Chapter 66 The Interrogation Begins!

Arrogant! Overbearing! Unreasonable!

Su Qingzhu's chest heaved violently, her breath caught in her throat so fiercely that she couldn’t utter a single word.

Never in her life had she been scolded and humiliated so harshly, finger pointed at her nose. What she found even more intolerable was the way the other had said—“my woman.”

Originally, Li Qing had braced herself to take the slap, but when she saw who had arrived, a ripple finally stirred in her lifeless eyes.

Her eyes reddened, and all her grievances, repression, and pain seemed to find a vent at that moment. Yet, she held back. Only her slightly trembling lashes and bloodless face betrayed her true feelings.

“Get in the car.”

Another steady voice came from the front passenger seat.

Yan Zheng's square face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. He didn’t even glance at the two women at odds in the back seat, but shot Chen Yu a fierce glare, as if to say: My car isn’t your personal harem!

Chen Yu grinned sheepishly and slipped into the back seat, shutting the door behind him.

The special operations car started up again, but the atmosphere inside was even more tense than before.

Su Qingzhu withdrew her hand indignantly, turning her head to gaze out the window, her chest still rising and falling, clearly furious.

Li Qing kept her head down, hands clenched tightly at the hem of her clothes, silent.

Chen Yu watched it all unfold in the rearview mirror, his expression unreadable as he activated the “Eye of Insight.”

Target: Li Qing.
Heart rate: 97 (steadily decreasing)
Stamina: 45 (exhausted)
Affection: 81
Purity: 100

Chen Yu frowned slightly.

He didn’t know exactly what had transpired in the car moments ago, but it was easy to guess that Su Qingzhu’s words must have been deeply hurtful.

Li Qing always maintained the persona of a carefree, irreverent woman flitting through life, but in truth, she was more sensitive and proud than anyone else.

To force her to play the shameless harlot before her former junior, to endure such humiliation—one could only imagine the pain it caused her.

Screech—

The car stopped at a crossroad, waiting for the red light.

“I want to get out,” came a weak yet resolute voice from the back seat.

It was Li Qing.

Su Qingzhu was taken aback, instinctively glancing at Yan Zheng.

Yan Zheng said nothing, eyes closed, making it clear he was washing his hands of the matter.

Chen Yu turned around to look at Li Qing.

“What’s wrong?”

Li Qing lifted her head, the familiar coquettish smile once again on her lips, though it was clearly forced.

“I’m tired, I want to go back to the hotel and sleep,” she said, fluttering her lashes at Chen Yu, her voice soft and sweet as ever. “What is it, Chen Yu? Are you reluctant to let me go?”

Chen Yu gazed at her deeply. He knew she could no longer bear the suffocating atmosphere in the car.

“All right,” he nodded, saying nothing more.

Li Qing pushed the door open and got out swiftly and decisively.

Before leaving, she even winked at Su Qingzhu inside the car.

“Little junior, don’t be so impulsive next time,” she teased. “Otherwise, I might get angry.”

With that, she strode away without a backward glance, crossing the street.

But to Chen Yu, that pure and graceful silhouette seemed unspeakably lonely in the pale dawn.

Su Qingzhu watched her go, grinding her teeth in frustration.

“Shameless!” she muttered under her breath.

Chen Yu withdrew his gaze, a strange heaviness settling in his chest.

This foolish woman…

The car started again. The rest of the journey passed in silence.

—

City Criminal Investigation Division.

By the time Chen Yu and his companions arrived, travel-worn, dawn was just breaking.

In the corridor outside the interrogation rooms, two figures were pacing anxiously—Liu Hong and her younger brother, Liu Gang.

Liu Hong, dressed in a plain, elegant long dress, her still-attractive face etched with exhaustion and unease, stood up as soon as she saw Yan Zheng and Chen Yu. Her lips moved, but she seemed at a loss for words.

By her side, Liu Gang appeared far more composed, clad in a crisply pressed casual suit, looking every bit the gentleman—nothing to suggest he was a prime suspect in the eyes of the police.

He merely regarded the approaching trio calmly, his gaze lingering on Chen Yu for a fleeting moment.

“Where’s Zheng Liangchen?” Yan Zheng scanned the hallway, his voice stern.

A young investigator immediately stepped forward and saluted. “Report, Captain Yan! We’ve already called him. He said… he’ll be here any moment.”

“Hmph!” Yan Zheng snorted, saying no more.

Turning to Chen Yu, he lowered his voice, “Who do we interrogate first?”

Chen Yu’s eyes swept over Liu Gang and Liu Hong standing a short distance away, and he smiled faintly.

“No rush,” he murmured, leaning in to whisper a few words into Yan Zheng’s ear.

