CH 158

According to Xiang Ye, the reason why Song Shengsheng was working at the bakery at that time was because the doctor who counseled him suggested he try to make contact with society for restorative treatment. But now that Song Shengsheng chose to commit suicide, even if Xing Conglian wasn’t proficient in psychology, he felt that the level of the psychiatrist must be extremely problematic.

And what they were discussing was seemingly happening below.

Even before the police finished the on-site investigation, the police officer who had just come upstairs quietly sent a message that a lot of people had gathered downstairs. Of course, the first of them were the reporters who came with inquiries. Song Shengsheng’s fans also arrived, and it was also said that Song Shengsheng’s psychiatrist also came.

They didn’t even have to go downstairs; instead, they turned on the TV. The live broadcast at the entrance of the Lihao Hotel caught their eyes.

Compared to when they came, the vehicle downstairs had grown astronomically, with all kinds of light shining and reflecting the dawn.

Xing Conglian glanced at Lin Chen worriedly, but Lin Chen just watched with a cold face and crossed arms without saying a word.

“Breaking news!” A female reporter stood in front of a police car with a serious expression. “Our reporter on scene just got news that Song Shengsheng, a famous singer who was unjustly imprisoned for eight years and suffered in the past, committed suicide in the Lihao Hotel in Yongchuan that’s behind me. Next, we’ll interview Mr. Song Shengsheng’s agent, Mr. Xiang Ye, the current general manager of the Yasheng Performing Arts Group.”

As the reporter’s camera moved around, Xiang Ye’s figure appeared in the live broadcast.

“Mr. Xiang Ye, did Shengsheng really commit suicide?”

Xiang Ye looked sad. His suit was wrinkled, and he covered his mouth and nose with his hands as he nodded to the camera with a gloomy expression.

“How is this possible? Isn’t Mr. Song Shengsheng’s fan meeting about to be held soon?!” The reporter shouted loudly. “Do you know what caused Mr. Song Shengsheng to choose to commit suicide before the fan meeting?”

Xiang Ye shook his head, as if unwilling to answer the question.

“Mr. Xiang Ye, the public and fans alike need your answer,” the reporter said forcefully.

“Because of psychological reasons,” Xiang Ye replied reluctantly.

“Do you know what psychological problem?”

“Depression.”

At this moment, a calm voice sounded behind Xiang Ye. The cameraman hurriedly pointed the camera at the visitor.

It was a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. His clothes were neat and meticulous, giving him a scholarly look.

“Excuse me, who are you?”

“I am Song Shengsheng’s psychiatrist. My surname is Tan.”

The reporter became a little excited. She didn’t expect her question to be answered. “Hello, Doctor Tan. Can you tell me more about Mr. Song Shengsheng’s condition?”

“It’s a matter of patient privacy. It’s inconvenient for me to disclose the specifics. I’m very sorry. In the end, this was a choice he made.”

“But isn’t Shengsheng’s fan meeting about to be held?!”

“Yes, it has always been his wish to see his fans again. He has been going through very difficult psychological struggles, and he wasn’t able to overcome his mental illness. I regret this.”

“But didn’t Mr. Xiang Ye say before that Shengsheng has already reconnected with society under your guidance and that he was recovering well to the point he could hold a fan meeting? How could he suddenly couldn’t overcome his depression?”

“The reasons for this are very complicated, but Mr. Xiang Ye has always wanted to keep the noise and distraction away. But we couldn’t maintain this. I’m sorry.”

Looking at the solemn face of the psychiatrist on TV, Xing Conglian looked at the person beside him. Lin Chen stood still with his arms crossed, rubbing his chin with his knuckles, looking extremely irritated.

“Xiang Ye’s fox tail is exposed,” he said to Lin Chen. “And what does he mean by, ‘failing to keep him away from the noise and distractions’?”

He didn’t know how this sentence poked Lin Chen. Before his voice fell, Lin Chen ran out of the room, rushed to the elevator entrance, and was desperately pressing the elevator’s down button. When Xing Conglian followed out, the elevator door just opened, and he squeezed in with Lin Chen. “What do you want to do?” he asked.

“Defend myself.” The floor was dropping rapidly. Lin Chen said, “Xiang Ye accused the media of caring too much about Song Shengsheng’s privacy a few days ago, but now that Shengsheng is dead, he actually called his psychiatrist to analyze Shengsheng’s state. Sure enough, he really wants to put the blame for Shengsheng’s death on us. What does this mean?”

“It proves that Xiang Ye has never been sincere with Song Shengsheng,” Xing Conglian answered.

Lin Chen nodded with a firm gaze. Although Xing Conglian thought that given Lin Chen’s state, he would be blaming himself for not seeing through Xiang Ye’s impure motives earlier, his gaze this time seemed to be saying: “You have to hold on. Hold on until the end.”

When the elevator reached the bottom floor, they walked out. The psychiatrist and Xiang Ye were answering reporters’ questions about Song Shengsheng’s condition.

He didn’t know what the two said in front of the media reporters, but the moment Lin Chen rushed out of the hotel lobby, he became the protagonist under the spotlight.

