Evidence
In the past, Chu Nan never brought up these things with her, and Lin Yan never asked. This was the first time she heard the whole story about her father’s murder.
How should she put it, Lin Yan felt a bit, a bit…
She lowered her gaze slightly, her breathing becoming unsteady, and her right hand clenched into a fist.
She felt sorry for Chu Nan’s father, sorry for Guo Xiaoguang, and sorry for Chu Nan being called the “child of a murderer” for so many years.
Song Yuhang didn’t avoid getting close to her because of the presence of others. She walked up to her and pressed her into her arms. Lin Yan hugged her waist, sniffed twice, and quickly pushed her away.
“I’m fine, continue.”
Song Yuhang carefully noted down everything they said. “So, after your father passed away, you lived with Guo Yuezhen?”
Guo Xiaoguang nodded and gently patted his mother’s hand. Tearfully, he smiled and said, “Yes, if it weren’t for my mom, I would have starved to death by now.”
Lin Yan still had a lingering doubt. “Madam, don’t you have any other children?”
Guo Yuezhen shook her head, a hint of regret on her face. “After I got married, I couldn’t conceive. At first, we thought it was because my husband was getting older, but after going to the hospital, we found out it was my problem. My in-laws also despised me for this, so they kicked me out of the house. Luckily, Brother Yong didn’t mind, and after he passed away, it was just me and Xiaoguang relying on each other for survival.”
Song Yuhang sighed, pondering whether it was fortunate or unfortunate for Zhu Yong to have encountered Guo Yuezhen.
However, one thing was undeniable: Guo Xiaoguang meeting Guo Yuezhen was undoubtedly his greatest stroke of luck.
“Madam, Xiaoguang, think again if there is anything that can prove Zhu Yong’s innocence. Simply relying on the lack of a motive is not enough to clear his suspicion.”
Song Yuhang calmly and clearly raised a difficult point, unaffected by her emotions.
Guo Xiaoguang shook his head sadly, “If only my father hadn’t died in the detention center.”
The two of them locked eyes, and Lin Yan changed her approach and asked, “On the night of June 15, 1994, where was your father?”
Guo Xiaoguang pondered for a moment, looked them straight in the eye, and replied, “He was at home the whole time, he didn’t go out.”
“Can you guarantee that?” Song Yuhang furrowed her brow as she looked at him, feeling that the case was becoming more and more elusive.
Guo Xiaoguang raised two fingers and swore, “I am willing to take legal responsibility for what I say. If I tell a single lie, may I die a miserable death.”
Lin Yan looked at him and said, “I believe you.”
Guo Xiaoguang scratched his head, hearing her words, a faint smile appeared on his face. However, his brows quickly furrowed again, clearly indicating that talking about these things still made him uncomfortable.
“He usually finishes work at the vegetable market at 5:30, rides a tricycle for an hour to pick me up from school, then cooks dinner for me, and finally goes to chop grass to feed the pigs, looking for piglets to be slaughtered the next day. He often starts working before dawn. How could he have the time?”
The elderly woman also trembled as she spoke, tears shimmering in her cloudy eyes. “If you don’t believe it… I can testify. On that day, I went to pick up Xiaoguang from school…”
Song Yuhang sensitively noticed something unusual in her words. “Why did you go to pick him up?”
“Because my dad lost his tricycle and had to walk back home.” Guo Xiaoguang replied, “I remember it vividly because I waited at school for a long time, starving. As per usual, Aunt Guo comes to bring food to our house at dinner time. When she saw that there were no lights on and nobody answered the door, she thought something might have happened, so she ran to the school to pick me up.”
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The recording pen flickered, and Song Yuhang carefully transcribed their conversation without missing a single word.
It’s quite a coincidence that the vehicle went missing.
Lin Yan: “When did it go missing?”
Guo Xiaoguang pondered for a moment. “It was the night before the incident. On the early morning of June 15th, my dad got up to slaughter the pig, and the vehicle was gone. It was a borrowed van that he and the neighbor used to transport the pork to the market.”
Whenever they were together, their eyes would unconsciously meet. Lin Yan glanced at her, and Song Yuhang reached out and held her palm in her hand, freeing her nails from the grip. She kept her hand on her knee.
Lin Yan struggled for a moment but couldn’t break free, feeling frustrated.
Guo Xiaoguang watched their series of actions and couldn’t help but comment, “You guys…”
A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Song Yuhang’s lips as she held her hand tightly and didn’t let go. “It’s just as you see. Tell me about the case. Did you report the theft to the police?”
“We did. My dad reported it as soon as he came back from the market that afternoon. The police said it wasn’t anything valuable, just a run-down car, so they might not be able to recover it. They just made a record and left.”
“But who would have known that three days later, on the 18th, the police came knocking again. I thought they were here to return the car, but as soon as they arrived, they pushed my dad to the ground and said he was a major suspect in a crime…” Guo Xiaoguang couldn’t continue speaking at this point, and Song Yuhang handed him a tissue.
“I’m sorry for bringing up these painful memories again, but please believe me, your suffering all these years will not be in vain. I will make sure that your father…”
“Gets justice.”
“Gets justice.”
