Chapter 220 Chen Bufan

Shen Zhenzhu walked up to her, and even so, Huang Dan's expression remained relatively relaxed. But if you went around to her from behind, you could see that her shoulders were slightly hunched forward, as if she was trying her best to control her anxiety.

There was a knock at the door, and an operative holding a teacup said inappropriately, "Captain Chen, the water's here."

Chen Zhenzhu said sternly, "Is this the time to deliver water?"

The interrogation was interrupted, and Huang Dan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She felt an indescribable sense of oppression emanating from Shen Zhenzhu. In Shen Zhenzhu's presence, she felt that her secrets had nowhere to hide.

Huang Dan made an excuse, saying, "I'm thirsty, Captain Chen, could you give me a glass of water?"

The reprimanded operator looked at Shen Zhenzhu sheepishly.

Shen Zhenzhu said, "Drink it."

The operative brought a water glass to Huang Dan, but perhaps due to nervousness, the glass suddenly slipped off the edge of the table.

At the crucial moment, Huang Dan, still in handcuffs, reacted swiftly and grabbed the water glass. Then she said coldly, "Why isn't there any water?"

Her muscle memory, honed through long-term training, caused her to let her guard down and give herself away.

Chen Zhenzhu snatched the empty glass and laughed wickedly: "Manager Huang's reaction is exceptionally fast."

Huang Dan suddenly lunged forward, trying to choke Shen Zhenzhu, but the next second Shen Zhenzhu slammed her knee into her abdomen!

Huang Dan gagged, clutching her stomach, and was then handcuffed again after the handcuffs had been secretly removed. Knowing she'd fallen into another trap, her expression finally betrayed her, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "You're a cunning fox!"

"Excellent." Zhou Chuanxi, who brought the water cup, took it, glanced nostalgically at the interrogation room, and said, "Sister Pearl, I'll be going now."

Shen Zhenzhu added another chain lock to Huang Dan and nodded to him: "Thank you, Brother Xizi."

"You're quite skilled too." Huang Dan looked at them coldly, her hands gripping the handcuffs. "When did you start testing me?"

“Do we need to test you? You’re full of holes.” Shen Zhenzhu returned to her seat and, in stark contrast to Huang Dan’s mood, said quite calmly, “You use departmental abbreviations that are not commonly used in the public sphere, you are proficient in Latin, your financial accounts are unclear, and you have access to overseas contacts.”

Huang Dan said, "What does that represent?"

"What does this mean? Are you still going to put up a stubborn resistance?" Chen Zhenzhu's face hardened, her previous relaxed demeanor vanishing, and she said seriously, "Does Jiang Luchao know you're a spy?"

"A spy? Captain Shen, you're joking." Huang Dan instantly calmed down and displayed an inappropriate evasive attitude: "You don't need to keep pressuring me."

Holding Huang Dan's personal information, Chen Zhenzhu said, "Then let me ask you, when you were in elementary school, was the playground surrounded by a wall or a grove of poplar trees?"

"Why ask this question?" Huang Dan said through gritted teeth, "I don't remember. That was a long time ago, maybe it was the wall."

Chen Zhenzhu tilted her head: "Think about it again carefully."

Huang Dan said, "It's poplar forest, yes, I remember now."

Chen Zhenzhu smiled and said, "It's a pity you remembered it wrong. I'll give you another chance. What do you remember about your elementary school days?"

Huang Dan quickly calculated the date and said confidently, "The country launched its Five-Year Plan and began industrialization. Internationally, there were also [experiments], and someone summited Mount Everest. Yes, the Rosenbergs were executed!"

"You remember very clearly the execution of the spy couple," Shen Zhenzhu said seriously, "but you don't mention any of your memories of elementary school. Is it because you have no memories of studying in China during your elementary school years? Am I right?"

Huang Dan's face darkened. She stared intently at Chen Zhenzhu and suddenly laughed: "It's a pity you're a CID officer. If you were a spy like me, you might become a great person."

"It's good that you admit it." Shen Zhenzhu smiled as well: "There's an old saying in our country, 'A wise man submits to circumstances,' and I think you are one of them."

Huang Dan smiled and said, "Even if I admit it, I believe Captain Shen has more ways to make me admit it. Enough nonsense, what information do you want from me? If you don't hand me over, I'll agree to any deal."

Shen Zhenzhu said, "I have no interest in money. What I'm more interested in is whether the human smuggler who introduced Chen Bufan to you is also one of your people?"

