Chapter 154 Torture
◎The loud noise tortured Xiang Dong’s ears◎
Xiang Dong sat in the interrogation room, his hands cuffed and the iron chair cold.
All the policemen in front of him were wearing olive green uniforms, with cold faces and a strong sense of oppression in their seriousness. The eight big words "Leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist" written on the snow-white wall made him feel breathless.
At this moment, Xiang Dong truly realized the power of the police.
Originally, Xiang Dong thought that he did not kill the person, nor did he authorize the murder. He had a perfect alibi, and no matter how powerful the police were, they could not do anything to him.
However, Xiang Dong is now sitting in the iron chair, looking at the policeman sitting majestically in front of him, his heart starts to beat, and he is no longer so sure - could it be that he is just going with the flow and is also breaking the law?
Huo Zhuo slammed the documents on the table.
"Bang!"
There was a noise, and Xiang Dong was startled, and his shoulders trembled.
Huo Zhuo started asking questions with a cold face.
"Name?"
"Age?"
"Nation?"
"Work unit?"
…
Obvious questions were raised one after another, and the voices of Huo Zhuo and Xiang Dong took turns echoing in this empty interrogation room.
Xiang Dong's heart was getting more and more anxious.
Huo Zhuo narrowed his eyes and stared at Xiang Dong closely.
At this moment, Huo Zhuo seemed to have transformed into a tiger, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Zhao Xiangwan sat aside, holding his breath, concentrating, and paying full attention to Xiang Dong's every move.
Huo Zhuo asked: "You and Cheng Xinru have an improper relationship, right?"
Xiang Dong lowered his head to look at his toes and replied in a low voice, "No."
Huo Zhuo raised his voice: "You are lying!"
Xiang Dong was forced to raise his head and meet Huo Zhuo's eyes: "Officer Huo, this is my personal matter. It has nothing to do with the case, right?"
Huo Zhuo sneered, "Private matters? In the interrogation room, you must answer every question I ask seriously! Otherwise..." He raised his hand and pointed at the eight big words on the snow-white wall, "Did you see it?"
Xiang Dong took a look at the eight big characters.
It was clearly the most common Fangsong font, and clearly just eight ordinary words, but it seemed to carry a tremendous force that made people shudder.
"I saw it." Xiang Dong spoke with a trembling voice, obviously a little flustered.
Huo Zhuo repeated what he had just said: "You and Cheng Xinru have an improper relationship, right?"
Under Huo Zhuo's gaze, Xiang Dong responded reluctantly: "I was dating Cheng Xinru for a while, but it ended after Yanyan found out."
Huo Zhuo shook his head with contempt in his eyes: "Xiang Dong, if you dare to do it, you must dare to admit it. You are sitting in the interrogation room and you are still lying! Do you know what this means? Deceiving the police is aggravated."
Xiang Dong didn't know what the police knew. He looked at Huo Zhuo guiltily and began to tell him the details of his relationship with Cheng Xinru.
"Xiao Cheng is young and pretty, and she adores me. At first, I just thought it was a pity for such a capable girl like her to work as a custodian in a warehouse, so I helped her a little and transferred her to the publicity department to become an announcer. I didn't expect that she would cling to me from then on, knitting sweaters for me, sending me hot soup, and asking about my well-being. She even said she wanted to marry me even though she knew I had a family. I admit that I am a man and I have vanity. Facing her gentle offensive, I quickly gave in. But...we are just dating normally, and we definitely didn't cross the line."
Huo Zhuo sneered: "Xiang Dong, your lies may be enough to win money and charm, but there is no need to tell them in front of the police. If you hadn't promised a woman and hadn't had skin-to-skin contact with her, how could she be so devoted to you that she would be content to stay at that shabby sales point in a small county for five years?"
Xiang Dong was still stubborn: "You have to believe me. Xiao Cheng and I really don't have any improper relationship between men and women. Everything is her will. If she has any problems, it has absolutely nothing to do with me."
In one word, it was said cleanly.
Huo Zhuo was furious when he heard this: "Xiang Dong, you are still lying to the police now! Let me ask you, who renovated Cheng Xinru's rental house in the small county? Who bought the TV and VCR? Who gave her 300 yuan a month for living expenses? Whose men's clothes are in Cheng Xinru's closet and shoe cabinet? And...who used the condoms in the trash can?!"
