Chapter 122

Based on Wang Duoduo and Zhou Lan's interview records, it could be seen that Sun Chenxin had said the same thing as Liu Qianqian.

The two had coincidentally met on a bus, had dinner together, and watched a movie together in the evening.

It might seem that Suspects No.1 and No.2 had created an alibi for each other, but in a situation where the killer most likely had accomplices, such an alibi couldn't be relied upon.

Before summoning the two of them, though, Jun Zishu decided to invite one person to the station to assist in the investigation.

…

Li Xunyi sat in the police station wearing a knitted shirt and a pair of jeans, her expression looking somewhat nervous.

Li Xunyi was a pretty girl, her appearance looking poetic like her name.

"Don't be nervous. I invited you here to learn more about the situation."

Jun Zishu sat on a swivel chair in a relaxed posture.

"Okay."

Li Xunyi nodded, her behavior still looking unnatural.

"Why won't you look me in the eye? Am I that scary?" Jun Zishu said somewhat jokingly, a smirk on her face.

Li Xunyi raised her head to look at Jun Zishu in response. However, she quickly lowered her head again when she locked eyes with Jun Zishu.

Li Xunyi's expression and subtle movements showed that she was currently in a fearful state. Fear of who? Jun Zishu? Or the upcoming inquiry?

This situation was abnormal, and Jun Zishu deduced that Li Xunyi was probably another insider.

"You're not scary. You look very beautiful, Officer."

"Thank you for the compliment. Now, let's get started."

Li Xunyi nodded, her eyes fixated on Jun Zishu's legs as she tried to avoid making eye contact with Jun Zishu.

"What's your relationship with Chen Yin?"

"Normal friends."

"Some people say that you are good friends."

"She doesn't like me that much. I only meet up with her when Sun Chenxin invites me out. I don't usually cross paths with her in private."

"Does Sun Chenxin like you?"

"We're just friends."

"Where were you in the afternoon on the 19th?"

"Home."

"And in the evening?"

"Sun Chenxin asked me to watch a movie with him at Liu Qianqian's house."

"What time did you receive the call?"

"Close to eight o'clock."

"How do you remember it so clearly?"

"I looked at my phone before heading out."

"Did you go by yourself? Or did he come to pick you up?"

"I took a taxi."

Jun Zishu asked her questions rapidly, giving Li Xunyi barely any time to think. All the while, she kept a close watch over the girl's facial expressions.

Meanwhile, according to Jun Zishu's observation, Li Xunyi's expression was a bit dull, and the girl answered most of her questions without even thinking.

"What movie did you watch?"

"The Lost World."

"What was the movie about?"

"I don't remember too clearly. It's a sci-fi movie. The protagonist is a man surrounded by robots."

"How was the weather when you went out that night?"

"Average. There was nothing special about it."

"What did you have for lunch today?"

"Sweet and sour pork… Is this also a necessary question?"

Li Xunyi paused and looked up at Jun Zishu.

"Just trying to make casual conversation."

Jun Zishu smiled, but the sight caused Li Xunyi to shiver involuntarily.

"Is the room too cold?"

"It's okay."

"Xiaoxiao, bring our little friend here a cup of warm water."

"Roger."

Yang Tianxiao poured some warm water into a paper cup and placed it in front of Li Xunyi. After whispering her thanks, Li Xunyi picked up the cup and took a sip. Then, she stopped drinking and simply held the cup in her hands.

"So, what did you have for lunch yesterday?"

"Shredded pork with green pepper."

"And the day before?"

"Can't remember."

"What time did you watch the movie that day?"

"Ten…nine o'clock or so."

Jun Zishu's switch in topics caught Li Xunyi off-guard, so Li Xunyi could only passively answer Jun Zishu's questions.

"What time exactly?"

"I didn't look at the time back then. The movie lasted around an hour and a half. I left after watching it."

"What time did you set out for Liu Qianqian's house?"

"Almost eight o'clock."

"So you left her house at nine-thirty?"

"Probably."

"Did you not stay a little longer after the movie?"

"No."

"Did you go back alone?"

"Yes."

"Taxi?"

"Mhm."

"Do you like white or black?"

"White."

"Do you like sweet or spicy?"

"Sweet."

"Do you like spring or winter?"

"Spring."

"Do you like green or red?"

"Green."

"English or Chinese?"

"Chinese."

"Does Sun Chenxin have anything to do with Chen Yin's death?"

"Yes," Li Xunyi subconsciously answered. Then, her face instantly turned pale the next moment, and the paper cup in her hand fell to the floor, spilling water all over the floor.

The corners of Jun Zishu's lips curled up, and she looked at the pale girl in a good mood.

"You didn't seem to have mentioned this when my colleagues interviewed you previously."

"I…"

Li Xunyi lowered her head, her fingers shaking.

"What do you know? Or rather, you are the murderer."

"I'm not!"

Li Xunyi raised her head and reacted intensely.

"Chen Yin liked Sun Chenxin. She thought that Sun Chenxin liked you, so she did something very bad to you. In turn, you took action against her, didn't you?" Jun Zishu rapidly said with a smile on her face.

"Even if you are a police officer, you can't talk nonsense like this!"

"Then, tell the truth as you know it."

"I… I…don't know…"

"Do you know how Chen Yin died?"

Li Xunyi froze and shook her head.

"She was killed and dismembered."

Jun Zishu put a photo of the mutilated corpse in front of Li Xunyi.

Li Xunyi closed her eyes and turned away immediately after taking a look. Then, she covered her mouth with her lips, looking like she wanted to vomit.