Huang Dan said, "Of course, we will cast a wide net among the masses and catch as many fish as possible. We will test the hearts of some people. If we can develop them into partners, we will. If we cannot become partners, we can still turn them into money. But I did not kill anyone. Please believe me on this point. I am just a spy and I do not like killing."

Shen Zhenzhu said, "What good will it do you to say all this?"

Huang Dan said, "Of course, we'll need to ask Captain Shen for help with the extradition application at that time."

Shen Zhenzhu did not answer directly, but asked again, "How many people do you have?"

Huang Dan tapped her head and said, "I can write it down for you; I've memorized it all."

Shen Zhenzhu asked, "How many state secrets did you obtain? How did you obtain them?"

Huang Dan said, "We mainly get in touch with senior staff at local high-level hospitals. You have to understand that everyone gets sick, and in the process of getting to know people, we inevitably seek out good doctors and hospitals. Through them, we get to know people in some departments, learn about their information, and then pass it on to make some money."

Shen Zhenzhu wrote down LLH0229 and showed it to her: "Do you know what this is?"

Huang Dan, seemingly unconcerned, said, "It's another overseas account of the Van Gogh Foundation. I also transfer money into it to support other espionage work or to buy and sell information. I don't know much else, after all, I'm on the 'front line,' and there are other people above me. You can have your security department investigate thoroughly. I'm willing to be a witness against the charges—"

Huang Dan sat up straight and lowered his voice, saying, "I am also willing to conduct transactions in all aspects."

“You should save your breath for the deal.” Shen Zhenzhu stepped forward, patted Huang Dan on the shoulder and said, “I hope what you’re telling me is the truth.”

......

During the interrogation, the expressions of Director Tu, Director Liu, and a group of municipal bureau leaders watching from outside were a mixture of joy and worry.

The good news is that Shen Zhenzhu discovered a spy who had been lying low for decades during a short investigation. The bad news is that the number and organization of foreign spies are unknown, and the extent to which they have infiltrated is chilling.

After Shen Zhenzhu came out of the interrogation room, Huang Dan was placed under house arrest.

Upon meeting Director Tu and his team, Shen Zhenzhu spoke frankly: "They're not honest enough; they need to be interrogated a few more times."

Director Tu said, "We've caught him. Now it's a test of wits. Whoever gets anxious first loses. You continue."

"yes."

A group of agents eagerly surrounded Shen Zhenzhu, explaining the progress of their work.

"The rich woman who came with Jiang Luchao said that Jiang Luchao got together with her because of money."

"After reviewing Jiang Luchao's social connections, it was found that he had entanglements with many wealthy women."

"According to Jiang Luchao's company staff, it has become the norm for him to delay paying wages and film remuneration, and he often only pays once every six months or more."

“I saw Jiang Luchao’s private account continuously transferring varying amounts of funds to the company’s account, which appeared to be used to maintain the company’s daily operations.”

"After investigating the source of the funds, it was found that almost all of them were transferred to him by women."

Shen Zhenzhu spent twenty minutes analyzing Jiang Luchao with the investigators. Even though Huang Dan said that Jiang Luchao was not with her, they still had to carefully screen him and not let a spy who would harm the national interest get away.

Without even greeting the leaders, Shen Zhenzhu finished the meeting and went straight into Jiang Luchao's interrogation room.

Upon learning the truth, Jiang Luchao's face turned ashen, and he stammered, "How...how did I know she was a spy? There are still spies at this time? That's not how it's portrayed in the play!"

Shen Zhenzhu slammed the account list in front of him and asked, "What exactly is your relationship with them? Why are they giving you money?"

Jiang Luchao's face turned black then green, then green then red, then red then white, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.

"Speak," Chen Zhenzhu urged.

Jiang Luchao swallowed hard, then broke down and cried out, tears streaming down his face: "I'm so miserable, I'm so damn unlucky, how did I end up with a vampire?"

Shen Zhenzhu said, "Either you speak properly, or you cry first before you speak."

Jiang Luchao, no longer caring about his image, said with great distress, "I knew Huang Dan wasn't an ordinary person. I thought she was just a ruthless character who was greedy for money, but I never expected her to go this far. Why would she become a spy? She's risking her life... No, she was a desperate criminal to begin with."

The camera tape rotated, focusing on Jiang Luchao's face to record this moment.

“Twenty years ago, I really loved Gong Qi. I only wanted her, and I didn’t care about anything for her.” Jiang Luchao said with a mournful face and closed eyes, somewhat dazed, “I wish it were all a dream. If I hadn’t told Chen Bufan that he could be smuggled, Huang Dan wouldn’t have captured Chen Bufan and turned him into a mummy to threaten me. She actually brought the mummy to a place not far from my house, watching me day and night, threatening me to give her money. She extorted and blackmailed me again and again, and I had to give her my hard-earned money every month. Her appetite grew bigger and bigger. Starting last year, she said she would leave here, but she needed a huge sum of money. If I didn’t agree, she would put ‘Chen Bufan’ on my doorstep.”

