Jiang Ling returned to the police station after nine in the evening.
The police hall was brightly lit and noisy.
Zhao Yanhong and a group of people were being reprimanded by Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei. They were her relatives who had gone to the towel factory to cause a scene—naturally loud, desperately trying to justify themselves.
Seeing Jiang Ling return, Zhao Yanhong panicked even more, hurriedly promising, “No, no, we won’t go to Wen Xiufen anymore, and we definitely won’t cause trouble again. I was out of my mind. As soon as I heard about Old Qian and that b… ah no, Wen Xiufen messing around, I couldn’t take it. I promise I won’t act impulsively again. Please rest assured.”
Li Zhenliang couldn’t understand her logic: “Old Qian has been involved with at least a dozen women over the years. Are you planning to go after each one?”
Zhao Yanhong’s face stiffened. After a long pause, she said, “N-no, not really.”
She wasn’t stupid—if she went to confront them and they had someone backing them up, she would be the one to suffer.
Liu Haoran sneered, “So you only pick on the weak, huh?”
Caught off guard, Zhao Yanhong felt embarrassed. “Well, it’s not like that. Back when Old Qian was the factory director, I had to maintain his face outside the home. I only caused trouble at home; family shame shouldn’t be spread publicly. Now that he’s suspended for reflection, my relatives scold me for being weak, and I also want to vent a little. I didn’t expect to run into you as soon as I came out…”
Zhou Wei looked at Zhao Yanhong. “Ever thought about divorce?”
Even if it’s better to tear down a temple than destroy a family, Zhao Yanhong’s marriage to Qian Jianshe was rotten to the core. Why keep such a marriage?
Her husband cheated, yet instead of confronting him, she obsessed over dragging her relatives to harass his mistress—a classic case of losing sight of what really matters.
At the word “divorce,” Zhao Yanhong became emotional. “Why divorce? Even if Old Qian no longer holds office, he’s still a factory employee with a steady salary. If we divorce, where would I live? Where would Darong go after getting out? I won’t divorce! I’ll protect this family even if I die!”
Her elder sister-in-law chimed in: “Exactly! Divorce would just let him find some young, pretty woman to enjoy life with. Never! My sister is part of the Qian family by birth and in death—she will never divorce.”
Zhou Wei waved his hand. “Enough. Divorce is your choice. But if you harass others or bring people to cause trouble again, we won’t go easy on you!”
Zhao Yanhong quickly nodded. “Yes, yes, I promise we won’t cause trouble again.”
Jiang Ling glanced at her. “Qian Jianshe is under investigation. Nothing’s traced back to you? Union funds…”
Hearing the words “union funds,” Zhao Yanhong’s heart raced. “I… I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Jiang Ling gave a mocking smile. “Is that so?”
Afraid Jiang Ling would press her about embezzling union funds, Zhao Yanhong wanted to disappear from the police station immediately. She quickly told Liu Haoran, “Where do I sign? We’re willing to apologize, compensate Wen Xiufen for defamation, whatever you want, we agree to it.”
But Jiang Ling wasn’t about to let her off.
If she hadn’t interfered, Zhao Yanhong would have been responsible for three deaths—
—Liang Qiqiao, Wen Xiufen, Lin Xiaoyue.
Her tongue was like a dragon’s sword, killing without spilling blood.
Zhao Yanhong’s lies, bullying of the honest, and cruel heart were extreme.
Liang Qiqiao was raped by Qian Darong but Zhao Yanhong spread rumors that she was naturally promiscuous and seduced minors, driving the bright young Liang Qiqiao—who could have gone to university—to suicide.
Wen Xiufen, a widow living a hard life, became entangled with Qian Jianshe. Zhao Yanhong led people to her home, verbally and physically abusing her, crushing her dignity in front of Lin Xiaoyue. Wen Xiufen ultimately took her own life at twenty, leaving Lin Xiaoyue helpless on the streets.
Cold light flashed in Jiang Ling’s eyes. “Go? None of you are leaving today!”
A cold wind swept into the police hall, making Zhao Yanhong shiver. Her words stammered: “W-we already know we were wrong… we didn’t do much… why… why can’t we leave?”
Jiang Ling sat in a chair and said to Liu Haoran, “Zhao Yanhong and her group caused a disturbance at the Mudan Towel Factory dormitory, disrupting public order. Warning and fine under 200 yuan; publicly insulting Wen Xiufen, causing her nervous breakdown and fear—detention 5–10 days, fine under 500 yuan.”
