The interrogation room was independent and enclosed.

However, the one-way glass and all-round view monitoring was enough for someone outside to see clearly what was inside.

Old Kong sat alone on the chair.

The chair was placed in the middle by itself, and there was nothing else inside.

There were several cameras from the front, side, and back, broadcasting his aged, emaciated face, stooped, weak back as well as his handcuffed hands.

Xiang Wan looked on quietly outside the interrogation room, observing the middle-aged man who looked not much different from an old man, as well as his body language…

“Xiang Wan.”

It was Bai Muchuan.

“Mm?” Xiang Wan turned back and met his gaze.

In just one look, both of them seemed to understand what the other party was thinking.

“Hur!” Xiang Wan said, “I’m not a criminal psychologist. I’m just a novelist who likes to study the inner world of humans. I’ll do my best, are you satisfied with this answer?”

“Mm,” Bai Muchuan smiled, “I’m always satisfied with you.”

It sounded slightly jocular but sincere.

Xiang Wan could not find any hint of a tease from his face and was not in the mood to think more about it.

“Thank you!” She said, “So when are we going in?”

Bai Muchuan took a look at the time on his watch before he furrowed his brows a little. “Another 15 minutes to go.”

“Why 15 minutes?”

“Kong Guangming has been inside there for 45 minutes. It would be exactly an hour 15 minutes later. One hour of waiting time is the psychological limit for most people.”

There was also a clock on the wall of the interrogation room which was facing Old Kong.

In this way, he could see the passing of time and be tortured by it.

Xiang Wan smiled. “It’s a good thing that I’m not your enemy.”

“…” Bai Muchuan looked at her without much reaction, not saying a word.

These fifteen minutes was a test toward Old Kong’s psychological limit.

Nevertheless, it was also the same for the two who were waiting outside the interrogation room.

When talking about work, the atmosphere was free, calm and focused.

But now that they were waiting together, she felt that even her breathing got affected…

Indeed, men and women who have been in ambiguous relationships are not suitable to be friends, thought Xiang Wan.

“Relax,” said Bai Muchuan, “in fact, interrogation is a psychological contest. When you’re weak, the other party will be strong. If you can’t control your emotions, you’ll never get the answers you want.”

“…”

So he said this as he thought she was nervous because of the impending interrogation?

“Thanks for your advice, Captain Bai.” Xiang Wan turned her head to look at him and put on a polite smile. “Is this alright then? Am I relaxed enough?”

Bai Muchuan studied her. “Not enough.”

“?” Xiang Wan was baffled.

Bai Muchuan narrowed his eyes and spoke softly, “Guess what I saw in your eyes?”

“Hur.” Xiang Wan was amused by his serious expression. “What is it? I can actually hide things inside my eyes?”

Bai Muchuan nodded his head as a matter-of-factly. “Misunderstanding. I saw misunderstanding toward me in you.”

“…”

His eyes were warm but passionate as well.

After meeting his gaze for a few seconds, Xiang Wan felt a little overwhelmed.

“No.” She looked away. “In my eyes, there’s only work.”

“Is it?” Bai Muchuan looked at her with a straight face. “Why didn’t I see it then? Come, turn around so I can take a closer look this time?”

Watching him leaning over toward her, Xiang Wan took a step back and snorted, refusing to talk to him.

“Actually, I have a grievance. I’m really being wronged.” Bai Muchuan sighed as he leaned his back on the wall. His legs were slightly folded as he glanced at her lazily. “I’ve been sentenced to ‘death’ without a trial.”

“…” Well, nothing was stirring inside Xiang Wan’s heart… Of course, this was not true.

However, when she thought of the way Xie Wanwan and him got along with each other as well as their friendship of life and death, she felt that she was the one with a grievance. An unwarranted involvement in another’s two-person world turned her into the kind of person she hated.

“Detective Bai, I’m not that interested in the matters between the two of you… I know my place, I don’t like getting implicated in murky waters, and I especially dislike getting entangled in other people’s affairs. That will affect my judgement, my intelligence, ethics, pride and ability to love. Do you understand what I mean?”

The corners of Bai Muchuan’s lips curved upward.

