HH Chapter 10

Li Xiaoyan lowered her head slightly and slowly began to speak, “We used to have a good relationship, but during my pregnancy, he was always out and never home. When he did come back, he reeked of alcohol. If I said anything, he would throw things and curse. I didn’t dare to confront him because I was carrying our child.”

At this point, Li Xiaoyan’s expression showed a reluctance to recall those times. “Later, after I gave birth, he treated me like a burden. Before, when I was working, I could support him, and we relied on my savings for the childbirth. We didn’t have much money, and he still secretly took money to fool around with other women.”

“Later on, when I ran out of money, he started hitting me, scalding me with hot water. When that didn’t work, he started targeting the child. I had no choice. I had to protect the child, so I gave him all the money and everything else I had.” Li Xiaoyan hugged her arms and trembled slightly, her eyes showing hatred. “I hate him. He was a beast. Even now, I can’t forget. His death was a relief.”

After saying this, a hint of calm and excitement appeared in Li Xiaoyan’s eyes. Pei Qinghuai observed without asking further, merely scanning the room’s environment.

Chen Xiaonuan closed her notebook and exchanged a glance with her colleague. “Has anyone visited you these past few days?”

Li Xiaoyan shook her head. “No.”

“Hmm,” Chen Xiaonuan continued. “Do you know if he had any enemies or conflicts with anyone?”

Li Xiaoyan raised her head and hoarsely replied, “Yes.”

“Who?” Chen Xiaonuan’s eyes gleamed, and Pei Qinghuai also turned his attention to her.

Li Xiaoyan sighed and shook her head. “It was a long time ago. He got into trouble once, got drunk, and beat up the old lady next door. A week later, the old lady died, and since then, her family held a grudge against him. They refrained from taking action several times only because of me.”

“Thank you for the information,” Chen Xiaonuan said, standing up with a smile. “Is there any…”

Before she could finish, Pei Qinghuai asked, “Have you not remarried all these years?”

Li Xiaoyan’s eyes flickered as she rubbed the dead skin on her fingertips, her expression somber. “No, and I don’t want to,” she said slowly.

Pei Qinghuai didn’t say anything further, lost in thought.

Chen Xiaonuan glanced at Pei Qinghuai, then looked back at Li Xiaoyan. “If you have any more information, please contact us immediately.”

Li Xiaoyan’s lips twitched. “Okay.”

When the crimson wooden door plastered with advertisements closed, it seemed to seal away the old memories.

Perhaps the dark times in her youth had left an indelible mark on Li Xiaoyan. The mention of Tian Mingwei triggered a stress response, and who knows how long these memories will haunt her — years, decades, or forever.

Chen Xiaonuan sighed as she held her notebook. “She’s quite pitiful.”

“But what if she only wants you to see her pitiful side?” Pei Qinghuai suggested.

Chen Xiaonuan was startled and quickened her pace to catch up with him. “What do you mean?”

Pei Qinghuai, hands in his pockets, looked at the wall filled with advertisements. “A mother who always mentions her child in every sentence wouldn’t have abandoned her child back then.”

Chen Xiaonuan frowned. “Maybe it was an emergency?”

Pei Qinghuai didn’t answer her question, instead changing the subject. “You don’t want to get married, do you? You might even fear the physical burden of pregnancy?”

Chen Xiaonuan’s eyes lit up. “How did you know, Mr. Pei?”

Pei Qinghuai smiled enigmatically. “I guessed.”

Watching Pei Qinghuai’s back as he descended the stairs, Chen Xiaonuan’s confusion deepened. Back at the office, she placed her things on the desk and asked Zhang Yibao, “Where’s Captain Cheng?”

Zhang Yibao, leaning back in his chair, glanced around. “He’s interrogating someone with Jiang Fei.”

In the interrogation room, Pei Qinghuai focused his attention on a girl named Feifei.

Feifei, wrapped in Jiang Fei’s coat to cover her inappropriate pink camisole, was scrutinized by Cheng Ye. “Name?”

“Feifei,” she replied.

“I asked for your real name,” Cheng Ye said coldly.

Feifei flinched and stammered, “Chen… Chen Fei.”

Cheng Ye: “How old are you?”

Jiang Fei interjected softly beside Cheng Ye, “Sixteen.”

Cheng Ye glanced at Chen Fei and then at Jiang Fei. “So your name is Chen Fei?”

Jiang Fei’s face twitched, and he coughed twice before settling down.

Cheng Ye closed the file in front of him. “We’re just asking routine questions. Just tell the truth.”

This seemed to hit a nerve, and Chen Fei’s eyes showed sudden panic. “I’m telling the truth. I’m not lying.”

“Bang bang!” Cheng Ye knocked on the table twice, looking at Chen Fei. “Do you recognize this man?”

He showed a photo of Tian Mingwei. Chen Fei clutched Jiang Fei’s coat tightly, wrapping herself up, and shook her head. “I don’t know him. Did he commit a crime?”

“He’s dead,” Cheng Ye squinted, putting the photo aside. “Why are you so scared if you don’t know him?”

Chen Fei frowned, looking between Cheng Ye and Jiang Fei. “Who’s scared? It’s normal to be nervous when being interrogated.”

Jiang Fei and Cheng Ye exchanged a glance. Jiang Fei placed an evidence bag in front of Chen Fei. “You should be familiar with this. Every customer who leaves your place gets one of these napkins. We found the same napkins in Tian Mingwei’s house.”

The napkin had a distinctive pattern and rough texture, easily distinguishable from others. Tian Mingwei had a drawer full of them, indicating he was a frequent visitor. Even a long-time customer wouldn’t outright deny knowing him.

Chen Fei snorted and shrank further. “So what? That only proves he visited us. It doesn’t mean I know him.”

“That’s right,” Cheng Ye leaned back, looking at Chen Fei. “Your boss is next door. She must have confessed everything by now.”

Chen Fei’s expression changed from panic to sneer. “Are you kidding? We don’t know him. You think my sister confessed? That’s a joke.”

“What if I’m not lying?” Cheng Ye said just as someone knocked and entered.

It was Zhang Yibao, bringing in a file. Cheng Ye took it, glanced at it, and placed it on the table.