The Truth Behind the Crash: A Tale of Revenge and Redemption
My wife had an affair with her boss, and they had a car accident while on a business trip. The doctor said that even if she was saved, she would be a vegetable. I said I would sell my car and house to save her, but she passed away just after I sold everything.
I received the housing money, car money, high insurance compensation, and their company’s solatium. Oh, and the eighty million in my wife’s account, I achieved financial freedom completely.
Her parents, however, found me and sued me in court, accusing me of murder.
01
In the police interrogation room, one policeman asked me casually, “How did you two meet? When did you meet?”
Another policeman was taking notes very seriously, looking at me from time to time with a probing gaze.
I rubbed my face. I hadn’t slept well for several days. From the moment my wife was hospitalized after the accident and I sold everything to save her, to her passing and handling her funeral arrangements, it all felt like a dream. I still hadn’t fully come to terms with it.
I forced a bitter smile and said, “We met on a blind date on April 16th last year.”
The policeman asked, “Why do you remember the date so clearly?”
“It’s my daughter’s birthday,” I replied, on the verge of crying.
02
The questioning policeman seemed a bit surprised but then asked jokingly, “You’re young, a highly educated graduate from a prestigious school, and now you’re in the government system. Why did you need a blind date?”
I’m 183 cm tall, not extremely handsome but not ugly either. I’m a postgraduate and got a job as a civil servant in the local Land and Resources Bureau right after graduation.
I felt a bit embarrassed and said, “I’m from out of town. I studied here. When I entered the unit, everyone took good care of me. It’s just that…” I hesitated but continued, “Everyone was very enthusiastic, especially the uncles and aunts.”
The policeman nodded understandingly and said, “I understand. People in the government system do like to play matchmaker for the younger generation they know.”
Then he asked, “When did you get married?”
“On July 5th last year.”
“So you got married in less than three months after knowing each other for two months? Why?” The policeman was quite shocked.
03
I smiled bitterly and said, “She was pregnant.”
“A shotgun wedding,” the policeman said knowingly.
“She’s two and a half years older than me. She was already thirty at that time. She was worried that it would be difficult to have children later and wanted to keep the baby. We discussed it and thought that since we were likely to get married in the future anyway, we might as well get the license.”
“Do you think you know her well?” the policeman suddenly asked.
I was confused about why he asked this but replied, “She’s elegant, kind, sincere, polite, and gentle with me. I rarely meet someone like her. Besides—”
When I talked about my wife, I couldn’t help blushing. But then, remembering that she was gone, I was overcome with sadness and my throat tightened, making it hard to continue.
04
The policeman handed me a glass of water and let me calm down for a while before continuing, “Besides what?”
“I’m satisfied with her conditions,” I said frankly.
“What conditions of hers are you satisfied with?” the policeman pressed.
I admitted, “She has a decent job, is good-looking, and earns more than me. Our combination is a win-win, not one-sided support. To be honest, I benefited from her and our living standard improved a lot.”
“According to our investigation, your family situation is not bad either. You bought a house locally when you got married, right?”
“Yes, my parents had prepared the money for me to buy a house long ago. When we were about to get married, to show my sincerity, we bought the house after getting the marriage certificate, and she got half of the house.”
05
“She didn’t ask for a dowry. My mother said we could have a wedding at home, and she understood very well, saying that since we just bought a house and my parents didn’t have much money left, the wedding could wait.”
“A two-bedroom apartment must cost at least two million.”
I blushed and said, “It wasn’t a full payment. We still have a mortgage of over one million, which I’m paying with my provident fund.”
“A family that can afford to pay over one million in cash is not simple either.”
“My parents do some small business. Although I got a job in the government system, I’m from out of town and don’t have a strong foundation here. It’s a bit difficult for me to find someone I’m satisfied with.”
“With your conditions, it’s much easier than most people!”
06
“I don’t want to compromise or lower my living standard because of marriage. I’m an adult and know what I want.” I didn’t avoid these things that many people try to avoid.
“So even though she’s almost three years older than you, you still chose her.” The policeman summed it up.
“The age difference of three years didn’t stop me from choosing her at all. I think she’s the best woman I’ve ever met! I’m lucky to have married her!” I was angry at the policeman’s slightly demeaning remarks about my wife.
“Okay, okay, calm down!”
After a while, I calmed down.
He then asked some routine questions about where I was and what I was doing when my wife had the accident. I answered truthfully and finally asked helplessly,
07
“Why do my in-laws think I murdered my wife?”
Seeing that I was a bit agitated, the policeman asked me to sit down and calm down.
“Why were you so eager to sell the house and car when your wife had the accident?”
“I only had a little over thirty thousand yuan in spare cash at that time, and the rest of my money was tied up in the stock market. The doctor said her situation was very critical and that even if she survived, she would most likely be in a vegetative state. But I didn’t care. I just wanted her to live, as long as she lived!”
I shouted in despair and realized that I was crying when I touched my face.
After a while, when I calmed down, I continued, “She was admitted to the ICU. You know, the cost there is at least ten thousand yuan a day. Soon my money was gone, and the money I borrowed from friends was also running out. I had no choice but to sell the house and car.”
08
“Didn’t you know where your wife’s money was?”
“After we got married, we managed our finances separately. I took care of the mortgage, utilities, and she was responsible for socializing and decorating the house.”
