Chapter 225: The Avenger

Gu Changzheng’s lips curled slightly into a long, knowing smile as he asked calmly, “Then, was that letter left by Lou Zhen also written by you?”

At these words, Zhang Qizhi snapped his head up, a flicker of confusion in his eyes—he still seemed lost in his earlier regret—as he stammered, “W-what letter?”

Seeing his reaction, Gu Changzheng’s heart tightened. Zhang Qizhi’s response felt too genuine—could the letter not be forged by him? Then who? Could it really be Xiao Hai? After all, the only people present at the scene besides Zhang Qizhi were Xiao Hai.

At that moment, Zhang Qizhi suddenly seemed to realize something—he widened his eyes, face flushed with anger, and shouted, “It was that brat! It has to be him! I never thought he’d be so calculating at such a young age!”

Gu Changzheng’s gaze burned as he pressed further: “On the rooftop that day, were you and Xiao Hai already conspiring together?”

The outline of the case was slowly becoming clear in his mind, but he still needed to confirm his deductions.

Zhang Qizhi let out a long sigh, his face heavy with despair and remorse: “Alas! Even if I tell you, you probably won’t believe me. But it’s true—the black jade you found was given to me by Xiao Hai. Before that, I had no idea what it was for!”

“Xiao Hai?” Gu Changzheng let out a bitter laugh. “How do you prove he was your accomplice?”

“Hmph! That kid’s clever, but I’m not stupid!” Zhang Qizhi sneered. “When he came to me to plan how to trick Lou Zhen, I recorded every word—he might try to double-cross me someday, so I prepared for it.”

“Oh?” Gu Changzheng was surprised. “Where’s the recording?”

Zhang Qizhi said, “In my office. There’s a copy of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’—the recorder is hidden inside the middle volume.”

Gu Changzheng glanced at him, then spoke into his earpiece to Luo Fei outside: “Go to his office and retrieve the recorder.”

“So you mean Xiao Hai planned the entire event? Why? And what about Chen Junyang?”

“Because of my father, I met Xiao Hai after coming to Zizhen. Over the years, we became somewhat familiar, though we rarely interacted. About half a year ago, he suddenly came to the hospital looking for me. At first, I didn’t know why. Then he suddenly asked me: ‘Do you wish your grandmother were dead?’ I was shocked—I had no idea what he wanted, so I didn’t want to talk further.”

“When he saw me trying to kick him out, he hurriedly said: ‘I know you hate her. I hate her too. My parents died because of her—or were arrested because of her! And she’s still running around with men outside!’ He said he could no longer tolerate her.”

“I saw he was emotionally agitated, and I didn’t know the details of what he was talking about, so I hesitated. But one thing he said struck home—I also hated Lou Zhen. So after he calmed down a bit, I asked him: ‘Lou Zhen raised you. How can you do something so unfilial? She gave you shelter and care. I don’t believe you could actually do it.’”

“I was just testing him, but he flew into a rage again. He said: ‘I know exactly how my mother died. If it weren’t for her, my mother wouldn’t have died! She raised me because she owed us—but look what she turned me into!’ Then I realized he blamed Lou Zhen entirely for his mother Lou Hongyi’s death. He told me he had a plan—to kill Lou Zhen without anyone noticing.”

“I didn’t believe him at first, but then he laid out his plan in detail. I happened to have a recorder on me, so I recorded everything he said after that.”

Gu Changzheng looked at him. “What a coincidence?”

Seeing Gu Changzheng’s suspicion, Zhang Qizhi hurried to explain: “During that time, I attended many meetings. I carried the recorder everywhere because I feared forgetting important details. I never took Xiao Hai’s words seriously—until he started describing his plan. Only then did I realize he wasn’t joking, so I quietly turned on the recorder.”

Gu Changzheng and Gao Ye exchanged a glance. If Zhang Qizhi’s story was true, Xiao Hai’s cruelty and cunning were truly beyond ordinary people.

“After Lou Zhen fell, how long did you stay on the rooftop?” Gu Changzheng asked. Zhang Qizhi replied: “When I saw her jump, I quickly called Xiao Hai out to help me gather the shredded letters. Once we finished, Xiao Hai told me to leave first—so I wouldn’t draw attention by staying away too long. So I hurried off the rooftop.”

So that’s how it was. Everything after that was arranged by Xiao Hai—he’d originally intended to frame Chen Junyang.

“Chief Gu! Luo Fei called—he found the recorder and played it. The voice on the recording is definitely Xiao Hai’s!” An officer outside the interrogation room reported via earpiece to Gu Changzheng.

Gu Changzheng now fully believed Zhang Qizhi’s account. Even so, the recording would still need technical verification—but the case was essentially resolved. Still, he felt uneasy inside, perhaps because he had once trusted Xiao Hai.

He smiled bitterly to himself. He was just an ordinary man after all—thankfully, he hadn’t let his personal feelings blind him.

Now, it was time to “invite” Xiao Hai to the bureau.

Xiao Hai seemed to have anticipated the police would come for him again. With Zhang Qizhi arrested, he knew he wouldn’t escape. But he was confident the police had no evidence—they couldn’t convict him on Zhang Qizhi’s word alone. He never imagined that conversation had been secretly recorded.

Inside the interrogation room, Xiao Hai huddled on the hard metal chair, his normally pale face now unnaturally ashen. It was his first time in such a place—the solemn, suffocating atmosphere made it hard to breathe.

At that moment, Gu Changzheng and Luo Fei entered the room. Xiao Hai saw them and forced a casual expression.

Gu Changzheng smiled. “Xiao Hai? Or should I say, Lou Xiao Hai? We meet again.”

Xiao Hai twitched his lips, forcing a faint smile. After Luo Fei completed the standard procedural questioning, Gu Changzheng said seriously, “Lou Xiao Hai, do you know why you’ve been brought here?” His tone remained polite.

Xiao Hai blinked, tilting his head. “Because of my grandmother?”

“Why did you kill your grandmother, Lou Zhen? She raised you.”

“What?” Xiao Hai looked stunned. “Officer, that’s insane! Did Zhang Qizhi say that?”

Gu Changzheng smiled silently. The boy was cunning—but still inexperienced. By reacting like this, he might as well have shouted, “I did it!”