Huo Zhuo's voice became louder and louder. At the end, he slammed the table and stood up, his eyes wide open: "In the rental house you and Cheng Xinru shared, your fingerprints, hair, and dandruff are everywhere. Your DNA information is everywhere in the house. Do you still have the nerve to deny your relationship with Cheng Xinru in front of us?"
Xiang Dong was frightened by Huo Zhuo's aura and hunched his shoulders inward. He obviously did not expect the police to be so well prepared.
He lowered his head again, looked at his toes, and stammered for a long time, "Yes, Cheng Xinru and I are lovers."
Huo Zhuo pressed on: "Why are you lying?"
Xiang Dong felt like a bird trapped in a cage, flapping its wings for a long time but being knocked down by the cage again and again. One lie required countless lies to cover it up, which made him feel very passive.
"I... after all, I am a man with a family. It is not decent for me to have a mistress."
Xiang Dong's answer did not satisfy Huo Zhuo.
Huo Zhuo sneered, "Unseemly? Just unseemly? You cheated on your spouse during marriage, that's immoral!"
There were seven or eight policemen sitting in front of Xiang Dong, all staring at him with burning, mocking eyes. Even though no one spoke, Xiang Dong felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
He suddenly raised his head and looked at Huo Zhuo: "Morality? What is morality? Using kindness to hold me back and force me to stay in that suffocating marriage, is this moral?"
Huo Zhuo was so angry that his lungs were about to explode!
The kindness is as heavy as a mountain, and in Xiang Dong's mouth it becomes a gratitude.
To Xiang Dong, forgiveness and tolerance are merely prolonging one's life.
Qian Yanyan accommodated Xiang Dong in every way, and the Qian family took care of Xiang Dong in every way, but all was in vain!
Huo Zhuo was a straightforward person. He slammed the table heavily and said, "Does your cheating on your wife make sense? This is simply robbery logic!"
Bang!
The sound of slapping the table was very loud. Xiang Dong shook his shoulders and glanced at Huo Zhuo: "Officer Huo, you are just telling the truth."
Huo Zhuo did not continue to discuss whether there was any reason for the extramarital affair, and turned the topic back to Cheng Xinru: "You and Cheng Xinru have been lovers for a long time, right?"
The evidence was irrefutable, so Xiang Dong had to admit, "Yes."
Huo Zhuo asked: "Do you want to be a long-term couple with Cheng Xinru?"
Xiang Dong firmly denied: "No, in my eyes, Cheng Xinru is just a little lover who can relieve stress and emotions. I am so much older than her, and her personality is undetermined. I have never thought of marrying her."
Zhao Xiangwan exchanged glances with his teammates.
Cheng Xinru wanted to marry Xiang Dong, and she even let her second brother kill Qian Yanyan. She thought that as long as she could clear the biggest obstacle on the road to marriage, she could marry Xiang Dong, but she never knew that in Xiang Dong's eyes, she was just a little toy.
Huo Zhuo also realized at this moment that Xiang Dong was an extremely selfish person.
He obviously took advantage of Cheng Xinru's feelings and let her be the first to take the initiative to deal with Qian Yanyan's affairs, while he himself reaped the benefits.
In Xiang Dong's future, there is no place for Cheng Xinru at all.
At first, Cheng Xinru was young, beautiful, innocent and lovely, which really made Xiang Dong's heart beat, but after a long time, he gave up. Cheng Xinru's cultural level was not much higher than Qian Yanyan, and her knowledge and family background were not as good as Qian Yanyan.
At most, it's just a little bit of novelty.
However, Xiang Dong made Cheng Xinru fall in love.
Cheng Xinru gave up too much for Xiang Dongshe, and she can't let go of this feeling.
Facing Cheng Xinru's deep affection and persistence, Xiang Dong dated her intermittently. He rented a house for her, gave her living expenses every month, and came to see her several times regularly. He made vows to her, but in his heart he was thinking about how to get rid of her.
After meeting Ai Linglan, Xiang Dong began to think about divorce and remarrying.
