Chapter 128: Interrogation
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
This news was like a thunderbolt, making both of them shiver all over.
They had placed all their hopes on Zhao Yinchu as the key to their clues. But now, suddenly hearing that Zhao Yinchu was dead, it felt like a nightmare and it didn't feel real at all.
But the strange behavior they saw earlier from the doctors and nurses proved that it was true.
Zhao Yinchu was a doctor. Now that news of her death had spread inside the hospital, maybe the hospital didn't tell the patients in order to keep it quiet, so many people still didn’t know.
Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo looked at each other, and didn’t speak for a long time.
“Today Dr. Zhao didn’t come to see A'Shuang. Normally, she always comes on time. I have Dr. Zhao’s number. I tried to call her, but couldn’t get through,” Lin Tingyu said in a low voice. She was a director who worked in entertainment marketing and had seen a lot, but death still hit her hard. “I know a few doctors here well, so I went to the office to ask. Then I heard the news that Dr. Zhao had died. The police already went to her house. Now there are police at the hospital too, and many doctors went to a meeting.”
"At her house?" Ruan Yesheng’s heart skipped a beat. She felt dizzy even now. "Dr. Zhao died at home? When did it happen?"
"Come in and let's talk," Lin Tingyu said. "It’s a bit complicated. I saw you were looking for Dr. Zhao, so I thought I should tell you."
Ruan Yesheng looked at Xi Mo. Xi Mo gave her a look, so she walked into Lin Tingshuang’s hospital room with her.
Lin Tingshuang, sitting in the wheelchair, looked timid and kept staring at the two of them.
Lin Tingyu got two chairs for them. She stood beside Lin Tingshuang and said gently, "A’Shuang, let me introduce you. These are people your big sister knows. It’s your first time meeting them, don’t be scared."
Lin Tingshuang didn’t say anything at first. She looked closely at Ruan Yesheng, and her eyes seemed to light up a little.
Ruan Yesheng was still thinking about Dr. Zhao’s death. She didn’t understand why Lin Tingshuang was looking at her like that, but she still politely nodded at her.
Lin Tingshuang looked a bit surprised. Then she said, "Hello, Miss Ruan."
"Hello, Miss Lin," Ruan Yesheng replied kindly.
"What exactly happened?" Xi Mo looked at Lin Tingyu and asked, "Miss Lin, can you explain it clearly here?"
Why did Zhao Yinchu die?
She was totally fine just yesterday. This was all too sudden. She just couldn’t accept it.
Lin Tingyu said, “I’m not really sure about the full details. I just heard from a few doctors who knew what happened. They said Dr. Zhao’s body was found right before lunchtime. She had a break this morning. She had talked to a friend earlier and invited that friend over for lunch. When the friend arrived at her house, the door was half open. After walking in, they saw Dr. Zhao lying on the floor. She wasn’t breathing anymore.”
Lin Tingshuang’s face turned fearful after hearing what Lin Tingyu said.
Lin Tingyu quickly comforted her gently, “It’s okay. Don’t be scared. I’m right here.”
Lin Tingshuang reached out and held on tightly to Lin Tingyu’s arm. Lin Tingyu was very tall, and she bent down a little to match her.
“What was the cause of death?” Xi Mo asked right away.
“Those doctors said she was stabbed to death. Not just once—she was stabbed many times. The hospital thinks maybe it was someone causing trouble or looking for revenge. As for what the police think, they don’t know yet. The police are still asking questions,” Lin Tingyu said. “I haven’t heard anything else for now. I guess only the police know the full story.”
The trail they were following just suddenly broke. Xi Mo felt a chill spread all over her body. She wanted to know more, but it seemed like Lin Tingyu didn’t know much more either.
Ruan Yesheng felt the same way, like she was choking. It was hard to breathe.
How could this… be such a coincidence?
Today they were planning to ask Dr. Zhao some very important questions, and now Dr. Zhao was dead.
“Miss Lin,” Ruan Yesheng took a breath and asked Lin Tingyu, “what are you going to do next?”
