Chapter 32: The Culprit

Zhang Xinli’s account caused Zhou Yi and Wu Yongcheng to gradually knit their brows. They had both identified a glaring issue: Zhu Xuejun had clearly manipulated Zhang Xinli into developing the intention to eliminate Du Xiaolin.

Zhang Xinli had reached this point because, while serving as Zhu Xuejun’s mistress, she had gradually lost herself, her psyche becoming twisted. The true culprit behind this was evidently Zhu Xuejun. However, Zhou Yi and Wu Yongcheng did not press the matter; firstly, they did not want to disrupt the flow of her confession, and secondly, the current information was insufficient to legally categorize Zhu Xuejun’s role in terms of evidence.

"We know the motive now," Zhou Yi said. "Tell us about the crime itself."

"Last night, I asked for leave early to go home and had Wang Youfu cook porridge, specifically to manufacture an alibi. After I finished the porridge, I said I was tired and wanted to sleep, asking him to coax me to bed. He was, naturally, flattered."

"But in reality, I had spiked the milk he usually drank with anesthetics. Once he fell into a deep sleep, I put on his clothes, trousers, and shoes, and left."

"Before heading home, I had already let the air out of Du Xiaolin’s bicycle tires so that she would have no choice but to walk home. I also knew that Old Liu, who worked in the hospital boiler room, patrolled the staff bike shed every morning; he would certainly have refilled the tires. When the police found her bike intact and not taken, they would only assume someone had picked her up."

Wu Yongcheng turned to look at Zhou Yi in surprise. Everything had happened exactly as he had predicted. Despite his many years as a criminal investigator, this was the first time he had witnessed such a thing.

"I hid in the shadows across from the hospital gate, waiting for Du Xiaolin to come out. I followed her all the way to Shangyang Lane. It’s a shortcut home, and since the detour would have been much longer, I knew she would take that path."

"I suddenly called out to her from behind, telling her that Zhu Xuejun had asked me to bring her something. Then, when she wasn't paying attention, I slashed her carotid artery with a knife. I’ve been a nurse for many years, and my skills are quite good. I aimed that strike very accurately."

"Blood sprayed from her neck instantly, splashing all over me. She clutched her neck in terror, trying to run, but with a severed carotid artery, a person loses the ability to move very quickly."

"Seeing her collapse, I stepped forward and delivered a few more stabs. I wanted people to think she had been killed by a robber. I saw her looking at me with desperate eyes, and I suddenly felt a thrill. That bitch deserved to die! Die! Die!"

Seeing Zhang Xinli immersed in the memory of the murder, her expression becoming increasingly manic, Zhou Yi shouted before Wu Yongcheng could react: "Zhang Xinli, watch your emotions!"

The shout pulled Zhang Xinli back from her memory, and she began to tremble like a frightened bird.

"Then why, after you had already left the scene, did you return?"

"Because I was afraid she wasn't dead... I was afraid..." Zhang Xinli looked at Zhou Yi with sudden terror. "How did you know?"

Zhou Yi raised his bandaged arm and waved it gently.

"You... you were that person from last night?"

Zhou Yi nodded. "It’s a pity I couldn't catch you then."

"Officer, I... I’m sorry. I didn’t think anyone would come, I just... I just..." Zhang Xinli stammered incoherently.

"Continue. After you fled the scene, what did you do?"

"Right, right. When I got home, I washed the blood-stained clothes, trousers, and shoes in the bathroom. I had bought disinfectant beforehand. Because blood had splashed in many places, I was afraid Wang Youfu would notice something wrong, so I scrubbed the entire bathtub as well."

"I didn’t dare hang the washed items on the balcony, so I had to hide them first. I hid the knife behind the wedding portrait. After you visited, I was so scared that I kept thinking about how to get rid of it."

"And what about Wang Youfu jumping from the building?"

Hearing Wang Youfu’s name, Zhang Xinli’s eyes reddened, perhaps out of guilt.

"I wanted to leave the knife at the butcher shop while I was out buying groceries, but he happened to see me when I went to retrieve it. He understood immediately what was going on. He was actually a very smart man; he was just too introverted."

Zhou Yi said in a low voice, "He chose to take the fall for you?"

"I thought he would call the police, but he didn't. At first, he tried to persuade me to turn myself in, until I produced that ultrasound report. I told him I was pregnant and the child was his." Zhang Xinli gave a desolate smile. "He was so foolish; he actually believed it. He told me to dispose of the knife and said he would handle the rest."

"I didn't realize at the time what he was going to do. I never expected... never expected... *sob*..." Zhang Xinli covered her face and began to cry bitterly.

Zhou Yi suddenly felt that the saying truly applied to Wang Youfu: there is always something detestable about a pathetic person. Like a submissive lapdog, he had unconditionally trusted Zhang Xinli and then used the most foolish method possible to "protect" her and the child in her womb. He had likely assumed that if he confessed and ended his life, Zhang Xinli would escape the law and be able to raise their child. He never realized that from beginning to end, he was nothing but a tool.

Perhaps only at that moment did Zhang Xinli truly feel a shred of affection for him.

Wu Yongcheng handed the transcript to Zhang Xinli for her to confirm and sign.

"Officer, will I be sentenced to death?" Zhang Xinli raised her head blankly.

Wu Yongcheng shook his head. "Our country’s criminal law explicitly states that pregnant women cannot be sentenced to death, but you will be sentenced to life imprisonment." He added in a slow, deliberate tone, "Which means you will likely never see your child again."

The words struck Zhang Xinli like an executioner’s bullet, hitting her squarely between the eyes. She froze, her entire being appearing like an empty shell drained of its soul.

Zhou Yi found it difficult to understand; there was no need for Wu Yongcheng to say that last part. Such a remark did not conform to interrogation regulations. To kill the heart while killing the body—this was undoubtedly an execution of Zhang Xinli’s soul in advance. There must have been a special reason for the usually composed Wu Yongcheng to say such a thing.

Zhang Xinli began to weep. After signing the papers, a female officer entered to take her to the detention cell. But just as she stepped out the door, Zhang Xinli suddenly clutched her stomach and crouched down in agony, her face turning deathly pale.

Everyone rushed her to the hospital, assuming there was a complication with the fetus. If Zhang Xinli were to miscarry, both Wu Yongcheng and Zhou Yi, who were in charge of the interrogation, would be implicated. Especially Zhou Yi, who had been seconded to the case; if something went wrong, it would be impossible to explain.

They waited outside the emergency room, a scene Zhou Yi had just experienced the day before. After more than half an hour, the doctor came out.

Wu Yongcheng asked anxiously, "Doctor, how is the baby the suspect is carrying?"

Unexpectedly, the doctor replied, "The child is fine. The patient’s pain is due to a tumor in her stomach."

"A tumor?" Everyone was stunned.

The doctor nodded. "Preliminary judgment suggests a high probability of a malignant tumor—what is commonly known as cancer."