The siblings were at an impasse when a police officer entered the interrogation room holding a tablet: "Chu Team, here is the surveillance footage from the hotel."
Chu Muchan took the tablet and, after a few seconds of viewing, said, "You can leave now."
Once the officer left, the beautiful policewoman placed the tablet in front of Chu Yuxuan and said coldly, "Watch for yourself!"
The video showed surveillance footage in the hotel hallway at 2:50 a.m. Qinglu sneaked out of the room, peered into the hallway, and then looked back into the room. From her expression and actions, she seemed very afraid of disturbing anyone inside.
After cautiously stepping out, the internet celebrity hurriedly closed the door and ran towards the elevator, pressing the button repeatedly as if afraid someone would chase her.
Chu Yuxuan clearly saw that Qinglu had injuries on her face when she left the room.
"Damned…" Muttering, Chu Yuxuan fast-forwarded to 2:10 a.m., when he and Qinglu had just entered the room. At that time, the beauty's face was uninjured.
In the brief span of forty minutes, Chu Yuxuan reviewed the footage, and no one entered the room or exited it. Moreover, the room was on the 27th floor, so no one could have climbed in through the window.Chu Mu Han said sternly, "It's hard for a normal person, especially a woman, to inflict such severe injuries on herself. Even if she could, judging from the distribution of the wounds on her face and neck, she wouldn't be able to do it alone."
Chu Yu Xuan pondered, "So, it seems to confirm that I'm the one who did it."
"Based on the current evidence, yes," Chu Mu Han said. "Chu Yu Xuan, I need you to tell me what exactly happened after you entered the room."
Chu Yu Xuan sighed, "You don't have concrete evidence right now... So, until my lawyer arrives, I have the right to remain silent."
Chu Mu Han slammed the table in frustration, "Chu Yu Xuan! Please cooperate!"
"My dear sister," Chu Yu Xuan smiled wryly, "Why do you always act like you have a deep grudge against me? Huh? Actually, you do care about me, don't you? Otherwise, why would you come to work so early? Don't tell me it's not because you're worried about me. Heh, after all, we share the same father, no need to be so cryptic."
"Stop with the flattery!" Chu Mu Han glared at him and then said, "Even though you're not exactly a good person, I know you wouldn't do something like this... You need to tell me what happened, and I will clear your name!"
Chu Yu Xuan shrugged, "I was drunk and don't remember anything."
Chu Mu Han, knowing his intentions, said angrily, "Chu Yu Xuan, are you trying to handle this your way again?"
Chu Yu Xuan smiled lightly and, after a pause, replied evasively, "You're a deputy captain now; why can't you change your impatient nature? Look at you, rushing out without even doing your makeup... Are you afraid I'll harm these internet celebrities? Please, I'm a law-abiding citizen, I won't..."
Before he could finish, Chu Yu Xuan suddenly stopped, as if a thought had just struck him.
Chu Mu Han's eyes lit up as well. The siblings exchanged glances, both having noticed the same thing—makeup!
"Little Wang," Chu Mu Han took a couple of steps to the door of the interrogation room and called out to the officer in the hallway, "Where is the victim now?"
"At home. The family claims she is severely traumatized and mentally disturbed, and they refuse to let us see her."
Chu Mu Han made a decisive decision, "Send a doctor to her home. Inform the family that the suspect has been caught, and we need her injury report; otherwise, we can't proceed with the case. Hurry!"
Returning to the interrogation room, Chu Mu Han's expression was grave. "The accuser, Qing Lu, posted the video at around 3:30, and reported it to the police at 4:00. The other internet celebrities started supporting her between 4:00 and 4:30. It's clear that someone is manipulating things behind the scenes. Chu Yu Xuan, who else have you offended?"
Chu Yu Xuan replied nonchalantly, "There are always people trying to harm me... I can't guard against them all!"
Chu Mu Han knew she couldn't easily extract the truth from him and was aware her brother would use special means of retaliation. She warned, "You're not only being accused by these internet celebrities but also implicated in a murder case! Based on the current evidence, I have the right to detain you for 72 hours. Even when that time is up, I'll find a way to keep you detained! Besides, the entire internet is watching these celebrities, and if anything happens to them, public opinion will drown you and the entire Chu family! If you act recklessly, it will only backfire! I advise you to cooperate with me; the law will give you justice!"
Chu Yu Xuan shrugged, "I'll discuss your so-called justice with my lawyer later. I'm not interested in it right now... Sis, can you tell me what time Xia Zhu jumped?"
Chu Mu Han pursed her lips and, no longer trying to reason with him, called in a duty officer. Since she had just arrived and had only heard a brief report on the way, she needed more details.
The officer said, "According to eyewitness testimony and preliminary forensic examination, it was around 3:20."
"Eyewitness?" The siblings asked in unison.
"Yes," the officer flipped through his notes, "His name is Gao Ning. He was at the scene during the incident. According to him..."
"Gao Ning?!" Chu Yu Xuan frowned.
Chu Mu Han looked at him and said to the officer, "Continue."
The officer said, "According to him, he and the victim Xia Zhu were in a relationship. He had been at Xia Zhu's house all night. Xia Zhu went out around 12:30 a.m. and returned home around 2:40 a.m., after which she cried continuously. He stayed by her side to comfort her and drink together. Later, he went to the bathroom and when he came out, he saw Xia Zhu on the balcony preparing to jump. He rushed over and only managed to grab her hand but couldn't pull her back."
"He said Xia Zhu told him she went out to meet her ex-husband, who is...," the officer pointed at Chu Yu Xuan, "...him. The incident started because Chu Yu Xuan used a huge penalty to silence her. Xia Zhu went to see Chu Yu Xuan to plead for mercy, but Chu Yu Xuan offered her a condition: to accompany a big boss to the Maldives for a month, and after that, he would let her go."
Chu Yu Xuan's eyes grew cold, "What about Xia Zhu's mother? Didn't she see her daughter's suicide?"
The officer raised an eyebrow, thinking, "Are you the cop or am I? Acting like you're the boss here!" But seeing his captain's questioning gaze, he didn't mind and said, "According to Xia Zhu's mother, around 9:00 p.m. the previous night, she inadvertently heard Xia Zhu contacting an agent to sell the house, and they argued over it. Later, she contacted Gao Ning, asking him to talk to Xia Zhu. Gao Ning arrived and, fearing another argument, gave her the key to his house and let her go there. It wasn't until 4:00 a.m. that she learned about her daughter's incident."
Chu Yu Xuan remained silent, seemingly coming to a conclusion.
Chu Mu Han's face was dark, "Where is Gao Ning now?"
The officer replied, "He was so distraught that he fainted halfway through his statement. He's in the hospital now."
The officer then leaned closer and whispered to Chu Mu Han, "We suspect Gao Ning may also have some involvement. Two officers are keeping watch over him in the hospital."
"Understood." Chu Mu Han said, "When office hours start, go to Xia Zhu's company to gather more information."
After the officer left, Chu Mu Han looked at Chu Yu Xuan and asked, "Are you still not going to say anything?"
Chu Yu Xuan took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I need to make a phone call."
"According to regulations, you're not allowed."
"It's just to contact my family... Help me out, I'm worried my wife might be in danger."