Chapter Eight: Light at the End of the Tunnel

As evening approached, the setting sun slowly slid down the tall walls of the police station, marking the close of the day. Ying Xi hummed a tune as he leisurely organized case files in the interrogation room.

"Finally, the case is closed... At last, I can give Director Bao an explanation."

He exhaled deeply, but the satisfaction was short-lived. Lu Hehuan burst into the interrogation room, urgent and flustered.

"Inspector Ying, I found the real murderer."

"The real murderer? Isn't he already in jail?" Ying Xi continued sorting the documents, unhurried.

"It's not Da Bao, it's Da Gen."

"Da Bao has already confessed. The case is closed."

"I've told you, Da Bao is innocent!"

"Listen, Lu Hehuan. If you keep undermining me, I'll declare you the culprit myself!" Ying Xi slammed the table and stood.

"Fine, fine, Inspector Ying. If I fail to prove Da Gen committed the murder, I'll take Da Bao's place and help you close the case. Is that acceptable?"

Lu Hehuan tried to calm Ying Xi, who regarded him with a mix of skepticism and surprise.

"I beg you, just give me a chance to prove it," Lu Hehuan pleaded sincerely.

Ying Xi rubbed his beard. "Alright, I doubt you’ll stir up much trouble, but let me warn you: the stage is set. If your performance is a disaster… hmm."

His malicious grin rang in Lu Hehuan’s ears, who gritted his teeth in response.

"Fine. I’ll bear the consequences."

With Ying Xi’s permission, two officers soon escorted Da Gen and his wife to the interrogation room. The couple sat uneasily, as if the chair were covered in thorns, unable to raise their eyes to Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi across the table.

Lu Hehuan glanced at Ying Xi. "Inspector Ying, I’ll conduct the interrogation this time. You just observe."

"Alright, I’ll stay out of it. Let’s see what kind of show you put on," Ying Xi agreed, eager to watch Lu Hehuan fail.

Lu Hehuan sat upright, swept his gaze over the couple opposite, then whispered a few words to the officer beside him, who nodded and left.

Moments later, the officer returned, placing a pair of high heels on the table. Da Gen’s wife glanced at the shoes, growing more nervous.

Lu Hehuan picked up the high heels and placed them before her, bending down.

"Please put on the shoes and walk a few steps."

"No, no, officer, a poor woman like me wouldn’t dare wear such expensive shoes," she stammered.

"This is the police station, not the market. You don’t get to bargain here. Hurry up and put them on—don’t waste the inspector’s time," Ying Xi barked, disregarding Lu Hehuan’s earlier instructions.

"Yes, yes," she replied meekly, not daring to refuse again. She put on the heels and walked a few steps, nearly twisting her ankle multiple times before finally falling. Da Gen rushed to help her up.

Lu Hehuan pointed at Da Gen, his voice sharp. "Da Gen, you are the murderer!"

Da Gen froze, then cried out his innocence. "I didn’t kill anyone! Officer, I’m innocent…"

"Kid, what are you playing at? I don’t get any of this," Ying Xi muttered, baffled by the proceedings.

Lu Hehuan snorted, his gaze piercing as he explained his reasoning.

"After you killed Jin Lu that day, to avoid suspicion, you took off her clothes and high heels, erased the footprints at the scene, then returned home through the back door. You dressed your wife in Jin Lu’s clothes and high heels.

"Then you left by the back door, pulling her in a rickshaw to Jin Lu’s home, deliberately letting Jin Lu’s neighbor see you to create the illusion of escorting Jin Lu home. But your wife had never worn high heels before, and in her rush to leave Jin Lu’s house, she twisted her right ankle twice at the doorstep and was hurt.

"You then separated—your wife returned home through the back door, you entered by the front, ensuring neighbors saw you and heard your wife mention your return time. All of this was to fabricate an alibi for Jin Lu’s time of death."

Lu Hehuan’s account made Da Gen’s hands tremble. His wife stared at him in fear, awaiting his response.

"Da Gen, do you confess?" Lu Hehuan demanded.

Da Gen clenched his teeth. "No, I do not. I didn’t kill the dancer. Everything you said is imagination, you have no evidence. Why accuse me?"

"You still won’t admit it? The twisted footprints at Jin Lu’s door are evidence. The prints show the person twisted their right foot—your wife did as well. I asked your neighbors; her foot was fine the day before the incident. Da Gen, what else can you say?" Lu Hehuan pressed, presenting indirect evidence.

"Innocent! Innocent!" Da Gen continued to shout.

Ying Xi, seeing Da Gen’s repeated claims, reviewed the case and noticed there was no direct evidence confirming Da Gen as the murderer. He joined in, stirring the pot.

"Da Gen might be innocent. Lu Hehuan, you forgot something important. Jin Lu died around nine p.m., and Da Gen’s neighbor saw him return home at the same time. How could he be in two places at once? Was the Da Gen who came home also an impostor?"

"The one who came home was Da Gen himself," Bao Rong interjected.

Ying Xi believed Bao Rong was supporting him and smiled smugly. "At least Rong said something reasonable."

"But there’s a problem with Jin Lu’s time of death," Bao Rong continued.

Her words unsettled everyone, drawing their attention.

"I re-examined Jin Lu’s head wound and found signs of dried blood, indicating she didn’t die immediately after being struck. Based on the degree of clotting, she was attacked and fell unconscious around seven p.m., dying at around nine."

Ying Xi rubbed his beard, feigning deep thought. "So, with an hour, there’s enough time to travel between Jin Lu’s house and Da Gen’s."

"As the saying goes, the net of heaven is wide but never misses. Da Gen, you cannot escape justice for Jin Lu’s murder," Bao Rong declared, turning her sights on Da Gen.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Lu Hehuan pressed the couple.

