It was still summer with hot scorching sun that irritated and frustrated people.
In Hongjiang district, everyone in the Criminal Investigation Unit were busy.
There had been a tad too many cases in their district recently. The cases were major, and the public were particularly concerned about them. The respective police heads were pressuring them to speed up with their investigations. Everyone had a hard time and a great deal of stress.
Back in the office, Tang Yuanchu was on the phone when he saw Bai Muchuan came back with a sullen face and paused for a while before continuing to talk cheerfully.
âAlright then! Brother, do hold out a little while more. Our Captain will be right there.â
Just about an hour ago, he sent a message to Bai Muchuan to inform that Kong Xinqiong had awakened from her coma, and he replied that he would make a trip personally.
Hence, the police officer at the hospital had been waiting for his arrival but no one turned up, so he called up Tang Yuanchu for an update.
âBoss!â Tang Yuanchu put down the phone and went up to him. âWhen are we going to the hospital?â
Bai Muchuan seemed like a block of ice with no expression on his face. âBring the necessary things, weâll go now.â
âOkay.â Tang Yuanchu picked up the already prepared recording equipment and information. âActually you could have gone there directly and we can meet at the hospital.â He laughed as he turned to Bai Muchuan. âBoss, why did you come back here?â
Bai Muchuan did not say a word.
That expression of his captain had indicated that he had not heard what he said, let alone to chat with him?
Tang Yuanchu cleared his throat and laughed uneasily when his Captain glanced at him with his pair of sharp eyes.
âBoss, whatâs up? Why didnât you have any reaction when I talk to you?â
âYou had a change of gender today?â Bai Muchuan replied emotionlessly, â Why are you so talkative today?â
Tang Yuanchu: ââŚâ
What happened to boss?
He scratched his head, totally lost at where exactly had he done wrong that incurred the wrath of his boss?
Tang Yuanchu had wanted to volunteer to drive to the hospital.
But when he saw Bai Muchuanâs cold face, he dared not utter a word but mumbled to himself in his head.
Earlier on when he left the office, although Bai Muchuan seemed fatigued, his mood was still fine?
Why did he come back looking all gloomy after he handled with some private matters? Tang Yuanchu thought.
âTang Yuanchu.â
Bai Muchuan called him suddenly that made Tang Yuanchu jumped.
âYes Sir!â
He answered very properly as he thought maybe Captain Bai had found out what he was thinking about and his ears started to burn.
However, Bai Muchuan was obviously not someone who would let his personal feelings interfere with his work.
The next second, he asked him about work related matters.
âIs the report from the forensics team ready?â
âYes, itâs ready.â Tang Yuanchu knew about the opposing relationship between his boss and Cheng Zheng, so he answered very cautiously, âThe moment you stepped out of the office, Mei Xin delivered the report over. The corpse that we found inside the wall is Wu Hongliang without a doubt. The other set of bones and partial body parts we found matched with the ones at âThe Palaceâ, they belonged to Tan ZiyangâŚâ
After a slight pause, he took a peek at Bai Muchuanâs side profile.
âMei Xin told me that she was unable to confirm if all these body parts, when assembled together, could complete the corpse of Tan ZiyangâŚâ
âHm?â Bai Muchuan squinted his eyes with displeasure.
ââŚâ Tang Yuanchu received another chilly glare and was even more careful with his choice of words. âThat corpse has been severely damaged. The muscle portions had been minced and mixed with cement. Same for the bones, they had been so heavily damaged that they could only identify a small portion of it⌠Even if they tried to piece them together, they might not be able to piece a complete set of skeletal structure.â
Hmph! Bai Muchuan sneered, âBecause itâs hard so they wonât be doing it? They sure know how to save trouble.â
ââŚâ
Tang Yuanchu did not dare to say anything.
In fact, Bai Muchuanâs demands were not that harsh.
With the rapid development of science and technology today, modern people have higher expectations toward solving of cases.
Where there was something that could not be explained, someone would find fault.
Internally, although everyone knew that no matter which team they were in, they could more or less understand each otherâs difficulties. However, those superiors up there only wanted the outcome, not the process.
