Wang Xiaohe scrutinized Sun Ying’s expression, and upon seeing her look of surprise, Xiaohe slapped the table once with her open palm and roared, “Sun Ying, stop saying that powder isn't enough for you to snort. You have two choices right now: either eat all that powder, or answer my questions properly.”
Struck by Xiaohe’s outburst, Sun Ying nervously broke out in a sweat, shifting furtively against the back of her chair. Her eyes stopped darting around; they settled on Xiaohe with an expression that seemed almost submissive. She then nodded slightly and smiled faintly, “Big Sister, you’re fierce!”
“Oh, hearing the way you speak, you seem to have sobered up. Good, answer my question!” Xiaohe leaned in close.
Sun Ying sighed again and shook her head. “I want a smoke. Can you give me one?”
Many of the suspects brought into the interrogation room enjoyed smoking while they talked, so several packs of cigarettes were always kept in the interrogation room drawers. Xiaohe casually opened a drawer, pulled out a pack of Hongtashan, extracted a cigarette, and offered it to Sun Ying.
This Sun Ying was really demanding. “Big Sister, I can tell you and this big brother here have a look of a married couple. Even if this little sister is shameless today, I just fancy a man as steady and proper as him. But someone like me probably couldn’t possibly have him. Could you trouble Big Brother to light a cigarette for me?” Sun Ying began throwing coquettish glances at Zhou Huan nonstop.
Xiaohe chuckled internally but didn't show it. She turned her head to look at Zhou Huan and placed the cigarette between his lips.
Zhou Huan looked resigned, his expression blank. Holding the cigarette in his mouth felt somewhat uncomfortable because he never smoked, but he complied with Xiaohe to resolve the Red-Clothed Green-Sleeved matter quickly.
Xiaohe lit the cigarette, then said to Zhou Huan, “Brother Huan, take a puff, or it’ll go out!” She knew Zhou Huan didn't smoke, so she guided him to light the cigarette.
The scent of tobacco began to permeate the air. Sun Ying got her wish; she took two long drags before sighing, “You want to know about Guo Hua, right? I’ll tell you. I met her when we were working as hostesses at the Moonlight City KTV. We were very close, like real sisters. Later, she met a very wealthy man. After spending some time with him, she said she was quitting being a hostess and told me she was going to marry that man.”
By this time, Xiaohe had her notebook ready and began recording Sun Ying’s words.
Sun Ying continued, “From then on, we separated and never contacted each other again. That is, until the beginning of last month, when she called me, asking me to go home with her to see her old mother. I agreed, but when I saw her, I was stunned. She picked me up downstairs with an entire motorcade! We drove back to her hometown. Nothing happened in between. After we got back, we didn’t stay in touch either. But recently, I heard she committed suicide—maybe she had a fight with her boyfriend!”
“Do you know who her boyfriend was?”
“I’m not too clear on that. Cheating guys is normal in our line of work. Even the best sisters will turn against each other for a man or money, so she never told me anything about her boyfriend.”
“Think carefully. Did she ever mention her boyfriend’s name when you were chatting?”
“No, but every time her boyfriend came up, she’d always say something about ‘My Big Head’ doing this or that!” Sun Ying said, thinking hard. “But I think I saw a photo once. The guy looked like a potato. It must be because he’s rich; no woman would be with him otherwise.”
Hearing this, Zhou Huan seemed to snap awake as if doused with cold water. He jumped in before Xiaohe could ask, “Was your boyfriend short and fat with small eyes, and did he have the surname Wang?”
“Oh, Big Brother, you finally spoke! Your voice sounds quite pleasant!” This woman Sun Ying was too professional; one sentence revealed all her seductive charm!
Xiaohe immediately cut in, “Enough with the chatter, answer his question!” Perhaps this was jealousy between women? Only Xiaohe knew how she truly felt; maybe she cared too much about Zhou Huan?
“Big Sister, look how petty you are. Can’t even take a compliment?” She then turned back to Zhou Huan and said, “Big Brother, I really don’t know the person you mentioned. But if you show me a photo of the person you’re talking about and pour me a glass of water, maybe I can recognize if it’s him.”
Zhou Huan leaned close to Xiaohe’s ear and whispered, “Can you find a photo of Wang Qiang? Get one for her to look at!”
“Mm!” Xiaohe picked up the phone and called the records office. “Find a photo of Wang Qiang that was filed yesterday and bring it here. I’m in the interrogation room!”
Zhou Huan picked up a paper cup from the desk, filled it with warm water at the cooler, and slowly walked over to Sun Ying, handing her the water. “Here, drink this!”
Sun Ying’s hand was surprisingly fast; she snatched Zhou Huan’s hand. “Such capable hands!” Sun Ying’s hands kept caressing Zhou Huan’s.
“Are we done yet!” Xiaohe, waiting on the side, was getting impatient, and given a woman’s normal reaction, she was probably jealous!
Sun Ying drawled lazily, “All right!” She held the warm water in both hands, slowly sipping it down, then said, “That man seems to be someone quite famous around here, but I haven’t met him. But I can definitely recognize him from a photo.”
Knock, knock, knock three times on the door.
“Sister Wang, here’s Wang Qiang’s photo!” Xiaohe took the photo and immediately handed it to Sun Ying. “Look closely, is it this person!”
