"Zhu Xuejun, do you really think that just by using cash, you wouldn’t leave any trace? That it wouldn’t be traced back to you?"
As Zhou Yi spoke, he placed three photos on the table. They were the pictures Chen Yan had taken of the designer goods in Du Xiaolin’s room.
"You’re wrong! Let me tell you, a person’s actions in society can’t be easily erased.
"Everything in these photos was gifted to Du Xiaolin by you, right?
"This brand hasn’t even been imported into the country.
"And this bottle of perfume—the text on the packaging box is in traditional Chinese.
"You must have brought these things back from abroad or Hong Kong, right?"
Zhu Xuejun was about to argue, but Zhou Yi raised a hand to stop him.
"I know what you’re trying to say, but let me tell you, our national customs have a strict management system for personal clearance. No matter how you try to talk your way out of it, one quick check with customs will tell us exactly how much of the stuff in Du Xiaolin’s room came from you.
"So, can you tell us your real relationship with Du Xiaolin now?"
After hearing Zhou Yi’s words, Zhu Xuejun frowned. It seemed he was undergoing an intense internal struggle.
Suddenly, he leaned back in his chair and said with a look of utter indifference, "That’s right, Du Xiaolin is my mistress. I bought all those things for her. So what? Having a mistress isn’t against the law, is it, Officer?"
His entire posture, expression, and tone were completely different from before, now filled with arrogance and disdain.
It seemed this was his true face. Everything before had been a disguise.
"It’s not illegal, but it’s morally problematic," Zhou Yi replied.
"Morals?" Zhu Xuejun sneered. "How much are morals worth? When you get a terminal illness, can morals save you?"
He clenched one hand into a fist and pointed his thumb at himself. "My medical skills can save lives. Money can save lives.
"Do you have any idea how many people I’ve saved? Do you know how hard it is to get an appointment with me?
"They say saving a single life brings greater merit than building a seven-story pagoda. I’ve saved so many lives, so what if I enjoy a few young bodies!
"Besides, I didn’t force them, nor did I mistreat them. I got what I wanted, and they got what they wanted. Everyone’s happy. Is that any of the police’s business?"
Zhou Yi was shocked. He wasn’t shocked that a person like this was a doctor, but rather that he could be so shameless as to speak these words openly and proudly.
It showed that the man’s worldview was completely twisted. Let alone medical ethics, he didn’t even possess the basic moral compass of a decent human being!
Half a lifetime of police experience had taught Zhou Yi that the worst kind of evil wasn’t outright wickedness, but evil draped in the guise of a good person, committing atrocities without shedding a single drop of blood!
If this were the greenhorn Zhou Yi from years ago, he probably wouldn’t have been able to hold back from pouncing over and kicking the man a couple of times.
But now, even if he wanted to kick him, he knew it had to be done in an environment with no witnesses or physical evidence—preferably where the target wouldn’t even know who had kicked him.
In that case, he would definitely throw in a few extra kicks.
Wu Yongcheng knocked heavily on the table and said in a deep voice, "Zhu Xuejun, this is the police station. Please watch your words. You might think your actions aren’t illegal, but by spouting nonsense here and interfering with our investigation, I can charge you with obstructing official duties. The police can also choose to issue a public notice about this. Do you want to try us?"
"Captain Wu, are you trying to scare me? That’s fine, you can try. I have the best lawyers in the province anyway. Besides, whether or not I’m obstructing official duties isn’t up to you; it’s up to the courts. Do you think I’m legally illiterate?"
Zhou Yi could sense that Wu Yongcheng was also furious.
This bastard was truly disgusting to the core, but what he said was a fact.
Suddenly, Zhou Yi really hoped this son of a bitch was the murderer. He wanted nothing more than to see the man break down in tears.
"Zhu Xuejun, where were you between eleven o’clock and one o’clock last night?" Zhou Yi didn’t want to continue arguing over meaningless things.
"What, you suspect I killed Du Xiaolin? Unfortunately, I’m going to disappoint you. I have a solid alibi. I was having dinner with friends at the Jinjiang Grand Hotel last night. Plenty of people can vouch for me."
"You ate until one in the morning?"
"What are you thinking? Do you think I’m some pauper who’s never had a meal before? We finished dinner at nine-thirty, and then we went to a karaoke bar to drink."
"What time did you leave the karaoke bar?"
"Around midnight. I drank too much, so my friend booked a room for me at a nearby hotel."
"Which hotel?"
"Jianghai Grand Hotel. Feel free to check. The front desk staff there knows me."
"Alright, we will. We’ll also verify this with every single person you ate and drank with."
Zhu Xuejun looked completely unconcerned. No wonder he was so fearless; a hotel booking record was the best possible alibi. Furthermore, if multiple people could confirm he had consumed a large amount of alcohol, it would indeed be highly unlikely that he had the physical capability to commit the murder.
"How was your relationship with Du Xiaolin recently? Did you have any arguments or conflicts?"
"Officer, I didn’t even have the time to commit the crime, so is there any point in asking me this? Besides, the person is already dead. Your questions are making me very uncomfortable, and I refuse to answer."
Zhou Yi chuckled. "That’s fine. If the dead make you uncomfortable, let’s talk about the living. When did you and Zhang Xinli break up?"
Human speech has a logical structure, and Zhou Yi had seized upon a flaw in the man’s logic, smoothly posing a question that flowed naturally from the context and made it easier for him to open up.
"Right when I gave her the fifty thousand yuan. Didn’t I just say that?" Zhu Xuejun said impatiently.
"So the reason for the breakup is still what you claimed earlier? Are you sure you don’t want to change your story? Your shifting attitude makes it very hard for us to believe what you just said."
Zhu Xuejun hesitated for a moment and muttered a curse under his breath.
"Damn it, that woman Zhang Xinli was too greedy. She was always trying to get me to divorce my wife and marry her. I placated her time and time again, but she was relentless.
"What era are we in? It was originally just a game of mutual benefit, yet she was delusional enough to think she could leap to the top overnight.
"I had been wanting to dump that hot potato for a long time. In the end, I had no choice but to bleed some cash. She promised that once she took the fifty thousand yuan, she would cut ties with me completely.
"But just over three months ago, when Du Xiaolin and I went to a hotel to get a room, she actually bumped into us."
"What was her reaction at the time?" Zhou Yi asked immediately.
"She was furious, attacking Du Xiaolin like a madwoman. She even called Xiaolin a vixen and accused her of stealing her man.
"I was furious at the time. Damn it, she really thought of herself as the legal wife. I told her to get lost, or I would sue her for extortion. I specifically sent that fifty thousand yuan through a bank transfer just in case she ever came back to harass me."
As he spoke, Zhu Xuejun’s expression suddenly shifted to shock. "Officer, could Zhang Xinli have held a grudge and killed Du Xiaolin? She’s a lunatic, and she does things to the extreme."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the interrogation room door.
Wu Yongcheng stood up and opened it. Zhou Yi saw Chen Yan standing in the doorway.
Chen Yan whispered a few words into Wu Yongcheng’s ear, and a look of absolute shock immediately washed over Wu Yongcheng’s face.
Zhou Yi knew something major must have happened. He hurriedly stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
"Captain Wu, what’s the situation?"
Wu Yongcheng nodded. "Qiao, who was keeping watch, just sent word. Wang Youfu jumped off a building and committed suicide."