Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 241 Confess to Me 14
The story is slowly becoming clearer.

In the accident that happened back then, Zhou Wen'an and Zhou Qi might have been the murderers or accomplices, while Yuan Hanyue might have been... a witness.

But the witness was discovered by the murderer, so for all these years, even though she didn't like Zhou Wen'an, she has been trapped by Zhou Wen'an's side.

Because this couple didn't get together because they liked each other; their relationship was just a beautified form of coercion and imprisonment.

That's why Yuan Hanyue couldn't bear it any longer and killed Zhou Wen'an in such a cruel way.

Zhou Qi and the others helped simply because they didn't want Zhou Wen'an's death to be used as a pretext to investigate the incident from back then.

Thinking further, it's quite understandable that Zhou Qi wanted to eliminate Yuan Hanyue, the witness.

Tan Jia analyzed his ideas, and everyone agreed with them.

“But there’s a problem,” Xiao Chen said on the other end of the phone, “If that’s really the case, why didn’t they just kill Yuan Hanyue, the witness, when they discovered her?”

Zheng Yan analyzed based on his years of experience: "Her identity as a witness may not be simple, and there is a certain probability that she is also one of the perpetrators. It is also possible that keeping her alive will serve a greater purpose."

Xiao Chen: "So the mastermind behind this is the victim from back then? Someone who appeared at the clay sculpture exhibition, who could enter and exit the back door of the bar, and who witnessed the body disposal scene with Zhou Qi and the others."

"Not necessarily," Tan Jia said.

"Judging from their reactions, what they did back then must have been very serious. If the victim were still alive, they wouldn't be so panicked."

Xiao Chen: "So the mastermind behind the murder may also be the victim's family member, and they know who this family member is."

Tan Jia neither nodded nor answered.

She felt that perhaps not necessarily.

But guessing alone cannot solve the case; they must first investigate along this newly analyzed lead.

First, we need to investigate people who have appeared in all three key locations. If we're lucky, we can find the murderer directly.

Secondly, we need to find out where Zhou Qi and Yuan Hanyue are, so we can get the whole story from them.

Third, investigate the deceased Zhou Wen'an's past. Even if their secrets were well hidden, it's impossible for no information to have leaked out, especially when it involves major crimes.

The first thing they investigated turned out to be unexpectedly difficult.

They found no one who had appeared at the same time at the exhibition, the back door of the bar, and the route where the body was dumped.

At the exhibition, too many people were staring at Tan Jia's dough sculptures. According to the surveillance video, some people were discussing them while looking at them, some were taking pictures, and some were staring at the dough sculptures in deep thought. It all looked quite suspicious.

The cleaning ladies who entered and exited the bar through the back door have a clean record in terms of time, and there are witnesses to testify to this.

There are even more people along the route where the body was dumped; the technical team is still checking their identities and making comparisons one by one.

The second matter was resolved quickly, as someone called for an ambulance and Zhou Qi was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment.

When Tan Ming called back to report on the matter, he even said that he might as well stay at the hospital.

"Zhang Tai hadn't been saved yet when he came in again, also covered in blood, and he was so blood loss that he couldn't even speak."

Zheng Yan asked, "Did Yuan Hanyue do it?"

"It looks like it is. The forensic team is examining fingerprints. There are signs of a struggle inside the car. Judging from the blood splatter, it seems that Zhou Qi attacked Yuan Hanyue in the back seat first, and then Yuan Hanyue pulled out a knife."

Yuan Hanyue's attack power is unpredictable. When unarmed, she's like a puppet being manipulated at will; when armed, she's a madwoman who won't stop until she's thoroughly satisfied. Just look at Zhou Wen'an's battered face to know that.

How many times were you stabbed?

"Five cuts. After those five cuts, Zhou Qi didn't even have the strength to take out his phone to make a call. He was stuck between the front and back seats. If a traffic policeman hadn't found him while issuing a ticket, he would have died from blood loss."

Tan Jia calmly expressed his regret: "What a pity."

"Is it a pity she didn't die or what?" Zheng Yan glanced at her, but didn't want to lecture her further, so he simply pretended not to hear and continued to ask Tan Ming, "Did Yuan Hanyue bring the knife herself, or was it in Zhou Qi's car?"

"Looks like he brought it himself."

"Did she bring a knife to see Zhou Qi because she believed he had taken her mother and wanted to force him to hand her over? Or was she prepared for Zhou Qi to harm her?"

“Maybe it’s both,” Tan Ming said. “However, according to the surveillance footage, Yuan Hanyue rushed off to Luonan Avenue after leaving, which is the direction of her parents’ house. I’m wondering if Zhou Qi told her about her mother’s location when he was stabbed, or if it was something else.”

"Go and investigate. Don't stay at the hospital. So far, Yuan Hanyue was the one who attacked all three people, but she hasn't gone to find anyone else, which means there won't be any new casualties for the time being."

Tan Jia said quietly from the side, "Don't make any promises, Captain Zheng."

"...Go and sculpt your dough figurines."

She shrugged, put the sculpted Zhou Wen'an aside, and continued sculpting Yuan Hanyue, an important figure in the case.

Yuan Hanyue's physical features are easy to describe: long hair, red dress, and quite pretty. Her parents should be good-looking too, but I wonder if they know anything about what happened back then... etc.

Tan Jia suddenly stopped: "Whoever took Yuan Hanyue's mother away, whether it's the mastermind or Zhou Qi, why would they choose to target her mother? Not her father, not both parents together, but only her mother. Is there a deeper meaning behind this?"

Could Yuan Hanyue's mother also be involved in what happened back then?

According to information Lin Zhiyue helped him find out, Yuan Hanyue's parents are both middle school teachers. They started teaching at the middle school Lin Zhiyue attended twelve years ago, and before that, they seemed to have worked at another, less prestigious middle school.

Would twelve years ago be a significant milestone?
"Could it be that the incident happened at school..." Zheng Yan fell into deep thought. It wasn't that he couldn't figure it out or guess, but that there were just too many related cases.

The trend of juvenile delinquency is not just a figure of speech; they frequently conduct investigations in schools.

"Twelve years ago, Yuan Hanyue was only sixteen, and Zhou Wen'an and Zhou Qi were seventeen. So much could have happened. School bullying? Sexual assault? Murder?"

"You can look up that school."

The school won't expose its own dirty laundry, but the students, teachers, and residents who have heard about it may still remember a major event from twelve years ago.

Zheng Yan, along with his equipment and "apprentice," planned to visit that school.

Just as I was about to leave the office, the police officer who was helping to investigate Zhou Wen'an's past cases walked in and said solemnly, "Zhou Wen'an's past files cannot be found; they must have been sealed."

Zheng Yan's brows suddenly furrowed.

Tan Jia didn't quite understand and asked, "What does 'sealing the files' mean?"

"That means he's a juvenile delinquent."

The sealed files are not accessible to the general public. Zheng Yan applied for access and was able to find out the specific details of Zhou Wen'an's crime.

"When he was nine years old, he 'accidentally' pushed a pregnant woman down the stairs, causing her to have a difficult childbirth and severe bleeding. She lost her child and also lost her fertility. The victim claimed that Zhou Wen'an was clapping and laughing on the stairs at the time."