Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 447 He broke the defense
"Therefore, to win a hundred battles is not the best of skills; to subdue the enemy without fighting is the best of skills."

"Director Xie, I believe this sentence is the core spirit of 'The Art of War'."

A few days ago, in the office of the municipal bureau chief, Zhou Yi stood in front of Xie Guoqiang's desk and said something.

Xie Guoqiang, who was hunched over his desk, paused slightly upon hearing this, looked up at him, and said, "Continue."

"To subdue the enemy without fighting is not just a military strategy, but a top-level tactic. Its core is to make the enemy realize that the cost of confrontation far outweighs the benefits, so that they will give up resistance and achieve 'total victory'."

"Chen Gengyun is a political broker. He's like a spider crawling all over the web of power and money. I remember when Liang and I went to Liu Baoguo's office, Liu Baoguo joked that he was everywhere. That was a direct way of saying that he was a network broker, but unfortunately I didn't notice it at the time."

"So he established himself on this system. His public status, reputation, and resources, as well as his private relationships, interests, women, and so on, are all built on this."

"And he's a complete hypocrite. What's a hypocrite most afraid of?"

"Afraid of being exposed in public; afraid of losing the trust of others and thus losing their usefulness; afraid of encountering a true gentleman and exposing the ugly face of a true villain!"

"Because hypocrites are essentially a means of gaining benefits. Once they become pariahs, all their existing and future benefits will be wiped out, which is the most fatal fear for hypocrites."

Hearing this, Xie Guoqiang finally put down his pen, looked up at Zhou Yi with a hint of approval in his eyes, and asked.

"So you've already figured out how to make this rat nowhere to hide, haven't you?"

Zhou Yi nodded solemnly.

……

"Good evening, viewers. This is the 'Asking the Heart' program on Hongcheng TV. I am your host, Yu Rong."

"Today is the most special episode in the ten years since 'Asking the Heart' started, because today we will uncover the truth of a tragic case that spans more than thirty years."

"We have two guests with us today."

"To my left is a familiar old friend, Officer Zhou Yi, whom the citizens of Hongcheng affectionately call 'city hero'."

"And the man to my right is Professor Chen Gengyun, the dean of the School of Sociology at Hongcheng University, a renowned sociologist, and also the suspect in this case."

Under the spotlight, Yu Rong was elegant and graceful, her face adorned with a gentle smile as she recited a series of lines from the script with witty remarks.

Chen Gengyun looked around in horror.

At this moment, he was sitting in the studio of the "Asking the Heart" program, next to the program host Yu Rong, and opposite him was Zhou Yi, who was dressed in a police uniform and had a dignified bearing.

Inside the studio, there were blinding lights above and a row of cameras positioned in different locations below.

The massive cameras were all locked onto him, like a series of pitch-black abysses.

“No, what are you doing? What are you doing?” he shouted in terror, trying to stand up.

But no sooner had he lifted his buttocks from the chair than Jiang Biao, the towering figure of an iron tower, appeared behind him.

Jiang Biao placed his two large hands on his shoulders and pressed down lightly.

He felt as if Mount Tai was pressing down on him, and he couldn't help but sit down again.

"Stop filming me! Turn off the cameras! Turn them off now!" Seeing that he couldn't escape, Chen Gengyun could only raise his hands, which were adorned with silver bracelets, to fiddle with his face.

Zhou Yi said coldly, "Chen Gengyun, stop hiding. There are five cameras here that can film you from every angle. If you think hiding is useful, then we'll switch to a detention chair, which you're familiar with."

These words sent a shiver down Chen Gengyun's spine. He had sat in the interrogation room of the Municipal Public Security Bureau several times before, so he knew that once locked up, his hands and feet would be handcuffed, and even his chest would be restrained by a curved iron bar. Not to mention covering his face, it would be difficult for him to even move.

He lowered his hands and glared at Zhou Yi, but the anger in his eyes was clearly less than the fear.

"What...what are you doing? What you're doing is illegal, it's an invasion of my privacy! I'm going to sue you, I am!"

"Snapped--"

Suddenly, another large beam of light shone from above.

But this time, the lights were on the audience seats below the studio stage.

Many people were seated in the audience.

The one in the lead was Xie Guoqiang, the director of the municipal bureau.

Upon seeing the person next to him, Chen Gengyun trembled with fear and stammered, "Principal Sun... Principal Sun..."

The person next to Xie Guoqiang was none other than the principal of Hongda. At this moment, the principal's face was ashen, and the glasses on his nose reflected a cold light, making it impossible for Chen Gengyun to see the eyes behind the glasses.

