Chapter 82

The two police officers interrogating Chen Sixue were none other than Song Wen and Lu Siyu.

At this moment, they brought Chen Sixue into a storage room not far from the entrance of the police station. This room was used for storing non-critical evidence. To facilitate the retrieval by family members, several captains had keys to this room.

Inside the room, a white energy-saving ceiling light illuminated the quiet and empty space, providing a suitable environment for conversation.

Lu Siyu sat on a chair inside, while Song Wen stood at the doorway. The two positioned themselves to sandwich Chen Sixue in the middle.

At this point, Chen Sixue undoubtedly knew something. If she could speak, it would save them a considerable amount of time.

If the body found seven months ago wasn’t Chen Yanqiu’s… The person who died in the basement was very likely Zhang Rui. After all, Zhang Rui’s departure was only mentioned in Chen Sixue’s account. It seemed that since his so-called departure, no one had seen him again.

With the situation brought to this point, Chen Sixue finally admitted and took off her sunglasses, wiping the corners of her eyes. “Yes… I know. The one who died that day wasn’t my brother but Zhang Rui. My brother asked me to help him, pretend that the deceased was him… After Zhang Rui’s death, my brother changed into his clothes, left his identification, and… took Zhang Rui’s phone and some belongings.”

Having obtained the desired answer, Lu Siyu nodded, “The last message you presented was somewhat deliberate. The existence of that message was to prove that you always believed Zhang Rui was alive and were unaware of this. However, it precisely told us that you knew more than that.”

Chen Yanqiu probably wanted to make this lie appear more perfect, which was why he sent that message. However, he forgot that once the identity of the body was confirmed after its discovery, no matter how it was covered up, it couldn’t escape the question of whose body it was before…

The police would soon follow the leads and find out that Chen Sixue was an informed person. The intentionally crafted message had already exposed this fact.

During the recent questioning, when Chen Sixue mentioned Zhang Rui, Song Wen immediately instructed Zhu Xiao to retrieve Zhang Rui’s information. Now, the data had been quickly looked up. From the information, Zhang Rui’s age, height, and even blood type were consistent with Chen Yanqiu. Zhang Rui’s sudden death provided a perfect substitute.

Zhang Rui’s family was indifferent to him, and with the subsequent exchange of messages with his family, they might not be aware that their son had already passed away. Another possibility was that Zhang Rui’s parents might have already known their son was no longer in this world, considering Zhang Rui had a terminal illness. Even if Chen Yanqiu had impersonated Zhang Rui for a while, ‘Zhang Rui’ had not been in contact with his family for about six months.

Inside the evidence room, Song Wen looked at the girl in front of him and said to Chen Sixue, “There is no surveillance in this room. If you have any difficulties, you can speak to us here, and we can keep it confidential.”

Chen Sixue’s lips trembled slightly, and she lowered her head in thought for a moment before continuing, “I… I couldn’t see with my eyes before. I had surgery during the Chinese New Year, and now I can see. Others don’t know about this, and I don’t know how to tell my colleagues and superiors… If others find out I’m no longer blind, they might not continue to employ me for my past jobs…”

During the Chinese New Year, Chen Sixue took a few days off and underwent surgery. Upon her return, her vision gradually recovered. While she was delighted to see clearly, she also felt anxious. From childhood to adulthood, she had become accustomed to the life of a blind person. However, now, if she told others about this, it meant that her life would undergo a drastic change.

Song Wen asked, “Where did the money for your surgery come from? Did your brother manage to get the money?”

Chen Sixue nodded gently, her fingers nervously clasped together. “My brother had been looking for ways to treat my eyesight. Eventually, he found out that a hospital in another province could treat my condition. We went for an initial consultation, and the doctor was willing to perform the surgery on me. However, due to my brother’s illness, most of the money was spent, and the remaining amount was not enough for my surgery. After my brother learned about this last year, he became depressed. He felt that he was burdening me… so… he decided to work.”
*temporary/casual work

“Work?” Song Wen felt this could be useful information and continued to inquire.

Chen Sixue nodded, “Yes, that’s what they call it in the terminally ill group. Some people hire terminally ill patients to work, and the pay is quite good.”

“So, he chose to work? Was the purpose to leave you some money?” Song Wen asked as he looked at her.

Chen Sixue pursed her lips, “In the eyes of those terminally ill patients, working is considered a good job. They all strive for the opportunity, but my brother didn’t see it that way…” Chen Sixue paused at this point, “My brother, he believes in fate. He thinks that a person’s fortune, whether good or bad, has a certain quantity. Life is like a balance, maintaining equilibrium between inherent luck and actual luck. If you come into unexpected money, you will inevitably encounter a great disaster. So, in the past, when he found money on the roadside, he would stubbornly find the owner or donate the money… After my brother fell ill, he was quite resigned to it and always felt that his fate was predetermined.”

“Why did he decide to ‘work’ then?” Song Wen asked.