“Isn’t it still a ‘death’ penalty?”

“…”

He wouldn’t be able to understand, thought Xiang Wan. She simply turned away so as not to look at him.

“This is not right.” Bai Muchuan puffed a sigh casually. His magnetic and melodious voice had a tinge of self-mockery and helplessness. “How can you not take up responsibility after touching me?”

And he had to mention it again!

Xiang Wan felt abashed and gave him a sideways glance.

“Do you know why you always give people a feeling of insincerity?”

Bai Muchuan raised an eyebrow. “Because I’m too good-looking beyond description?”

“…” That proud look of his.

Xiang Wan felt like giving him a punch.

She gave a snort and gave him a dismissive blink. “Your acting stinks!”

…

“Captain Bai!”

Tang Yuanchu came over and was puzzled to see the two standing there.

“How come the two of you didn’t go in?”

Bai Muchuan took a glance at him and looked at the time on his watch.

“It’s almost time. Let’s go in.”

“Alright.” His words sounded like she was being pardoned, and Xiang Wan felt relieved.

…

The door of the interrogation room was opened.

Tang Yuanchu had been called over to take down the statement.

Once again, Xiang Wan sat inside the interrogation room, but this time was her first official job ever since she had become an Advisor to the Criminal Investigation Unit.

Sitting in front of Old Kong, she looked at this middle-aged man that had prematurely stepped into the category of old with his gully wrinkled skin as well as a prolonged period of living in poor conditions that led to a depressed and dejected face.

“How do you feel now?” she asked slowly.

Such words without rhyme or reason startled Old Kong.

“Detective Comrade… I… really didn’t know. It’s true… If I’ve known that he would take out a knife, I’ll never leave the room. It’s true… really…”

He seemed to prattle on and on just like Aunt Xianglin 1.

But there was real pain amidst the numbness within Aunt Xianglin. Old Kong, on the other hand, only had numbness but no sorrow.

Xiang Wan looked at Bai Muchuan.

She recalled the day where he had confidently said during the meeting that Old Kong did not love his son and was an irresponsible father.

“Your son has been dead for two days, and yet you’re not upset at all. All you think of is how to get away from criminal responsibility. Kong Guangming, I feel sad for your son!”

When she said that, her expression was genuinely mournful.

Old Kong looked at her. He kept his mouth shut, not answering anything.

Xiang Wan glanced at his pair of wrinkled eyes. “Being affectionate to one’s kids is second-nature to a human being. Hence, we really don’t understand the reason that made you lose your nature? Kong Guangming, do tell us your story…”

Old Kong gazed at her with slumped shoulders.

Earlier on, he had gone through three rounds of interrogation.

However, those who came were male police officers. They used totally different interrogation methods.

Old Kong could not get used to that, but his face did not show much change.

“People will ultimately die. He’s not a good person, his presence would be trouble for our country. It’s good that he died.”

“…”

In the eyes of parents, even though their kid might be a devil, they would think that their kid is good.

Old Kong’s reply dealt a cruel blow to Xiang Wan’s heart.

“Take a look at your son again. Think it over carefully if you have anything to tell us.”

Xiang Wan took Kong Qingping’s information from Tang Yuanchu.

The photos of when he was alive and dead—pictures taken at the crime scene—were lined up for Old Kong to see.

“Your son is quite pitiful. Ever since he came to this world, he had never received much love. He did not have a mother from young, and had a father who didn’t treat him like his own…”

Old Kong’s expression had been numb till he heard the words “didn’t treat him like his own”.

He could act but not professional enough. The slight changes to his expression were caught by the three of them.

“I got it right, didn’t I?” Xiang Wan exchanged glances with Bai Muchuan before looking at Old Kong again. “Even a vicious tiger will not eat its cubs. If it does, that only means the tiger did not treat it as its own. Kong Guangming, according to the villagers at Kong Village, your wife left you shortly after giving birth to Kong Qingping. I don’t quite understand. What kind of circumstances a woman has to experience that she would abandon her own child and not even bother to contact, find out, or even pay a visit to her child?”

Old Kong’s body was motionless, but his adam’s apple moved slightly.

