Free Web NovelChapter 78: Chapter 78 I Have No Regrets_1
Half an hour later, in the interrogation room of the criminal police squad.
Zhang Xin was shackled to the interrogation chair. Now all the evidence pointed to her, making her a prime suspect, and her feigned insanity to obstruct the investigation only worsened the nature of her actions.
Liu Yongxin, Zhou Ning, and Mr. Zhao were all next door, watching the interrogation room through the one-way glass. However, there were only two headsets available, so Mr. Zhao had to stand beside Zhou Ning, sharing one of the earpieces to listen in.
Xu Dayuan played the surveillance footage once more, and when Zhang Xin began gnawing on the bun, he paused the video and then held up the diagnosis certificate issued by Mr. Liu.
"The hospital’s diagnosis is out, and you don’t have a stress-related mental disorder. Trying to escape legal punishment this way is futile. Let’s talk about the process in which you killed him. I can tell you now that, based on the forensic investigation and autopsy, we have almost completely reconstructed the event of the crime. It’s pointless for you to resist stubbornly. Do you understand?"
Zhang Xin swayed her body, not lifting her eyes to look at Xu Dayuan, either immersed in her own thoughts or holding on to a slim hope that refusing to confess could help her dodge legal punishment.
Zhou Ning was getting anxious, his breathing became heavier, and Mr. Zhao poked him.
"Don’t worry, we’ve already copied the video we recorded onto the boss’s laptop. He has more experience in interrogation than we do; otherwise, he wouldn’t deal with it personally, right?"
Liu Yongxin looked at the two, who were talking in riddles, and moved closer to them.
"Did you go to record a video of Zhang Xin’s son?"
Zhou Ning was taken aback, not expecting Liu Yongxin to know everything.
"Master, how did you know?"
Liu Yongxin smiled.
"Considering this aspect shows you really put thought into it. A mother, even if she hates her husband, still has a soft spot for her child."
Zhou Ning stopped talking. He didn’t think Zhang Xin was pitiable; he just felt sorry for the child. His mother had killed his father; one was dead, and the other faced either the death penalty or prison. Growing up with elderly caregivers, he would likely be indoctrinated with hatred for his mother. freewёbnoνel.com
Such a child would grow up emotionally damaged. One murder had destroyed a family, and this case had changed the course of many lives.
It wasn’t that Qin Yafei was particularly vile; it was just her values—to rely on a man for money and what she considered love. But, if Xu Dayuan’s plan to prosecute her for fraud in connection with this murder case went through, the sentence would surely not be light.
Of course, if Wen Haicheng had resisted the temptation, none of this would have followed.
Zhou Ning sighed, feeling incredibly somber. Just then, Mr. Zhao poked him, prompting him to quickly look back at the interrogation room.
Xu Dayuan held a laptop and placed it on the counter in front of Zhang Xin’s interrogation chair. He then clicked on a video, showing a little boy sucking on his finger, hiding behind a chair. Mr. Zhao’s voice could be heard from within.
"Little friend, what’s your name? Can you tell me if you know Zhang Xin? How do you know her?"
Upon hearing that name, the boy slowly peeked out from behind the chair, cautiously looking at Mr. Zhao.
"Who are you? My mom’s name is Zhang Xin."
Mr. Zhao got closer to the boy, squatting down and pointing to his own hat, saying:
"You’ve seen this before, right? I’m a policeman. Do you know what policemen do?"
The boy nodded.
"I know, my mom told me that policemen catch bad people."
As the video played, Zhang Xin slowly lifted her head. She stared intently at the laptop screen. From where Zhou Ning and the others were, they could see that her lips were trembling as if she was struggling to control her emotions.
This observation made everyone tense. Zhou Ning gripped the earphone cable, not daring to breathe loudly for fear that any movement might cause them to miss the slightest reaction in the interrogation room.
In the video, the little boy moved closer to Mr. Zhao, carefully touching his cap. Mr. Zhao smiled, putting the cap on the boy’s head, and then turned to explain to the camera:
"Your mom has been busy with work lately, but she’s been thinking about you. She wanted us to record a video for her to see. You can speak into this camera, just say whatever comes to your mind."
The boy, holding onto the large cap, tilted his head to look at the camera. He seemed familiar with such gadgets and, after seeing Mr. Zhao’s encouraging gaze, began speaking with a toy car in hand:
"Mom, when will you be done with work? I miss you. These past few days at grandma’s house, I can’t smell your scent, and I can’t sleep well. When you come back, can you make me beef curry rice? I’ve been craving it!
Oh, and I’ve been very good in class these days. The teacher praised me, and this little car is a gift from her. You might be busy with work, but you have to eat well and take care of yourself, okay? I’ll wait for you to come back."
The child’s innocent voice made Zhang Xin unable to hold back her emotions any longer. She clutched the laptop, her fingers repeatedly hovering over where the boy’s face was, tears streaming down her face, but she was unable to make a sound with her mouth open.
When the video ended, Xu Dayuan picked up the laptop. Zhang Xin reached out to Xu Dayuan, letting out a series of howls.
Yes, not crying or shouting, but the most primal howling.
Until this moment, she was acutely aware that she couldn’t be there for her child’s growth, and even as her child grew older, she would become the most shameful part of his history. That was what caused her the greatest pain.
"Let me see it one more time, I beg you, officer, please! If I can see it one more time, I’ll tell you everything."
