Chapter 19 I Need That Money
The light in the interrogation room was pale and dazzling, shining on Liu Feng's pale face. He hung his head expressionlessly. Yu Hao and Lu Chao sat opposite. Yu Hao shook a cigarette out of the cigarette box, and the metal lighter made a crisp "click", which was particularly harsh in the silent interrogation room. He handed the cigarette to him across the table. Liu Feng stared at the cigarette for a few seconds, and a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Thank you, no." Yu Hao retracted his hand and held the cigarette between his lips. "You don't mind?" "Whatever." Liu Feng's eyes fell on the table in front of him. There was a shallow scratch there, as if it was left by someone scratching it repeatedly with a fingernail. Smoke slowly filled the interrogation room. Yu Hao picked up a file in his hand, stood up, and paced back and forth beside Liu Feng. "Liu Feng, male, born in 1986, from Qindao." His voice was emotionless, yet every word was clear. "I was admitted to a key high school in the city with the highest score in my junior high school. I scored third in the college entrance exam and was admitted to the Chinese Department of a 985 university, majoring in classical literature." He paused, glancing at Liu Feng. "My graduation thesis, 'On the Tragic Aesthetics of 'A Dream of Red Mansions,' won the school's Outstanding Thesis Award." Liu Feng listened quietly to his resume, his fingertips trembling slightly on the table. "After graduation, I joined Wenyuan Magazine as an editor," Yu Hao continued, his eyes never leaving the file. "After five years, the magazine went bankrupt. Since then, I've worked for several cultural companies, all of which laid off employees due to poor management..." "Enough," Liu Feng interrupted abruptly. "What's the point of saying all this?" Yu Hao closed the file and walked back to the interrogation table. Smoke swirled in front of him, blurring his expression. "I was just wondering," he slowly exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke, "how could someone who read 'Dream of the Red Chamber' end up like this?" Liu Feng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Why?" He raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, like a tattered web. "I want to know why, too." His fingers clenched the edge of the table, his knuckles white, and veins bulged on the back of his hands. "I've always believed that hard work pays off, that knowledge can change destiny. I memorized the entire 'Three Hundred Tang Poems,' can recite the verdicts from 'Dream of the Red Chamber' from memory, got into a 985 university, and consistently ranked in the top ten in my grade, but... what's the use? Tell me, what's the use?" His voice began to tremble. "Those hooligans who dropped out of junior high school now drive luxury cars and live in villas; and I can't even afford my mother's medical bills." Lu Chao's pen stopped on the notebook. He looked up at Liu Feng and found his gaze fixed on...
The interrogation room's light was glaring, illuminating Liu Feng's pale face. He hung his head expressionlessly. Yu Hao and Lu Chao sat opposite him.
Yu Hao shook a cigarette out of the cigarette box, and the metal lighter made a crisp "click" sound, which was particularly harsh in the silent interrogation room.
He passed the cigarette across the table. Liu Feng stared at the cigarette for a few seconds, a wry smile on his face: "Thank you, I won't."
Yu Hao retracted his hand and held the cigarette between his lips, "You don't mind?"
"Whatever." Liu Feng's eyes fell on the table in front of him. There was a shallow scratch there, like the mark left by someone repeatedly scratching it with fingernails.
Smoke slowly filled the interrogation room. Yu Hao picked up a file, stood up, and paced back and forth beside Liu Feng.
"Liu Feng, male, born in 1986, from Qindao." His voice was emotionless, but every word was clear. "I was admitted to a key high school in the city with the highest score in my grade in junior high school. I scored third in the college entrance examination and was admitted to the Chinese Department of a 985 university, majoring in classical literature."
He paused, glanced at Liu Feng, and said, "My graduation thesis, 'On the Tragic Aesthetics in A Dream of Red Mansions,' won the university-level Outstanding Thesis Award."
Liu Feng listened to his resume quietly, his fingertips trembling slightly on the table.
"After graduation, I joined Wenyuan Magazine as an editor." Yu Hao continued reading, his eyes never leaving the file. "Five years later, the magazine went bankrupt. After that, I worked for several cultural companies, but each one laid off employees due to poor management..."
"That's enough." Liu Feng suddenly interrupted, "What's the point of saying this?"
Yu Hao closed the file and walked back to the interrogation table. Smoke swirled in front of him, blurring his expression.
"I was just wondering," he exhaled slowly, "how could someone who read 'Dream of the Red Chamber' end up like this?"
Liu Feng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "Why?" He raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, like a broken net, "I want to know why too."
