As soon as Wang Shen and Liang Zichen sat down, Wang Shen asked, "Is your husband not home today?"
The woman leaned listlessly against the sofa. Upon hearing Wang Shen's words, her eyes darted around for a moment before she replied, "Who knows where he went?"
"You're his wife, how could you not know where he went?" Liang Zichen sat next to Wang Shen, frowned at the woman's nonchalant demeanor, and then questioned her.
The woman didn't say much, but picked up a cigarette case from the coffee table, took out a cigarette, lit it, and began puffing away in front of Wang Shen and Liang Zichen.
Wang Shen gestured to Liang Zichen, signaling him to calm down. He then took out his notebook from his pocket and looked at the woman, asking, "Okay, let's not talk about your husband for now. Can you tell us who the man from earlier was?"
Upon hearing Wang Shen's question, the woman exhaled a few smoke rings, glanced at Wang Shen, and replied, "My friend."
"Your friend? Do you think we're idiots? A man and a woman alone in a room, dressed like this?" Liang Zichen said, glancing at the woman's messy hair and loose clothes.
After hearing Liang Zichen's words, the woman flicked the ash from her cigarette and straightened up slightly. Then, a flash of anger crossed her face as she looked at Liang Zichen and said, "Officer, you'd better show some respect when you speak."
Seeing the situation, Wang Shen patted Liang Zichen on the shoulder, signaling him to calm down. Then, Wang Shen turned his gaze to the woman in front of him, his expression becoming even more serious.
"I apologize for my colleague's inappropriate remarks," Wang Shen said. Hearing Wang Shen's words, the woman's anger subsided somewhat, and she leaned back on the sofa, taking deep drags on her cigarette.
Wang Shen watched the woman's actions and then continued, "However, you still need to tell us about that man from earlier, and your relationship with him."
After listening to Wang Shen's words, the woman glanced at him, then exhaled the smoke ring from her mouth and said, "We're just friends, nothing more." The woman still refused to cooperate with Wang Shen's efforts, sticking to her initial answer.
Wang Shen suddenly smiled, then nodded, and finally stood up from the sofa. This series of actions not only puzzled the woman but also confused Liang Zichen.
After a while, a smug smile appeared on the woman's face. She stubbed out her cigarette, stood up from the sofa, smiled at Wang Shen, and said, "Then I won't see you off any further."
Wang Shen smiled at the woman again, then shook his head and said, "Please come with us to the police station."
Wang Shen's tone was completely calm, and his expression became extremely serious. The woman observed Wang Shen's expression and knew he wasn't joking. She stood there for a moment, then became agitated and shouted at Wang Shen, "Why should I go to the police station with you! This is an abuse of power!"
The smile on Wang Shen's face had long since vanished. Hearing the woman's accusations, Wang Shen coldly replied, "Our investigation has revealed that your husband is involved in several murder cases. We currently have concrete evidence. However, during our investigation, we discovered that you are also implicated in these cases, which is why we've come to your door today seeking answers. Given our investigation and your refusal to cooperate, we have the right to take you back to the police station for further questioning."
The woman's expression changed again upon hearing Wang Shen's words, as if she was both shocked and puzzled by them.
Seeing the expression on the woman's face, Wang Shen was secretly pleased. However, verbally, he still showed no intention of backing down. "Therefore, your actions just now have obstructed us from performing our duties. Furthermore, if we cannot obtain more useful clues, we can only make reasonable inferences based on the clues we currently have. Finally, we will file murder charges against you and your husband based on these clues and submit them to the prosecutor's office and the court for a ruling."
Wang Shen's words were serious, but there was no element of deception in them. It was almost certainly true that Xiao Lin's wife had helped him fabricate an alibi. If the woman before him couldn't provide a reasonable explanation, then Wang Shen had every reason to believe she was involved in Han Lin's murder.
The woman wasn't stupid; she now fully understood what Wang Shen meant. She glanced at Wang Shen twice, then looked away. Her eyes darted around, and finally she calmly sat back down on the sofa.
Wang Shen smiled at Liang Zichen, then sat back down on the sofa. Holding a small notebook in his left hand and a pen in his right, he looked at the woman and asked, "Tell us first, what is your relationship with that man from earlier?"
Although the woman was somewhat prepared for this question, she still hesitated when asked to give an answer. After a moment of awkwardness, she stammered, "He...he is...he is the person I like."
After hearing the woman's answer, Liang Zichen glanced at Wang Shen and almost burst out laughing. He composed himself, then sat up straight and looked at the woman, asking, "You mean the man from earlier was your lover?"
Liang Zichen spoke clearly and directly. The woman paused for a moment after hearing Liang Zichen's words, then nodded.
"Ah!" Liang Zichen exclaimed in surprise, then continued to ask, "Doesn't your husband care about this?"
Upon hearing Liang Zichen's words, the woman's expression changed again. She showed disgust at his words. Of course, it could also be disgust towards her husband. The woman turned her face to the side, frowning slightly, and replied, "We separated a long time ago."
"Huh? Aren't you two married anymore?" Liang Zichen asked in surprise.
"They are still husband and wife."
"Huh? What does that mean?" Liang Zichen was confused by the woman's answer and couldn't understand what she meant for a moment.
"What I mean is that my relationship with him broke down a long time ago, but we are still legally married." The woman pursed her lips, picked up the cigarette pack on the coffee table again, and lit a cigarette.
Liang Zichen finally understood the woman's meaning and then asked, "Why is Xiao Lin unwilling to get a divorce?"
"It's not that he doesn't want a divorce, it's that I don't want a divorce." The woman seemed to have a hint of pride when she said this.
Liang Zichen didn't know what to say or how to ask a question. The woman's thoughts were even more unpredictable than his. She glanced at Liang Zichen's expression and then laughed.
"The reason I haven't divorced him is because we haven't agreed on the terms. Neither of us wants to suffer any losses, so we've just been dragging it out." After saying this, the woman took a drag of her cigarette and exhaled a few smoke rings.
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