“Decorating?”
“She paid for the decoration and furniture of our new house.” I felt a bit uncomfortable.
The policeman nodded and asked,
“In this situation, didn’t you think about telling your parents and asking for their help?”
“Her condition wasn’t good at that time. I didn’t want my parents to worry too much. I wanted to wait until her condition stabilized before telling them. I was afraid they couldn’t accept it, especially her mother. My in-laws love my wife very much.”
09
“As we know, your father-in-law is not your wife’s biological father.”
“Yes, he’s her stepfather, but he’s really good to her. Before we got married, he gave her a house, which is the one we live in now.” I said directly.
Another policeman sneered, “Giving a house means he’s good to her?”
I was stunned and said seriously,
“We’re ordinary people. Giving a house worth several million to a daughter without blood relations is not good? What is good then?”
He was speechless.
Another policeman smiled and eased the atmosphere,
“You’re very protective of your wife and her family. Do you often keep in touch with them?”
10
“I call my in-laws regularly twice a month. I’m not sure about my wife.”
“What about your wife’s biological father?”
I felt a bit ashamed and said,
“I’ve never met him. Last year, we didn’t have a wedding, but the two families had a meal together. At that time, my wife said she hadn’t seen her father for many years and couldn’t contact him. So I still haven’t met him until now.”
Then the policeman said,
“Didn’t she tell you that her father has passed away?”
“What?” I was very surprised.
“Her father was a miner and worked in her stepfather’s coal mine. He died in an accident.”
“I really didn’t know that. But why did they keep it from me?”
11
The two policemen looked at each other and then heard him ask,
“Why did you sell all the houses and cars at that time?” The policeman paused and said, “Including the three houses your wife owned before marriage.”
“I was in urgent need of money at that time. You know, the second-hand housing market is not good recently. I was afraid that I couldn’t sell them in time, so I put all the houses on the market, thinking that at least one of them could be sold quickly.”
“But after selling one house and getting the money, why did you sell the others?”
“The first house sold was the large flat in the second ring road that belonged to my wife. But the buyer didn’t pay in cash and needed to go through the loan process. I was afraid it would be too late. Coincidentally, the second house was our new house. I sold it at a very low price but required cash payment, and it was sold quickly and the money was in my account soon.”
12
“However, at that time, my wife’s situation was critical and my child was sick. I entrusted the house sale to my colleague to handle. When I finished dealing with my wife and child’s matters, the buyers of the other two houses had already transferred the money to my card. If I didn’t sell them, I would have to pay the penalty and offend my colleague. The buyers were relatives of the leaders in my unit. You know, I just started working in the unit not long ago. I…”
I didn’t continue.
The policeman sympathized with me. The two houses in the city center with excellent locations were sold at a discount. Even if I didn’t want to sell them, I had to.
“Now that you sold all the houses, where do you live?”
“The relatives of the leader who bought our house don’t need to move in immediately, so they rented it to me for the time being.”
“Finally, why did you sell your wife’s car?”
13
“I have a rich second-generation classmate who works in a car modification shop. I sold the house and the car at the same time. I drove the car to his shop and he said he would help me evaluate it. But unexpectedly, his employee drove the car out privately and had an accident. So he bought the car.”
“An accident?”
“Yes.”
“How did it happen?”
“I’m not very clear about that. But the traffic police should have recorded it at the accident scene.” The policeman wrote something down in his notebook.
“By the way, when you sold the house and car, didn’t you think about your future life?”
I was stunned and didn’t understand what the policeman meant. Then I heard him say,
14
“Do you know how much energy it takes to take care of a vegetative person?”
Another policeman saw that I was confused and said bluntly,
“You married her because she could maintain or even improve your living standard. But if she becomes a vegetative person and you sell everything, your quality of life will change significantly. Didn’t you think about that?”
I smiled bitterly and said, “I thought about it. But it’s a life. If it were you, would you choose not to save her?”
Later, the policeman asked me,
“Do you know that today we asked you to make a statement because your in-laws suspect that you murdered Xie Yuanyuan?”
15
I was angry. I knew my eyes must be red with rage, but I slowly calmed down:
“Whoever suspects must prove it. What evidence do they have to prove that I killed my wife?”
I smiled bitterly, on the verge of crying.
“Then why did you cremate Xie Yuanyuan before your in-laws came?”
“My wife was in the ICU for more than ten days, and I had to sign many critical illness notices every day.” My hands and body couldn’t help trembling.
“My child was sick and couldn’t leave me. I don’t know if she sensed something, but she wouldn’t let the nanny take care of her except me. A four or five-month-old baby, she… she has no mother now…”
16
Tears welled up in my eyes.
“When the doctor announced my wife’s death, I was completely—”
I rubbed my face and asked the policeman in front of me,
“I don’t know if you’ve ever had this feeling, that is…” I searched for the right words for a long time and finally said helplessly, “The despair of the sky falling.”
“After that, I was in a daze. The people from the funeral home came, and I don’t know what they said. I only know that they said they could handle my wife’s affairs, so I let them take her away. And—”
“And what?”
“When my wife died, because she fell from the cliff, her whole body was…” I choked up, “I can say that her face was unrecognizable. I was also afraid that my in-laws would see her and couldn’t accept it, so I cremated her.”
