Chapter 16

The other three professionals all nodded involuntarily, as if they had been persuaded by Shen Juan.

Captain Li asked, “Then between these two types of people, which one are you more inclined toward?”

Shen Juan thought for a moment, but could not give an answer.

Captain Li felt somewhat regretful. He thought Shen Juan’s reasoning made a lot of sense. In truth, when they solved cases, they originally relied on the clues and evidence they collected, using logical deduction to connect all kinds of signs together, putting forward various possible conjectures, then verifying and eliminating them one by one, finally restoring the truth.

“Ms. Shen’s line of thought can serve as an important reference,” Captain Li concluded.

Next, they tried to build a deeper psychological profile centered around Shen Juan’s view, but unfortunately, progress was not smooth. The information collected so far was too little.

Liu Guohua tried to deduce the culprit’s sex and age, but both attempts ended in failure.

Close to eight o’clock, Lin Mo delivered breakfast and distributed it to all the criminal police officers. He was also very considerate and gave every comrade a steaming cup of coffee.

Although working overtime was originally part of their duty as servants of the people, there would still inevitably be some resentment. After all, compared with a warm blanket and sweet sleep, who would like working overtime in a cold office?

Those hidden complaints unconsciously faded by more than half when they ate the hot breakfast.

A very young-looking criminal police officer was the first to finish eating. He casually wiped his mouth and called toward Captain Li, “Captain, Ma Wu and Zhao Qi are interrogating the driver and still haven’t eaten. I’ll send some over to them.”

Captain Li nodded. “Go.” Then he explained to Shen Juan, “The driver who caused the accident, Zhang Meng, was transferred to us yesterday. As soon as he arrived, he was locked in the interrogation room. He’s been questioned for almost fourteen hours now.”

“No progress,” Liu Guohua added.

Captain Li had originally planned to go over. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Ms. Shen, would you like to come and take a look?”

Shen Juan agreed.

The interrogation room was in a corner on the second floor. Through the glass, they could see the three people sitting inside. Of the two criminal police officers, one was responsible for questioning while [Read on BaiLianTales]the other took notes. Breakfast had been brought in and placed on the table, but no one had touched it.

Zhang Meng sat opposite them, separated by a table. After being interrogated continuously for fourteen hours, he had clearly reached the edge of collapse. But no matter how the police questioned him, he only made one movement: shaking his head. His mouth was pressed shut very tightly, and he almost never spoke.

Gu Shuge stood beside Shen Juan. She saw one of the officers suddenly slap the table and rapidly fire a question at Zhang Meng. Zhang Meng had not slept all night and had been put through high-intensity interrogation, so his brain was clearly unable to react. Startled, his pupils slowly dilated, then he slowly shook his head.

Through the equipment, they could hear the sounds inside the interrogation room. Gu Shuge passed through the glass and went in, observing him up close. She saw Zhang Meng’s lips move slightly, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible. “I really don’t know.”

Everyone was certain that Zhang Meng had been hired, and that this car accident was not an accident at all. But Zhang Meng was worried that the more he said, the more mistakes he would make, so he chose the laziest method: simply not speaking at all.

Gu Shuge remembered when the car accident had just happened. This driver had knelt on the ground, repeating in terror, “I killed someone.”

He was probably very timid, timid enough to be frightened to that degree. So the reason supporting him in doing this had to be extremely solid.

The criminal police officer was tired too. He walked out the door and said to Captain Li, “We’ve used every method. He refuses to talk.”

This kind of suspect was the hardest to deal with. Captain Li flipped through the interrogation records and also found it troublesome. Gu Shuge passed through the wall and came out. Shen Juan had been looking at the driver the entire time, deep hatred in her eyes.

Gu Shuge silently stayed by her side and did not dare move around. Captain Li was just about to take out his phone and call in a few more interrogation experts when Shen Juan suddenly said, “I want to say a few words to him.”

What she said was to say a few words, not to interrogate him.

Captain Li hesitated for a moment. “One of our colleagues must accompany you.”

Shen Juan agreed.

Zhang Meng felt as if his nerves were about to snap. Compared with the pressure, sleepiness was practically not worth mentioning. Fortunately, the police had stopped, allowing him to catch his breath a little.

The sound of the door being pushed open came. Zhang Meng ignored it, passively lowering his head. He thought it was the officer who had just gone out coming back, until the person who entered sat down across from him. Only then did he realize it was a woman.

Zhang Meng opened his mouth in terror. His extremely slow-moving brain reacted and realized who the person in front of him was. Out of guilt, he instinctively wanted to run away, but his body was too exhausted to move.

The woman before him spoke. Her voice was somewhat cool and clear, while her tone was very calm.

“My name is Shen Juan. I am the victim’s family.” Shen Juan first introduced herself.

Zhang Meng nodded once. He opened his mouth. “You…” After just one word, he immediately seemed to remember something and closed his mouth again, returning to his state of saying nothing.

Shen Juan seemed not to care about his reaction at all and continued, “I am the adopted daughter of the Gu family, not a true member of the Gu family. So no matter what I want to do in Gu Group, I will face great obstacles. But now it is different. Gu Shuge’s inheritance is all mine. I truly own Gu Group now, and no one can object.”

Gu Shuge stood right beside her.

Zhang Meng seemed not to understand why she was saying this, but he tried hard to suppress his curious expression, lowering his head and staying silent.

“Gu Shuge was not a child who spared people worry. After Uncle Gu and Auntie Gu passed away, she was practically raised by me. But she was not close to me. The moment she turned eighteen, she went overseas. She was gone for four years and only came back once when her brother passed away. Over these past two years, we have not even spoken on the phone once.”

Hearing this, Gu Shuge lowered her head, guilt beginning to spread through her heart.

