Chapter 96 Report: And he ruined it all.
Zheng Yu slammed her hand on the table.
"Smack!"
He slammed his hand on the table, making a dull thud that startled Zhang Minghui, who was vehemently denying the accusations.
Zheng Yu stood in front of Zhang Minghui, his eyes glaring, radiating a sharp light, like an angry Vajra: "What is it not? What is it not? Speak!"
Zhang Minghui's mind was already a mess, and Zheng Yu's shout at such close range made him lose his mind. He shouted back, "It wasn't me! I didn't push her down!"
Zheng Yu pressed closer: "The evidence is right in front of you, and you're still trying to deny it!"
Zhang Minghui desperately tried to back away from Zheng Yu, shouting, "No, I didn't!"
Zheng Yu pressed further, "You didn't do anything?"
Zhang Minghui: "I'm not making excuses!"
Zheng Yu asked again, "What are you trying to argue about?"
Zhang Minghui: "I'm just making excuses, I didn't push her!"
Zheng Yu stepped back slightly, creating distance between herself and Zhang Minghui, and said with a look of sudden realization, "Oh, so you were just making excuses."
Zhang Minghui then realized he had been tricked. He was so angry he almost couldn't breathe, feeling incredibly frustrated. He gritted his teeth and cursed, "You've got me!"
Zheng Yu knew, of course, that she was deliberately circumventing Zhang Minghui's accusations, but what she wanted was for Zhang Minghui to become agitated: "Whether you're making excuses or not, just listen to this and you'll know."
"Say Xuan," Zheng Yu turned around and pressed the play button on the recorder on the interrogation table.
Xiao Yu's childish voice rang out.
"Mom said, 'Give me back the patent.'"
"Dad pushed Mom hard with his hand, and Mom fell down."
"Dad grabbed my hand, it hurts. Mom jumped down herself, if you dare say that, I'll beat you to death."
"I shouted loudly, 'Mom, don't jump! Don't jump!'"
That final, piercing scream struck Zhang Minghui like a heavy hammer.
Xiaoyu's words were like uncovering an ugly scar that he thought had been buried by time and was known only to himself.
The color drained from Zhang Minghui's face instantly, his muscles twitched uncontrollably, and his body leaned forward abruptly. His hands gripped the edge of the table instinctively, his knuckles turning white from the force. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a rebuttal immediately.
Zheng Yu narrowed her eyes, like a hunter eyeing prey struggling in a trap: "At the time, only your family of three was on the rooftop. Your five-year-old son witnessed the truth. Now he has bravely spoken out: it was you! It was you who, to cover up your patent plagiarism, didn't hesitate to lay a hand on your spouse! It was you who pushed An Xiaohui off the building!"
Zhang Minghui remained silent.
He kept his lips tightly shut, shook his head desperately, and didn't say a word.
Even someone ignorant of the law knows the principle of "a life for a life." Zhang Minghui, who prides himself on being cultured, knew to hire a lawyer when accused of plagiarism, so he certainly understood that he could never admit to intentional homicide.
Jiang Ling bowed slightly, her tone unhurried: "Let me remind you, whether you are convicted or not does not entirely depend on your confession. With witnesses and physical evidence, you can still be convicted even if you don't confess. However... your attitude towards confessing will be directly related to the leniency of your sentence."
The instinct for survival brought Zhang Minghui back to his senses.
"Nonsense! What witness? How can you believe a child? How old was he back then? His memories are all jumbled up!"
Jiang Ling spread out Dr. Qin Ningyun's consultation report and placed it in front of Zhang Minghui: "Did you see it clearly? This is a psychological consultation report written by Dr. Qin Ningyun, a well-known child psychology expert in the province. She can prove that Xiaoyu's thinking was normal and clear and his memory was accurate at the time. It was not a lie, much less a delusion."
Jiang Ling then placed Xiao Yu's crayon drawing, which was both childlike and terrifying, on the table.
“This is a painting by Xiaoyu. That blue represents the sky above your Red Star Towel Factory residential building two years ago, where your family of three lived.”
"This grayish-white cloud actually contains a stick figure. The stick figure was wearing dark gray clothes, but Xiaoyu painted it off."
"As for this large expanse of black..."
Jiang Ling's eyes flashed with fury: "That was the rooftop, that was the child's fear. He saw everything! Although Xiaoyu was only five years old at the time, he knew everything. He saw his mother arguing with you over the patent issue, he saw you shoving his mother violently and pushing her off the building, and he clearly remembers you threatening him afterwards, saying that his mother jumped off by herself!"
