Chapter 33 Interrogation
The interrogation room was brightly lit, with a long table separating Lu Xuejin from the man.
The door was tightly shut, and the room was a cold, white expanse with no windows or way to observe the outside world. In the pale room, only he and the man who called himself Deng Ning were present.
“Thank you for your cooperation.” Deng Ning sat down. Even though he was inside the empire’s feared law enforcement agency and had just brought the suspect back, he still wore a relaxed smile, making it impossible to discern his true emotions. He even had the leisure to joke with Lu Xuejin, “Mr. Lu, is this your first time here?”
"This is probably the first time you've entered the Enforcement Bureau through an underground passage." Deng Ning raised an eyebrow. "However, there's nothing we can do about it. After all, the Shen family is involved, and you are General Shen's widow, which gives you a special status. The general has only recently passed away, and there are countless eyes watching you. If someone sees Mr. Lu entering and leaving the Enforcement Bureau, things could get very bad."
He spoke in a friendly tone, not like he was speaking to a prisoner.
"What do you think of this place? Is there anything that needs to be improved?" He actually tried to listen to the opinion of a suspect.
From these casual questions, it's clear that Deng Ning's personality is not as upright as his uniform suggests.
Deng Ning observed the young man before him.
She had probably just woken up from a nap; her eyes were still misty, and her hair was slightly disheveled, softly draped over her shoulders. Deng Ning's arrival was so sudden that Lu Xuejin had only gone upstairs to put on a coat, the soft piping of her loungewear faintly visible at the overlapping collar.
Coupled with his gentle and non-aggressive appearance, and the corners of his mouth that lift even when he doesn't smile, Lu Xuejin is like a spring breeze lingering around a flower branch, light and fragile. It's not hard to imagine how captivating he would be if he smiled.
However, at this moment, he frowned slightly, seemed lost in thought, and appeared melancholy.
Deng Ning's witty remarks failed to capture his attention in the slightest. Lu Xuejin's eyes were fixed on the void, her expression absent-minded.
The smile on Deng Ning's lips faded slightly.
Indeed, her husband's funeral had just ended a few days prior. Watching his beloved be buried alive, to be forever accompanied by a tombstone, the cold wind, and the smell of earth, must have been a tremendous blow to him. Deng Ning had been keeping a close eye on Lu Xuejin, and after returning home, he stayed indoors.
The loss of a pet can cause grief for months, let alone the loss of a once inseparable partner. In just a few days, Lu Xuejin is probably still immersed in deep sorrow.
Deng Ning leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and crossing his hands to support his chin. He closed the distance and stared intently into Lu Xuejin's eyes, as if trying to see through those glass-bead-like eyes to understand the person behind her. His question remained non-threatening: "I heard that Mr. Lu was born in a small country nearby. He met the general while traveling to the border and then fell in love with him."
Lu Xuejin finally responded: "...Yes."
His reply was weak and slow: "That was a year ago. We got married not long after we met."
"If I may ask, did you know his identity before you married the general?"
Lu Xuejin blinked: "At that time, I thought he was a university teacher because he was very knowledgeable."
Deng Ning's expression turned somewhat strange.
"Is that so? But I've heard that the general seems to have little interest in books and the like," he finally said tactfully.
Lu Xuejin looked up, her eyes weary: "Mr. Deng Ning, let's not talk about trivial matters anymore. You came to me saying you suspected me of murdering my husband. Could it be... that my husband was murdered? Who killed him?"
The melancholy and dejected young man suddenly fixed his gaze on Deng Ning with unwavering determination. Lu Xuejin was completely unaware of the perilous situation she was in; she was now only concerned with one thing—the cause of her husband's death.
The fleeting gaze finally settled, pressing heavily on Deng Ning. It was as if, if she could just get a definite answer, the frail young man before her would immediately search for the murderer and avenge her husband.
Deng Ning did not answer, but instead asked Lu Xuejin to recall what happened before her silent death: "That day was probably very special for you, so much so that it is unforgettable. You probably remember the details of your husband's death very clearly, without missing a single one. Even if you forget, your subconscious will help you recall it."
Her delicate eyelashes trembled slightly as Lu Xuejin recalled, "That day, I wanted to give him a surprise."
Lost in beautiful memories, Deng Ning's eyes met those of his beloved. His gaze softened instantly when he saw Lu Xuejin, a sweetness emanating from the corners of his eyes, making the air feel warm and sweet, enveloping him in a sweet, almost creepy, sweetness.
“I’m not good at cooking. In fact, he’s always been responsible for most of the housework. He has to handle things outside, and when he gets home, he can’t rest because he has to cook for me. He’s so tired. So I thought I’d secretly learn to make a sweet soup to thank him for all his hard work and for being so understanding.”
"He was really happy and hugged me around the waist. I was worried about the taste of the sweet soup, but after he drank it, he said it was delicious. After that, we went about our own business."
As the memory reached this point, the sweet atmosphere around them suddenly froze, and Lu Xuejin frowned in pain: "Then, then... that night, he stopped breathing."
Forced to recall that day, Lu Xuejin was extremely distressed. After speaking, she clutched her chest and took a long time to catch her breath, breathing softly. Deng Ning waited patiently until he spoke again: "The doctor said that he passed away so quickly because of a genetic disease outbreak. It was not detected in advance, which is why it happened so suddenly, without any warning."
But nothing seemed to have happened that day, and looking ahead, there were no signs of problems with Silent's body. So no one suspected the cause of Silent's death.
Thinking of this, Lu Xuejin's fingers, hidden under the table, twitched.
He suddenly remembered: that night, his breathing stopped and his heart stopped beating. After the doctor made the diagnosis, Shen Yuncheng rushed over and presided over the funeral with him. Everything was too rushed, and the leftover sweet soup was left in the living room. But when he returned home after the funeral, the dining table was clean.
