At 8 AM, Rui Xiaodan, Zeng Hua, and a criminal police officer from Qin Gu County Police Department drove to Shen Nan's grandfather's house to arrest her. The house was located in an old courtyard on East Street in Qin Gu County. Rui Xiaodan had the car stop about 20 meters away from the house and walked alone to the gate to call Shen Nan on her mobile phone.
When the call connected, Rui Xiaodan said, "I'm at the gate. Can you come out? I need to talk to you alone."
Shen Nan hesitated for a moment before replying, "Okay, I'll be right there."
A moment later, Shen Nan came out alone and, upon seeing Rui Xiaodan, greeted her casually, "Xia Yu, what brings you here? I was just about to leave. Didn't we agree to meet at the long-distance bus station?"
Rui Xiaodan also hesitated briefly before saying, "Shen Nan, you are under criminal detention for your involvement in Wu Chengxiang's embezzlement case. This is the detention warrant. The car is parked over there, with all police markings removed. If you don't want to alarm your grandparents, don't let them see you off. Say your goodbyes and come with me to the car."
Although the phone call had given Shen Nan a premonition, Rui Xiaodan's words still shocked her. Holding the detention warrant, she asked in disbelief, "Are you a police officer?"
Rui Xiaodan confirmed, "Yes."
Shen Nan stood stunned for a moment, then handed back the detention warrant and said, "How should I explain this to them? I'll just say your friend's car had business in Yan'an and came to pick you up in Qin Gu."
Rui Xiaodan agreed, "That's fine."
Shen Nan nodded, "Alright, give me a few minutes. I'll be right out."
Shen Nan went inside, and soon returned with her bag, followed by her grandparents, third uncle, and third aunt, who were all reluctant to see her go. Shen Nan insisted they didn't need to see her off, then walked with Rui Xiaodan to the car and got in. The car drove straight to the Qin Gu County Police Department.
In the interrogation room at the Qin Gu County Police Department, Zeng Hua, Huang Wenxian, and Rui Xiaodan prepared to interrogate Shen Nan. According to the plan, Rui Xiaodan was the lead interrogator, while Huang Wenxian took notes.
Shen Nan was initially anxious when she got into the car, but she calmed down upon arriving at the police department. After answering routine questions about her name, age, and origin, she said, "Thank you for considering my grandparents' feelings when you arrested me. It meant a lot to me. But tell me, are you really a police officer?"
Rui Xiaodan affirmed, "Yes, I am."
Shen Nan remarked, "What a waste of that pretty face, being a police officer!"
Rui Xiaodan replied, "That has nothing to do with this case. Please stick to matters related to the case."
Shen Nan sneered, "Then shouldn't you start by pounding the table and telling me to behave, remind me where I am, and then warn me that confessing will be met with leniency while resistance will be met with severity?"
Rui Xiaodan calmly responded, "Shen Nan, you are a capable and respectable citizen. Please show some respect. If you have issues with the judicial practices of the police, you can express them through proper channels. This is not about personal grudges between us. It's about you and the law."
Shen Nan said, "I haven't committed a crime, so there's nothing to say."
Rui Xiaodan replied, "You have the right to remain silent, but your silence might lead the prosecution and the court to make unfavorable assumptions about you."
Shen Nan accused, "You're threatening me."
Rui Xiaodan clarified, "No, I'm informing you of your rights as a suspect. No one is forced to incriminate themselves. You have the right to defend yourself during the investigation and trial phases. Your silence can't be used as evidence of guilt, but the factors like confession, silence, deceit, and defense influence judgments and sentencing. Interrogation is a means of gathering evidence, not just of guilt but also of innocence."
Shen Nan asked, "On what grounds do you say I'm guilty?"
Rui Xiaodan explained, "No one will say you're guilty until a court rules so. For now, you're a suspect. Wu Chengxiang has been captured by a joint US-China police operation. His extradition is just a matter of time. His sister, Wu Huijuan, and his agent, Dong Haishan, were arrested in Guangzhou with over 23 million yuan in cash and assets seized. Wu Chengxiang paid 1 million yuan to Guangzhou gangsters to have 'Xia Yu' killed. Two hitmen were captured in Yan'an. These are the weapons we seized from them."
Rui Xiaodan placed two German P88 pistols on the table.