Xiang Wan stared solemnly into his eyes. “You and her, Kong Qingping’s mother, what happened that she had to leave you?”

It was the first time that Old Kong was asked about Kong Qingping’s birth mother during the interrogation.

He was caught off guard; his eyes were darting around as if to avoid something. He seemed unwilling to talk about what happened then.

“I… I forgot.”

“Impossible,” said Xiang Wan coldly, “because of a sentence made on her by someone, you got into a brawl and was sent to jail. How could you have forgotten her?”

“I really forgot. Would you mind not asking me that? Why are you digging into all these things? So what if I’ve been to jail? Does it mean that I would be a repeat offender by being to jail before?” Kong Guangming wanted to raise his hands, but the handcuffs were too heavy. After several attempts, he put down his hands. “Instead of seeking justice for my son, you police kept me here and question me all the time. What kind of procedures are you following…”

“Just answer our questions accordingly!” Bai Muchuan gave him a cold glare. “You have the obligation to answer questions in cooperation to the police to understanding the case. These are the procedures.”

Xiang Wan was too gentle, so Old Kong was not afraid and dared to argue with her.

A stern sentence from Bai Muchuan immediately made him behave.

“I have nothing to say. There’s nothing to talk about.”

He could behave himself, but he refused to say anything more.

This was also a way to resist police interrogation.

Xiang Wan looked at him for a moment and suddenly turned to Bai Muchuan. “Captain Bai, I suggest you send a team to investigate about Kong Qingping’s birth mother. Although it has been more than 20 years, her presence is of utmost importance to both father and son. It’s a crucial point for us to understand more about the case. Moreover, Kong Qingping is now dead. From a humane point of view, we should also inform his birth mother about it…”

“I’ll talk!” Old Kong suddenly chimed in, “I’ll talk, alright?”

Without waiting for anyone to ask him, he had growled with hatred.

“She’s a wh*re, a b*tch!”

Even as he finished saying his words, he was still gnashing his teeth.

Xiang Wan’s heart skipped a beat as she squinted her eyes at him. “Tell us in detail.”

“She’s been cheating on me.” Old Kong’s mood became complicated and agitated. He looked away so as not to look at the police. “When I found out about her affair, she ran away with her lover!”

His hoarse voice carried his old wounds and pain.

Everyone could react to suffering differently, but the moment they were unable to hide such emotions, they would most likely lose it and be impulsive.

“Who’s the lover?” Xiang Wan quickly grabbed the opportunity to find out more. “How did you know about their affair? How did she run away, and why didn’t she take her son with her?”

Xiang Wan had experienced the feeling of the heart and lungs being clawed when being questioned by the police about details. She knew that the more detailed the questions were, the more irritated one would be. And when one was irritated, their intelligence would suffer a dip. Hence, if one lied during the interrogation, there were bound to be loopholes in their statement. The best outcome would be the suspect telling the truth.

Sure enough, Old Kong started to get irritated.

The first time, he claimed that the villagers were gossiping about her. Only then did he notice something not quite right, so he went back to confront her and that woman ran away after that.

When Xiang Wan asked him who the villagers were specifically, he was unable to give a reply. He said that there was once a time when he came back home, he saw her face was red and her clothes seemed to be put on in a hurried manner. He was certain that she had just made out with someone else. Under his insistent questioning, she admitted that she was having an affair, and the next day before daybreak, she ran away.

“You didn’t look for her?” Xiang Wan continued to press on.

“I did, but I didn’t manage to find her.”

“You didn’t report the police?”

“I didn’t. It’s too shameful.”

“She never contacted you again after that?”

“No.”

“Why didn’t she take her son with her?”

“How would I know?”

“Who’s the lover?”

“I don’t know.”

“How did you confirm she had a lover when you don’t even know who that man was?”

“She admitted it herself. Of course, I would know…”

“But you didn’t ask who that man was? This doesn’t make sense at all.”

Her repeated queries made Old Kong’s head starting to be in pain. He was originally a bad-tempered person, and he stared at her as he replied. “It’s been more than 20 years, I’ve almost forgotten everything, I can’t remember.”

“All of you know I have a mental problem. I have manic syndrome and weak mental health. I’m on medication. If you continue to question me like that, if something were to happen, you won’t be able to handle the consequences.”