Jiang Luchao shuddered, remembering how he had been terrified back then. He pitifully wiped away his tears and choked out, "A dignified film company boss like me, still having to sleep with rich women... It's all fake. When they liked me, I was their darling; when they didn't, they called me a ripe banana. They played me so hard, I took so many pills but it didn't work. I... I'm really not a man."

Shen Zhenzhu covered her forehead and paused for a few seconds before hesitatingly saying, "You have a good image, why don't you continue acting to earn money?"

Jiang Luchao said, "How much money can I make from filming? I'm tired, I'm exhausted, I can't keep going. If I keep them happy, I get endorsements, I make money, and they can even introduce me to business. But it's also because of my good personal image that they are willing to work with me, out of fan mentality."

Shen Zhenzhu nodded: "Go on."

Jiang Luchao looked at the camera and said, "It will be kept secret, right?"

Shen Zhenzhu said, "This is not the time for you to worry about this. Do you know that you are suspected of espionage, intentional homicide, and desecration of a corpse?"

Jiang Luchao closed his eyes tightly, and tears fell again: "I am a real loser, a 'loser'."

Shen Zhenzhu said, "You only introduced the smuggler, right?"

Jiang Luchao said, "I've said it several times, I really wouldn't dare to kill anyone. I cherish myself very much."

“I haven’t seen any sign of him taking care of himself,” Shen Zhenzhu said calmly.

Jiang Luchao was speechless, his face contorted in a grimace. He sat opposite Shen Zhenzhu with his greasy hair and powdered face, feeling restless as if he had nails stuck to his bottom: "Captain Shen, help me, I've told you everything I know."

Shen Zhenzhu said, "It's still early. Think carefully about whether you've forgotten anything. For example, how did Huang Dan find you?"

Jiang Luchao recalled, "She suddenly appeared in front of me a few years ago. She knew my whereabouts very well, even better than I knew myself. Gong Qi asked me what was going on, and I could only say that Huang Dan was an excessive pursuer. I was afraid that she would call the police after she found out the truth. Once I was tainted, I wouldn't be able to continue working."

Shen Zhenzhu said, "So you turned a blind eye to the rumors that slandered 'Chen Bufan,' leaving him to bear the stigma of being despised by thousands even after his death."

Shen Zhenzhu's words left Jiang Luchao speechless. He picked at his nails and said anxiously, "But I really didn't want to kill him."

Shen Zhenzhu said, "Yes, you just cut his corpse again and again."

Jiang Luchao, his voice trembling with tears, no longer sounded like a seasoned cadre. He buried his head in his hands and said, "Stop talking, I really can't take it anymore. You have no idea how I've been living. All these years, since moving to Victoria, I've often had to go for walks with Gong Qi to maintain the facade of our loving relationship. Whenever we get to the museum, we always pass by 'Chen Bufan.' I'm so afraid of being discovered!"

I took his woman; I knew he was there, but I was too cowardly to say a word. I can't sleep day or night; even the psychiatrist says I can't go on like this. I'll go crazy, I really will!

Shen Zhenzhu said, "I heard that you control Gong Qi's finances?"

Jiang Luchao sobbed, "Xiao Qi, sob sob... We've been married for almost twenty years, but we have no children, no money, the company is just an empty shell, and the villa has been mortgaged. I... I'm so sorry to her."

......

After leaving Jiang Luchao's interrogation room, Shen Zhenzhu first reported the progress of the case to Director Tu, Director Liu and other leaders. After the report, she then communicated with the national security departments above the municipal level to apply for the control and transfer of Huang Dan.

Since the case does not involve military secrets, it will continue to be under the jurisdiction, investigation, prosecution, and trial of the national security department after being transferred to it.

"Now that the National Security Bureau has taken over, is our case solved?" Zhao Qiqi crunched on an ice pop in the dead of winter. "This is my first time participating in a spy case, it's really exciting. Hey, why is it so noisy outside?"

Shen Zhenzhu was writing transfer materials when she heard this. She put down her pen and walked to the window.

Wu Zhongguo, Xiaobai, and Lu Ye are still away on a business trip. When the goldfish in the fish tank see Chen Zhenzhu, they circle around her.

Chen Zhenzhu was multitasking. She unscrewed the fish food can, pinched a small amount, sprinkled it into the fish tank, and stared out the window as she said, "It's Gong Qi who's been surrounded by reporters."