“Yes… for my eyesight… even so, it was because Zhang Rui pleaded with him. At that time, Zhang Rui was seriously ill and got an opportunity to work. He said he gave up that chance to my brother as a way to repay him for taking him in.” Chen Sixue spoke softly, “At that time, Zhang Rui told my brother, ‘Be careful when you go, if they make you do something you don’t want to do, you can refuse or even report it to the police.’ My brother thought it made sense and went…”

After the illness, patients communicated most with fellow patients. The management of the group portrayed ‘working’ in a positive light. Those who had worked never lived long, taking their secrets with them. Patients who didn’t understand the truth about ‘working’ even looked forward to it.

Zhang Rui was undoubtedly such a person. He might have believed until his death that he was repaying Chen Yanqiu’s kindness by giving up this precious opportunity.

“Do you know what happened when your brother was working?” Song Wen continued to ask.

“I don’t know. My brother didn’t tell me… but later, he asked me to help him… to disguise Zhang Rui’s body as his own… and later, my brother gave me a card, asking me to undergo the surgery. The money in the card happened to be enough for my surgery.” Chen Sixue whispered.

Song Wen and Lu Siyu exchanged glances. This time, the girl should be telling the truth. To avoid implicating her, Chen Yanqiu did not tell his sister about the details of ‘working.’

“What did your brother do later?” Song Wen continued to inquire.

“I really don’t know about this. He said he needed to lay low for a while and would contact me later. Following my brother’s instructions, I went to another province during the Chinese New Year to treat my eyesight.” Chen Sixue lifted her head again, “Until… you informed me and found a body… at that time, I knew it was my brother who had died. I… was already very scared before, and it took a lot of courage for me to come… I always thought my brother would die of illness. I didn’t know how he could be murdered…”

“Earlier, when we were questioning you, why didn’t you tell the truth? Don’t you want the police to find out the cause of your brother’s death and catch the person who killed him?” Song Wen asked again. Even if their flaws were not discovered by the police, once the DNA results came out, everyone would know the truth. Why lie?

Chen Sixue whispered with her head down, “My brother told me to say that… he instructed me that if the police came one day, I shouldn’t mention that I knew he was still alive… He told me to remember that he died on that day…”

Regardless of what Chen Yanqiu did afterward, he hoped to draw a clear line between those things and his sister. Chen Sixue’s previous lies couldn’t withstand scrutiny and were just a temporary expedient.

Song Wen did not continue to inquire and instead asked her, “When was the last time your brother contacted you?”

“Before the surgery, he called me. It was in that call that he told me what to say if the police came… Then he asked if I was ready for the surgery. Wishing me a smooth operation.”

“Did your brother say anything else?”

“He said he regretted it. If he could start over, he would rather not go to work that day instead of Zhang Rui.” Chen Sixue’s tears fell again.

At that time, the layers of gauze in front of her eyes were gradually unveiled, and light emerged from the darkness, making everything around gradually clear. However, she had a premonition in her heart that she would never see her brother again…

Perhaps it was the tone of Chen Yanqiu in that phone call that gave her a sense of farewell. At that time, she even joked that now that she could see, she could finally see what her brother looked like. But as the darkness in her life gradually dissipated, her brother would never come back.

The so-called “working” was a road of no return.

Once the choice of money was made, it was like making a deal with the devil.

Her brother had already dedicated his soul, irredeemable.

The young man, for the first time, took something he shouldn’t have and paid the price for it…

“Do you know where they got the information about ‘working’?” Song Wen asked again.

“They have a group, a patient group. They post job tasks there. My brother mentioned it, it’s not easy to get in, and there’s even a need for case verification.” Chen Sixue spoke, seeming a bit worried that they might not be able to access it.

“We have our ways.” Song Wen said as he stood up and said to Chen Sixue, “Thank you. We will clarify everything.”

He pulled out a sheet of paper from Lu Siyu’s notebook, wrote down a number, and handed it to Chen Sixue. “This is my mobile number, private. If you encounter difficulties, you can contact me.”

Then Song Wen said to Chen Sixue, “You no longer have your brother, but I still think someone should talk to you for a few words. Anyway, now that you can see, pretending to be blind may give you a sense of security for a while, allowing you to keep your current job. But this is not a long-term solution. You still have to adapt to a normal life. Maybe you will find a job you really like, maybe you will find someone you like. You are still young, and life will be long. The most difficult part you’ve already overcome, what’s left, you have to face it yourself.”

Finally, Chen Sixue was sent away, and they obtained clues about the case. Lu Siyu asked Song Wen, “There’s nothing for now. But in case later we find out that the money for her eye surgery is stolen money… How do you plan to settle that account?”

“Let’s look at the specific situation. We need to see how the case unfolds and whether that money needs to be recovered.” Song Wen sighed, “If her situation is as she described, and she can’t produce the money for a while, I do have some savings. I just hope that this hole isn’t too big…”

Lu Siyu looked at Song Wen, admiring his sense of balance. Faced with evil, he would not back down a step, but when dealing with the weak, he would be accommodating and flexible. It was a human touch that Lu Siyu himself lacked, making him a bit envious.