Chapter 143 Interrogation

Chapter 143 Interrogation

"Officer, I'm completely innocent. He owed me so much money, and I haven't seen a single cent of it. If I had known he would cause such trouble, I wouldn’t have gotten involved with him in the first place."

"After all this effort, I got nothing in return—instead, I ended up implicating myself. Total waste of my time!"

"You can't pin this on an innocent person, you know."

The woman smiled brightly under the glaring lights, her mesmerizing eyes darting between the officers before her, completely unfazed by her own actions.

Shen Qingye studied her for a long time, her fingers twitching slightly, remaining silent for a while.

·

The interrogation room door opened and closed. Seeing this, Detective Cao quickly stepped forward. "Did she confess?"

Yue Lingchuan: "She did."

His expression was dark, and Detective Cao could understand why. This case had caused such an uproar, even involving organized crime. Two departments had collaborated, working their asses off to trace it this far. Though they finally had a result, so many lives had been lost over such a reason... No one would be in a good mood.

He patted Yue Lingchuan on the shoulder reassuringly. "At least we're getting somewhere now. Solving the case quickly will bring closure—for the higher-ups, the public, and the victims."

Yue Lingchuan smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Cao. I know what I'm doing."

Detective Cao gave him another pat, everything left unspoken.

·

By the time everything was settled, it was nearly midnight.

Meanwhile, in the interrogation room of the Criminal Investigation Detachment...

Liang Wenjun slouched in the metal chair, drained and confused, unsure how long he had been there.

He only remembered being bored with nothing to do, so he went to bed early. But just as he had lain down, he was yanked out of bed. Still groggy and confused, he was brought here.

Liang Wenjun was about to ask why they were disturbing him so late at night when the officer escorting him slammed the door shut and left without a word, stranding him inside.

At first, he was bewildered, then assumed the police would arrive soon. But he waited and waited—how long, he couldn’t tell—yet no one came.

The interrogation room was soundproofed too well; not a single noise from outside could be heard. As time dragged on, Liang Wenjun started getting antsy and began screaming about what the hell they wanted.

But the place felt like a soundproof bubble. He couldn’t hear anything outside, and it seemed no one outside could hear him either. No matter how much he yelled, there was no response.

Minutes ticked by. Liang Wenjun started losing it, kicking and punching the interrogation chair, cursing up a storm at the officers who had brought him here, demanding they show themselves instead of hiding in the shadows... Yet no matter what he said, no one acknowledged him.

One minute, two minutes... With no clock in the room, time blurred. It felt like an eternity, yet also like no time had passed at all. Eventually, he wore himself out, sagging in defeat, staring blankly at the empty interrogation table.

Then, with a sharp creak, the door finally opened. Liang Wenjun dragged his head up from the table and saw three people march into the room, taking their seats across from him.

Liang Wenjun stared at them and smirked. "Took you long enough?"

Shen Qingye remained composed. "We got tied up. Sorry about that, Mr. Liang."

Liang Wenjun scoffed. "Just admit you left me here on purpose. Why bother with these bullshit excuses?"

Shen Qingye replied, "You misunderstand, Mr. Liang. We truly had urgent business—we just returned."

Liang Wenjun closed his eyes and let out a derisive snort, making it clear he didn’t believe a word.

By the way, Mr. Liang, aren’t you curious about what we were doing?”

Liang Wenjun replied, “How’s that any of my business?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. This matter actually has a lot to do with you, Mr. Liang.”

Liang Wenjun looked away, unwilling to see them. But after holding this posture for a while without them saying anything else, he couldn’t help but frown and glance back impatiently.

Shen Qingye seemed completely oblivious to Liang Wenjun’s thoughts, changing the subject out of nowhere. Instead, she said, “We’d still like to confirm with you, Mr. Liang—were you really at home after 10 p.m. the night before last?”

Liang Wenjun, frustrated that she had cut off her earlier statement, felt a surge of irritation. Hearing her question, he grew even more impatient. “Where else would I be?”

“How many damn times do I have to say it? I was at home, at home, at home! What’s the point of asking me over and over again?”