17
“Then why did you call the insurance people to appraise?”
“When we got married, my wife bought high-amount medical insurance and accident insurance for both of us. Before the accident, she just renewed the insurance. At that time, because she was in the hospital, I went home to pack clothes and saw the insurance policy in the cabinet. I thought I could use the insurance to offset some of the medical expenses.”
“But unexpectedly, the insurance is all a lie. They used to say how good it was, how timely the compensation was, and how easy it was to get the money. It’s all bullshit!”
I gritted my teeth.
“But later you received the insurance compensation, right? For serious illness, medical treatment, and accident, it must be tens of millions. Especially for the accident, who would buy such a high amount of accident insurance? It’s almost like trying to defraud the insurance company.”
18
Another policeman said sinisterly.
I was shocked by his words and trembled with anger. I rushed at him, “What’s the use? What’s the use of the compensation now? I hope we would never need it! I hope my wife would never need it!”
Both of them didn’t expect that I would suddenly lose my temper. Hearing the commotion, the policemen outside rushed in and several of them pulled me away.
It’s a pity that I didn’t hit that policeman with a bad mouth. But he left the interrogation room under my fierce glare and was replaced by another female policeman to take notes.
19
After I calmed down, the policeman asked again,
“Why did you buy such a high amount of insurance?”
“My wife bought it,” I rubbed my face and continued,
“She said that now that we have a family and a child, it’s different from being single. We have responsibilities and weaknesses. She didn’t want our family to be dragged down if one or both of us had an accident or got sick, which would affect our future living standard. So insurance is just a precaution.”
“I thought she was right at that time, and since she bought it for both of us and paid for it, I had nothing to say.”
When I walked out of the interrogation room, my mother-in-law rushed at me like a madwoman and scratched my face.
“You bastard! You killed my daughter! You killed her! You pay for it!”
20
My wife’s sudden death and lack of sleep for several days made my reaction a bit slow. So when my mother-in-law rushed at me, I couldn’t avoid it in time. My face and neck were immediately scratched with several blood marks.
Fortunately, this is a police station, and the police quickly pulled her away.
In the reflection of the glass, I saw myself hunched over, extremely tired, and smiling bitterly,
“If you really think I’m sorry to Yuanyuan, please show the evidence.”
“Evidence? The evidence is that my daughter is dead and you’re still alive. You killed her! You think you can get all her money after she’s dead? You’re dreaming!”
21
Her voice was shrill and she wanted to come forward and scratch me again. I sighed helplessly and looked at her, not knowing what to say.
“Arrest him! He killed my daughter. I want him to pay with his life!” She pointed at the police.
“There is no evidence to prove that he killed Xie Yuanyuan, so we have no right to arrest him.” The young female policeman taking notes said angrily.
“What do you mean?” She shouted at the police again, “Let me tell you, you’d better not cover for him, or I’ll make you regret it!”
The expressions of all the policemen in the room changed because of this sentence. They had seen rude people before, but they had never seen anyone so rude in a police station.
22
“Whoever suspects must prove it. First, show the evidence that he killed your daughter, or it’s a false alarm and disturbing the public order. We have the right to detain you!” A young policeman said angrily.
“Humph, detain me? Do you know who I am—”
My mother-in-law’s words made my heart beat faster with excitement, but she suddenly stopped talking and then rolled her eyes and said,
“Isn’t it evidence? I have plenty!”
Before leaving, she glared at me and said,
“Just wait and see. I’ll make you spit out everything you swallowed!”
23
Watching her get into a luxury car and drive away, the gloomy policeman suddenly asked me behind my back,
“What did you swallow that she wants you to spit out?”
I was stunned for a moment and smiled bitterly,
“It should be the money from selling the house. But I originally planned to return all the money from selling the house to them after my wife’s affairs were settled. I didn’t expect…”
“You mean, they sued you for killing Xie Yuanyuan because they were afraid you wouldn’t return the money from selling the house?”
The young female policeman taking notes said what I meant.
24
I sighed and didn’t say anything more, which was considered an admission.
Looking up, I saw the gloomy policeman looking at me with a strong sense of scrutiny.
After that, I returned home exhausted. My child was taken away by her grandmother, and I gave the nanny a day off.
I originally wanted to take a shower and go to sleep, but when I saw the big bathtub in the bathroom,
It was my wife’s exclusive bathtub. I had never used it before.
Somehow, I filled the bathtub with water, turned on the music, and lay down in it.
25
Drinking red wine and listening to music, I was completely relaxed. No wonder my wife enjoyed it so much. It was really comfortable.
I don’t know when I fell asleep until a violent knocking on the door woke me up.
I originally thought it was the relative of the leader coming to inspect the house. Unexpectedly, as soon as I opened the door, I was punched in the face.
A stream of hot blood gushed out of my nose. In a daze, a thick gold necklace flashed in front of my eyes.
Looking up, I saw my father-in-law, Xie Zhenxing’s, face full of flesh.
“You bastard! You had the guts to covet my money! You’re really brave!”
26
After saying that, he slapped me in the face, and my head went blank for a moment, with a buzzing sound in my ears.
“I… I didn’t…” I just wanted to struggle, but the people he brought pushed me to the ground.
“Fuck you!”
