A Lunatic Says He Loves Me: Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Mei Sha 2

Ding Ding and Yuan Fei looked at Ling Feng. After pondering for a moment, the other party’s previously furrowed brows relaxed, and nodded, saying, “Whether normal or abnormal, as long as we can catch the culprit, we’re all good comrades!”

Han Rong smiled at him.

Ding Ding, who had been observing quietly, couldn’t help but shiver, and Yuan Fei asked, “Are you cold?”

Ding Ding hesitated for a moment, then whispered to him, “Don’t you find this Han Rong a bit scary?”

“Not at all.” Yuan Fei watched as Han Rong got into the car and said, “He seems pretty good, quite a handsome guy!” He glanced at Ding Ding, “Are you just being jealous because he looks better than you?”

“Get lost!” Ding Ding shouted at him, then followed him into the police car.

At the Serious Crime Division of the Police Sub-Bureau.

“The victim’s name is Mei Sha, 32 years old, female. She worked as a customer manager in a listed company. The time of death was six o’clock yesterday morning. The body was found on Vulture Mountain by morning exercisers at five o’clock yesterday morning. Mei Sha was stabbed in the stomach and heart. According to the forensic examination, the murder weapon was an ordinary fruit knife.

Through preliminary investigation and sorting out the victim’s social relationships, we have identified three suspects. One is the victim’s husband, Liao Xi, the second is the victim’s lover, Sha Jia, and the third is the victim’s friend, Xiao Ai.” Ding Ding posted photos of the victim and the suspects on a small blackboard and continued, “All three have motives. The victim’s husband had long suspected her of having an affair. The victim’s lover owed a loan shark money and demanded that the victim repay the debt. And the victim’s friend threatened her with the affair, demanding that she disclose company secrets.”

Yuan Fei looked at the information in his hand and said, “The company where the victim’s friend works is a business competitor of the victim’s company.”

Han Rong asked, “Now that you’ve found the suspects, what difficulties are you facing?”

Ling Feng pinched his sour nose and said, “They refuse to confess.”

Ding Ding shrugged, “Each suspect’s answers are flawless. The boss’s interrogation tactics aren’t working anymore.”

Han Rong said, “Can I ask them a few questions?”

Ling Feng made a “please” gesture.

In the interrogation room, there was a high-definition camera recording every move inside. Ding Ding and the others stood in front of the big screen, watching as Han Rong pushed open the door, sat down in front of Liao Xi with a charming smile.

Ding Ding said, “The profiler Han Rong never directly confronts the suspects. Now it seems that the method of solving the case has also become one of the criteria for determining whether he is going crazy.” This was his first time seeing Han Rong solving a case in a sober state, and he asked uncertainly, “Boss, is he capable?”

Ling Feng replied, “When Han Rong was in his senior year, he came to our school to study criminal investigation for a month. On the day he left, Professor Mo Qing rushed out of the dormitory barefoot to catch up with him and asked him to be his closed-door disciple.”

“Professor Mo Qing, the leading criminal investigation expert in the country?”

Ling Feng stared at him coldly, “Does X Criminal Investigation University have another Mo Qing?”

The young police officer muttered under his breath, “You’re fooling me again.”

Ling Feng couldn’t be bothered to deal with him.

Han Rong’s interrogation began.

“Mr. Liao, is it? When did you discover that your wife was having an affair?” 

Liao Xi, a lazy and idle rich second-generation, lounged with his legs crossed, and casually replied, “Three years ago.”

“Do you know who the lover is?”

“I only know he’s her classmate. As for what he looks like, I’m not interested.”

“Why?”

“We met at a party, had a one-night stand after drinking too much, and then she got pregnant. We got married out of obligation, there was no real affection, and we’ve been doing our own thing since then, quite happily.” Liao Xi lowered his sunglasses, leaned forward, stared at Han Rong, and smirked, “Sir, have you ever seen true love in wealthy families? This isn’t a romance novel from Jinjiang, you know?”

As Han Rong twirled his pen, he asked, “Where were you at six o’clock the day before yesterday morning?”

“I was at home sleeping! The housekeeper and driver can vouch for me!”

Han Rong nodded as he stopped writing, “Okay. Thank you for your cooperation, next.”

As Liao Xi left the interrogation room, Ling Feng, who was watching the big screen in the monitoring room, suddenly said, “Ding Ding, go assist Han Rong.”