Zheng Yu pressed closer to Zhang Minghui again: "Children don't lie! What else do you have to say?!"
"No, no, I didn't!" Zhang Minghui's voice suddenly rose, carrying a sharp edge that sounded like he had been exposed but was actually cowardly. His eyes swept frantically over Jiang Ling and Zheng Yu, trying to find a glimmer of hope in their expressions.
Zheng Yu gave Zhang Minghui no chance to catch his breath, holding up the drawing of Xiao Yu in front of him: "Zhang Minghui, look carefully! This is a drawing made by your own son with the help of a psychologist. He said: 'Dad pushed Mom hard with his hand.' Is this what you call an argument? Is this what you call suicide by jumping off a building?"
Zheng Yu put down the crayon drawing and picked up the previously laid-out, revised on-site investigation and forensic examination report: "We have witness testimony, and here's the physical evidence! The abnormal fall posture, the illogical fall distance, the clothing fibers in the deceased's fingernails..."
Every time Zheng Yu said something, Zhang Minghui's face paled a little more.
He didn't expect that, even though the Jiangcheng police had already concluded it was a "suicide," how could Zheng Yu and Jiang Ling have managed to uncover so much evidence of intentional homicide?
The city of Yan is truly incompatible with him.
First, they encountered Wen Xiufen, a meddlesome factory worker, and now they've run into Jiang Ling and Zheng Yu, two meddlesome policewomen!
What does An Xiaohui's death have to do with these women? Why are you so serious about it!
Zheng Yu once again picked up the photo of An Xiaohui's fall and placed it in front of Zhang Minghui: "At 5:57 PM on April 5, 1992, on the rooftop of Building 4 of the Red Towel Factory's residential building, because your wife An Xiaohui pressed you and exposed your dirty secret of plagiarizing technological achievements, you pushed her off the building in extreme panic. To cover up the theft, you committed intentional homicide, and afterwards you used death threats to control your son. This is the whole truth, the evidence is irrefutable!"
"ah--"
The photo of An Xiaoqi, who looked like she had died with her eyes wide open, terrified Zhang Minghui. He screamed, jumped up from his chair, and fell back down heavily.
"Take it away! Take it away! I don't want to see this! I don't want to see this!"
Tears streamed down Zhang Minghui's face as he desperately tried to shrink back, his head darting around as he struggled to avoid the photograph.
Zheng Yu turned her gaze to Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling quietly watched this man on the verge of a psychological breakdown, as if watching a soul about to drown in the abyss of its own sins.
"Zhang Minghui, you originally had the opportunity to live a completely different life."
Jiang Ling spoke.
This time, her voice was no longer cold, but heavier than ever, as if she were painting a picture for the deceased that would never come to pass.
"You come from a farming family, you got into a technical school on your own, and were assigned to the largest state-owned towel factory in Jiangcheng, where you became a technician. You became your parents' pride and a role model for your younger siblings. Every time you came home for the New Year, you were met with praise and affirmation, right?"
Jiang Ling's words dragged Zhang Minghui into his memories.
Yes, that's right. Zhang Minghui's most radiant moment and happiest time was when he worked hard to leave his small mountain village and become a technician in the city.
“You are intelligent and technically skilled, and An Xiaohui is also a dedicated researcher. If you choose honesty and cooperation, and conduct experiments with An Xiaohui, with her as the lead and you as the assistant, together you will conduct research on the synthesis and application of quaternary ammonium salt-type cationic formaldehyde-free fixing agents. After the experiments are completed, you can then communicate with your institution and pursue patents. Given An Xiaohui's indifferent attitude towards fame and fortune, she will be your most valuable research teammate and will agree to your patent listing.”
Jiang Ling paused for a moment.
Zhang Minghui's face was ashen, and a look of confusion and twisted pain appeared in his eyes. Yes, An Xiaohui didn't actually care about fame or fortune. Her anger, her argument, and her threat to report him were all because of Zhang Minghui's deception.
An Xiaohui is a simple-minded technical talent. She is only focused on experiments and never cares about the honors she receives. She just puts the certificates and awards she gets in a drawer at home and doesn't bother to look at them.
However, that patent was the culmination of her years of hard work, and she could not tolerate it being desecrated.
An Xiaohui is a researcher, and she is extremely meticulous in her work. She always marks any citations or references she makes, and she absolutely does not tolerate plagiarism. She has said that this is called research ethics, and it is the bottom line that every researcher must adhere to.
Zhang Minghui thought that if he had discussed it with her beforehand and assisted her, even if it was just helping her look up information, wash test tubes, or run errands in the workshop, she would have agreed to be listed as a co-author. Because he had indeed put in the effort and hard work to ensure the patent application's success.