Behind them were Liang Wei and Wu Yongcheng, followed by all the members of the task force.

Everyone was staring at him with sharp eyes, and at that moment, he felt a huge and inexplicable panic.

"You...you're police officers, how could you do this to me! I...I haven't been sentenced yet, you have no right to treat me like this!" he screamed hysterically, "I'm going to sue you! I'm going to sue you!"

Zhou Yi looked at the old man in front of him coldly from the closest distance.

Throughout, the old man remained calm and composed, even when faced with repeated clues from the police, he could take a step back without changing his expression and tell a new lie.

But this same Professor Chen was now acting like a shrew, shouting and yelling wildly and agitatedly.

Zhou Yi knew that he had completely broken down.

Xie Guoqiang is truly amazing; he struck right at his weak point with a single move.

Chen Gengyun was a sophisticated sociologist, a political broker with extensive connections, and a highly respected intellectual.

His social identity has shaped who he is today.

Many leading cadres experience vastly different circumstances and statuses before and after retirement.

Take Liu Baoguo for example. He has four years left before retirement. Once he retires, he will have no real power, and all he will have left is "being respected".

But Chen Gengyun is different. He has been using his identity as a sociologist and the pretext of academic research to cultivate his network of connections over the years, constantly navigating the vast web of power.

Even if he retires, it won't affect his status, because his position as the dean of the academy is just an added bonus for him now.

Therefore, what he, as a sociologist, truly fears is social death.

From his perspective, even if he is eventually sentenced to two years for perjury, he won't suffer much loss after his release.

The reason is simple: he still has connections and can return to his old ways at any time.

More importantly, he doesn't have to worry about these connections abandoning him.

Because he must know a lot of inside information, he has long been a link in this chain of interests.

Even after spending two years inside, he will still be a highly respected guest, addressed as "Dean Chen" or "Professor Chen" upon his release.

This was something he had planned long ago, which is why he changed his tune and pinned all the blame on Fan Tianyou.

Only by destroying Chen Gengyun's reputation and making him infamous will his connections avoid him like the plague.

In fact, quite a few people might even want him dead, since he knows too much.

Of course, the authorities have many ways to make his crimes public and expose them to the world, making it difficult for him to move an inch in the future.

The problem is that Chen Gengyun inside can't see these things, especially since he can't feel the fear brought about by this matter during the investigation and interrogation stage.

Therefore, this fear of social death needs to take effect at this stage and become a weapon to break down his psychological defenses.

But simply saying it isn't enough; Chen Gengyun wouldn't believe it.

Making it into the newspapers before a verdict is reached is not only illegal, but it can also cause public panic.

Moreover, if you show him a newspaper with his news published on it, he will only think that you deliberately printed a fake newspaper to scare him.

So Zhou Yi came up with the best solution.

On the wheel of fate, he and Chen Gengyun should have met during their first recording of the program "Asking the Heart".

But a series of changes caused the roulette wheel to start spinning.

Therefore, Zhou Yi needs to turn the wheel of fate back to its original starting point!

Television programs are the best way to make Chen Gengyun truly feel fear.

That was also his answer to Xie Guoqiang.

As it turns out, Xie Guoqiang had already written down the answer on paper.

More importantly, Chen Gengyun's reaction at this moment proves that he has realized how terrible this matter is.

So he broke down; he became hysterical and agitated.

They attempted to use the law as a shield, a last-ditch effort.

This tactic is to kill someone by destroying their spirit.

Xie Guoqiang stood up from the first row of the audience, walked over and said, "Chen Gengyun, it's no use. I have obtained the approval of the municipal party committee and the provincial party committee to record this case in the form of a program."

"And you can rest assured, this program will not air until the court issues its verdict. But I must remind you that my country's Criminal Procedure Law stipulates that, except for cases involving state secrets, personal privacy, and juvenile delinquency, all other cases must be tried in public. So today's program will only air after you go to prison."

"And I can assure you that this program will not only be broadcast in Hongcheng, but will also be broadcast in twelve cities throughout the province, including the provincial television station. We will make sure that everyone in the province remembers your name."

Xie Guoqiang smiled faintly and said, "Dean Chen should feel honored. There aren't many criminals who receive this kind of treatment."

Chen Gengyun stared wide-eyed at Xie Guoqiang in utter terror. He knew the other man wasn't joking; he really would do it.