Moreover, the superiors usually only aimed at Captain Bai.
âŚ
Kong Xinqiong had awakened at the right time.
The team had already known by now that all the case related personnel were dead, with exception to Huo Shan and Kong Xinqiong.
Even though they could infer the cause, course, and result with the material evidence, it could not be compared to a statement by a person that could restore the full course of what exactly happened in the case.
Thinking of that, Tang Yuanchu could not withstand his urge and asked a question.
âCaptain Bai, did you say you want to bring Teacher Xiang along? I feel that this woman, Kong Xinqiong, would not talk so easily. Didnât people say women understand women the most? If Teacher Xiang is around, this might go better than expectedâŚâ
âTang Yuanchu!â Bai Muchuan suddenly looked stern and reprimanded him, âYouâre a detective! Donât forget that!â
ââŚâ
Poor Little Tang got a scolding. He felt wronged.
His boss was the one who said that Xiang Wan could render assistance to the case and even put up an application to employ her!
Why did it change to him forgetting that he was a detective just because he mentioned her?
I feel wronged!
Tang Yuanchu felt like these three words, in bold, were weighing on his head as he drove the car quietly. He even told himself that Captain Bai must have been possessed by an evil spirit!
âŚ
At the hospital.
The doctor, nurse and a police officer were waiting anxiously at Kong Xinqiongâs ward at the fifth floor.
She had attempted suicide before as well as an important witness to the case. Everyone was worried that she might commit suicide again and dared not relax.
Thus, when Bai Muchuan and Tang Yuanchu entered the ward, everyone was relieved.
âCaptain Bai is here.â The police officer got up.
âGood work!â Bai Muchuan patted him on the shoulder and took a glance at Kong Xinqiong who was lying on the bed. âHowâs the situation?â
The policeman also followed his line of sight to the woman lying on the hospital bed, and shook his head.
âLetâs talk outside.â
Kong Xinqiong had awakened.
However, ever since the doctor had ascertained she had come out of her coma, she only asked a question.
âWhereâs my son?â
When she asked that, her eyes revealed hope that her son would be alive as well.
The doctor and nurse remained silent as they couldnât bring themselves to tell her the sad truthâŚ
Nevertheless, she seemed to detect something from their gazes and she closed her eyes without saying another word. No matter who asked her questions, she did not bother to reply, totally an attitude that she had lost all hope to live.
When the police officers arrived, the doctor did a body checkup on her and said that she was recovering wellâŚ
âWe tried to communicate with her earlier, but she has a strong resistance against interacting with anyone.â
The police officer who had been keeping watch here was giving an account of what happened. âShe already has no will to live.â The police officer shook his head and sighed. âNow that she learnt that her son is dead, Iâm afraid sheâs even more unwilling to cooperate.â
When she committed suicide, whether she was escaping punishment or simply lost the courage to live, it was a show of a weak and cowardice mentality to escape realityâŚ
Now, facing such a person who no longer had hope to live, how should they help rekindle her desire for life and cooperate with the police?
Bai Muchuan paused for a while and nodded his head.
âFine, leave it to us.â
âOkay, Captain Bai.â The police officer took a look at the ward and pointed at the lift lobby. âIâll get going then?â
âHm, thank you for the hard work!â
When Bai Muchuan entered the ward again, his chilly aura not only daunted Tang Yuanchu to not make a sound, even the doctor and nurse who had nothing to do with the case felt a strong feeling of discomfort.
âCaptain Bai, I have an operation coming up soon, so Iâll take my leave now.â
The doctor adjusted his glasses and wanted to leave.
The nurse also waited no time to get away. âUh, Detective, Iâll get going as well. If you need me, just press the bell and Iâll be here in no time.â
âHm.â
He only made a sound of acknowledgement.
Bai Muchuan was no different from a cold air machine that day.
He had no urge to communicate with anyone which was no less different from Kong Xinqiong.
The doctor and nurse told them some things to look out for and left the ward.
Hence, the ward had plunged into a state of unspeakable silence.
Bai Muchuan sat on a chair but did not say a wordâhis chilly aura slowly filled the ward.
