Chapter 217: Refusing to Confess

The arrest of Chen Junyang proceeded with exceptional ease; after Lou Zhen fell from the building, Chen Junyang left Zizhen that same night and returned to Taogu County. In his panic, he spent one night at a shabby little inn (he had traveled to Zizhen on business, originally planning to return to Taogu County the next day, but Lou Zhen’s incident had thrown him into utter confusion; out of self-preservation, he dared not stay in Zizhen nor return to his home in Taogu County). He returned home that evening, only to find, the next morning as he prepared to go to work at the factory, that a group of police officers awaited him at the door.

Seeing the police at the door, Chen Junyang’s worst fear had finally come true—though not so soon. His legs instantly went weak, and he slumped against the doorframe. Behind him, his fiancée, Qiao Li, the eldest daughter of the Qiao family, stared in horror at the scene. Only when Gu Changzheng produced the detention warrant did Qiao Li realize they had come to arrest Chen Junyang.

Taogu County was no more than fifty kilometers from Zizhen—just over an hour’s drive—and Chen Junyang was already inside the interrogation room of the Jiangdong Branch.

After the Technical Division collected his DNA sample, Gu Changzheng decided to confront him directly, to find out what motive he had for killing Lou Zhen.

After the standard questioning procedure, Gu Changzheng cut straight to the point: “Chen Junyang! Do you know why we arrested you?” His voice was not loud, but clear and stern, radiating authority.

Since entering the interrogation room, Chen Junyang had kept his head drooping, appearing listless and mentally scrambled. He was desperately trying to figure out how to get through this crisis and salvage his relationship with Qiao Li—something vital to his entire future. Only now, hearing the middle-aged officer’s question, did he snap back to awareness.

He spoke in a weak voice: “I—I know. Because of Lou Zhen.”

Gu Changzheng said: “Then tell us everything about your relationship with Lou Zhen.”

Chen Junyang nodded, looked up at Gu Changzheng, and pleaded with a trembling voice: “Officer, I know I was wrong. I’m willing to confess everything. But please—don’t tell my fiancée about Lou Zhen. If she finds out, I’ll have nothing left!”

Luo Fei, taking notes beside him, sneered inwardly: “Still worrying about this now? What were you thinking when you killed her?”

Gu Changzheng paused slightly, then replied calmly: “All information related to this case will be handled strictly according to regulations. We will not disclose anything to anyone. Your willingness to confess voluntarily is good—it may help reduce your sentence.”

Chen Junyang had never dealt with police before, and his constant fear that his affair with Lou Zhen would be exposed to the Qiao family had left his mind in chaos. But he was not stupid. Now, hearing Gu Changzheng’s words, he suddenly realized: the police’s reason for arresting him might be far more serious than he thought.

He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, then asked: “Officer, I—I just had an improper relationship with Lou Zhen. What crime is that?”

Seeing him pretend ignorance, Luo Fei slammed his hand on the table: “Don’t try to fool us! Do you think we’d detain you without evidence?”

At those words, Chen Junyang understood—he was in deep trouble. He clenched his molars and spoke slowly: “That day—September 12th—the factory sent me to Zizhen on official business. Since everything went smoothly, I called Lou Zhen on my way back to the hotel and asked her to meet me at the Tianyang Hotel. I was afraid my relationship with Lou Zhen might be discovered by the Qiao family, so every time I met her, I used a fake ID to check in.”

Chen Junyang paused, then continued: “My room was on the seventh floor, but for safety, I told Lou Zhen to go up to the eighth floor first, then take the fire escape down to the seventh. She always enjoyed that kind of illicit thrill, so she agreed without hesitation.”

“We stayed in the room for nearly an hour. Afterward, she said she had other business to attend to and hurriedly left. Then—then not long after, I heard someone downstairs shouting that someone had jumped. I rushed to the window and looked down—there was a body lying on the ground below. I recognized the clothes immediately. I froze. I ran downstairs, got closer—and saw it was Lou Zhen.”

“I was terrified. I thought the police would definitely investigate who she’d been with—and then my affair with her would be exposed. I couldn’t let the Qiao family find out. Besides, I’d always used that fake ID to book the room, so I figured the police wouldn’t find me. So I went back upstairs, checked out, and left Zizhen that night.”

“That’s all?” Gu Changzheng asked.

Chen Junyang looked at Gu Changzheng, stunned: “That’s all!”

“Chen Junyang! You’re lying! We want you to confess why you killed Lou Zhen!” Luo Fei roared.

“What?” Chen Junyang’s mouth dropped open in shock: “I—I killed Lou Zhen? Why would I kill her?”

“That’s exactly what we want to know,” Gu Changzheng said, his expression grave, each word deliberate.

“No!” Chen Junyang exploded: “Officer! You’ve got it wrong! I didn’t kill her! Why would I kill her? I have such a bright future—why would I risk everything?”

“If you know you have such a bright future, then why did you have an affair with Lou Zhen? How do you explain that?” Gu Changzheng struck the core of the matter, leaving Chen Junyang speechless.

In his eyes, Chen Junyang was no different from the other suspects he’d dealt with—clinging to false hope, convinced that lies and excuses were the only way to escape punishment.

He looked at Chen Junyang: “We have eyewitnesses and physical evidence linking you directly to Lou Zhen’s death. Think carefully. When you’re ready to talk, we’ll continue.”

With that, the two left the interrogation room. Chen Junyang had ample opportunity and motive, eyewitnesses, and virtually no loopholes. Now they only awaited the forensic analysis of the forged “suicide note”—and even if he refused to confess, he could not escape legal punishment.

Meanwhile, back in the detention center, Chen Junyang finally grew completely calm. Lou Zhen didn’t jump because of me, did she? But why did she jump? If I could figure out why, wouldn’t that clear my suspicion?

No—that’s not right. The police suspect me not because they can’t explain why Lou Zhen jumped. They mentioned eyewitnesses—who saw us meet? But just because I met her there, does that prove I caused her death? The officer’s tone suggested the eyewitness saw something more than just our meeting.

What exactly happened? Who wants me dead? Qiao Sanli?