"Director Xie, I...I beg you...please don't do this...save me some face...I have many friends..." Chen Gengyun tried to stand up, trembling, but Jiang Biao's hand behind him was like an iron clamp.

"If you ever need any help in the future... you can come to me... I... I..."

Zhou Yi knew that Xie Guoqiang's threat was the last straw that broke the camel's back. He was desperate and had no choice but to say such things in front of everyone.

Xie Guoqiang looked at him with disdain and said, "Chen Gengyun, there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. You must understand this principle, right? Do you think you'll still have friends after you're infamous for ten thousand years?"

"Now, there is only one path before you: confess all your crimes, make amends through meritorious service, and strive for leniency."

These words were like a beam of light shining from a lighthouse, instantly brightening Chen Gengyun's eyes. He murmured, "Yes, I didn't kill him. I'll confess honestly and make amends. I won't be sentenced to death."

He muttered in a low voice, so the people in the audience probably couldn't hear him, but the four people next to him heard him clearly. Zhou Yi's heart skipped a beat. Was he really not the one who killed the person? Or was he still lying?
Chen Gengyun suddenly raised his head, tears streaming down his face, and asked, "Director Xie, I... I can explain, but... could you... remove these cameras? I... hope we can keep a low profile..."

……

Zhou Yi truly admired Yu Rong. His previous impression of her was that she possessed exceptional professional skills and a strong background.

This time, Zhou Yi was impressed by her composure in the face of adversity.

Throughout the entire process, she maintained the elegance and poise of a host, with a professional smile on her face.

It was as if nothing had happened.

After Xie Guoqiang gave her a signal, Yu Rong immediately stood up, waved to the staff around her, and the cameramen in the studio all turned off their cameras and left in an orderly manner.

Yu Rong smiled and nodded at Xie Guoqiang, then said gently to Zhou Yi, "Thank you for your hard work, Officer Zhou."

Zhou Yi nodded in response.

As Yu Rong left, the door closed softly, leaving only Chen Gengyun, Principal Sun, and the members of the special task force in the studio.

At this moment, Principal Sun, whose face was as cold as ice, stood up and said to Xie Guoqiang in a dry voice, "Director Xie, I'll be leaving now. I'll leave the rest to the police officers."

Xie Guoqiang asked, "Isn't Principal Sun going to listen to this?"

Principal Sun waved his hand and said, "It's against the rules; it's not appropriate for me to be here."

Xie Guoqiang nodded and shook hands with the other party.

Principal Sun walked over to Chen Gengyun and looked at him.

Chen Gengyun looked up, unsure of what to say: "Principal, I..."

Principal Sun sighed deeply and turned to leave.

Zhou Yi didn't know the principal's identity or background, but even if he had no problems, the mere fact that Liu Baoguo and Chen Gengyun committed job-related crimes would likely make him guilty as well.

He's almost retired, and this incident has ruined his reputation in his later years.

“Chen Gengyun, those who were supposed to leave have left, and those who were supposed to be locked up have been locked up. Now you can talk your mind.” Xie Guoqiang’s tone was not questioning, but ordering.

Chen Gengyun looked around blankly at the cameras that were no longer lit, and nodded dejectedly, "I confess, I confess everything."

Instead of taking him back to the municipal police station, they interrogated him on the spot in the TV studio, which was simply to tell him that the cameras around them could be turned on anytime, anywhere.

Don't harbor any more illusions.

Xie Guoqiang gave Zhou Yi a wink, and Zhou Yi nodded.

Xie Guoqiang walked back to the audience seats, and Qiao Jiali took the note paper and went up to give her statement.

The lights above the audience seats went out, and everyone disappeared into the darkness.

In the huge studio, only the stage was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.

Above Chen Gengyun's head is the program's signboard, with two large characters that read "Asking the Heart".

"Chen Gengyun, I remember you said in Liu Baoguo's office that day that it was a pity that we couldn't record the program back then, right?" Zhou Yi asked.

At this moment, Chen Gengyun was hunched over, looking like an animal whose spine had been removed.

Zhou Yi pointed to the program sign above his head and asked, "Do you know the meaning behind the name of this program?"

Chen Gengyun swallowed hard and nodded weakly, "I know, I have a clear conscience." "Since you know those four words, then I won't say any more." Zhou Yi opened a file folder in front of him, took out a few items, and said, "Before we begin, I'll show you a few things. I hope that everything you say from now on is the truth."

Zhou Yi stared at him with a clear and insightful gaze and said, "This is your last chance. If we find out you've told even one lie, you'll bear the consequences."

Chen Gengyun nodded repeatedly: "I understand, I understand."

