Xiao Anjing watched Shu Yan being taken away by the police from the rearview mirror. He lowered his head and took out the voice recorder from the hidden compartment in the car, wondering if this recording could help the police find the truth behind Huo Jin's murder.
He clutched the voice recorder tightly in his hand. He never expected Tianyi to be right; he had been blinded by Shu Yan and almost made a grave mistake. Yet, a nameless pain gnawed at his heart.
He picked up his phone and dialed Qin Tianyi.
The call was answered quickly. "Xiao Anjing, where did you go? Are your injuries serious?"
"I won't die. Where are you? I want to see you," Xiao Anjing said, stating the meeting place before hanging up.
...
After leaving the police station, Shu Zhongze's face was darker than the bottom of a pot, his anger suppressed all the way.
Jia Nanfang was in a state of utter confusion, unable to understand how Shu Yan got involved in a murder case.
Shu Yan had been staying at home since returning from the countryside, and she had accompanied her whenever she went out. Apart from her indiscretion with Han Hai at that banquet, she hadn't had any conflicts or contact with anyone else.
She suddenly thought if Shu Yan might have killed the child before returning to Lancheng. But that shouldn't be the case; she had only asked Shu Yan to give the child away, not to kill it.
The more she thought, the less sense it made. As she followed Shu Zhongze into the Shu family mansion, she immediately asked the household servants loudly, "Where is Miss? Is she in her room? Hurry and call her out!"
"Sir, Madam, Miss has not returned since she went out with you," replied a servant.
Shu Zhongze said coldly, "This is no longer your concern. All of you, withdraw."
As the servants left the living room, Shu Zhongze turned and slapped Jia Nanfang, saying sternly, "Stupid! If she were at home, the police would have stormed the house to arrest her by now!"
Jia Nanfang, caught off guard, stumbled back from the blow, her ears ringing.
"Lao Shu, you hit me?"
Shu Zhongze's expression was stern. "I told you to keep an eye on her, and look what happened? After only a few days back, she's either causing scandals with Han Hai or getting implicated in a murder case! Are you trying to ruin the Shu family's century-old foundation!"
Jia Nanfang's tears flowed like rain. "The police must have made a mistake. She couldn't possibly be involved in a murder case..."
"Mistake? I don't think so. The police have clearly listed her as a suspect. Who is she connected to in this death?" Shu Zhongze's every word was sharp and undeniable. "What else are you hiding from me? Speak quickly!"
Jia Nanfang used her tears to conceal her guilt. "No, I never hide anything from you, you know that. Yan wouldn't kill anyone, she definitely wouldn't kill anyone... You have to believe her!"
"I don't care if she's involved in the murder case or not. Find her and send her away immediately! Our Shu family will pretend we don't have this daughter and forbid her from returning to Lancheng!" Shu Zhongze had made up his mind, his anger escalating as he went to his study.
Jia Nanfang felt a burning sensation on the side of her face that had been struck. She looked at Shu Zhongze's retreating back, her expression dim.
She didn't know where Shu Yan had gone either. The police at the station had refused to tell her which murder case Shu Yan was connected to.
She felt completely uncertain. However, Shu Zhongze was right about one thing: no matter the situation, they had to send her away quickly, preferably making everyone believe she had disappeared.
This would not affect the Shu family. Even if Shu Zhongze found out the truth about Shu Yan having a child, he might still forgive her.
She could only preserve her status as Mrs. Shu first before planning for the future.
...
In the evening, Susu was in the children's room accompanying Little Star, reading him a fairy tale. Suddenly, she received a message from Su Kangxi saying that the police had found evidence of Shu Yan's murder and had invited Shu Yan to the police station to assist with the investigation.
Seeing this news, Susu could not hide her excitement and immediately replied, "That's great."
She put down the fairy tale book, told Little Star to learn to read by himself, and ran to the study. Seeing Qin Tianyi just putting down his phone, she hugged him and kissed his cheek, saying, "The police found the evidence, and Shu Yan has been arrested!"
Qin Tianyi grabbed her wrist and smiled, "I know. The police finally found evidence that the death was not an accident."
"How did you do it?" Susu asked curiously. "The things I gave to Su Kangxi couldn't overturn Huo Jin's accident. Where did you find new evidence?"
Qin Tianyi smiled and said, "It's very simple. The evidence was collected from Shu Yan's previous residence in the countryside. Since it was likely the first crime scene, even if she cleaned it thoroughly, there would be traces."
"But we didn't find any useful clues when we went last time. Did you sneak back there?"
"I didn't go back, but I had people keeping an eye on that old house in the countryside. I inadvertently learned that Jia Nanfang was planning to renovate it. So, I sent someone to impersonate a contractor from the renovation team to take on the renovation project, and hired an experienced retired forensic doctor to conduct a comprehensive investigation on site. Indeed, quite a bit of evidence was found. The remaining white wine in the kitchen of the country house, the unfinished instant coffee... perfectly matched the residual alcohol and coffee in Huo Jin's stomach. There were also some fingerprints and footprints in the house that we hadn't discovered... It's definitely the crime scene."
Susu gave him another kiss and praised him, "Husband, you're amazing."
"I know that without you saying it. Do you want to verify how amazing I am tonight?"
Susu understood his hidden meaning and the conversation had veered off course. Her cheeks flushed, and she let go of him, saying, "Be serious. I can finally rest easy knowing the real killer of Huo Jin has been caught."
Qin Tianyi smiled and held her hand. "You put the child to bed. I still have to go out."
"It's so late, where are you going? To the police station?" Susu asked.
"No, I've done what I can and what I should. The rest will be left to the police," Qin Tianyi said. "Xiao Anjing just called, saying he wants to see me and seems to have something important to tell me."
"Didn't you say Xiao Anjing disappeared after you injured him a few days ago? He hasn't been to the group, nor is he at home. He's suddenly looking for you tonight, could it... could it be related to Shu Yan?"
"I guess so, that's why I want to go see him."
Susu said understandingly, "Alright then, let Xiao Lin drive you. Talk to him properly about whatever it is, and don't resort to violence again. It wasn't easy for the two of you to come this far. Resorting to violence hurts your feelings. Even if he's confused, he wouldn't know Shu Yan killed someone and still protect her..."
"Alright, Mrs. Qin, you're getting more and more nagging," Qin Tianyi said, getting up and hugging her. He whispered in her ear, "Wait for me at home. I might want to eat you when I get back."
Susu pushed him away. "You're annoying! Go quickly, don't keep Xiao Anjing waiting too long."
Qin Tianyi smiled, released her, and went back to his room to change before leaving.
...
Xiao Anjing sat in a private room at a club they used to frequent, waiting for Qin Tianyi.
They were both very familiar with this club; it was where they liked to go for drinks when they were in a bad mood.