He slapped me again. I wanted to explain, but before I could open my mouth, he slapped me two more times.
“Selling the house and the car, you thought you could get all of Xie Yuanyuan’s property after she died? You’re thinking too beautifully!”
“I…”
27
He got up and kicked me twice, then picked me up and whispered,
“You moved the money in her account, right? Do you know that’s my money? Well? I’ll give you a chance. Give me the money, and I might consider letting you go. Otherwise… your future, your parents’ lives, you think about it yourself!”
He threw me to the ground, and my chin hit the marble threshold, biting my tongue and bleeding all over my mouth.
“What money? I don’t know anything. Don’t touch my parents—”
“Whether I touch your parents or not depends on you. Do you understand?”
28
Then I heard him order the seven or eight people he brought,
“Teach him a good lesson. See if he killed and robbed for money because he knew he was being cuckolded?”
I looked up at Xie Zhenxing and knew that he must be desperate to do this to me.
As for Xie Yuanyuan’s death, he might care a little, but not much.
What he cared about was the eighty million in Xie Yuanyuan’s bank account.
Xie Zhenxing’s people dragged me into the house and beat me up, trying to force a confession. I gritted my teeth and didn’t say a word.
29
Until there was a doorbell outside, I heard someone open the door angrily and shout at the people outside,
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
“Who are you? What are you doing in my house?” An aunt shouted angrily.
“Your house? Fuck your house. Get out!”
“Don’t be rude. How can you do this?” A rather serious male voice sounded, and there should be an argument between the two sides.
“How can I do this? If you take one more step inside, I’ll beat you up too! Get out!”
“Ah—” The aunt screamed.
30
I was also kicked, and the pain made me curl up into a ball.
After that, there was a lot of noise outside, and I couldn’t hear clearly. I didn’t know if the uncle and aunt had left.
Later, when I was on the verge of losing consciousness, I suddenly heard a shout from outside,
“Freeze! Police!”
I twitched the corners of my mouth and passed out.
When I woke up, it was already noon the next day.
The colleague taking care of me in the hospital happened to be the little leader whose relative bought my house. I called her Sister Zhang.
31
Seeing that I woke up, she was very surprised.
“Oh, Chen, you finally woke up. You’ve been sleeping for a day and a night. You scared me to death!”
“Thank you… for taking care of me, Sister Zhang.” I thanked her with difficulty. It hurt a lot when I opened my mouth.
“Oh, don’t talk. Look at what happened to you. You sold the house to save their daughter with good intentions, and they treated you like this. How heartless!”
“How could this happen? Is Auntie okay?” I was obviously startled and asked quickly.
32
“Fortunately, it’s just a fractured leg bone. She’s old, not like you young people. But let me tell you, this matter is not over!
“Don’t worry about your father-in-law anymore. You treated them like family, but they don’t think so. They beat you like this. I think they’re almost like enemies!”
I smiled bitterly and asked,
“I don’t know where Auntie is. I have to go and see her. If it weren’t for me asking them to come and inspect the house, they wouldn’t have encountered this. It’s all my fault.”
“Forget it. You’re all injured like this. Don’t scare her anymore. Wait until you get better. Besides, it’s your father-in-law’s fault. It has nothing to do with you. They won’t blame you!”
33
I lowered my eyes and sighed. Sister Zhang thought I was thinking of sad things, so she quickly changed the topic,
“By the way, I brought stewed pork ribs from the cafeteria. You’re seriously injured. Hurry up and drink some while it’s hot to replenish your energy!”
As she said that, Sister Zhang poured the soup from the thermos into a bowl and helped me raise the head of the bed.
I drank two mouthfuls with difficulty and then heard her ask,
“What does your father-in-law do? Why is he so domineering?” There was a gossipy look in her eyes.
I hesitated for a moment and said,
“I only know that he runs a coal mine and is very prestigious in their local area. That is, many people are afraid of him. But we don’t have much contact, and I don’t know the details.”
34
“Humph, I think he’s probably a local bully. Look at the people he brought, so fierce. They hit you so hard. I’m afraid their hands are not clean!”
Before I could answer, she said,
“To be honest with you, your house was bought by my cousin for my younger cousin. My younger cousin works in the anti-gang unit. This time your father-in-law broke my aunt’s leg. My younger cousin will definitely not let him off easily;
“This matter won’t be long before he gets into trouble. At that time, you have to be clear-headed, you know?”
I was full of surprise. There was a reminder to me in Sister Zhang’s eyes, and also a little pride.
35
I quickly said,
“I… I know, I know. Could it be that my father-in-law is, hiss…”
The pain in my face made me unable to finish my sentence.
“My uncle worked in the court before he retired. He said that your father-in-law is not simple at first sight. I’m afraid he’s a big local bully!”
I showed a reasonable shock, and after a while, I hesitated and said,
“Sister Zhang, there’s something I don’t know if I should say. I’m not saying this matter has anything to do with my father-in-law. I just think it’s a bit strange…”
“What is it?” Sister Zhang urged with bright eyes.
36
“It’s about my wife’s biological father. I didn’t know he had passed away before. Yesterday in the police station, the police told me that her biological father worked in my father-in-law’s coal mine and died in an accident;
“But I don’t know why my wife kept it from me. What’s the use of hiding it from me? I thought he was just missing. I didn’t expect…”
I frowned and my words were a bit messy.
