Nan Jin widened her eyes in surprise. “A major theft case? Are you suspecting me of stealing from their house?”
As if recalling something, she glared at Gu Shaoxuan and angrily demanded, “Gu Shaoxuan, what do you mean by this? That 1,500 yuan was clearly compensation money you personally gave me. How dare you file a report?”
Gu Shaoxuan felt utterly ashamed by her words and explained, “Xiao Zhu, don’t get worked up. It’s not what you think…”
Gu Qingya’s arrogant and malicious voice cut in, “Big brother, why are you even explaining to her? She’s the one who stole from our house. Officers, hurry up and arrest her.”
The police ignored her and instead said to Nan Zhu, “Comrade Nan Zhu, there’s no need to be nervous. We’re just here to ask a few routine questions.”
Nan Jin stepped back, clutching her chest. She took a deep breath to calm herself before stepping aside to let them in.
“Go ahead and ask,” she said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, her hands resting properly on her knees as she nervously twisted the corner of her clothes.
The officers glanced around the room she lived in—simple, with only a table and a bed.
On the table sat a large woven bag, though it didn’t seem to hold much.
“Comrade Nan Zhu, when did you leave the Gu residence?”
Nan Jin answered without much thought, “Not long after they left the house—probably just about ten minutes or so.”
“Why didn’t you wait until they were home before leaving? And what about the house key?”
Nan Jin’s face paled as she replied softly, “Before that, I assume you’ve already learned that Gu Shaoxuan and I finalized our divorce earlier today.”
“I only went back to gather my own belongings, but at the time, this Comrade Gu and another comrade, Liang Yourou, kept obstructing me, wasting a lot of time. That’s why I couldn’t leave before they did.”
“They left without telling me. She even came to flaunt in front of me, saying they were going out for a family dinner and that I no longer had the right to join.”
“Moreover, she asked me for the key back then, saying that locking the door didn’t require a key and that I could no longer enter their house freely in the future.”
“So, I hurried to finish packing and left as soon as I was done. At the time, the neighbor’s aunt even asked me why I was leaving.”
Though her emotions were low, Nan Jin expressed herself clearly and logically, laying out the entire sequence of events.
The police exchanged glances before turning to Gu Qingya. “Did she really give you the key?”
Gu Qingya was reluctant to admit it, but facing Nan Jin directly, she could no longer deny it.
“Who knows if she made a spare key?”
Nan Jin simply looked innocently at the officers without saying another word.
The police exchanged another look and asked her, “After leaving the Gu residence, who did you come into contact with?”
Nan Jin shook her head blankly. “I was stopped by a neighbor’s aunt for a brief chat after I stepped out, and then I took the bus here.”
“Did you speak to anyone on the bus?”
Nan Jin shook her head firmly. “No, I didn’t speak to anyone. I’m naturally a bit introverted, and since I just had a miscarriage the day before yesterday and was discharged from the hospital this morning, my body is still weak. I leaned back and closed my eyes to rest as soon as I got on the bus.”
“Did you notice who was around you?”
Nan Jin still shook her head blankly. “I didn’t pay attention to that.”
“What about after arriving here? Did you speak to anyone? Did you mention anything about your situation with the Gu family?”
Nan Jin shook her head firmly again. “No, divorce isn’t something to boast about. Why would I go around telling people?”
“After getting off the bus over there, I walked slowly to find a guesthouse. I only spoke a few words with the guesthouse owner, and that was just to check in.”
“After entering the room, I only went out to use the restroom. I didn’t even eat dinner and just slept the whole time.”
Gu Shaoxuan, standing nearby, frowned as he listened. “You’re not in good health. How could you skip dinner?”
Nan Jin ignored him and looked directly at the police officer.
“Comrade, you can verify all of this. The guesthouse owner should be cooperative.”
One of the officers asked, “Which bus route did you take? What was the license plate number?”
Nan Jin thought for a moment and shook her head. “I was in a daze at the time and didn’t check the license plate. I only remember it was Bus No. 5.”
Only Bus No. 5 came to this area.
“You must at least remember the time, right?”
Nan Jin remained silent for a while before answering, “When I left the Gu residence, it was probably between 4:10 and 4:30 in the afternoon. I don’t have a watch, so it’s just an estimate. It was shortly after they left home.”
“I was stopped and questioned by some aunties for a bit, and then it took me about an hour to walk to the bus stop?”
“I also waited for the bus for quite a while. Since I was feeling disoriented, I’m not sure exactly how long I waited.”
Buses at that time didn’t run as frequently as they do now, with intervals of about 20 to 30 minutes between each.
If you happened to arrive at the right time, you were lucky and didn’t have to wait long.
But Nan Jin was clearly one of the unlucky ones. She must have just missed the bus and had to wait for the next one.
Gu Qingya, standing nearby, snapped, “My house isn’t far from the bus stop. Even a snail wouldn’t take that long. You must be lying.”
The officer also looked at Nan Jin, clearly thinking the time she took was excessive. Even if she was physically weak, it shouldn’t have taken that long.
Nan Jin hesitated before explaining, “I went to the post office to send 500 yuan.”
“What? You sent my family’s money away? To whom? Go get it back immediately!” Gu Qingya tried to rush forward and grab her but was stopped by the officer.
Nan Jin said nothing and did not disclose who she had sent the money to.
“That money was the compensation the Gu family gave me for the divorce. It’s mine now, and I can send it to whomever I want. You have no right to question it.”
“If you don’t believe me, Officer, you can check with the post office.”
Gu Shaoxuan also frowned deeply. Initially, he had agreed to give her that much money because she said she needed it for security.
But as soon as she got the money, she rushed to send it away.
She was an orphan—who would she send such a large sum to?
“Nan Zhu, you’re an orphan with no relatives. Who did you send that money to?”
Nan Jin didn’t look at him and replied coldly, “That’s my business. We’re divorced now. You have no right to interfere.”
Gu Shaoxuan pointed angrily at her and accused, “I now have reason to suspect that the 500 yuan is evidence of you bribing the thieves.”
Nan Jin looked at him as if he were an idiot. “As everyone knows, sending money takes time. It takes at least two days to arrive. How could the recipient get it immediately and then go rob your house?”
Gu Shaoxuan felt quite uncomfortable under her gaze, but he would never admit it.
“If you say there isn’t one, then show us the remittance slip.”
“If you don’t dare to show it, that means you’re guilty.”