Shen Nan's expression changed as Rui Xiaodan spoke, from resistance to calm to fear. The familiar names, the staggering numbers, and the two pistols on the table stunned her. Initially, her anxiety was about losing her lover and her future luxurious life abroad. Now, her fear was about losing her freedom, facing prison bars, and a ruined life. Being an accomplice in hiding and transferring embezzled funds or in murder could lead to severe punishment.
Seeing the fear in Shen Nan's eyes, Rui Xiaodan asked, "Do you have nothing to say?"
Shen Nan replied, "I do, but I don't know where to start. You ask the questions, and I'll answer truthfully. If I lie, I'll take legal responsibility."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "Did your departure from Mingchuan to Guangzhou a year before the incident have anything to do with Wu Chengxiang?"
Shen Nan answered, "Yes. Wu Chengxiang said he could help me go abroad and live a high-society life. Where would all that money come from? It was obvious. I told him I didn't care what he could give me, but at least he shouldn't take away my freedom. Later, he suggested I go to Guangzhou to start a business, so I went."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "What opportunity?"
Shen Nan explained, "I thought Mingchuan might become a place of trouble, and it was better to leave. Going to Guangzhou was also for my personal development. I had a short career as a dancer and needed to make money while I could. I had a talent for dancing, and Guangzhou had a high consumption rate, so starting a fitness center was a good idea. Wu Chengxiang's sister, Wu Huijuan, had a restaurant in Guangzhou, so I had some support."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "Did you know Wu Chengxiang's exact address in the US?"
Shen Nan replied, "No, he wouldn't tell me. It was too dangerous and unnecessary."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "Why didn't Wu Chengxiang have you handle the money?"
Shen Nan replied, "I think it was to protect me, but mostly because he didn't trust me. If I had money, I wouldn't need him. I'd want a man with substance."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "Why did you pay for Xia Yu's phone bill and print out her call records?"
Shen Nan replied, "I knew you might suspect I was investigating you, but I was just helping a friend."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "Whose idea was it to invite Xia Yu to Shaanxi for a trip?"
Shen Nan replied, "It was Wu Chengxiang's idea. He said the weather in Guangzhou was stifling and suggested a trip to Shaanxi to visit the Terracotta Warriors and Hukou Waterfall. It would be a good opportunity to bond with Xia Yu and visit my hometown. If I had known this trip would make me a suspect, I wouldn't have gone."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "Did you communicate with Wu Chengxiang during the trip after leaving Guangzhou?"
Shen Nan replied, "No. He didn't call, and I didn't call him."
Rui Xiaodan asked, "Were you aware you were being followed during the trip?"
Shen Nan replied, "No, Wu Chengxiang didn't tell me."
...
Zeng Hua, who had been silently observing and analyzing, interjected, "Shen Nan, if you discovered Xia Yu was a police officer during the trip, what would you have done?"
Shen Nan replied, "I wouldn't be foolish enough to call Wu Chengxiang and inform him. I can only answer truthfully that nothing of the sort happened. Even if it did, what would it matter to me if Xia Yu was a police officer?"
Zeng Hua smiled and said to Rui Xiaodan, "That's enough for now."
Huang Wenxian showed Shen Nan the transcript of the interrogation, which matched the questions and her answers. Shen Nan signed it and was escorted out by Huang Wenxian.
Zeng Hua reviewed the transcript and said, "Shen Nan's statement is clear. There's no need for her to lie about these matters because they can be easily verified. From the start, she drew a line of safety for herself, as she told Wu Chengxiang—what you can give me is secondary, but don't take away my freedom."
Rui Xiaodan added, "If it's confirmed that Shen Nan didn't contact Wu Chengxiang during the trip, she should count herself lucky. It will be easier for her to explain. Without additional direct evidence, the prosecution's case against her won't hold."
Zeng Hua sighed, "Shen Nan is smart. She managed to keep a man as clever as Wu Chengxiang running circles around her, and now he's captured while she's clear of charges. Why did Wu Chengxiang bother with all this?"
Rui Xiaodan smiled as she packed up the items on the table, "Group leader, this isn't relevant to the case, right? Do you think Wu Chengxiang's handcuffs should be attached to Shen Nan to balance things out?"
Zeng Hua replied, "That's not what I meant. I'm just wondering—what's wrong with people these days?"