Chapter 51
1:15 AM, in the second interrogation room of the Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment. The lighting was dim, and the atmosphere was heavy. Two detectives sat behind a desk, their expressions serious as they asked, "Name?"
"Shen Haoyu".
"age?"
"Twenty-six years old."
"Profession?"
"Individual business".
"Home address?"
No. 162, South Ninth Middle Road, Unit 2-3-1
"Shen Haoyu, please describe in detail and truthfully what happened last night?"
“It was around 10 p.m. last night. I was getting ready to wash up and go to bed. Xu Chen, the one who died, called me and said he had something to discuss. He had previously misunderstood me, thinking I was constantly harassing his girlfriend, Li Muxue. No matter how I explained, he wouldn't believe me. When he called, I didn't think much of it and just thought it was the last time I could clear things up. I drove my own car to the west gate of Labor Park. As soon as I got out of the car, he rushed over with a knife—I didn't even see it clearly—and he was yelling that he was going to kill me. I never expected him to actually do it, so I dodged. He swung twice but missed, and then he went even crazier, lunging at me. I had no choice but to push him away. Then he fell, hitting his head on the curb. I was terrified. It took me a full two minutes to recover, and then I realized he hadn't gotten up. I went over to check, and there he was, not breathing. So I asked a passerby to call the police. That's the whole story.”
"Okay, since this is a murder case, we need to conduct a thorough investigation and collect evidence. So we need to detain you for forty-eight hours. Do you have any objections?"
"No, I fully cooperate with the investigation," Shen Haoyu replied calmly.
Meanwhile, in the case-handling hall, criminal police officers questioned three eyewitnesses at the scene.
"Name?"
"Wang Decai".
"age?"
Forty-nine
"Profession?"
"Taxi night shift driver."
"Please describe what you saw at the crime scene."
“Last night around 10 PM, I was driving slowly on my empty route. Since I hadn't had any passengers for a while, I got a little sleepy and decided to pull over and rest for a bit. When I stopped near the west gate of Labor Park, I saw two people seemingly fighting. One was holding a weapon, and the other was unarmed. I thought the unarmed guy was at a disadvantage; he was probably in serious trouble. But to my surprise, the guy with the weapon was completely inept at fighting. His movements were so clumsy. I couldn't bear to watch. After a few rounds, the unarmed guy actually pushed him down. He landed on his back, head first, and then didn't get up. I felt things were getting serious, so I got out to check on him. Then the unarmed guy yelled at me: 'He's not okay, call the police…'”
The detective held up a photo of Shen Haoyu and handed it to the witness: "Is this the person who's empty-handed?"
“Yes. It was him.” The witness nodded with absolute certainty.
The testimonies of the other two witnesses were largely consistent. A few hours later, the forensic autopsy report came out, confirming that the cause of death was brainstem hemorrhage caused by a violent impact to the head. The knife found at the scene also only had Xu Chen's fingerprints on it.
To clarify the case, two female police officers from the criminal investigation team sought out Li Muxue, who was still hospitalized.
"Hello, we are from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Team. We'd like to ask you a few questions. Could we first ask how you got this injury?"
"I accidentally rolled down the mountain and fell while I was climbing..." Li Muxue's eyes flickered as she answered; she didn't dare to tell the truth, not even a single word.
The policewoman glanced at her, seemingly suspicious, but didn't press further. Instead, she took out a photograph: "Ms. Li, do you recognize this person?"
"I know him. He's my boyfriend, Xu Chen. What happened to him?"
Li Muxue's voice trembled noticeably as she spoke, her heart filled with a terrifying, all-consuming premonition that was expanding and churning endlessly.
"So what is the relationship between Xu Chen and Shen Haoyu?"
"Shen Haoyu is my suitor, but I've never agreed to date him. My only official boyfriend is Xu Chen. What's going on between them?! Please tell me..."
"Ms. Li, I regret to inform you that Xu Chen has died unexpectedly. The preliminary determination is that it was an attempted murder. He suffered a brain hemorrhage due to a fall..."
Li Muxue didn't utter a single word before losing all consciousness and falling into a deep coma once more...
This chain of evidence is perfectly closed, leaving only one conclusion: Shen Haoyu acted in self-defense and bears no criminal responsibility, while Xu Chen can only be treated as having died accidentally.
And so, forty-eight hours later, Shen Haoyu walked out of the criminal police station feeling relaxed.
Xu Chen's funeral was delayed for three weeks due to legal procedures. His death was shrouded in an indelible stain: an accidental death during attempted murder. This definitive conclusion was difficult for anyone to accept. For this reason, the funeral was held hastily and quietly. Furthermore, according to traditional customs, parents cannot be involved in or attend the funerals of unmarried, childless young men. Therefore, his funeral arrangements had to be handled by Li Muxue, who was recovering from serious injuries, and a few of her classmates: Wang Lei, Su Suisui, Liu Yuling, Fu Tongtong, Zhang Xin, and others. Li Muxue's deathly pale face, her extremely weak figure, and the suppressed calm, almost numb expression she displayed at the funeral were particularly jarring…
Xu Chen, once considered a thorn in the side by Li Junsheng and Qiao Kexin, was now willing to risk his life for his daughter, who had suffered so much humiliation, and to avenge that beast surnamed Shen. This immense psychological impact caused them to constantly torment and self-doubt deep within their souls… Therefore, they no longer stopped Li Muxue from handling Xu Chen's funeral arrangements. And every sleepless night, when Qiao Kexin couldn't sleep, she silently murmured in her heart, "Xiao Chen, Aunt Qiao regrets it, Aunt Qiao is sorry…"
(To be continued)
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