Flashes of light were directed at his face.

“Mr. Lin Chen, do you have any opinion on what Mr. Xiang Ye said?”

“Did you really keep harassing Mr. Song Shengsheng?”

“For what purpose did you want to meet with a victim of sexual assault?”

“Do you regret the live broadcast?”

“Mr. Xiang Ye is accusing you of making Mr. Song Shengsheng’s painful past public without his consent, so that it came to a point where he could no longer bear it and chose to commit suicide. What do you think of this matter?”

Xing Conglian wanted to stop him, but it was too late. Lin Chen had already been targeted by all the cameras. Just when Xing Conglian thought Lin Chen would refuse the interview, he said, “Come, one by one.”

“What did you say?” The reporters were stunned.

“I said I will answer your questions one by one.” Lin Chen stood calmly under the focus of the media. “You asked me what I thought of what Mr. Xiang Ye just said. Although I was going downstairs just now and didn’t hear what he said, I can guess from your questions that Mr. Xiang Ye and Doctor Tan must have been explaining the cause of Shengsheng’s suicide just now, right?”

The reporters nodded.

“First, the police did not make any judgment on the cause of Mr. Song Shengsheng’s death, yet an agent and a psychiatrist are telling you that he died of suicide. Don’t you think this is odd?”

It was obvious to Xing Conglian that the faces of Xiang Ye and the doctor darkened when he said this. Lin Chen had never lost a fight to anyone.

“Second,” Lin Chen turned to look at the psychiatrist, “I don’t know where your qualification came from, but anyone who has studied psychological counseling knows that protecting the privacy of patients always comes first. I have never seen a psychiatrist explain his patients’ psychological problems to the media with great fanfare after the patient’s death.”

“Aren’t you guilty, Consultant Lin?” Xiang Ye suddenly asked. “Are you trying to gag us?”

“Not at all.” When Lin Chen heard this, he took a half step back, turned around, and looked at Xiang Ye, showing a cold smile. “But I suddenly wanted to ask a question. Did Song Shengsheng’s death catch you by surprise?”

Xiang Ye was stunned for a moment. It was impossible for him to escape the panic of being poked at the center for a short time. Lin Chen didn’t even need to hear his answer, but said clearly, “Thank you, I understand.”

Xing Conglian turned back to the hotel with Lin Chen.

In fact, Lin Chen’s last question was hardly a meaningful one. Song Shengsheng committed suicide suddenly. This was normal for Xiang Ye, as an agent, to be caught off guard.

However, Xiang Ye’s reaction still allowed them to eliminate a possibility. Xiang Ye didn’t force Song Shengsheng to commit suicide. Song Shengsheng died voluntarily.

After avoiding the camera, Lin Chen leaned against the door of the stairwell and said to Xing Conglian, “Light a cigarette, Xing Conglian.”

Without asking why, Xing Conglian took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one.

Lin Chen took a deep breath of smoke in the air, then said in a calm tone, “Look, now that our speculation has come true and there is indeed something wrong with Xiang Ye, we can deduce the motives of his behavior. The reason why he’s uncharacteristically asked a psychiatrist to explain the reason for Song Shengsheng’s suicide, and even wanted to put the blame on me—it seems he’s trying to cover up the real reason why Song Shengsheng committed suicide in front of the public. So, what do you think is the real reason?”

“For whatever reason, Xiang Ye imprisoned Song Shengsheng so he couldn’t speak out. Song Shengsheng chose to commit suicide in order to get rid of him.”

Lin Chen lowered his head and nodded with difficulty.

Xing Conglian thought for a while, then said, “But there’s still a problem with your speculation. Even if Xiang Ye imprisons Song Shengsheng, Song Shengsheng has countless opportunities to ask for help. Why didn’t he?”

“Yes, this problem goes way back then. Song Shengsheng silently endured Li Jingtian’s torture, and even after being falsely accused by the other party, he didn’t defend himself, let alone accuse the other party of rape. Why?”

“There’s something shady here,” Xing Conglian said.

“So, we have to start investigating this case again,” Lin Chen responded.

Thinking of the cruel and terrifying scars on Song Shengsheng’s neck, Xing Conglian suddenly said, “I feel the reason why he chose to cut his throat to die was because he’s trying to guide us to find Li Jingtian?”

……

Lin Chen always had an inexplicable feeling. Although Song Shengsheng never said a word to him, and even though he said he didn’t want to see him, Lin Chen always felt that Song Shengsheng didn’t actually hate him. Rather, it seemed as if Song Shengsheng had something to tell him.

If Xing Conglian guessed correctly, if Song Shengsheng really wanted him to find Li Jingtian, he would do as he wished.

The arrival time of the flight escorting Li Jingtian was 10:00 a.m. on June 1st.

The sky towered over the tarmac, and the traffic in the terminal hall was weaving.

The news of Song Shengsheng’s suicide was circulating on the big screens at the airport. Xiang Ye stood in front of the Lihao Hotel and announced to all the fans that the fan meeting scheduled for 1:00 pm had been canceled.