Ai Linglan was his first love, they spoke the same language and had a foundation of affection. More importantly, Ai Linglan was in a high position and had a bright future with the support of her uncle, a Hong Kong businessman.
Ai Linglan promised that if he could successfully get rid of Qian Yanyan, her original wife, she would use her power to transfer him to the provincial automobile machinery factory as deputy director.
In order to leave Zhu City and enter the provincial capital, Xiang Dong must be ruthless.
So Xiang Dong came up with an idea that killed two birds with one stone.
On the one hand, he intentionally or unintentionally tells Cheng Xinru about the pain of his marriage, exaggerating Qian Yanyan's tyranny and power, as if it was because Qian Yanyan threatened to die that he could not divorce. He keeps hinting that if Cheng Xinru wants to be a long-term couple with him, the only way is to kill Qian Yanyan.
On the other hand, he told Cheng Xinru that Qian Yanyan played mahjong in Building 3 in the West District every night, and scolded Qian Yanyan for being addicted to mahjong and returning home late at night. If she encountered a robber on the way, her life would be in danger.
With such a hint, Cheng Xin really had some ideas.
In order to make it easier for Cheng Xinru to find someone, Xiang Dong gave her nearly 5,000 yuan over the past few months. He said that he was buying her gold jewelry for the New Year, but in fact he was just giving her a helping hand.
In Xiang Dong's plan, after Cheng Xinru hired someone to kill Qian Yanyan, he would break up with her on the grounds that Cheng Xinru was cruel and cold-blooded. Cheng Xinru had the leverage in his hand, so she naturally didn't dare to make trouble and could only suffer the consequences.
In this way, he got rid of Qian Yanyan and Cheng Xinru at the same time.
After the scandal died down, Xiang Dong could marry someone else and no one would be able to find fault with him.
Cheng Xinru did not disappoint him.
On a winter night in March, Qian Yanyan was killed while he was drinking and bragging with his friends.
