Chapter 32: Truth

Chapter 32 The Truth

He Shuwen finally realized Mr. Yuan's intentions. She suddenly burst into laughter, as if she had just heard the most absurd joke, laughing so hard she doubled over, leaving Shen Qingye watching in fear.

She laughed until her stomach ached and then slowly stopped: "You want me to have this child?"

She looked at Mr. Yuan, slapping her belly fiercely, her eyes sharp: "You want me to give birth to this bastard, this child of unknown origin? To give birth to the one responsible for my grandmother's death?!"

Mr. Yuan frowned slightly, calmly saying: "After all, he is still your child, with half of your blood. If you agree, I promise you’ll become the rightful young mistress of the Yuan family, living in luxury and abundance."

He Shuwen said word by word: "In your dreams."

"This bastard disgusts me to my core. The thought of carrying this thing in me makes me lose my appetite and sleep! If I had the chance, I would’ve gotten rid of it long ago, how could I let it stay in my body?"

Her eyes were full of malice: "Give birth to it? To a monster? Let it turn out like your son?!"

Mr. Yuan looked displeased but still softened his tone: "You’re too emotional right now to see the bigger picture. Calm down and think carefully! If we submit a letter of understanding, the court might go easier on you. After the child is born, if you don’t want to see it, we’ll give you a hefty sum and send you away. You’ll live comfortably for the rest of your life—what do you have to lose?"

He Shuwen sneered at his high-sounding words: "You and Yuan Zhenghao are cut from the same cloth."

"You’re both equally vile."

She raised her head high, with a mocking expression: "All this talk about living comfortably is nonsense. I never planned to live after killing Yuan Zhenghao. When I die, I’ll make sure Yuan Zhenghao and you pay!"

After saying this, she turned and was about to jump!

Shen Qingye's heart tightened, and she hurriedly said: "He Shuwen, think about your grandmother!"

He Shuwen hesitated and glanced back.

Shen Qingye cautiously took a step forward, and He Shuwen immediately tensed up, shouting: "You stay there!"

Shen Qingye immediately stopped: "Okay, I'll stay, I won't move."

She raised her hands, her expression patient and gentle: "I understand you, really. Your grandmother, your only family, is gone. I understand how devastated you must feel."

He Shuwen's hands gripping the railing tightened, and her eyes turned red.

Shen Qingye's voice was soft: "You said it yourself, your grandmother lived a hard life, didn’t she? Then you should live well. Only by working hard and earning money can you burn more paper money for her, right? Your grandmother suffered her whole life, you can't let her be poor in the afterlife, unable to afford anything."

He Shuwen's fingers tightened and loosened, tears falling in large drops. Seeing her expression soften, Shen Qingye cautiously took another half step forward, continuing: "I heard that inflation is severe in the afterlife, with prices reaching hundreds of thousands. You are your grandmother's only relative, do you want her to be worse off than other old people in the afterlife?"

She reached out: "Good girl, come down first, let's talk slowly, okay?"

He Shuwen shook her head, her voice choked with tears: "I've disappointed my grandmother...

"She must be very angry, she must be blaming me..."

"I've shamed her..."

Shen Qingye's eyes also couldn't help but moisten: "How could that be? How could your grandmother be disappointed with you?"

She slowly took two more steps forward, patiently guiding: "Even if your grandmother is angry, she is angry at herself for not protecting you. She feels sorry for you, sorry that you had to go through this."

Yue Lingchuan watched her movements and signaled to the nearby police and firefighters, who understood and quietly moved in a place where He Shuwen couldn't see.

Shen Qingye continued forward: "You are your grandmother's beloved granddaughter. She loved you so much, cared for you so much, she must want you to live a life free from worry and pain, happy and joyful.

"If you really jump from here, when you meet your grandmother in the afterlife, she will be truly angry."

She stepped closer, extending her hand, gently coaxing, "Do you really want to upset Grandma?"

He Shuwen’s lips quivered as she shook her head, her grip on the railing loosening and tightening again, clearly torn by an intense inner conflict.