Tang Yuanchu endured the silence as he did not know what his boss had in mind. He waited till his hair stood on end when he noticed that Kong Xinqiong, who had been quiet like a corpse, suddenly opened her eyes.
A prolonged duration of silence was a tactic to get her attention.
Although she did not want to talk, that did not mean she could not sense what was happening around her.
Actually, she knew that the detectives had arrived. Although she did not want to talk to anyone, she was still mulling over how to counter the questioning from the police. Due to Bai Muchuanâs abnormality, however, she had not a single question directed at her and she actually started to feel anxious.
Hence, she wanted to see what was happening and opened her eyes. At that moment when she did that, she was linked to the real world once again.
She had seen this detective before; the light in her eyes seemed to move slightly.
Both Bai Muchuan and herself looked at each other.
âWant to eat something?â
Kong Xinqiongâs face was as white as a sheetâas if she was already deadâyet her eyes moved with the mention of food.
She did not say anything. Bai Muchuan was expressionless as he asked her again.
âWhat do you want to eat?â
Such an interrogation method made Tang Yuanchu flustered.
He had already set up the recording equipment, but even he felt embarrassed at that question and reminded Bai Muchuan softly, âCaptain Bai, the doctor has said earlier that she canât eat anything right now.â
âShe wanted to die anyway,â Bai Muchuanâs lips curled up in disdain, âif sheâs going to die, itâs better to be a satisfied ghost than die in hunger.â
ââŚâ
Tang Yuanchu was left speechless.
ââŚâ
Kong Xinqiong continued to remain quiet, but her lips moved.
Bai Muchuan raised an eyebrow and spoke in a mocking tone, half-jokingly, âYou havenât eaten for a long time. Donât you miss all those good food? It is not easy for a person to arrive and live in this world. If you can eat something nice before you die, it will be a type of consolation for yourself, right?â
In fact, he said that with a touch of irony.
However, Tang Yuanchu noticed from the recording camera that Kong Xinqiong gulped when Bai Muchuan mentioned food.
What a discovery!
Sheâs actually a foodie? Tang Yuanchu thought.
Captain Bai is really unconventional when it comes to handling such suspects!
âI know you wanted to die.â Bai Muchuan looked at Kong Xinqiong. His handsome face had compassion and sympathy that did not fit his image. He was looking at her, but it seemed he was not. She felt as if he was talking about someone unrelated to her or telling her a story.
âBecause of cheating, you lost your family, lost your happiness and lost the rest of your life. Now, youâve lost your only child. Do you really have no regrets? Thereâs so much good food that you havenât tasted. Thereâs so many beautiful clothes that youâve never worn. Thereâs so many beautiful places that youâve never been toâŚâ
Kong Xinqiong was silent.
She was silent like a statue.
Nevertheless, from Tang Yuanchuâs camera screen, this woman did feel something from those words.
Her eyelids were blinking more and faster than before.
âDo you have regrets?â
Bai Muchuan laughed suddenly. It was a sneer, a mocking and ironic laugh.
âDid you think that the moment you die, everything will be over? Sins can never be covered. Everyone needs to pay a price for their actions!â
As he said those words, he noticed that the look on Kong Xinqiongâs face changed alongside with his words.
When she heard the words âpay the priceâ, her body went stiff, and her mouth twitched.
â⌠Give me a death sentence⌠itâs me⌠I killed him,â she said with a hoarse voice.
Who did she kill? Tan Ziyang or Wu Hongliang?
As Tang Yuanchu listened, his hand which was holding the equipment, trembled. He was nervous as well.
However, Bai Muchuan did not show any emotion nor did he move. âItâs not easy to die, even if you wanted to.â
â?â Kong Xinqiongâs face showed that she was puzzled.
âItâs easy to admit to murdering someone, but to convict you, the police needs proof. Itâs not as simple as when you say you killed someone, we will take your words for it. So, before the case gets solved, you will be alive. We will protect you so you can recall what happened in the past. Think of your son that youâve killed. He is still lying in the cold mortuary waiting for you to take care of the aftermath.â
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