He couldn't resist the police. This was his home country, a place that upheld the rule of law.
If he were to resist, his clean record would be tarnished forever. He'd no longer be able to protect Lin Qingxue properly.
Soon, Chen Yang was escorted into the police car.
In the vehicle, Qin Moyao sat in the front passenger seat. Two officers flanked Chen Yang in the back, but he remained silent.
He pondered whether Han Yumei's death was truly an accident or if someone had framed him.
Was Yang Ling behind this?
This was a crucial question.
When he had struck Han Yumei, Chen Yang had been forceful but controlled.
How could that woman have suddenly died?
It was too suspicious.
When things seem abnormal, there's usually foul play involved!
Qin Moyao's precinct was the South District Police Station.
Upon arrival, Chen Yang was led into a small interrogation room. The windowless space was illuminated by the harsh glare of a desk lamp.
Qin Moyao and two officers sat across from Chen Yang.
The room's atmosphere was oppressive, deliberately designed to be so.
"What's your name?" Qin Moyao asked.
"You already know, don't you? Chen Yang," he replied, annoyed.
One of the officers immediately snapped, "Answer the questions as asked, no backtalk. Got it?"
Chen Yang chuckled and said, "What if I don't get it?"
The officer was taken aback, never having encountered such an insolent suspect before.
Chen Yang provoked further, "Want to hit me? Go ahead, I'll expose you right away."
Qin Moyao coldly interjected, "You should be more concerned about spending the rest of your life in prison."
Chen Yang retorted, "Prison doesn't sound appealing. I think I'll pass on that retirement plan."
Qin Moyao replied, "I'm afraid you won't have a choice."
Chen Yang smiled slyly, "Listen, beautiful, I definitely won't be spending my twilight years behind bars. Because I didn't kill anyone. I'm a coward – I faint at the sight of a chicken being slaughtered. How could someone like me commit murder?"
Qin Moyao and her colleagues exchanged odd looks when Chen Yang described himself as a coward. In her experience, no matter how vicious criminals were on the streets, they usually turned meek as lambs in the interrogation room. Yet here was Chen Yang, acting like he owned the place.
Qin Moyao decided not to engage in his antics and continued, "Age?"
"24!" Chen Yang answered without fuss this time.
"Ethnicity?"
"Han!"
"Gender?"
Chen Yang's expression turned peculiar as he said, "I should be male... I think?"
Qin Moyao was filling out the form, these being routine questions. She felt a bit strange after asking but wrote down "male" nonetheless.
She then had Chen Yang hand over his ID card and other documents, including his keychain, all of which were confiscated.
After completing these formalities, Qin Moyao coldly inquired, "Two days ago, on June 18th at 9 AM, did you brutally assault Ms. Han Yumei?"
Chen Yang replied, "I did hit her, but I wouldn't call it brutal."
Qin Moyao pressed, "So you admit to it?"
Chen Yang clarified, "Yes, I admit to hitting her. But I don't admit to killing her."
Qin Moyao made note of this. Her gaze remained icy as she continued, "Han Yumei had always been in good health. After your assault, her kidneys began to fail, and she passed away early this morning."
"Her kidney failure has nothing to do with me. I know how to control my strength," Chen Yang asserted. At this moment, he became certain in his heart. This had to be Yang Ling's doing.
That Yang Ling had employed such a vicious tactic.
"Whether you caused it or not is still under investigation," Qin Moyao stood up and said, "For now, we'll be detaining you. Once we've gathered all the evidence and completed our investigation, we'll decide on the next steps." With that, she prepared to leave.
Chen Yang suddenly called out, "Wait a moment."
Qin Moyao turned back to face him, "Yes?"
Chen Yang smiled and said, "You seem quite refined, beautiful. I bet you come from a good family. You could have had a much better career path. Why choose to be a junior officer in a local precinct?"
"That's none of your business," Qin Moyao replied, not wanting to continue the conversation.
Chen Yang grinned, "I get it. You must have a strong sense of justice. You want to punish evil and uphold good – being a police officer is your dream. Am I right?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Moyao's eyes. Chen Yang had hit the nail on the head. Her father was the Party Secretary of a neighboring city, and her family had a long history in government. If she wanted a better career, she could easily have joined a more prestigious department. But she didn't like that idea.
She wanted to be a righteous police officer.
Chen Yang, who was adept at reading people, continued, "So, you must particularly despise men like me who hit women, right?"
Undisguised hatred flashed in Qin Moyao's eyes as she said, "That's right."
Chen Yang pressed on, "Then you surely wouldn't wrongfully accuse an innocent person, would you?"
Qin Moyao affirmed, "Of course not."