Liu Haoran understood.
Incidents like this were common. If people like Zhao Yanhong caused a scene without harming anyone or damaging property, normally a verbal warning would suffice.
But Jiang Ling wanted strict enforcement—and she would have it.
Liu Haoran said, “Fine. Detain five days, fine 500 yuan, notify the family to pay.”
Hearing about administrative detention, Zhao Yanhong was terrified and grabbed the paper from Liu Haoran: “Officer, can we reconsider? I’ll apologize, pay the fine—even a thousand—but no detention. If detained, my workplace will punish me.”
As a union committee member, Zhao Yanhong knew detention would mean warnings, demerits, or salary cuts. Qian Jianshe was currently suspended; she would be caught at the worst time, and someone might even try to have her fired.
Liu Haoran looked at Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling, her face cold, pointed to the weapons on the table: “Look carefully! These were confiscated today: sticks, iron wrenches, scissors. What were you planning—breaking in, smashing things, hurting someone… wiping out a family?”
Her voice was low but sharp. At the last words “wiping out a family,” Zhao Yanhong shivered, wishing she could kneel immediately.
Her sister-in-law behind her turned pale: “N-no, we wouldn’t dare. Zhao Yanhong gave us these. Punish her if you must! I didn’t want to hit anyone, just wanted to use scissors to ruin that… oh, that woman’s clothes so she behaves next time.”
Zhao Yanhong’s elder brother, reminded by his wife, immediately stepped forward and slapped her hard: “Ugh! You’re a real troublemaker! We were just trying to help you, and now you’d get us jailed.”
After the slap, he bowed exaggeratedly: “I only picked up the wrench to look brave and scare people, didn’t want to break anything. We don’t even know that woman, it’s all Zhao Yanhong’s idea. Officer, see—I’ve distanced myself from her. Now we won’t go to jail, right?”
Zhao Yanhong’s elder brother didn’t understand the law, confusing detention with prison. To him, being caught by police meant prison. To protect himself, he had to sacrifice Zhao Yanhong.
Zhao Yanhong’s brother was strong from farm work. The slap hurt her face terribly; her ears rang, mouth tasted of blood.
It took her a while to react, staring blankly at her brother.
Ever since she married into the city, her family had treated her as if she were a saint. When she spoke, her eldest brother never contradicted her—but today, unexpectedly, he actually hit her!
Before she could speak, her second brother and sister-in-law followed suit, each slapping her once, then pleading to the police: “We’ve drawn a line. We won’t listen to her again. Please let us go. We have a seventy-year-old mother and young children; we can’t go to jail.”
Jiang Ling signaled Liu Haoran.
He understood immediately and said sternly, “No fighting in the station!”
Zhao Yanhong’s brother and sister-in-law kept nodding: “Yes, yes, we didn’t hit anyone; we just wanted to show our stance.”
Liu Haoran softened his tone: “You four are accomplices, and you were instigated by Zhao Yanhong. Since you’re showing a good attitude, once you sign this guarantee statement, you can leave.”
Zhao Yanhong’s brother and sister-in-law beamed: “Alright, alright, good.”
Liu Haoran raised his voice: “From now on, behave properly. No fighting. If you do it again…”
The four quickly assured him: “No, no, we won’t. We’ll never deal with her again. We’ll behave, we absolutely won’t cause trouble.”
Zhao Yanhong’s cheeks were swollen and red from the blows, and blood trickled from the corners of her mouth. She covered her face and glared at her brothers and sister-in-law, her eyes almost dripping poison: “You… you…”
Each of them, bending with the wind—how infuriating!
After pressing their fingerprints on the guarantee statement, Zhao Yanhong’s brothers and sister-in-law left in a hurry, as if their pants were on fire.
Only Zhao Yanhong remained, sitting alone on the bench in the police hall, holding her bruised face in silence.
Before long, Qian Jianshe arrived and, without a word, launched into a torrent of curses at Zhao Yanhong.
He was now keeping a low profile, hiding at home every day, never daring to go out. He never expected Zhao Yanhong to be so bold as to call her family to confront Wen Xiufen. He could only imagine how panicked he felt when he received the phone call from the station!
The scolding gave Zhao Yanhong a headache. Normally, she would have jumped up to fight, but today she knew she was in the wrong, so she stayed silent and pretended to be obedient.
Eventually, Qian Jianshe grew tired.
Things had already come to this—what could he do?
No wonder they were really getting divorced. Zhao Yanhong knew all his dirty secrets, and if she had snapped and gone all out, his life would have been ruined.
