XU WENCHAO WASN’T as unconcerned as Su Luozhan. From the way his eyes had sunk into their sockets, it was clear that he’d had a sleepless night. He’d been prepared for the police to take turns questioning him all night long. That would have been nothing; he had ironclad alibis for when both kidnappings occurred. That was why Su Luozhan had been bold enough to throw him under the bus.
Yancheng Municipal Bureau wasn’t some little station in the middle of nowhere. People watched the officers’ every move, so they wouldn’t dare extort a confession from a little girl who wasn’t even fourteen. As for Xu Wenchao, they could keep him for a certain amount of time, but without concrete proof, they’d have to let him go.
Xu Wenchao had been prepared. But for an entire night and day, no one had paid attention to him. It was like the entire bureau had forgotten his existence.
Nothing showed on his face, but as time passed, he gradually lost his confidence. Had they believed his alibi and given up investigating him? That would be the best-case scenario…but if he’d been cleared of suspicion, then why was he still here?
Just as Xu Wenchao’s heart started to pound, Luo Wenzhou walked in.
“I smell like smoke,” Luo Wenzhou said, pulling over a chair and sitting down in front of Xu Wenchao. “My apologies. We were busy all night figuring out exactly what you were hiding.”
Those words shocked Xu Wenchao. He subtly adjusted his posture and looked at Luo Wenzhou steadily. “I have nothing more to say.”
Luo Wenzhou smiled at him, then asked offhandedly, “What’s your relationship with Su Luozhan?”
“I was her mother’s fiancé,” Xu Wenchao said patiently. “Officer, I’ve already answered that question.”
“I know you were Su Xiaolan’s fiancé.” Luo Wenzhou raised a brow, suddenly giving him a meaningful look. “But I want to know why you planned to marry her. Was it because you still had feelings for that used woman—or had you set your sights on her daughter?”
Xu Wenchao froze, and then his eyes widened. Barely keeping his anger in check, he snapped, “Watch what you say, Officer!”
Luo Wenzhou’s expression didn’t change. “Su Xiaolan was a single mother with no education, relatives, or proper job. How she supported herself is a mystery, and there are plenty of ugly rumors about her out there. You, Mr. Xu, have a career, a car, a residence, and good looks. You’re an ideal mate, so I keep wondering—why wouldn’t she want to marry you?”
“Marriage and love can’t be boiled down to material means,” Xu Wenchao said, doing his best to restrain his temper and maintain his usual demeanor. “Besides, that was a private matter between her and me. I think—”
“Did she really not care for money? Or was it that you didn’t want to marry her either?”
“What does this have to do with the case?” Xu Wenchao demanded coldly. “You can question me about the case, even if I’m innocent, but you can’t insult my—”
Luo Wenzhou interrupted him again. “Insult your what? Insult the ‘love’ you pasted onto the south-facing window in the bedroom of Apartment 201, Unit Three, of Xiangyang Community Building Eight?”
Xu Wenchao stiffened, the color draining from his face. The interrogation room fell silent.
Xiao-Wu, who was taking notes to one side, had just awoken from a nap in the office, and he had yet to learn about the latest developments from his colleagues. Flipping the page, he was about to seize the chance to yawn, but his yawn got caught in his throat when he heard Luo Wenzhou’s words. He stared dumbly at Luo Wenzhou, then at Xu Wenchao.
Xu Wenchao’s ears were ringing. The annoyance and anger that Luo Wenzhou had brought out in him were like a fuse, and now a shocking lightning bolt struck down from the sky and ignited a huge blaze. With great difficulty, he squeezed a single sentence from his throat. “What…are you talking about?”
“Xiangyang Community, Building Eight,” Luo Wenzhou repeated clearly. “Your photographic work from when you were young is still on the window. There are also bloodstains, which means we can test DNA. The SUV in that apartment’s parking spot has your hair in it, and just now, Su Xiaolan ‘personally’ handed me the photos from the camera hidden in the painting.” He knocked on the table, smiling. “Can we have a proper conversation now, Mr. Xu?”
Xu Wenchao’s chest rose and fell violently. He didn’t have time to mull over how the police had found the apartment, nor whether he’d actually left evidence behind in that car. When he heard the apartment’s address, he knew it was over. For more than half a minute, he sat there like a statue, his ears ringing. He lost himself in his own world, forgetting the police officer in front of him, the ever-present security camera, and the small, dark, cramped room.
Having gone through higher education, Xu Wenchao had a greater-than-average intellect. He knew right from wrong and could clearly identify the red line that marked what was legal and morally correct. He knew what he was doing and understood the consequences, but he just couldn’t stop. All he could do was be as careful as possible—cover up his crimes as best he could, carefully erase all traces.
It gave him the impression that he’d spent years floating in a bog; half of him was exposed to the daylight as he mingled with regular people, thinking about his life the same way others thought about theirs and sharing most people’s political beliefs. But he never looked down, because the other half of his body was firmly mired in ice-cold sludge.
He’d split himself in two for a long time, but just now, a powerful external force had pushed the exposed, sunlit half of his body down into the mud too. Frigid, stinking filth flooded his nose and mouth, and he suddenly couldn’t breathe.