In the afternoon, Mao Qinglan, who had been crying for most of the day, finally mustered her strength again. Her husband had died tragically and inexplicably, and her daughter was only four years old. Her family still needed her, and her child still needed her mother. She had to be strong.

"Did Qin Jianguo never come back?"

"Yes, officer, my daughter and I waited for him all night, but he didn't come back. When dawn broke, I was worried and went out to look for him, and then... sob sob sob..."

Even the strongest woman cannot remain calm when her husband's tragic death is mentioned.

"Ms. Mao, please accept our condolences. We will continue to investigate the situation. Please go home and take care of your child. We will notify you as soon as we have any news!"

"Thank you, thank you, officer!"

Patrol out to the other side of the guard.

"Cao Zhixiong, we understand that you arranged to meet the deceased Qin Jianguo yesterday afternoon after get off work, right?"

Cao Zhixiong was in his early thirties, quite overweight, and the chair he sat in seemed to creak under his weight.

He answered nonchalantly, "Yes, that's true. I did make plans with him yesterday, but something came up and I stood him up."

"So what are you planning to talk to him about?"

"What else could it be? The factory is selecting new team leaders, and Lao Qin is the group leader, so he has the best chance. I want to get on his good side first. Is that alright?"

"I heard you two haven't gotten along?"

"Nonsense! We're from the same factory. He's the team leader and I'm the deputy team leader. We don't get along. How could he lead the team to do well in production and get this opportunity to be promoted to team leader?"

"Okay, so you said you had something come up yesterday and stood him up, where did you go?"

“Yesterday, my fellow villager Lao Deng came to see me, saying he was introducing a project and invited me to dinner. He also invited other people from the group. The restaurant owner can testify to this! Last night, Lao Deng drank too much and vomited all over the restaurant. We even had to pay him an extra hundred yuan!”

"Okay, thank you for your cooperation. We will verify the information you provided!"

"Can I leave now?"

"Sure, this is just a routine inquiry. If there are any further questions, we hope you will cooperate fully!"

"Absolutely! Police and people are one family! Officer, I'll be going now!"

Two days later, the same patrol guard interrogated in the same room.

"Ms. Mao Qinglan, we regret to inform you that, according to our investigation, your husband, Qin Jianguo, likely drowned after falling into a sugar jar while intoxicated!"

A female police officer in a blue uniform handed Mao Qinglan a forensic report.

Mao Qinglan tossed aside the forensic report in disbelief. "Officer, this is impossible! This is impossible! My Jianguo used to drink, but he's been abstaining for over a month to prepare for this squad leader selection! It can't be!"

"Madam, please calm down. We found a lot of alcohol residue in the sugar jar. Perhaps your husband drank it outside after leaving home?"

There were some things the policewoman couldn't bear to say.

Why was Qin Jianguo discovered the day after he fell into a 3.5-meter-high sugar jar?

Because this sugar jar comes with a built-in mixer, it needs to be stirred regularly every day to ensure the activity of the sugar.

On the morning of their arrival at work, the employee in charge of verification noticed that something was wrong with the syrup flowing from the sugar jar.

Upon further removal, it was discovered that the tissue might be human tissue, and the police were immediately notified.

When the patrolling guards arrived and emptied the syrup from the sugar jar, they discovered Qin Jianguo's mangled body.

Besides the stench of blood, the syrup also had a strong smell of alcohol.

Because the body was so badly mutilated, it was impossible to determine the source of the alcohol—whether it was ingested by the deceased or deliberately added by someone.

After testing, no bottle fragments were found in the syrup. Based on other investigations and analyses, the patrol team unanimously concluded that the alcohol was likely caused by the deceased's excessive consumption of alcohol before his death.

How could the policewoman dare to tell the deceased's wife about this situation?

"Officers, what are you doing! My husband must have been murdered! Haven't you investigated that damned Cao Zhixiong?"

"Madam, please watch your words! We have investigated Cao Zhixiong. He did indeed meet with your husband that day, but afterwards, he ate at nearby restaurants. More than ten people can testify to this!"

"Impossible! Impossible! You must have made a mistake!"

"Madam, please accept my condolences!"

"No……"

With her mother's desperate screams, Qin Wen finally woke up from her nightmare!

For more than 30 years, Qin Wen has been frequently troubled by this nightmare.

Although in 2017, by chance, the truth about his father's death was finally revealed.

However, for cases that have already passed the statute of limitations, the case remains unresolved.

What's the use of discovering the real culprit more than 20 years later?

Liu Damao, the murderer who killed his father, was merely a tool in the process.

The real mastermind behind it all has already turned into a charred corpse in Liu Damao's fit of rage.

Why did Liu Damao turn himself in at that time? Was it really because he couldn't bear the harassment anymore and decided to repent and turn over a new leaf?

It wasn't until his prison medical examination that they learned Liu Damao already had late-stage lung cancer and only had a few days left to live.

Let bygones be bygones!

She glanced at the man still fast asleep beside her, and an inappropriate feeling welled up in her heart again.

At that time, it was truly a blessing from heaven that, after more than twenty years, I was able to fulfill my and my mother's wish.

However, I was blind at the time and followed my narrow-minded idea of ​​giving myself to him.

Touching her increasingly prominent belly, Qin Wen gave a bitter smile.

Everything has already happened. What else can I do but accept it?

If, assuming there were an "if"...