Qian Jianshe signed the notice, paid the fine, and left with a parting remark: “If you want to die, it’s your business—don’t drag me into it!”—and left, leaving Zhao Yanhong slumped on the bench, shoulders drooped, looking rather pitiful.
Jiang Ling felt no sympathy at all.
Only five days of detention? That wasn’t enough!
Qian Jianshe and his wife had done all kinds of evil—it was time to settle accounts.
Qian Jianshe was under internal review at his workplace, but it seemed to be progressing slowly. The power structure at Yan City Textile Factory was convoluted; officials might protect each other, turning major issues into minor ones, and minor issues into nothing.
Better to let the Criminal Investigation Unit intervene and open a formal case. Criminal investigators work much faster than workplace reviews.
For someone like Qian Jianshe, it needed to be a decisive blow.
Jiang Ling pondered this silently. Meanwhile, Zhao Yanhong, watching Qian Jianshe’s resolute departure, seemed to have all her energy drained. Her face had turned gray and she no longer pleaded. She sluggishly signed the Administrative Punishment Decision, then was escorted by the police to the detention center to serve five days of administrative detention.
Once everything was settled, the police station finally quieted down.
Back at the case unit office, Liu Haoran sat down, took a sip of hot water, and asked Li Zhenliang: “How did the questioning go? Was it Lin Xiaoyue?”
Li Zhenliang put the briefcase he had been holding under his arm onto the desk: “Sigh, don’t mention it. Wen Xiufen was like a cat with its tail stepped on, insisting her daughter was obedient and sensible—there’s no way she would steal the bells. Later, when Zhao Yanhong intervened, both mother and daughter were extremely stressed. We couldn’t push too hard, so we came back.”
Seeing the disappointed expressions on Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei’s faces, Li Zhenliang patted his chest: “But Jiang Ling said they’ll come to the station tomorrow. Then we can question them again.”
Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei looked at Jiang Ling: “They’ll really come? This isn’t just a delaying tactic, right?”
They had encountered situations before where the other party promised to come to the station to explain, but no one showed up all day—they ran away!
Jiang Ling said, “Don’t worry, they will come.”
Hearing her certainty, Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei relaxed.
Liu Haoran asked, “Is it really Lin Xiaoyue?”
Jiang Ling nodded: “Yes, it’s her.”
Zhou Wei asked further: “Why? I saw that little girl downstairs—she was so thin it was heart-wrenching. She couldn’t be sick, right? Even if the towel factory isn’t doing well, Wen Xiufen’s salary should be enough for both of them to eat.”
Jiang Ling sighed: “Lin Xiaoyue is abnormally thin, probably suffering from anorexia due to psychological issues.”
Li Zhenliang also sighed. “Poor girl. That mother and daughter are both honest people. Wen Xiufen crouched down covering her head when she heard Zhao Yanhong shouting—they must have suffered serious trauma. Lin Xiaoyue wanted to protect her mother but couldn’t, and she trembled with anger. Without us there, they would have been in serious trouble.”
Jiang Ling said, “Exactly. Both mother and daughter are psychologically fragile and need treatment.”
Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei exchanged a glance: “Then… it’s good we went tonight?”
Jiang Ling nodded: “Yes, luckily we did.”
Thanks to their intervention, a tragedy was averted.
…
Meanwhile, at the technical team, Ying Songmao had been waiting for a call.
But there was no news.
By morning, he dialed the Jinwu Road Police Station case office. “Any progress? Did you find the person?”
Li Zhenliang answered, somewhat excited. “Almost certainly! Jiang Ling’s criminal psychology profile was accurate.”
Ying Songmao’s eyes lit up: “Tell me the details.”
He had been thinking all night about the criminal profile Jiang Ling mentioned.
Jiang Ling had seen it in a foreign journal, so he called Professor Wang Chengling at the People’s Public Security University for help, asking him to check the library for the source and how it described criminal profiling.
Unfortunately, there was no paper title, only a keyword, making the search extremely difficult. By morning, Professor Wang hadn’t responded.
Still, he was very interested and told Ying to record the case carefully. If Jiang Ling’s approach was proven correct, it would be a step forward in criminal investigation techniques and could be published.
Now, hearing from Li Zhenliang that Jiang Ling’s judgment was accurate, Ying Songmao was naturally pleased.
