"I'd like to ask, what crime did he commit?" Old Qin asked.
Zhao Yan shook her head. The letter didn't mention any specific crime, but she had once thought that the old man must have gotten entangled in some karma, and going to jail was a way to avoid calamity. Compared to wandering outside, prison was much safer. With his lecherous appearance, no one in prison would dare to mess with him.
"Miss Zhao, have some water." Zhang Yi personally unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle and handed it over.
Zhao Yan said thank you, took a small sip, and placed the bottle on the table behind her. "I need to go to the restroom."
"The restroom is this way, I'll take you," Zhang Yi said. As they walked, Zhang Yi pointed to his face and asked, "Miss Zhao, what do you think of my physiognomy?"
Zhao Yan stopped. Zhang Yi immediately stood up straight and raised his head.
"Hmm." Zhao Yan looked closely, then pinched Zhang Yi's cheek and twisted his left cheek to the left. "Your mountain root is pointed and thin, and there are many fine lines under your eyes, a place also called the tear trough."
Zhao Yan pointed to the corner of Zhang Yi's eye. "A pointed and thin mountain root indicates an unhappy marriage in the future, with frequent arguments with your wife. Coupled with long separations and other factors, your marriage will be unfortunate. Your children's palace is very chaotic, indicating that you will have no children in this life. You should have an infertility constitution."
The smile on Zhang Yi's face gradually disappeared. He had only wanted to ask Zhao Yan when his career would see a breakthrough. He had no intention of asking about his family. Hearing Zhao Yan's words, he panicked. Due to his job, he did indeed spend a lot of time away from his wife, but their married life was still stable. They even had a daughter. What was this about an infertility constitution?
"Miss Zhao, considering I opened the mineral water bottle for you, could you please take a closer look?" Zhang Yi said earnestly, his posture becoming even more upright.
Zhao Yan said seriously, "It's not wrong. Even if I look again, the conclusion will be the same."
"I can't possibly have an infertility constitution. I have a lovely daughter," Zhang Yi stated.
Zhao Yan patted his shoulder. "Perhaps you should get a paternity test. Maybe it's from the neighbor, Old Wang."
Zhao Yan pushed open the restroom door and went in. Then, she stuck her head out from the doorway, as if remembering something. "Oh, it could also be from neighbor Old Li."
Zhang Yi panicked and quickly opened his phone's photo album, tapping on the picture of his daughter. He then compared it with his own childhood photos. The more he looked, the more he felt they didn't resemble each other. His eyes were so small, while his daughter's eyes were large. His nose was somewhat flat, but his daughter's nose was very well-defined. None of the facial features resembled his. This was like a ridiculous grandmother opening the door for a ridiculous person, utterly absurd.
"Holy crap!" Zhang Yi exclaimed and rushed over.
Arriving at the restroom, Zhao Yan checked. There was no one else there. She asked, "What are your last wishes?"
Previously, when going to the interrogation room, Zhao Yan had used a talisman to communicate with Zhou Ning's mother. This talisman could convey her questions to Zhou Ning's mother. In exchange, Zhao Yan had agreed to fulfill one of Zhou Ning's mother's wishes. Zhou Ning's mother was willing to tell her everything she knew.
Zhao Yan spoke first, "Of course, if your wish is to save your daughter, that is impossible. She planted the seeds, and she must bear the bitter fruit."
Zhou Ning's mother was sobbing softly. Although she couldn't shed tears, her face was filled with pain. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have blamed Xiao Bao for the mistakes of that heartless man. All of this is my fault for Xiao Bao..."
Zhao Yan waved her hand and said earnestly, "It's no use saying these things now. No matter what you say, this matter cannot be undone. Why don't you tell me what your wish is?"
Zhou Ning's mother became agitated and reached out to grab Zhao Yan's arm. As her hand touched Zhao Yan's arm, it passed right through. "I want to talk to Xiao Bao. If you agree, I am willing to persuade her to cooperate with you!" "Please, this is my only wish."
Zhao Yan pondered for a moment and asked, "This is it?"
Zhou Ning's mother nodded. "This is my only wish."
Zhao Yan opened her bag and took out a talisman. "This is a spirit-summoning talisman. After you enter the talisman, I will borrow my body to let you talk to Zhou Ning. However, you will only have three minutes. If you exceed three minutes, the talisman's yang energy will burn your soul." "If you have any wicked thoughts and try to possess my body, you will only be seeking your own demise." Zhao Yan's eyes cast a cold glance at the end.
"No, no, I just want to talk to Xiao Bao," Zhou Ning's mother said, waving her hands.
Zhao Yan held the talisman between her fingers and softly chanted. With a ding, Zhou Ning's mother entered the talisman. Placing the talisman in her pocket, Zhao Yan walked out of the restroom.
"Miss Zhao, what were you talking about with Doctor Zhang just now that made his face turn so pale and him keep muttering 'it's over, it's over'?" Jiang Yu asked when he saw Zhao Yan returning. He had never seen Zhang Yi with such an expression before.
Zhao Yan replied, "He asked me to read his fortune. I did, and I told him he has an infertility constitution. Then I said his daughter is probably from the neighbor, Old Wang or Old Li, definitely not his, and that he should get a paternity test."
"Uh." Jiang Yu was stunned for a moment. He had originally planned to ask Zhao Yan to read his fortune, but now he quickly dismissed the idea. Some things were better left unknown.
"How did it go?" Zhao Yan asked, pointing to Zhou Ning in the interrogation room.
"We questioned her, and her mood became extremely low. No matter what we said, she wouldn't respond to us. We thought her psychological defenses had been broken and she would cooperate with us, but it seems we were too optimistic," Jiang Yu said.
Zhao Yan looked at Zhou Ning and said, "I'll go in again. This time, I want to talk to Zhou Ning one-on-one. There should be no equipment in the room, and our conversation should not be recorded."
Old Qin nodded. "No problem. Please trouble Miss Zhao to go in again."
Jiang Yu opened the door and followed Zhao Yan inside. He removed all the equipment, leaving Zhao Yan alone in the interrogation room. Zhao Yan adjusted her position, turning her back to Jiang Yu and the others. She took out the spirit-summoning talisman and, with a chanted incantation, the talisman emitted a golden light. Zhao Yan's body suddenly went limp, and with a thud, she collapsed onto the table. In less than three seconds, Zhao Yan straightened up. Her gaze towards Zhou Ning had completely changed; her eyes were filled with guilt and self-reproach. "Xiao Bao, it's Mom."