"I hope you can tell me what you know. It isn't good to cover for such a brutal killer," Jun Zishu said as she lowered her tone and slowed down her speech, making herself appear rather calm and good-natured.

"I really don't know anything. I was called to watch a movie that day. They saw me off downstairs after the movie ended and went back up afterward. I noticed the money in my pocket was missing when I was about to call a taxi and realized that it had probably fallen on the couch while I was sitting. So, I went back upstairs."

Li Xunyi's face was pale as she began to recount her memories.

"The door's soundproofing wasn't particularly good, so I heard them talking through the door.

"Liu Qianqian asked where to throw the body, and Sun Chenxin said the wilderness."

Li Xunyi closed her eyes, feeling as if she had returned to that night.

…

When Li Xunyi arrived at the apartment building's entrance, it was already dark outside. When she was about to go out and hail a cab, she touched her pocket and realized that her money was missing.

She went back the way she came, going upstairs again. When she was about to knock on the door, she heard a small voice coming from inside the door.

"Where should we throw the body?"

It was Liu Qianqian's voice, her thin voice sounding distinctly eerie through the door.

Li Xunyi felt her body stiffen. She thought Liu Qianqian might be joking with Sun Chenxin at the time. Then, she heard Sun Chenxin's voice.

It was an icy cold voice that made her body freeze on this slightly cool autumn night.

"We'll throw it into the wilderness. It'll be fine if we hide it well."

Li Xunyi's blood froze inch by inch. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. She covered her lips so that she didn't make a sound, and little by little, she stepped away from the door and quietly left, pretending as if she had never returned.

Once she moved a safe distance away, she left that place in a panic. Even after returning to her dormitory at school, her hands and feet still felt cold.

When she woke up the next day, she thought that she might have just had a dream last night—a nightmare.

But on Sunday, her roommates told her that Chen Yin had gone missing.

…

"Although my relationship with Chen Yin is average, Chen Yin is famous at school. When my roommate told me about her disappearance, my whole body panicked."

Li Xunyi clutched her clothes and shivered a little.

"I wasn't sure if I misinterpreted the words that day, and I couldn't believe that they were people who could do something like that. I stayed in the dormitory and attended classes normally. Sun Chenxin didn't ask me out these past few days, either, until you guys came to school."

Li Xunyi had been very stressed these days. She wasn't sure if she had touched upon the truth or what she heard that day was just her hallucination.

When it came to making a decision, she chose to hide her findings.

However, she was just an ordinary person with average mental capacity. She was already scared out of her wits when the police came to ask her questions at school, let alone getting interviewed face-to-face in a police station.

"I don't know why they did it. I really don't know…"

Li Xunyi covered her face and sobbed, looking to be in an emotionally broken state.

Anybody would have a difficult time accepting the fact that their close friends had suddenly transformed into the devil and committed not just murder but also dismembered someone's body in such a cruel way. Not to mention, Li Xunyi was still a college student who had yet to set foot into society. She was still nothing but a child wet in the ears."

"Good girl. Your decision to speak the truth is correct."

Jun Zishu stroked Li Xunyi's hair and soothed the girl.

Li Xunyi cried for several minutes before she calmed down. Then, she used the tissue paper Yang Tianxiao offered to wipe her tears.

"After you go back, if Liu Qianqian or Sun Chenxin asks you what we called you here for, just say that we asked you what you did on the 19th. Tell them that you answered truthfully and that you know nothing about what happened after you first left. Do not say anything unnecessary, understand?"

Li Xunyi nodded, still looking a little scared.

"There, there. Don't be afraid."

Jun Zishu patiently soothed Li Xunyi and had her sit quietly for a while.

"Do you need to go to the restroom to wash your face?"

Li Xunyi nodded, and Yang Tianxiao immediately got up to take her out of the office.

"Duoduo, call up Sun Chenxin," Jun Zishu instructed.

Hearing this, Wang Duoduo promptly made a phone call. After exchanging a few words, he hung up the phone with a frown.

"Chief, I don't think we can call him here today."

"What's wrong"?

"Sun Chenxin's department is holding some kind of exchange studies. Their lecturer took a few medical students to Pingzhou, and Sun Chenxin is one of them. He won't be back until the day after tomorrow."

"Okay. We'll leave them out to dry for two more days. Give a call to Pingzhou's branch and have them send two people to keep tabs on the kid in case he decides to run away."

"Roger."

"Zhou Lan, tap into Liu Qianqian's and Sun Chenxin's phone calls. Keep track of their movements."

"Roger."

"Is there someone keeping watch over Liu Qianqian?"

"There are two. One is a female officer pretending to be a university student. She'll be able to follow Liu Qianqian into restrooms."

"Good."

Now that everything was set, all they needed to do was wait for the fish to take the bait.

The waiting part was always the most torturous.

…

After returning home from work, Jun Zishu ordered a food delivery. The original owner didn't know how to cook, so she wouldn't cook, either. The shop she ordered from today was new, and the taste wasn't very good. Jun Zishu put down her chopsticks after taking a few bites.

Jun Zishu woke up to a hungry stomach late in the evening. The water dispenser at home was empty, so Jun Zishu decided to go to the convenience store downstairs to buy some food and drinks.

When she arrived downstairs, she found a girl sitting cross-legged in front of the convenience store's doorsteps.

The girl raised her head and revealed a beautiful face.

To what extent was the girl beautiful?

To the extent that even Jun Zishu couldn't help but take a second look.