But why did he insist on trying to outdo An Xiaohui back then?
Jiang Ling saw through Zhang Minghui's inner struggle and continued speaking.
"Imagine this possibility: After obtaining the patent, honors will follow one after another. You and your husband will accept the offer from the Peony Towel Factory and move your family south. Even if you encounter problems with unstable dyes, you won't be afraid. In the technical research laboratory, you will be the project leader, responsible for public relations and handling external affairs; she will be a core member, focusing on solving technical problems. You and your husband will work together to publish papers and carry out reforms, with the results authored by 'An Xiaohui and Zhang Minghui'."
A glimmer of light appeared in Zhang Minghui's eyes.
Yes, as long as An Xiaohui is around, no technical difficulty is a problem. Once the results are in, as long as I humble myself and coax her, getting my name listed as an author won't be a problem at all.
"What a pity, An Xiaohui is dead." Jiang Ling lowered her voice even further, almost like a whisper, as if waking someone who was pretending to be asleep.
But... An Xiaohui is dead!
Zhang Minghui suddenly awoke from his illusory happiness, his face contorted with pain, his eyes filled with intense, heart-wrenching regret.
Jiang Ling's words instantly shattered that illusion.
Her words were calm, yet they were more devastating to Zhang Minghui than any insult.
“You could have had a like-minded wife, a smart and healthy son, and a well-earned, down-to-earth title of ‘Senior Engineer Zhang Minghui,’ instead of what you are like now…”
Jiang Ling's gaze swept over Zhang Minghui's blue-gray prison uniform provided by the detention center, her eyes full of mockery: "A swindler who built his reputation on theft, a murderer who killed his wife in a fit of jealousy and fear, a demon who even fears and hates his own flesh and blood, a death row inmate who is about to be taken to the execution ground and shot!"
The word "death row inmate" completely shattered Zhang Minghui's psychological defenses.
He slumped into the chair, like a lump of mud that had completely lost its support.
All his previous struggles, pretense, and forced arrogance vanished at this moment. His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, completely immersed in despair.
Jiang Ling painted a beautiful picture for him, but she also made him clearly see what he was destroying with his own hands.
Zheng Yu sat back down at the interrogation table.
“Zhang Minghui,” Zheng Yu’s voice regained its initial coldness, “Do you confess to the crime of murdering An Xiaohui?”
Zhang Minghui continued to stare blankly at the ceiling, his lips twitching a few times, but no sound came out.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“An Xiaohui, I love her very much.”
"She came from a prestigious family and had an air of refinement about her. She was simple, kind, pure, and intelligent. She was like a ray of light that shone into my life. She made me realize that there is another kind of civilized, gentle, and loving life in this world."
“My dad was a violent man. He never reasoned with people and would beat them if they didn’t obey. I don’t know how many times I was beaten growing up. My mom was a rural woman. Besides doing housework, all she did was give birth. She had one child after another, and even when we were so poor we couldn’t afford to eat, she still had to have more!”
“When my dad hits someone, my mom is completely numb and just cries and says, ‘You have to listen to me! Don’t mess with your dad.’”
"So I studied very hard. I had excellent grades. When I graduated from junior high school, my teacher said I could go to high school and then university, but my dad disagreed. So I had no choice but to work part-time while attending a vocational school so I could start working and earning money to support my family as soon as possible."
“I went to the city, became a worker, and started earning wages. At that time, my dad finally stopped beating me. He said I had brought honor to the Zhang family.”
"Later, I met Xiaohui."
“She saw me studying in the workshop and knew I wanted to be a technician, so she encouraged me to continue my studies at a junior college and helped me with my homework. She was really gentle and radiant.”
"I became a technician and joined the technical department as I had hoped. I pursued her madly, wishing I could give her my heart. When she finally agreed to be with me, I was so happy. I hugged her and spun her around. She giggled and laughed. At that moment, I felt like the happiest person in the world."
If you love someone so much, why hurt them?
Zheng Yu wanted to speak, to tear off his hypocritical mask, but Jiang Ling stopped her with a look.
—Don't interrupt him, let him continue to recall.
Zhang Minghui was immersed in beautiful memories.
He suddenly felt confused. The police officer was right. He should have had a beautiful and capable wife, a healthy and lovely child, and a thriving family. How come everything suddenly went wrong?
"But things changed later."