"But I’m all alone now," she murmured after a moment, shaking her head. "I’m all alone now. Grandma is gone, and I'm left by myself..." What’s the point of going on?

Shen Qingye was about to say something when an urgent and somewhat angry voice came from behind, "Who said you have no family left?"

She spun around, startled, to see Cui Jiayi and a few other girls rushing over.

Hao Yuanyuan shoved through the crowd and stepped up, "He Shuwen, what are you saying? What do you mean you have no family left? What about us?!"

He Shuwen looked up, her expression blank, "Yuanyuan, Jiayi, Huiwen..."

Lu Huiwen also tried to speak calmly, "Shuwen, didn’t we promise it before? We’re friends for life. You still have us, we are your family!"

Cui Jiayi said calmly, "We promised that after graduation, no matter where we are, we would meet once a year. You still love Tao Zhe’s music, and we also agreed that the next time Tao Zhe holds a concert, we would all go together."

He Shuwen's eyes slowly reddened, her voice breaking with sobs, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I lied to you, I tricked you into drinking, I'm sorry..."

Hao Yuanyuan fiercely wiped away her tears, saying sternly, "Let me tell you, the first time I drank, I ended up like this, and now I’m terrified of it. If you really feel sorry for me, come down, buy me another drink, and I might reluctantly forgive you!"

Lu Huiwen said, "Shuwen, can you really bring yourself to leave us? Can you really bear to have our gatherings always missing one person? Come down first, okay? We can talk about anything."

Cui Jiayi also pleaded, "Shuwen, you told me once that you’re a great cook, but you never had the chance in the dorm. You said that after graduation, you would definitely cook a meal for me. Shuwen, I haven’t tasted your cooking yet."

The girls begged desperately, and Shen Qingye also spoke gently, "Shuwen, look, there are still many people who care about you, many people who love you."

She took a step forward, "If you don’t want to have this child, it's okay, I'll find the best doctor for you. Including this case, I'll hire the best lawyer for you. Your future is still full of endless possibilities, infinite hope."

She coaxed, "Don’t you want to see the world in the future, to see the sights that Grandma never got to see in her lifetime?"

He Shuwen's eyes trembled, tears streaming down her face. She looked up in confusion, uncertain, "Is it really possible?"

Shen Qingye affirmed, "It is!"

"You can get into university, you’re so smart, you’re Grandma’s pride, you definitely can."

At this point, they were no more than ten meters apart. Shen Qingye inched forward, her eyes filled with hope and encouragement, "Come, Shuwen, come, give me your hand."

"Believe me, will you? You will definitely live a brilliant, beautiful life, and when Grandma sees it, she will be comforted."

"Shuwen, give me your hand."

He Shuwen's lips quivered for a while, looking at her, then at Cui Jiayi and the others behind her. After a long hesitation, her hand on the railing slowly loosened, and she slowly reached out to her.

Shen Qingye's heart soared with relief, and she was about to step forward quickly when suddenly a sharp scream came from behind, "Go die!"

In the next moment, Mrs. Yuan, who had broken free from her husband, charged forward in a rage!

No one present had anticipated this turn of events. Yue Lingchuan was the first to react, his eyes sharp as he lunged forward; at the same time, the police and firefighters who had been waiting for an opportunity also quickly pounced, one grabbing He Shuwen's leg, while Shen Qingye took two steps in one, one hand grabbing He Shuwen's arm, the other wrapping around her neck, and with a forceful pull, she flipped her over.

The two rolled on the ground several times, covered in dust. Shen Qingye protected her, her elbow hitting a stone nearby, letting out a muffled groan, but even so, she didn't let go.

He Shuwen was still in a state of panic and hadn’t reacted yet. Hearing the noise, she quickly lifted her head from Shen Qingye’s embrace, "I'm sorry, did I hurt you? I'm sorry..."

The girl's eyes were full of tears, her expression panicked and helpless, filled with guilt. Shen Qingye paused, suddenly thinking that if she hadn’t encountered these things, she would have been a very good girl.

"Don’t worry, it’s just a bump, it’s okay," she said, her gaze shifting downward, then quickly looking back, "Are you feeling okay?"

