Chapter 12: Interrogation

Lu Yaozu stared straight ahead, his expression unreadable, his lips tightly sealed, refusing to say a word.

Seeing he remained unmoved, the officer switched tactics.

“You, listen. I’m a police officer. It’s freezing in here—aren’t you scared?”

Lu Yaozu looked at the man before him but still didn’t respond.

At that moment, another officer cleared his throat and walked in from outside. He whispered a few words to the officer inside, glanced at Lu Yaozu, and then left the interrogation room.

Whatever was said, it clearly changed something, because the officer’s demeanor instantly shifted.

“I advise you to just tell the truth. You were so young at the time—we understand, you were instigated. But if you keep refusing to admit it, then it becomes harboring a criminal. Do you understand how serious the consequences are?”

“What’s more, your parents have already confessed. You’re only a teenager—you should’ve had a bright future. Don’t let them drag you down.”

His words were sincere and cutting—each one aimed straight at the heart.

And they worked. Lu Yaozu started to waver.

“Impossible… they’re my biological parents. They wouldn’t do this to me. Are you joking?”

“Heh. Do I look like I’m joking? Do you really think they’re qualified to be parents? What kind of parents would instigate their child to commit a crime? Think about how young you were at the time. They ruined your life!”

Everything the officer said was from Lu Yaozu’s perspective, and it shook him.

He was only five years old at the time—he couldn’t even feed himself without help. And yet, because of his parents’ manipulation, he ended up carrying multiple homicide charges.

Of course he felt wronged.

But he also remembered something his father told him: no matter what you do, if you’re underage, the police won’t really make it hard for you.

Right—underage!

After everything, he was still a minor. Even if he admitted to it, he wouldn’t go to jail!

So what was the difference whether he confessed or not?

“I’m just a minor, right? So what difference does it make if I talk? If I tell you everything, can I at least get something to eat? You guys barged in earlier and I didn’t even get to finish my chicken drumstick.”

That drumstick was given to him by his father. His mom was a good cook—the braised chicken leg was tender and fragrant. He was still craving that taste.

“Of course. We wouldn’t stop you from eating.”

The officer could see clearly—this kid was completely clueless about the law.

He only knew that as a minor, he wouldn’t be imprisoned. He didn’t understand anything else.

But some things, the officer couldn’t tell him outright.

“All right then. I’ll tell you everything. But you have to get me some food. Even prisoners get meals, right? I didn’t eat all afternoon before you brought me here.”

He was the only boy in the Lu family—spoiled and pampered by everyone. Being locked up here for half a day without even a sip of water already felt like torture to him.

“Sure. Just tell me everything you remember. I’ll write it all down, and once you sign your name at the bottom, you can eat.”

“Fine, fine, just hurry up! Don’t make me miss dinner and sleep.”

Lu Yaozu was now both starving and sleepy. His eyelids were already drooping.

“Go ahead. Once you’re done, you can rest.”

Raising his head briefly to look at the officer, Lu Yaozu then closed his eyes and began to recount what he remembered.

“I was only five. It was my first time going to that house—it was so beautiful. My mom and I had never lived anywhere like that before. I told my dad I wanted to live there forever.”

“My dad agreed. He took me to the study on the second floor, confronted the old man, said I was his son, and called the old man’s daughter a useless woman who couldn’t even give birth to a boy.”

“I remember the old man got furious. He raised his cane to hit me, so I dodged. He said he was going downstairs to call the police and report my dad for bigamy. My dad told me to grab his cane so he couldn’t call. He said if I did that, I could stay there forever. I really liked that place, so on the stairs, I grabbed the cane from him…”

The rest of the story was that Lu Zhichai waited until no one else was home, and once the old man had fallen down the stairs and stopped breathing, he ran out to find someone. Lu Yaozu never saw the man again.

Meanwhile, in the other two interrogation rooms, the police used the same tactic—making them think the others had already confessed, hoping they’d let something slip.

But Lu Zhichai and Shuiniang had already coordinated their stories in advance and weren’t afraid. They said nothing.

So the only breakthrough remained with Lu Yaozu.

Once Lu Yaozu finished telling his story, the officer kept his word and brought him a bowl of noodles from outside.

It was already very late, and nothing fresh was available. The noodles were leftovers from the afternoon and had gone cold.

But Lu Yaozu was too hungry to care. He ate all of it.

After he finished, the interrogation resumed.

“Do you remember your father’s first wife?”

“Of course. She’s the biological mom of my two sisters.”

“According to our records, she died in a fire. The autopsy confirmed that. But based on the whistleblower’s statement, the gasoline that started the fire was privately acquired by Shuiniang at the dock and then passed to your father. Do you have anything to say about that?”

Full from his meal, Lu Yaozu leaned back, too tired to even open his eyes.

“I don’t know anything about that. I was just a kid. Someone gave me a box of matches, and I thought the fire looked cool, so I lit them all and threw them on the floor. I didn’t know why the fire suddenly got so big—I was scared too. Someone carried me out, and I don’t remember anything else.”

After all, it was him who started the fire, and it had nothing to do with the rest of the family. He figured it wouldn’t affect anyone else, so he told the truth.

Yes, he had done it—but he was underage. He wouldn’t go to jail. As long as he admitted he had acted alone, his parents wouldn’t get in trouble.

At first, he hadn’t wanted to say his parents were involved, but then he realized—it didn’t make sense for a kid to be carrying gasoline around. So he told the full truth.

After finishing the statement, the officer left Lu Yaozu to doze off and went to the next interrogation room.

“Shuiniang, your son has confessed everything. Do you still have anything to say?”

The tension she had held onto finally snapped, and tears streamed down her face.

“It’s not like that! I don’t know anything—I really don’t…”

She never imagined that after so many peaceful years, she would be caught here.

Her mind was a mess. All she could remember was her husband saying, “Just deny everything, and no one will ever know.” So she had always denied it.

“If you cooperate, things can go easier. If you resist, they’ll only get worse. Even if you don’t care about yourself, think about your son. He’s still just a kid—do you want to ruin his whole life?”

Officer Wu instantly caught the flash of panic in her eyes when he mentioned the child.

He was sure of it—her son was her weak spot.

“What nonsense are you spouting? How did I ruin him? It’s you people! I already said this has nothing to do with me!”

Even now, Shuiniang was still being stubborn.

Listening to her excuses, even the officers were a bit impressed by how mentally strong they were.

They had simply chosen the wrong path—if they had become spies, they’d probably be amazing at it.