I initially thought it was Shen Yuncheng or a maid who cleaned it, but now it seems...
“A deadly toxic substance was detected in that bowl of sweet soup.” Deng Ning smiled. “General Shen didn’t have a genetic disease at all. What caused his sudden death was that bowl of soup, not anything else.”
A probing gaze fell upon the young man, and Lu Xuejin was instantly thrown into disarray. This news was hard for him to accept; he was shocked, bewildered, and lost, staring blankly at Deng Ning: "...He was murdered, murdered by me. I actually...served the soup to him myself..."
Immediately afterwards, her eyes welled up with tears.
Deng Ning watched coldly from the sidelines.
A few minutes later, he laughed and said, "At first, we all thought you were the prime suspect and had the greatest motive to kill your spouse. Now it seems that the probability is probably not high."
"Was the doctor found by Shen Yuncheng?" Deng Ning asked abruptly.
"One was the Shen family's family doctor, and the other was someone who was called in from the hospital at the time."
Deng Ning said calmly, "Two doctors, coincidentally, made the wrong diagnosis. In addition, the ingredients were purchased by the Shen family. I suspect that all of this was done by the Shen family."
This conclusion was unbelievable, and Lu Xuejin instantly showed a look of resistance. His previously relaxed state of mind suddenly tightened, and he became wary of Deng Ning, suddenly discovering a lot of ill intent in Deng Ning's behavior.
Deng Ning didn't care and pulled up the medical reports from the previous few times before he fell silent.
"Even the most subtle genetic diseases will show obvious genetic changes one to two months before the onset of the disease. General Shen had just had a physical examination not long before his death, so how could he have fallen ill without any warning?"
“Moreover,” Deng Ning winked playfully at Lu Xuejin, “General Shen’s position in the Shen family is awkward, a fact that Mr. Lu is probably unaware of.”
He saw Lu Xuejin purse her lips and then said.
"General Shen was a child that General Shen brought back to the Shen family later. At that time, there was already a young master of noble birth in the old Shen family mansion—the second young master Shen Yuncheng. Many people in the Shen family watched him grow up. Originally, he was also taken in and carefully raised by General Shen as his heir." Deng Ning sighed, "Unfortunately, the second young master Shen was not interested in power and influence, but was instead interested in many folk customs and anecdotes, and resolutely gave up the family business to devote himself to academia. So the old general entrusted the vast family business to General Shen."
"Over the years, the general has worked diligently and conscientiously. Under his leadership, the Shen family has risen to prominence and gained a great reputation, to the point that even the capital city has to be wary of them."
"What a fine Shen family! But upon closer examination, the general's title is illegitimate! In his youth, the Second Young Master Shen was impetuous and arrogant, with the old general as his backer, he could have done anything with great ease. But now that his most beloved father is gone and his academic career has suffered setbacks, it's only natural that he would suddenly have designs on the lofty and powerful. Besides, his maternal family, the remaining elders of the Shen family who have bet on him, will not sit idly by and take his place!"
"Mr. Deng, are you saying that my husband's younger brother colluded with others to harm my husband?" Lu Xuejin smiled, but there was an indescribable coldness in her smile.
But Deng Ning saw the doubt in his eyes.
"Shen Yuncheng is probably plotting to frame you. If he can strip you of your inheritance rights, wouldn't it be easy for him to seize the assets left by General Shen and regain control of the Shen family?"
“He may put on a warm face in front of you, but Young Master Shen is not such a simple person!” Deng Ning rested his chin on his hand, observing Lu Xuejin’s expression while throwing out evidence.
Shen Yuncheng was unruly in his youth, with a history of frequent fights. He was easily angered and prone to violence, had a fondness for luxury, and often hunted in the mountains with his companions. The boy in the photo has an arrogant and indifferent expression, showing no trace of the gentle and refined demeanor he will later possess.
And there was his cold, sinister gaze when he was ridiculed at academic forums.
After returning to the border, he frequently met with his maternal relatives and paid respects to the elders of the Shen family...
Deng Ning kept showing hidden photos, seemingly trying to break down Lu Xuejin's defenses. "Does Shen Yuncheng really know nothing about General Shen's death?"
Lu Xuejin lowered her eyes, trying to hide the wavering in them.
Just then, someone pushed open the door and whispered something to Deng Ning. Deng Ning smiled and said, "Alright! I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly. Were you being monitored the whole time? Mr. Lu, Young Master Shen has come to pick you up."
"Although we have a secret search warrant, a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Here, we can only be manipulated by others." He shrugged helplessly.
The people around him gave Lu Xuejin a reassuring smile.
...
"Brother Lu, what did they do to you?"
Didn't I remind you to call me?
"Don't be afraid, these people can't hurt you."
Having lost their loved ones, the two huddled together. Shen Yuncheng's strong arms, hidden beneath his shirt and trench coat, gently encircled Lu Xuejin's slender shoulders and back, softly comforting her, as if afraid that Lu Xuejin might be humiliated without his knowledge.
The voices grew fainter and fainter as Deng Ning watched the two figures disappear from sight.
Just as they were about to turn the corner, Shen Yuncheng suddenly turned around, his beast-like eyes fixing on Deng Ning. Although he didn't utter a single word, the warning was clear enough.
Deng Ning waved and smiled at him, "Take care, don't come back."
His subordinates looked at Lu Xuejin's almost completely obscured figure and sighed, "He's now trapped in a den of wolves and tigers."
This worry is too emotional for people like them.
Deng Ning said, "Do you really think Shen Mo's death has nothing to do with Lu Xuejin?"
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