Zhou Yi then showed Chen Gengyun several items and observed his reaction.

The first document contains the DNA matching results for Chen Gengyun and Fan Tianyou.

It is written in black and white: the probability of parentage is greater than 99.99%, which meets the criteria for determining biological relationship.

Chen Gengyun didn't seem to have much of a reaction to the test results, suggesting that he probably already had a paternity test done through overseas resources.

That makes sense; given his shrewdness, it's impossible that he didn't secretly have a paternity test done.

The second document was the test report for the cigarette butt from that specially supplied cigarette.

Chen Gengyun's DNA was found inside.

Zhou Yi noticed that when he saw this thing, his pupils reacted with shock.

This means he knew where the cigarette butt came from.

If someone had picked up the cigarette butt after he carelessly discarded it, his first reaction would have been confusion, followed by shock.

Especially when Zhou Yi said that the cigarette butt was found in a mine in Xinbei Town, he actually showed a trace of sadness in his eyes.

The third item Zhou Yi showed was a photograph.

In the photo, Fan Tianyou is lying in a hospital bed, wearing an oxygen mask, with his eyes closed.

On his right, a heart rate monitor was specifically photographed.

Zhou Yi didn't say anything about the photo; he just showed it to Chen Gengyun.

The implication is clear: Fan Tianyou is still alive, so you'd better watch yourself.

After demonstrating these three items, Zhou Yi solemnly said, "Chen Gengyun, let's begin."

At this moment, Chen Gengyun nodded timidly, like an old man by the roadside.

"Then...where should I begin my explanation?"

“Let’s start from the beginning! From how you drugged and raped Li Aiping in 1963.”

As soon as Zhou Yi finished speaking, Chen Gengyun stared at him with wide eyes as if he had seen a ghost.

"you you……"

Zhou Yi sneered: "Do you think that by being careful and cautious in everything you do, you can fool everyone in the world?"

"Chen Gengyun, if you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place."

Zhou Yi saw immense fear in Chen Gengyun's eyes. He knew he had made the right move, and Chen Gengyun had suffered a complete defeat.

"I'll tell you everything."

"In 1963... I thought there were some things that no one would ever know."

Chen Gengyun said that in 1963, he was still called Chen Yimin, and he was a young man born into an ordinary working-class family.

At that time, he only had a high school diploma, but in an era when education levels were generally low, a high school diploma was considered a high level of education.

The majority of the educated youth sent to the countryside back then were young people who had graduated from junior high school, followed by those with high school diplomas.

In March of 1963, at the age of twenty, he received a notice from the neighborhood committee asking him to respond to the nation's call and go to Changfeng Forest Farm a month later.

He was dumbfounded; he had no idea where this Changfeng Forest Farm was.

That evening, he talked to his parents, asking if they could use their connections to get him out of the way.

But they were just an ordinary working-class family, with no connections whatsoever. Moreover, his father was traditional and felt that this was an honorable thing to do, so he encouraged him to go ahead and hone his will and spirit.

He was terrified, yet powerless to do anything about it.

Then I thought of someone: Li Aiping.

Li Aiping was his high school classmate. The two had feelings for each other when they were in high school, but people and ideas were not so open in that era, and many things would not be revealed until the very last step.

He has beautiful handwriting and can write modern poetry. He was a well-known literary youth in high school.

Although he was not particularly handsome, in that era, talent was the best thing to attract young girls who were just beginning to experience love and whose hearts were fluttering with first love.

Li Aiping was attracted by his talent and poetry.

Li Aiping's father is the head of a public institution, and she is the daughter of a cadre family with impeccable political credentials.

Chen Gengyun then approached Li Aiping and asked her to ask her father to pull some strings to prevent him from going to that Changfeng Forest Farm.

Li Aiping was in a dilemma because her father was an upright and incorruptible man, and her second brother had also gone to the countryside last year; children of cadres could not be given special treatment. She was spared only because her second brother had become an educated youth, as generally only one person from each family would be sent.

Chen Gengyun said with a wry smile: Li Aiping's second brother did go to the countryside, but the place he went to was a rural area in the next city, and the conditions were not that difficult. It was nothing compared to Changfengling, which was thousands of miles away, where I went.

He pleaded with Li Aiping, presented her with a love poem, and expressed his love for her on the spot. He said that he did not want to go to the countryside because he was afraid of hardship, but because he could not bear to be separated from her.

I fear that this parting will mean being separated forever, never to see each other again.

Li Aiping was moved by his sincerity and agreed to go find his father for him.