“Let’s have the team put on a show first. Say… we’ve already identified Zheng Liangchen as the killer, the evidence is conclusive, and we’re just waiting for him to turn himself in.”

“Make a big scene out of it. Make sure Liu Gang hears every word.”

Yan Zheng’s eyes lit up, instantly grasping Chen Yu’s intention.

Chen Yu was trying to lull Liu Gang into a false sense of security!

“Got it!” Yan Zheng signaled to Su Qingzhu.

Though reluctant, Su Qingzhu quickly caught on and went to make the arrangements.

Soon, the corridor was filled with the investigators’ “casual” conversations.

“Did you hear? The Zhang Luoluo case—the killer is her husband, Zheng Liangchen!”

“Really? They solved it that fast?”

“No doubt about it! They found his fingerprints at the scene—ironclad evidence!”

“Tsk, tsk. You really can’t judge a book by its cover. The guy always seemed so decent…”

Every word drifted into the ears of Liu Gang and Liu Hong.

Liu Hong’s face remained expressionless.

But for the first time, a faint ripple crossed Liu Gang’s perpetually calm features.

It lasted only a moment, but Chen Yu, who had been watching him closely, caught it instantly.

Success!

Chen Yu cheered inwardly.

“Captain Yan,” he said, turning, “let’s talk to Sister Hong first.”

“Agreed.”

—

Interrogation room.

The cold metal chair and blinding white fluorescent lights made Liu Hong even more nervous.

Her hands were folded on her lap, her gaze complicated as she regarded the two men across from her.

Yan Zheng, unsmiling and stern, radiated authority.

And beside him… was Chen Yu!

“I… I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to sit here,” Chen Yu whispered awkwardly to Yan Zheng.

To be honest, sitting side by side with the division chief to interrogate a suspect’s relative was a bit above his pay grade.

Besides, that wasn’t even his official role.

Yan Zheng shot him a sidelong glance, the rare hint of a playful smirk touching his lips.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you say we’re all on the same side?”

So the old fox hadn’t forgotten.

Chen Yu gave a dry laugh, cleared his throat, and turned his gaze to Liu Hong.

When his eyes met hers—haunted, fearful, and tinged with resentment—Chen Yu’s heart softened inexplicably.

“Sister Hong, there’s no need to be nervous.”

His voice was unconsciously gentle.

“We just want to ask you about something that happened fifteen years ago—the night you were attacked.”

At the mention of the past, Liu Hong visibly trembled.

Those terrifying memories, even after fifteen years, remained an inescapable nightmare.

She seemed to struggle to compose herself, and after a long moment, began to speak in a trembling voice.

“It was one night. Xiangdong… he was working late at the research institute, said he had important experimental data to process.

“I was home alone, just about to go to bed…”

“Suddenly, there was a loud bang—the door was kicked open from outside!”

“I was terrified, and before I could scream, a shadow rushed in and clamped a hand over my mouth!”

Liu Hong’s voice was broken by the horror of her recollections.

“He was strong, I couldn’t fight him… He dragged me into the living room, then… then he wrapped a steel wire around my neck…”

“I could feel it tightening, my breath getting shorter, my vision growing dark…”

The interrogation room was deathly silent, the only sound Liu Hong’s harrowing voice echoing off the walls.

“I thought… I thought I was going to die.”

“My mind went blank, and I could think of only one thing…”

“Xiangdong… Xiangdong…”

Her tears, finally uncontrollable, slid down her cheeks.

“I just… instinctively, over and over, whispered his name…”

“Then…”

At this point, a look of lingering puzzlement appeared on Liu Hong’s face.

“Then, the attacker… suddenly let go.”

“The grip on my neck vanished all at once.”

“When I came to and started coughing desperately, the shadow… was gone.”

What?!

Chen Yu and Yan Zheng exchanged glances, each seeing the same shock in the other’s eyes.

It wasn’t that someone had come home and scared the attacker away.

Nor that Liu Hong had broken free.

The killer had simply… abandoned the murder?

That made no sense for a ruthless serial killer!

Why?

What could have caused it?

Could it have been… her saying “Xiangdong”?

An absurd, yet strangely reasonable, thought exploded in Chen Yu’s mind.

He looked at the woman before him, weeping like a rain-soaked pear blossom, his heart a tangle of emotions—guilt, sympathy, pity, all entwined.

After a long silence, Chen Yu finally asked the most painful, most pivotal question.

He gazed at Liu Hong, his eyes filled with awkwardness and compassion.

“Sister Hong… all these years, have you really never suspected that Luo Xiangdong’s sexual orientation… might not be what you thought?”