"Too many people praise Xiaohui, and too many people compare the two of us. When I go back to my hometown, the villagers all say that Xiaohui is a fairy from heaven, and that I must have burned incense in my past life to be able to marry her. After hearing these kinds of things so many times, I feel uncomfortable."
Zhang Minghui suddenly raised his head and scrutinized Zheng Yu and Jiang Ling with a critical eye, not even sparing Li Qiuyun, who was engrossed in taking notes.
"Don't you all think this world belongs to men?"
“That’s how it is in my family. My dad makes all the decisions, and my mom has no say at all.”
“No matter how capable Xiaohui is, she is still a woman. After giving birth to Xiaoyu, she should return to the family. All those honors and achievements should be given to me so that I can support this family.”
Despicable! Selfish!
Zheng Yu gritted her teeth, her face full of mockery.
He's incompetent, yet he tries to gain a false sense of control by suppressing his wife—what a scoundrel! Thinking of what she had learned during her investigation in Jiangcheng, Zheng Yu wanted nothing more than to punch Zhang Minghui a few times and let him feel the power of a woman!
Zhang Minghui, oblivious to Zheng Yu's inner thoughts, continued, "But An Xiaohui's personality is completely different from my mother's. She seems docile, but she's actually very individualistic and likes to take things seriously. The more I suppress her, the more she rebels. It's not that she'll scold or hit me; she just expresses her contempt with a cold attitude. And this attitude makes me angry."
At this point, Zhang Minghui suddenly stopped.
He saw mockery on Zheng Yu's face, his eyes turned fierce, and he pointed a finger at her face, shouting, "Yes! Just like you, that's the look in your eyes! You look down on me, don't you? You also think I'm a useless man, don't you?"
"You!" Having been pointed at and cursed in the face for the first time, Zheng Yu abruptly stood up. She was poised and ready, like a leopard about to pounce on its prey.
Jiang Ling reacted quickly, reaching out to grab Zheng Yu's arm and gesturing for her to sit down.
The relationship between husband and wife is often a continuation of the relationship between their parents.
Zhang Minghui was extremely controlling. Although he fell in love with the radiant An Xiaohui before marriage, he refused to acknowledge her excellence after marriage and demanded things of her according to his parents' relationship model. If An Xiaohui refused to comply, he would resort to his father's method of handling conflict—beating her!
In Zhang Minghui's family of origin, his father held absolute control. Anyone who dared to resist or disobey him would be met with violence—a simple, brutal, and effective method.
However, Zhang Minghui forgot that An Xiaohui was not like his mother, who would only blindly obey. She was an independent woman with culture, ideals, and aspirations.
The more Zhang Minghui suppressed her, the more An Xiaohui would resist.
Jiang Ling knew that Zhang Minghui's account was close to the truth of the fall, and she absolutely couldn't let him stop now. After pulling Zheng Yu to sit down, Jiang Ling looked at Zhang Minghui and said calmly, "You're very angry, so what?"
Zhang Minghui was also taken aback by Zheng Yu's reaction.
He felt that if he dared to point at Zheng Yu again, she would really pounce on him and bite him a few times.
People who enjoy using violence in the home are usually afraid of strong people.
The fierce look in Zhang Minghui's eyes lasted only two seconds before it vanished instantly, startled by Zheng Yu's sudden standing up. Hearing Jiang Ling's question, he readily returned to his previous line of reasoning.
“I was furious, I started hitting her, I deliberately tried to ruin her reputation, but… it was no use. Xiaohui was very stubborn, she buried herself in her work and completely ignored me, only showing a slight smile when she hugged Xiaoyu.”
“I knew what research she was doing, I knew her results were coming out soon, and I knew her advisor was inviting her back to teach at the university. I was afraid that when she succeeded, it would be the time she would leave me. I had to clip her wings; I had to keep her by my side forever. So, I stole all her results and applied for patents in advance.”
"I didn't expect her reaction to be so intense."
“She found out and wouldn’t let me off the hook. She wrote a letter of complaint, saying she would expose me to the factory. I knelt down and begged her, but she had a cold face. That night, we had a big fight and woke Xiaoyu up. When she saw Xiaoyu crying, her attitude finally softened a bit. She said she would give me one last chance and let me explain the situation to the factory the next day and then withdraw the patent on the grounds that the process was not perfect. I agreed.”
"That day, I was on pins and needles. I walked to the factory leader's office several times, but then turned back. I couldn't bear to give it up, I couldn't make up my mind. The day I got the patent, the factory leader patted me on the shoulder and praised me, saying that I was capable and a talent for technical research. He also said that he would promote me immediately, how prestigious that would be."