Everyone around him looked at the news, and many travelers were sighing.

But Lin Chen just looked steadily in the direction of the exit. He once hoped that Song Shengsheng could see Li Jingtian stand on the trial bench with his own eyes, but it was a pity that Li Jingtian was still alive while Song Shengsheng was dead.

For this reason, he didn’t believe Song Shengsheng would commit suicide due to depression on the day Li Jingtian would be extradited back to China.

He hadn’t returned to the stage yet and hadn’t avenged his grievances. Even if he wanted to die, he should have done it after his wish was fulfilled.

The flight landed, and the sign turned green.

Far away, Lin Chen saw Li Jingtian’s inhumane face.

Li Jingtian, who had been in prison for more than ten days, no longer looked like a noble son of that day. His back was hunched, and there was no disguise on his face. There was no previous decent smile or humble expression. There wasn’t even any look that could even be considered human. That look was completely that of an ugly body filled with malice from hell.

When he saw him, Li Jingtian smiled slightly. He said, “Consultant Lin, you care about me so much that you came to pick me up? Do you want to be fucked by me?”

Lin Chen swung his arm and punched him without hesitation. Li Jingtian stroked the corner of his mouth and laughed happily.

Xing Conglian greeted the guards escorting Li Jingtian, and they took him directly to the interrogation room at the airport.

The moment the door closed, Xing Conglian directly pinched Li Jingtian’s neck with his backhand and pressed him against the table.

Xing Conglian’s hands were extremely strong, and it caused Li Jingtian’s face to flush, but his mouth kept talking. “Captain Xing, are you jealous? Then you have done Consultant Lin? Is he particularly energetic? Does he moan when he gives you a blowjob and wraps his legs around your waist like a bitch, begging you, please hurry?”

While listening to Li Jingtian’s words provoking Xing Conglian, Lin Chen walked up to him, dragged a heavy iron chair, and sat down in front of him.

“Li Jingtian, Song Shengsheng is dead. He committed suicide.”

He said this to Li Jingtian.

Before his voice fell, Li Jingtian laughed. “Really, that’s great. I’ll go to hell and find him sooner. You let him escape faster.”

If possible, Lin Chen would never want to say another word to Li Jingtian in his life, let alone personally tell him of the news of Song Shengsheng’s suicide.

This seemed to make him personally admit to a criminal like Li Jingtian: “Yes, you won.”

But sometimes, there weren’t that many truths in the world, and the so-called truths were just fabricated by people in search of beliefs.

Lin Chen asked, “Do you know why he committed suicide?”

“Are you asking me for advice, Consultant Lin?” Li Jingtian’s eyes were excited. “I’ll tell you if you give me a blowjob.”

Xing Conglian’s movements became more forceful. Lin Chen glanced at him and motioned for Xing Conglian not to kill him.

He crossed his legs, leaned on the back of the chair, and just looked at Li Jingtian coldly. “Okay, you don’t need to use this kind of language to attract my attention. It’s all on you now.”

“My pleasure.”

“In fact, you still haven’t learned to be smart. You can’t control yourself. I told you the news of Song Shengsheng’s suicide. You’re not surprised. Why?”

Li Jingtian didn’t answer his question and instead reached towards the zipper of his pants.

“Antisocial personality disorder is not the same as exhibitionism. Don’t lower your perverted style,” he said. “Since you refuse to speak, then we can only continue to play the game of ‘it doesn’t matter if you answer or not’. I can always guess, anyway.”

Li Jingtian’s face sank.

“Okay, let’s just start from the beginning.” Lin Chen didn’t care about Li Jingtian’s uncomfortable position. He just stared at his eyes and said to him, “You controlled Song Shengsheng, tortured him repeatedly, and raped him. This is an undeniable fact. You don’t have to say that you haven’t done it. What I want to know is, how on earth did you do it?”

Li Jingtian laughed triumphantly. “He loves me!”

“We all know this is impossible. He didn’t suffer from Stockholm syndrome*. If he loves you, why did he choose to go to the police station after you were arrested to state your criminal history instead of jumping out and telling the world that he did it voluntarily?”

*Condition in which hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors.

Li Jingtian paused.

Lin Chen felt relieved. “You also think it’s strange, right? Yes, why does he dare walk into the police station to report a crime now but not nine years ago?” He observed Li Jingtian’s expression and continued, “Your reaction tells me that you also think it’s a bit strange that he chose to acquiesce after being falsely accused by you and never mentioned to the police that you raped him, right?”

“He loves me so much that he would rather go to jail than report me.”

Lin Chen ignored Li Jingtian and continued, “I think, at the very beginning, you should have threatened him to submit to you with a sex tape or something. I can barely understand that he didn’t report the crime, but later, he was framed by you, and there was no way for him to get out of it. Why didn’t he tell the police the truth? However, since you’re not so clear about the reason why he chose to be silent, it’s…”

Li Jingtian’s expression was uncertain.

Lin Chen said lightly, “You may not know, right? Rather than provoking me, telling me what happened to him can torture me more. So, Li Jingtian, do you want to see my pain? Tell me, what happened back then?”