He arranged for hospitals abroad that treated uremia, intending to prepare all the exit procedures for Qin Yaxuan. He planned to have her escorted out of Lancheng by force, forbidding her return.
However, before the exit procedures could be completed, Qin Yaxuan had an accident.
He repeatedly confirmed with the people he had tasked, and they had not yet had the chance to coerce Qin Yaxuan into leaving Lancheng.
Qin Yaxuan's death had nothing to do with the people he had hired. If Qin Yaxuan was indeed murdered, it certainly wasn't by Susu. So, who was the killer?
For a moment, he couldn't think of anyone who would want Qin Yaxuan dead. Qin Yaxuan was now powerless and had stopped doing business; she shouldn't have any enemies.
He had no other options at the moment but to first prove Susu's innocence and prevent her from being entangled in this matter any further.
...
After Susu returned to the police station, she was interrogated in the interrogation room for several more hours.
It wasn't just an inquiry; it was an interrogation. She could clearly feel that the attitude of the two police officers had become much tougher than before.
The female officer held up a photo from the scene and questioned her, "See these two bills scattered on the ground? Your fingerprints are on them. How do you explain that?"
Susu calmly replied, "I paid her with this money, so of course my fingerprints would be on it. Although our meeting at the restaurant that day didn't go well, I knew she was struggling financially. When I left, I left about five or six hundred yuan for her to pay the bill. These two scattered bills should be the change after payment."
The male officer took out the photo and the forensic report, walked closer to her, almost shoving the two items in her face, and asked, "During the time of death, the victim's clenched fist contained a strand of your hair. How do you explain that?"
"My hair?" Susu asked, bewildered. "That's impossible. I never went to her place."
"It's not enough to say you didn't go. If you didn't go, why would she have your hair in her hand?" the male officer pressed, fixated on this point.
Susu answered frankly, "I don't know."
The female officer stated Qin Yaxuan's specific time of death and asked, "Think carefully. Where were you at that time? Is there anyone who can prove you were not at the scene?"
Susu tried hard to recall what she was doing on the day and time the police mentioned. She quickly remembered that she was working overtime at her studio between seven and eight in the evening, and didn't leave until half-past eight.
When she left the studio, no one else was there; she had locked the door herself.
"The colleagues who were working overtime with me left around seven that evening. I left at half-past eight and got home a little after nine. I did not go to Qin Yaxuan's residence."
The male officer said shrewdly, "That means from seven o'clock until you got home a little after nine, there's no one to corroborate your story, right?"
Susu quickly responded, "The surveillance cameras at the entrance of the building when I left the studio should be able to prove it. You'll know I'm not lying."
"Very well, we will certainly check."
The two officers realized that they had asked about the two points that could keep her detained, and she had explained them. They were at an impasse again.
The male officer exchanged a look with the female officer. The female officer gathered the documents on the table and said, "That's all for today. You'll have to stay in our holding cell for the night. If you need anything, you can call the duty officer."
Susu felt exhausted after the day's events and said nothing more, following the female officer to the special temporary holding area for suspects at the police station.
As the iron door closed, she sat on the simple cot, hugging her knees. She feared that before long, she would be transferred to a detention center similar to a prison.
Alone in this dim place, she deeply missed Tianyi, missed the children, and missed her warm home...
The two officers, in order to interrogate her, had not yet had dinner and had ordered two takeout meals.
They sat in the office, eating, and discussing whether Gu Susu was the murderer.
"I don't think Qin Yaxuan was killed by this Gu Susu. All day, she hasn't shown any signs of guilt," the female officer judged based on her past experience.
The male officer, however, was dismissive. "I think she might not have done it herself, but it's highly possible she had an accomplice or hired someone."
"You're too certain. Why would she hire someone to kill Qin Yaxuan? What's the motive? Is it just because they had a conflict and she wanted revenge?"
"I'm not clear on the specific motive yet, but did you notice? When I mentioned she might have hired a killer, her expression clearly became fearful and evasive. If you don't believe me, you can check the surveillance footage again. With my years of interrogation experience, I wouldn't be wrong. She still hasn't told us the truth," the male officer said, then quickly resumed eating.
The female officer recalled that there was indeed a moment when she thought they should check the surveillance footage after eating.
"Right, tomorrow, check the surveillance of the building where Gu Susu's studio is located and see if she really left at half-past eight that night," the male officer instructed, looking up.
"Okay, I understand."
At this moment, Su Kangxi walked in carrying late-night snacks. Seeing them still there, he placed the items on the table and said, "You're still here? Finished with the interrogation?"
The male officer looked at Su Kangxi, who was in plain clothes, with suspicion. Just as he was about to ask who he was, the female officer happily stood up and called out, "Senior Brother, why are you at our station so late?"
"Senior Brother?" the male officer asked the female officer, pointing at Kangxi.
The female officer smiled and introduced, "This is Su Kangxi, the Criminal Investigation Captain from Huayang Branch, and also my senior brother from police academy."
She then introduced him to Su Kangxi, "This is my colleague, Officer Zhu."
Su Kangxi shook hands with Officer Zhu and said, "Hello." He then glanced at their nearly finished takeout and said, "It seems you've already eaten. I bought these for nothing."
The female officer picked out a cup of drink from the pile of late-night snacks he brought and said, "How could it be for nothing? You have my favorite drink. I won't be polite."
Su Kangxi voluntarily took out a cup of coffee and handed it to Officer Zhu, saying, "This is for you, a very pure black coffee."
Officer Zhu accepted the coffee and asked curiously, "Our branches have never collaborated on cases. Are you here specifically to see your junior sister at this hour?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Senior Brother Su is married," the female officer said, patting Officer Zhu sheepishly.
"Oh, oh."
The female officer also asked, not understanding, "Senior Brother, is there something you need?"
Su Kangxi didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "The suspect you arrested today is a very good friend of mine. I just wanted to ask you how the interrogation went and when you can release her."
Officer Zhu immediately put down his coffee and said, "It's not convenient for us to disclose that. Since you know her, you should also avoid any suspicion."