Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Four in the evening, in the detention center in the Rongyang Branch.
Due to being bogged down with illness, Feng Lin looked thinner and was in listless spirits. But when she saw that the person before her was Zhao Yu, she got so emotional that she got up from her wheelchair and grabbed Zhao Yu’s arms.
“Police officer, are you the miraculous detective, Zhao Yu? Please, please… Our Kuo is innocent, he has already been imprisoned for ten years. You can’t let him stay behind bars for the rest of his life! Police officer, please help me… please…”
The two prison officers immediately came forward to drag Feng Lin to the interrogation seat.
“Teacher Feng, please calm down first,” Zhao Yu creased his eyebrows and said. “I came to see you today to get to know the situation. As for reversing the verdict…” Zhao Yu didn’t know how to tell her the second part of his sentence.
“Police Officer Zhao Yu, I know you are the miraculous detective in the Rongyang Branch. You can even solve the Mian Ling Case and the Chopped Hand Case. So, it should be very easy for you to solve my son’s case! Please, I…” Speaking of her sore spot, Feng Lin couldn’t hold back her tears, but started wailing, “It’s my fault! It’s all my fault. I made Kuo suffer. It’s my fault… Ah…” Feng Lin was very emotional at the moment. As she cried her lungs out, she was on the brink of losing control.
“Teacher Feng,” Zhao Yu advised awkwardly, “I know about your situation, but if you continue to be so emotional, I can’t help, even if I wanted to!”
“Woo… Woo…” Hearing what Zhao Yu said, Feng Lin then lowered her cry, but she couldn’t stop sobbing completely.
“I’d like to know why are you so certain that Lan Shuping is the murderer?” Zhao Yu asked. “Is it really solely because he was jealous of Feng Kuo, and he was Liu Jiao’s secret admirer? Also, if it was real, why didn’t Lan Shuping kill your son directly? Instead, he killed the person he loved?!”
“Weap… Weapon!” Feng Lin said. “Because they were close, Lan Shuping always came over to our place, so he was very familiar with everything in our house. Only he would be able to sneak into my house and leave the knife in Kuo’s bedroom!”
She continued to sob. “And, I read the police report. Before Liu Jiao died, there was an ice radical drawn on the ground. The police thought that she was writing ‘Feng’, but ‘Feng’ was a raise on the second stroke, not a drop. There would have been an obvious fork!”
Still sobbing…
“So, the ice radical should be the starting of a Chinese character, and Lan Shuping’s ‘Lan’ was exactly written as such. Plus, our Kuo was at the scene for so long, and he waited for the police car and ambulance to come! By then, Liu Jiao was already dead! If he was the murderer, why didn’t he wipe away the ice radical?”
“Mm? Did you ask him about this before?” Zhao Yu asked.
“Of course I did!” Feng Lin sighed. “Kuo told me that he was dumbfounded back then. He didn’t even notice anything at the time, but only thought about how Liu Jiao might be saved. So, he was still talking to her and calling for her. This child is very honest, I tell you!”
“Then…” Zhao Yu looked at his notebook and asked, “Do you know Liu Jiao? How was the relationship between Feng Kuo and Liu Jiao, and between your family and Liu Jiao?”
“I’d seen her a couple of times, mostly at the filming scene,” Feng Kuo said. “The girl’s smile was very sweet, and she gave off a very refreshing vibe! The girl had good manners, too. I gave her pointers on her acting skills, which she accepted humbly, constantly thanking me.”
“I could roughly guess that Kuo was in a relationship with her. But Kuo didn’t tell us at all! Maybe he was worried that we might not agree with it.” Feng Lin was reminiscing while talking, “Otherwise, we have such a big house, so why would Kuo let Liu Jiao stay alone in the flat? She could have moved into our house easily.”
“Then… If Feng Kuo had told you, would you not have been opposed to the idea?” Zhao Yu asked again.
“I can’t really tell. I would have hoped they would be more careful about it, I guess!” Feng Lin said. “In our profession, an early marriage would be unfavorable to the advancement of our careers, especially Kuo, who earned a living depending on his looks!”