Li Zhenliang’s tone carried a pride: “Jiang Ling’s so-called geographical profiling pinpointed the perpetrator to the towel factory—and it was true! We went to the towel factory and found a mother and daughter. The mother, Wen Xiufen, had been Qian Jianshe’s lover. They lived in a factory dormitory. The daughter, Lin Xiaoyue, is in first year of middle school, about 1.4 meters tall, introverted and solitary, very thin. All of this matches Jiang Ling’s psychological profile.”
Ying Songmao asked: “Was it Lin Xiaoyue?”
Li Zhenliang thought for a moment. “Well… it’s not certain yet. Last night, Qian Jianshe’s wife came with some people to confront them. They were so scared they were trembling and we didn’t have time to ask.”
Ying Songmao said, “If you didn’t ask properly, how can you be sure you found the right people?”
Li Zhenliang was momentarily stunned. “Xiao Jiang said it was them, so it must be. Xiao Jiang also said they’d come to the station today—we’re waiting.”
Ying Songmao asked a few more questions about Wen Xiufen and Lin Xiaoyue before hanging up.
Zhao Jingxin brought over two paper documents. “Master, today the Second Division sent over two evidence inspection applications. Looks like the workload is quite heavy.”
Ying Songmao took the files, glanced at the evidence listed, and nodded. “Alright, prepare them for inspection.” With that, he immersed himself in work.
As for Jiang Ling, she planned to visit him after finishing her shift.
Li Zhenliang hung up the phone and, feeling rather pleased with himself, raised an eyebrow at Liu Haoran. “Captain Ying really cares about our case—he called first thing in the morning to ask.”
Liu Haoran suddenly realized something. “Ah! He’s the deputy captain of the Technical Division—could it be that he wants Xiao Jiang to join them for criminal investigation work?”
Li Zhenliang immediately grew anxious. “What? If Xiao Jiang gets transferred, I’ll have no partner.”
Zhou Wei patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Look at Xiao Jiang’s skills—do you really think the station can keep her?”
Li Zhenliang cried out in protest, dodging his hand. “No way. I have to give Xiao Jiang a heads-up—can’t let her go with Captain Ying. At our station, everyone has their own dorm, the cafeteria food’s good, and we can laugh and chat together; the Technical Division is swamped all day, working overtime constantly. If there’s a major case, they’re spinning nonstop, not even a moment to breathe.”
Zhou Wei reminded him, “But being transferred to the Municipal Bureau is a dream for many grassroots officers. Liangzi, you can’t block someone’s future.”
Li Zhenliang knew Zhou Wei was right, but he really couldn’t bear the thought of Jiang Ling leaving.
He had finally found a partner who worked in perfect sync with him, and together they had just solved the Qian Darong case under Jiang Ling’s leadership. Work was finally going smoothly—how could he let her go?
The more he thought about it, the sadder he felt. His good mood after talking to Ying Songmao earlier vanished, and he sat alone in his chair, sulking.
“What are you doing?”
Jiang Ling’s voice reached his ears. Li Zhenliang lifted his head tiredly and looked at her, her uniform giving her an air of command and poise. “Nothing.”
Jiang Ling turned to Liu Haoran, who was making faces nearby. “What’s going on?”
Liu Haoran told her the joke he had just made.
Jiang Ling understood the whole story. She walked over to Li Zhenliang’s desk and said seriously, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to the Technical Division.”
In her previous life, she had spent a long time in the archive room and dealt with the Technical Division the most. The Municipal Bureau’s Technical Division had different labs or teams handling various types of inspections, focused mainly on technical work, and were relatively “introverted.”
In this second life, Jiang Ling didn’t want to stay in the archive or the lab. The place she really wanted to be was the Criminal Investigation Unit, either the First or Second Division.
The First Team handled violent crimes such as murder, rape, and kidnapping, while the Second Team handled theft, robbery, and other property crimes. These were cases that seriously disrupted social order—and crimes Jiang Ling despised most. Since fate had given her a second chance, she wanted to fully utilize her abilities.
Hearing Jiang Ling’s assurance, Li Zhenliang instantly perked up as if energized, suddenly standing and grinning widely. “Xiao Jiang, it’s already 8:30. I’ll go downstairs to see if Wen Xiufen has arrived.”
The towel factory ran three shifts—day, evening, and night—with a day off after each, cycling repeatedly.
Wen Xiufen had worked the night shift last night, starting at midnight and finishing at 8 a.m. If she kept her promise, she should come straight to the station after finishing.
Just as Li Zhenliang finished speaking, a timid voice came from downstairs: “Officer Jiang? Is Officer Jiang here?”