Sun Ying took the photo, glanced at it, and said definitively, “Yes, I recognize him right away when he looks like that. Look, he looks just like a potato even in a picture!” As she spoke, Sun Ying let out a giggling laugh.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Huan’s expression immediately became tense. “Xiaohe, I have nothing more to ask. We need to leave immediately!”
Xiaohe acknowledged this and casually picked up the phone. “Xiao Zhang, come to the interrogation room.” She then said to Sun Ying, “Someone else will question you in a bit. Remember, if you have anything, you must confess properly!”
“Haha, fine. As long as you find me a handsome guy, I’ll say anything!” Sun Ying seemed utterly obsessed with men at this moment, but this could also be due to some underlying psychological pressure.
Zhou Huan said to Xiaohe, “We are pressed for time. If things get out of hand tonight, I’m worried!”
Just then, Officer Xiao Zhang entered the interrogation room. Xiaohe whispered a few words to Xiao Zhang, then left the interrogation room with Zhou Huan. They didn’t go upstairs, but went directly out of the police station and into the car missing its windshield.
Xiaohe’s police car started up. Dongzi ran down from upstairs in a hurry, squinting his small eyes, tossing away the cigarette butt he was holding, shouting as he ran, “Take me along! Wait up!”
“Later, you keep an eye on the windshield replacement. We’re going to the hospital first!” Zhou Huan angrily reprimanded Dongzi.
Xiaohe, watching Dongzi’s antics, chuckled softly. Dongzi got into the car, and Xiaohe turned on the siren, driving straight through the lights towards the hospital.
“Xiaohe, how did you know I was going to the hospital?” Zhou Huan asked her on the road.
“I’m not blind, am I? Besides, Old Mr. Wang came looking for me this morning. Wang Qiang and Old Song are in the same hospital. Since Sun Ying has confessed that Wang Qiang is Guo Hua’s boyfriend, he’s probably her next target. Although that bastard isn’t worth protecting, we still need to check things out to close the case!” Xiaohe spoke very clearly and directly.
Zhou Huan smiled slightly and gently ran his fingers through Xiaohe’s hair. “Impressive!”
The car pulled up to a repair shop near the hospital, and Xiaohe stopped.
“Oh, police lady, need a repair?” A flashy young man wearing glasses, carrying auto repair tools, emerged from the shop, walking toward the police car.
This repair shop wasn't large; its neighbors on both sides were hardware stores. It was situated close to the highway, with quite a few passing vehicles. There were four or five cars parked outside waiting for service, suggesting the business was quite good.
The mechanic who greeted them was covered in grease, his clothes stained with oil patches. As he approached, one could clearly smell the mixture of motor oil and gasoline. This young man looked at the shattered window, one hand resting on the hood, the other habitually pushing up his glasses. “Police big sister, need a windshield replacement?”
“Mm!” Xiaohe noticed the man’s eyes were lecherous and his speech a bit slick, so she didn’t say much.
The mechanic bent down and glanced into the car. Seeing Zhou Huan leaning back calmly on the seat, he gave a faint smile. Seeing Dongzi’s small eyes, though lacking in sophistication, held a certain ferocity as he stared at the mechanic, the young man retracted his slight smile. “Oh, there are people in the car. You all should get out, and I’ll change the glass for you!”
“Mm, nothing too expensive!” Xiaohe said, parking the car in an empty spot in front of the repair shop, then pulling the key out before getting out with Zhou Huan.
“Isn't this big brother coming down?” The mechanic, seeing Dongzi hadn't moved while Zhou Huan and Xiaohe got out, asked Xiaohe.
Xiaohe saw that this guy was also a lecher, always looking at her with that hazy, lustful expression, but changing his face when he looked at Dongzi. So Xiaohe didn't want to talk much to him either, turning instead to Dongzi and saying, “You stay in the car. Watch them replace the glass, and remember, don't let them try to cheat us!”
“Got it, Sister Xiaohe, don’t you worry, hehe!” Dongzi grinned foolishly, crossed his arms, and stared fixedly at the auto repairman, not blinking, causing the mechanic’s expression to shift repeatedly before he sheepishly retreated inside to get his tools.
Zhou Huan and Xiaohe headed toward the hospital. The mechanic took his tools and began cleaning the remaining shards of glass from the window, occasionally sneaking a glance at Dongzi.
Dongzi felt uncomfortable with the mechanic constantly looking at him and finally snapped, “Hey! Kid, get to work! Why do you keep looking at me? Am I going to eat you or something?”
This mechanic was indeed slippery. Hearing Dongzi call him out, he replied with a forced smile and started chatting with Dongzi. “Big Brother, I’m just worried that the glass fragments might fly over to you and hurt you, so I keep checking.”
“Oh, okay then. Keep checking, and hurry up. We have things to do!”
“Right!” The young man continued working while asking, “Was that police officer just now your older sister?”
“Yeah, she is!”
“Oh my, you’ll have to be more careful driving in the future. Look how shattered this glass is. Think how bad it would be if it scratched your sister’s beautiful face!” The young man said, tentatively observing Dongzi’s expression. Seeing that Dongzi only cared about the job at hand, he probed further, “Is your sister married?”
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