He Shuwen paused, clearly understanding what she meant.

"I'm fine," she slowly shook her head. "I'm fine."

Shen Qingye finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The scene around them was still chaotic. Cui Jiayi and the others rushed over, tears streaming down their faces as they hugged her. "You scared me to death! I was so worried!"

Shen Qingye looked back. Mrs. Yuan had already been subdued by Yue Lingchuan, pinned to the ground, and handcuffed. Even Mr. Yuan, who stood nearby in shock, had been apprehended by Wei Zhengyi. He looked at his wife with utter disbelief, as if she were a madwoman.

Yue Lingchuan handed Mrs. Yuan over to the nearby police, took two steps forward, and scanned Shen Qingye with a worried expression, asking, "Are you okay?"

Shen Qingye shook her head. "I'm fine, just tripped over a stone."

She glanced over there. The Yuan couple had already been taken away, and Wei Zhengyi and the others were maintaining order.

The girls huddled around He Shuwen. Shen Qingye slowly stood up. "What’s the plan now?"

The situation was unique because she was pregnant, so they couldn’t treat her like a typical criminal.

Yue Lingchuan glanced at He Shuwen. "Let’s take her to the station for now."

This case wasn’t over yet—there was still a lot to handle. Taking her to the station might be the best option for her.

Shen Qingye hesitated for a moment. Seeing Yue Lingchuan take out a pair of handcuffs, she stepped forward to take them and turned to look at He Shuwen. "We’re taking you to the station. Will you cooperate?"

He Shuwen stared at the handcuffs for a moment, then extended her hands with a relieved smile. "Thank you, Officer."

Hao Yuanyuan, standing nearby, wanted to speak, but Cui Jiayi tugged at her sleeve. Seeing they were about to leave, she finally said, "Officer, can we come with you?"

Shen Qingye hesitated for a moment. After exchanging a glance with Yue Lingchuan, she said, "Yes."

With them there, He Shuwen would likely stay calmer.

The girls immediately lit up. "Thank you, Officer!"

·

The situation was handled relatively smoothly. Zhou Qiming stayed behind to wrap things up, while the others left quickly.

The news hadn’t leaked yet, and they could use this window to get a lot done.

Back at the station, Jiang Cheng and Luo Kaiyang had already brought in Liao Hongyuan and six others with the first and second detective teams. Yue Lingchuan weighed the situation and looked at Shen Qingye. "You’ve been part of a few interrogations before. Do you know the drill?"

Shen Qingye vaguely sensed something and nodded solemnly. "I understand everything. Don’t worry, Captain Yue."

Yue Lingchuan nodded. "Alright, you go and calm He Shuwen's emotions first. I’ll have Brother Zhengyi come over and join you later."

As for the Yuan couple, they could wait for now.

Shen Qingye nodded in agreement.

·

Not long after, Wei Zhengyi hurried over. Seeing Shen Qingye, he breathed a sigh of relief. "That girl seems to like you. This interrogation should go smoothly."

Shen Qingye smiled at his words.

As expected, the interrogation went exceptionally smoothly.

He Shuwen had calmed down and was sitting in the interrogation chair, recounting her experience as a victim in detail:

"We first met at a social club gathering. After that, he started pursuing me, and I agreed soon after."

She spoke slowly, "After we got together, we had a sweet period. I thought I had found true love and even fantasized about whether he would propose to me after graduation."

She said with a self-deprecating smile, "Later, he said he wanted to take me out to meet his friends. I was so happy, thinking this was a sign that he was accepting me and integrating me into his circle, so I went with him cheerfully.

"But when I arrived, I found his friends to be very strange. They spoke frivolously, behaved inappropriately, and occasionally made inappropriate advances towards me... I sensed something was off and cried, insisting on going back. Yuan Zhenghao had no choice but to take me back.

"He explained that his friends were always like this, speaking and acting without boundaries. He expected them to behave better today since he brought me along, but he didn't expect them to go this far. He was also very angry and said he would warn them later, making them apologize to me. He also asked me not to be mad at him and not to let this affect our relationship.