The four people in the office exchanged glances and left together, heading toward the stairs.
Wen Xiufen had arrived!
Sure enough, Wen Xiufen came to the station immediately after her shift. She wore a dark blue factory uniform, still carrying the fermented scent of cornstarch from the fabric.
Jiang Ling knew Wen Xiufen was timid. She led her to the interrogation room, and Li Zhenliang brought over a cup of hot tea, placing it in front of her. “Cold? Have some hot water.”
The interrogation room was on the first floor, simply furnished, with a “Regulations on Public Security Administration Punishments” poster on the wall, a wooden table, and three chairs. Jiang Ling, Li Zhenliang, and Wen Xiufen sat across from each other, with inkpads and interrogation notebooks on the table. In the corner stood a coal stove for heating, with an aluminum kettle of water boiling on top.
Originally, Wen Xiufen had been nervous seeing the iron-barred windows and dark red painted concrete floor, but the steaming kettle somehow brought a touch of homeliness, easing her tension significantly.
Wen Xiufen began telling her story.
“I was born in the countryside. My parents raised me until I was eighteen, then hurried to marry me off to get a dowry to help my two older brothers build their new homes. In their rush for money, they didn’t choose properly, just finding families who could afford a high dowry. That’s how I married Lin Chengde.”
“After marrying him, I realized he was a monster. Lin Chengde loved alcohol, and after drinking he’d get violent—he was ruthless when hitting someone!”
At this point, Wen Xiufen’s face turned pale, a chill running through her body, and she shivered.
Jiang Ling spoke gently. “Don’t be afraid. It’s all over now.”
Women who had endured severe domestic abuse often develop stress reactions. In later stages, even loud noises could trigger a defensive state.
No wonder she had reacted so strongly when Zhao Yanhong cursed at her.
Wen Xiufen didn’t want to recall the past any further.
That unbearable past, filled with the smell of blood, pain, humiliation, and degradation, had left a deep, bone-deep scar on her heart.
She closed her eyes, suppressing the nausea rising in her throat, and continued: “He had previously killed a wife and paid a huge sum in compensation. Any city girl who looked into him would know what kind of man he was, and wouldn’t marry him. That’s why he set his sights on our village. When he died, Xiaoyue was only six. Because she was a girl, Lin Chengde didn’t care about her. I tried to protect her, but…”
Wen Xiufen choked up. “With me, a useless mother, Xiaoyue suffered a lot. Whenever she cried, Lin Chengde would yell or kick her, making her even more timid. Later, after he suddenly died from a drinking-related acute illness, my father-in-law beat me into the hospital. With three broken ribs and a ruptured spleen as the cost, I took over Lin Chengde’s job and started working at the towel factory. From then on, I cut off all contact with the Lin family.”
“I barely had contact with my own family either. They took the two thousand yuan from the Lin family and treated me like a piece of trash. I once sought help from my parents, but they said, once a daughter is married off, whether she lives or dies is her fate.”
“From Xiaoyue’s age of six to now, thirteen, I’ve had no help from anyone. It’s been really hard. At the towel factory, I couldn’t get the day shift, so I had to work alternating shifts. Xiaoyue went to school early with a key, and came back to get her own meal ticket for the cafeteria. My Xiaoyue has had it so hard…”
As she spoke about these years of hardship, Wen Xiufen wept uncontrollably.
All these years, she and her daughter had relied solely on each other. With no family support, the loneliness and isolation had filled her with deep fear.
Jiang Ling saw that everything she talked about was just the trivialities of daily life. Although she understood her urgent need to unburden herself, she couldn’t allow her sorrow to continue spreading unchecked, so she interrupted her: “Why did you get involved with Qian Jianshe?”
Wen Xiufen’s face flushed with embarrassment. Her hands twisted together nervously like braids as she stammered, “Y-you… you all already know?”
She hadn’t intended to bring this up, but now she was sitting in the interrogation room, facing the police. On top of that, Zhao Yanhong had come to her door yesterday… every detail made it clear to her—she couldn’t hide it.
In reality, it was nothing more than a melodramatic story of him giving in to lust and her being forced into it.
Wen Xiufen had always been delicate and pretty, and coupled with her tragic background, she naturally had a fragile, pitiable charm. This had caught the eye of Qian Jianshe when he went to handle business at the towel factory.
At the time, Wen Xiufen lived in a single-story house assigned by her workplace, sharing a kitchen and bathroom with two other households, and frequent water and power outages were common.