“So you see, even if she were only a little stray cat, after more than ten years together, after being personally cared for for ten years, she should have been tamed by now. But she did not want to be close ​read the original at bailiantales.com​to me at all. Instead, she ran far away. She is just a little ingrate—disobedient and cold-blooded. I do not like her at all.”

Shen Juan’s tone was still calm. Yet when she narrated so calmly, she was very good at stirring people’s emotions. Zhang Meng lifted his head, confusion and surprise in his eyes.

But Gu Shuge’s head lowered more and more, almost unable to lift again. She knew Shen Juan was most likely doing this to pry open Zhang Meng’s mouth, but not one word she said was false.

They had spent more than ten years together, always under the same roof. They were the closest family. Shen Juan had also taken care of her meticulously for a full ten years. But Gu Shuge had insisted on leaving, without even giving a reason. After leaving, she distanced herself from Shen Juan, did not contact her, did not greet her. In Shen Juan’s eyes, she was probably an out-and-out ingrate.

Gu Shuge took a step back. She had originally been only half a person’s distance away from Shen Juan. With that step back, she became farther away.

Shen Juan continued, “So I personally do not hold much resentment toward you. But I must give my shareholders and the public an explanation. The sudden death of Gu Group’s heir is not a small matter.”

Zhang Meng looked as though he had just watched a real-life wealthy-family power struggle unfold before him and could not react for a moment.

“Tell the truth, and I will find you the best lawyer to protect you. I can guarantee your sentence will be shorter than it would be for causing death through fatigue driving. After all, you cannot really be considered the main culprit. The one I want is the person behind you.” Shen Juan seemed to have finally finished laying the groundwork and stated her purpose.

Zhang Meng seemed tempted. The movement of him shaking his head slowed.

Shen Juan pressed further. “Your daughter is still young, and her health is poor. Don’t you want to get out of prison earlier and spend more time with her?”

Zhang Meng’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth. Everyone looked at him. Gu Shuge also looked at him. Outside the glass window, several officers had their hearts in their throats, staring unblinkingly inside.

Zhang Meng’s back slowly bent. Very softly, he said, “I don’t know anything. I was driving while fatigued. I am willing to accept legal punishment.”

Hearing these words, the officers outside the glass window all sighed. They had failed again. One young officer even belatedly said, “Captain, she’s leading the witness. That’s prohibited. Even if she got something out of him, it couldn’t be accepted.”

Inside the interrogation room, Shen Juan’s calm expression suddenly changed, and she laughed. It was a light laugh from above, like someone looking down on an ant.

Zhang Meng shrank back, not daring to meet her eyes.

There was even a smile in Shen Juan’s words. “A heart compatible with your daughter has been found.”

Zhang Meng’s eyes instantly filled with light.

“But it will not be her turn, because there are many people ahead of her in line.” Shen Juan’s tone was casual, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.

Zhang Meng stood up all at once and shouted, “Impossible! We agreed it would be a designated donation! Only my daughter can…” When he reached this point, he froze. He realized that this was a bluff.

Her long speech before had made his nerves tense. When she proposed that she could shorten his sentence, he had subconsciously thought that this was her final method, so he let down his guard. He had not expected her to have another move prepared.

Now that he had said this crucial sentence, a crack had appeared in his defenses. Shen Juan pushed once more. “The donor did indeed designate your daughter as the recipient. But since you participated in such a meticulous murder, you should understand how easy it is to stop a heart from going from one operating room to another. I guarantee that if you still refuse to speak, this surgery will never happen.”

Zhang Meng’s face turned ashen.

This threat was the last straw that crushed the camel. Zhang Meng’s mental defenses, worn down over the entire night, collapsed completely. He covered his face and cried bitterly, sobbing so hard he could not speak.

Captain Li and the others all let out breaths of relief. The young officer who had spoken earlier muttered, “How is this Chairman Shen so amazing? Leading, bluffing, coercing a confession—she plays those tricks even more smoothly than our professional interrogators. Her heart is hard enough too, threatening someone with his daughter’s life. If Zhang Meng still refused to talk, she wouldn’t really go hurt his daughter, would she?”

Shen Juan happened to push the door open and come out. Captain [read the original at bailiantales.com]Li quickly glared at him, and the young officer did not dare speak again. Shen Juan’s expression did not change at all, as if she had not heard. The young officer secretly rejoiced.

The suspect’s mental defenses had been broken. What came next was the police’s job.

Shen Juan said goodbye to them and chose to go home.

On the way back, Gu Shuge felt that Shen Juan was especially silent. Although Shen Juan had always been quiet most of the time and had never been very talkative, the current her was silent even in the corners of her eyes and brows.

Outside, the snow was still falling. When they arrived home, the servants were still there. Seeing her return, they greeted her.

Shen Juan nodded. She walked to the staircase, paused for a moment, then turned toward the study instead.

Gu Shuge followed her worriedly.

The study was still the same as when they had left that morning. Shen Juan closed the door and leaned back against it. Gu Shuge looked at her with concern. She wanted to comfort her, but she also understood that no matter what she said, Shen Juan could not hear.

“Do you also think I was frightening in the interrogation room?” Shen ​unauthorized copy​Juan asked softly. Her eyes were lonely and fragile, completely without the ease she had shown inside the interrogation room.

Gu Shuge’s heart ached. She hurriedly shook her head. “Not frightening. You only threatened him. Since he was so stubborn, some method had to be used.”

Shen Juan looked at the air in front of her, as if waiting for an answer. She waited for a long time, then understood that she could not wait for that answer. She sighed softly and said, “I was lying to him just now.”

Gu Shuge could not quite react and instinctively asked, “Lying to him about what?”

“You truly are a little ingrate. You can harden your heart enough not to contact me or greet me. But I…” Shen Juan said, “I have never disliked you.”