He was overjoyed, thinking that things had taken a turn for the better.

The next day, Li Aiping brought him bad news. Her father not only disagreed with helping him, but also angrily denounced him as a low-minded escapist who was unworthy of being his son-in-law.

This result made Chen Gengyun's vision go black, and he almost fainted.

Li Aiping told him to go without worry, and that she was willing to wait for him.

But this is not what he wants.

After a few days of despair, he came up with a plan: to make it a fait accompli. Li Aiping's father looked down on him, so he would make Li Aiping his woman. If Li Aiping didn't help him then, he would let everyone know that his daughter had slept with a man before marriage, making him lose all face.

At that time, Chen Gengyun's older sister had already gotten married. Taking advantage of his parents working the night shift, he tricked Li Aiping into coming to his home under the pretext of saying goodbye before leaving. He personally cooked a table of dishes and prepared some homemade rice wine.

During the meal, he took the opportunity to add some sleeping pill powder to Li Aiping's drink.

After Li Aiping passed out from "being unable to hold her liquor," he...

The next morning, Li Aiping woke up and found Chen Gengyun fast asleep beside her. She screamed and burst into tears.

Chen Gengyun pretended that they had both drunk too much the night before and made a mistake in a daze. He knelt there, slapping himself in the face while vowing that he would treat her well for the rest of his life.

Completely disoriented, Li Aiping fled through the door.

That evening, Chen Gengyun and his parents went to the Li family's house with gifts to "apologize," but they were beaten up by the Li family and driven away. Li Aiping's older brother even picked up a kitchen knife and chased him for three blocks.

But with the departure date of the educated youth team getting closer and closer, he could only place his hopes on Li Aiping's father. So he went to Li's house to look for Li Aiping while Li Aiping's father and brother were at work during the day, only to find out that Li Aiping had been sent to a relative's house in the countryside by her father.

His plan fell through completely, and when the day finally came, he boarded a train heading north.

He never imagined that what happened that night would sow the seeds and change his fate.

"I...can I ask how...how did you find out about this?" Chen Gengyun asked timidly.

He felt that only heaven, earth, and himself knew what happened that night, and even Li Aiping believed in the more than twenty years that the two of them had just had sex while drunk.

So when Zhou Yi uttered the words "date rape," he felt more terrified than if he had seen a ghost.

"Do you even have the right to ask?" Zhou Yi replied coldly.

But in reality, Zhou Yi didn't know about this either; he guessed based on some information he had found in the past two days.

Last time, when Chen Gengyun described his time as an educated youth at Changfeng Forest Farm, he mentioned a crucial phone call: the call he made to the headquarters of the Production and Construction Corps on Lunar New Year's Eve in 1963.

According to his own account, it was during this phone call that he asked his father to find someone to pull strings, which led to his later transfer back to Hongcheng.

At the time, Zhou Yi suspected that Chen Gengyun's family might not have the ability to do so, so he asked Qiao Jiali to help investigate Chen Gengyun and Li Aiping's family situation.

Due to the passage of time, this investigation took a considerable amount of time.

The accurate results only came out today.

Just as Chen Gengyun described earlier, his parents were ordinary working-class people with no special background.

Li Aiping's father, however, was a cadre in a certain unit, indicating a significant difference in the two families' social standing.

On New Year's Eve in 1963, the phone call Chen Yimin made from the headquarters of the Production and Construction Corps was clearly not to his parents, but to Li Aiping's father.

It's logically reasonable for Li Aiping's father to help, since his daughter had a child out of wedlock, and for the sake of his daughter and granddaughter, he had to bring Chen Gengyun back.

However, Zhou Yi had doubts about whether Li Aiping and Chen Gengyun's relationship was consensual. The reason was simple: people's thinking was still very traditional in the 1960s, and doing so would be extremely risky.

If Li Aiping truly insisted on marrying Chen Gengyun, she should have tried desperately to get her father to keep him. Why wait until her child was already toddlers before bringing him back?

It's important to know that many things are much easier to handle before they're finalized.

Later, this possibility was confirmed by someone.

Qiao Jiali found Li Aiping's older brother, Li Aiguo, who was the man Chen Gengyun had mentioned chasing him for several blocks with a kitchen knife.

Li Aiguo confirmed that after his sister returned home, she locked herself in her room and cried for a whole day, and later even threatened to kill herself.

This basically means there's something fishy going on here.

Zhou Yi's trick just now caused Chen Gengyun to confess everything.

