Chapter 75 - 73: Zhuang Yanzheng Is Here

Chapter 75: Chapter 73: Zhuang Yanzheng Is Here

When Su Miaoyi arrived at the police station, Sheng Ningxuan was still there.

So she went to see Sheng Ningxuan.

The two met in an interview room.

She made a bit of noise opening the door, and Sheng Ningxuan jumped, startled.

"Hello, my name is Su Miaoyi." She introduced herself first.

Sheng Ningxuan looked at her.

Su Miaoyi sat across from her. "Don’t be afraid. We’re just going to have a casual chat."

Sheng Ningxuan clenched her hands tightly. "If you have questions, just ask."

Su Miaoyi could feel how nervous she was. Her spirit was stretched taut, like a string that could snap at any moment.

’I know that any attempts to comfort her would be useless right now,’ she thought. ’The more I say, the more she’ll overthink things, and the more nervous she’ll get.’

So she asked directly, "Do you know why Shao Dong wanted to kill Xu Shuxuan?"

Sheng Ningxuan fidgeted with her fingers.

She didn’t speak, and Su Miaoyi didn’t press her.

After a moment, Sheng Ningxuan asked, "Have you... found Shao Dong?"

"I’m sorry, we can’t disclose details of an ongoing investigation," Su Miaoyi said.

Sheng Ningxuan was silent for another moment before saying, "I’m not from Jiangcheng. I’m from Jinghai."

"Then we’re from the same hometown," Su Miaoyi said.

Sheng Ningxuan finally raised her head and looked at her properly, then lowered her gaze again. "I went to college in Jiangcheng. Shao Dong and Xu Shuxuan went to the same school. The two of them were roommates."

Su Miaoyi watched her.

Sheng Ningxuan said, "They both pursued me."

"And you liked Xu Shuxuan?" Su Miaoyi asked.

Sheng Ningxuan began to squeeze her fingers so hard her knuckles turned white. "A lot of people at our school liked him back then. I liked him too, so I started dating him."

"We were together for over a year, and he was very good to me. After graduation, he proposed, so I told my parents. But... my parents didn’t approve."

"First, Xu Shuxuan’s family wasn’t well-off. Second, my parents met him and felt he had no plans for the future; they just didn’t like him as a person. Third, it was too far. Jinghai is too far from Jiangcheng. I also have an older brother, and my parents couldn’t move here to live because they have to help my brother with his kids."

"But at the time, I was blinded by love. I thought that as long as he was good to me, nothing else mattered. As long as a husband and wife are of one mind, it doesn’t matter how much money you have, as long as you’re happy."

"I insisted on marrying him and moving here. My parents had no choice, so they gave me a larger dowry, hoping it would make my life a little better. My brother and sister-in-law also gave me a generous dowry."

"Before the dowry ran out, our relationship was great. For a full ten years, things were always good between us. I thought I had married the right person. But after the dowry was gone and we had to rely on our jobs to live... he changed."

"He started hitting me. He complained that I was old, ugly, and poor, that I wasn’t a good enough wife, and that I was being dramatic. This went on for almost three years."

Su Miaoyi frowned. "Why didn’t you call the police?"

"I did," Sheng Ningxuan said, her expression somewhat vacant. "He got on his knees in front of the police and begged me to forgive him. In the end, they just resolved it as a domestic dispute. When we got home, he beat me even harder. I didn’t dare call the police after that. I tried to run away, but he caught me every time, and each time he’d just beat me again."

"Why didn’t you go back home?" Su Miaoyi asked.

"How could I show my face? This was the path I chose. My parents raised me, paved the way for me, spent so much money on me, and in the end, this is the life I made for myself." Sheng Ningxuan’s tears fell onto her hands. "They’re getting old, almost seventy. I haven’t been there to care for them as a daughter should, so how could I burden them with something like this?"

Su Miaoyi felt a knot in her chest, speechless. She was so angry her head ached.

’If that thing were still alive, I’d want to kick the life out of him myself.’

After a while, seeing that Sheng Ningxuan was digging her nails into her own hands hard enough to draw blood, Su Miaoyi reached out and took her hand.

Sheng Ningxuan flinched out of reflex, and her body trembled.

Su Miaoyi felt a mix of anger and heartache. Her throat felt raw, as if it were full of needles.

She got up and sat next to her. "From now on, things will be better."

Sheng Ningxuan didn’t say anything.

Su Miaoyi also remained quiet for a moment to compose herself. "After Shao Dong took you, did he keep you locked up the whole time?"

"Yes. Actually, even if he didn’t lock me up, I wouldn’t have dared to run. As long as he was there, I was too scared. I only dared to escape because I noticed he hadn’t been back in a long time."

