Free Web NovelChapter 35: Chapter 35: It’s Not You, So What’s the Rush?
Xia Zhiqi looked at Jiang Li and nodded. "Yes, An’an is my best friend. We’ve known each other since high school, but we grew apart after choosing different majors."
"Is Miss Luo a medical student?"
Xia Zhiqi nodded, then looked at her worriedly. "Miss Jiang, do you know why the police officers suddenly called us in?"
Jiang Li looked at Xia Zhiqi and shook her head. "I don’t know either. We’ll have to see what Officer Huo and the others say."
Inside the interrogation room, Huo Qing and his team were questioning them one by one.
Lu Xingye stood to the side, staring at the women. On his phone was the drawing of the eyes Jiang Li had made last night.
The three women in front of him all looked somewhat similar, but the whites of the other two’s eyes weren’t right. Lu Xingye’s gaze landed on Luo Anan’s face.
Her skin was delicate, giving her a refined look at first glance. There was no ruthlessness in her eyes; she didn’t seem like someone who often conducted experiments.
"What are you looking at me for?" Luo Anan frowned, glaring unhappily at Lu Xingye, who had been staring at her.
Lu Xingye instantly straightened up, his eyes turning serious for a moment before he gave a casual smile. "It’s nothing. I just zoned out."
Lu Xingye exchanged a look with Huo Qing, then walked out of the room and immediately had a colleague look into Luo Anan’s background.
’If it weren’t for that disgruntled glare, I really wouldn’t have noticed. But that one look she just gave was no different from the eyes in Jiang Li’s drawing.’
Luo Anan watched Lu Xingye leave, a sense of unease creeping into her heart. His sudden shift in mood had been too strange.
Luo Anan stood up. "I want to go home!"
The other two women beside her jumped in surprise, their faces filled with confusion. In contrast, Luo Anan looked like she had a guilty conscience.
"Miss Luo, please cooperate," Huo Qing said, looking at Luo Anan with a grave expression.
"I haven’t done anything! On what grounds are you arresting me? Believe it or not, I’ll sue you!"
Huo Qing’s sharp eyes narrowed. "Miss Luo, this isn’t an arrest, just a simple inquiry. Or are you saying Miss Luo has actually done something that can’t see the light of day?"
An intimidating aura emanated from Huo Qing as he took two steps forward. Terrified, Luo Anan took a step back, her heart pounding with growing panic.
"If you have any business, go talk to my dad! I’m going home now!"
Luo Anan clutched her bag, her breathing growing ragged. She regretted not staying home today.
Jiang Li and Wu Ming worked together, striking up a conversation with Xia Zhiqi. They quickly got a general idea of Luo Anan’s situation.
Luo Anan’s family also had ties to the medical field. Her father was a renowned medical professor in B City, and her mother was also highly accomplished in her own field.
Luo Anan grew up in an environment that was both nurturing and oppressive. At school, her grades were always excellent.
Jiang Li looked at Xia Zhiqi. "In that case, Miss Xia, have you ever heard Miss Luo mention anything about conducting experiments?"
Xia Zhiqi’s head snapped toward Jiang Li. "So you’re suspecting An’an? That’s impossible. An’an is allergic to cat fur."
"We’re just asking. Don’t worry."
Just as Jiang Li finished speaking, a commotion erupted from the other room.
"I said I want to go home! Even if you’re the police, you can’t detain me illegally!"
Hearing Luo Anan’s voice from inside, Xia Zhiqi stood up worriedly. "An’an, what’s wrong?"
"Xia Zhiqi, this is all your fault! It was just a dead cat, right? You just had to call the police. Now they say it’s a ’simple investigation,’ but they’re really just stalling for time."
As Luo Anan spoke, her voice began to choke with sobs. "What are they trying to do? Do they suspect me of abusing cats like Zhang Zihang?"
"Miss Luo, I’ve already said, this is just a simple investigation. If there’s nothing wrong, we’ll definitely let you go. Please don’t get so agitated."
"Why would I be agitated!" Luo Anan couldn’t help but roar.
’They’re so similar, just too similar. It looks like Lu Xingye and Officer Huo noticed something was off, too. That must be why they chose to keep Luo Anan here.’
Xia Zhiqi looked at her best friend, then turned to Huo Qing with a troubled expression. "Officer Huo, there must be some misunderstanding. An’an is allergic to cat fur."
"I know. But right now, Miss Luo, if you continue to refuse to cooperate, I have reason to suspect you of conducting inhumane experiments."
Huo Qing’s voice was grave, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s. He blocked Luo Anan’s path, unyielding.
Xia Zhiqi covered her mouth in shock, staring at her best friend in disbelief.
"Bullshit! Do you have any evidence? You’re just running your mouth," Luo Anan yelled, her emotions running high.
"Then why are you in such a hurry?"
Jiang Li stepped forward, arms crossed. She was now even more certain that Luo Anan was the culprit. She had just seen a birthmark flash on Luo Anan’s wrist—a very faint, light-brown mark, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it.
"And who are you? What business is it of yours?" Luo Anan looked at the group of people irritably, pulling out her phone to make a call.
Seeing Jiang Li step out, Huo Qing moved to detain Luo Anan directly.
"Let me go, you bastards! My father won’t let you get away with this!"
"Don’t worry. I’ll have someone contact your father."
Lu Xingye was quick. He soon returned with a stack of documents.
"Miss Luo, several months ago, you had your father purchase a batch of medical equipment. Where is that equipment now?"
"What’s it to you?" Luo Anan shot Lu Xingye a glare.
Lu Xingye frowned. "Fine. A moment ago, we called your roommate, Zhang Xiaoli. She said you previously had a crush on Zhang Zihang.
Later, after Zhang Zihang broke up with Xia Zhiqi, he got together with you. The two of you have been seeing each other frequently.
You claim to be allergic to cat fur, but we have a picture sent by a pet shop owner. In it, you—the one who’s allergic to cat fur—are holding a British Shorthair.
The British Shorthair is the dandelion of the cat world. An allergy of that severity would have sent you to the hospital. Yet, surveillance footage shows you went straight home after leaving the pet shop.
That proves you aren’t allergic to cat fur."
"Can’t I just have a mild allergy?" Luo Anan cut Lu Xingye off.
Xia Zhiqi still hadn’t recovered from Lu Xingye’s words. Her own best friend had hooked up with Zhang Zihang long ago—while they were still in college, before she and Zihang had even broken up.
"Don’t be hasty. Surveillance shows that in the following days, Zhang Zihang frequently visited several catteries and pet markets, purchasing a wide variety of species.
But you never bought any pet supplies."
"Can’t we buy them online?"
"Besides, from what we understand, Zhang Zihang isn’t very skilled with a knife. The sutures on the black cat and the black snake were very precise."
"How should I know." Luo Anan gritted her teeth. ’Damn it, it’s all Xia Zhiqi’s fault. It’s just a cat, isn’t it?’
’If she hadn’t called the police, none of this would have happened.’
Lu Xingye scoffed. ’Stubborn, isn’t she?’ "Well then, I imagine this person looks very familiar to you, Miss Luo."
Lu Xingye projected a photo onto the screen.
The moment Luo Anan saw the person in the photo, she couldn’t stay seated. She shot up to run, but Huo Qing immediately slammed her back down into the chair.
"Miss Luo, he’s your real boyfriend, isn’t he?"
