Chapter 4

An Xiaohai felt like laughing but held it in—this was hardly the right moment.

With twenty years of prison experience, An Xiaohai recognized this as a typical interrogation tactic. In his previous life, he would have panicked, desperate to distance himself from anything related to Liu Jun’s incident, falling right into the interrogator’s trap. If he’d answered that way, the next question from Liu Cong would have likely been: “If you were unconscious, how could you know what happened in the cell?”

This time, however, An Xiaohai didn’t so much as flinch.

“Sir, I fell by myself,” he replied, his voice unusually calm.

Sure enough, Liu Cong’s frown deepened. “I’m not asking about you; I’m asking about Liu Jun.”

“Liu Jun? I don’t know what happened to him. We’re not close, and whatever he did has nothing to do with me.”

Liu Cong exchanged a glance with Sun Li, both of them perplexed by his response.

“You really don’t know what happened to Liu Jun?” Liu Cong asked.

“No, sir. You see, I fell pretty hard and blacked out. I don’t even know how I got here, so how could I know about anyone else?”

“An Xiaohai, I advise you to be honest!” Sun Li’s tone grew harsh, though it didn’t faze him in the slightest.

“Sir, I really did fall on my own. Maybe it was due to poor nutrition—maybe I’m calcium deficient or something.”

“You—” Sun Li was momentarily speechless.

“Our food follows strict government standards,” she said, regaining her composure. “If you have complaints, let us know. But today, we’re here to learn more about what happened with Liu Jun. If you know anything, you should come clean—it could work in your favor. But if we find out on our own, you won’t get that chance.”

“I truly don’t know what Liu Jun has done,” he insisted. “We’re really not close.”

“Well, alright,” Liu Cong sighed, visibly frustrated. “You have a few days to think it over. If anything comes to mind, you can find me.”

Liu Cong knew that while An Xiaohai was the most likely suspect, he couldn’t prove it. The medical report confirmed that An Xiaohai’s ribs were fractured and his right hand had a broken bone, making it hard to believe he could’ve attacked Liu Jun in that state. They had already questioned everyone in the cell multiple times, but no one would confess or implicate anyone else.

Liu Cong’s gut told him An Xiaohai was involved, especially since Liu Jun himself had admitted to roughing him up and tossing him near the latrine. With a clear motive, An Xiaohai had the strongest reason for retaliation. Yet, with his injuries, it was hard to believe he could pull off such an attack.

“Could he have injured himself afterward to hide it?” Liu Cong wondered. But he dismissed the thought—it was too brutal a move, even for someone with revenge in mind.

An Xiaohai, he knew, had once been a top student at the National University of Defense Technology—a bright future destroyed by a single fatal mistake. His career and life ruined, he’d landed in prison, a fate that seemed to sadden Liu Cong. Watching An Xiaohai over the past couple of days, he had come to feel a pang of sympathy. Had he done more to protect him, Liu Cong wondered, could things have been different?

Liu Cong eventually rose to leave. “Alright, that’s it for now. Take some time to think things over. If you remember anything or need anything, just let me know.”

“Understood. Thank you, sir,” An Xiaohai said with a calm smile, determined to keep his spirits up.

As Liu Cong turned to leave, he stopped at the door. “Your mother and a young student, Lin Xuan’er, have requested to visit you. Do you want to see them?”

“Yes, but only Lin Xuan’er for now. Please tell my mother to visit me in a month instead. I don’t want her to see me like this.”

“You don’t want her to see your injuries?”

“Yes. I don’t want to hurt her any more than I already have.”

“If you didn’t want to hurt her, you shouldn’t have ended up here!” Liu Cong said, his voice thick with emotion. He regained his composure, then nodded. “Alright. I’ll let her know.”

Once they left, An Xiaohai exhaled slowly. *That’s one hurdle down.*

What was he going to do next?

With his current injuries, he’d probably stay in the infirmary for ten more days. After that, he’d have to return to his cell. Liu Jun wouldn’t be there, but Wu Guanhai would. It was becoming clear that Liu Jun’s targeting of him wasn’t random. Wu Guanhai, as the real leader in that cell, had to be the one directing the aggression.

If the other side was willing to take such risks, they wouldn’t likely give up. Liu Jun was simply collateral damage. Wu Guanhai would probably keep coming after him.

An Xiaohai knew that without addressing the threat posed by Wu Guanhai, he’d inevitably face more attacks. He understood now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that something darker and more calculated lay behind his imprisonment. There was no choice but to survive—waiting quietly in the shadows for the right moment to reclaim his life and finally unearth the truth.