Xiang Wan was right on her judgement on Old Kong. He had a short fuse, and he had no ethical bottom line.

The moment things were disadvantageous to him, he would try ways and means to wriggle his way out of it.

“Fine, if you’re tired, you can have a break. We’ll wait for you.” Xiang Wan nodded her head. “But, don’t think of trying to fooling around with us. If you don’t give a clear and proper account of all these matters, you’re going to get interrogated everyday until we get all the facts we want…”

Old Kong kept staring at her; there seemed to be hatred in his eyes.

“Just talk!” Xiang Wan did not get angry but tried to guide him to talk instead. “Well, even if you are not willing to cooperate, the police are also able to find out. It’s just that we will need to spend more time on it. In this current society, the police will be able to find anyone they wanted to look for.”

Although this was a bluff, she managed to do it realistically.

Old Kong sat unmoved. He did not move the slightest bit.

A long while later, he gulped and started to move his mouth to say something.

He was trembling, shuddering in anger, or maybe he was just agitated.

“Women are all liars. All liars. Liars. Liars.”

He was gradually losing control.

That hour long wait, the oppressive atmosphere in the interrogation room, and the pressure from the police… These were enough to break the will of a person.

Besides, he was not entirely a normal person.

Old Kong’s state of mind was now entirely different from when they had just come in.

Bai Muchuan squinted his eyes, took out a packet of cigarettes, and gave him a cigarette.

Tang Yuanchu got up to light up the cigarette for him.

Flick, flick, flick.

As Old Kong’s hands were handcuffed, with the cigarette clamped on his mouth, he could only move his mouth as he inhaled the tobacco.

In the silent atmosphere, smoke began to fill the entire room.

The interrogation room was as cold as always.

In the silent moment, Xiang Wan thought a lot.

A story deduced from the characters and the plot were slowly formed inside her head.

“No one can see her again, right?” she suddenly asked, compassion filling her eyes.

Her gaze was as if seeing another person through Old Kong.

Old Kong paused for a while and looked at Xiang Wan, seemingly wanting to figure out something from her face.

“She’s dead, right?” Xiang Wan faced his vicious gaze courageously.

Two pairs of eyes met and confronted each other—

The valiant one wins.

Old Kong seemed caught in a daze and gradually stopped smoking. That cigarette suddenly fell from his mouth and fell onto him. The red, burning part of the cigarette scalded his leg, but neither did he notice nor feel the pain.

“Dead.”

“She’s dead?”

“Dead.”

“You killed her.”

Under Xiang Wan’s compelling gaze, Old Kong revealed his grief for the first time during interrogation.

“She died by herself, by herself. It’s not me. Seriously… it’s not me.”

Xiang Wan felt her heart being squeezed tightly.

The feeling that she was experiencing was really complicated. It was like her made-up story had become reality, and it fit perfectly to her deduction. She was both nervous but alarmed. She felt apprehension about her deduction ability as well as being able to sense other people’s emotions.

“Where is she? Kong Qingping’s mother.”

Xiang Wan did not ask where the corpse was but opted to use “she” instead.

It was her way of expressing respect toward the deceased.

Old Kong gritted his teeth, and there was only cruelty and malice on his expression.

“Fed to the dog… all fed to the dog…”

What? Xiang Wan gasped and her stomach started to churn.

Somehow, she got reminded of Old Kong’s big black dog.

But the next moment, she shook her head.

More than 20 years had passed; there was no dog that could survive for so long.

“The dog is inside the fish pond, fed to the fishes.” Old Kong’s eyes were now bloodshot, exhausted and powerless. The words he muttered were as though vicious curses. His mental state was definitely in a wreck. “She ate the fish, the dog ate her, and the fishes ate the dog… All inside the fish pond. She’s inside the fish pond! They’re all inside the fish pond…”

…

Footnotes:

Aunt Xianglin (祥林嫂) – The female leading character of the Chinese drama “New Year Sacrifice” tells the tragic story based in the Late Qing Dynasty of a widowed woman cast out by her family after her husband’s death and forced to bear the brunt of life’s cruel twists.