Murder Call

The night, stirred by the wind, was brewing a storm. The neon lights gave the city a hypocritical mask, with the endless flow of vehicles and people squeezing through every street corner like quicksand, pressing against each other in silent agony.

Mo Lin was prepared for an all-nighter. He walked into Interrogation Room No. 5 with Wan Shu. The people outside the interrogation room were puzzled, speculating about Mo Lin’s intentions.

Wan Shu was clearly surprised too. “Teacher Mo Lin, why did you bring me here?”

Mo Lin replied, “To face your inner fears.”

Wan Shu was utterly confused.

Liu Quan had just finished recounting a horrifying kidnapping incident, and his mood hadn’t fully calmed down. When he saw Wan Shu in the interrogation room, his expression was as if he had eaten something disgusting.

Because of Wan Shu’s whistleblowing, Liu Quan was very displeased. As soon as Wan Shu entered, he glared at her fiercely. If there weren’t people watching, he might have slapped her right then and there.

Wan Shu felt Liu Quan’s anger, and her expression changed.

It seemed like a fire was burning between the two, ready to burst through the roof at any moment.

Mo Lin sat across from Liu Quan, with Wan Shu on Liu Quan’s left.

Mo Lin said, “There are some questions that need to be asked together, so I’ve arranged this interrogation. I’ll be asking some questions related to the case, and I need you to answer truthfully.”

“There’s no need to be nervous; they’re just ordinary questions. The first question is for Liu Quan: Do you recognize this dress?”

Mo Lin took out a photo of a blood-stained dress restored by the trace inspection team and placed it in front of them.

“I recognize it. This is the dress I asked a friend to bring for Yunyun a month ago. She was wearing it when she left home,” Liu Quan said, his eyes red.

Mo Lin then showed a photo of an identical dress, except this one wasn’t shredded, just cut in half, and it also had bloodstains. “And what about this one?”

Wan Shu’s eyes visibly twitched when she saw this dress.

Liu Quan thought for a moment. “Isn’t this the same dress?”

“Yes, two identical dresses. Why are they both stained with blood? Wan Shu, can you explain this to us?”

Seeing Wan Shu not answering, Mo Lin continued, “The blood on the second dress has been confirmed to be Liu Yun’s, while the first dress, which we found under Zhou Ziming’s building, has non-human bloodstains.

I checked this dress; it’s a new release from a well-known brand, not yet sold domestically. So, Mr. Liu, did you ask your friend to bring back two dresses?”

“No, I only asked Secretary Wen to bring one dress!”

At this point, Liu Quan seemed to realize something was wrong. “I asked for one, but I don’t know how many Secretary Wen actually brought back!”

Mo Lin turned to Wan Shu. “Wan Shu, do you know why?”

Wan Shu kept her head down, not speaking.

“I just called Secretary Wen. He admitted that the other dress was brought for you,” Mo Lin said, curling his lips at Wan Shu. “Why would Secretary Wen bring you such an expensive dress for no reason? You’re dating Secretary Wen, aren’t you?”

Wan Shu’s fists clenched tightly, and the veins on her forehead bulged.

“How is that possible? Secretary Wen is almost forty. How could they be together?” Liu Quan denied immediately. “Secretary Wen has a family and is an honest person. Maybe the dress was for his wife.”

Mo Lin didn’t pay any attention to what Liu Quan was saying, just smiled silently at Wan Shu.

“Wan Shu, say something!” Liu Quan was getting anxious.

Wan Shu suddenly looked up. “Secretary Wen is lying. I don’t have such a dress.”

“Really?” Mo Lin took out evidence from social media. “Then why are you wearing this dress?”

For a moment, Wan Shu was speechless.

Liu Quan felt something was off. “Wan Shu, what’s going on? Are you really with Secretary Wen?”

Wan Shu didn’t answer, her chest heaving violently.

“How shameless can you be?! Getting involved with Secretary Wen! You’ve disgraced me!” Liu Quan said angrily.

Wan Shu glanced at Liu Quan with a pitiful smile. “Dad, can’t I date Secretary Wen? You got involved with your sister-in-law! How am I any worse than you?”

Liu Quan’s face darkened. “Wan Shu, don’t talk nonsense!”

“Am I talking nonsense?” Wan Shu laughed, but it sounded more like crying. “Do you want a paternity test? To see whose child I really am?!”

“Shut up!” Liu Quan, trembling with anger, slapped Wan Shu, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground!