"On the day I got off work, I picked Xiaoyu up from kindergarten and invited Xiaohui to the rooftop."
“I want to try to persuade her again. Let me off this time, and I’ll help her apply for another patent next time. After all, we’re husband and wife, so it doesn’t matter who gets the honor. I need to achieve results for my promotion right now, so it’s not a big deal if she helps me out.”
Finally, they got to the crucial point, and Zheng Yu held her breath.
Jiang Ling leaned forward slightly, seizing the opportunity to speak: "She is a pure scientific researcher who hates academic fraud the most, so she rejected you, right?"
In one sentence, he precisely touched Zhang Minghui's most sensitive nerve.
"Yes!" Zhang Minghui practically roared, the veins on his neck bulging instantly. The scene from two years ago flashed before his eyes, and at this moment, he only wanted to vent his anger.
“She didn’t care about any marital affection whatsoever. I had just humbled myself and begged her to give me a little more time, saying I hadn’t told the boss the truth. And what did she do? She turned and walked away. I knew she had that whistleblower letter in her pocket. If I let her leave, I was finished! My job, my reputation, my future… all gone!”
Zhang Minghui was panting heavily, his eyes fixed on Jiang Ling.
Just as Zhang Minghui was blinded by anger and spoke recklessly, Zheng Yu, who had been silent all along, made a move.
She stood up abruptly, picked up two pages of a letter with curled edges, and slammed them heavily in front of Zhang Minghui: "A letter of complaint? Is this it?"
When the familiar, elegant handwriting appeared before his eyes, Zhang Minghui felt as if his heart was being squeezed, and large beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead, sliding down his twitching cheeks.
He knew every single word, but in his panic, he couldn't connect them and couldn't understand the meaning at all.
However, Zhang Minghui subconsciously concluded that this was a whistleblower letter, a whistleblower letter written by An Xiaohui herself.
Enraged, Zhang Minghui yelled, "That's it! That's it! I didn't expect she had a trick up her sleeve. She's going to sue me, to ruin me!" I rushed forward to grab the letter of complaint. We started fighting, and Xiaoyu was crying, crying her heart out. Xiaohui froze, and I took advantage of that moment to pull the letter of complaint out of her pants pocket.
Zheng Yu pressed loudly, "And then?"
Zhang Minghui's face contorted as he roared like a madman, "She was heartless, so I was unjust! After finding the whistleblower's letter, I gave her a hard push, and she fell! She fell!"
At this point, Zhang Minghui felt all his strength drain away. He slumped into his chair, his eyes glazed over, and muttered, "She's dead. The patent is mine now, it will always belong to me, right?"
Li Qiuyun's hands were trembling at that moment.
He confessed! He confessed to killing his wife! The motive is clear, the facts are clear, and the chain of evidence is complete! Zhang Minghui can't escape!
At this moment, Jiang Ling spoke up.
“No!” Jiang Ling leaned forward slightly, her gaze calm, fixing firmly on Zhang Minghui’s bewildered eyes. “A stolen patent will never belong to you.”
Zhang Minghui was forced to meet Jiang Ling's gaze.
“Scientific research relies on strength and requires perseverance. If you have neither the strength nor the resilience, what use is it to steal a patent? Those honors are ultimately illusory. You still can't solve problems when you encounter them. There are questioning eyes everywhere in the factory. You really can't stay here anymore, so you came to this Peony Towel Factory that is about to go bankrupt.”
"The leaders of the Peony Towel Factory did value you highly at first, wanting you to take on a leading role and shoulder the heavy responsibility of reform, but were you capable? No, you weren't!"
"If a technician can't even solve the inherent flaws of a patent, why should people trust you and why should your superiors continue to rely on you?"
"The labels of incompetence and uselessness still stick with you."
"You were afraid that Xiaoyu would reveal the truth about killing his wife, so you abused him for a long time. You satisfied your empty desire for control by beating and punishing Xiaoyu."
Jiang Ling placed Xiao Yu's medical report in front of Zhang Minghui, thus sealing his final charge: "Bullying the weak and abusing your own son. Zhang Minghui, that's all you're capable of!"
"I..." Zhang Minghui didn't have the strength to shout, and could only squeeze out this one word from his throat.
The self-righteous, false bubble was ruthlessly punctured by Jiang Ling before her eyes.
At this moment, Zhang Minghui finally saw himself clearly.
It turns out he was a selfish, insecure, useless, and shameless bastard.
It was An Xiaohui who showed him the most beautiful scenery in the world.
It was An Xiaohui who gave him support, enabling him to reach the pinnacle of his life.
And he destroyed it all.
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