Ding Ding frowned, “Huh? Why me?”

Yuan Fei eagerly raised his hand and stepped forward, “I’ll go, I’ll go!” He glanced at Ding Ding and shook his head, “Such a great learning opportunity, don’t you want to give it to me!”

Ding Ding rolled his eyes at him, picked up the documents on the table, and walked out slowly.

Yuan Fei continued to mutter behind him, “Boss Ling is such a nice guy, always trying to nurture his subordinates.”

Ding Ding thought to himself, “You don’t know anything. If you knew about Han Rong’s ‘glorious deeds,’ you wouldn’t say that!”

He pushed open the door to the interrogation room and saw Han Rong sitting in the swivel chair, spinning around like an endless child, innocent and carefree. Suppressing the urge to blurt out a complaint, he reported in a serious tone, “We found out that Sha Jia owed three million yuan in online loans. Three days before the incident, he received threatening text messages from the loan company, saying they would cut off his hands if he didn’t repay within seven days. During the boss’s interrogation, this guy admitted that he had quarreled with the victim over debts the day before the incident.”

Han Rong nodded absentmindedly, “Call him in.”

Sha Jia, tall and handsome, was Mei Sha’s first love. They rekindled their relationship at a class reunion three years ago and had maintained an illicit relationship since then. He didn’t have a stable job and occasionally did freelance modeling to make extra money. Mei Sha had tried to persuade him to find a proper job, but they eventually broke up. Recently, they had frequent arguments due to the online loan issue.

A tired-looking Sha Jia walked in and sat opposite Han Rong. The diamond-studded silver watch on his wrist shone brightly. Han Rong glanced at it and casually remarked, “Nice watch, a gift from Mei Sha, right?”

Sha Jia smiled bitterly but didn’t retort.

Han Rong asked, “What are you going to do if you can’t repay the online loan?”

Sha Jia took a deep breath and then said nonchalantly, “Leave here! I’ve already bought a ticket to San Francisco.”

Han Rong stared into his eyes for three seconds, where a deep sense of pain lurked. He withdrew his gaze, picked up his pen, and said, “Okay, next.”

Sha Jia seemed a bit puzzled, not understanding how he could be let off so easily after just one question. But he didn’t show much on his face, hesitated for a moment, then stood up to open the door.

Han Rong’s lazy voice sounded from behind him, “After this is over, find a stable job.”

“Professor Mo Qing, the leading criminal investigation expert in the country?”

Ling Feng quipped, “Does X Criminal Investigation University have another Mo Qing?”

The young police officer muttered under his breath, “You’re fooling me again.”

Ling Feng couldn’t be bothered to deal with him.

Han Rong’s interrogation began.

“Mr. Liao, is it? When did you discover that your wife was having an affair?” 

Liao Xi, a lazy and idle rich second-generation, lounged with his legs crossed, and casually replied, “Three years ago.”

“Do you know who the lover is?”

“I only know he’s her classmate. As for what he looks like, I’m not interested.”

“Why?”

“We met at a party, had a one-night stand after drinking too much, and then she got pregnant. We got married out of obligation, there was no real affection, and we’ve been doing our own thing since then, quite happily.” Liao Xi lowered his sunglasses, leaned forward, stared at Han Rong, and smirked, “Sir, have you ever seen true love in wealthy families? This isn’t a romance novel from Jinjiang, you know?”

As Han Rong twirled his pen, he asked, “Where were you at six o’clock the day before yesterday morning?”

“I was at home sleeping! The housekeeper and driver can vouch for me!”

Han Rong nodded as he stopped writing, “Okay. Thank you for your cooperation, next.”

As Liao Xi left the interrogation room, Ling Feng, who was watching the big screen in the monitoring room, suddenly said, “Ding Ding, go assist Han Rong.”

Ding Ding frowned, “Huh? Why me?”

Yuan Fei eagerly raised his hand and stepped forward, “I’ll go, I’ll go!” He glanced at Ding Ding and shook his head, “Such a great learning opportunity, don’t you want to give it to me!”

Ding Ding rolled his eyes at him, picked up the documents on the table, and walked out slowly.

Yuan Fei continued to mutter behind him, “Boss Ling is such a nice guy, always trying to nurture his subordinates.”

Ding Ding thought to himself, “You don’t know anything. If you knew about Han Rong’s ‘glorious deeds,’ you wouldn’t say that!”