Wan Shu clutched her face, seemingly unbothered by anything anymore. “You don’t even know what these blood-stained dresses mean, do you? Fine, I’ll tell you. One of them is mine! The other I took off Liu Yun! Your favorite daughter was killed by me! Surprised? Shocked?!”

“You beast! You killed Yunyun?!” Liu Quan looked at Wan Shu in disbelief, as if a stone was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

“I killed her! I killed her just to spite you!” Wan Shu glared at Liu Quan. “We’re both your daughters. Why don’t I get a penny from you?!”

Mo Lin leaned back, crossing his legs leisurely, as if watching a show.

“How can you compare to Yunyun? She’s my legitimate daughter. Your birth was an accident. Your mother had you behind my back, all for my money! If I had known you’d turn out like this, I would have made your mother get an abortion!”

Wan Shu stood up, tears streaming down her face, yet she laughed bitterly. “You loved Liu Yun so much, yet you treated her like a commodity, offering her to Zheng Gaoda? You’re someone who would do anything for your own benefit! What right do you have to judge me?”

“I… How did I end up with such an ungrateful wretch like you?!” Liu Quan was at a loss for words, wanting to hit Wan Shu again, but Mo Lin stopped him.

At this moment, Wan Shu’s emotions surged. “Back then, Uncle Zhou helped you redeem Liu Yun, and later he disappeared. Why didn’t you look for him? He saved your life, and you’re the real ungrateful one!”

Liu Quan clutched his chest, his face turning red. “Stop talking!”

Wan Shu wiped her tears and took a deep breath. “Teacher Mo, I know you’ve suspected me for a long time. Where did you find this dress?”

Mo Lin raised an eyebrow, shifting the topic. “You’re right. I’ve suspected you for a while. Everyone who attended the birthday party back then is a suspect in Xia Yin’s murder. Liu Yun and Xia Yin are both dead. You know best what happened back then. Say whatever you want; no one can confront you.”

Mo Lin looked at Wan Shu, his eyes filled with unfathomable thoughts. “When I asked who took the photo, you seemed nervous. You first said it was Liu Yun, then changed to Xia Yin’s dad after I questioned you. So I investigated Xia Yin’s dad, Xia Yong.”

“Xia Yin’s dad was in a car accident four years ago and has been in a wheelchair since. The group photo was taken from above, indicating the photographer was much taller than you, so it couldn’t have been Xia Yong. Your words actually proved you never met Xia Yong.”

Liu Yun stopped speaking, just staring at Mo Lin in shock.

“I investigated Xia Yin’s dad. After Xia Yin’s death, he received an 800,000 yuan accidental insurance payout, enough for him to live comfortably in a good nursing home for the rest of his life.”

At this point, Mo Lin’s expression turned serious. “I also investigated Xia Yin. Two years ago, she underperformed in the college entrance exam. On the day after she turned eighteen, she bought a high-coverage short-term accident insurance policy. She chose to buy it after turning eighteen because the compensation was higher.

You might not know, but her birthday isn’t July 20th. She actually turned eighteen on June 23rd. The reason she lied about her birthday was to have you witness her death…”

Everyone was shocked, staring at Mo Lin.

“That day, you took Liu Yun there, so Xia Yin chose Liu Yun as the scapegoat. She deliberately sent you downstairs to buy something and then provoked Liu Yun, ending her life in a heated argument.”

By now, Wan Shu was too shocked to speak.

Mo Lin continued, “Xia Yin exchanged her life for her father’s carefree future, but she didn’t expect that her death would harm many innocent people.

That day, Liu Yun thought she accidentally killed someone and ran home! She told Liu Quan about her accidental killing, and Liu Quan lied to protect Liu Yun.” Mo Lin looked at Liu Quan. “Am I right, Mr. Liu?”

“Don’t slander me! That’s not true!” Liu Quan denied vehemently.

“Do you know Ding Gao?” Mo Lin suddenly asked.

Liu Quan’s expression turned ugly, and upon hearing Ding Gao’s name, his face turned pale.

Seeing Liu Quan not answering, Mo Lin continued, “Ding Gao was sentenced to two years in prison for burglary two years ago and was just released a few days ago. Some things might only be clear if you confront each other face to face.”

Mo Lin stood in front of the one-way glass in the interrogation room and said to the people outside, “Bring Ding Gao in.”

After a while, Li Meng brought Ding Gao in. The moment Liu Quan saw Ding Gao, his eyes widened, and he became restless.

[Author’s Note]

Here we go, darlings~