“Then… How about your husband?”
“Well, he was only a stepdad after all,” Feng Lin said. “Xiao is an understanding man. Also, Kuo was a grown up, so Xiao mostly just complied with his wishes! I know that Xiao has many women out there, but…”
Feng Lin didn’t continue. Zhao Yu knew that whatever she was going to say was an emotional entanglement that wasn’t related to the case.
“Teacher Feng,” Zhao Yu said. “Have you ever suspected Xiao Zhen?”
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“Huh?” Feng Lin got a shock, then said, “Xiao Zhen? Why? No!”
“As the weapon appeared in Feng Kuo’s room, it might have been done by someone within the family. After all, Xiao Zhen had the means to!” Zhao Yu said.
“Police officer, what do you mean?” Feng Lin’s eyes were wide open now. “Xiao Zhen… He wouldn’t! We are a tightly knit family! Xiao Zhen doesn’t even know Liu Jiao, so there was no motive.”
“How could there be no motive?” Zhao Yu said. “There was suddenly an elder brother that didn’t share the same father nor mother, and he would now have to divide the inheritance that was supposed to be all his. How is this motive not significant enough?!”
“No… No… He wouldn’t!” Feng Lin shook her head. “Police officer, I raised Xiao Zhen. The child looked brawny, but he was an introvert and quiet, like a girl. He was always been on very good terms with Feng Kuo, too.”
“Once, on Feng Kuo’s birthday, he even used the money that he had earned from carving wood to buy Feng Kuo a notebook! They were brothers, and they were quite close.”
“Plus…” Feng Lin creased her eyebrows and continued, “Even if Xiao Zhen intended to kill someone, why did he kill Liu Jiao? That’s definitely impossible! Police officer, my gut feeling is quite accurate. It is definitely Lan Shuping! After so many years, I had no evidence. He was a careful man, but still, he must be the murderer!”
“But, he had alibi,” Zhao Yu said. “When the crime happened, he was drinking at a restaurant!”
“The restaurant was right below Liu Jiao’s flat! Hence, there were many opportunities!” Feng Lin said.
“How about the weapon? He got drunk at the restaurant, then his college mate sent him directly home. How could he put the weapon in your house?” Zhao Yu challenged.
“That was the most amazing thing about Lan Shuping!” Feng Lin said. “He must have pulled some tricks. He must have planned this beforehand. He hid from the police and concealed it from everyone! Police Officer, please help me contradict his perfect alibi! Bring justice to my son!”
Then, Feng Lin’s tears were flowing down her cheeks again…
…
On the way back from the detention center, Zhao Yu kept thinking about what Feng Lin had said in the car. From what he saw, Feng Lin was suspicious towards Lan Shuping, and it seemed to be derived from stubbornness. Even though Lan Shuping had an alibi, she still wasn’t convinced.
Tsk tsk…
Actually, for Lan Shuping, Zhao Yu had was growing more suspicious towards him. This was mostly due to Lan Shuping’s confirmed appearance at Bean Restaurant that night. Why didn’t he drink some other time, instead of at that very moment?
There seemed to be traces of his being framed! Could Feng Lin’s suspicions be valid? Could Lan Shuping’s alibi have been carefully designed? But… how could he do that?
Mm…
That’s right!
Zhao Yu suddenly figured out that, although the witness in Bean Restaurant had since passed away, the college mate that had sent Lan Shuping home should still be alive. Why not find this person and have a quick chat?
Then, Zhao Yu gave Li Beini a call to ask her to send the witness’ details and information to him. Very quickly, the information was sent to Zhao Yu’s handphone.
When Zhao Yu took a glance at the information, his eyes grew bright. Suddenly, he even got goosebumps all over!
This case… Why is it getting more and more interesting?
Liu Jiao, Liu Jiao, are you playing a word puzzle with us?
Then, Zhao Yu held up his phone screen, which clearly showed that the college mate that sent Lan Shuping home that night was named….Guan Jun!!!