Under Tian Lei's piercing gaze, Chen Ge fell silent for a moment before saying something that surprised everyone.
"Last night, when one of my employees and I walked Huang Ling home, she confided in us, saying her husband was a controlling psychotic."
"She's not the crazy one—her husband is?" Tian Lei put down his phone. "What evidence do you have?"
"Huang Ling has always been the one working outside, supporting the family, while her husband Jia Ming locks himself at home, avoids all contact, and shuts himself off from the world. In terms of their attitude toward life, Jia Ming is far more likely to be the patient." Chen Ge looked toward Captain Yan. "I previously asked Captain Yan to investigate Jia Ming as well. You can ask him for the details."
"You've never even seen the man in person. You only conducted peripheral investigations—how can you jump to conclusions so easily? I've interacted with both Jia Ming and Huang Ling. Even Huang Ling herself believes she's the sick one, yet you're saying it's her husband who's ill? Do you think you know the patient better than she knows herself?" Tian Lei, worried about something going wrong, had rushed to Huang Ling's home first thing in the morning after the driver reported the incident. He hadn't witnessed any murder, nor had there been any domestic violence—there wasn't a single mark on Huang Ling's body.
"I'm still sticking with my assessment. I think all of you have been deceived by Huang Ling's husband. He used to be a simple, kind-hearted person, but people can change. After years of being ground down by life, a devil may well be living inside him now." The way things were unfolding was nothing like what he'd expected. Huang Ling had been taken under control before she could even gather any information, and that sent a wave of alarm through Chen Ge. "This opponent is cunning. We can't afford to let our guard down."
Chen Ge and Tian Lei went back and forth, each making their case, while the taxi driver standing nearby listened with his jaw on the floor. The question of who was actually insane and who was lying had never even crossed his mind. But one thing was certain—he would never dare drive out to the eastern suburbs late at night again.
"Both of you, quiet down." Captain Yan gestured for Chen Ge and Tian Lei to stop arguing. "Do you have the statements from Huang Ling and her husband?"
"We only have the husband's statement. Huang Ling had just had an episode last night, and we were worried about triggering her again, so we only asked her a few basic questions." The Dongcheng Police Station where Tian Lei worked was more empathetic than the Xicheng station, but sometimes a tendency toward empathy could cloud objective judgment.
"You've been looking at this from the wrong angle. The person who was with Chen Ge last night was Huang Ling—the one who left the driver her phone number and drove away was also her. This woman is the most critical figure in this entire case." Captain Yan tossed the compiled report from the Dongcheng station onto the desk. "Come on, we're going back to Huang Ling's place right now. I'd like to meet them myself."
"You want to come too? That's really not necessary—just leave this to us." Tian Lei hadn't realized the danger lurking behind this case and felt his station was more than capable of handling it.
"Since I've come across this, I'm going to take a look. Turning a blind eye isn't something a police officer should do." Captain Yan pushed open the office door and strode out. Li Zheng and Chen Ge followed close behind, leaving only Tian Lei and the driver in the room.
"Officer, what's going on now? Can I leave?" The driver had already given up on hoping for any additional compensation.
"Come with us. You're the victim—you can't just disappear at a time like this." Tian Lei put on his police cap and walked out of the office. "Xiao Qing, A-Wen, you two stay here and hold down the fort. Sorry about the late night—call me if anything comes up."
"Captain Tian, where are you headed?" Xiao Qing had just finished mopping the floor, but the drunk had thrown up again.
"Working a case." Tian Lei waved a hand and led the driver out of the station.
After nine that evening, two police cars pulled up outside Huang Ling's building.
"Captain Yan, shouldn't we at least give them a heads-up? Just showing up like this doesn't seem right." Tian Lei jogged over after getting out of the car.
"Didn't you already notify them during the day?"
"That's not exactly according to protocol…"
The group made it to the fourth floor and knocked for what felt like an eternity before they finally heard footsteps approaching from inside.
"Who is it?" The person was on high alert and didn't open the door.
"Police. Open up immediately and cooperate with our investigation."
"Officer Tian?" The security door swung open, and a haggard-looking middle-aged man poked his head out. "What are you doing here? Didn't you already ask everything this morning?"
"Let's talk inside." Everyone entered the apartment, Chen Ge trailing at the very back, keeping a low profile.
The place was small and looked quite shabby — the sofa was worn out, probably second-hand, and the coffee table was stained with grime. A packet of fruit candy lay discarded on top.
"Please, have a seat." The middle-aged man looked far older than his actual age. He hurried to the kitchen and came back with several cups of water.
"Where's your wife? Has her condition improved at all? We have a few questions we'd like to ask her." Captain Yan was ostensibly asking about Huang Ling, but in reality his eyes never left the middle-aged man's face, watching for any shift in his expression.
"She's much better. I'll go get her right now." The middle-aged man walked to the bedroom door and knocked gently. "Huang Ling, the police want to ask you a few things."
After a moment, a woman walked out. Her face was sallow, and she looked utterly drained of energy.
"So you're Huang Ling?" Captain Yan studied the woman in front of him for a long time. She looked nothing like the photo in her file. "Where did you run into Chen Ge last night? And why did you set his phone to a one-touch dial?"
"I don't remember. I don't remember anything that happened last night." The woman sat down on the sofa without so much as glancing at Chen Ge.
"Not even a single impression?"
"No, no, no!" Huang Ling's voice suddenly rose in volume, and she began slamming both fists against her head.
Jia Ming, who was closest to her, didn't immediately rush over. Instead, it was Chen Ge and Tian Lei, standing a bit farther away, who both stepped forward at the same time and seized Huang Ling's arms. "Calm down!"
"I didn't see anything! I didn't see anything last night!" Huang Ling was in a state of extreme agitation.
"Just like this morning — the moment we ask about last night, she has an episode." Tian Lei, having restrained Huang Ling, turned to Captain Yan. "She already has a condition, and last night she was probably frightened again, which made it worse."
"Any change in her condition must have a trigger." Captain Yan looked over at Jia Ming, who was standing off to one side. "What were you doing last night?"
"I was home the whole time. When Huang Ling came back, she was already acting strange — like someone had coerced her into something, same symptoms as just now. The moment I asked her what she'd seen, she started pounding her own head like crazy." After finishing, Jia Ming stole a quick glance at the group. "As for what they actually went through last night, you should ask the taxi driver and that guy called Chen Ge. They were together."
Jia Ming knew his wife's condition all too well. Once Huang Ling stopped struggling, he picked up a piece of candy from the coffee table and placed it in her mouth.
Strangely enough, the moment the candy was in her mouth, Huang Ling quickly calmed down.
"She likes candy?" Both Captain Yan and Chen Ge noticed this detail, and at the same time they thought of Ma Fu, whom they had just seen at the detention center.
When Ma Fu had his episodes, only candy could calm him down quickly.
"Candy isn't medicine — how can it have such an effect?" Captain Yan couldn't figure it out, but beside him, Chen Ge was beginning to form a vague idea.