Chapter 45: An Interrogation

Before the interrogation, Ye Sangsang needed to make some preparations, so as not to辜负 (let down) the other party's good intentions.

During the process of investigating certain matters, many things had already surfaced.

Ye Sangsang felt that she was growing increasingly fond of this game.

It was both realistic and challenging.

[Sister Sang's expression looks a bit off.]
[The last time she made this expression was when she dealt with Wang Shun, that taxi robber. Once the setup is done, it's straight to action!]
[I love acting crazy on the internet, but in front of Sister Sang, I feel like absolute trash. Even breathing face-to-face makes me want to quiet down.]

Watching Ye Sangsang's expression, which carried an indescribable nuance, the viewers knew she was about to stir up trouble.

After escorting them to the rooms, Ye Sangsang did not interrogate them immediately; instead, she made them sit there for a while.

The purpose was very simple: to let them calm down and reconsider their statements.

The statements here, of course, were not about making a clean breast of things, but rather coordinating their stories on how to fool her.

After spending an hour organizing things in the office and drinking two cups of tea, Ye Sangsang pushed open the door to the interrogation room where Zhou Xue was being held.

The interrogation room had a very simple layout, with an iron-barred door separating the two sides. Ye Sangsang and Yang Hao sat on this side, while the suspect's single seat was directly opposite.

The prisoner's feet were unbound. The chair featured a flip-down partition; the suspect sat down, flipped the partition up, and then lowered it, resting their handcuffed hands upon it.

If they really wanted a drink of water, they could request a cup, though whether they got it depended entirely on the interrogator's willingness.

Ye Sangsang was relatively generous with such trivial details, personally pouring the other party a cup of water before walking around to take her seat.

Once seated, neither side spoke first.

After a short while, making sure the other had cleared his throat, Ye Sangsang straightened her spine and looked at him with keen interest.

Fortunately, Wang Lan's personality was rather casual and she was not someone bound by rigid rules, otherwise such behavior would have been considered out of character.

She parted her lips and said, "Speak. What did you do? Be frank, and spare yourselves some unnecessary suffering."

She meant every word; if things continued this way, the ones who would suffer in the end were definitely them, not her.

Yang Hao sat quietly, acting like a mascot.

Zhou Xue loosely gripped the disposable paper cup in his hands, his expression cold as he turned his head aside, showing no intention of speaking.

It was as if he firmly believed they could do nothing to him and was resolute in his stance.

Presumably thinking they could not touch the two of them, he held fast to his own convictions.

Ye Sangsang smiled. "Zhou Ya, your older brother—in the end, you couldn't help but find him a burden, right? You wanted to shake him off, didn't you?"

Zhou Xue's expression shifted slightly, his lips twitching, but ultimately he offered no rebuttal.

She let out a contemptuous "hum," tinged with a hint of sentiment. "Indeed. He is a habitual thief, incapable of reproduction and leaving behind descendants, destined to be alone for the rest of his life. You can take care of him for a moment, but how can you take care of him for a lifetime? Wanting to stop caring is only natural."

After a long silence, Zhou Xue's lips parted, and he could not help but argue, "No."

"The reality is that he has contracted a mental illness and is receiving no treatment. His psychological issues will only worsen over time, and gradually no one will want him to do any work. Imagine it—he will have to rely on scavenging through garbage to survive in the future. How truly pathetic," Ye Sangsang said casually, pinching her left index finger and then her right.

There was no pity in her voice. Or rather, she did not lavish excessive pity on others, for she simply lacked such emotions, and even if she had them, they were scant.

Even if the words were delivered coldly, they allowed one to deeply experience their cruel mercilessness, causing a ripple of emotion to cross Zhou Xue's face.

Ye Sangsang did not press him, yet he felt the oppressive weight of emotion bearing down upon him. Her sharp gaze seemed to pierce straight through all his camouflage.

"What do you want?" Zhou Xue lowered his gaze, speaking only after a long moment.

Ye Sangsang remained unmoved, staring right at him. "Tell me! Who is the mastermind, and why did you kill Ye Hua?"

With a look of innocent bewilderment, Zhou Xue met her eyes and argued, "I didn't do it. I don't know anything. I am also deeply saddened by Mr. Ye's death."

Ye Sangsang stated bluntly, "It seems you are determined to let Zhou Ya take the fall for everything."

"No, I really am innocent," Zhou Xue shook his head, his eyes conveying the absolute certainty of his claim.

Without arguing, Ye Sangsang reached onto the table, pulled out a photograph of a bronze ornament, and angled it toward him. "Do you recognize this? Your fingerprints and Yu Qingqing's were extracted from it. Care to explain to me why your fingerprints are on it?"

"I've cleaned Mr. Ye's study. As for Yu Qingqing, perhaps she was the one who touched it," Zhou Xue shrugged, speaking in a nonchalant tone.

"Your relationship with Yu Qingqing is quite poor, isn't it? You both wish the other would drop dead." Ye Sangsang stood up, spreading her palms, resting her right hand on the table while tapping the edge with her left hand rhythmically, producing a crisp ticking sound.

Tap, tap, tap. It felt as though she were striking the very chords of Zhou Xue's heart.

As he listened and watched, he could not help but swallow hard.

The pressure this person exerted on him far surpassed that of any ordinary police officer. It seemed that before her, all his secrets had nowhere to hide.

Suppressing all his emotions, he replied, "Our relationship is indeed terrible, because she is extremely materialistic. Mr. Ye is nine years older than her, yet she married him without a single hesitation. I despise and loathe such people."

