(1) Body Parts

Yang Chunling suddenly stopped speaking.

Perhaps realizing that her emotions were getting too worked up, Yang Chunling awkwardly glanced at Tao Jiang, took a large gulp of water, and then crossed her legs. “I wanted to kill his wife.”

She sat with her legs crossed, her expression disdainful, but Shen Wanwan could clearly sense her unease.

Yang Chunling was definitely not someone with a strong inner self. She needed security, she needed someone to protect her. So, when Cheng Liang gave her even the slightest hint of kindness, she wholeheartedly fell in love with him.

Tao Jiang didn’t offer any comment. “Continue.”

His reaction was unexpected to Yang Chunling. She uncrossed her legs and became a little more serious. “I wanted to kill her. I know Cheng Liang doesn’t love her. He’s with her only because of the child. Cheng Liang has complained about her several times, saying that she doesn’t love him, she only loves his money. But I’m different. I don’t care about money. I just want Cheng Liang.”

Shen Wanwan felt helpless listening to this.

Yang Chunling knew that Cheng Liang was already married, and not only did she jump into the situation without hesitation, but when the man began to change his feelings and seek new excitement, she even wanted to kill his wife.

It was hard to understand.

Tao Jiang, however, was unfazed. “I asked how you planned to kill her.”

Yang Chunling hesitated for a moment before answering. “I hired Cheng Li to do it. I had him kill her.”

“You asked him to kill his own sister-in-law, and he agreed?”

“I didn’t know they had that kind of relationship!” Yang Chunling complained. “He never told me his name was Cheng Li. I had never met him. I gave him the address and asked him to kill the woman of the house. Who would’ve known he’d…” She trailed off, her voice dropping. “Thinking about it, I can’t even sleep properly.”

Yang Chunling spoke with grievance, but Tao Jiang only sneered. “According to what you’re saying, you gave money to a stranger with no background, told him to kill someone, and didn’t even show him a photo of the person you wanted killed? You didn’t even give him a name? He didn’t know his sister-in-law was named Qi Xia?”

“I think I mentioned her name was Qi Xia, and I showed him her picture. As for the rest, I was afraid of being found out, so I didn’t dare to say more.”

Tao Jiang scolded, “What nonsense! You showed him a picture, and he still killed the wrong person?! He couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman?!”

Tao Jiang’s expression became especially terrifying when his brows furrowed in anger.

Yang Chunling’s eyes reddened from his yelling. “I really don’t know! I want to understand how he killed Cheng Liang. I didn’t want Cheng Liang to die. I wanted to marry him. How could I let him leave me? I’m telling the truth.”

Yang Chunling’s demeanor was no match for Tao Jiang’s forceful presence.

From his experience, Tao Jiang could tell that Yang Chunling wasn’t lying.

His tone returned to normal. “How did you contact Cheng Li? How did you know he was in Xuzhou?”

Yang Chunling began to stutter again. “I…”

She nervously hugged her arms, her face growing even redder.

Shen Wanwan quietly said to Tao Jiang, “Her reaction seems off.”

Tao Jiang frowned. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, no,” Yang Chunling hurriedly denied. “I just don’t know how to explain…”

Shen Wanwan thought about the woman who had still not been captured.

She was wearing the same sportswear as Yang Chunling and had deliberately walked in front of Zou Guodong with a Pekingese dog, intending to lead Shen Wanwan and the others away from the public restroom.

The woman’s attire was identical to Yang Chunling’s, and the Pekingese dog looked almost the same as well. Whether viewed from behind or from the side, she looked exactly like Yang Chunling, which is how Zou Guodong had been deceived.

Shen Wanwan spoke softly, “She might be covering for an accomplice.”

Tao Jiang had already realized this, but seeing that Shen Wanwan had quickly figured it out, he felt a sense of relief.

If Shen Wanwan had been a man, Tao Jiang would have probably already been happy to find such a capable newcomer.

Tao Jiang couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful.

“Yang Chunling, you hired someone to kill. There’s no escaping it now. Whether you cooperate or not will affect your sentencing. You say you didn’t want to kill Cheng Liang, but the person who’s dead is him. What happened during that time? Don’t you want to know? Don’t you want to seek justice for Cheng Liang?”

Yang Chunling’s gaze trembled.

Tao Jiang had switched his approach, striking at what was deep inside Yang Chunling’s heart.

After the incident, her fear had far surpassed her sadness. It wasn’t until the quiet of the night that she realized the person she had once cared about would never appear again—she had caused his death.

Yang Chunling’s tears fell like rain. “I… it was Sister Yan who helped me contact him. She said she knew a killer, someone who specialized in that kind of thing. He had some dirt on him, so it was very safe.”

“Sister Yan? Who is that?”

“Yan Bing, she’s my friend,” Yang Chunling sobbed softly. “After I broke up with Cheng Liang, I often got drunk. I remembered that Sister Yan had said she knew someone like that, so I begged her to help me contact him. She was worn down by me and had no choice but to help.”

