Insights Chapter 16: Interrogation

Chapter 16: Interrogation

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

At ten o’clock in the evening, the villa at Zhengrong Fishing Ground was brightly lit by the City Bureau police car lights. The people inside the villa didn’t expect the police to return so soon and obtain a search warrant.

Gu Yanchen led the team, sweeping away the afternoon’s courtesy, and directly invited the three to the police car. Fang Jialiang was a bit surprised, “Didn’t we just answer questions in the afternoon?”

Lu Ying patted the police car door, gesturing for him to get in. “Interrogating witnesses and questioning suspects are completely different.”

Since Lan Jie was a socialite, Bai Meng took her out to avoid publicity. Lan Jie asked, “Are you suggesting that my husband was murdered?”

Bai Meng didn’t say much, “Please explain that at the City Bureau interrogation room.”

Among the group, only Zhong Zhichun remained silent, following the police. Gu Yanchen leaned against the police car with crossed arms, watching him get in. The others thoroughly searched inside and outside the villa, even dismantling the U-trap from the drain.

The City Bureau in Penang was a city that never slept; even at late hours, there were personnel entering and exiting. The three were quickly taken to separate interrogation rooms. Gu Yanchen deliberately left the three alone for a few minutes, observing their reactions through the observation window. This introspective phase would intensify the fear in the suspects’ hearts.

He personally interrogated Fang Jialiang, while Bai Meng and Lu Ying questioned Lan Jie. Several police officers were also sent to Zhong Zhichun. Names, gender, age, place of origin, etc., were asked one by one, followed by a detailed inquiry about the circumstances of the crime.

After the initial round of questions, Gu Yanchen began repeatedly asking key questions. At the slightest inconsistency, he pursued further. The questions were rapid, logically connected, leaving Fang Jialiang defenseless. As the night deepened, he felt increasingly tired and his thoughts slowed down.

Gu Yanchen became more spirited, maintaining the pressure. Fang Jialiang, a pampered young man, had never encountered such a situation. Gu Yanchen could sense Fang Jialiang tensing up while answering his questions, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Based on the physical evidence and autopsy results, Gu Yanchen had already deduced the truth. “Where were you that afternoon?”

“I was in the study at home.”

“What exactly were you doing?”

“Using the computer in the study.”

“The computer at your home shows only log records after four in the afternoon.”

Fang Jialiang paused, then said hesitantly, “I made a mistake. Maybe I was reading a book before that.”

“Are you sure you didn’t go out in the afternoon?”

“No.” Fang Jialiang’s gaze flicked to the side.

“Did you not meet Lan Jie?”

“No.”

“I remind you again, do not lie,” Gu Yanchen warned. Fang Jialiang tended to look to the right when lying.

During the afternoon chat with Gu Yanchen, Fang Jialiang wasn’t pressured too hard; Gu Yanchen tried to make him relax to observe his normal behavior. Each person’s normal behavior is their baseline. Once the baseline was established, it became easy to identify abnormal reactions, indicating potential lies. ¹

Now, Gu Yanchen was making him nervous. Under pressure, people reveal more vulnerabilities. Gu Yanchen, solely by observing his demeanor, could determine whether Fang Jialiang was lying. Lie after lie was ruthlessly exposed. Gu Yanchen showed Fang Jialiang a photo. Although he had turned off the surveillance at the villa entrance, a camera upstream had captured his car. The photo was blurry, making it hard to identify the driver, but it was taken at three in the afternoon.

Fang Jialiang stammered, “I was driving to look for my father…”

“You said you were at home all afternoon,” Gu Yanchen interrupted.

Fang Jialiang stammered more, “N-no… I just went to look for him, didn’t find him, and came back. It didn’t take long. I forgot to mention it earlier.”

The medical examiner estimated the time of death to be an hour after lunch. According to the maid’s statement, lunch was served at half-past eleven that day, meaning Fang Zhenrong’s murder occurred before one in the afternoon.

Gu Yanchen speculated that Fang Jialiang drove to the riverside to dispose of the body in the afternoon, with the corpse in the car’s trunk. To avoid suspicion, he wore fishing gear and lingered by the river for a while. Someone near the river saw a fisherman resembling Fang Zhenrong, likely Fang Jialiang in disguise. Gu Yanchen mentioned this but didn’t press further; without concrete evidence, probing too deeply risked eliciting a false confession.