Chen Yang smiled broadly and said, "In that case, I hope you'll thoroughly investigate what kind of person Han Yumei really was."
Qin Moyao looked at Chen Yang and said, "Are you suggesting Han Yumei deserved to die?" She paused, then added, "Even if she did, you had no right to be her executioner."
Chen Yang chuckled, "Don't get worked up. Han Yumei is already dead, and I don't like speaking ill of the deceased. I'm asking you to investigate because I want you to understand that I didn't beat her out of sheer cruelty. Also, whether her death was truly caused by me – I believe the truth will come to light soon enough."
Qin Moyao gave Chen Yang a long, hard look but said nothing more. She then left the interrogation room.
Chen Yang was subsequently taken to a detention cell.
Meanwhile, Lin Qingxue and Tang Qingqing quickly learned of the situation. They rushed to the South District Police Station, hoping to see Chen Yang, but were turned away.
Left with no choice, Lin Qingxue sought help from her uncle, who had connections in official circles. Naturally, he was eager to assist his niece.
Half an hour later, Lin Qingxue and Tang Qingqing were finally allowed to meet Chen Yang.
Handcuffed and escorted by two officers, Chen Yang was brought to a visitation room. He faced the two women through a glass partition.
Both women were deeply concerned for Chen Yang, with Tang Qingqing particularly anxious.
Lin Qingxue, however, remained calmer and asked firmly, "What exactly is going on?"
Both she and Tang Qingqing were still in the dark, only knowing that Chen Yang was accused of murder.
Chen Yang took a deep breath and said, "Yang Ling has made his move."
Lin Qingxue and Tang Qingqing's faces immediately turned pale. Tang Qingqing exclaimed, "I'll contact my grandfather right away."
Chen Yang nodded, not wanting to say more. The less he said, the less worried they would be.
Lin Qingxue pressed, "Why are they saying you killed someone? What happened?"
Chen Yang then recounted the incident of helping Su Qing recover her wages. He emphasized, "I absolutely did not use excessive force on Han Yumei. As a martial artist, I have precise control over my strength. They're saying Han Yumei died from kidney failure, which is clearly the result of internal injuries caused by a highly skilled fighter."
"What can we do now?" Lin Qingxue asked, extremely worried after hearing this.
Chen Yang grinned and said, "Don't worry about me. Here's what you can do – I need to see Mu Jing. Let her know. She has ways to help me."
Lin Qingxue quickly agreed, "Alright."
Soon after, the two women bid farewell to Chen Yang.
The entire conversation and footage of this meeting were captured by surveillance cameras. Qin Moyao would undoubtedly review it that evening.
After leaving the police station, Tang Qingqing immediately called her grandfather, Huo Tianzhong. Upon hearing the news, he was also shocked.
"Grandpa, you have to find a way to save Chen Yang!" Tang Qingqing pleaded, her eyes reddening.
Huo Tianzhong's voice was grave on the other end, "We've just arrived in Jiangnan City and have already sent word. But Yang Ling is reportedly out of town. We're all waiting for his return."
Tang Qingqing wasn't naive. She asked, "Is he deliberately avoiding you? He wants Chen Yang dead, doesn't he?"
Huo Tianzhong sighed. Yang Ling was also a powerful figure. If he chose to avoid meeting, there was little Huo Tianzhong could do. Once Chen Yang was dead, it would be too late to confront Yang Ling about it.
Indeed, Yang Ling's tactics were ruthless.
After hanging up, Tang Qingqing and Lin Qingxue fell into a somber silence. Once again, they witnessed the cruel reality of society's dark side. These people could manipulate the law, society, and human lives at will.
With Huo Tianzhong unable to help, Tang Qingqing and Lin Qingxue immediately went to see Mu Jing.
At Mu Jing's tea house, they met with her and Su Qing. Both Mu Jing and Su Qing were shocked to hear that Chen Yang had been arrested. Su Qing, in particular, turned deathly pale upon learning of Han Yumei's death.
In that instant, she felt as if struck by lightning. She knew that this time, Chen Yang was surely doomed.
A person had died – how serious could it get?
"Sister Mu, Chen Yang said only you can save him," Lin Qingxue said gravely. "Please, you must help. Whatever you need us to do, just say the word."
Mu Jing couldn't help but smile bitterly, "This is clearly a trap set by Yang Ling. He's determined to ruin Chen Yang. If even the esteemed Huo Tianzhong can't help, what can I possibly do?" The three young women's faces fell even further.
Mu Jing continued, "I may not have a solution, but that doesn't mean Chen Yang doesn't. He specifically said I could help him, so he probably wants to see me and needs me to do something for him. Let me go meet with Chen Yang first."
Su Qing immediately chimed in, "Ms. Mu, I'll go with you."