"I can only take A'Shuang back to Shanghai first," Lin Tingyu sighed. "Doctor Zhao was A'Shuang's attending doctor after all. Even though I didn’t have much contact with her, it was only because of A'Shuang’s illness that we got in touch. But I’m really thankful to her. Now I feel it’s such a pity. I just hope the police can catch the killer soon. The hospital is now collecting donations inside to give to Doctor Zhao’s family. I plan to donate some."
She paused, then said, "Yesterday I heard you say you wanted to thank Doctor Zhao. I’m very sorry I have to tell you such sad news."
Ruan Yesheng was about to ask more, when the door was knocked twice.
The door wasn’t closed, and the four people in the room looked over. They saw a young woman standing at the door with a serious face. A man stood behind her.
The woman had long hair tied behind her head. She looked brave and cool. She wore black Martin boots. It was Cui Jiayu. Behind her was her follower, Cheng Yu.
Cui Jiayu’s eyes were cold and sharp. She scanned the hospital room.
Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo had seen Cui Jiayu before. They stood up right away.
"Miss Ruan." Cui Jiayu walked over. Her eyes looked over the two of them, then landed on Xi Mo. Her tone became a little soft without meaning to: "Miss Xi, hello. We meet again."
"Officer Cui, hello." The two of them had to greet her.
Cui Jiayu glanced at Lin Tingyu. Her face looked strange. She looked cold, but didn’t speak. Lin Tingyu’s face was calm and kind. When she saw Cui Jiayu come in, she wasn’t surprised at all. Instead, there was a bit of amusement in her eyes.
But Lin Tingshuang became happy when she saw Cui Jiayu. She stared straight at her intently.
"You two know her?" Cui Jiayu pointed at Lin Tingyu.
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Xi Mo knew how sharp Cui Jiayu was. Cui Jiayu always came prepared. The questions she asked were most likely things she already checked out. So Xi Mo just told the truth, "We worked with Miss Lin before when we were filming a movie. Yesterday, Ruan Yesheng and I were staying here in the hospital. We ran into Miss Lin and her younger sister. Her sister is also being treated in this hospital, so we started talking."
Seeing Xi Mo answer first, there was a little bit of joy in Cui Jiayu’s eyes. But her face didn’t show it. She said with a straight face, "I also have something to ask you two. Since you're both here, this makes things easier."
"What do you want to ask, Officer Cui?" Ruan Yesheng said.
"Zhao Yinchun, Doctor Zhao. You two met her, right?" Cui Jiayu got straight to the point.
"Yes, we did. Yesterday, when we were in the ambulance, Doctor Zhao was the one on board with us," Ruan Yesheng said honestly. She knew Cui Jiayu wasn’t someone easy to fool.
"It’s like this. Today we police got a report. Doctor Zhao Yinchun was killed in her home. Now we need to talk with everyone who had contact with her recently to see if we can find anything. Hope you understand."
"We understand," Ruan Yesheng said.
"When was the last time you two saw Doctor Zhao?" Cui Jiayu asked.
"Actually, Xi Mo and I were only with her during that short time in the ambulance. Later we fainted and got taken in for emergency treatment. She wasn’t on the same hospital floor as us, so we didn’t see her again. At that time, we didn’t even know which doctor she was," Ruan Yesheng answered clearly. "After we woke up, Xi Mo and I wanted to thank the doctor in the ambulance. We asked a nurse and then found out it was Doctor Zhao. The nurse said Doctor Zhao was on duty last night, so we went to the eleventh floor to find her. But she had already asked for leave and left. So we just went back to rest. Just now while talking with Miss Lin, we found out Doctor Zhao had already…"
Cui Jiayu quietly listened until here, then nodded her head. "Thank you, Miss Ruan, for your cooperation. Since you two had no more contact with Doctor Zhao after that, then I don’t need to ask more."
But then her tone suddenly changed, and she looked at Lin Tingyu. "But this Miss Lin, our police haven’t officially released the news yet. How did you find out about Doctor Zhao so fast? Seems like your information comes real quick, huh?"
Anyone could hear the hidden meaning in her words.
But Lin Tingyu didn’t seem nervous. She just looked at Cui Jiayu with calm eyes.
For some reason, Ruan Yesheng, standing at the side, felt that Cui Jiayu had some kind of subtle hostility toward Lin Tingyu.