Sister Zhang thought I suddenly realized that my wife’s family was a dark force and I was afraid it would affect my future, so she comforted me,
“He’s her stepfather. It has nothing to do with you. Don’t be so nervous. But what you said can let my younger cousin check it out! Maybe your wife’s biological father was killed by her stepfather…”
37
After that, Sister Zhang talked with me about something else. Seeing that I was not in good spirits, she let me rest again and said she would come to see me and bring me food in the afternoon.
In the afternoon, the police came to take my statement. It was still the policeman who interrogated me in the interrogation room before.
He brought me a bag of fruit, exchanged a few greetings, and then asked,
“Why did he hit you?”
I smiled bitterly and shook my head, “He wanted me to admit that I killed my wife for money.”
“Did you really do that?” He asked jokingly. I was stunned for a moment, and then he waved his hand and said,
“Just kidding. Don’t mind.”
38
My face became serious, “Officer Zhou, I don’t think this joke is funny. Like my in-laws, if you suspect that I have evidence of killing my wife, please show it directly instead of scaring and threatening me again and again!”
“Don’t be so serious. But you said before that you drove your wife’s car to your friend to sell it. Didn’t you notice anything wrong with the car at that time?” He changed the topic.
“What do you mean?” I was confused.
“Answer my question first.” He repeated.
I thought carefully and said,
“I don’t think so. I usually go to work very close, so I ride a bike or walk. I only drive on Thursdays.”
39
“Only drive on Thursdays?”
“Yes. I would take my child to the hospital for a massage to treat torticollis in the afternoon on Thursdays. Usually my wife would leave the car at home on that day.”
“When was the last time you drove except for that time?” The policeman asked again.
I thought for a while and said, “It should be the weekend before my wife had the accident. We went camping with friends, and I drove on the way. My wife even laughed at me, saying that I drove like a snail. I didn’t expect…”
Seeing me smile bitterly, the policeman was silent for a while and then asked, “Did your wife drive after that?”
I recalled and said, “She didn’t drive after she came back on Monday.”
40
“Why?”
“She went on a business trip.”
“Why did she say you drove like a snail?”
I was a bit embarrassed to answer, “I got my driver’s license a long time ago, but I didn’t have a car, so I didn’t have much driving experience. I’m a bit… so I drive slowly every time.”
“Did she drive back by herself on Monday?”
“I’m not sure. Why?”
The policeman looked at me silently for a long time and then continued,
“Back to the previous question, when you drove your wife’s car to your friend’s place, didn’t you feel anything abnormal?”
I frowned, not understanding why he was so persistent about this question, but still answered patiently,
“No, but…” I hesitated.
“But what?”
“The brakes seemed not very sensitive. I don’t know if this counts. I’m not very interested in cars, so I’m not very sensitive. Officer Zhou, did you find something?”
He didn’t answer me, but continued to ask,
“Oh, men are rarely not interested in cars. Then what are you usually interested in?”
“I’m preparing to take the doctoral entrance examination recently.” Meaning that I don’t have time to care about other things.
42
“Taking the doctoral entrance examination?” Officer Zhou was a bit surprised.
“One is never too old to learn. I also wanted to set an example for my daughter, but…”
I lowered my head and didn’t continue. Officer Zhou saw that I was in great pain and poured me a glass of water.
After a while, he said,
“I learned from the traffic police that there were problems with the brakes and airbags of your wife’s car, so the employee of your friend was seriously injured when driving the car, and the car was basically scrapped.”
I was shocked and quickly asked,
“How could the brakes and airbags have problems? The safety factor of her car should be very high, and she has it maintained every year. Logically, it shouldn’t be like this!”
43
A car worth over one million, even without maintenance, the airbags shouldn’t have problems, unless…
Seeing the surprise in my eyes, Officer Zhou nodded.
I stammered, “So, someone tampered with my wife’s car? Who?”
“Do you know something?” Officer Zhou asked slowly, “Also, did you move the money in Xie Yuanyuan’s account?”
Officer Zhou didn’t get any useful information from me and left.
But the next morning, he came with the gloomy-looking policeman and asked directly,
“Was the recording pen in Xie Yuanyuan’s car placed by you?”
“Huh?” I was very confused.
44
“You’d better not play dumb!” The partner of Officer Zhou said sinisterly to me.
Officer Zhou pulled him back and sat down by my bedside and said,
“We found a recording pen in your wife’s car, and there are your fingerprints on it.”
“Huh?” I was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized,
“I remember now. I bought a recording pen for a meeting to take notes before, but I don’t know where I lost it. I didn’t expect it to be in the car!”
The expressions of the two policemen immediately became interesting. I asked again,
“Is there something recorded in the recording pen?”
45
“You don’t know what’s recorded in it?” Officer Zhou asked.
I shook my head.
The other policeman asked again, “Do you really not know or are you pretending not to know? Don’t play dumb with me!”
“I don’t know why you have been hostile to me from the beginning. If it’s because you suspect that I’m the murderer of my wife, then please show the evidence instead of scaring and threatening me again and again.”
“No, no, he didn’t mean that. He’s just like that. Don’t mind.” Officer Zhou came out to smooth things over.