In that environment, an orphaned mother and daughter naturally attracted the attention of unscrupulous men. At the bathroom door, in the kitchen, in the hallway—any public space—rough men would occasionally harass her. There had even been instances late at night where someone outside the window shouted obscene words at her, which she could not endure.
Wen Xiufen had dreamed of moving into a “tube building,” where each unit had its own door, kitchen, and bathroom. She would be safe from interruptions as long as the door was locked.
Qian Jianshe, the deputy director of the textile factory, who had business dealings with the towel factory, seized upon this desire. He forced her into submission and then used the promise of helping her apply for housing as leverage to keep her quiet.
At that time, Qian Jianshe’s power as deputy director, in charge of logistics and construction, was considerable. After a round of hospitality and gift-giving to the head of the housing management office, Wen Xiufen was finally arranged to live in a tube building.
Qian Jianshe had many secret lovers; Wen Xiufen was just a minor, insignificant one.
Lin Chengde would always force Wen Xiufen into sexual relations after drinking, acting violently and cruelly. Wen Xiufen strongly resisted sexual activity and naturally never derived any pleasure from it. After each encounter with Qian Jianshe, she would fall into a whirlpool of self-blame, repeatedly washing herself and sitting at the edge of the bed in a daze.
At this point, Wen Xiufen pleaded with Jiang Ling: “I know, I’m guilty. I’ve let my child down. But… I’ve kept this from Xiaoyue all along. I beg you, don’t let Xiaoyue find out. I don’t want her to be disappointed and hurt.”
Jiang Ling let out a light sigh.
Wen Xiufen thought she had hidden it well, but Lin Xiaoyue had already known for a long time.
Seeing Jiang Ling’s expressionless face, Wen Xiufen grew anxious and asked tremblingly, “Yesterday you told me that Qian Jianshe’s son, influenced by his father, bullied girls at a young age and ended up in a juvenile detention center. After hearing that, I couldn’t sleep all night, worried that my reputation was ruined and it would affect Xiaoyue…”
Wen Xiufen had always been afraid of the police and distrusted them because, when Lin Chengde beat her, he would always say viciously: “Listen, we’re husband and wife. Even if I beat you to death, the police will treat it as a domestic matter. My previous wife died, I paid her family some money, and nothing happened. The police didn’t even ask. That officer at the station is like a brother to me—I even drank with him yesterday. Want to report me? You’re nothing!”
Hearing such words repeatedly, Wen Xiufen, who already had little sense of the law, feared the police like tigers. She always felt that the police station was a safe haven for men like Lin Chengde. She didn’t dare speak up for fear of even harsher retaliation.
But after seeing Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang in plainclothes yesterday, and with the help of Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei, her impression of the police began to change. Especially Jiang Ling’s words, “protect the people,” gave her a glimmer of hope.
Thinking of this, Wen Xiufen quietly asked, “Qian Jianshe said he was very close with your Director Yao—is that true?”
Li Zhenliang slapped his forehead, half laughing and half exasperated: “Our chief’s surname is Yao. He’s upright and would never be close with Qian Jianshe. He’s just lying to you.”
Wen Xiufen looked at Jiang Ling, seeking further confirmation.
Jiang Ling nodded.
Only then did Wen Xiufen feel reassured and cautiously said, “Yesterday you said the stolen bicycle bells might have been taken by my Xiaoyue? My Xiaoyue is very obedient. She could never be a thief.”
As a mother, Wen Xiufen simply could not believe her daughter would be a thief, despite the case of Qian Darong being fresh in her mind. Still, she was afraid of getting her daughter into trouble.
She had only three years of elementary school, had little experience, and although she loved her daughter deeply, she could only manage her meals and clothing, unable to help in any other way.
She couldn’t understand her daughter’s textbooks or her words, and faced with a daughter growing quieter and thinner by the day, she didn’t know how to communicate with her.
If the police had pressed relentlessly, Wen Xiufen might have grown defiant and tried desperately to protect her daughter.
But Jiang Ling’s approach was kind, gentle, and respectful, never pushing beyond what was necessary. This made Wen Xiufen feel respected.
It was precisely because she felt respected that Wen Xiufen chose to come to the police station of her own accord.
Jiang Ling noticed Wen Xiufen’s change in attitude.
Her psychological defenses had been lowered; she was genuinely seeking help.
This was a good start.
Only then could Jiang Ling truly help Wen Xiufen and change the fate of this mother and daughter.
…
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