"I asked a doctor I know. That’s how I heard about it," Lin Tingyu said slowly and clearly. "Doctor Zhao was in charge of A'Shuang’s treatment. She didn’t show up today, so I went to ask. Even if the police didn’t tell the public yet, the hospital already knew. Aren’t you police already here talking to people?"
"Which doctor was it?" Cui Jiayu’s eyes turned sharp.
"Doctor Zhang Guojun and Doctor Wang Yi. If you don't believe me, you can go ask them. They share the same office with Doctor Zhao." Lin Tingyu stayed polite even when Cui Jiayu questioned her.
"From ten in the morning to twelve noon today, Miss Lin, where were you?" Cui Jiayu stepped closer, coldly staring into her eyes.
Xi Mo noticed that Cui Jiayu’s question was only asking where Lin Tingyu was during that time.
Cui Jiayu was a police officer. She must be the one who knows the exact time of death. That means Doctor Zhao Yinchun died this morning, and ten to twelve is the possible time of the crime.
Lin Tingyu stood face-to-face with her and said, "I was in the hospital room, staying with A'Shuang."
Cui Jiayu kept pressing.
But Lin Tingyu still looked gentle and proper, like a lady with good manners.
"Who can prove that?" Cui Jiayu sneered.
Xi Mo frowned.
Even though she didn’t know Cui Jiayu that well, from the past, she knew Cui Jiayu always worked calmly and followed the rules when handling cases.
But right now, Cui Jiayu looked kind of strange. The way she talked to Lin Tingyu was like they were fighting. It felt really personal. As a police officer, she shouldn’t be like that. But when she faced Lin Tingyu, she seemed to lose control of her feelings.
"A'Shuang can be my witness," Lin Tingyu said. "And also the caretaker I hired."
"Your sister is your family," Cui Jiayu said coldly. "And that caretaker might lie for you because you paid her. I have a reason to doubt what both of them say. Your sister is Doctor Zhao’s patient. You had chances to meet Doctor Zhao often. And from crime records, many killers are people the victim knew."
Lin Tingshuang had been happy to see Cui Jiayu. But now she quickly said, "A'Ting didn’t lie. She was with me in the room all day. She didn’t go out at all."
Cui Jiayu turned her head and looked at Lin Tingshuang. She felt a little annoyed and said, "I’m talking to your sister. Don’t interrupt."
Lin Tingshuang froze. Then she looked down with red eyes. Sitting in her wheelchair, she pressed her lips together and didn’t say a word.
Lin Tingyu had been calm the whole time. But when she saw how sad Lin Tingshuang looked, her face turned cold.
Cui Jiayu stared at Lin Tingyu and noticed the change in her face. That made her feel proud.
But this kind of pride felt weird. It was like a kid fighting and winning, then laughing and saying, "What? Are you mad now because you can't prove you're innocent?"
Lin Tingyu slowly walked up to Cui Jiayu. She tilted her head and looked at her.
She smiled gently and said in a soft voice, "Jiajia, you should watch your tone when talking to my little sister."
That name was like a firecracker inside Cui Jiayu. It blew up right away.
Cheng Yu, standing behind them, shrank his neck like a turtle. He thought he heard it wrong.
What the hell?
...Jiajia?
Cui Jiayu’s face turned red like a tomato. She got super mad and rushed forward, reaching out to grab Lin Tingyu. "Lin Tingyu, who are you calling that?!"
But Lin Tingyu just stepped aside lightly. Then her hands moved fast and sneaky. She grabbed Cui Jiayu’s shoulder.
Cui Jiayu tried to fight back, but Lin Tingyu followed her strength, spun her body, held her arm with one hand, and pushed her shoulder from behind with the other.
She pinned her down like catching a chicken.
Xi Mo quietly grabbed Ruan Yesheng and backed away a few steps, afraid they'd get caught in the mess.
As outsiders, they watched the whole thing. Now they finally got it—Cui Jiayu and Lin Tingyu were actually... acquaintances.
And not just acquaintances. They were very familiar.
Cheng Yu was shocked and stood in a daze.
What the hell is going on?
His boss fought everyone in the police station and never lost. She was the hero in his heart. But now, she got pushed to the ground by a weak girl with a big smile.
