Turbid Light
Liang Qiuchen insisted that he and Xu Mingwei had an improper transaction and that there was no one behind it, and he refused to tell the truth even though his confession was full of mistakes and omissions.
Chen An didn't have much evidence to prove he had someone behind him. This was the first time in this case that both sides suffered losses. The corridor outside the interrogation room was bustling with people. He had been sitting there for over five hours.
After seven years of investigating cases, this is the first time my mind has gone blank.
He thought a lot, but what he thought about most was Xun Muke's sentencing.
Xu Jiaming had already come to make trouble once in the morning and refused to forgive her no matter what. So her sentence would not be very good. Even if she was not executed, she would most likely spend her whole life in prison.
As for the two brothers of the Huo family, the police are still pursuing them with all their might and will arrest them immediately if they enter the country.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Han Ming knew that he hadn't had anything to eat or drink for several hours, so he brought lunch with him.
Chen An's eyes followed his shaking lunch box and he snatched it away without any hesitation.
While eating, Han Ming said to him, "I've asked, and her sentence can be reduced if appropriate. But I never thought she would actually commit a crime for one person."
It was hard to tell whether Han Ming's expression was one of confusion or unwillingness. He seemed unable to understand Xun Muke's impulsive act of killing people.
"Everyone has their own perspective. She's a police officer. How could she break the law knowingly?"
Chen An took two bites of rice and mumbled, "You said people have their own opinions. She's not a police officer now."
"You mean stance is more important than right or wrong?"
Han Ming's eyes sparkled with hope when he asked this question, but why did he sparkle with hope? Chen An didn't understand and only answered his question.
"No. I can sympathize with her because of her stance, but stance is often not the same as right or wrong."
"Then if I make a mistake one day, you will also..."
Chen An put down his chopsticks and covered his mouth to stop him from speaking. Han Ming slid to his knees quickly.
"Uh uh uh... I was wrong, I was just talking nonsense!"
Chen An let go and rolled his eyes at him. He was almost going to have PTSD after hearing these two words.
In the evening, Han Ming invited him to drink at the same stall. The owner joked, "It's been a while since I've been here. Hey, why didn't I see that girl today?"
This restaurant was found by Xun Muke. The three of them would get together for a midnight snack after get off work.
"Oh, she's working overtime." Han Mingti made up a lie.
Han Ming was in a very good condition, so good that he thought he was not sad at all, but this illusion was broken after he got drunk. He seemed not to care, but in fact he had made a lot of arrangements for Xun Muke behind the scenes.
"She said she had bought a plot of land for Ji Xiangyang and originally wanted to wait until she found his body or ashes before burying him, but..." Han Ming hiccuped and continued, "I promised Captain Xiong if he could let her out to take another look at Ji Xiangyang's grave, and he agreed."
After Xun Muke surrendered himself, the Xu Mingwei case was handed over to the second team to avoid suspicion.
"Ugh..." Han Ming was caught off guard and vomited on a tree by the roadside. Chen An supported him and stumbled forward, then suddenly stopped.
Jiang Li and Chen An finally managed to get the drunk Han Ming into the car.
"Why are you here?"
"I heard about Sister Xun's story." Jiang Li saw it on TV. "Can I go see her?"
"She..." Chen An hesitated, "Tomorrow is fine."
This place is not far from home, and it only takes about ten minutes to walk back. The two of them didn't say a word along the way.
After opening the door, Jiang Li went to the entrance to turn on the light. He was caught off guard by someone who pulled him. The other person buried his head in his neck. All the strength in his body was gone. He relaxed and said weakly, "I'm so tired."
Jiang Li immediately hugged him back and comforted him, "It's okay, it's okay."
This was the first time Jiang Li saw his vulnerability. His tired eyes looked at him so quietly that it frightened him.
Chen An used to think that he was rational, and that he could face suspects and victims rationally. But after encountering so many things, he realized that no one is heartless. After all, sending a friend to jail with his own hands is still a big shock.
"Don't keep your eyes open, go to sleep." Jiang Li knew that he was not asleep, so she covered his eyes with her hands.
Then he really closed his eyes obediently. Jiang Li supported his chin and watched him fall asleep. He didn't take his hand away until he heard steady breathing beside him. He looked at his sleeping face.
Xun Muke's incident dealt a heavy blow to Chen An and also served as a reminder to Jiang Li that if his identity was exposed, Chen An would only be more upset.
He began to wonder whether his behavior was right. What would be the outcome for them if he invested in this relationship without any certainty?
Chen An turned over and interrupted his thoughts. He was hugged tightly, as if grabbing the last straw.
Xun Muke came to the cemetery and chose a good place for Ji Xiangyang, where he could hide safely under the shade of a tree, away from wind and sun.
Everyone accompanied her, and they all stopped ten steps away tacitly.