His gaze was calm and natural as he looked at Ye Sangsang, striving to prove that this was precisely what he thought.

In a joking tone, Ye Sangsang remarked, "On the contrary, I feel your relationship is exceptionally close, like allies. Allies who have shared weal and woe, and who hold shared memories." She paused to search for another descriptor. "Unbreakable!"

At that moment, his tightly wound heartstrings, much like a tightrope walker's wire about to be traversed, were stretched to their absolute limit.

Driven by the turmoil in his heart, Zhou Xue's hands trembled uncontrollably. His breathing grew heavy, and the gaze he fixed upon Ye Sangsang carried an unspoken dread.

Yet, he quickly clenched his trembling hands, forcefully steadying his breath, and dragged the corners of his mouth into a smile. "You certainly know how to joke, though unfortunately, I don't care much for such jokes." He paused, once again tugging at the corners of his lips to maintain his smile. "Perhaps you should just ask about the case itself. If I have any clues, I will share everything I know without reservation."

"Then let's return to the case. Let me guess—why did you kill Ye Hua?" Ye Sangsang lowered her gaze meaningfully, then looked back up at him. "I'm guessing it's because you encountered something unavoidable... For instance, certain things... were discovered..."

Veins bulged on Zhou Xue's tightly clenched hands. Gritting his teeth, he lowered his head to avoid looking at Ye Sangsang.

Withdrawing her gaze from him, Ye Sangsang said once more, "You're too high-strung. Let's take a break first."

She turned to signal Yang Hao, and the two of them walked out together.

[Just now, I think I could actually feel the pressure Zhou Xue was facing. Terrifying.]
[If I were subjected to that kind of interrogation, I feel like I'd have no choice but to confess under that pressure. Zhou Xue actually has some backbone!]
[The moment Sister Sang called for a break, Zhou Xue's straight spine instantly curved uncontrollably. I felt like he was about to break. I'm puzzled—why did Sister Sang suddenly choose to let up?]

Yang Hao was equally confused, but he held back his questions and followed her outside.

He could sense that Ye Sangsang's aura was formidable, but he hadn't grasped the underlying meaning of her words. It had all sounded hazy, like she was dropping hints.

Only this time, he didn't quite dare to ask, preferring to just wait and see the outcome.

The "break" Ye Sangsang mentioned wasn't a rest at all. Upon stepping outside, she went straight to Yu Qingqing's interrogation room.

This room lacked the iron bars, but otherwise, it was identical to the adjacent one: the walls bore the slogans "leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist," beneath which hung a red electronic digital clock.

Yu Qingqing was trickier to deal with than Zhou Xue; being older, her acting skills were quite impressive.

Yet, for Ye Sangsang, this was a welcome challenge, which meant the best part was saved for last.

She did not use oppressive questioning this time; instead, her demeanor was as warm as a spring breeze.

"I'm terribly sorry for leaving you hanging here because of some matters," she asked gently.

Yu Qingqing shook her head, indicating she understood the heavy workload of a criminal police officer.

Giving a soft sigh, Ye Sangsang said, "Originally, I didn't want to arrest you, because I felt you were innocent. But your fingerprints were detected on the murder weapon, so I had no choice but to go through this procedure."

Yu Qingqing replied with considerable understanding, "It's fine. I understand. After all, I am one of the suspects the police would naturally include."

"I still must apologize. Investigating a case requires us to follow procedures and ask you a few questions," Ye Sangsang walked over to her and apologetically tapped the back of her handcuffed hand.

Yu Qingqing shook her head once more to show her understanding.

Casually chatting away, Ye Sangsang inquired about Ye Hua's habits, his family, and even the process of how the two of them had fallen in love.

Having previously expressed her understanding, Yu Qingqing now wore a somewhat strained smile in the face of these inquiries. Bound by her earlier words, she refrained from questioning the relevance of these questions and simply answered every seemingly boring topic one by one.

Ye Sangsang asked a great deal, and Yu Qingqing gradually grew impatient with her responses.

[This is the most talkative Sister Sang has ever been.]
[Feels like she's brewing a massive ultimate move.]
[Yu Qingqing is probably about to have a bad day.]

The livestream viewers were brimming with excitement, intensely curious as to whether the suspect would confess, how they had committed the crime, and why.

These were unknowns, and humanity was eternally fascinated by the unknown.

Unaware of the viewers' thoughts, Ye Sangsang simply looked at the woman opposite her and said in a calm, soothing tone, "You have a younger sister, don't you?"

"Yes," Yu Qingqing answered reflexively.

Slightly tilting her head, Ye Sangsang leaned down to look Yu Qingqing squarely in the face. "Was that the truth?"

The very instant the answer left her mouth, Yu Qingqing's face turned ashen. Forcing herself to compose herself, she hurriedly amended her answer to Ye Sangsang: "It just slipped out. I don't have any sisters; I'm an only child."

[Whoa.]
[Words spoken on pure reflex are the truths hidden deep in the heart, right?!]
[She really got played. She thought Sister Sang had cleared her as a suspect and completely forgot she was in the middle of an interrogation.]

Yang Hao sat watching, his lips parted slightly.

"I believe you! Don't be nervous, we were just chatting casually," Ye Sangsang placated her.

Yu Qingqing sighed. "Actually, what I said was the truth."

Ye Sangsang looked at her in confusion.

With a touch of melancholy, Yu Qingqing explained, "My parents didn't just have me; I had a younger sister born after me. But she passed away when she was very, very young—just an infant. Only my family knew about it."