"I believed him...

"For the next half month or so, although we didn't break up, I felt that things were not the same as before. I started to have doubts if I had misjudged him. If he hung out with such friends, could he really be the gentle and polite person I saw on the surface?

"I started to have doubts, and at this time, he invited me again, saying his friends had realized their mistake and wanted to formally apologize to me.

"I was still hesitant and didn't want to go. But Yuan Zhenghao said he truly liked me and wanted a future with me, which was why he had gone through so much trouble to introduce me to his friends in the first place. He didn't expect things to turn out this way. He had known them for a long time and understood their character. They might seem a bit unconventional, but they didn't have any ill intentions. He spent a long time convincing me, saying they had genuinely realized their mistake and were sincerely apologizing.

"I was still hesitant, but Yuan Zhenghao said it would be doing him a kindness if I went. He said I could leave after a short while if I didn't like the atmosphere.

"I went."

He Shuwen closed her eyes. That trip marked the start of a nightmare.

"After entering the VIP room, they started apologizing, each downing three drinks as a sign of their sincerity. I didn't know what to do, and Yuan Zhenghao said I didn't have to pay attention to them, just take a sip or two as a gesture.

"I thought he was looking out for me."

She drank, intending to leave after a while, but as soon as the alcohol went down, she felt a wave of discomfort. Her thoughts became muddled, her body weak, and she felt a burning heat all over. At this point, He Shuwen still thought it was just the aftereffects of drinking, but moments later, she saw the previously polite men surrounding her with suggestive grins, their words filled with obscene and humiliating language.

He Shuwen realized something was wrong and looked to her boyfriend for help, but he simply smiled with satisfaction:

"This girl required a lot of effort. She seemed so naive and easy to fool, but who knew she'd be so hard to coax. I don't know how many sweet words I had to say to get her here. Today, we're going to have a good time."

The group laughed and molested her, but He Shuwen's attention was entirely on Yuan Zhenghao, her heart overwhelmed with disbelief.

Yuan Zhenghao stepped forward and patted her face, his voice as gentle as ever, crushing He Shuwen's last shred of hope: "Be good, listen to me, and I won't mistreat you."

They tore off her clothes, leaving marks all over her body. The agony of being brutally violated was nothing compared to the numbness in her heart.

She refused to let herself sink into this vile and despicable act. When she had only a shred of rationality left, she bit her tongue hard. Blood spilled from her lips, and the men looked horrified, hastily backing away from her. He Shuwen smiled, as if mocking their cowardice.

Someone, out of shame and anger, slapped her hard and cursed, "You bitch! Stop acting so high and mighty!"

"We thought you were a soft rabbit, but you're fiercer than that dancer last time!"

"Old Yuan, what's going on? Why do you keep finding women like this?"

"Women like this are more exciting. If they don't resist at all, what's the fun?"

The group laughed, and He Shuwen lay on the ground, numb. Something was shoved into her mouth to stop her from self-harming, but it didn't stop their rough actions. He Shuwen stared at the ceiling, oblivious and indifferent.

"Afterward, I wished I could die," He Shuwen said. "But they wouldn't let me.

"They said it would be bad luck if I died in their place. They pinned me to the ground, saying those vulgar things. I threatened to call the police, and they laughed, pulling out a camera from the corner that had recorded everything that just happened."

"Yuan Zhenghao said, feel free to call the police, if I dare to call the police, he’s willing to release this material.

"I’m not afraid of what others think of me, but I’m afraid of what would happen if my grandmother found out. She’s not in good health; she couldn’t handle it... I had no choice but to endure it.

"After Yuan Zhenghao succeeded, he lost interest in me and never looked for me again. I thought it was good, I convinced myself to forget about it, as long as I acted like nothing happened, my life could continue.

"I acted as if nothing was wrong and continued to attend classes, prepare for final exams, go home, celebrate the New Year... everything seemed to be going well, but at some point after the New Year, I suddenly felt unwell, nauseous, sleepy... these symptoms made me realize something was off. I went to the hospital for a check-up, and the doctor told me I was pregnant."