The police investigated and questioned Xiang Dong, and he had a perfect alibi.
What Xiang Dong didn't expect was that Min Chenghe would feel something was wrong and keep following Qian Yanyan.
When Cheng Yong took action, Min Chenghe appeared too quickly and he had no time to snatch the money from her.
因為沒有錢財丢失，警方沒有将案件定性為搶劫，反而把目光專注在項東身上，處處懷疑，越查越緊，這讓他感覺到了不妙。
——明明錢豔豔的死，可能是謀財害命、結仇報複、精神病殺人、激情殺人，怎麽警察就非要盯着他一個，定性為情感糾葛導致的謀殺案？
可以說，如果沒有闵成河的預感夢，如果沒有趙向晚耐心傾聽闵成河的心聲，迅速鎖定目标，恐怕珠市公安局的同志們還在為追查錢家人的仇家跑斷腿。時間一長，所有線索斷掉，錢豔豔真的要冤沉海底。
項東腦中現在只有一個念頭：既然程欣如被警察盯上，那他絕對不能和程欣如拉上關系。殺人也好，教唆殺人也罷，這個罪名項東絕對不認。
看到警察們懷疑的眼神，項東趕緊自證清白。
“警察同志，我不可能為了程欣如放棄我自己的家庭。豔豔和我認識的時候，我什麽也沒有。一沒錢，二沒房，單身宿舍裏只有一個臉盆、一個開水瓶，豔豔那個時候和我，不求名不求利，求的就是我這個人。這麽好的妻子我不要，幹嘛要一個看上我身份、地位的勢利女人？”
霍灼覺得項東很分裂。
一會說感念錢豔豔的恩情，一會說她以恩情相挾；嘴上說錢豔豔是個好妻子，背地裏卻又與程欣如另築愛巢。
霍灼的腦子要炸了，索性開門見山，大吼一聲：“項東，程欣如已經全都交代！正是你指使，她才會找人殺害錢豔豔。”
探到警察的底，項東反而态度輕松下來。
他攤開手，一臉的無辜：“霍警官，這完全是誣陷。程欣如魔障了，一天到晚要和我做夫妻，我解釋過很多次，說我不可能為了她放棄家庭，可是她不肯聽。”
說到動情處，項東甚至捂着臉，聲音哽咽地說：“我沒有想到……竟然是我害了豔豔！我錯了，我不該出軌，不該背叛豔豔。程欣如外表看上去柔弱清純，沒想到她是這麽一個黑心腸的壞女人，為了和我做夫妻竟然如此歹毒，找人殺豔豔！”
項東放下手，眼中含着淚水，一臉的悲憤：“警察同志，你們一定要嚴懲兇手，豔豔不能白白丢了性命。但是，天地良心，我真沒有指使程欣如殺人，這都是她信口雌黃，她這是得不到我所以想要毀了我。”
看着項東的表演，在座的所有警察都面露鄙夷。
霍灼将求助的目光投向安靜坐在身邊的趙向晚：“趙警官，你來吧。”
【媽的，再問下去，我想抽他兩巴掌！】
趙向晚欠了欠身：“好。”
祝康、朱飛鵬同時屏住了呼吸。太好了！向晚終于要出手了。再聽項東那張破嘴說話，看着他拙劣的演技，真的要心梗。
趙向晚将目光轉向正在醞釀情緒的項東：“腳踏兩只船，哦，不，三只船，你怎麽平衡她們之間的關系？”
被打斷表演的項東愣了一下：“你，什麽意思？”
趙向晚笑了笑，笑意卻沒有到達眼底：“錢豔豔是原配，程欣如是小玩意，艾鈴蘭呢？她是什麽？”
項東萬萬沒有想到，警察會追查到他與艾鈴蘭的私情，他第一反應是否決：“艾處，她只是一個省招商局的領導，僅此而已。”
趙向晚将艾鈴蘭的履歷往桌上一甩。
砰！
一聲響，讓項東的肩膀再一次抖了抖。
項東害怕突如其來的聲音？
趙向晚已經觀察到了三回，項東對于這種聲音會有下意識的反應：抖肩。
第一次，霍灼将資料丢在桌上。
第二次，霍灼拍桌子。
第三次，自己将履歷甩在桌上。
每一次，這種聲響都會讓項東反應過激。
“啪！”
趙向晚盯着項東的表情，擡手猛地一拍桌子。
伴随着拍桌子的動作，趙向晚陡然提高音量：“說謊！艾鈴蘭告訴我，你是她初戀，是她至今不曾忘記的初戀。”
項東縮了縮脖子，腦子有一剎那空白。
【她告訴警察了？】
【為什麽要說？】
【不是說好了，現在不公布，我和她只是同事、上下級關系。】
終于，聽到了項東的心聲。
真是“踏破鐵鞋無覓處，得來全不費功夫”。
掌握到這枚開啓項東內心的鑰匙，趙向晚的嘴角多了一抹淺淺的笑容。
這抹笑容，落在項東眼裏，妥妥的嘲諷。
他努力辯解：“初戀時，我們都不懂愛情。雖然下鄉當知青的時候，我和艾處的确有過一段情愫，但是後來各奔東西，沒有再聯系，這份感情自然也就淡了。”
趙向晚追問：“真的淡了嗎？我怎麽聽威爾薇絲酒店的服務員說，艾處每次來珠市，你都會出現在酒店？瞞着老婆、情人，與初戀私會，合适嗎？”
項東脖子一僵，努力控制着自己的面部表情：“只，只是工作。她對我，只是上級領導。”
“上級，領導？”趙向晚慢慢站起，走到項東面前，居高臨下看着他。
趙向晚身材高挑，一襲警服更襯得她英姿勃勃，這讓仰着頭看她的項東感覺很有壓力。
