"Please... I really don't know..." the man in the video begged, his voice distorted by fear.
A processed voice came from outside the screen: "One last time, where is the account book?"
Zhang Shumin's blood froze instantly - although the voice had been processed, the tone and pauses were very similar to her son Zhang Shuo.
"Turn it off!" she snapped, scaring Xiao Liu so much that he quickly turned off the video.
"Auntie, this...we need to call the police..." Xiao Liu's voice trembled.
Zhang Shumin pulled out the memory card and said, "Don't tell anyone! Do you hear me? Just pretend you never met me!"
She hurried out of the phone store, her heart pounding. Although the bound man in the video had a bloody face, she still recognized the tie hanging around his neck—a dark blue Brioni, exactly the same as the one she had picked up today.
Back home, Zhang Shumin slumped over on the edge of the bed, her back soaked in sweat. She was now convinced that her son was involved in a serious crime, and that the bloody tie and memory card were key evidence.
Should she report her own son to the police?
Or should she pretend that she knows nothing and continue her life as a scavenger?
Zhang Shumin pulled the old shoebox out from under the bed and placed the memory card in a Kiton tie box. Then she made a decision—she would hide the evidence first, observe her son's movements, and then decide on her next step.
If Zhang Shuo really killed someone...she didn't dare to think further.
At noon, Feng Yulan came back from the supermarket to make lunch. Zhang Shumin noticed that her daughter-in-law was more silent than usual, her eyes were erratic, and she almost hurt her finger while cutting vegetables.
"Yulan," Zhang Shumin suddenly asked, "Has there been anything wrong with Zhang Shuo recently?"
Feng Yulan's knife clanged onto the chopping board. "Mom...why are you asking?"
"Just asking." Zhang Shumin stared into her daughter-in-law's eyes. "You seem to be very afraid of him lately."
Feng Yulan lowered her head and continued chopping vegetables. "No...it's just...he's under a lot of pressure at work..."
Zhang Shumin didn't ask any more questions, but she noticed that when her daughter-in-law said this, her left hand unconsciously touched a bruise on her right arm - it was caused by Zhang Shuo hitting her with a rolling pin last week.
In the afternoon, Zhang Shumin used the excuse of going for a walk in the park, but actually went to the garbage room of another high-end community.
She looked for more clues but found nothing. On her way home, she felt like someone was following her, but every time she looked back, she saw only ordinary pedestrians.
At dinner, Zhang Shuo didn't return, sending only a text message saying he was working overtime. Feng Yulan made some simple noodles, and they ate in silence. Zhang Shumin noticed her daughter-in-law hesitated several times to speak, but ultimately said nothing.
Late at night, Zhang Shumin tossed and turned in bed. At one in the morning, she heard the door gently open—Zhang Shuo had returned.
She quietly stood up and put her ear to the door. In the living room, Zhang Shuo and Feng Yulan were arguing in low voices.
"...Did you go through my things?" Zhang Shuo's voice was full of threats.
"No...really no..." Feng Yulan defended herself in a crying voice.
"Then why was my drawer moved?"
"I'm just looking for...my work ID..."
After a crisp slap, Feng Yulan suppressed sobs.
Zhang Shumin clenched her fists but didn't go out to stop them. She had more important things to worry about now - what if Zhang Shuo found out that the memory card and the blood tie were missing...
The next morning, while her son and daughter-in-law were away, Zhang Shumin carefully searched Zhang Shuo's room. In the closet's hidden compartment, she found a pair of car keys and several slips of paper with addresses. One of the addresses, circled in red, was an abandoned chemical plant in the east part of the city.
This is where police reported the unidentified man's body was found last week.
Zhang Shumin's hands were shaking so much she could barely hold the note. She quickly took a photo of the address with her phone and put everything back together. Back in her room, she put the photo together with the evidence and considered her next move.
At noon, Feng Yulan suddenly returned home early, her face as pale as paper. She walked straight into Zhang Shumin's room, closed the door, and knelt down.
"Mom... please help me..." Feng Yulan burst into tears, "Zhang Shuo... he might have killed someone..."
Zhang Shumin's heart sank. She helped her daughter-in-law up and asked, "What do you know?"
Feng Yulan trembled as she recounted everything she had seen that day in the abandoned factory—Zhang Shuo's dealings with those people, the white powder, and the thick envelopes...
"I didn't dare to say it at first..." Feng Yulan sobbed, "but when he came back yesterday... he was covered in blood..."
Zhang Shumin closed her eyes. The final piece of the puzzle was complete—not only was her son involved in the drug trade, he was also very likely Jason's murderer.
"Mom, what should we do?" Feng Yulan asked desperately.
Zhang Shumin didn't answer immediately. She walked to the bedside table, opened the secret compartment, and took out the blood-stained tie and memory card.
"Hide these first," she said hoarsely, "and then...we need to plan."
Outside the window, the May sunshine was dazzlingly bright, shining on the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but it could not dispel the coldness in their hearts.
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