“You got to know Cheng Li through her?”

Yang Chunling shook her head. “I never actually met Cheng Li. I didn’t even know his name. It was all arranged by Sister Yan. I gave the money to her first, and then she gave it to him. A total of one hundred thousand.”

Tao Jiang asked, “Where did the one hundred thousand come from?”

In the 1990s, one hundred thousand had strong purchasing power, and ordinary families didn’t have that kind of savings.

“I saved it. I don’t really have any expenses, and when I don’t have money, I get scared. Cheng Liang and Wu Yaoming were very generous. Wu Yaoming even gave me ten thousand last month to help me move houses.”

Tao Jiang handed her a notebook. “Leave Yan Bing’s contact information and home address.”

“I only have her phone number. I call it every time I find her. It’s from a shop near her house. As for where she lives… I don’t know.”

Tao Jiang’s expression grew strange.

Shen Wanwan also sensed that something was off.

The “Sister Yan” Yang Chunling mentioned seemed suspicious.

“How did you meet her? How long have you known her?”

Seeing that Tao Jiang seemed to be doubting Yan Bing, Yang Chunling hurriedly explained, “This isn’t her fault. She only helped me deliver money once. The whole thing was planned by me.”

Tao Jiang raised his voice. “Answer the question!”

Yang Chunling could only answer, “I’ve known her for two months. We met at the dance hall. Her health isn’t very good, she might not have many months left. She went to the dance hall to let loose, and I just happened to run into her.”

Tao Jiang looked at Shen Wanwan. “What do you think?”

This was giving Shen Wanwan an opportunity.

Shen Wanwan seized the chance and asked the most important question, “Did you deliberately choose the sportswear you’re wearing today? Was it Yan Bing’s idea?”

Yang Chunling hesitated a little.

Shen Wanwan said, “Don’t worry about implicating her. If what you’re saying is true, her crime is much less severe than yours.”

“I’m just afraid that she’ll have to spend the last few months of her life in prison… Alright, I understand,” Yang Chunling admitted. “The sportswear was a gift from Yan Bing in the past. She spent a lot of money on medical treatments, and her family doesn’t have much savings left, but she still gave me a gift. She’s been really good to me. She has the same set of sportswear, so I came up with the idea for her to wear the same clothes to draw your attention. I would then take the chance to escape, but I didn’t expect to be caught anyway.”

The entire interrogation lasted over an hour.

Yang Chunling cooperated throughout, answering every question.

After the interrogation, Shen Wanwan organized Yang Chunling’s testimony.

Back in the office, Tao Jiang called everyone together for a meeting.

Cui Luo, after reading the testimony, sighed, “Yang Chunling… I don’t even know what to say about her. She’s a little silly but not bad to the extreme. It seems like she still cares about this Yan Bing. What a shame we couldn’t catch her.”

Xiang Dong said, “We have her contact information. Catching her is only a matter of time. As long as her testimony checks out, the case will be closed, right?”

“It’s a shame,” Tao Jiang shot him a glance. “Yang Chunling only admits to killing Cheng Liang. She doesn’t admit to killing Cheng Li.”

“How is that possible? Cheng Li’s body was found in her house. Could it really be a coincidence?”

It certainly couldn’t be a coincidence.

But if it wasn’t a coincidence…

Shen Wanwan furrowed her brow tightly.

Tao Jiang could tell she was thinking about something else.

Tao Jiang said, “Shen Wanwan, let’s talk about your intuition.”

“I…” Shen Wanwan frowned. “In Yang Chunling’s testimony, she’s the main perpetrator, and Yan Bing only helped her. But I feel like Yan Bing is the one in charge.”

When it came to Yang Chunling’s escape, based on what Shen Wanwan had heard, it didn’t seem like it had been Yang Chunling’s idea at all.

Xiang Dong said, “That’s not very likely. Yan Bing’s fine. Why would she worry about Yang Chunling committing murder? Is it because she knows her time is running out and wants to help her best friend take care of things?”

“Two months of friendship?” Shen Wanwan said. “This story sounds strange.”

The more Shen Wanwan spoke, the more confused the others became.

Cui Luo asked, “Are you suspecting Yan Bing?”

“Yang Chunling has already confessed. Why would we still suspect someone else?”

“Yan Bing’s behavior is quite strange, but didn’t Yang Chunling say she was seriously ill? Someone who is about to die might show some unusual behavior, which is understandable.”

The debate continued.

Tao Jiang tapped the table and said coldly, “Arguing about this is useless. Let’s bring Yan Bing back and ask her directly. Cui Luo, have you made the call?”

“I’ve made the call. It’s the shop’s number. The owner is helping me find her.”

Just as Cui Luo finished speaking, the phone on the table rang. She picked it up, and her expression changed drastically.

Everyone looked at her.

After about ten seconds, Cui Luo hung up the phone, then looked at Tao Jiang with a heavy expression. “The owner said… there’s no such person.”