His fingers gripped the edge of the table tightly, his knuckles white, and veins bulged on the back of his hands. "I've always believed that hard work pays off, that knowledge can change destiny. I memorized the entire 'Three Hundred Tang Poems,' can recite the verdicts from 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' got into a 985 university, and consistently ranked in the top ten in my grade. But... what's the point? Tell me, what's the point?"
His voice began to tremble. "Those hooligans who dropped out of junior high school are now driving luxury cars and living in villas; while I can't even afford my mother's medical expenses."
Lu Chao's pen tip stopped on the notebook. He looked up at Liu Feng and found that the other party's eyes were fixed on the surveillance camera in the corner of the interrogation room. There were two small red spots of light there, like the eyes of the god of death.
Yu Hao stared at Liu Feng for a moment, but didn't answer his question. He simply sighed and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "All the relevant evidence is in hand," he said in a low, calm voice. "You can confess yourself."
Liu Feng raised his head and licked his cracked lips. "Where should I start?"
"Then let's start with the 50,000 yuan." Yu Hao sat back at the interrogation table.
Liu Feng's shoulders trembled slightly. He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling noticeably, and said slowly: "That 50,000 yuan...is actually gambling money."
Yu Hao and Lu Chao exchanged a glance. They already knew something about gambling. Lu Chao's pen moved quickly across the paper, making a subtle rustling sound.
"Wang Shun helped Wang Kun cheat in the gambling game and won a lot of money." Liu Feng's voice was very soft, but extremely clear. "Wang Kun gave it to him casually, like giving a bone to a dog." The corners of his mouth twitched, revealing a distorted expression.
"Did you see it with your own eyes?" Yu Hao narrowed his eyes.
Liu Feng shook his head. "No, I heard Wang Shun bragging about it himself. That night, he was drunk and talking non-stop in the KTV hallway." He pulled a wry smile. "He said he'd finally found his way to wealth. Being a dog is better than being a human. His life up until then had been in vain."
"Do you know that Wang Kun opened a casino?" Yu Hao leaned forward.
"I know a little, but I don't know the details." Liu Feng's fingers unconsciously rubbed the handcuffs. "This matter is not a secret among the KTV's top management, but I'm just a lobby manager and can't get in touch with the core."
"Go on." Yu Hao motioned him to continue.
Liu Feng's eyes drifted towards the ceiling, as if his memories were written there: "I've never had a good impression of Wang Shun..." His voice suddenly became cold, like a sword drawn from its sheath.
"It's not just because he usually makes things difficult for me," Liu Feng clenched his fists, "but also because I know how he harassed Zhang Li back then."
"So you decided to steal the money?" Lu Chao guided him back to the case itself, his voice a few notes lower than usual.
"Yes." Liu Feng fiddled with the handcuffs, the metal chains making a slight clanking sound. His eyes suddenly became vague. "I need that money. That money doesn't belong to that bastard Wang Shun. It should belong to honest workers like us."
Yu Hao knew that what he said he needed was actually to pay for his mother's surgery.
"What happened on the day of the incident?" Lu Chao asked, with the tip of his pen hovering over the paper, ready to record at any time.
Liu Feng's breathing became rapid, his chest heaving violently. "That day... I had no intention of hitting him." His eyes fell on his wrist, where a bruise had not yet faded. "Wang Shun bothered me again this afternoon, saying I was blocking his way and beating me in public. He must have known I was Zhang Li's husband, so he made things difficult for me."
His voice began to tremble, like a candle flickering in the wind. "That was also the day I went to the hospital to see my mother. The doctor said I needed surgery as soon as possible, otherwise..." A drop of sweat slid down his forehead. "I decided to take action that night."
"So, you told Uncle Zhang that you would go back to the village to see him that day?" Yu Hao leaned back in the interrogation chair, clasped his hands on his chest, and stared at Liu Feng with a sharp gaze.
"Yes..." Liu Feng rolled his eyes upward, revealing a large amount of white in his eyes. After a moment, he turned to Yu Hao, his pupils refocusing: "Actually, I went back to the village to scout the area those days."
"Are you going back for several days?" Yu Hao frowned slightly.
"Yes." Liu Feng nodded.
"Aren't you afraid of being seen?" Lu Chao interrupted.
"What's so good about this?" Liu Feng sneered, his voice full of sarcasm. "My wife is from the village. Even if they see it, no one will think I'm doing it."
After a moment's silence, Liu Feng continued, his voice becoming even deeper: "The only exception was that on the day I decided to take action, I met someone who made me a little worried that I would be suspected."
"Who?" Yu Hao leaned forward slightly, and the police badge reflected a cold light under the light.
"you."
"I?"