Su Miaoyi looked at her.

Sheng Ningxuan said, "The reason I didn’t choose him back then was because I heard he got into fights and hung out with people from shady backgrounds."

"Did he often make phone calls in front of you?" Su Miaoyi asked.

Sheng Ningxuan shook her head. "Every time he made a call, he’d avoid me. Only once, I overheard him say, ’Someone’s already been sent to pick up the NPS.’ He probably thought I didn’t know what that was, so he wasn’t careful. I’ve seen explainers about it on short-video apps. I know it’s a drug."

Su Miaoyi nodded.

NPS. A third-generation drug, also known as a "designer drug," which can cause anesthesia and hallucinations.

It can be disguised as milk tea, popping candy, "happy water," steamed sponge cake, or steamed twisted rolls.

’Shao Dong must have used NPS on Xu Shuxuan.’

"Can you repeat exactly what Shao Dong said at that time?" Su Miaoyi asked.

Sheng Ningxuan thought for a moment and repeated it twice. The meaning was roughly the same, but the word order was different each time.

Su Miaoyi was quiet for a few seconds, then asked, "Did he address the person on the other end by name?"

Sheng Ningxuan shook her head, but a few seconds later she said, "I remember now."

Su Miaoyi looked at her.

"One time, he answered a call and, while walking out, called out ’Brother Hong,’" Sheng Ningxuan said.

’Brother Hong?’ Su Miaoyi mused. ’But which "Hong"?’

’There was no way to know, but at least it was another clue.’

"When... when can I leave?" Sheng Ningxuan asked.

"The station has notified your brother. He’s coming to pick you up," Su Miaoyi said.

Sheng Ningxuan’s expression changed drastically.

Su Miaoyi looked at her. "When Xu Shuxuan’s parents learned their son was gone, they were in very poor shape, both physically and mentally. After taking everything into consideration, the station decided to notify your brother instead of your parents."

Sheng Ningxuan said nothing.

Su Miaoyi watched her. "Someone once told me that if I insisted on choosing this profession, I had to protect myself. My parents pampered and cherished me my whole life, and if something happened to me, they’d be heartbroken."

As she spoke, her fingers curled slightly. She felt a sharp pain in her chest.

’Things always pop into my head. I thought I was used to it.’

’But this is the first time I’ve felt something like this.’

"In our generation, most families only have one child. Your parents were fined, but they still chose to have you. They’ve always loved you very much. They can only be okay if you’re okay."

...

After seeing Sheng Ningxuan, Su Miaoyi went to discuss the case with the others.

She went through every file she was authorized to see.

The clues were too fragmented; they just didn’t connect.

’I should go check out the Fengjiang Clubhouse,’ she thought.

Another sleepless night passed.

After sunrise, she and Lu Zhishen went out for breakfast instead of eating at the station’s cafeteria.

After breakfast, Su Miaoyi dozed off for a bit in the car on the way back. When she got out, her head was still fuzzy and she wasn’t fully awake.

The blisters on her feet were starting to hurt again, so she kept her head down as she followed behind Lu Zhishen.

"Hey!"

A voice suddenly called out from ahead.

Su Miaoyi recognized the voice.

She looked up, first seeing Lu Zhishen’s back. Then she tilted her head and saw... Zhuang Yanzheng, standing at the entrance to the police station.

Su Miaoyi craned her neck, staring at him.

"Crane your neck any further and it’ll get stuck like that," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi walked up to him, circled him once, and then looked at Lu Zhishen. "Don’t you think he looks familiar?"

Lu Zhishen said, "Never seen him before."

Su Miaoyi nodded. "Oh. Let’s go, then."

With that, she started to walk past Zhuang Yanzheng and into the station.

Zhuang Yanzheng grabbed the hood of her down jacket and yanked her back.

Su Miaoyi tilted her head up to look at him.

Zhuang Yanzheng scoffed. "Why don’t you take another good look?"

The words came out through gritted teeth.

Feeling threatened, Su Miaoyi immediately broke into a smile. "Captain Zhuang, what a coincidence! You’re here too. It’s been so many days, I’ve missed you."

Her words were incredibly perfunctory.

Exactly like a subordinate trying to placate their boss.

Zhuang Yanzheng found her tone grating. "Oh yeah? Tell me how much you’ve missed me."

"We haven’t seen each other in days. I’ve been missing you so much, I’ve been eating two extra bowls of rice every day," Su Miaoyi said.

Zhuang Yanzheng: "...You sure have a way of missing people."

Lu Zhishen chuckled.

...