I was so angry that I didn’t want to say more. After a while, I heard Officer Zhou say,
“Don’t you want to know what’s recorded in the recording pen?”
46
I was so angry that I almost lost my mind. Hearing what he said, I came to my senses and asked,
“Is the pen on? What’s recorded?”
Officer Zhou sent me the audio copied from the recording pen and patted me on the shoulder when he left.
After they left, I opened the audio and replaced another file with the same name on my phone.
Later, according to Sister Zhang, she was scared to death when she came to see me.
I went crazy and smashed everything in the ward. My hands and body were all bloody.
47
Fortunately, it was just bleeding caused by violently pulling out the infusion needle, and it was not a big problem.
I shouted that I wanted Xie Zhenxing to die and that I wanted to run out and die with him. Several doctors and nurses could hardly hold me back.
“I always said that your wife looks like a vixen and is good at seducing people. I didn’t expect that she even hooked up with her stepfather. No wonder when you got married, he gave your wife a house. It’s just—”
Before Sister Zhang could finish, I almost cried and begged,
“Sister Zhang, please don’t say it. I think Yuanyuan was also forced…”
48
“Bah! She sounded so slutty and still forced. I think she enjoyed it very much! She even did it in the car. She wasn’t afraid of being seen and getting a sty!”
Sister Zhang’s indignant expression also carried a bit of schadenfreude.
Seeing that I didn’t speak, she didn’t say more and smiled sheepishly and asked,
“I heard from my friend in the police station that your daughter is not yours either. Could it be her stepfather’s? If I were you, having my daughter become my sister-in-law, I really couldn’t accept it! I think…”
“…”
Sister Zhang was a bit excited, but seeing my pale face, she coughed and stopped talking.
49
“But I have to say, your wife is really wild. She has a lot of ex-boyfriends, including her stepfather. Tsk…” After a while, she asked again, “Then do you know whose child your daughter is?”
Seeing the burning gossip flame in Sister Zhang’s eyes, I knew that what I said to her today would spread all over the unit and even many other units by tomorrow.
And that’s what I wanted.
So I rubbed my face painfully and said, “I don’t know… It should be her boss’s…”
“Yuck… She’s really not a good person. You were so good to her, and she not only cheated on you but also wanted to kill you and defraud the insurance. Tsk, people’s hearts are really unpredictable these days!
“Chen, you should look at it. There are many women in the world. This is her karma. Don’t be too hard on yourself, okay?”
Sister Zhang finished gossiping and patted my shoulder before leaving, finally comforting me a little.
50
Xie Zhenxing seemed to sense the danger. As soon as he was released on bail, he kidnapped me.
“You bastard! You still say you didn’t take the money! You bastard!”
Xie Zhenxing kicked me several times and then grabbed my hair and lifted me up viciously,
“Believe it or not, even if your parents are abroad, I can still deal with them?!”
My parents went on a tour abroad the day after Xie Yuanyuan went on a business trip for a month. I booked the tour for them.
I looked at him through my swollen eyes and smiled with difficulty,
“You tampered with Xie Yuanyuan’s car, right? Why did you kill her?”
51
He slapped me twice with a backhand and said,
“You know a lot, huh?”
I spat out a tooth and continued,
“Is it because she started to disobey you and wanted to swallow your money with her lover?”
“What else do you know?” He pulled my hair and made me look at him.
“I also know that Xie Yuanyuan was just a tool for you to launder money, and all this money was obtained by you through telecom fraud. So you didn’t dare to call the police, right?” I said.
“I originally wanted to spare your life, but I didn’t expect you to know so much. Then don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
52
He choked my neck and threw me to the ground, making me dizzy. He signaled the people behind him,
“Pull out his fingernails. If he still doesn’t say anything, cut off his fingers one by one until he tells me where the money is!”
After he finished speaking, several people dragged me up and tied me to an iron chair welded to the ground.
Someone used pliers to pull out one of my fingernails, and the pain made me almost pee my pants.
I must look very hideous when I smile now, but I just can’t help it. So I looked at the furious Xie Zhenxing and grinned,
“I guess you must be very curious about why I know so much, right?”
53
Xie Zhenxing probably couldn’t stand my provocation. He threw the cigar he just lit on the ground, picked up an iron pipe, and walked towards me.
“You old bastard, you must have forgotten who He Yanqing is, right?”
Xie Zhenxing stopped and seemed to be really thinking about it, but soon he gave up.
He only said,
“The person Xie Yuanyuan brought home?”
Seeing that I didn’t speak and just stared at him fiercely, he became excited,
“Hey, she brought me a lot of women. I really don’t know which one you’re talking about. But those women’s tastes are really good.”
He laughed obscenely and leaned closer to me, saying something more disgusting than his stinky mouth,
“Those white guys and black guys abroad also like them very much…”
54
“Bah – you won’t be rampant for long!”
I spat a mouthful of blood on his face, and he swung the iron pipe and broke my collarbone.
After that, the people he brought beat me up again. Fortunately, not long after, I heard the siren of a police car.
Xie Zhenxing was arrested without fear. I knew he would be released on bail in a few days, but I wouldn’t give him this chance.
Given that he had repeatedly harassed and even kidnapped and attempted to kill me,
When the police found me, I was almost beaten to death.