"Yes." Liu Feng smiled, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out, but there was no trace of a smile. "That day, you may not have seen my face clearly, but I recognized you. It was in Aunt Liu's wonton shop, and I accidentally knocked down a little boy."
Yu Hao suddenly remembered that passerby who was passing by in a hurry. "So it was you."
"Yes," Liu Feng's voice suddenly became light, as if he was talking about something insignificant. "I thought you saw my face, but from my observation of your reaction later, I could see that you didn't recognize me, so I decided to proceed as planned."
Yu Hao felt annoyed. He stared into Liu Feng's eyes and asked, "Do Uncle Zhang and Zhang Li know?"
"How is that possible?" Liu Feng immediately denied, his voice suddenly rising. "How could they know about this?" He twisted his fingers together. "Actually, it took less than half an hour from the time I left home to the time I got home. My father-in-law was in the chess and card room, and Zhang Li was preparing lessons inside. I guess they didn't realize I was out."
Yu Hao nodded, and the line of his chin looked particularly firm under the light.
"I waited on that slope for a while," Liu Feng's voice returned to calm. "The light was still on in his room, and I could hear a woman's voice."
"Did you see the woman's appearance clearly?" Yu Hao interrupted him.
"No," Liu Feng shook his head. "She was obviously wearing a wig. Her hair was covering her face, so I couldn't see her clearly."
"How can you tell it's a wig?" Lu Chao felt a little unbelievable.
Liu Feng smiled helplessly, "Don't you forget where I work?" He tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "The luster of wigs and real hair is different under the light. If you see them more often, you can tell the difference."
So far, the information Liu Feng said is basically consistent with the evidence they have, but he has not yet talked about the most critical link of the murder.
"How did you decide to proceed with the attack when there were other people around?" Lu Chao questioned, with obvious suspicion in his voice.
"They drank a lot of alcohol," Liu Feng said with a twisted smile. "I know that bastard Wang Shun will get drunk and fall asleep if he drinks."
His expression suddenly turned painful. “And this guy had sex with that woman. Maybe it was due to impotence. I think it was over in less than five minutes.”
At this point, a hint of sarcasm appeared on his face, and his distorted expression suggested that he was recalling some painful memories, perhaps his past with Zhang Li.
"Wang Shun fell asleep when the woman left?" Yu Hao asked.
"No," Liu Feng shook his head. "I drank about two more bottles of beer and then fell asleep in the bedroom."
"Did you get in through the window?"
"Yes." Liu Feng nodded.
Yu Hao took out a red talisman from the evidence bag and placed it on the table: "Did the amulet fall at that time?"
Liu Feng was stunned for a moment, his eyes widening slightly. Then he smiled bitterly, "So you found it..." He shook his head, his voice becoming softer. "My mother asked for it for me, and I always carry it with me."
Yu Hao put down the amulet and tapped the table lightly with his fingers: "Why don't you go through the main door? According to what you said, the door should not have been locked after the woman left, right?"
"It's true there's no lock, but the chances of being discovered through the main door are too high." His eyes became focused. "At night, a cat is hiding in the grass on the hillside. It would only take a moment to jump to the balcony."
"Is the window unlocked?" Lu Chao interrupted, moving his pen tip quickly across the paper.
"No," Liu Feng tilted his head slightly, revealing a scar on his neck. "I was thinking of breaking the glass and forcing my way in, but I didn't expect the window was only half-closed." There was a hint of surprise in his voice, as if he still found it incredible.
"Break the glass?" Lu Chao raised his head and twirled the pen in his hand. "Your logic is flawed. If Wang Shun hadn't been drunk that day, wouldn't your plan have been ruined?"
"Then do you think my scouting a few days ago was in vain?" Liu Feng suddenly raised his voice. "At that time, that bastard would usually not be at home. It was purely an accident that someone was there when the incident happened." He explained with a hint of helplessness in his voice.
Lu Chao nodded and wrote a few lines in the notebook.
When Liu Feng was about to continue speaking, Yu Hao caught the loophole in his words.
"Wait a minute." Yu Hao stared at Liu Feng. "So, you didn't intend to kill Wang Shun from the beginning, you just wanted to steal his 50,000 yuan in cash?"
At this moment, Liu Feng suddenly laughed, and his laughter echoed in the empty interrogation room.
His eyes lit up frighteningly, as if he had discovered something interesting: "I never said that I killed Wang Shun."
His voice was soft, but every word was clear. "And, from beginning to end, I didn't kill Wang Shun." He paused, a strange smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "If it weren't for this murder, you wouldn't have even noticed someone stole 50,000 yuan."
As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Chao raised his head in shock, and the writing pen fell on the table with a "click", and the ink splashed on the notebook like a drop of black blood.
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