HH Chapter 78

The door to the interrogation room was pushed open, and Guo Xiaofei turned his head to look at the two people who entered. He seemed a bit nervous and quietly asked, “Can I go to my grandpa now?”

Cheng Ye didn’t respond immediately. He pulled out a chair and scrutinized the boy named Guo Xiaofei in front of him. Pei Qinghuai glanced at Guo Xiaofei and said, “No rush, we’re still doing a check on your dad. Once that’s done, you can leave.”

Clearly, Guo Xiaofei’s face showed a hint of panic upon hearing this. A child couldn’t hide his feelings well. Pei Qinghuai noticed the change in his expression and continued, “It’s okay, don’t worry. We’ve already given your dad some psychological counseling.”

Guo Xiaofei mumbled an “okay” with his head lowered, not saying another word.

“Why don’t you tell us about your situation with your dad? That way, we can understand more,” Pei Qinghuai’s voice remained gentle.

Guo Xiaofei looked around nervously, feeling increasingly insecure. He wished he could jump off the chair and run out, but his legs seemed to betray him due to his nervousness. He could only sit obediently on the chair.

“My dad doesn’t like me,” Guo Xiaofei muttered, his eyes darting around.

“Doesn’t like you?” Pei Qinghuai followed his lead. “Are the injuries on your body caused by your dad?”

Although Pei Qinghuai’s voice wasn’t loud and didn’t carry any interrogative tone, to Guo Xiaofei, it felt like one lie was needed to cover another. He nodded again, his eyes wide.

“Even so, you don’t hate your dad?” Pei Qinghuai leaned forward slightly, looking at Guo Xiaofei. “You need to tell us so we can help you. Otherwise, when the check is over, you’ll have to go back to Guo Jiayi.”

“Really?” Guo Xiaofei’s eyes widened instantly, looking at Pei Qinghuai.

Pei Qinghuai smiled, “Really, the police never lie.”

Guo Xiaofei clenched his little fists, his mind racing. When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with hatred. “I hate him! He won’t let me go to school! He won’t let me do anything! I can’t even go out to play!” His voice trailed off. “He just keeps me at home…”

Pei Qinghuai’s eyes showed a hint of doubt. “Just because of that?”

To Guo Xiaofei, these reasons were enough to make his world collapse. He hesitated for a moment, looking at Pei Qinghuai, who continued to smile, “Let’s not talk about this. How about we talk about school and your mom?”

Hearing the latter part, Cheng Ye also glanced at Pei Qinghuai. In the other observation room, the discussion began.

Chen Xiaonuan said, “Didn’t Guo Xiaofei’s mom run away right after he was born?”

Fang Yuan responded, “Could he have found new clues behind our backs?”

Jiang Fei raised an eyebrow, “Your brother Pei is still your brother Pei. Just listen carefully.”

Fang Yuan rolled his eyes at Jiang Fei, “Where did you get that weird nickname? Change it back.”

“Nope,” Jiang Fei retorted with a glare.

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Guo Xiaofei’s expression visibly worsened. Cheng Ye added fuel to the fire, “You need to explain the whole story clearly. You’re only ten years old, so you won’t face any legal consequences.” He paused slightly. “I’ve heard from my colleagues that Guo Jiayi’s emotions are very volatile right now.”

Initially, Cheng Ye thought dealing with a ten-year-old wouldn’t be too challenging, so he relaxed a bit. But what Guo Xiaofei said next made everyone in the room break out in a cold sweat.

“You guys already know, don’t you?” Guo Xiaofei’s legs, which couldn’t reach the floor, swung back and forth. Seeing no one responding, he continued, “Guo Jiayi is actually dead, isn’t he?”

Pei Qinghuai and Cheng Ye both frowned. In the adjacent room, everyone held their breath. Guo Xiaofei said casually, “I know he’s severely allergic to red medicine.”

Before Guo Xiaofei could continue, Pei Qinghuai regained control of the conversation, “Why did you do it?”

Guo Xiaofei looked at Pei Qinghuai, “In simple terms, he’s just a piece of trash.”

No one expected such words to come from a ten-year-old’s mouth. Pei Qinghuai tried to keep his tone calm, “Is it because he didn’t let you go to school?”

A hint of pride appeared on Guo Xiaofei’s face as he snorted, “Of course not. Only idiots go to that school.”

Pei Qinghuai intentionally showed confusion, “Then why?”

Guo Xiaofei, knowing he wouldn’t face any legal consequences, blurted out, “He killed my mom, so I killed him. It’s that simple.”

Cheng Ye couldn’t sit still, “Who told you that?”

Guo Xiaofei sneered at Cheng Ye, who barely restrained himself from slapping the boy. Guo Xiaofei said, “My friend.”

Once again, everyone in the room drew a sharp breath. Pei Qinghuai’s frown deepened, “What do you mean?”

Guo Xiaofei fiddled with his hands, “He told me my mom didn’t abandon me. My dad killed her. At first, I didn’t believe it, but every time I mentioned her to my dad, he looked guilty. Then I believed it.”

“That’s it?” Pei Qinghuai’s voice softened.

“That’s it,” Guo Xiaofei replied nonchalantly.

Pei Qinghuai asked, “What about the injuries on your body?”

Guo Xiaofei laughed, “I did it myself. I didn’t expect you guys to believe it.”

Even though Guo Xiaofei had confessed, the oppressive atmosphere didn’t lift. Cheng Ye wanted to continue, but Pei Qinghuai stopped him.

“Who said we believed it?” Pei Qinghuai retorted disdainfully.

Guo Xiaofei was stunned, looking at Pei Qinghuai. Pei Qinghuai continued, “From the beginning, we knew you did it. You might not face legal consequences, but we can still ruin your performance.”

Guo Xiaofei said nothing, just stared at Pei Qinghuai. Pei Qinghuai continued, “Such clumsy methods—I don’t know where you learned them, but you probably discovered by chance that Guo Jiayi was allergic to red medicine, right?”

“And another thing, you guessed wrong. Your mom isn’t dead. She left Guo Jiayi and ran away. That’s the truth. But you can choose not to believe it.”

Before Guo Xiaofei could respond, Pei Qinghuai added, “Playing along with your act was tiring, but I didn’t expect you to fall for it. So, we played along.”

Guo Xiaofei got angry and tried to jump up, but the officers behind him restrained him. Pei Qinghuai and Cheng Ye left the interrogation room without looking back.

“I didn’t see that last part coming,” Cheng Ye said, leaning against the wall.

Pei Qinghuai’s eyes showed a hint of disappointment as he smiled, “Couldn’t let him stay arrogant forever.”