"Chen Gengyun, that phone call on New Year's Eve in 1963, was it to Li Aiping's father?"

Chen Gengyun nodded: "Yes, when I wrote home, I asked my family to inquire about it. I said I wanted to wish Aiping's father a Happy New Year."

"How did you manage to persuade Li Aiping, who was thousands of miles away?"

“I…I wrote a long letter of ten thousand words to Aiping, begging for her forgiveness and hoping that she could stop blaming me for the sake of the child. As long as she is willing to forgive me, even if I die in that deep mountain forest, I will have no regrets in this life.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi cursed inwardly. The old man was really willing to spend a fortune. A letter of ten thousand words long—how many tricks and how much emotion must he use in it?

You know, when it comes to literary figures, those with great writing skills are indeed quite flamboyant.

"Since you're so deeply in love and have no regrets in this life, then what about Fan Chunyu?" Zhou Yi asked coldly.

"That... was an accident..." Chen Gengyun said guiltily.

"An accident? Explain yourself more clearly."

“Fan Chunyu arrived at the forest farm a few months after me. By then, I had already passed the most difficult period of adaptation, and my education level was higher than that of the educated youth. So when this group of newcomers arrived, the leaders asked me to introduce them to the situation and arrange their accommodations. Fan Chunyu was among this group. She was petite, with fair skin, and wore two braids. She timidly hid in the crowd, her eyes filled with unease and helplessness.”

"Her appearance immediately reminded me of myself when I first arrived a few months ago, and I felt pity for her, so I took extra care of her afterwards."

Zhou Yi asked, "Are you sure it's out of pity, and not because you had dirty thoughts?"

Chen Gengyun quickly waved his hand in denial, saying, "No, no, I swear I really didn't. At that time, all I was thinking about was Aiping. I really didn't think in that direction. And my later interactions with Fan Chunyu were all perfectly normal. We're just comrades, and I've never had any other thoughts."

"So innocent, then how did you get involved with them later?"

Chen Gengyun seemed dissatisfied with the word "flirting," but he didn't dare to argue.

"It was because on New Year's Eve, I went to the Corps camp to make that phone call. After making the call, I immediately rushed back because I could only walk, and it was very cold in the mountains, and it was snowing, with thick snow. I kept walking and walking for a long, long time before I finally got back to the forest farm, but by then everyone had already finished their New Year's Eve dinner and was resting."

"I was exhausted, hungry, and cold, so I went to the kitchen to find something to eat. I found two hard cornbread buns, so I hid in the kitchen and ate them while crying..."

Zhou Yi stopped him, saying, "Alright, stop playing the victim and say something useful."

"Okay, okay. I was eating a cornbread when suddenly the kitchen door was opened, which startled me. Then I saw Fan Chunyu walk in. She said she saw me come back from the window of their room."

"I wiped away my tears behind her back and asked her if she had enjoyed her New Year's Eve dinner. She smiled at me and told me to wait a moment, then she pulled out a bowl of meat from some corner. I was surprised and asked her where the meat came from. She said she had secretly hidden it while cooking. Then she started a fire on the stove and put the bowl of meat in the pot to steam. It was a bowl of roe deer meat, and the aroma of the meat wafted out of the pot while it was steaming. It was the best smell I had ever experienced in my life."

Chen Gengyun said that the two of them squatted face to face by the stove to keep warm, waiting for the meat to steam. It was freezing cold outside, and the only thing inside the house was the flickering flames in the stove.

The flickering firelight reflected on Fan Chunyu's young face, making it appear rosy.

An inexplicable impulse suddenly rose from the depths of his soul. In the firelight, their faces drew closer and closer until they finally kissed.

On that night of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, Chen Gengyun and Fan Chunyu crossed the line of morality.

Afterwards, Chen Gengyun learned that Fan Chunyu had actually fallen for him long ago. She initially had feelings for him because of his care for her, and later admired his talent after hearing him read his poems to everyone.

But in that era and under those circumstances, she could only suppress her emotions.

Moreover, Fan Chunyu had something special about her compared to other educated youth: her family background was problematic.

When Chen Gengyun mentioned this information that the police were unaware of, Zhou Yi instantly sensed something.

Three people in the audience noticed this as well, and they shifted their gaze from Chen Gengyun to Zhou Yi, wondering what he would ask next.

Zhou Yi spoke up: "Chen Gengyun, did you give Fan Chunyu a false hope with a lie?"

"I……"

Chen Gengyun felt intimidated by the young policeman in his early twenties.

Why? Why can he see through everything?
(End of this chapter)