He was only bringing up these points to make Fang Jialiang uneasy. Once his anxiety and fear reached a peak, presenting solid evidence would crush him. After half an hour of questioning, Gu Yanchen directly accused him, “According to the police investigation, you are the one who killed your father, Fang Zhenrong.”

After Fang Jialiang denied it, Gu Yanchen presented the evidence. “After the evening search, forensic evidence was found on your clothes—foamy residue from your father’s mouth and nose. How do you explain that?”

Fang Jialiang’s eyes darted around anxiously, “No… that’s impossible.” He had been extremely cautious, changing all his clothes and thoroughly cleaning every trace.

Gu Yanchen fixed his gaze on him, seemingly seeing through all his lies. Fang Jialiang’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, hardly daring to meet Gu Yanchen’s eyes. After a standoff, Fang Jialiang gave up struggling. He stuttered, “Where is it sticking?”

Gu Yanchen revealed the answer, “On the surface of your slipper.”

This information was known to Gu Yanchen much earlier. Only now, he casually pointed it out. Indeed, the appearance of this physical evidence made Fang Jialiang’s breath hitch. For a moment, he felt like a mouse being played with in a cat’s paw, surrounded by dead-end paths.

“I… I don’t know. Maybe someone deliberately framed me just to tarnish my reputation.”

Facing the interrogation, Fang Jialiang no longer cooperated. He either claimed not to know or pretended not to remember. He even started talking nonsense.

On the contrary, Gu Yanchen was patient and continued his systematic questioning. In reality, not many people possess strong psychological resilience. Ordinary individuals, having committed murder, would feel uneasy under the repeated scrutiny of the police, especially when the victim is their biological father, and evidence is presented before them.

After committing the murder, Fang Jialiang had already passed through the tense and numb state. Now, he was left only with regret and fear. His hands involuntarily began to tremble.

When Fang Jialiang refused to speak, Gu Yanchen spoke on his behalf, “The real location of your father’s death is the guest bedroom bathroom on the first floor. The police found a drowning substance that closely resembled the cause of death of Fang Zhenrong. It’s one of the pieces of evidence in the case. On that afternoon, Fang Zhenrong returned to the villa unexpectedly during his fishing trip and caught you and Lan Jie together.”

Fang Jialiang’s mouth twitched as he resisted, “Officer Gu, these are just your speculations. I… I didn’t kill anyone.”

Such defense seemed feeble.

Gu Yanchen asked, “Was your father’s death a carefully planned act or a momentary impulse?”

It was a multiple-choice question, but both options seemed to lead to a dead end.

Fang Jialiang’s face turned extremely pale, almost on the verge of collapse.

“Jialiang, you better confess soon,” Gu Yanchen threw in a trump card, “If there’s an accomplice, can she withstand the pressure and not reveal your involvement?”

It was a classic prisoner’s dilemma. When accomplices were separated and faced different circumstances, their previous agreement would immediately rupture. Human nature often failed such tests.

Fang Jialiang looked up and asked, “Where is Captain Cao? Wasn’t he in charge of this case?”

Gu Yanchen replied, “The case has been transferred to the City Bureau, and now it’s under the responsibility of our Special Criminal Division.”

Fang Jialiang said again, “I want to see your superiors…”

Gu Yanchen chose to interrogate at night to prevent any interference, “Tonight, whoever comes, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

Fang Jialiang’s body moved in the chair, as if he had been pulled out of water, muttering, “I want a lawyer.”

Gu Yanchen said, “Okay, I’ll arrange for you to contact a lawyer. But making this request now is almost the same as confessing.”

Fang Jialiang became impatient, reaching out to grab his head in a surrendering posture. He trembled, “I had to kill him! It was self-defense. My father… he wanted to get the gun from the storage room. If he got it, I would be the dead one. I’m not lying; you should have found the gun by now.”

