down the stairs by you. His skull hit the steps, and he died quickly. You must have been terrified and devised a plan to swap the facts. It was late at night, deserted in front of the hotel, you placed Xiaoe’s body here, arranged it to look like a fall from the meeting room. Then you obtained the dummy used for filming, tied a thin rope, maybe fishing line, to its feet, placed the dummy on the meeting room windowsill, and hung the rope outside. You returned to your room, managed to reach the rope somehow. When we heard tapping on our window that night, it was the sound of the rope slapping against our windowpane as it passed. With a gentle tug, the dummy fell from above, passed by the director’s window, was seen by someone, causing everyone to panic and look down. The dummy swayed in the air, you successfully retrieved it through the window. Then you ran outside, making it appear Xiaoe had fallen from above. At the moment of the falling incident, you had the perfect alibi!”

The screenwriter turned pale, “Where did you get this information?”

“I deduced it from some clues. Initially, what reminded me was that night, you were standing under the stairs, flushed. Later, I realized you were actually searching for something. Xiaoe’s nail peeled off, and a button fell off, likely things you were looking for, perhaps still in your room,” Tao Yuanyuan explained calmly.

“I… I had no grudge against Xiaoe. Why would I kill him?” the screenwriter pleaded.

“We believe you might have committed a crime of passion. That night, Xiaoe first caught you in the act, which angered you. Then in the hallway, he encountered Cai Zhengkai, they exchanged heated words. To retaliate against Cai Zhengkai, Xiaoe found you, asking you to cut Cai Zhengkai’s lines again, and the murder happened then,” Lin Dongxue said.

The screenwriter raised his hand, then lowered it, utterly bewildered. Chen Shi added finally, “Yuanyuan’s explanation has been very detailed. Without sufficient evidence, we couldn’t have reconstructed the sequence of events so thoroughly. There’s no need to resist anymore. A crime of passion does not warrant the death penalty.”

Chen Shi once told Lin Qiupu that when someone doesn’t know what you know, they assume you know everything. This is the guilty conscience of a thief.

With a sob, Tao Yuanyuan cried out. The screenwriter’s psychological defenses finally collapsed, covering his face and kneeling on the ground, crying loudly. The three watched quietly as some hotel guests were also attracted, leaning out of the window to watch the excitement.

The screenwriter looked up and said, “I just pushed him in a fit of anger, just a push, and I didn’t expect such serious consequences. He was rude, saying I owed him a meal, asked me to make changes, where did all this nonsense come from! You might not understand. The script is like my child, infused with passion and soul. I really hate those amateurs who dictate and criticize my script.”

Chen Shi patted his shoulder gently, “There are a lot of people watching. I’ll spare you the handcuffs. Come with us.”

The screenwriter lifted his tear-filled eyes, “Thank you!” Then he looked at Tao Yuanyuan again and said, “Thank you. Do you know? The moment you said it, I felt a sense of relief. I’ve been having nightmares these past few days, feeling like I’m going crazy. I’m really afraid of being ruined by this scum. So… that’s why I resorted to this deceit. I’m sorry for deceiving everyone!”

“Let’s go,” Chen Shi said.

The screenwriter stood up, his legs weak, and followed them. After getting into the car, Chen Shi said, “I’ll come pick you up later.”

Watching the car drive away, Tao Yuanyuan said, “He confessed just like that? It went smoother than I expected… But, after all, it’s not a major case.”

Lin Dongxue rubbed Tao Yuanyuan’s head, “You did great. With the potential you’ve shown, I believe you’ll become an excellent police officer.”

Tao Yuanyuan smiled but seemed a bit unhappy, “This is the first time I’ve personally sent someone to prison. Sigh, I hope Mr. Screenwriter won’t be bullied in there.”

“Everyone chooses their own path. You just did what needed to be done,” Lin Dongxue comforted.