55
Coupled with the fact that Sister Zhang spread the story of Xie Yuanyuan in the unit before, which caused a great stir and everyone sympathized with me.
Our director thought it was a shame for our unit to have someone like me, so he stood up to speak for me and wanted to make the wrongdoer pay the price.
It is said that when Xie Zhenxing was locked up, he still threatened to kill me.
The police paid more attention to him because of this.
At the same time, Sister Zhang’s cousin also took action against Xie Zhenxing soon.
As expected, it was quickly found out that Xie Yuanyuan’s father was murdered by her stepfather Xie Zhenxing and her mother Yang Lijuan.
56
He was charged with murder.
Previously, the local police station was involved in many cases of corruption and mafia-related content, so they had been covering up for Xie Zhenxing’s actions.
Now that the anti-gang group has entered, they immediately pulled out the radish and brought out the mud, and many officials have fallen.
It was even found out that Xie Zhenxing was related to many forces in northern Myanmar. He used his coal mine business to recruit many outsiders.
But most of these people never came back and were sent to Myanmar to be involved in the organ business.
Many families came to make trouble, but he was not afraid because of his power and influence. What’s more, he even wiped out some families.
57
As for Xie Yuanyuan, in high school, she helped Xie Zhenxing find many good-looking girls.
Most of these girls came from poor families. After being ruined by Xie Zhenxing, they all disappeared.
Later, with the rapid development of telecom fraud, Xie Yuanyuan established a company under a false name and recruited people into the company in the name of recruitment.
Half a year later, she took the whole company to Southeast Asia on a so-called travel welfare, and finally the whole company became victims of telecom fraud.
This incident caused a big stir, but for Xie Yuanyuan, who used a false name to do this, it had no impact at all.
I think, how could such a person not be punished?
The girl I loved so much couldn’t die with her eyes open.
Xie Zhenxing and Xie Yuanyuan must die.
58
Xie Zhenxing was arrested and firmly insisted that I had transferred his money. I was very innocent.
Over the years, Xie Yuanyuan had been helping him launder money, and he thought that I knew about it and was involved.
So, the police also suspected that I had transferred the money.
But I was confident that I was innocent, so I let them investigate.
Finally, it was found out that the money had flowed into a bank account abroad and could not be recovered.
The police asked me if I knew anything about that foreign bank account.
I was almost numb and said,
“I didn’t even know that Xie Yuanyuan had several identity cards.
“I didn’t know that in addition to having an affair with Wei Chengye and Xie Zhenxing, she even kept in touch with her two ex-boyfriends.
“They even jointly opened an investment company. If I had known any of this, I wouldn’t have been played by them like this!
“I… How could I know about any foreign account?
“I’m just a big fool!”
59
“Then do you know Tang Qian?”
“Huh? Tang Qian?”
“Wei Chengye’s wife.”
“Oh, I know her.”
“Oh? How do you know her?”
“She’s my senior. But when I entered school, she had already graduated.
“It was when I was about to graduate from my third year of postgraduate study that she came back to school for the anniversary celebration that I officially met her, but we’re not familiar.”
“Not familiar?”
“Not familiar.”
“Your two families have eaten together so many times, and you’re still not familiar?” The officer asked strangely.
I asked rhetorically, “Don’t you know how to avoid suspicion?”
Then I sighed and said, “Besides, at that time, I only had Xie Yuanyuan in my heart. But I didn’t expect that she was such a person…”
60
“Aren’t you curious about why we asked you about Tang Qian?”
“Huh? Why?” I touched the bandage on my head a bit embarrassedly, “Since I got injured, my head has always been a bit confused. I’m sorry.”
Officer Zhou coughed unnaturally, as if trying to cover up that he had asked an inappropriate question.
But he continued, “Tang Qian’s in-laws sued her for murdering Wei Chengye.”
61
“Huh? How did she murder him? Have they found the evidence?” I was really curious.
Officer Zhou coughed unnaturally again, “No. When Wei Chengye had the accident, she was abroad, but the brakes and airbags of his car also had problems.”
I was stunned for a while:
“She tampered with Wei Chengye’s car?”
“Cough, it wasn’t her.”
“…” I was a bit speechless and said directly, “You’ve been talking in circles for a long time, and nothing useful has been said. Are all policemen like you?”
“Of course not. I just wanted to see your reaction.” Officer Zhou was also very calm.
I was even more speechless, “So you suspect that I tampered with his car? To kill Xie Yuanyuan and defraud the insurance?”
He ignored my sarcasm and said, “The car he drove was tampered with by Xie Zhenxing.”
62
I showed the normal shock that a person should have, although I already knew it.
That’s right. There was also a recording pen in Wei Chengye’s car, but Tang Qian took it out in advance.
Later, Xie Zhenxing lost most of his property and was abandoned by his backers. The Xie family completely collapsed.
Yang Lijuan was sentenced to twenty years in prison for her involvement in the murder of her husband in the first instance, and the second instance upheld the original judgment.
The whereabouts of Xiao Guo’er became a problem.
After that, the police found Xie Yuanyuan’s other two ex-boyfriends. The result of the paternity test showed that Xiao Guo’er was the child of one of them.
After Xie Yuanyuan’s matter was settled, I returned to the unit.
63
Within two months, the uncles and aunts in the unit started to arrange blind dates for me again.