Fang Jialiang held his head, recalling the terrified feeling when he pressed his father into the water that afternoon. His father struggled forcefully, reminiscent of a fish unable to breathe out of water. The fish were scared, swimming frantically. He feared his father and the slippery creatures. There was a moment of hesitation; then Lan Jie rushed in, helping him subdue Fang Zhenrong.

She screamed, “We had to kill him! Otherwise, we’re done.”

His father reached out, trying to grab something, but there were only the slippery walls around him. In the struggle, both of them almost couldn’t hold him down. It was the most chaotic moment in Fang Jialiang’s life. When he finally reacted, his father lay motionless beside the water.

After waiting for a while, he gathered the courage to turn his father over. It was the first time he saw a drowned person; his father’s skin was pale, soaked, no longer resembling a living being. Soon, white foam emerged from his father’s mouth and nose, like growing a white beard under his nose. He was horrified, tearing off tissue to wipe it away, but more foam appeared.

Instantly nauseated, he vomited into the sink continuously.

After a while, Lan Jie spoke, “There’s no one else at home. He… he never came back. He drowned; he died at the fishing grounds. No one will discover he died at home.”

After the incident, they moved the corpse, threw it upstream at the fishing grounds, cleaned the bathtub, washed their clothes, and disposed of all evidence. They believed they were flawless, leaving no traces. The police still discovered it.

Twenty minutes later, Gu Yanchen emerged from the interrogation room. Under immense pressure, Fang Jialiang confessed to everything. Following his confession, Lan Jie couldn’t withstand the pressure for long and also confessed. She revealed some hidden secrets in her testimony.

Before marrying Fang Zhenrong, she was originally Fang Jialiang’s girlfriend. ² Unexpectedly, Fang Zhenrong pursued her and took her away from Fang Jialiang. Fang Zhenrong, extremely lustful, didn’t restrain himself even after marrying her. He sought various women outside, even among the female employees in the company.

This behavior angered Lan Jie, leading to frequent quarrels between the couple. During one drunken night, in a vengeful act, Lan Jie begAn Nan affair with Fang Jialiang. Originally, they planned that one would be the wife, the other the son, and after Fang Zhenrong’s death, the inheritance would fall into their hands. Just a few days ago, while passing by the study, Fang Jialiang overheard Fang Zhenrong’s conversation with Zhong Zhichun. He considered altering the will and even contemplated divorcing Lan Jie.

Coincidentally, a few days later, as Fang Jialiang and Lan Jie were intimate, Fang Zhenrong hastily returned home, catching them in the act. Enraged, Fang Zhenrong argued with them. Amidst the struggle, Fang Jialiang and Lan Jie drowned Fang Zhenrong in the bathtub.

Fearful of discovery, they devised the story of a fishing accident and disposed of the corpse in the fishing grounds. They pretended to be at odds, attempting to conceal their partnership. The truth quickly surfaced, and after the officers organized their testimonies, they asked them to sign and confirm.

Bai Meng turned to Gu Yanchen and asked, “It seems that Zhong Zhichun has nothing to do with this case. Are we releasing him?”

Gu Yanchen replied, “Yes.” He stood up, took a coat, and pulled out a lighter, saying, “I’ll personally go and release him.”

Zhong Zhichun seemed unsurprised by the police’s decision to release him. Gu Yanchen, leading Lu Ying, escorted him downstairs. The elevator beeped as it stopped on the ground floor, and Zhong Zhichun walked out.

It was just past midnight, a summer night with a slight chill in the air. Zhong Zhichun called his driver, standing by the City Bureau’s side entrance, waiting for the car to pick him up. Gu Yanchen stood beside him, engaging in conversation.

Zhong Zhichun said, “I knew Captain Gu would see through everything. The case was solved so quickly, clearing my name.”

“This case isn’t that complicated,” Gu Yanchen looked at Zhong Zhichun and said, “Mr. Zhong, aren’t you curious about who killed Fang Zhenrong?”

Zhong Zhichun replied, “Since the person is already dead, I just want to know that I am innocent.”

“Mr. Zhong, you’re truly broad-minded. Even with someone’s death and a murder involved, you remain calm,” Gu Yanchen spoke slowly, “There are some aspects of this case that I haven’t figured out yet…”