HH Chapter 22

Pei Qinghuai and Cheng Ye exchanged glances but said nothing. Li Xiaoyan sniffled, trying to stabilize her emotions, but her hands resting on her abdomen were fidgeting.

“She wants to kill me. She said after killing Mingwei, she would come for me next. I… I had no choice. I could only do this…” Li Xiaoyan’s voice grew quieter until she was speaking with her head bowed.

“When did she say this?” Cheng Ye asked.

Li Xiaoyan sniffled again. “A few days ago…”

Cheng Ye raised his voice. “A few days ago?”

“I can’t remember exactly.” Li Xiaoyan kept her head down.

Cheng Ye’s brows furrowed slightly. “Where did she say this?”

Li Xiaoyan replied, “At my home.”

Cheng Ye continued, “What exactly did she say?”

Li Xiaoyan hesitated, glancing at Pei Qinghuai. However, he kept his head down, giving her no clues. She lowered her head again, seemingly thinking of something distressing, her shoulders trembling. “Can I not say?”

‘Bang!’ Cheng Ye slammed his palm on the table, startling Pei Qinghuai. “This is a police station! Not a place for idle chatter!”

Cheng Ye was visibly angry, his brows tightly knit. Li Xiaoyan, equally startled, was left speechless, her mouth half open. The tension lingered until Pei Qinghuai broke the silence.

“Don’t you think your performance is a bit lacking?”

With that, the atmosphere in the interrogation room shifted. Li Xiaoyan stared blankly at Pei Qinghuai, swallowing hard.

“You’re indeed nervous, I can see that, but you’re overacting a bit,” Pei Qinghuai said without expression. “Five days ago, on May 31st, what were you doing at Tian Mingwei’s house?”

Li Xiaoyan’s panic was evident. “Looking for something?”

“What were you looking for?” Pei Qinghuai pressed.

“Some old jewelry,” Li Xiaoyan replied.

Pei Qinghuai twirled his pen, a slight smile on his lips. “It’s been some time since our first conversation, but I remember clearly that you said you were very afraid of Tian Mingwei. Were those pieces of jewelry worth the risk of encountering him?”

He didn’t wait for her to respond, continuing, “You might not know, but there’s a surveillance camera on Chenghua Avenue that covers the alley entrance.”

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoyan’s face fell. She seemed desperate to explain, but no words came out.

“Knock, knock, knock.” There were three knocks on the door.

Cheng Ye turned his head. “Come in.”

Fang Yuan entered, glancing at Cheng Ye and then at Pei Qinghuai. “Captain Cheng, Teacher Pei, can you step outside for a moment?”

Closing the interrogation room door, Fang Yuan’s gaze landed on a distant bench. “Tian Yunxin is here. She says she wants to turn herself in.”

“Turn herself in?” Cheng Ye looked at Fang Yuan incredulously.

Fang Yuan nodded. “Yes.”

Cheng Ye glanced around. “Where’s Yan Ya?”

“Oh, she said she made a new discovery and locked herself in the lab again,” Fang Yuan replied.

Cheng Ye patted Fang Yuan on the shoulder. “You and Jiang Fei continue questioning Li Xiaoyan. I’ll handle Tian Yunxin.”

Fang Yuan smiled. “Got it. Mission accepted!”

Cheng Ye turned to Pei Qinghuai, his face still impassive. “You predicted this too?”

Pei Qinghuai merely shrugged. “Let’s go.”

Tian Yunxin was cooperative, sitting across from them with her head down. Her white dress seemed out of place in the room.

“Let me tell you a story first,” Tian Yunxin said, leaning back in her chair, relaxing.

“Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit. From the moment it was born, it was abandoned in a dark, sunless cage. Fortunately, there was an older rabbit beside it. The older rabbit loved the little rabbit dearly, always saving the best things for it, even sneaking out to bring fresh treats, although they seemed old to the little rabbit.” Tian Yunxin chuckled before continuing.

“The little rabbit and the old rabbit were happy together, but in a cage, there are always bullies. The young rabbit was targeted by the bullies, who wanted to eat it. The old rabbit wouldn’t stand for it, always shielding the little rabbit, enduring the beatings, its white fur stained with blood. But the old rabbit always told the little rabbit it was okay and not to be afraid.”

“Perhaps it was heaven’s favor that allowed the little rabbit to leave the cage. The old rabbit would always wait by the cage door, hoping the little rabbit would return to visit. Bullies, being bullies, vented their anger on the old rabbit after the little one left. Each time the little rabbit secretly returned, it saw the old rabbit’s battered body, its once white fur now a filthy mess, the skin festering and emitting a foul odor.”

Tian Yunxin closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to make her words sound like a simple story. “The little rabbit wanted to take the old rabbit away, but the old rabbit, fearing the bullies would harm the little rabbit further, chose to stay. It always put on a brave front, hiding its injuries, and saving good things for the little rabbit’s return.”

“Time passed, and the bullies, frustrated by the little rabbit’s absence, became more violent. The old rabbit could barely stand. The day came for the little rabbit’s return, and the stinking cage was filled with a new, pungent smell. The little rabbit stood frozen at the entrance. Inside, the bully stood over the old rabbit, a pool of blood at its feet, holding the little rabbit’s secret gift in its hand—a small carrot.”

Tian Yunxin looked up, her eyes red, staring at Cheng Ye, whose expression had softened. “Go on,” he said gently.

Tian Yunxin sniffed. “The little rabbit was terrified, running away immediately, not daring to stop, fearing the bully would find and eat it.”

“The little rabbit didn’t take any action, but from that moment on, it vowed to personally send the bully to hell.”