Da Gen and his wife exchanged glances, each shaking their head.

"Innocent—I didn’t kill anyone."

"We’re innocent."

Ying Xi watched the couple, united in their protest, and couldn’t help but mock Lu Hehuan. "Well, what now, prodigy from Scotland Yard?"

"Interrogate them separately," Lu Hehuan vowed to break their silence.

"This’ll be fun!" Liu Rushuang chimed in, eager for drama.

Bai Yulou thoughtfully moved a chair for Liu Rushuang. "Sister Shuang, take a seat."

Ying Xi grew stern, raising his voice. "This is the police station, not a theater. All idle onlookers, out!"

Liu Rushuang pursed her lips, pretending to leave, but seeing Bao Rong still standing, she grabbed her as a shield.

"What are you doing?" Bao Rong exclaimed, surprised and angry.

"You’re just a forensic doctor, you count as idle, too."

Without waiting for a reply, Liu Rushuang dragged Bao Rong out.

Da Gen was escorted to his cell.

"We’ll question your wife first, then you."

The officer’s cold words echoed in the empty corridor. Da Gen said nothing, walking to a corner and sitting down. The cell was darker than outside; a flickering bulb hung overhead. He stared at it as moths flew toward the light. His gaunt face twitched, the sparkle in his eyes fading as anxiety spread unchecked.

After Da Gen was taken away, his wife grew even more uneasy. She sat opposite Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi, eyes downcast, hands clasped under the table, legs tucked behind the chair.

"Da Gen didn’t kill anyone, and I never wore that dancer’s clothes," she confessed, revealing her lack of confidence.

Lu Hehuan’s gaze was sharp. "Your body language betrays you. You won’t meet my eyes, showing guilt. You hide your hands under the table, indicating you’re withholding the truth. Your legs tucked back mean you’re avoiding, hiding something."

"The prodigy from Scotland Yard, quite impressive. Sounds so convincing, like it’s real," Ying Xi muttered.

"I’m not hiding anything," she insisted, lips trembling, refusing to confess.

"Da Gen betrayed you, killed the dancer, and you still humble yourself to cover for him," Lu Hehuan tried to anger her. She looked up, a trace of grievance in her eyes.

"You’ve given so much for this man, but what about him? He never loved you, treats you like a beast of burden."

Lu Hehuan pressed with psychological tactics.

"Stop it," she cried, covering her ears.

Seeing his strategy working, Lu Hehuan pressed on. "Do you know how the dancer died? Da Gen tried to rape her, failed, and killed her. If she hadn’t resisted, would you even know?"

"Stop!" she screamed, sobbing.

"He made you wear the clothes of the dancer he just tried to violate. He has no respect for you—what does he see you as? Just a slave serving his needs, not even a wife, perhaps not even a woman…"

Under Lu Hehuan’s relentless assault, Da Gen’s wife finally broke down, weeping uncontrollably.

Ying Xi, having endured days of howling from Sister Hao and Da Bao, had grown intolerant of tears. As she wept, his skin crawled.

"Stop crying and confess quickly!"

She could no longer control herself, tears flooding like the Suzhou River, wailing loudly. Ying Xi covered his ears in misery.

Lu Hehuan walked to the officer and whispered. The officer nodded and led the sobbing wife away.

Ying Xi breathed a sigh of relief, half reclining in his chair.

"What kind of trick is this?" Ying Xi asked, puzzled.

"Psychological tactics. When I investigated their house, Da Gen’s wife had injuries but still had to answer the door. It showed Da Gen wasn’t good to her. Women are sensitive; she couldn’t help but feel it. So I exploited her vulnerability until she broke down emotionally."

"You made a woman cry and still think you’re justified. How can we interrogate her in this state? Can I close the case today?"

"We’re interrogating Da Gen, not his wife. This was just to pressure Da Gen psychologically."

"Foreign tricks, bah!" Ying Xi protested, still confused.

"Inspector Ying, where’s that file you had—the one with Da Bao’s fingerprints? May I borrow it?"

"What for?" Ying Xi grew more bewildered.

Lu Hehuan smiled, not explaining. "Just as a prop."

The officer led Da Gen’s wife down the long corridor. She was still overwhelmed, sobbing. As they passed Da Gen’s cell, he rushed to the bars, reaching out to grab her, but the officer opened the door and dragged him out.

Da Gen faced his crying wife, his mind in chaos. He tried to speak, but the officer pulled him away.

"It’s your turn now," the officer snarled. His words echoed like a vengeful ghost in the empty corridor. Da Gen glanced back at his wife before being pushed forward.

"What are you looking at? Her crime is minor, maybe a month in jail. You are different. Move!"

Da Gen shuffled forward. The further he went, the brighter the light, but his face grew darker.

He was brought back to the interrogation room, sat uneasily, and looked at Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi opposite him.

"Your wife has confessed everything. Here is her statement, with her fingerprint."

Lu Hehuan waved a file before Da Gen’s eyes. Though he couldn’t see the text, the fingerprint was clear. Da Gen finally broke, collapsing in defeat.

"I confess. I killed her."

"Why did you kill Jin Lu?" Lu Hehuan asked.

"No need to ask—must be for money," Ying Xi interjected, unwilling to let Lu Hehuan take all the credit.

"No," Da Gen shook his head.

"Was it lust?" Lu Hehuan guessed.

"No," Da Gen shook his head again.

"So vicious—was it revenge or jealousy?" The officer couldn’t help but join in.

"No."

Everyone offered their theories for Da Gen’s motive, but each was denied.

"Then why?" Lu Hehuan pressed.

Da Gen hesitated for a long time. "For dignity. A man’s dignity."