因為趙向晚的話語只有質疑，沒有給出方向，項東不知道如何回答，只能重複着她的話：“上級，領導。”
“說謊！”
趙向晚陡然湊近項東面前，一聲清叱，令他心髒一顫。
【鈴蘭到底說了什麽？】
【別人我不信，但鈴蘭為我守身如玉二十年多年，我信她。】
【她不會被這個警察騙了，把我的計劃都說了吧？】
果然，只要用突如其來的聲音吓吓項東，他的心裏話就會洩露出來。
趙向晚眯了眯眼，雙手抱在胸前，盯着眼前這個無恥的男人。
看來，項東把殺妻計劃告訴了艾鈴蘭。
但是，他一定沒有說得清楚明白。
他不可能傻到告訴艾鈴蘭，他另外還藏着一個小情人。
“呵呵……”
趙向晚忽然笑了起來。
這笑聲，令項東後背一陣寒意升了上來。
他狐疑地看着趙向晚，不知道眼前這個女警察為什麽要笑，還笑得如此古怪。
項東左思右想，自己絲毫破綻都沒有。
錢豔豔，是程欣如找人殺的，和他有什麽關系？他從來沒有指使過讓她去殺人，他一直只有暗示。
他是和程欣如有不正當男女關系，那又怎樣呢？最多只能從道德層面譴責他，法律沒辦法制裁他。
從剛剛霍灼的問話來看，項東知道警察還沒有掌握實質性的證據。只要他否認指使程欣如殺人，一切都在掌控之中。
趙向晚慢悠悠地開口：“艾鈴蘭，我們已經請到了公安局，就安排在你隔壁的審訊室，你要不要見見她？”
項東的心髒開始狂跳，差點叫了起來：“你們找她做什麽？我說了！我和艾處只是領導與下屬的關系，并沒有私情。”
趙向晚那雙鳳眼裏，閃着璀璨的亮光：“項東，你知不知道，女人善妒？”
項東有了一種不好的預感，整個人不自覺地後仰，試圖拉開與趙向晚之間的距離。
他覺得趙向晚的眼睛就像一口深潭，幽深、神秘，讓他害怕。
趙向晚道：“如果艾鈴蘭知道你與程欣如另築愛巢，你猜，她會怎麽做？”
項東的心跳越來越快，喉嚨幹澀無比，他啞聲道：“我，我和艾處沒有私情……”
趙向晚右手高高舉起，重重落下。
“啪！”
這一聲悶響，重重敲在項東心上，讓他肩膀抖動起來。
這是一個秘密。
項東的心理陰影。
項東從小耳朵就靈，普通人覺得正常的聲音，項東卻覺得嘈雜無比。
父親是毛巾廠工人，母親是農村人，經人介紹嫁給父親之後總覺得低人一等，處處卑微小心。
母親的這種卑微，助長了父親的氣焰，每天下班回來對她呼來喝去。要是喝了點小酒，父親更是嚣張至極，甚至會動手。
項東的童年，就伴随着這種皮肉擊打的聲音，還有搪瓷臉盆、板凳砸在地面發出的聲響。
“咚！”
“砰！”
“哐——”
父親只要一回家，聽到鑰匙開門的聲音傳來，項東就會提心吊膽，豎着耳朵留意外面的動靜。
一聽到突如其來的聲響，項東就會吓得一個激靈，捂着耳朵躲在角落裏瑟瑟發抖。
所以，項東想要擺脫原來的那個家，永遠都不想過那種提心吊膽的生活。
他想要掌控自己的人生。
原本，他已經擺脫。
他如願娶了錢豔豔，岳父是廠裏唯一一個八級鉗工，兩個大舅哥在廠裏擁有無上權威與人脈，他有了自己的家庭。
可是，錢家人全是大嗓門。
工人家庭，大家都快言快語，高興了就笑，不高興了拍着桌子罵幾句娘，這麽熱辣滾燙的人生，項東卻覺得嘈雜不堪。
項東喜歡上程欣如，起因是程欣如那一口軟綿綿的嗓音。
和程欣如在一起，項東的耳朵很舒服。
項東害怕突如其來的聲響，害怕噪音，這件事情同為知青的艾鈴蘭知道。
Ai Linglan has a gentle personality. She speaks softly and moves gently and slowly. Xiang Dong feels happy both physically and mentally when he is with her.
In Ai Linglan's world, the fragrance, whispers, music... everything seems so elegant. Xiang Dong wants to enter her world.
However, this secret has now been discovered by Zhao Xiangwan.
Xiang Dong was tortured in the interrogation room.
"Bang!"
"What is your relationship with Ai Linglan?"
"Bang!"
"Why do you want to kill Qian Yanyan?"
"Bang!"
"Where did you get the 5,000 yuan you gave to Cheng Xinru?"
Problems came one after another like a storm, leaving Xiang Dong completely unable to cope.
Loud noises one after another tortured Xiang Dong's ears and brought his spirit to the brink of collapse.