Cui Jiayu’s face turned red like it was dripping blood. She was a real captain. Everyone in the bureau gave her some face. But now, right in front of her own people, she got caught by that Lin Tingyu. She felt like half the sky fell down. She forgot who she was and started yelling, “Lin Tingyu, you big bastard, let go of me!”
Lin Tingyu didn’t care and still held her down.
Cui Jiayu couldn’t move at all. Her lungs felt like they were going to blow up. She felt like all her face broke into pieces today. Her head got hot, and she shouted many bad words at Lin Tingyu, not even repeating one.
Cheng Yu was scared and shocked.
The boss can actually curse?
Every time there was a discipline contest, Cui Jiayu was always number one. She always remembered the police image. She never said bad words. And she always taught Cheng Yu to speak with manners and build a new trend. Bad words were not allowed at all.
So where did all these words from Cui Jiayu come from now? Cheng Yu felt like his whole understanding of the world broke today. This Lin Tingyu who looked gentle and nice, was actually a smiling tiger. And his boss? She was just like a fire-breathing dragon!
And the fire-breathing dragon got pressed down by the smiling tiger. She couldn’t move at all.
Lin Tingshuang saw the two of them fighting. She panicked in her wheelchair and didn’t know what to do. She said in a hurry, “Sister, Jiajia, don’t fight. If you have something to say… say it nicely!”
“Your sister, my foot!” Cui Jiayu got even angrier and almost spat blood. “You keep shouting nonsense again.”
*she said 你妹啊 (Nǐ mèi a) lit. your younger sister, an extended/evolved/toned down form of *你马- f your mother, most likely coined to avoid censorship. It's usually mean fuck/damn/ cut the crap. Lin Tingyu most likely taking it as insult to her younger sister
“Who are you calling ‘your sister’?” Lin Tingyu’s eyes turned cold, and she pressed down even harder.
"Lin Tingyu, your grandma's a bear, your uncle's leg! You bastard turtle calf, shriveled calf, let me go! If you don’t let go, I... I..."
*random curses from dialects/slang/memes - basically, fuck you, SOB, useless brat etc.
Cui Jiayu was almost forced to kneel under her, and she started cursing all over the place, without any order.
“What are you going to do?” Lin Tingyu leaned close to Cui Jiayu’s cheek and smiled while asking.
“I… I’ll tell my brother! He’ll take care of you!” Cui Jiayu gnashed her teeth. “Just you wait!”
Cheng Yu stood on the side watching, and felt like his boss was acting like a little kid yelling, "You wait for me after school! You took my lollipop today, I'll tell my big brother to beat you up! Let's see if you dare take my lollipop again!"
"Oh." Lin Tingyu looked even happier. "Now I remember. Your big brother called me the other day and confessed. He said he likes me and wants me to be your good sister-in-law. I don’t like your brother, but I still have to give him a little face. But Jiajia, can you be a good girl, okay?"
“You shameless woman! Who are you trying to fool! My brother would never like a flashy cheap slut like you! Impossible! You're shameless!” Cui Jiayu was almost furious to death. “You’re shameless, you… you… shameless!”
She ran out of bad words, and could only repeat “shameless” again and again.
Xi Mo: “…”
Ruan Yesheng: “…”
Ruan Yesheng whispered to Xi Mo, “Should we go outside?”
“Okay,” Xi Mo nodded.
This scene was really hard to explain.
If they kept watching, Officer Cui might not be able to face anyone again.
Cui Jiayu heard that and almost burst into tears from being so anxious. Her face turned red as she shouted at Xi Mo, “Don’t… don’t go out! Please help me close the door! Xi Mo, Xi Mo, goddess, I’m begging you, help me close the door!”
Xi Mo: “…”
She was about to leave with Ruan Yesheng, but then she heard Cui Jiayu calling her in a panic, all mixed up and speaking nonsense. She turned her face back, full of doubt, and stared at Cui Jiayu.
Cui Jiayu: “…”
Author's Note:
There are millions of words in a language but being civilized comes first. When flowers came out of Jiajia’s mouth, two lines of tears rolled down her face. [
Jiajia, you can offend anyone but never a siscon.
Don’t learn from Jiajia, everyone should be good citizens, okay?