Zhao Qiqi rushed to the window and looked at Gong Qi, who was surrounded by reporters, and said, "Her husband was arrested and her family went bankrupt without her knowing... Let me help her drive the reporters away, sigh."

"Slow down," Chen Zhenzhu said.

Gong Qi tried her best to control her emotions downstairs, while her assistant, makeup artist, and "Avanti" helped her escape from the reporters.

Reporters who had caught wind of the headline news wouldn't give up easily, and they surrounded and blocked the car.

"Did you know that actors from Jiang Luchao's company revealed that he often withholds actors' pay and employees' wages?"

“His company was seized. A friend at the bank told me that not only was there no money in the company's account, but your house was also mortgaged. Did you know that?”

"Someone photographed you going out on a date with a cameraman from the film crew. Is it this person in the car?"

"I heard that a high-ranking official from a certain department is pursuing you. Would you accept his pursuit and divorce Jiang Luchao?"

"You two are a model couple in the film and television industry, but you're actually each doing your own thing. Have you ever thought about apologizing to your fans?"

A barrage of tricky questions overwhelmed Gong Qi. She lowered the window, abandoning her aloof demeanor, her eyes blazing with anger: "Are you trying to kill me? I'm a victim too!"

When she spoke, the flashbulbs went off even brighter.

The assistant hugged Gong Qi tenderly and reached out to shield her crying face.

The makeup artist, unable to bear it any longer, shouted from the other side of the car window: "Stop crowding around! Get out of here! Be careful, we'll sue you for spreading rumors and causing trouble!"

One reporter scoffed, "He hasn't paid off a single penny and is heavily in debt. It's uncertain whether he'll even get any acting roles in the future. Is he just trying to scare us?"

"Don't say that, buddy. Who knows, she might marry some high-ranking official, and then you'll be in trouble."

The passenger, "Nasreddin," almost jumped out to beat someone up. Gong Qi grabbed his clothes and sobbed, "Don't be impulsive, let's get out of here quickly."

Zhao Qiqi and the staff from the Criminal Investigation Brigade's reception room came out to maintain order and drive away the reporters surrounding them. The car slowly drove onto the road.

"Captain Chen, are you busy?" Gu Yanzheng stood outside the door and pretended to knock. When Shen Zhenzhu turned around, he gestured to the soldier next to him and said, "This is Platoon Leader Liu. He specially brought over Chen Bufan's belongings from the brigade."

Shen Zhenzhu walked over quickly and reached out her hand to shake hands with Platoon Leader Liu with delight: "Thank you for making the trip, Platoon Leader Liu. Please come in and have a seat. I'll make you some tea."

Platoon Leader Liu said in a serious tone, "Team Leader Chen, don't be so polite. The vehicle is still waiting downstairs. Here is the list of items in the Liberation Pack. You can check them and then give me a receipt."

Gu Yanzheng said from the side, "He also has official business to attend to."

Seeing that Platoon Leader Liu was in such a hurry, Chen Zhenzhu could no longer stop him and took out the items from the Liberation Pack one by one.

Gu Yanzheng spread out the list and checked it with her: "Four sheets of toilet paper, five blank sheets of letter paper, three stamps, three envelopes... one diary, one letter... a total of twenty-three personal items."

Shen Zhenzhu said, "There are twenty-three pieces."

"If you have any questions, you can contact the unit leader at the time using this phone number. Captain Chen, I'm leaving now." Platoon Leader Liu kept his eyes glued to the screen, checked everything together, saluted, and strode away.

"Thank you, Platoon Leader Liu, goodbye." Shen Zhenzhu said, watching his retreating figure, "You're quite efficient."

Gu Yanzheng waved in front of her and whispered, "My legs are longer than his, don't look."

Shen Zhenzhu almost choked: "Stop talking."

"I heard she's a spy?" Gu Yanzheng followed closely behind Shen Zhenzhu like a big bad wolf. He pulled out a chair for Shen Zhenzhu to sit down, then naturally hooked another chair over with his toes and sat down next to her, stretching his arms out on the back of Shen Zhenzhu's chair.

From an outsider's perspective, it seems as if they have surrounded Shen Zhenzhu within their own sphere of influence.

This was a subconscious act of declaration, which even Gu Yanzheng himself did not realize.

"Hmm." Chen Zhenzhu buried her head in examining Chen Bufan's belongings and said, "Didn't you also notice something was wrong?"

Gu Yanzheng said, "I did feel something was wrong, but you're the one who caught them. Let's stop making excuses and check again to see if we've missed anyone."