Her mental state was better than yesterday, but her movements were a little slower. It took her some effort to squat down. She was handcuffed and it was inconvenient for her to do so, so she could only touch the name on the tombstone with difficulty.
She carved the name stroke by stroke, thinking it wouldn't be an empty tomb, but in the end it was.
On the way to send her back, she was still very quiet, like a different person. Only when she got off the car did she hold down Chen An who was sitting next to her and whispered something.
Two days later, Chen An visited the prison.
The prison guard brought Xun Muke to him. She had cut her hair short, but still looked listless.
Both parties picked up the phone, and Chen An said, "What do you want to tell me?"
Xun Muke seemed very tired, and he had to take a breath before speaking. "I want to tell you, be careful of the people in the bureau."
"What's the meaning?"
"Chen An, do you still remember the first time I asked to resign?"
Chen An nodded. "Remember, you said you were tired of this job and wanted to change your way of life. Of course, I now know that you wanted to avenge Ji Xiangyang."
"Yeah. But... it's not that simple." Xun Muke covered the receiver and said cautiously, "I feel like someone is watching me."
Chen An frowned immediately.
"I had this feeling when I was still in the bureau. In order to find clues about Ji Xiangyang, I would stay in the archives of the Municipal Bureau for a long time. I always felt that someone was watching me from the dark."
Xun Muke looked too pale, and he was afraid that she had mental problems.
"Could it be that you are overthinking it, and that gaze might not be from someone else but Han Ming?"
Xun Muke shook her head, "I don't know, but this look is not friendly, it has a strong sense of surveillance." Then she realized that Chen An was worried about her mental state, and her pale face turned red with excitement.
"I don't have any mental problems. I know my own situation clearly, and what I said is true. I've always had suspicions, and that gaze didn't disappear until I resigned! I have a hunch that someone knows all this, and I'm afraid someone will expose Ji Xiangyang's affairs."
Ji Xiangyang is indeed an important figure. He is connected to Xu Mingwei and indirectly connected to Liang Qiuchen. If you dig deeper, it is easy to find out who is behind Liang Qiuchen, but the key is that Liang Qiuchen has given up. He thinks that since he has been arrested, the people above him cannot touch him and have to help him take care of his family. This is the most favorable situation for him, and he will never break this balance.
"Who do you think this person is?"
Xun Muke hesitated, his brows drooping, "I don't know."
"It doesn't matter. I won't tell anyone else what you say. I'm just giving you some ideas."
Xun Muke's heart wavered slightly, "I think it's very likely right next to us."
She didn't say it explicitly, but the look she gave Chen An told him clearly.
"Do you think this person is Han Ming?"
Xun Muke nodded. "After you left the interrogation room, Liang Qiucheng's psychological defenses had already collapsed. We were all waiting for him to speak, but Han Ming said something that seemed like a threat but was actually a warning."
He said, if you don’t tell anyone, the murderer who killed Xu Mingwei might also target your grandchildren.
The real murderer was standing next to him. What he said had no intention of making Liang Qiuchen tell what happened. Instead, it would make Liang Qiuchen think about taking the blame himself in exchange for the safety of his family.
"At the time, I only cared about where Ji Xiangyang was and didn't pay much attention to this sentence. I only remembered it these few days when I was in there."
Chen An laughed dryly, still unwilling to doubt the people around him. "Maybe you are too sensitive. There is an interrogator in Han Ming's team. He is not good at interrogation. It is possible that he said it unintentionally."
Xun Muke knew he couldn't convince him, so he had to compromise, "Then just treat it as my overthinking."
"In that case, let me be clear. My USB drive is missing."
Xun Muke saved all the clues she collected on the way to find Ji Xiangyang, regardless of whether they were useful or not, into a USB flash drive, but she discovered that the USB flash drive was missing not long ago.
"I haven't found direct evidence that Xu Mingwei killed Ji Xiangyang, but I did buy an audio recording from a former Xu employee," Xun Muke said. "The recording is a conversation between Liang Qiucheng and Xu Mingwei. He said that after he leaves, someone new will take over his position and told Xu Mingwei to cooperate without worry."
"If Liang Qiucheng really colluded with Xu Mingwei on his own initiative, he would have cut off all contact with Xu Mingwei after leaving his job to avoid further complications. Would he have gone to such great lengths to find a successor? Besides, would he have the ability to infiltrate the Municipal Bureau? I can't think of anyone other than someone higher up. After Liang Qiucheng left, none of the three of us who replaced him were familiar with him. If this successor wasn't you or me, who else could it be?"
After she said that, Chen An's mind started working. Xun Muke said that her USB flash drive was lost after the New Year. Before that, only two people had been to her house, Lu Yuyao and Han Ming, who sent her home drunk on New Year's Eve.
It is very foolish to seek the truth with a set answer.
Chen An shook his head. "That's just your guess."
Xun Muke said, "I know, but I no longer have the energy to find new truths. I just want to remind you to be careful."
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