This time, I politely declined, saying that I wasn’t ready yet.
A year later, I left the original unit and went to Singapore to study for a doctorate.
Two years later, I received an overseas offer and moved abroad with my parents.
Opening a long-sealed account and looking at the countless zeros on it, I couldn’t help laughing.
I was neighbors with He Yanqing when we were kids. Later, her family moved away, but we kept in touch.
She was excellent. She skipped a grade in junior high school and was recommended to a good high school through a competition. I worked very hard to get into the same school as her.
64
But a month before the start of school, I never received any news from her. After school started, I didn’t see her at school either.
The counselor said that she didn’t report for school and couldn’t be contacted.
At this time, I found out that her parents had a car accident when she started college.
This could explain why she seldom contacted me during that time.
She didn’t tell me anything about it.
I had been looking for her, but after searching for several months, I still didn’t get any news.
Later, her roommate was going to have a new roommate, and she gave all of He Yanqing’s things to me.
65
I found a diary in it.
The diary was the same style as the one we bought when we agreed to write exchange diaries.
The content in the front was mostly about daily life, but not long after her parents’ car accident, the content began to change.
She wrote that her parents’ car accident was not an accident but man-made.
Her father, as a lawyer, took a case of a missing person, and the evidence pointed to a local bully named Xie Zhenxing.
She had no power or influence and couldn’t let the evildoer be punished, so she could only take risks.
She deliberately got close to and became friends with a girl named Xie Yuanyuan from another school because she was Xie Zhenxing’s stepdaughter.
66
Her last entry was written before she left school for the summer vacation. She wrote that she had made an appointment with Xie Yuanyuan to go to her house to play.
She hoped that she could find some evidence of Xie Zhenxing’s illegal and criminal activities this time.
She had no parents, and she didn’t know many people in this city, so her disappearance didn’t attract much attention.
Until I came.
I clearly knew that as an ordinary person, there wasn’t much I could do.
So during my four years in college, I slowly collected information about the Xie family bit by bit.
But the more I knew, the more I realized that I couldn’t act rashly.
67
The intertwined relationship network of the Xie family was like a high-voltage wire.
I was insignificant, and if I bumped into it, I would lose my life at worst, and my relatives and friends would suffer at best.
I had to be careful and make myself have some say.
So I became an outstanding graduate, took the postgraduate entrance examination, and finally entered the government system.
I had been investigating Xie Yuanyuan. I knew she had several boyfriends and that she and her boss, Wei Chengye, were truly in love.
But Wei Chengye was already married, and his wife was a senior from our school.
He relied on his wife to gain a foothold in the company and achieved his current position.
68
And Xie Yuanyuan, when her mother was with Xie Zhenxing, Xie Zhenxing also had a wife, but his wife was fierce and refused to divorce.
Xie Yuanyuan’s father also refused to divorce. The two of them conspired, one to kill the wife and the other to kill the husband.
And Xie Yuanyuan also had a special preference for married men.
My appearance was the last ultimatum that Xie Yuanyuan gave to Wei Chengye.
I contacted the senior, and she told me that she knew about the relationship between Wei Chengye and Xie Yuanyuan, and that she was the one who introduced Xie Yuanyuan to Wei Chengye.
I was greatly shocked.
She said that she didn’t expect her friend and husband to betray her.
She asked me, “Did you come to me just to talk about our school friendship?”
69
When she asked me this, I knew that she would be a good ally for me.
My appearance and current social status became the primary reason why Xie Yuanyuan married me.
After all, if Wei Chengye really didn’t marry her, I was at least presentable.
And most importantly, my simple identity.
I had no roots or foundation in this city, and my family was also easy to manipulate.
For her, such a person posed no threat, so she chose to marry me and also left herself a way out.
After marrying Xie Yuanyuan, I found out that she was laundering money for Xie Zhenxing.
70
She had several secret overseas accounts, and she was secretly transferring Xie Zhenxing’s money.
Until half a year ago, the senior told me that Wei Chengye had started to transfer assets. I knew that we could close the net.
After Xie Yuanyuan gave birth to the child, she quickly returned to the company and rarely came home on the pretext of working overtime.
Until a month ago, she said that she had almost finished dealing with the piled-up work in the company. I knew that she was going to make a move on me.
I had always placed a recording pen in her car, which provided me with a lot of information, including her tampering with the brake system and airbags.
I knew clearly about her plan to die in a car accident by asking me to deliver materials.
71
From then on, the senior started to quarrel with Wei Chengye, and Wei Chengye moved out. The senior replaced some of his blood pressure medicine.
Later, things happened almost as we planned. Wei Chengye and Xie Yuanyuan went on a business trip.
On their way to the seaside villa on a rainy day, Wei Chengye had high blood pressure and they fell off the cliff.
Wei Chengye died on the spot, and Xie Yuanyuan survived because of his protection.
Later, the police found Tang Qian because she quickly cremated Wei Chengye, and the whereabouts of the money that Wei Chengye transferred was unknown.
Wei Chengye’s parents lost their son and money, so they sued her for murder.
72
But murder requires evidence, and no one could produce evidence. Instead, Wei Chengye’s transfer of assets and the act of killing his wife to defraud insurance were made public.
Tsk, it’s really hard to say.