Chen Bufan's diary is filled with the colors of that era, written in standard printed font with straight lines and vertical strokes, mostly copying classic lines and lyrics.

Occasionally, a few pages would contain his personal reflections, as unrestrained as his personality, scattered here and there, leaving the reader somewhat confused. Later, however, his feelings gradually became clearer—

"Today is a special day. I met a beautiful girl. Her name is Xiaoqi, and her face is as rosy as the sunset. She truly captivates me."

"...I spent all my salary this month on egg vouchers for my fellow villager. His daughter-in-law is about to give birth. Oh, the fate of the times. May God bless her and the baby."

"I'm in the same production team as Xiaoqi!"

"It's a girl, and she's malnourished. I promised to get some milk powder for my fellow villager."

"When will Xiaoqi understand my feelings?"

"When the boss found out I was getting milk powder for my fellow villagers, he made me write a 500-word self-criticism!"

"Xiao Qi... Xiao Qi... my beloved girl. Please stay away from other men."

......

Flipping through Chen Bufan's diary, the tragic mummies stored in the forensic room seemed to possess a vibrant and benevolent life force, making Shen Zhenzhu feel even more sorry for them.

"Look at this day, Gong Qi accepted Chen Bufan's pursuit." Gu Yanzheng flipped through the diary, tapping lightly with his fingertip.

After reading a few pages, Chen Zhenzhu exclaimed, "Chen Bufan is 'overjoyed,' what a beautiful and pure emotion!"

Unfortunately, this didn't last long, and a hint of distress crept into Chen Bufan's diary. Gradually, his days ceased to be filled with joy or sorrow; aside from recording the weather, large blank spaces remained, devoid of any further words.

On the last page of his diary, Chen Bufan wrote a few sentences in hasty, messy handwriting, as if his chaotic emotions were out of control.

Why hasn't there been any response to the "confession letter" I sent out? Why hasn't anyone contacted me for a talk?

My boss criticized me, saying I made inappropriate jokes, but I never joked with him.

'If possible, we could buy another video recorder and place it in Hongshan County, pretending there was no explosion. Wouldn't that make it impossible to trace it back to Xiaoqi? We really shouldn't have let Xiaoqi get involved!'

'I wrote another letter of apology, saying that if I couldn't buy a video recorder, I would send it to the newspaper to confess everything, and I couldn't let Xiaoqi bear this alone.'

'My precious video recorder, my invaluable video recorder, I will risk my life for it.'

“It turns out he didn’t want to smuggle himself out; he wanted to buy a video recorder to replace the one he mistakenly thought had exploded.” Shen Zhenzhu pointed to the words and looked at Gu Yanzheng, saying, “At that time, he didn’t know it was a misunderstanding and was deceived by Jiang Luchao and Huang Dan.”

Gu Yanzheng asked, "Do you know who the snakehead is?"

Shen Zhenzhu said, "Huang Dan said he was one of her subordinates. I will go over again tonight and carefully record the physical characteristics of each person to make it easier for the security personnel to handle the case."

“It’s a race against time.” Gu Yanzheng continued flipping through the diary: “So Chen Bufan didn’t intend to shirk responsibility; he genuinely wanted to quell the bombing.”

“It should be right,” Shen Zhenzhu said.

Gu Yanzheng leaned forward, touching the envelope, and said, "Let's see what's inside. I was curious about this earlier."

The envelope had been opened, and the paper inside was worn and showed signs of having been read by many people.

"Is it the 'Confession of Guilt' mentioned in the diary?" Shen Zhenzhu turned her head and stared at Gu Yanzheng, who had opened the letter.

Respected comrades, fellow soldiers, and fellow villagers:

I deeply regret the fatal explosion that occurred in Hongshan County last month. This was entirely due to my own wavering stance and the influence of capitalist ideology.

I persuaded my fellow villagers to buy the video recorder; I deserve to die. If the wreckage of the video recorder is found, it will surely bear my fingerprints and markings—proof of my crime.

I have forgotten my teachers and leaders, and I have forgotten the nurturing and education I received from my motherland.

In particular, Comrade Gong Qi insisted on persuading me not to smuggle goods.

On the contrary, I find honest advice hard to hear and incessant chatter.

This is the second "confession" I have written. I also called my supervisor at 5458-611 to confess, but unfortunately no one answered.

By the time you receive this letter, I may have already left. I request the organization to forgive my rashness and not hold Gong Qi accountable.

I'm sorry, my beloved girl.

Chen Bufan left

-----------------------

Author's Note: There's a red envelope! See you tomorrow! [Let me see]