"I felt like my world was collapsing, my first reaction was that I didn’t want to worry my grandmother, I couldn’t let her know. I thought I would abort the child when I saved enough money. But someone spotted me at the hospital, knew about my pregnancy, and told my grandmother."

He Shuwen looked dazed: "My grandmother passed out from the shock, I hurriedly took her to the hospital. The doctor saved her, but told me that this illness would require continuous treatment, staying in the hospital would be expensive, and the medical expenses would also be high."

And she had no money.

Shen Qingye was silent for a moment.

He Shuwen took a deep breath: "After that, it was as I just said..."

She murmured: "I just wanted to save my grandmother, I just wanted to ask him for a loan..." but he treated me like a prostitute.

"Afterwards, unwilling to give up, I went to the Yuan family company to find Mrs. Yuan, but I didn't even see her face, instead I was met with nothing but sarcasm."

At that time, she was truly desperate.

He Shuwen closed her eyes: "I could only watch my grandmother’s health deteriorate, unable to do anything..."

Shen Qingye sighed softly, and said: "So, you decided to kill Yuan Zhenghao?"

He Shuwen raised her head, took a deep breath: "Yes."

"At that time, I thought, why? My life was ruined by him, my grandmother was killed by him, why could he still live well, have money and status, even become a successful person in the eyes of others?

"I couldn’t stand it.

"Coincidentally, during that time, there was news that he was going to marry the eldest daughter of the Xue family. I saw this as the perfect opportunity, I could kill him and also cause a scene. I wanted everyone to know what a fraud this so-called gentleman was! What a disgrace this family was!"

He Shuwen was agitated, Shen Qingye looked at her, but slowly frowned: "You mean, the entire plan was your doing."

He Shuwen said: "Of course."

Shen Qingye asked: "Then how did you know there was a window in the hotel that wasn't closed? And how did you know there was a cleaner's wardrobe that wasn't locked?"

He Shuwen said: "Because I scouted the hotel and saw it."

Shen Qingye was stunned: "You scouted the hotel?"

He Shuwen said: "On the day the bride was looking at the hotel, there was a big scene, many parents and friends from both families came. When I heard the news, I also rushed over, pretending to be a friend of the bride, and successfully mixed in.

"I scouted the hotel, found that the window of the storage room seemed to be always open, so I made a mental note of it. Then, when the bride was about to leave, I went to the door of the cleaning room. At that time, there was no one inside, only a person named Xiao Wu was changing clothes. I was outside, when she was about to lock the wardrobe, I lied, saying the bride had spotted an area that needed cleaning and tricked her out. After she finished cleaning, I said the bride told us to leave as soon as we finished work, not to damage the wedding venue, she would come back to check again tomorrow.

"After everyone left, that night, I climbed in through the window of the storage room, and stole a set of cleaning clothes from Xiao Wu's wardrobe."

After that, it was as they saw in the surveillance, on the day of the wedding, she stuffed her shoes with insoles to alter her height, then put on the cleaning clothes and came early, hid behind the curtains in Yuan Zhenghao's lounge, and seized the moment just before the wedding began, stabbing Yuan Zhenghao to death.

Shen Qingye's eyebrows slightly sank: "So, this entire murder was orchestrated solely by you?"

He Shuwen looked at her, puzzled: "Otherwise? Could anyone help me?"

She smiled: "Who would assist me in something so deadly?"

She murmured to herself, "If someone could really help me, why would I have ended up like this?"

Shen Qingye was lost in thought for a moment.

According to Wu Yanhong's account, after she had changed her clothes and was about to lock the cabinet, she suddenly heard someone calling her, saying that the bride had found an area that was not cleaned properly, so she went out. Therefore, it was not Xue Mingqi who called her, but He Shuwen who fabricated the bride's intention to deceive her into leaving. Including later telling them to go back early, was that also part of He Shuwen's scheme?

If that were the case, everything was done by He Shuwen under the guise of Xue Mingqi's name, then Xue Mingqi would be entirely blameless.

Could it be that they were really mistaken? Is Xue Mingqi truly uninvolved in this case?