He pushed open the door to the interrogation room and saw Han Rong sitting in the swivel chair, spinning around like an endless child, innocent and carefree. Suppressing the urge to blurt out a complaint, he reported in a serious tone, “We found out that Sha Jia owed three million yuan in online loans. Three days before the incident, he received threatening text messages from the loan company, saying they would cut off his hands if he didn’t repay within seven days. During the boss’s interrogation, this guy admitted that he had quarreled with the victim over debts the day before the incident.”

Han Rong nodded absentmindedly, “Call him in.”

Sha Jia, tall and handsome, was Mei Sha’s first love. They rekindled their relationship at a class reunion three years ago and had maintained an illicit relationship since then. He didn’t have a stable job and occasionally did freelance modeling to make extra money. Mei Sha had tried to persuade him to find a proper job, but they eventually broke up. Recently, they had frequent arguments due to the online loan issue.

A tired-looking Sha Jia walked in and sat opposite Han Rong. The diamond-studded silver watch on his wrist shone brightly. Han Rong glanced at it and casually remarked, “Nice watch, a gift from Mei Sha, right?”

Sha Jia smiled bitterly but didn’t retort.

Han Rong asked, “What are you going to do if you can’t repay the online loan?”

Sha Jia took a deep breath and then said nonchalantly, “Leave here! I’ve already bought a ticket to San Francisco.”

Han Rong stared into his eyes for three seconds, where a deep sense of pain lurked. He withdrew his gaze, picked up his pen, and said, “Okay, next.”

Sha Jia seemed a bit puzzled, not understanding how he could be let off so easily after just one question. But he didn’t show much on his face, hesitated for a moment, then stood up to open the door.

Han Rong’s lazy voice sounded from behind him, “After this is over, find a stable job.”

Sha Jia gripped the door handle, turned it, and heard him continue, “For yourself, and for Mei Sha.”

Sha Jia’s tall body stiffened for a moment, then slumped down. Without looking back, he left.

Ding Ding asked puzzledly, “You’re letting him off so easily? As it stands, he’s the prime suspect!”

Han Rong explained, “His watch is a Patek Philippe, worth over a hundred thousand yuan. His clothes, pants, shoes, all luxury brands. How can someone without a stable job afford all these? It can be said that he’s entirely maintained by Mei Sha. Knowing that he can’t inherit her estate after her death, what benefit would he gain from killing his long-term meal ticket?”

“Mei Sha’s death has caused him great pain. At least the reluctance he showed is far more than what her nominal husband did.”

Ding Ding retorted skeptically, “How do you know he’s not just acting?”

“The eyes cannot deceive. Especially when someone deeply loves another.” Han Rong leaned on the table, resting his chin on his hand. “My family’s doctor at often looks at me like that. Tsk.”

Ding Ding ate a bowl of dog food inexplicably, went through a moment of self-interrogation—”Who am I, where am I, what am I doing”—then came back to reality, lowered his head to look at the documents. “Xiao Ai, Mei Sha’s college best friend. She works as a PR manager in a company that is about to go bankrupt due to poor management. We found their WeChat records. Mei Sha seemed to protect Sha Jia very well, even hiding it from her best friend. Xiao Ai accidentally saw Mei Sha and Sha Jia shopping together last month and discovered their affair. She then threatened Mei Sha, saying if she didn’t want a divorce, she would steal the company’s confidential documents for her. But Mei Sha was reluctant. After graduating from college, Mei Sha had been working at this company. She watched it grow from an unknown small workshop to a listed company and didn’t want to betray the company.”

Han Rong muttered to himself, “Playing around after marriage isn’t illegal, asking for money from a lover isn’t illegal, but stealing trade secrets is. The intention wasn’t pure from the start.”

Ding Ding asked, “Are you suggesting Xiao Ai has a potential criminal tendency?”

“Successfully stealing documents is a genuine crime.” Han Rong started twirling his pen again. “Call her in.”

Xiao Ai was tall, standing at 1.75 meters, with a sophisticated and delicate appearance. She wore a black suit and high-heeled leather shoes, and with a “clack clack” sound, she entered the room with a tired expression. As soon as she sat down, she covered her face and sobbed, “I usually go jogging with her. It’s because I overslept that day and didn’t go to accompany her, and then something happened! It must be those scum who did it! These money-hungry murderers!”