Xu Dayuan sighed but didn’t speak. Nonetheless, he brought the laptop over to Zhang Xin and clicked play on the video. After watching it once more, Zhang Xin’s crying intensified. When the video ended, Zhang Xin raised her hand and wiped away the tears on her face.
Such movements tugged at the handcuffs, producing a series of sharp clinking sounds of metal. Looking at the handcuffs on her wrists, Zhang Xin exhaled deeply.
"I killed Wen Haicheng."
That’s how people are; when you’re silent, it seems you can endure anything, but once you start talking, it seems there’s nothing to agonize over anymore. Starting from the beginning, Zhang Xin confessed everything.
Wen Haicheng and Zhang Xin were not only classmates, but their families had also been neighbors for many years. They truly grew up together like childhood sweethearts. They went from school to graduation to marriage in what seemed an inevitable course—no dramatic flare, only familiarity that couldn’t get any deeper.
Wen Haicheng’s changes naturally didn’t escape Zhang Xin’s eyes. However, at first, she didn’t want to admit it and was unwilling to think in that direction. After all, they were the epitomes of happiness in public, and she didn’t want to shatter that illusion.
Qin Yafei’s provocations and insinuations she understood well, but for the sake of face, and especially because Mr. Chen was Wen Haicheng’s former teacher, she didn’t want to make it public knowledge.
She and Wen Haicheng had fought and even got physical; she had accidentally been hit by a punch. Wen Haicheng had sworn that he would break it off cleanly and not contact the other woman again.
However, on the morning of February 15th, the intimate video she received on Valentine’s Day completely crushed her.
She didn’t call Wen Haicheng; instead, she sent her child to kindergarten as usual. When she returned home and saw Wen Haicheng still sleeping soundly, she cut up strips of cloth and tied him to the bed. As the last knot was tied, Wen Haicheng woke up.
Zhang Xin demanded to know why he had lied to her. If he wanted to break up, he could have told her directly; she could live without him.
Wen Haicheng got angry. He claimed he had already settled things with Qin Yafei, so why couldn’t she let it go? Did she have to disrupt their peaceful home?
Zhang Xin had never felt such bone-chilling coldness. The phrase "disrupt our peaceful home" was the last straw. Was she the one who had an affair? Was it she who slept with someone else?
Zhang Xin found a wallpaper knife, approached Wen Haicheng, and fiercely slashed him many times. Wen Haicheng struggled continuously, and in the process, she herself was cut in many places.
Only then did Wen Haicheng feel panicked. He admitted he was wrong; they were a couple envied by all, and it would continue to be so. He begged Zhang Xin to forgive him.
Zhang Xin shook her head, looking at Wen Haicheng’s blood without a trace of pity. Instead, she felt a wave of satisfaction.
She said it was too late to go back. Perhaps, before yesterday, she could have pretended nothing had happened, but now it was impossible to go back. That woman had already come to her with the ultrasound picture of her pregnancy, shown her their secret chat logs, the transfer records, and the disgusting videos. Those sounds kept echoing in her ears.
Wen Haicheng cursed Qin Yafei, calling her a whore who wanted to destroy his home. He pleaded with Zhang Xin not to get agitated. Zhang Xin then used the wallpaper knife to cut him near his groin.
Such pain made Wen Haicheng scream out loud. Stirred by his cries, Zhang Xin swung a hammer down on his head. She didn’t know how many times she struck him.
Just then, she heard someone knocking at the door and a vibrating cell phone. Wen Haicheng was still moaning, so Zhang Xin grabbed a pillow and placed it over his face. She didn’t know how long it had been when the noises outside finally stopped.
But when Zhang Xin let go, Wen Haicheng was no longer breathing. She was stunned and didn’t know what to do.
She jumped off the bed, went into the living room, and opened a window. She saw Wang Mingliang and her mother-in-law standing outside. A plan formed in her mind. She grabbed both of their cell phones and hurled them out of the north window with all her might.
Then she used strips of cloth to tie herself up and slashed her leg forcefully, causing blood to spray out. After tossing the wallpaper knife onto the bed, she hid in the bathroom and locked the door from the inside.
At this point in the interrogation room, Zhang Xin lifted her head, her movements restricted by the handcuffs on her hands. However, she opened her hands wide and after a while, continued to speak:
"That’s what happened. I stayed in the restroom for a long time, and then I didn’t know anything until I woke up in the hospital. I panicked; I feared I would never see my son again. That’s why I pretended to be insane. I... will I receive the death penalty?"
Xu Dayuan shook his head and fiercely crushed his cigarette butt in the ashtray. He glanced at the recording clerk, who had finished taking notes and was now printing them out.
"I don’t know. That’s for the court to decide. But after the verdict, I’ll help you meet your son one last time; that’s the only thing I can do for you."
Zhang Xin cried even harder and shook her head vigorously.
"No need. I’ve already seen him today. I regret that he has a murderer for a mother, but I don’t regret killing Wen Haicheng."
Xu Dayuan sighed and gestured to the recording clerk.
"Sign here. I’ve told you this is the only thing I can do for you. Whether you want to see him or not is up to you."
As Zhang Xin picked up the pen to sign, Zhou Ning heard a pleasant beeping sound ringing in his ears.
Congratulations to the bound entity, Zhou Ning, for completing the intermediate task!
Automatic upgrade of facial restoration technology for the default bound entity is pending, waiting to receive upgraded content...