He sneered, “You’ve already made up your minds that I killed Liang Yongcheng and his family. If that’s the case, why waste time talking now? Go ahead, save us all the trouble—I’ll sign a confession right away. Wouldn’t that satisfy you?”

He pounded the table, his expression agitated. Yet Shen Qingye remained calm, her gaze unflinching, and said coolly, “Mr. Liang, please calm down. We’re just doing our jobs.”

Liang Wenjun scoffed, “Jobs? What kind of bullshit rules are those?”

“Let me ask you—what would I gain from this? I’m no angel, but I’m not so heartless as to kill my own uncle’s family with my own hands!”

“I have money and leisure, everything I could want. Why would I do something like this?”

His face was flushed with anger, his chest rising and falling fast, as if truly wronged, his eyes burning with fury. But Shen Qingye remained indifferent, just coolly asking, “Is that so?”

She continued, “Then what’s this about your seven-million gambling debt?”

The room went dead silent.

Liang Wenjun’s pupils constricted, but he forced himself not to show any reaction. “Wh-what?”

He stammered, “What gambling debt?”

Shen Qingye’s gaze was dark as an abyss, making his pulse race. “Do I need to jog your memory?”

“Mr. Liang, what do you think we were just busy with?”

A loud gulp cut through the silence.

Liang Wenjun stiffened his neck. “No idea.”

Shen Qingye smiled. “That’s fine. Let me jog your memory.”

“Last Wednesday, She Manqing’s casino. Seven million.”

“Mr. Liang, do I need to say more?”

Liang Wenjun stared at her composed expression, his hands shaking badly on the table.

“I—I don’t follow. What seven million? What gambling debt?”

“Police Officer, if you’re gonna frame me, at least make it believable.”

“I don’t even know who this She Manqing is.”

Shen Qingye chuckled softly, leaning back, relaxed. “Mr. Liang, let me say it again—we play everything by the book.”

She reached out, picked up a document from the table, and tapped it against her palm. “This is what She Manqing had to say.”

"She’s given us a full confession. Mr. Liang, are you really still going to deny it now?"

Liang Wenjun stared at the tiny, cramped black text on the white paper, his breath catching slightly. Gritting his teeth, he retorted, "What’s one confession worth? For all I know, she’s setting me up!"

Shen Qingye replied calmly, "A confession tells us plenty. For instance... the most crucial element—motive."

She paused briefly before continuing with a faint smile, "Besides, didn’t you say you didn’t even know She Manqing? So why would she randomly pin this on you?"

Liang Wenjun froze, his expression darkening as he fell silent.

Shen Qingye sat back, relaxed. "How do you explain all this, Mr. Liang?"

Liang Wenjun clenched his fingers tightly, his face tense, teeth gritted, refusing to speak for a long time.

Beside them, Yue Lingchuan and Yan Haifeng remained silent, quietly observing Shen Qingye’s performance.

The room was so quiet that even the sound of breathing was audible.

Shen Qingye twirled a pen idly in her hand, her tone unhurried. "Liang Wenjun, let me remind you—you can stay silent if you want. But staying quiet won’t stop this case."

Liang Wenjun’s dark eyes bore into her, but Shen Qingye tilted her chin slightly, unflinching. "We’ve got more than enough proof—motive, method, opportunity... and you’re the one who benefits the most."

"Under these circumstances, whether you confess or not makes no difference to the case’s outcome."

"Fighting this is pointless. At best, it buys you a little more time."

As her words settled, Liang Wenjun’s breathing grew heavier, his stare turning icy.

Shen Qingye watched him with a faint smile, looking completely at ease, almost smug.

Liang Wenjun’s expression grew increasingly grim.

They stared each other down, seconds stretching into minutes. Finally, Liang Wenjun closed his eyes, his body slumping weakly into the chair.

"Yes," he exhaled heavily. "I admit it. I did it."

He lifted his lashes, a bitter smirk twisting his lips. "I killed them—the whole family."

His voice rose abruptly, laced with agitation. "But why? He’s the one who pushed me to this!"