After Xiao Ai’s emotions stabilized, Han Rong asked, “So you were at your own home at six o’clock the day before yesterday. Do you have any witnesses?”

Xiao Ai hung her head, absentmindedly brushed her bangs aside with her left hand, then touched her nose, and sobbed with a hint of grievance, “No. I live alone.”

Han Rong continued, “Were you close to Mei Sha?”

“Yes. We talked about everything.”

“The relationship was so good, yet you still needed to use her affair to threaten her?” 

Xiao Ai suddenly raised her head, her eyes flashing with a momentary fierceness. “Affairs are inherently immoral. I was helping her!”

“You’re lying!” Han Rong suddenly raised his voice, staring sharply at her, his eyes cold as he said, “At six o’clock the day before yesterday, the time of the crime, you weren’t at your own home!”

Xiao Ai’s fists clenched on her knees, and she shouted loudly, “How dare you accuse me of lying?!”

Han Rong smirked, “When people try to conceal their emotions, their nerves secrete a chemical called ‘norepinephrine,’ while their blood pressure rises. The combination causes discomfort in the facial and nasal areas, such as itching and tingling. When you answered that question just now, you kept playing with your bangs and rubbing your nose. This is evasive behavior. What are you trying to hide?”

Xiao Ai opened her mouth but didn’t speak.

Han Rong continued, “Two people can become best friends either because their personalities complement each other or because they’re extremely similar. Mei Sha was a career-oriented woman who had a deep affection for her company and was unwilling to betray it in any way. You, like Mei Sha, are also someone with a strong career drive. You also deeply love your company and don’t want it to go bankrupt, so you would rather threaten your best friend than see the company fail. You knew Mei Sha had a habit of morning runs, and you often ran with her. Then, on the day before yesterday, during the morning run, you had a conflict with her, lost control of your emotions, and killed her!”

Xiao Ai’s face turned pale, and she covered her ears with both hands, shaking her head repeatedly. “No… I didn’t… You’re making things up!”

“Why can’t you look at me? Are you afraid I’ll read some secret on your face?”

The sound of high heels scratching against the floor echoed in the room. Xiao Ai’s toes unconsciously pointed towards the door.

“You want to escape.” Han Rong said in a declarative tone. “Your foot movements show that you’re very afraid because I’m exposing you.”

Xiao Ai’s body couldn’t help but tremble.

Han Rong softened his tone, “I haven’t looked at your WeChat records, but I guess when you suggested that Mei Sha steal the documents, she advised you to find another way out for this company. She was a good friend. You didn’t intend to kill her on purpose, just acted impulsively. Am I right?”

There was silence in the room for a while, then a sorrowful sob broke out.

“…Yes.” Xiao Ai put down her hands, tears streaming down her face. “I said I would expose their affair to her company and her in-laws, ruin her reputation. Her in-laws value their reputation greatly, and they might arrange for someone to teach her lover a lesson. She said it would end in disaster. I made life difficult for Sha Jia, and she made it difficult for me too. She threatened to call the police, saying I intended to steal trade secrets. She said she had backed up all our chat records and voice calls. I lost my head, took out the fruit knife from my bag…”

Ding Ding was stunned, continuously recording her confession.

“Impulsive or premeditated, you reap what you sow.” Han Rong put down his pen, stood up, and pushed the door open.

Someone was already waiting outside. Seeing him come out, Yuan Fei greeted him with admiration, “Brother Han, you’re amazing! Boss Lin asked these questions before, but didn’t get the same result, but you seem to be able to see into their hearts!”

Ling Feng said, “It seems that no matter which you, you’re a master.”

Han Rong adjusted his collar and smiled, “After all, I am a young man who upholds the Five Disciplines and Four Beauties ¹.”

“You shameless!” Ding Ding couldn’t help but sneer as he followed.

Han Rong was surprised, “This little comrade seems to have a big problem with me. Could it be that I stole his girlfriend?”

Yuan Fei continued, “Brother Han, he’s jealous of your handsomeness!”

Ding Ding fumed, “You *backstabber ²!”

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Translator Notes

1. 五讲四美三热爱 – Five Disciplines, Four Beauties, Three Love – CCP movement to (re)civilize China after the death of Mao Zedong at a time when Maosim had overtaken Confucianism.[↩]
2. 吃里扒外 – eat inside, dig outside???Or something to that effect, not sure. Means “live off one person while secretly helping another; do harm to one’s own people to help an outsider”

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