Their fists clenched together, and Song Yuhang made a solemn promise to him, in the manner of a man, in the capacity of a police officer.
Before signing the statement, Guo Xiaoguang knelt down once again and earnestly swore, this time directed towards the recording pen placed on the table. He reiterated his oath.
“I, Guo Xiaoguang, swear that every word I have spoken is true. I am willing to bear legal responsibility for my words. If there is a single falsehood, may thunder strike me down and let me meet an untimely end.”
Having said that, he picked up the pen and, with a heavy heart, wrote his name and pressed his fingerprints.
The old lady, leaning on her cane, slowly made her way over. Lin Yan supported her and handed her the inkpad.
With all her strength, the old lady pressed her finger into the ink, leaving a deep impression on her fingertip.
Trembling lips, guided by Song Yuhang, she also pressed her crimson fingerprint onto the paper with black words.
As she stood up, unable to support herself any longer, tears streamed down her face. She held onto Song Yuhang’s arm, about to kneel down and kowtow to her.
“Please… please… I beg you… you must… you must clear Brother Yong’s name… clear Xiaoguang’s name… I will hold on with this old body, until the day the truth is revealed. I cannot rest in peace until then, I cannot rest in peace!”
The old woman wailed, and Guo Xiaoguang lifted her up, wiping away her tears.
“Mom, what are you doing? What are you doing? Have you forgotten how you lost your sight? The doctor said you can’t cry, you can’t cry…”
Lin Yan couldn’t bear to see this, but another matter came to mind.
She took out her business card from her wallet and handed it over, saying, “You can’t stay here anymore. Move out as soon as it’s daylight. This is my business card. Take it and go to Fangyue Cleaning Company. They will provide you with a new job and a place to stay.”
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Guo Xiaoguang hesitated as he looked at the embossed gold business card. “But you…”
Lin Yan pushed it into his hand and said, “Just take it and go. Stop being so hesitant!”
Song Yuhang also left her phone number for him and said, “If you encounter any difficulties or danger, call this number. I will do my best to help you.”
Their seriousness made Guo Xiaoguang uneasy.
“Is it because of the case…?”
Song Yuhang shook her head. “We can’t tell you anything right now. Just remember, we came here today for sightseeing. We happened to have a meal at your place and helped you deal with a few thugs. After that, we left and nothing else happened.”
“The things you told me today will stay with me. I absolutely won’t tell anyone else. Otherwise…”
She paused slightly, leaving her unfinished words chilling.
Guo Xiaoguang felt a shiver down his spine, and although he felt uneasy, he nodded solemnly and tightly clutched the business card.
“Alright, don’t worry. I won’t let anyone else know about your visit here. This will be our secret.”
“As long as I can restore my father’s innocence, I’m not afraid. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Lin Yan stood up and said, “Then we’ll take our leave. You…”
Her gaze swept across the young man’s face and the wrinkled face of the old lady.
“Take care.”
“Take care.”
Guo Xiaoguang saw them off and just as he was about to close the rolling shutter, he came out of the kitchen with a packed box of food.
“Here, sweet soup. You said you wanted a packed portion to take away, right? I thought to myself, I might not be able to continue this job, so this might be the last sweet soup I make. If you like it, it’s yours.”
“Well, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the last one. You’re quite skilled, after all. Once this case is settled, come cook at the Lin family. I still need a Cantonese chef.”
At that time, she had no idea that Guo Xiaoguang’s words about it being the last one would turn out to be true.
Lin Yan was momentarily taken aback but then smiled and accepted the food with a cheerful expression. After the rolling shutter closed, she discreetly slipped a stack of money through the gap at the bottom.
She always had a carefree demeanor, often spouting wild words and speaking with a sharp and sometimes cold and eccentric tone. There was always a hint of sharpness in her words and actions.
It was thanks to Song Yuhang’s long relationship with her, enabling her to witness the softness and kindness beneath her tough exterior.
She pulled her up and said, “Let’s go find a place to sleep.”
The weather was cold in winter, so Lin Yan tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket to keep warm. She absentmindedly traced her fingernail over the palm of her hand.
“Get a room?”
Song Yuhang glanced at her, feeling the joints of her fingers curling and uncurling in her palm. It inevitably reminded her of the times when their passion ran high, and she would grasp the bedsheets with such force, yet in vain.
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“Let’s go. Do we want a couple’s room or a king-size bed? With or without a bathtub? Or maybe something outdoors—”
She leaned in, her arm around her shoulder, and smiled suggestively. She whispered in her ear, her breath fragrant like orchids, but her words were:
“Don’t look back, just keep walking. Did you bring your ID?”
Lin Yan’s gaze instantly turned cold.
“I brought it.”
“At the next intersection, let’s split up and find hotels to check in. We’ll contact each other in half an hour.”
Song Yuhang squeezed her hand gently. “Be careful.”
Lin Yan nodded. At that moment, a bus happened to stop to drop off passengers.
By the time the traffic light turned green again, the intersection was empty.
The black-clad person tracking them cursed as they dropped their earpiece. “F*ck, lost them again!”
This foreshadowing kills me. I’m sorry for the guy tbh…
This foreshadowing kills me. I’m sorry for the guy tbh…